October 12-14/15, 2012 – Wassa Dance’s Savory Autumn Intensive

By Lara McIntosh | August 28, 2012

Our next retreat is at a place dear to our hearts:
Wassa Dance’s Savory Autumn Intensive
October 12 – 14th/15th, 2012, at the Madrona MindBody Institute in beautiful, nearby Port Townsend

Wassa Dance is on hiatus August 31 – September 3

By Lara McIntosh | August 27, 2012

See you in September!

 

The Return of Wassa Live Music Sundays

By Lara McIntosh | November 29, 2011

Wassa Live Music Sundays – Nov. 2011

Wassa Dance Newsletter for April 2023

By Lara McIntosh | April 15, 2023

Here’s the Constant Contact version of  reflections from me, announcing our Autumn retreat at Madrona MindBody Institute plus updated Zoom policy plus some great links to music:

https://conta.cc/41u4G4h

Wassa’s Savory Dances for Autumn 2023

By Lara McIntosh | April 14, 2023

Wassa’s Savory Dances for Autumn 
October 13-15, 2023
Madrona MindBody Institute
at Fort Worden
Port Townsend, WA

                                                                   Only one spot left! Contact me asap if you’d like to join us.

Join us for a weekend immersion in movement and music dedicated to the richness of our individual and collective experiences. Each of the three daily sessions offer the invitation to come as you are and go deeper into what calls to you through embodied listening, with guided contemplative and lively movement that is sourced daily with some of the best music the world has to offer.

All levels of fitness and experience are welcome.
$230 for the weekend
Spaces are limited and first come first served
Single sessions available by request
Email Lara at lara@wassadance.com for registration, payment options, cancellation policy, any questions or requests.

Our preliminary schedule is:
Friday 10/13: 4-6 pm
Saturday 10/14: 1-4 pm
Sunday 10/15: Noon – 3 pm

 

Newsletter 3/10/23

By Lara McIntosh | March 10, 2023

https://conta.cc/3YJKyt3

Thoughts on playlists #1

By Lara McIntosh | March 10, 2023

One of the sirens’ calls that first got me into teaching dance was the notion that I could make my own mixes with all this new to my ears music that was coming my way. From the continent of Africa especially. This excitement along with needing to structure a mix along an aerobic hear rate curve was very compelling. 

I spent a lot of time counting the beats per minute of pieces and hours and hours getting a set just so in the cassette form. 

Then came the CD format. Faster but still needing to have all the physical materials on hand to make something happen. Once it was burned, it was done.

Now I can make and rearrange mixes as fast as I can think of or explore a new song. 

I’ve had many different goals with the musical choices I’ve made over the years but exposing folks to some of the vast richness of cultures and expressions from the African diaspora has always been one of the essential keys.

When we were first slowly coming out of Covid lock downs, working with so many restrictions, including dancing in separate taped off squares, masked and 98% virtually, many of the 100+ compilations didn’t feel right. Some sounded too big, some had too many layers of memories for me of big groups and unencumbered spaces, some I thought wouldn’t sound good on whatever home set up people were using to dance on Zoom. I didn’t try to present as if it was the same class as ever with some inconveniences thrown in. And I felt we needed music that was encouraging, nurturing and inspiring to move with in small spaces.

I now have a whole series of those that start with the letter Z (for Zoom).

This winter one of our long time dancers, Nan, who now has dementia, started joining us on Tuesdays. When I know she’s coming, I’ve gone for my most gentle mixes thinking too much stimulation might be harder.  Having her there is teaching me many things. One is the kinds of music she most seems to respond to (it varies but definitely pieces with a touch of Latin flavor). And for however small it appears, how deep from within her those movements are. It feels very pure. One of the things I appreciate about her responses too, is how when she gets overstimulated she simply stops and slowly folds herself into a ball on the floor. Or makes her way to the door where her amazing husband helps her sit out for a while until she’s ready for more. 

Lately as more people are able to return in person and we can use the whole room again, my curiousity, creativity and musical palette are opening up too. 

Last week Ismaila Toure of the great Senegalese band Toure Kunda died. Hearing this reminded me of how their song “Salaly Muhamed” was one of THOSE songs that got me excited to start teaching with my own musical choices. I set out to re-explore some if their work and other songs from that era. That resulted in a mix I made with Nan in mind that also includes Samite, Remmy Ongala, Dorothy Masuka, Thomas Mapfumo, Angelique Kidjo…

The next one brought in more from Toure Kunda, some older some newer, a nod to De La Soul’s catalogue being remastered and released with most of their original samples (and RIP Trougoy/Dave), a posthumous piece from Ali Farka Toure, new Baaba Maal and a Janelle Monae/Seun Kuti collaboration, Kokoko!,Angelique Kidjo and a few more. I wasn’t sure this one was going to fly but it held together in a fresh way.  I can’t wait to dance with it more. 

Wassa Dance newsletter 2/27/23

By Lara McIntosh | February 28, 2023

 

We’re back, studio & zoom thoughts, Toure Kunda.

 

 

Wassa Dance 12/26/22

By Lara McIntosh | December 27, 2022

Here’s the latest newsletter

Wassa’s newsletter 11/11/2022

By Lara McIntosh | November 11, 2022

Wassa Dance clips on YOUTUBE

By Lara McIntosh | August 8, 2022

We have begun! Here’s the link to check out our first tastes of what goes on in our daily classes. Enjoy! And, I’d love to hear from you: lara@wassadance.com

 

From Wassa’s news letters

By Lara McIntosh | August 3, 2022

https://conta.cc/3vBMmZw

We’re coming back in September!

By Lara McIntosh | August 12, 2021

In late March 2021 I had my right knee replaced. Before the surgery I had thought I’d be back to dancing and teaching in some form after 6 weeks or so. I really had no idea how deep, personal and  profound my healing process would be and how important to go slowly and not push or rush to return to the physical and energetic daily life I was used to.

I also had very little sense of how challenging it had been to maintain a semi-active life with a degenerated joint and dancing alone that way in the studio for Covid time Zoom sessions until that had passed.

I did know from the minute I first set weight my hours old new knee that my world had shifted for the better.
I am most grateful for all the love and support that has come my way in this process. It has been a powerful and beautiful teaching to give over and receive love in action from so many sources during this time.

And I am very happy to report that my surgeon has cleared me to start teaching again!
We’ll start back on September 7, 2021 with regular classes on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

For now our sessions will be a mix of in-person participation (masked dancing) and Zoom for those who want to dance from home. Balance Studio takes the utmost care to ensure that the studio is meeting pandemic safety and health guidelines with regular cleaning, proper ventilation and daily symptom checks for all participants and staff.

I look forward and…………stay tuned!