* Type of Dance = Shake Rattle & Pose: Yoga Dance Fusion
* Workshop: Friday, June 29th • 6 - 7:30 pm
* Name of Instructor = Kimberlee Jensen Stedl
* Location = Down Dog Missoula, 2615 Connery Way, Missoula, Montana
* Contact Information = DoYoga@8thElementYoga.com,
http://www.8thElementYoga.com/yoga_dance
* Cost = $12 drop-in rate
* Level = Beginner Dance, Intermediate Yoga
Yoga comes to life with this energetic fusion of flowing Hatha yoga and
dance. Using moves from martial arts, belly dance, African dance, and
modern dance, we dance our way into and out of yoga poses in this
playful lively class. You get cardiovascular benefits plus strength and
flexibility while exploring your own unique creativity.
Dance movements are both strong and soft, yang and yin, for a balanced
mind body workout. Choreography is simple – we emphasize movement,
not
memorization. No prior dance experience necessary but some prior yoga
experience is helpful, as this is a dynamic and challenging class.
Just when you thought you knew yoga, you discover a
whole new way to experience it.
Why yogis should take this class: Freeform spontaneous dance is the
natural progression of yoga, according some some yoga lineages. In this
class we have a mix of structured time and freeform time which enables
you to catch a glimpse of liberation. When we're moving freely, all the
movements stemming from a seat of joy, disregarding comparisons to
others or perfection of movement, it opens a window to liberation.
Also,
because we dance to warm the body and prepare the muscles for a pose,
we
can often get deeper into poses. Because we dance our way into balance
poses,we can trick ourselves into challenging poses we might normally
dread. The combination of dancing, a training method used by athletic
trainers, further strengthens our balance.
Why dancers should take this class: While performance dance is
beautiful and powerful in its own right, dancers can sometimes focus so
rigorously on choreography and perfection, that they sometimes forget
the joy of moving and feeling the movement deep from within. In this
class, we move to work our way into poses, we move to express and we
move just to move sometimes. It helps dancers remember their joy of
movement and music. Because we use movements from a variety of styles
we
move in a variety of ways: strong, slinky, choppy, fast, slow, wild,
controlled. It challenges dancers to move in ways outside of their
normal realm, which helps make them stronger dancers all around.
Finally, because we often dance while holding balancing poses, dancers
sharpen their balance and learn how to move while holding intricate
stances.
