Dear Friends,
Say goodbye to "The Garage" tomorrow, Saturday June 22nd at 9:30am!
(Starting in July, ALL our classes will be at the UUMarin church, including Saturdays!)
We have been dancing in "The Garage" since 2020 when the pandemic hit and we needed an outdoor space large enough to be socially distanced. It has been quite a challenge teaching there, to say the least, but it has also been a huge blessing.
Every hiccup or obstacle we encountered, from having no power to doors being locked to even last week dancing next to a generator... we NEVER STOPPED DANCING.
Despite everything, what I hope you will remember most about "The Garage" is that it became a place where we made a difference by dancing together. The Garage became the home of many of our fundraisers for needs that came up in our community or non-profit organizations.
Not counting fundraisers at other venues, schools, or events...
Over the past 4 years in "The Garage", we have held 35 Stop Drop and Dance fundraisers and raised over $120,000.
Thank you to all of you who have hosted, attended, or contributed to our fundraisers over the years, and helped to make Stop Drop and Dance much more than just a fitness class, but a community of healing, hope, and change.
Mark Your Calendars
We have ONE more week of classes in June before a two week summer break, then we will resume our regular class schedule for the rest of July and August!
Come join us if you are around this summer (teachers, especially you!).
Happy Birthday Erin Meyers
Thursday, June 27th 9:30am-10:45am
@UU Marin (240 Channing Way, San Rafael)
THEME: Beach Boardwalk (wear beach attire!)
Stay after class on Thursday and bring an easy dish to share for our Community Potluck celebrating Karin Conn, Sara Rainbolt and Erin Meyers' birthdays! Come to mingle and get to know our dancers better!
Live Classes Cancelled June 29th - July 13th
I will be traveling to China with my parents and my sister's family!
All our classes from June 11th to June 27th will be recorded and available on-demand!
On our membership plan, you can take unlimited classes anytime that is convenient for you, even if I am not here or if you are traveling away this summer and need a workout on the go! If you are not a member, you can purchase on-demand classes a-la-carte on our website.
Live classes will resume Tuesday, July 16th for the rest of summer!
Dancing in Memory of Dotto Ngongoseke
Thank you so much for joining our host Laura Williams last Saturday in “The Garage” and raising money to support Dotto’s family.
Laura shared a heartfelt message about Dotto at the beginning and ending of class, and Dotto’s family even joined in-person and danced with us for part of class, which was an absolute honor especially to meet Dotto’s sons. One of our donors made the realization that it was Father’s Day weekend, and it was the first one for Dotto’s family without their father, which broke our hearts even more.
We wanted to respect the privacy of the family so we did not take photos of them and we are keeping the amount raised confidential, but please know that your contribution made a significant difference for the family and that they greatly appreciate your support.
Thank you to this beautiful community for your kind and compassionate heart, always.
Happy Birthday Karin Conn!
Last Tuesday we celebrated Karin with a colorful hearts and butterflies theme!
Thank you to Karin for bringing butterfly clips and pins for everyone in class and thank you to all the dancers who joined in-person or on zoom and contributed to Karin’s Believe Music Heals birthday fundraiser! Karin wanted to share this quote (author unknown) as part of her butterfly theme:
"If you spend time chasing butterflies, they'll fly away. But if you spend your time making a beautiful garden, the butterflies will come to you.
When you focus on improving yourself, everything you want will come to you. We attract based on who we are, not what we want.
Don't chase, attract."
Happiest birthday to Karin, who may have turned 63 but is 36 (or younger) in spirit!!!
Happy Birthday Sara Rainbolt!
We welcomed Summer Solstice yesterday by channeling in our love of Hawaii and the beautiful Aloha spirit of kindness, gratitude and affection into our Stop Drop and Dance class!
Thank you to everyone who came in-person and joined online to shower Sara with your love! Thank you to Sara for bringing in leis and skirts for dancers to wear and thank you to Lisa for decorating the church.
It was also the second year that Sara’s husband Eric and son Rex joined us and danced for an hour to support Sara! So sweet!
Happiest birthday to Sara, who doesn’t love being the center of attention, but surely deserves to be showered with lots of love, especially on her special day.
We LOVE our new apparel!
We only have limited sizes and quantities of our newest rainbow logo tanks and hoodies unless you pre-ordered, so be sure to reserve yours online ASAP or come to class this upcoming week to try out the sizes before you purchase one!
The women's black muscle tanks are super soft, lightweight material that fall straight to the hip and have large arm holes. The unisex black hoodies are full zip in the front with two pockets, and are super comfy! The only youth sizes remaining are 2 large hoodies, otherwise we currently have all adult sizes until we sell out!
If you already pre-ordered a rainbow tank or hoodie, please come to class and pick it up!
Seriously, life is hard.
I'm not going to lie:
Last Saturday's fundraiser class for Dotto was HARD to teach.
Hearing and feeling Laura's deep respect for Dotto...
Meeting his boys and his wife in-person...
Knowing it was going to be their first Father's Day the next day without him...
Ugh. It hurts.
It was hard, but not as hard as what THEY are going through.
So we channeled in Dotto's spirit of joy, kindness and care and kept on dancing.
I know his family was surprised to see these random strangers, dancing in a garage, to raise money for them.
And if it helped them in any small way, then I am grateful.
More sad news...
This week, I also found out from dancers in our community about another huge loss, Clark Kotula, unexpectedly passing on Tuesday.
Even though I did not know him well, his wife Jacqui had been to dance before, one of his sons is in the same class with my older daughter, and I had directly interacted with him about future dance retreats because he represented properties in Central and South America.
I cannot even begin to imagine what Jacqui and her two sons are facing and my heart is broken for them. I do know they are surrounded by close family and friends, which I am grateful for, and I imagine there will be ways to help them in the near future.
Jacqui, my heart goes out to you and I am so incredibly sorry to hear about Clark. Please know there is a community praying for your family, your healing, and your strength each day.
Today is my 16th wedding anniversary and I am reminded how precious life is.
TIME is our most precious commodity.
So spend your time wisely...
on your health,
on your happiness,
and on your relationships that matter the most.
"Memories remind us that nothing lasts forever.
Time is precious and should not be wasted.
Enjoy life and remember:
Don't count the days,
Make the days count."
Love,
Grace
