Showing posts with label dancing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dancing. Show all posts

Friday, April 4, 2014

Dance Walking

I don't know about you, but now that the weather is getting a little warmer and I'm shedding my layers of winter, I'm feeling way out of shape.

Too much time spent sitting in front of the computer.  Too many afternoons noshing on comfort food.





A new season means moving is the name of the game for me and I think this You Tube video below showing how to Dance Walk is the perfect way to kickstart some outdoor motion and burning off those almighty calories!

Even if you don't need to tone up, check out this Dance Walk video because it's fun and we all need to find something that makes us feel fabulous by the end of the week, right?

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Get Lucky

I know the Grammys were Sunday night but the music is still rockin' and rollin' for me.
 
I'm Up All Night To Get Lucky. . .
 
 
The Grammys are a blast to watch because everyone is so out there in their creativity and hopefully your favorite singer, song or group wins something.  I think people like to watch it because they imagine themselves standing there before the cameras singing some of the songs or in my case I imagine myself up there on the stage dancing the night away.
 
You don't think about being in a band and singing any of the popular songs? Come on.  Next, you will tell me that you have never picked up a hairbrush or any other kitchen utensil and pretended it was a microphone and that you don't ever sing when you are in the car or in the shower.
 
It's okay 'cause we all do it!!  I even have male friends who pick up brooms and play them as though they were guitars.  Music takes us to a spontaneous healing place and makes us feel some kind of wonderful.  I think it's almost impossible to  think about anything stressful when you're singing or dancing. 
 
One of the songs that got a lot of attention (who were those two robots?) and more importantly, awarded Record of the Year was Daft Punk's dance song, "Get Lucky."  And just for the fun of it, here's hoping you get lucky today:
 
 
 

Monday, January 13, 2014

The Magic of A Party

The Washington, DC weather on Saturday may have been rainy, foggy and dreary but it had  no affect on the atmosphere inside one cozy house in Northwest DC where it was bright, warm and full of happiness.
 
Was this house in some kind of weather bubble?
 
Yes it was because it was the site of a birthday party that my super duper spectacular friends gave for me and I can say without hesitation that it was the best birthday party ever!!  Talk about healing!  Wow!  I was feeling the love and it was totally through the stratosphere for me in terms of people, food and fun!!!
 
Me and My Fantastic Son!
Truly great friends are a treasure to have and to hold and I keep my friends near and dear to my resilient heart.  These are the incredible people who were here for me after my husband died, these are the people who have helped me keep my heart open to the future and these are the people who came together and let their creativity flow to help me celebrate my magical birthday.
 
My friends are my soul mates and they make most things in life bearable because great friends always find the time to either hold your hand, listen to your story or go out and boogie on the dance floor with you!
 
The theme?  What else?  THE BEACH!!!
 
Mini beach balls, candles, sand, shells and best of all beach food.  As in lobster rolls, spiced shrimp, crab cakes, potato salad and tomatoes and mozzarella and chopped fresh basil.  And if that wasn't enough deliciousness, dessert was a Key Lime pie and a chocolate cake with many, many candles!!!!!!!! Totally yum, yes?
 
Home Made Lobster Rolls


And just when we thought we could not eat one more forkful, it was time to crank up the tunes and dance the night away! Donna Summer you would have been proud of us!!
 
Twerking, congo lines, and a version of something called The Throwdown, were just some of the dance moves proudly performed and thoroughly enjoyed!!
 
After all these years together, we've still got it going on and I thank you my dear friends from the bottom of my heart!! 
 
I am still flying from the emotional high.  And that's the true magic of a party!

Home Made Chocolate Cake

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Wednesday Beats with Usher

I don't have much to say today.  It's Wednesday and things in DC have been tense with the government shutdown and furloughed workers.  Unfortunately, I know a handful of people who are working but unsure as to when they will get paid.
 
And that is why is it time for some uplifting music.  Did you know that music is a quick stress reliever?  I believe we can always make time for the beats and music makes almost everything bearable.



I was lucky enough to see Usher perform live earlier this year at the Inaugural Ball this past January (that seems so long ago!) and he is the real deal!! Man, oh man, does he have energy!!

If this song -- DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love -- does not get lift your mood and make you get up and move, then I don't know what will.  Here one of my favorite Usher songs:


Carry on!!!!!

Friday, September 27, 2013

Dancing In September

 
Earth Wind & Fire's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
 
Another work week grinds to an end and I say ba de ya, it's time for dancing in September!
 
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Friday has arrived in all its glory, and not much feels better than when it is Friday night, you are hangin' with your friends and you have the whole weekend in from of you to relax and enjoy!!
 
I intend to do some of the usual cleaning and organizing this weekend but I also am going to see friends and have some fun.  When you work as hard as we all do, it's essential to take out some time for yourself to do any kind of activity that helps you lose yourself in what you are doing.  Get off schedule and decompress.
 
