Upcoming expandance & comedy improv retreat, Costa Rica

News!

Stefan Wenger and I have a few spots left for our workshop / retreat next month in the beautiful Lake Arenal region of Costa Rica. Join us for what is going to be another incredibly magical week.

February 21st - 27th 2016

Mornings: expandance workshops with Rachel

Afternoons: improv workshops with Stefan

Other times: lounging in hammocks, taking a dip in the river, zip lining through jungle canopy, melting all tension away in local, natural hot springs, eating delicious, local food prepared lovingly by Living Forest staff, laughing with new friends, and feeling at peace.

Sound good? Hells yes it does. And there's STILL TIME to jump on this! Go Go Go!

Here's the retreat website with more.

Book now!

New expandance classes in Sonoma County, California

Happy New Year lovely people! 

I'm delighted to announce a mini series of dance improv classes in Sebastopol, CA, coming up soon - 4 weeks of expandance Saturdays! No experience required.

The dates:

Saturday January 23rd
Saturday January 30th
Saturday February 6th 
Saturday February 13th 

All are 4-6pm. Please arrive 10 minutes early to be on time and honor the space we're creating.

What to wear / bring: 

We'll dance in bare feet and socks, so bring both :-) 

Feel free to bring water to drink, a small towel if you tend to sweat a lot.

Wear clothes you can move in easily that are not too baggy. (Think yoga pants and a t-shirt - baggy pants are a tripping hazard) 

Register / pay:

Please register for class to receive the address; the (beautiful) studio is located on a private property 10 minutes outside Sebastopol. 

To register, e-mail rachel@expandance.com or simply pay in advance, with a note on PayPal telling me which date(s) you'll be coming, and I'll e-mail you the address.

$20 each class drop in, or $60 for all 4! (Yes, math peeps! That's one class FREE!)  

If you'd like to pay in advance you can do so here:

1 class $20

4 classes $60  

Or you can just register by e-mailing, and pay in cash at the door. 

Note: Advance payments are non-refundable and non-transferable to another future class. Classes are kept small so that we have space to move! I look forward to seeing you :-)

Now check out this video of other lovely people who took an expandance class:

First California expandance class, and "Album Dance"

We had a lovely class this morning at Dance Underground in Petaluma, California.

Today was a sampler class - I taught 30 minutes of ''Album Dance'' (a new class I'm starting up soon) and 30 minutes of expandance technique, before heading in to consult with a local theater company on some choreography for an upcoming show of theirs. 

First California expandance class!

And so, to Album Dance. You know, one way I've come to know lots of great music over the years is by hearing it in class, or stumbling across it while looking for something to dance / choreograph / teach to. Usually in a dance class you move to a playlist of carefully selected songs compiled by your teacher, and I often hear a song and think "That's a great track, I wonder what the rest of the album is like". So I thought it might be a fun idea to teach a series of dance classes to entire albums, so if there's an album you have been meaning to hear / get into / or just love, let me know, Sonoma! 

Coming to a town near you, Spring 2016! Watch this space :-)

In Portland, Oregon

Hi West Coast!

I'm currently in Portland, and giving private expandance sessions at Potentials Yoga and Wellness.

I have the following times available this week:

Friday Nov 6th after 12pm

Saturday 7th after 3pm - 6pm

Sunday 8th after 12pm

Private sessions are:

1 hour $65
1.5 hours $85

Payable in advance via PayPal to rachel@expandance.com or in person on the day by cash or credit card.

Potentials is at 200 NE 20th Avenue

See you in the studio!

- Rachel

Last NYC expandance class. Now's the time folks!

Super excited to announce a 2.5 hour expandance workshop in NYC this August. This is the last one I'll be teaching before leaving New York. 

Date: Sunday August 16th 
Time: 2.30 - 5pm 
Please aim to arrive early. Late comers will not be admitted. 
Investment: $25 in advance / $30 on the door - space is limited; I highly recommend reserving your spot in advance
Location: Ripley Grier, 520 8th Avenue, New York 
Studio 17B
520 8th Avenue (between 36th & 37th Streets)
Nearest trains: Penn Station 

Pay in advance here.

