Category Archives: Collaboration
My Ladies at Breaking Barres
Breaking Barres, thanks for the shout out in your recent newsletter! The masterminds behind this great Canadian production company (dedicated to the advancement of tap in today’s entertainment landscape) are Co-Directors Barbara Vargas and Jamie Ausmus. I feel lucky to call these two phenomenal women part of my family – my tap family to be precise.
You wanna talk about a combo of business acumen and beautiful artistry, go learn more about these two… They know how to MAKE IT HAPPEN behind the scenes and onstage! Keep an eye on these two. They’ve just added a group of interns to their team for the 2012 season, which means they’ve got all kinds of projects in the works… Can’t wait. Go, Ladies!!!
Read: Breaking Barres’ “Breaking News – January 2012″
Barbara Vargas
Jamie Ausmus
Peace,
JS
Don’t work to change the system.
Instead, Create & share the work you love and the system will follow.
—
Lately, I’ve been keeping this simple truth on the top of my mind that is shown in the black-bordered box on the bottom of the following journal page in this pic (feel free to read the top, too! I like to read over those lines often to keep myself focused!):
“Everyone is trying to do the best they can with where they’re at right now.”
That said, let’s…
Work WITH people, not against them.
Work WITH the system, not against it.
(Ultimately, we kind of ARE “the system” anyway because it was/is a product of our human behaviors & interactions.)
Furthermore, the relatively small percentage of misguided individuals who seek personal material gain through actions that are harmful to others are, realistically, few and far between. The ones that do tend to pervade our thoughts solely because the media focuses so much attention in their negative actions. And, that which you give your attention to becomes your truth. That said, these people are NOT the majority. Not even close.
Our human race has far more beautiful, transformational potential than we give ourselves credit for. Clearly, every person that watches the news or reads an article about corruption in out world and speaks negatively about such news is not the kind of person who feels like they would ever engage in such corrupt practices. If this is true, imagine the beautiful creations that could emerge if every single one of these individuals – instead of commenting somewhat apathetically about what others are doing wrong – actually made the choice to do something that they feel is right!!
What a different world this would be!
By getting involved and bringing the best of your authentic self to your work and your creations, you will do nothing but change the system!! Energy is often wasted by fixating on what’s less than ideal in our world instead of actually going out and creating what IS ideal (read: creating stuff that matters to you and truly makes other peoples’ lives better!). If we all take personal responsibility for this, I think we’ll see that much of what’s “not right” will succumb to a natural, evolutionary obsolescence.
Change is a beautiful thing.
We have a choice in each moment.
We have a choice as to how we’d like to spend our time here on this earth.
What will you choose?
This option sounds pretty darn enjoyable and worthwhile, right?! It’s the path I’ve chosen and I’m not looking back. Join in on this wild ride! It is in your power!
This is about living a life uplifted. A life that embraces the beauty of our interconnectedness and celebrates the inherent worth of each being on this planet.
Can you dig it?
Thanks for tuning in.
Peace,
JS
Recap: January Tap Jam
What a KILLER jam! January brought our largest turnout yet! I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of attendance because it came up quickly right after the holidays and new year, but everyone surprised me with their readiness to jump back into things. 2011 here we come!! That’s what I like to see!
We had a rockin’ trio of musicians including John Sanders (piano), Matt Hopper (bass), and Frank Heye (drums, www.bigdogrevue.com); and, another fun round of silent auction items (the SoleSound girls even included some handmade items of their own!); and, not to forget the amazing array of desserts: Cupcakes donated by my mom, and two delicious pies donated by Cass Vaivadas (For superb catering, contact Cass, Chef/Baker extraordinaire, at casandravaivadas@aol.com) . Yum…. to be nourished in more ways than one.
This jam also brought a newcomer from outside the local studios. His name is Ryo Ishiyama. He is an International student studying at the University of Washington, and he found out about us through a google search for tap in Seattle. Cool! Ryo told me that he had been tap dancing for a little over a year in Japan before coming here just recently. Well, I’d have never known if he didn’t tell me because those feet can fly! It was SO great to have him join us.
So nice to hear that the word is spreading. Serves as a nice little reminder, friends, that ALL ARE WELCOME! These jams are for all people to come express their love of the art form, in whatever way each individual feels most comfortable!
THANK YOU, CONTRIBUTERS!
Thank you for your support and assistance. This could not have happened without you!
Anthony Peters, The Scudder/Davis Family, The Hawkins/Weinland Family, The Hayden/Chan Family, The McCord/Salman Family, Dan and Lisa Sawyers, Frank Heye
NEXT MONTH’S JAM: Saturday, February 12th from 7-9pm
Location: Tap Dance Seattle @ 6600 1st Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115
Hope to see you there!
___________________________________________________________________
ABOUT THE JAMS
These events double as a way for tap dancers to come together – to jam, share ideas and steps, perform for one another, dance with live music – and as a Fundraiser to send a group of young tap dancers to the NY Tap Dance Festival in July 2011. We’ll be hosting one jam per month until then!
The group for which we’re raising funds is SoleSound Youth Performance Co, and consists of four young girls between the ages of 9 and 11. To meet their goal and get to the NY Tap Fest, at each jam the girls will be collecting a cover charge of $10 per person (or $7 with tap shoes / free for kids 5 & under), selling food and beverages, and holding a silent auction with great products and services from local businesses. That’s right, the girls will be doing this – they’re putting in the work at each event to literally earn their way to NY. Tap dancers and non tap dancers are encouraged to attend!
Peace,
