How are you today?
I thought I would wake you with the song of the week (Click HERE and listen while you read)!
Today, I am giving thanks, because on Friday, I completed (for now) on a beautiful project working with Akeim Toussaint of Toussaint to move, called “Ọkan”, a Yoruban word. Ọkan is oneness, consciousness & the many shades & states of the heart. (Find out more HERE)
Over four weeks, we explored concepts around relating, divine feminine, divine masculine and being in a state of oneness outside of gender. We studied and combined Wing Chun & Salsa to inform an exciting new movement language. Find out more about why we decided to make the work here.
This week, we invited 8 of our favourite movers in the world (we even got Myriam Gadri over from NYC!), as well as the Posh Club Dance Co (including our EMC family member Azara!) to join us in the studio, plus we showed members of the TAD team at The Place what we have been creating (get a sneak peak HERE)
The whole experience was beautiful, heart full, brave, and confirmed even more that we are making something beautiful on this journey! I am so grateful (Giving Thanks!) that The Place want to continue to support the project, and to be working with Toussaint on this concept in 2023 & 2024 (Wahooo!)
The week previously, I also performed three SOLD OUT shows of The Rainbow Butterfly at Northern School of Contemporary dance, attended by families, friends and the amazing community of Leeds (check out pictures HERE) and honestly… It was at one of these shows I realised…
Yes there were also difficulties in 2022, Yes I accidentally deleted my whole Youtube account of the past 10 years of work (please follow the sparser new one here), Yes we didn’t get any ACE funding this year, Yes politics in the UK sucks, Yes my electric bills make me want to sit with the lights out & no heating on… but do you know what? In 2022, I made some incredible work and I fell so DEEPLY in love (even more) with dance, and I LOVE my life (Giving Thanks!).
Here are some moments of 2022 magic:
• Akeim Toussaint & I got The Place Choreodrome Collaborations commission!
• I toured The Rainbow Butterfly to 9 venues and sold out 5 shows!
• I got to hang out with so many awesome artists!
• I got to choreograph a show on the first year students at Northern
• I got to create a piece on a founder of Phoenix, a founder of RJC and a 73yr old Royal Ballet dancer
• I made other dope shows for other artists!
• Not to mention the intuition work, my amazing clients I coached and the JOY I feel seeing them FLY!
• I completed on Embodied Alchemy (check it out HERE for ⅔ off until the 1st January!)
So I am giving thanks (again!) And, if you didn’t already listen, HERE is the Giving Thanks tune of the day (introduced to me by DeNappoli Clarke on one of the amazing projects listed above!)
What about you ?
What were you grateful for in 2022?
And where and when will I see you in 2023? Do you know an (indoor or outdoor) venue for The Rainbow Butterfly? Want us to make some of Ọkan at your theatre? Or shall we just connect and give thanks? 🙂
Have a wonderful December, and thank you for all your continued support, love and blessings this year!
See you in 2023!
