Dance de la Terre with (& without) drums

Dance de la Terre, (Dance of the Earth), is the original, joyful expression and continued exploration and development of my own unique dance and movement vocabulary. It is inspired by a lifetime of ballet training and over 25 years of West African dance. The original and creative utilization of these forms produce a FUN, playful, dynamic, and exuberantly graceful contemporary fusion, suitable and accessible, for dancers of all levels.

The Netherwoods

Secret, sacred dance space hidden in the near north valley, home to Dancing Our Magick, a playful community dance program of dynamic and original adult dance offered alongside universal, ancestral and animistic practices and activities, meant to (re)awaken more Joy, Wonder, Hope, Healing, and experiential Communion with the Wild Natural Divine, present within, and all around.

Butoh is a Japanese countercultural dance form that revels in the taboo, attempts to unculture the body and reveals the personal and collective subconscious through subtle but rigorous methods of training. The dancer may enter an altered state of mind that remains alert and artistically sound. The practice is a simultaneity of being moved rather than moving, while remaining acutely aware of the outside eye.

This class uses Noguchi Taiso (water body), and Butoh techniques to enter a liminal space between waking and sleeping where the dream-like internal world moves the body (either visibly or invisibly). You will be guided in simple warmups, butoh technique, and then given the opportunity to move freely with your own inner world experiences.

This Afro-Latin Jazz dance class introduces dancers to the rhythms, movements and technique of an improvisational dance form called Mambo (aka New York Salsa On2).

This class is intended for dancers with at least basic foundations in ballet, modern, flamenco or jazz or other dance forms that introduce rhythm identification and counting.

What to wear for class:

• Footwear: We will start our warm-up barefoot or in flat footwear and move into dance sneakers, jazz shoes (flat, 1.5 to 2.5 heel depending on capability / experience and style interests). No street or ballet shoes please!

• Clothing: Comfortable clothing to move and dance in, consider layering as appropriate

• Bring Water to stay hydrated

About Lola Rodriguez (Albuquerque, NM and Chicago, IL):

Lola started out as a street dancer dancing Chicago House (a hip hop genre), and later branched out into Afro Latin social partner work and footwork, specifically a genre known as Salsa On2 aka New York Style Mambo along with other associated dance forms from this genre: Chachacha, Pachanga, Boogaloo, Rumba, and Son. Her main focus is dance improvisation and the role of connection to the music during footwork/shines and partner work. She continues to train in this dance form and has added Salsa on1, ballet, jazz and modern dance forms, and more recently has found joy in choreography.

Barefoot Dance Fitness is a continuous cardio class with outrageously good music.  We’re here to have fun, get sweaty, be mindful, and go deep. As we dance, we connect: to the music, to our bodies, and to each other. Class challenges us to increase our strength, agility, mobility, and creativity. Dancers especially appreciate that our focus is on feeling good, not looking good, as we move.

Beth O’Neall, M.Ed., has been teaching dance fitness classes since 2001 and is absolutely in love with how good it feels to dance with others