Dear Friends,
It's been a rough week.
Last Tuesday, we danced out all our election nerves to an all female artist Stop Drop and Dance playlist and shared a few inspirational quotes from Kamala Harris' rally the night before.
At the end of class, we gathered to watch Will.I.Am’s “Yes She Can” video (thank you Lauren Belden!) and left class with faith that our country would not just elect our first female President, but would finally be able to move forward with unity and love versus division and hate.
America, you're FIRED!
The next day, a group of us showed up for our Strength & Stretch Wednesday class and tried to release much of our frustration and disappointment by lifting heavy weights and stretching afterwards.
It really helped to be together and move some of the pent up emotions we had. Thank you to Laura Briggs for brightening up our spirits with yellow flowers and peanut butter cups and thank you to those of you who also joined class but left early or were on Zoom that aren't pictured here.
"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."
- Martin Luther King Jr.
I've felt exhausted and heavy all week, and there have definitely been some tears, some emotional pints of ice cream, and some hard conversations especially with my girls, who witnessed somebody opposite of everything I've taught them - being honest, being kind, being inclusive, being compassionate and being fair - be chosen by half this country to be the President. Ugh.
So this became a Christmas tree type of week.
My girls know the drill.
They turn on Spotify and we sing and dance while listening to holiday music.
We work together putting up the ornaments and decorations, reminiscing "that time" we got "that" ornament.
This year it was our pups first Christmas and they sat on chairs watching us, totally confused what was happening.
My girls reminded me we needed to get two new stockings to hang on the fireplace for them.
In the midst of feeling upset and disappointed at our world, this tree is my much-needed symbol of hope, light, and unconditional love.
What brings you hope?
Please vote for "The Power With Grace!"
As uncomfortable as it is to ask for votes, thanks to all of you, we actually WON in the category of "Best Personal Fitness Instructor" the last 2 years and we were runner-up for "Best Dance Studio!"
For a small business that is purely existing because of all of you and word-of-mouth, these voting polls are free marketing opportunities to share about our classes with the community!
Will you please take 5 minutes to cast a vote?
Please follow these 5 steps to vote for us and some of your other favorite businesses:
1. Go to https://www.marinijreaderschoice2025.com/
2. Click on the tab"Entertainment and Activities" - "Dance Studio" and write "Grace Yu -The Power With Grace"
3. Click on the tab "General Services" - "Best Dance Instruction" and write "Grace Yu - The Power With Grace"
4. Click on the tab "Personal Services" - "Personal Fitness Instructor" and write "Grace Yu -The Power With Grace"
5. Vote for at least 7 other businesses (need minimum 10 votes total to count) and submit!
Thank you SO much for your time, support, and willingness to share about our classes with the local Marin community!
Our Epic Stop Drop and Dance-a-thon is BACK!
Sunday, February 2nd, 2025
Tickets are on sale NOW!!!
Last year we had 120 dancers fill up the San Rafael Community Center and complete this one-of-a-kind dance marathon!
We are bringing the party back to the same location with a NEW 2025 shirt and a finish line of 45 dances!
Invite your friends and join us for this SERIOUS ACCOMPLISHMENT!!!
Register before January 5th to receive your dance shirt for FREE as part of the ticket price!
(after January 5th, shirts will be on sale separately for $28 until supplies last!)
Therapy.
Many things just don’t go our way… big things, small things, funny things, sad things… in the big picture, these things are temporary, but in the moment they consume us and affect our daily living.
- Like the camera deciding to stop recording mid-class Thursday so our post-election Stop Drop and Dance class unfortunately couldn’t be added to our on-demand website
- Like getting scammed while buying “Wicked” musical tickets by a tricky reseller website and paying more than double the price
- Like getting outbid on a dream studio space by another (bigger) business and coming to the tough realization that maybe a studio isn’t the right dream
- Like losing the election and unwillingly accepting that half the country prioritizes humanity much, much differently
- Like triggering a migraine after teaching “Thriller” because a 45-year-old body apparently can no longer handle jerky neck zombie movements
I mean… the list goes on and on.
And honestly, ALL OF IT really just sucks.
All we can do is gain wisdom from our obstacles and experiences, keep showing up every single day with heart and passion, take thoughtful, actionable steps that lead us closer to our goal, hold onto hope and shout out our prayers, and finally…
Recharge. Like a battery.
When I’m down, this community - all of YOU - are my battery chargers.
Don’t go through life alone.
I don’t care if I live in a bubble.
I LOVE my bubble and the people in my bubble.
And my bubble can stretch to include anyone who wants to join.
Because in my bubble, everyone is caring, everyone is compassionate, and everyone is kind.
We are HERE.
(A grateful salute to all the Veterans in our community!)
Love,
Grace
