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

June 5th is Bring a Friend for FREE Day at Danceypants!

 

 

Our next Danceypants class will be Monday June 5th

And it's Bring a Friend for FREE Day!

Bring a friend with you who has never been to Danceypants before, and they get in free!

Terms:

* Offer only valid on June 5th 2023

* You must sign up online in advance (so our door person isn't overwhelmed)

* Your friend will register at the door - please arrive with your friend and tell our door person they're with you (like in the movies ''it's ok, she's with me") 

Danceypants

 is most

Mondays 

 

7:15pm - 8:15pm 

 

* We start on time, West County! *

 

Youth Annex Studio

Building to the left of the main Cultural Community Center 

425 Morris St, Sebastopol, CA 95472, USA

 

$15 in advance / $20 on the door (unless you're coming for FREE!) 

 

SIGN UP NOW!

 

 

Reminder: NO CLASS MEMORIAL DAY

 

 

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. 

October workshop and a new show

 

October: the birthday month 

Hey friendlios!

October is "Birthday Month" in our household, (yep, we're ALL October babies!) ...and as such, October is a busy one. What with birthday planning, working on writing expandance curriculum and choreographing for a show at Cinnabar Theatre, I'm only teaching expandance *just once* this month, on zoom.

So if you're wanting some expandance, this is the class to come to 
It's 1.5 hours, so we can dance more, draw for longer, and delve deep into our restorative practice. MmmMmmMmm, AmIRight? #bliss 

Tuesday October 19th
10am-11:30am Pacific
(That's 1pm East Coast and 6pm Ireland / UK)