I was curious about the actual health effects of having fun and guess what?  Scientific studies  show that when people work on projects or hobbies that they enjoy, their blood chemistry changes almost immediately in a positive way.  When your blood chemistry is altered this way, it increases your body's resistance to infections and life-threatening disease.  A definite win-win.
 
Not that you needed a reason to go out and have a good time but just in case you did need one, now you have it!!
 
One of the things I like to do is dance and I totally lose track of time when I am doing it.  I could care less if I have a partner or not.  If there is a song playing that I love, I cannot sit still.  I will go out on the dance floor and dance by myself.  Of course, it's more fun with someone else but I can't let that keep me from going with beat of the music.
 

Earth Wind & Fire Performing
 
 
So as we glide out of the last Friday in September, click on the link below and let's listen up and groove out to the rockin' sounds of Earth Wind & Fire singing on their official video of "Dancing In September."  And don't forget to check out the band's funky costumes too!  Remember, the song came out in 1978:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs069dndIYk

Monday, August 19, 2013

A New Week



I am with you my dear readers as we begin a new week together!!!!

I hope your weekend was full of exciting adventures and laughter and love and family and friends.

Mine seemed to zip by in a blink.

While I have many things that I want to tell you about, I ran out of time to sit down and put them in complete thoughts and sentences.

There is definitely more to come but today I leave you with the below thought since change and more change seems to be the theme of my life these days:



The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it,
 
move with it,
 
and join the dance
 
                         ~Alan Watts
 
 
 

 
 


Friday, August 16, 2013

Friday Jammin'

We made it guys!!  It's Friday!!
 
And it's the summer!! So let's jam and enjoy as we roll into the weekend!!
 
I love, love this song, "Take Back The Night," because is has a funky, old school sound that gets you movin' and groovin'.  Dancing always makes me feel better about life and moving forward and I bet the same things happens for you too, right?
 
Plus the video is filmed in my favorite city!!!!!


Chrysler Building in New York City

I dare you to sit in your chair and watch the whole video.  Hope you like it too!!

Take it away Justin. . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEzREJbln-o

Saturday, July 27, 2013

So You Know You Can Dance!

Everyone can dance.  And they should!

For dancing gets you moving and helps you get rid of the stress and tension you are storing all over your body.  Dancing also helps you heal your soul. 
 
While listening to music, my mind momentarily stops thinking about hurt and pain and frustration as I allow my body to take over and lose itself in the rhythms and sounds of whatever is playing.
 
Dancing is definitely therapeutic!!  And today, in Washington, DC, you can go to The Kennedy Center and dance pretty much all day to your heart's desires.  Or you can do what I intend to do which is dance wherever you are and go with it.

It's National Dance Day, an official and recognized event started in 2010 by Nigel Lythgoe, the co-creator and judge of the television show "So You Think You Can Dance."  His purpose in founding this day was simply to get people dancing and inspire others to get on their feet and move and discover the wonders of dancing as a healthy lifestyle.
 
Lythgoe will be in Los Angeles today for that city's celebration of dance.  Besides DC and LA, there will be performance, tutorials, and flash mobs in Austin, TX, Vail, CO, Montgomery, AL and Rockford, IL, among other locations.
 
The DC event at the Kennedy Center is free and today will feature hip-hop, salsa, modern, Bollywood, flamenco, African, tap and ballet from 1 pm to 11:30 pm.
 
"The whole concept is to have fun, to bring people to dance, to start knocking down the barriers we  build," Lythgoe said.  "You know, you put any piece of music on and a baby starts dancing, just quite naturally.  And somehow we lose that as we get older.  We start to feel embarrassed about ourselves and embarrassed about our bodies."
 
So get up and strut your stuff and boogie all the time for it's great for your body and your sweet, sweet soul!  Here's an oldie from one of my favorite groups, Earth Wind & Fire, singing a hot song, "Boogie Wonderland."  If this doesn't make you move, I don't know what will:
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Zumba Zumba

The guy who invented Zumba, Beto Perez, wears a black sleeveless T-shirt and says to me, "Feel the Music."

And I do!

I am watching Beto, along with 5 other Zumba dance instructors on a DVD and I am taking the 20 minute Zumba express lesson in my house.

What's so great about Zumba?

Well, for me Zumba feels more like fun rather than exercise and the workout burns mucho calories which I am always trying to do.  Having discovered Zumba this summer, I am finding it to be everything I heard.  First of all, the music is great!  It's not like an exercise class at all.  I am writing about Zumba because I genuinely like it, not because the company sent me materials and asked me to endorse anything.

Even though I am watching a DVD rather than being in a live class, it still feels similar to being in a party atmosphere.  I have watched a lot of exercise DVDs and enjoy all of them for different reasons but Zumba is different.  Don't get me wrong, you definitely do break a sweat will following the instructors! 
 
