Dear Friends,
Pop Up Shop Tomorrow!
Please join us tomorrow, Tuesday, December 16th from 10:30am-11:00am after our 9:30am Stop Drop and Dance class for a pop up shop by Catherine Granville and her beautiful handmade jewelry by Radiant Sea Studio! This is a perfect opportunity to find a special and unique holiday gift for someone you love (or for yourself!)
Radiant Sea Studio creates handmade high vibe precious metal jewelry with shells and gemstones that provides healing from the land and sea!
Wear Holiday Outfits on Saturday!
Then this Saturday, December 20th, please come dressed in your wildest, funniest or silliest holiday clothing for our 9:30am Stop Drop and Dance class to celebrate Sandy Aley's birthday!
Please note there will be no classes from Wednesday, December 24th through Saturday, December 27th! All classes are recorded and available on-demand on our website!
Happy Birthday Laura Briggs!
Thank you to everyone who was able to celebrate Laura Briggs last Thursday in our Stop Drop and Dance birthday celebration with her favorite songs (yes, Taylor Swift)! The theme was “Come as you are, but add a little SPARKLE!” so we had face stickers, glitter sunglasses, and fun outfits!
Thank you as always to Erin Meyers for planning a fun backdrop and for Sara Rainbolt to help clean everything up!
Laura has been dancing with us for 10 years now and she was a big reason why our first retreat to Tulum even happened! Thanks to Laura, our community and dancers have now grown into a much deeper relationship!
Wear that CROWN Laura!
Happy Birthday Anne Kaplan!
We are officially celebrating the end of Fall before Winter Solstice this upcoming Sunday! This past Saturday, Anne chose the birthday theme of Fall colors, so we showed up in red, orange and yellow outfits!
Anne also selected a super fun Stop Drop and Dance playlist with songs that had the word “Dance” inside of it and many of our songs that had hugs, free dancing, or Do-Si-Do’s, so there was a LOT of mingling! Thank you to Erin Meyers for again, bringing a thoughtful birthday banner!
Thank you to all the dancers that joined us on Saturday morning and Happy Birthday Anne!
Dancers in the Wild!
Top Left: Mark Day School moms Kristen Sperling, Doan-Nhu Bui and Megan Mariani supporting Anne Kaplan's birthday class!
Top Right: Marianne Jacobson, Kim Lewis, Sara Rainbolt, Laura Briggs and Allyson Josephs at Citrine's Sip n Shop!
Bottom Left: Dancing with Amy Poirier and Hillary Barber's Girl Scout Troop for their holiday party last Friday!
Bottom Right: Tanya Burdick and Pam Flores bumping into each other in Sayulita, Mexico!
Happy 6th Anniversary!
When I think about this Power With Grace community and the past six years dancing together (eleven years for some of you!), three words come to mind:
1) Connection
Our weekly "Dancers in the Wild" photos are just a small glimpse into what I hope for our community: forming friendships inside and outside of classes. Instead of just showing up to dance and leaving without interacting with anyone else, what happens when you start talking to the people who always stand next to you? What happens when you do-si-do and make eye contact with everyone in the room? What happens when a conversation sparks after class in the parking lot?
In the past six years, we have now traveled internationally three times together, and this year, we had our first Stinson Beach day retreat. I am intentionally trying to create more opportunities for deeper discussions, from forming small groups at our holiday party to offering a casual prayer group every other Tuesday after class (join us tomorrow from 11am-12pm if you're free!). In a world where it's easy to be isolated and alone, I believe that part of our long-term health is creating deeper connections with people who are similar to us. Let's keep connecting and growing together!
2) Impact
Who would have predicted that our dance classes have organically become an easy and fun way to raise money for schools, non-profit organizations and unique needs that arise? We have raised over $400,000 in the past six years and we have also taught dance classes for girl scout troop meetings, birthday parties, weddings, and church gatherings! Thank you for your compassion and generosity to support these organizations (and more!):
Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative
Believe Music Heals
Best Buddies
Black Lives Matter
B4BC - Boarding for Breast Cancer
By the Bay Health
California Nurse-Midwives Foundation
Can Do Miller Creek School District
Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation
Ceres Community Project
Coleman Elementary School
Conscious Kid
Conscious Kitchen
CPMC Sister to Sister Breast Health Program
Danusia Heilemann Malibu Fire Fundraiser
Dedication to Special Education
Dine11 Marin
Family Reach Foundation
Feeding America
Gina Daly Campaign Fundaiser
Girls Lead Act
Glenwood Elementary School
Heads Up San Rafael Public Education Foundation
The Hivery
JED Foundation
Kentfield Invests in Kids
Kliptown Youth Program
Love2Dance
Magnolia Park Kitchen
Marin Catholic High School
Marin Country Day School
Marin Educators for Equity
Marin Foster Care Association
Marin GIFT - Marin Covenant Church
Marin Montessori School
Mark Day School
Maui Fire Fundraiser
Moms Demand Action
National Charity League
Ngongoseke Family Fundraiser
One Mama
Ouchless ER
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
People's Action Institute
Postpartum Support Center of Marin
Revived Soldiers Ukraine
Right To Be
Ruby's Rainbow and 321 Pledge
Saint Isabella School
San Francisco Marin Food Bank
SPARK Schools Foundation for Larkspur and Corte Madera
St. Vincent de Paul
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
TIDES Foundation
UNICEF Foundation
Uvalde GoFundMe
Vivalon
The Yes Foundation for Ross Valley School District
3) Joy
The final word that comes to mind is something that has been our purpose since the very beginning of The Power With Grace: creating joy. Our classes are more than just dancing and exercise. I hope you are filled with gratitude regardless if you are in a season of happiness or sadness. I hope you gain strength from our classes and find the courage to keep persevering. I hope you hold on to faith and know you are loved and worthy.
Joy is learning to grow through every obstacle, find love in every imperfection, and appreciate every breath.
Thank you, friends, for celebrating 6 years with me.
Love,
Grace
