Ballet for Boomers and other Beginners starts Nov 7!

img_1960-cropWoohoo! By popular demand I’m launching an Easy Ballet Class in November.

Mondays 7:30-8:30pm, November 7 to December 19, 2016
DSN Drop-In Dance Centre, 236 Dundas Street, 2nd floor
Fall special: All 7 classes for $70, or Drop in $15

Come out and experience the joy of ballet! This easy class is open to beginners, boomers, and aspiring bun-heads of all kinds. Men and women are welcome, no previous experience required.

In this fun and flowing class we’ll focus on creative expression while moving with poise and grace. A gentle workout for both body and brain that will challenge your memory with patterns and simple choreography. Bizz will guide you through basic ballet technique and positions of the arms and legs. You’ll learn barre and centre work, as well as port de bras (arm movements) and traveling steps. There will be no jumping in this class and only minimal turns.

What to wear? Leggings or yoga pants that show your feet and ankles, with a fitted top or leotard. Ballet shoes are recommended but not required. Skirts may be worn as long as they don’t restrict movement.

Questions?  Contact bizzvarty@gmail.com

Come dance with me!

I am super excited to be offering a contemporary dance class for the first time in many years. This week’s lesson will be all about Contract & Release (what some would call the foundation of modern dance). Come out and free your spine!

Thursdays 6-7pm, July 7, 14, 21 and August 4
DSN Drop-In Dance Centre, 236 Dundas Street, 2nd & 3rd floors
Beginners welcome! Questions? bizzvarty@gmail.com
$15 Drop in rate, no pre-registration required.

Adult-Contemp-summer-flyer-v2The new Dance Social Network Drop-In Dance Centre has many amazing classes happening all summer, and if you purchase a pass it will get you into ALL of them! Passes are 4 classes for $50, or 8 classes for $80, and they expire the same month they are purchased. (That means that you can’t get all four of my classes for $50, but you can try something new in July if you buy a pass!) Drop ins are $15, and you don’t have to commit to registration for consecutive weeks.

Join Bizz for a four-week adventure through a range of contemporary dance styles.  An unconventional mix of exercises drawn from modern, ballet, yoga, pilates and somatic practices will follow the traditional progression from floor to centre and on to traveling steps and choreography. You’ll challenge both your body and mind with fun improvisations and soulful combinations set to great music. This class is open to all levels.

Dance with me!

Adult-Contemp-summer-flyer-v2Contemporary Dance for Adults

Beginners welcome!
London’s Dance Social Network studios (O.N.E. Hip Hop)
236 Dundas St, 2nd floor
Thursdays 6:00-7:00pm
July 7, 14, 21 & August 4
$15 per class

This class will be part of the London Dance Social Network’s summer drop-in schedule. You can purchase a class pass to get access to many other classes each week, see DSN’s facebook page for more info.

Join Bizz on a four-week adventure through a range of contemporary dance styles.  An unconventional mix of exercises drawn from modern, ballet, hip hop, yoga and pilates will follow the traditional progression from floor to centre and then on to traveling steps and choreography. You’ll challenge both your body and mind with fun improvisations and soulful combinations set to great music. This class is open to all levels, beginners are welcome. Questions? bizzvarty@gmail.com.

Let the Sun Shine!

Bizz’s Summer Class Schedule

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This summer I’m offering a few classes in Yoga, Fusion AND Contemporary Dance!Drop ins are welcome, please see the schedule and fees below.Questions? bizzvarty@gmail.comYoga Pilates Fusion

Wednesdays 6-7pm
July 13 & 20 and August 3 & 10
Bizz’s Basement
$15 per class | 4 for $50 | 8 for $80
(can be used for any Basement class)

Contemporary Dance for Adults
(beginners welcome)
Thursdays 6:00-7:00pm*
July 7, 14, 21 and August 4
O.N.E. Hip Hop studio, 236 Dundas St.
$15 per class*
*updated June 28

Lunch Yoga
Fridays 12-1pm
July 8, 15, 22 and August 5
Downtown Yoga, 236 Dundas St.
Drop ins $15

Yoga Pilates Fusion
Saturdays 11am-12pm
July 9, 16, 23 and August 6
Bizz’s Basement
$15 per class | 4 for $50 | 8 for $80
(can be used for any Basement class)

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WHY FUSION?

Sidebar 10WHY FUSION? All forms of movement are connected. What’s called temple pose in yoga is also known as a grand plié in second in ballet. What pilates instructors call spine flexion and extension is the same movement yogis call cat/cow. Mixing all the movement styles I have learned into my classes is only natural, because it’s what I do in my personal practice.

A little of this and a little of that is one way to find balance in my body, and each movement discipline has important lessons to teach. Yoga’s steady breathing, pilates’ focus and flow, and dance’s opportunities for expressing emotion all blend beautifully together.

The word fusion allows me to mix and match the elements that work best for my students, and challenges me to find new ways to move. Sometimes I add a little tai chi, or a strength training exercise. Sometimes I invent something new while experimenting between styles.

Fusion is my way of celebrating the infinite possibilities contained within our human bodies. Try it for yourself with one of my Fusion Quickie videos.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHevIJoNSPc]

WHY DANCE?

modernWHY DANCE? Helping us get around in space is one of the primary functions of our brains. To move is to live, and to move rhythmically is very human.

Our brains love patterns, and even the simplicity of walking left foot, right foot, left, right, brings us joy. It is incredibly hard for me to imagine not dancing, especially after 25 years of training.

Even when injuries prevented me from participating in the advanced classical forms I was used to, I still found ways to move to music. I swayed in my seat, I danced with my arms, I let emotions move through my body and direct it in space – even if I had to move very, very slowly while I was healing.

roll downExpressing yourself through movement doesn’t require years of training, just the willing suspension of self-consciousness. Although I’ve always enjoyed complex movements, anyone can enjoy letting the music guide them into a groove.
I often teach simple movements from my dance training in yoga or pilates classes because they feel really good no matter what your level of experience. Rolldowns are one of my favourites, and you can learn about in this video.