REGISTER HERE! 

~~~ Find or reconnect to your intuition
~~~ Have a bit of a boogie
~~~ Calm your nervous system

When you walk into an expandance class, you’re saying yes to an invitation to come home to yourself. This practice lives at the intersection of creative expression and somatic healing.

expandance is about spaciousness, permission, and connection.
expandance is a creative space.
It’s also a healing space.
… Which makes it a sacred space. But, don’t worry, we make sure not to take ourselves too seriously...

Because really, expandance is a playful space.

When you give yourself permission to come into this space, you get to welcome all the disparate parts of yourself home. You get to show up exactly as you are and be curious about what you’ll discover.

Let me know if you've any questions at all by simply replying to this e-mail; I'm happy to answer even the smallest questions. 


REGISTER HERE

And PAY HERE

expandance classes are FREE for BIPOC and undocumented immigrants, wherever you reside.

Hey, Sonoma County! Come see what I've been working on:

Dancing Lessons

by Mark St. Germain

Dates
October 15, 16 & 17, 2021
October 22, 23 & 24, 2021
October 29, 30 & 31, 2021
Special Streaming Video on Demand Oct 29-31, 2021

Director: John Browning
Stage Manager: Ross Tiffany Brown
Set Designer: Wayne Hovey
Costume Designer: Donnie Frank
Choreographer: Rachel Wynne

Cast
Jessica Headington as Senga Quinn
Trevor L. Hoffmann as Ever Montgomery

Entertaining and charming! We meet two highly offbeat characters, a Broadway dancer and a science professor coping with physical and emotional challenges as they forge an unexpected friendship in this heartfelt play. Filled with laughs and the intricacies of the human condition, we witness their journey of discovery and personal triumph as they come to realize that sometimes the most profound experiences can occur when least expected.

TICKETS HERE

 

October 2020 Schedule of classes

 

October: The best month.   Traditionally my favorite month of the year is October, my birthday month. It's autumn, the weather is a little cooler, I get to wear jeans and make soup again. And yes, it's now apparently "wildfire season'' here in California, which sucks. I hope if you're reading this, you're safe from fires and any other natural disasters. We had the Shady fire here last week, about 10 miles from us, so that was an intense few days, but despite the smoky air outside we seem to be safe for now. Many of our friends are still under evacuation orders.  So while the fires burn, 2020 continues in all it's tumultuousness, and we're keeping tabs on the external in our lives, let's make sure we also tend to our internal body of affairs: our bodies, our hearts, and our nervous systems. Yesterday at our expandance and restorative yoga class for the cancer community, a few people joined who are currently evacuated. Having a space to come to (albeit virtual) to let go of stress and tension can help ground us so profoundly. Here's what a couple of them said:  "That's the most relaxed I've felt in five days. I felt the fear and the sadness just melt away. A real healing, thank you" - S.A. (currently evacuated) "Thanks so much for this class. I really enjoyed it. Going to keep this in mind to do daily. I really liked it" - J. H. With the recent fires, on top of the pandemic, life with a toddler and everything else, I found myself ending September completely exhausted and drained, and decided to make a few changes to my classes during October in order to give myself a re-set. It's no good preaching self care if I don't practice it too ;-)  See below for the schedule changes for October, (yay extra classes!) - I hope you'll join me for your own re-set. Remember: A rested activist is a more efficient activist! ~ Rachel, about to turn 39 p.s. Fun fact: my little brother and I share a birthday, yet we're not twins! Each year we get on the phone and sing ''happy birthday to us!"

Get your calendars out! Here's the October schedule: Thursday Oct 8th / 9:30am - 11am Pacific 1.5 hour expandance workshop $23  Register here You registration is not complete until payment is received: You can pay via Paypal  or CashApp / Venmo @ expandance  Please write in the memo the date of the workshop you're attending Tuesday Oct 13th / 8pm - 9pm Pacific  1 hour class Donation based  Register here FREE for Black, Indigenous, and People of color, as well as for undocumented immigrants (regardless of what country you're in). For everyone else, please pay what you can; $5 - $25 suggested.  Donations can be made via PayPal here or Venmo / CashApp @ expandance Friday Oct 30th / 9:30-10:30am Pacific Donation based  Register here FREE for Black, Indigenous, and People of color, as well as for undocumented immigrants (regardless of what country you're in). For everyone else, please pay what you can; $5 - $25 suggested.  Donations can be made via PayPal here or Venmo / CashApp @ expandance Ongoing Wednesday Classes "Release & Restore" / 5:30 - 7pm Pacific 1.5 hour class - expandance & restorative yoga every Wed Taught by Rachel Wynne & Sarah Jenness in conjunction with St. Joseph's Healthcare These are FREE wellness classes for the cancer community - wherever you are at in your journey with cancer (in treatment / remission / survivor). Modifications available for anyone with mobility constraints. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions.  