[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”28087″ img_size=”full” style=”vc_box_shadow_3d”][vc_custom_heading text=”“Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don’t have any problems, you don’t get any seeds.“” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”~ Norman Vincent Peale
” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]How do you deal with everyday problems? What’s your strategy when you have to figure something out? Does it ever feel like things are too big to deal with?

Face it, we are all only human. As we dance along through our lives on this great floor called earth, we are inevitably faced with challenges great and small. Some are of our own making, others seem to appear out of nowhere, and how we show up energetically inside ourselves has a great deal to do with what we attract to us.

Even the most cosmically connected and conscious of creatures are faced with some sort of a conundrum to unravel from time to time. For the less enlightened, moments of strife can be more common. Either way, without problems we would never be challenged enough to grow and master anything.

Problems show up in different ways and in different orders of magnitude depending on where we are in life. The challenges facing an adolescent going through puberty are far different than those of a mature adult running a business or an elderly person pondering their legacy.

Sometimes having a problem can be fun. If it’s simply a vexing situation that demands some creative thinking to unravel, then tackling it and working your way to a solution can be very rewarding. Or maybe it’s the kind of puzzle that requires you to sleep on it. You go to bed rolling it over in your mind and wake up the next day with a novel approach that hadn’t occurred to you before. Solving problems feels good!

Obviously, discounting someone else’s problem is never a good idea. It’s like when a child is complaining about some very real issue in their life and an adult comes along and tells them “Hey, you’re actually really lucky because when I was a kid, (insert horrifying scenario here).” The fact is, that doesn’t make a whit of difference to the kid, empathy is what they need, not patronizing.

Now and then you might have a dilemma that seems intractable. People get paralyzed and stuck when they’re at a loss for a solution. There are few things worse than being trapped behind the eight-ball of some sticky wicket for which there is no easy answer.

Here’s the thing. Problems are susceptible to perspective. They have a way of expanding to fill the available space. So if you are sitting in a room feeling stuck, the smart thing to do is simply get outside. Suddenly, in the light of the larger world, your problem will magically appear smaller.

At the very least, your horizons expand and your brain makes more room for opportunity. It’s still your own subjective experience, but simply breathing some fresh air and letting nature reflect back on you opens the door to a creative solution.

There could even be a name for this. Embodied Problem Solving has a nice ring to it, the eco-somatic answer to life’s dilemmas. Some say that the sun is the raw source of all life and intelligence in our solar system, so if you can let it shine directly on your skin you’ll have an even stronger ally in your search.

Getting outside and getting in motion gets your brain in gear. That part of you that was stuck and unable to move towards a solution is now just one small fraction of your human being. It’s often the sensation of stuckness that is the obstacle in between your problem and the answer that your body’s wisdom is waiting and willing to provide.

So practice getting unstuck this spring. Make a point to go outside more often, even if it’s just for a short stroll around your urban environment. Take your laptop to an outdoor café, bonus points if you can see water. Put on your earbuds and do your next phone meeting under a tree in the park.

Whatever might be in your way can only shrink in perspective when you’ve got the whole of nature teaming up with the wisdom of your body. You’ll be sharper, more effective, and happy with your results when you invite the world at large to help!

Much love and blue skies till next Monday!​​​​​​​

Mark Metz
Director of the Dance First Association
Publisher of Conscious Dancer Magazine
[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Dance First Member Spotlight :: “Live Wire“ Lorca Simons and her dynamic 5Rhythms Ritual Theatre labs!” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_single_image image=”28088″ img_size=”full” style=”vc_box_shadow_3d” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.lorcasimons.com/”][vc_column_text]This week’s Dance First Members Spotlight shines on Lorca Simons, a UK-based and Texas born-and-bred 5Rhythms facilitator and long-time mover-and-shaker in the tribe!

Lorca is widely recognized for her innovation in the movement world for her dynamic “Ritual Theatre” experiences which she describes as “high-voltage experimental theatre labs designed to explore and investigate the depths of the human spirit.

You’ve got a number of great opportunities to be part of a 5Rhythms Ritual Theatre lab in 2019, Lorca is bringing Live Wire, Soul Threading, and Breath in Motion to Denmark , May 24-26; Seattle, June 7-9; San Francisco , June 14-16; Dallas, August 16-18;Montreal , September 27-29; Ottawa, October 4-6; and Paris, France, December 6-8th.

Then next year she’s touching down at various hotspots around the globe including Germany, Spain, New Mexico, Canada, England, Slovenia, Australia, and California. We recently had an insightful conversation about her background, inspiration, and current work. About her work she says “Evoking a creative way of seeing and experiencing life from the artistic nature of the body is the place I want to live and breathe in and out of forever.

 I’ve been in England for at least 15 years, and before that I was in New York with Gabrielle and Jonny for what I would call an early stretch of the 5Rhythms, although certainly there had been a lot going on before I came on the scene. I’ve been part of that journey for quite a while. For many of us that are continuing on it feels really special to carry those threads and bring that into the work that we’re doing. When you work that closely with someone you resonate with as deeply as I feel my relationship was with Gabrielle, it’s in my bones and my blood and just part of who I am.

We talked about how her work builds upon the lesser known theatre and performance aspect of Gabrielle Roth’s creative output. “ I’m definitely from the theatre wing. I really want to help people not feel freaked out by being in a theatre lab. I use the word ’thread’ a lot because it resonates with the “Live Wire” work that I do, where I literally play with a clothesline across the stage or in the studio.

Her formative years with her family provided a fortuitous foundation for her later work with Gabrielle. “ I grew up in a grassroots theatre organization in Texas that my parents founded called Hip Pocket Theater , it’s been around for 48 years. Jonny and Gabrielle came a couple of times and we developed several pieces of theatre there. It’s a beautiful, funky, outdoor theatre space in Fort Worth, a very unusual space for dancers to come and hang out and create something.  This summer I’ll be doing a piece honoring Gabrielle called “Love Letters to a Raven” that I’ve been developing with my sister Lake. ” (check out this video preview trailer here)

Lorca has an inviting energy and generous spirit that shines through all of her work. She exudes a no-BS down-to-earth Texan vibe that has been refined by her years working closely with Gabrielle Roth in New York and carrying the 5Rhythms torch around the world. “ I love working with big groups of people. There’s sort of a Grecian quality or style of theatre that, as Gabrielle would say, is about breaking down that fourth wall so that we have that really deep connection of each other’s stories and experiences. It’s through that kind of sharing and raw earthiness that I can create what I call a unified theatre experience.

Check her calendar and save the dates, we highly recommend participating in one of Lorca’s Live Wire labs, so don’t miss out if she’s coming your way!

Learn more at www.LorcaSimons.com

Live Wire :: 5Rhythms Ritual Theatre 
May 24-26, Vejle, Denmark

Live Wire – Soul Threading :: 5Rhythms Ritual Theatre
June 7-9, Seattle, WA

Live Wire :: 5Rhythms Ritual Theatre
June 14-16, San Francisco, CA

Breath in Motion :: 5Rhythms Ritual Theatre
Aug 16-18, Dallas, Texas

Breath in Motion :: 5Rhythms Ritual Theatre
Sept 27-29, Montreal, Canada

Live Wire :: 5Rhythms Ritual Theatre
Oct 4-6, Ottowa, Canada

Live Wire :: Soul Threading :: 5Rhythms Ritual Theatre
Dec 6-8, Paris, France[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”27927″ img_size=”full” style=”vc_box_shadow_3d” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.tamalpa.org/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”27929″ img_size=”full” style=”vc_box_shadow_3d” onclick=”custom_link” link=”http://www.breema.com/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]