Finding joy ... maybe it's in a dance class, maybe it's in a flower, maybe it's in seeing whales!

 

🐋 I went whale watching this week 🐋

Every now and then in life, if we are lucky, we get to do or experience something that we've wanted to do for a long time. Last week, this 41 year old got to fulfill her inner 7 year-old's bucket list wish and go whale watching in Canada, in the Salish Sea. It was an incredible experience; we saw bald eagles, cormorants, jellyfish, tiny deer on an uninhabited island, wildlife conservation areas, and yes... a family of orcas! Three generations in one family, in fact: a grandmother, the mother, and the children (a 1 year old and a 2 year old among them). And on the 2+ hours back to shore I sat (and danced, as you can see) on the bow of that boat in absolute bliss. (Not many of you know this but I was brought up in a sea town and spent a lot of my childhood on and driving boats, partly for Dublin Bay Rescue, so it was just lovely to get back out on the water; the whales were a bonus!) The point of all this is: I think we all need to seek more joy. And it doesn't have to come from big bucket list experiences - this was a particularly amazing one and I feel immense appreciation for the person who made this happen for me. It can come from stopping to smell that wee flower on your morning walk, meeting up with a friend, or going to see the Barbie movie damnit, or attending dance classes with your besties! Joy is important. It doesn't mean we negate the hard stuff. But it's important to remember bring it alongside for the ride. To whit: 🐋 Danceypants is tonight at 7:15pm Youth Annex, Sebastopol Community Cultural Center Sign up here Danceypants is capped at 20 (and already almost half full as I'm writing this) so please sign up in advance if you can $15 online in advance / $20 cash on the door P.S. If you have been to Danceypants and want to join the Facebook group, here's the link. (You must answer the questions!) ~~~   🐋 expandance in person is next Wednesday July 26th 9am - 10:30am Sign up here in the same place as Danceypants $35 expandance is a small group class for exploration and creativity, and as such is capped at 6 people. This class is also currently half full; I recommend signing up soon if you would like to come! ~~~ Never been to expandance and want a taste from the comfort of your home?   🐋 expandance: the basics is tomorrow morning Tuesday July 18th ONLINE 9am - 10:15am Sign up here $20 THIS CLASS IS FREE for BIPOC and the trans community if needed; please e-mail rachel@expandance.com to request free access if this would help you attend. If you have any questions about any of my offerings, please email me! Here's to more joy... wherever we can find it. xo, Rachel

Register for Danceypants!

Register for IN PERSON expandance

Register for ONLINE expandance

“I did expandance this morning with Rachel Wynne. If you have been thinking about doing this, Do It! I am not a dancer, I don't exercise regularly and I have chronic pain. I loved the unconventional warm up she lead us through and the visualizations with movement. Afterwards, I felt relaxed and energized at the same time. Most notably, I was able to release a considerable amount of tension that I was carrying in my body. I did all of this a short amount of time and in a small space.” - B, California   you don’t have to be a dancer  you don’t have to be “fit” or look a certain way   all you need is zoom and you

Classes for cancer wellness

expandance classes for the cancer community (open to anyone, regardless of where you are being treated or where you are in the world, and also to survivors) are on:

Fridays
10:30am - 12 noon PST
(That's 1:30pm EST / 6:30pm GMT)
FREE and ONLINE

To register, please e-mail our cancer wellness program co-ordinator Sharon Doughty at Sharon.doughty@stjoe.org to get on the list. Other classes are also available free through this program, including Qigong, sound meditations, gentle yoga, patient support groups and art classes. Feel free to forward this to a friend who might benefit from having more community on their journey with cancer.

"Thank you, Rachel, for another wonderful class today. Your classes really help keep me going" - a participant in the cancer wellness classes

Online classes for the cancer community

 

"I thought it was going to be aerobic, but it wasn't... it was nice! I really liked this!"

I had a new person join us in our cancer wellness class this morning who said this. She came to say hi and ask what the class was about, but wasn't necessarily going to stay because "I just showered and did my hair and I don't want to get sweaty before my appointment" (She had a mammogram coming up).