Please RSVP to Sharon at Sharon.doughty@stjoe.org  "Release and Restore was exactly what I needed. It is true to its name: I was gifted with the space, safety, freedom, and encouragement to listen deeply to my body, contact my inner experience, and move and release what had been stagnating within; then, I got to melt into a warm, cozy sound bath while resting in regenerative yoga poses. Really, what more could I ask for?! I have been twice already, and will go again. Every time is a different experience. As a mom of a toddler, taking this time to care for myself is invaluable (not only for me, but for my family who receives a more grounded and rejuvenated me afterward!) and worth every penny". - Erin W. PLEASE NOTE: NO Friday morning classes for the month of October Remember; with expandance:  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  "Expandance is where your mind is set free and your inherent body wisdom opens up to releases with movement. Rachel's kind voice reminds you to let go of self judgment and free your mind. A beautiful healing experience!  Truly love your work!  Thank you!" - Nicole Incaudo, May 2019 Register for Oct 8th workshop Register for Oct 13th class Register for Oct 30th class New Instagram! Have you checked out the expandance Instagram? I'll be sharing my artistic and choreographic processes, old and new videos, class reminders and more. (Hopefully, one day, post-Covid, there'll be performance updates on there too again) Come say hi! https://www.instagram.com/expandance/

Loving the bodies we inhabit. Right now.

 

It was a windy evening  Olivia Vigil and I had come up to Bodega Head to take some shots for the new expandance website (coming soon!). It was a pretty typical Bodega Head sunset in that it was stunning, and windy, and much colder than you think it's going to be.  I had moved through a lot of ''body stuff'' in the weeks prior to this photo shoot, mostly around the fact that I was about to get photos taken for a dance website, of a body shape that, in the world of dance, we are told is not a ''dancers body''. I'm still unpacking all that that means - the fact that if you're not incredibly slim, with perfect feet and no curves - you cannot be truly taken seriously as a dancer (at least not a ballet dancer; things have changed *slightly* in the contemporary arena). I've also realized how rooted in white supremacy this idea of beauty is. It is a colonialist (think corsets), Eurocentric, racist idea of beauty and honestly pretty unattainable for most people. Even for dancers I've known who trained hours and hours a day for decades.  So with this photo shoot coming up I decided I'd had enough. I've been working on ''embracing'' my body for *years*, but in order to get through this shoot, I needed to up my self-love game. I needed to confront where I'd bought into this idea. I needed to not just be ok in my body and *how it looks and feels right at this moment in time* but actually embrace and be grateful for all of it. I needed to be happy with my body as it is so that anyone who walks into an expandance class also has the potential to feel happy in theirs, regardless of shape, color, age or ability. Thankfully, I had the honor of working with an incredible photographer who helped me feel at ease, worked out a shoot plan with me, and I'm happy to report that we ended up having a lot of fun.  This is still a work in progress for me, and maybe it is for you too. Let's keep exploring it as we move through our expandance practice, as well as showing up for the myriad reasons we do.  I'll see you in class.  Rachel  p.s. for more of Olivia's work check her out on facebook.

Register for class  "I’m still reveling in the harmonious sensations after an hour of expandance class” - Charles, UK 55 mins every Friday that’ll get you back in your body and feeling groovy  8am pacific time  11am nyc  4pm Ireland  “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  Friday expandance classes are FREE for Black, Indigenous, and People of color, as well as for undocumented immigrants (regardless of what country you're in). For everyone else, please pay what you can; $5 - $25 suggested.  Donations can be made via PayPal here or via Venmo or CashApp ''expandance'' Register for class  New Instagram! I finally started an expandance Instagram! I'll be sharing my artistic and choreographic processes, old and new videos, class reminders and more. (Hopefully, one day, post-Covid, there'll be performance updates on there too again) Come say hi! https://www.instagram.com/expandance/

Class today

*** Free class for the cancer community ***

in collaboration with St. Joseph's Healthcare

Details: 

"Release and Restore"

When: Every Wednesday 5:30pm - 7:15pm (West Coast / Pacific time) 

Where: Zoom 

Cost: FREE

What we do: about 45 minutes of expandance - a mindful dance and movement meditation technique with me (all abilities welcome - I have modifications if you aren't mobile) and then restorative yoga with Sarah, which is easy and deeply relaxing and is accompanied by her sound journey with singing bowls.  If you don't want anyone to see you dance, simply tilt your camera up! You don't need any dance or yoga experience. 

You don't have to be a patient of St. Joseph's. The only criteria is that you are, or have been, on a journey to healing from cancer, and that you'd like a class that will help you feel wonderful and relaxed!

To register, please e-mail the lovely Sharon at Sharon.doughty@stjoe.org and let her know where you are at in your journey, and that you'd like to try our class, and she'll send you the Zoom link. 

"The movement and sound healing class was phenomenal! Absolutely magical...

The instructors were compassionate, professional, kind and so accepting...
I’m overwhelmed by everyone..
This class left me feeling more connected with my body and it completely eliminated my anxiety...I think my healing has begun..." - Tina 

"Yesterday I attended Rachel and Sarah’s Release and Restore class for the first time and it was wonderful!" - Kim

A little about the programs here. 

A little about Rachel here. 

A little about Sarah here. 

