The great soul singer Miss Sharon Jones passed away yesterday, after a long, brutal and unflinchingly public fight with cancer. I'm just crushed by the news, at the tail end of a big bummer of a year. But I'm also inspired. Who I am as a dancer — and a person — was significantly shaped by…
Category: The Spirit
Lin-Manuel Miranda: “Hearts Open, Minds Sharp…”
Channeling some Lin-Manuel Miranda today. Good morning. Eyes up. Hearts up. Minds sharp. Compassion on full blast. (Sips coffee)Okay let's go. — Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) July 8, 2016
“Vulnerable”: Photo Essay on Feelings of Insecurity and Sadness at a Dance Camp
Sarah Warny Berg created this wonderful photo essay about some of the darker feelings and thoughts experienced during the Herräng Dance Camp. Obviously this isn't exclusive to this camp or these people, but touches on some universal experiences we all go through but don't express often. I can totally relate to many of the sentiments…
Nana’s Rolls, Mom’s Spaghetti, Nairobian Langoustines: Your Wonderful Food Stories
For my birthday this year, I decided to request my friends to send me personal stories about food. I’m so impressed with the stories that people shared! Here are some of my favorites. Mom’s Noodles Credit: CC-licensed photo by Cameron Cassan Homemade spaghetti came up a couple of times in friend's stories. My friend Jim…
Kingsolver: “What I want is so simple…”
My boss Jon Foley at the California Academy of Sciences shared this wonderful quote from the author Barbara Kingsolver in her book Animal Dreams, which really speaks to my condition right now: “The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is…
Figs, Proscuitto and A Birthday Request to You
It was the summer of 1998. I was on a work trip to Rome, Italy with some colleagues at the human rights group I worked for a the time, the Coalition for the International Criminal Court. We were being treated to dinner by a local Italian human rights nonprofit. It was one of our first…
Keeping the Channel Open
I've been thinking hard for the past month or so about this quote from the dance legend Martha Graham about staying true to your own personal voice in whatever you create. Blogger James Clear recounts a story about Agnes De Mille, another dance legend in her own right in the 1940s, who was confused and troubled…
Cold Showers and Tackling the Hard Stuff: Crushing the 30-day Cold Shower Challenge
Today I completed a challenge that I told myself was impossible : the 30-Day Cold Shower Challenge. But the question everyone asks me is… Why? Why? Why would I do something so obviously uncomfortable to myself every morning? Well there's actually a good bit of research into the health benefits of cold showers. These include :…
If You Dread Holiday Family Time
My family isn't perfect. I guess no one's is. But I am feeling grateful I generally feel safe and accepted when I am home with the relatives. It's maybe 70% pleasure, around 20% boring, and at most 10% awkward. I know that is not the reality for everyone. For some people, being with family means…
Falling Isn’t Failing: What an Animated GIF Taught Me about Dancing and Living
So this awesome animated dancing gif has been making the rounds, for good reason. First off, it’s bad ass. Second off, it’s hilarious. The more and more I watch it, the more that I think it perfectly encapsulates some important life lessons that go way beyond dancing. Stay with me here! So what’s one of the…