 
 
But the Zumba program, which involves dance and aerobic elements, doesn't feel robotic in terms of constantly counting where you are in the exercises and how many you have left to do to get to the end.  Also, if you fall out of step in one of the routines, it's more forgiving.  You can easily find your place again if you just keep moving.
 
We all need to move around a lot more than we do.  Our bodies were designed for movement.  We are built to be active. 
 
Over the winter I could tell that I was spending more time sitting and I knew this wasn't a good thing.  I could tell because I was started to gain a little weight and I felt sluggish.  Plus there are more and more studies coming out about how sitting all day may shorten your life.  As a person who works in an office and spends a good amount of the day in front of the computer, I find those studies to be scary.
 
So I was prepared to get off my butt but I needed to find something new to jumpstart me and keep me off my butt.  I had heard about Zumba for a while and had casually watched some infomercials and I thought it always looked more like dance than exercise.
 
Try it for yourself and see what you think.  Even if you don't follow the routines you can dance or move along with the music which is better than sitting in front of the television or the computer.  Any movement is better than no movement.
 
Here's a short introduction Zumba clip to watch so you can see what it's all about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG_YDGH7jhU

Friday, July 5, 2013

Movement As Medicine

When I spend too much time in front of the computer or television I don't feel right.

I don't feel as if my body and mind are working together as they were designed to do, and when this happens I know it's a signal for me to get up off my inactive butt and do something physical.

As in get the heart pumping and break a sweat.
 
It doesn't matter what you do, just get up and move.  Exercise anywhere and everywhere.
 
 
Exercise is a gift you give yourself because it can reduce anxiety, clear toxins from your system and just clear your mind and give you a fresh outlook on your day.  Even when I don't want to exercise, I convince myself to do some kind of activity because I always feel like a new person when I do.  Always!  It's amazing!
 
Our bodies are designed for movement.  Dance. Walk. Garden. Stretch. Play a sport.  Run.  It all works!
 
Here is a recent inspiring story from The Washington Post about the mental and physical benefits of exercise classes that a group of people diagnosed with Parkinson's take on a regular basis.  As the author, Lenny Bernstein, writes, "Here, exercise is therapy, perhaps no match for Parkinson's disease over the two decades that it generally inflicts misery on its 1 million victims, but certainly a dose of nonprescriptive relief in the short term."
 

Monday, June 3, 2013

Slow Dance

I find this poem called Slow Dance to be nourishing for my soul.

It helps me reset and focus my energies and set out once again on this magical journey called life so that I can appreciate the beauty and blessing that are given to me.

Instead of powering through my days and nights, this poem reminds me to get out of the fast lane and slow down and really and truly focus on the wonder around me.




Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round,
or listened to rain slapping the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight,
or gazed at the sun fading into the night?
 
You better slow down, don't dance so fast,
time is short, the music won't last.
 
Do you run through each day on the fly,
when you ask "How are you?", do you hear the reply?
 
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed,
with the next hundred chores running through your head?
 
You better slow down, don't dance so fast,
time is short, the music won't last.
 
Ever told your child, we'll do it tomorrow,
and in your haste, not see his sorrow?
 
Ever lost touch, let a friendship die,
'cause you never had time to call and say hi?
 
You better slow down, don't dance so fast,
time is short, the music won't last.
 
When you run so fast to get somewhere,
you miss half the fun of getting there.
 
When you worry and hurry through your day,
it's like an unopened gift thrown away.
 
Life isn't a race, so take it slower,
hear the music before your song is over.
 
                               -- David L. Weatherford (www.davidweatherford.com)


Sunday, April 28, 2013

iPods Forever

I am deleting all of the songs on my iPod and starting over.

Here is a blast of a song from the '80's that I will be adding to my new song list.

I don't know what happened to Lisa Stansfield but I always turn up the volume when I hear this song:



I hope you are having a great weekend!

Thursday, March 14, 2013

FullSet -- A Hot Irish Band

I just discovered the infectious and energetic sounds of an Irish band called FullSet, recently named "New Group of the Year" for 2012 by the Live Ireland Music Awards.

Just listening to their music makes me feel better!
 
Music definitely has healing powers and therapists have found that music's curative powers can alleviate pain and help not only those of us recovering from a loss but also people recovering from strokes and other medical traumas. 
 
Music unlocks differents parts of the brain depending on the music's pitch, harmony or rhythm and provides a medium for creative expression whether your are creating it, making it, singing along to it or just listening and dancing to it. 



And seein' as we're starting to roll into a weekend that will be marked by days of celebrations for St. Patrick's Day, listening to FullSet will definitely get you into the right mood. 

 
It doesn't matter whether you have a drop of Irish blood in you or not, I guarantee that FullSet's music will make your foot start tapping, your hands start clapping and your heart feelin' a whole lot lighter!