Free expandance for cancer patients tonight 5:30pm PDT

This week's offerings

Each Wednesday at the moment we have a FREE class for the cancer community - patients, survivors and caretakers - called Release And Restore. 

*** expandance gentle movement / dance followed by deep relaxation with sound healing, with me and Sarah Jenness ***

5:30 - 7:30pm East Coast USA (PDT)

Please e-mail Sharon at Sharon.doughty@stjoe.org for Zoom link and to register.

Hope to see you tonight!

"Release and Restore was exactly what I needed. It is true to its name: I was gifted with the space, safety, freedom, and encouragement to listen deeply to my body, contact my inner experience, and move and release what had been stagnating within; then, I got to melt into a warm, cozy sound bath while resting in regenerative yoga poses. Really, what more could I ask for?! I have been twice already, and will go again. Every time is a different experience. Taking this time to care for myself is invaluable (not only for me, but for my family who receives a more grounded and rejuvenated me afterward!)" - Erin, MFT

AND!

Each Friday at the moment I'm teaching 55 minutes of expandance:

Join me for 55 minutes of expandance to start our day centered, embodied, and alive. Move out your stresses and fears, and come back to a deeper connection with yourself.

expandance is a dance and meditation practice in one. If you're not comfortable with other people seeing you dance, you can tilt your camera or turn off video for those exercises.

We will start right at 8am; I'll open the room at 7:55am so we can all come in and start on time.

*** Fridays in May: 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th ***

8am PDT - West Coast USA
11am EDT - East Coast USA
4pm BST - Ireland / UK

We will be finished by 8:55 / 11:55 / 4:55 so that California peeps can start work by 9 if they need to. ♥

Donate here:
https://www.paypal.me/expandance
CashApp expandance
$20
* Or pay what you can. No one turned away *

Facebook event is here. I'll be posting the Zoom link there this Thursday. 

Or you can e-mail me at rachel@expandance.com for the link.

Free for immigrants, the undocumented, and those on the front lines: anyone working in a hospital, grocery store, delivery service etc.

expandance this Friday May 8th! Zoom-ing to wherever you are in the world.

expandance this friday! On Zoom - wherever you are in the world #GlobalExpandanceFamily

Dear friends, Join me for a beautiful expandance class this Friday morning 8am PDT - West Coast USA 11am EDT - East Coast USA 4pm BST - Ireland / UK Last Friday we had a lovely class with people from Dublin, Ireland, London, UK, and California! I hope you can join us. More info below. $ 20 / Or Pay What You Can Donate here.  E-mail me at rachel@expandance.com for the Zoom link ~ Rachel p.s. Share with friends! The Facebook event is here.  May 2020 8

FRIEND ON FACEBOOK FOLLOW ON TWITTER VISIT OUR PAGE Join me for 55 minutes of expandance to start our day centered, embodied, and alive. Move out your stresses and fears, and come back to a deeper connection with yourself. expandance is a dance and meditation practice in one. If you're not comfortable with other people seeing you dance, you can tilt your camera or turn off video for those exercises. We will start right at 8am; I'll open the room at 7:55am so we can all come in and start on time. We will be finished by 8:55 / 11:55 / 4:55 so that California peeps can start work by 9 if they need to. ♥   Free for immigrants, the undocumented, and those on the front lines: anyone working in a hospital, grocery store, delivery service etc.   Things I Get Asked All The Time / FAQs!  * Do I need to know how to dance? Nope. No experience at all is needed. * What if I like dancing, but I'm supremely bad at it? Well, firstly, that's most likely just your judgment speaking, and secondly, one of the wonderful things about expandance is it can actually help you change how you feel about your movement. One of the reasons I created this technique was to stop those ''judgey demons'' in my head that would decide to pop up whenever I started moving. There's a distinct possibility that after expandance, you'll replace the thought ''I'm bad at dancing'' with ''I don't care what I look like, I feel AMAZING'' or ''I'm actually not that bad!" * I'm kinda self conscious and would feel better if others didn't see me. Is that cool? Totally. You're more than welcome to tilt your laptop camera up to the ceiling during the dancey bits so that nobody can see you. Some folks do that! Bear in mind though, that (A) we're all going to be dancing too so nobody's looking at you, and (B) we all look tiny in our little Zoom windows anyway. * What if I'm bad at learning choreography? Good thing there's none to learn in this class :) I'll give guidance through improvised exercises - the movement though, comes from you. * I have some injuries / can't move a lot. Can I still participate? Yes! I also work with people who are chair-bound; with the dance improvisations there's always an intention or meditation behind them, and throughout, and so there's always a way to participate. And if you have concerns please e-mail me beforehand and we can work out what's best for you. rachel@expandance.com * So what's this class about then? It's about you getting into your body, getting in touch with it, freeing yourself up a bit, getting moving, allowing some creativity to be awakened, learning to trust yourself, gain a bit more confidence, shake off and move through stress and fear and other feelings that come from living through tough times, and ultimately coming out of class feeling a hell of a lot calmer, more centered, happier and relaxed than you did at the beginning. Any other questions? Let me know!