Questions? E-mail me! rachel@expandance.com

No experience required! Just show up. The biggest thing you can ever do for yourself is show up.

Each expandance class consists of a combination of any of the following: group warm-ups (may include yoga-inspired combinations), dance exercises, meditation, drawing, visualization, games (may include circus / clown games), tools for choreography and performance skills, vocalizing, massage, stretching with a partner, dancing to music, dancing in silence, and group discussion and analysis of what we've observed or learned. Think of it like a group meditation experience (I sometimes call expandance ''Meditation for People who Can't Sit Still") - we move without judgement, without internal editing, to dance the dance that our body already wants to dance, choreographing from the inside out.

See you there!
Rachel 

May 23rd class canceled

PLEASE NOTE!

Sat May 23rd expandance class in NYC is canceled. I realized it is Memorial Day weekend and, like many of you, I'll be fleeing the city for quieter rural pastures.

I'll post the June schedule when I'm back.

Have a great memorial day weekend!

- Rachel 

NYC May class schedule & special offer!

May class schedule is here!

Friday May 1st      6pm - 7:30pm      studio 17H

Friday May 15th      6pm - 7:30pm      studio 16E

Saturday May 23rd      6pm - 7:30pm      studio 17C

All classes are at Ripley Grier, 520 8th Avenue (between 36th and 37th Streets), New York

Closest subways are the A, C, E, 1, 2, 3 to 34th Street.

Each class is $20 on the door (cash or credit) or $17 in advance here. 

SPECIAL OFFER For MAY ONLY!

Take all 3 classes this May for only $45 - saving you $5 per class, a total of $15 in savings! To avail of this offer, click here to pay. T&C: $45 must be received by midnight April 30th and is non-refundable  (as a whole or in part) in the event you miss class/es. 

After last week's class, dancer Olga wrote online: "What a great experience it was today to take my first class of expandance technique. If you're interested in researching within yourself for new 'places' to move your body, free of mental judgements and chaos I recommend to check it out. Thank you Rachel, definitely discovered new places in me today."

What to wear: Comfortable clothes you can move in - sweats, t-shirt, yoga pants etc. Nothing too baggy as baggy pants can be a tripping hazard! We move barefoot or in socks. There are water fountains and changing facilities at Ripley Grier studios. 

Self-judge much? Come to class tomorrow!

Do you know - one of the reasons I created the expandance technique was because I was crippled by my own self-judgement every time I walked into a dance class. Even every time I danced on my own. I created it and developed it over years to be a technique that would help me (and YOU!) to find that peace, that lovely kid inside who dances with joy and abandon. And people LOVE this technique for this very reason. If you can not let your self-judgement win *long enough* to get you to class, you're on the right path smile emoticon See you tomorrow!

expandance is open to all, regardless of prior experience

Saturday April 18th 
5pm - 6.30pm
Ripley Grier studio 17C
520 8th Avenue (between 36th and 37th streets) New York City
Closest subways at Penn Station 
$20 on the door / $17 in advance here

Upcoming classes New York City

Dear friends,

I'm so happy to share with you two upcoming drop-in expandance classes this month in New York City

Saturday March 21st 2015

5pm - 6.30pm

Saturday March 28th 2015

5pm - 6.30pm

GREAT for: 

* total beginners who want to move 

* musical improvisors / reg. improvisors

* more advanced dancers

 At Ripley Grier Studios
Midtown Manhattan

Special online advance rate: $17

or $20 on the door

To get $3 off pay here. 

RSVP (or simply pay online) to rachel@expandance.com 

This class is a mixture of easy-to-follow contemporary technique and mindful movement, all woven together with consciousness, love, and support. Open to beginners who are perhaps fearful of dancing and want to be more conscious of their bodies, get moving, and feel more confident, to musical improvisors who want to learn better spacial reasoning skills and rhythm, and to more advanced dancers who want to create a deeper dialogue with the body and learn how to heal and prevent injury. YAY!

I look forward to dancing with you!

Rachel 

rachel@expandance.com