Behind the Scenes of a Full Life
Wow! 2024 has been a wild year! To be honest, it’s been a bit overwhelming. I’ve been struggling to divide my time among the full-time tasks of teaching courses and clients, choreographing, running a dance company, and caring for my family—which includes being a mom to a high-level soccer player who’s had a tough year of injuries (a hip avulsion fracture, a broken wrist, and a broken clavicle, all within seven months). I love everything I do, but it is a LOT.
In August, I finally moved into my dream studio, which we finished building behind our house, taught two teacher training courses in two weeks, then flew to Germany to work with Juliu on his Level 2
: Dancers Edition, which was an amazing experience. Since then, I’ve been teaching non-stop—courses upon courses. In June, I launched a new dance festival, in addition to our company’s regular performance schedule. I also completed, with co-director Terri Sarris, work on our documentary, Local Movement: Five Decades of Dance in Ann Arbor.
I’m writing this now from my father-in-law’s house in Pennsylvania, where my husband and I are feeling the “sandwich generation” effect—still raising a child while also caring for an aging parent.
Because I want to be realistic with all of you about what life in this field looks like, I have to admit that I’ve faced some struggles. It’s hard to keep up with my schedule: clients, courses, traveling to expand my own education, rehearsals, dance classes, my own workouts, soccer carpools, tournaments across the country, homework enforcement, friends, family, household responsibilities, and everything else.
And the only way people know about all the things I’m doing is if I post on social media regularly. While I sometimes find this fun, it can also be draining and time-consuming. I want to make sure the content I share is valuable and interesting for you, but it’s hard to maintain that day after day, month after month. Sometimes I get pretty exhausted.
As we move into 2025, I’m taking some time to set my intentions for the year. I know it’s going to be another jam-packed year—there’s no way around that—but I want to create space and calm wherever I can in my routine.
I’ve already set my teacher training schedule for the year (of course, more trainings will probably come up as we go). It’s a lot of courses, but I’ve been enjoying keeping them to small, intimate groups where we can immerse ourselves deeply in the work. I can find a nice flow state in that environment.
I’m also facing my social media demon by blocking off time to “batch” content, so I can be intentional and efficient with what I share. I’ve got meal planning down to a science now, which means we can enjoy healthy family dinners at the end of the day with minimal stress.
It’s going to be busy, but I’m optimistic it’ll also be fun.
Take a moment to check out the course calendar for 2025. Also, if you’re looking to fit your own workouts into your routine and need some inspiration or guidance, I’m offering the first week free to try out the Unlimited On-Demand Video Membership! There are two tiers: one with all the equipment classes, all levels of GYROKINESIS® classes, plus tips and tutorials; and another tier with just intro and Open Level GYROKINESIS® classes for those who want to move a bit at home or while traveling. If you’re not yet a member, give it a try for free!
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