 
 
 

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Dancing Dreams

Pauline Clark has got it goin' on.

Today's post is about holding on to a dream that you know is good for your soul.  Pauline Clark is my inspiration today and she is featured in the story below that I read in the New York Daily News about how Pauline's lifetime dream of dancing with the Rockettes finally came true.
 
I think Pauline Clark, who is 87, has definitely heard about the idea of "use it or loose it" and has taken it to heart as a lifetime philosophy.
 
The idea behind "use it or loose it" is essentially this:  if you don't use the strength and mobility of your body on a regular basis as you grow older, then you might loose those functions.   I try to practice it as much as possible.  If I don't walk or move around every day, I just don't feel right and neither does my body.
 
Pauline Clark must feel the same way because she has been dancing since she was a young child and has always wanted to dance with the infamous Rockettes, New York City's iconic female dancers known around the world for their kick line.

Her age is definitely not holding her back from enjoying life to the max and it just goes to prove that it is never too late to make a dream come true:
 
Florida woman, 87, lives dream of dancing with the Rockettes

Pauline Clark, 87, from Clearwater, Fla., realized her lifelong dream of dancing with the world-famous steppers Saturday after the Wish of a Lifetime foundation teamed up with her senior center to bring her to the Big Apple.



Pauline Clark in New York City
Photo Credit: Enid Alvarez: NY Daily News

 

The Rockettes had better watch their step, because this great-granny is hot on their heels.

Pauline Clark, 87, from Clearwater, Fla., realized her lifelong dream of dancing with the world-famous steppers Saturday after the Wish of a Lifetime foundation teamed up with her senior center to bring her to the Big Apple.

“I feel like a celebrity,” she gushed, giving a gleeful kick while gripping her walker under Radio City Music Hall’s iconic marquee. “I have marveled at the Rockettes ever since I first saw them on TV.”

Clark, who has been dancing since her brother insisted she get lessons at age 7, enjoyed a matinee performance of the 85th annual “Christmas Spectacular” (which is two years younger than she is) before taking a backstage tour.

She had never seen the Rockettes live before.



Pauline Clark dances with the Rockettes
Photo Credit: Geoffrey Hauschild/Camera 1

 
“I loved it from the beginning to the finish,” she said. “It’s much better in person.”

Of course, the highlight was becoming the oldest person to dance with the long-legged lovelies during the Rockette Experience, when about 50 guests took a dance workshop and posed for photos with three Rockettes.

“They’re just gorgeous girls, and very nice,” said Clark. “It was a lot of fun!”

A choreographer walked them through the troupe’s signature kick line.

“They were telling us to kick with the left foot and then to kick with the right, and so forth. I made out OK!” she said humbly. “I can always kick. I’m always dancing and using my legs.”

The silver-haired siren has eight decades of dancing under her feet, including her years teaching at the Arthur Murray School of dance in Tallahassee, Fla.

Clark still tears up the dance floor at the Brookdale Senior Living center’s senior happy hours on Saturdays.

“We do the jitterbug; we do the old waltz,” she said. “I’m just one that loves dancing.”

npesce@nydailynews.com

Monday, November 26, 2012

Future Dream -- Pip




Pip Singing

Ouch!  Is it really Monday?
 
Four days off from work have been so great, can I repeat so great, for my mind and my soul!!  I went for some walks, did some yard work, caught up on my sleep, saw family and friends on Thanksgiving Day, did a little Christmas shopping and went to the movies and saw the new James Bond movie, "Skyfall."  It is excellent!! You really must see it if you haven't already.
 
But now I have Monday staring me in the face along with a brand new work week.  How do I get motivated to get out the door? 
 
Music, my dear friends, music! 

My cousin, Gina, posted a new song on her Facebook page that her nephew, Pip, wrote and sings.  He has a great voice!  Do you remember Pip?  He was a finalist on the second season of NBC's prime-time hit show, "The Voice."  Pip was on Adam Levine's team and since leaving the show he has been very busy in the recording studio.

His new song is called Future Dream and it features Pip singing and rockin' to some major drum beats.  I've listened to this a few times already this morning and I think I'm just about ready to groove out the door and face the week.

If you feel so inclined to spread the word of Pip's new song, please share this post/link.

Many thanks!  Go Pip!



Monday, May 7, 2012

Call Me Maybe -- Girls on 9 Edition

Put your shades on and wear something fun today!! It's Musical Monday and the first full week in the Magical Month of May!

It's also almost Summer and when summer is right around the corner, that means it's almost time to bring on the BEACH!

For me, every summer has signature songs and I know this song below will be playing on a lot of iPods at the beach.  The daughter of one of my very good friends made this video and I thought it would be a great way to start the week because it's so upbeat and it'll get you goin' !!