 

But in the end, she stayed for the whole class and loved it. 

 

The thing with expandance is: If your body isn't in the mood to move much, or be high energy, that's likely not how you're going be moving that day. Other days you might have lots of energy, and it might end up being a pretty aerobic session for you.

 

The whole point with expandance is - we listen to our bodies. We listen to what they're telling us we need. So every time you practice, it's going to look different. 

 

AND it means that if you have resisted coming to expandance because "I'm not a dancer / I don't dance" - you no longer need that as a reason. Because the only movement you're going to do is what your body wants to do. 

 

If you are a cancer survivor, or currently in treatment for cancer, my Friday expandance classes are FREE for you. Come meet some absolutely stellar, amazing people - what have you got to lose? Email me at rachel@expandance.com if you're interested.

 

Friday classes for the cancer community - wherever you are

Every Friday 10:30am - 11:45am Pacific time

FREE for cancer survivors and those currently with cancer, as well as their full time caregivers

Over Zoom 

 

Classes are hosted by Providence (St. Joseph's Healthcare) in Northern California. You do not need to be a patient at Providence or St. Joseph's to attend these classes, nor do you need to be in the US. 

Hair! Classes! Private Sessions!

 

Photos by Eric Chazankin

Thank you... Thank you, all of you locals who came to see Hair the musical at 6th Street Playhouse, Santa Rosa, CA. We had a sold-out run, with extra performances added, and some great reviews.  (One even said "Rachel Wynne’s choreography is vigorous and uninhibited" which was rather nice of them!)  Check out my interview with Gay Sonoma here.  I truly enjoyed working with this fabulous cast, and our director Aja Gianola-Norris. Everyone worked so hard on this show and brought everything they had to the stage.  It became even more relevant and poignant as the musical went on, as Russia invaded Ukraine during our run, and Hair is a staunchly anti-war show.

March expandance classes: Open class: This Friday March 11th  11:30am - 1pm Pacific In Ireland that's 7:30pm - 9pm  REGISTER HERE Sliding scale $10 - $25  Pay here Free for BIPOC and undocumented immigrants ~~~ Open to all regardless of dance experience ~~~   expandance classes help... you feel more alive in and connected to your body release stress and anxiety *and* replace it with trust  build resilience you connect with your intuition the creative spark reignite!   AND we only spend a tiny % of class actually at the screen - most of it is off screen (yes! You are free to put your video off AT ANY TIME while moving. I want you to feel comfortable!)  FREE Classes for the cancer community, through St. Joseph's Healthcare - Providence:   Friday mornings: March 11th, 18th, 25th 10am - 11am Pacific ​ Friday afternoon: March 25th 2:30pm - 3:30pm *** This class will focus on breathing, meditation and relaxation *** ​ St. Patrick's Day  Thursday March 17th 10am - 11am  To register for any of the classes for the cancer community, e-mail Sharon at Sharon.Doughty@stjoe.org and let her know you'd like to take my class As always, there's more info on the website. And if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me by responding to this e-mail.  expandance is a class for everyone - even if you've never danced before.   Private sessions I am opening up availability for a couple of private sessions per week. If you are wanting to go deeper with your own practice, move through something you've been stuck in, find greater bodily awareness or self-acceptance, get centered, get more in tune with your intuition, or just move your body in a safe and supportive space, a private expandance session is a great place to be.  A client of mine in Oregon shared this about our work together: "I have worked with therapists on and off throughout my adulthood. I have always enjoyed dance and danced much of my adulthood for exercise, but more meaningfully as a fun, liberating, empowering and spiritual practice! Rachel's capacities and tools are among the most impactful and transformative I have ever experienced. In each of two 90 minute sessions, I felt and saw things that will carry me closer to the Me and Life I want. She has so much to offer!" - A.H., OR Sessions can be 1 hour or 1.5 hours, and can be over zoom or in person in Sonoma County.  1 hour  $100 1.5 hours $150  E-mail me to book - before I even sent this e-mail out, someone nabbed the Thursday morning slot!  Note: Sessions canceled within 48 hours of session start time are charged in full.  See you soon! - Rachel