Dear Friends,
Let's Celebrate Angela's Birthday Tuesday
& Tanya's *60th* Saturday!
We hope you can join us for two special birthday classes this week!
All classes are held at UUMarin (240 Channing Way in San Rafael).
Tuesday, April 28th 9:30am-10:45am Stop Drop and Dance
Happy Birthday Angela Hart!
THEME: Wear spring colors or flowers!
"Flowers don't worry about how they're going to bloom. They just open up and turn toward the light and that makes them beautiful." - Jim Carrey
Wednesday, April 29th to Friday, May 1st
NO CLASSES!
PWG Monterey Women's Retreat
We are so excited to gather 22 of our community members together to explore Cannery Row in Monterey, kayak with the sea otters, and dance together!
Saturday, May 2nd 9:30am-10:30am Stop Drop and Dance
Happy 60th Birthday Tanya Burdick!
THEME: Shine and Sparkle
"Dream big, sparkle more, shine bright" is an empowering mantra encouraging individuals to set ambitious goals (dream big), live with passion and authenticity (sparkle more), and showcase their unique talents to the world with confidence (shine bright). It serves as a reminder to pursue potential without fear, radiate positivity, and be authentic.
Thursday, May 7th 9:30am-10:45am Stop Drop and Dance
Happy Birthday Marsha Cellar!
THEME: Devil Wears Prada!
"Wear red and let's all be little devils." - Marsha
***NO CLASSES THIS WEDNESDAY 4/29 OR THURSDAY 4/30!***
Reppin' Our Favorite Schools With Gina & Jenn!
Thank you to everyone who came on Saturday morning to join our 60 minute Stop Drop and Dance birthday class with Gina Daly and Jenn Macievich, who are our regular Saturday dancers that we wish we could see every class during the week too! We even had a special first-time visitor from Berkeley join us, Gina's cousin, Merrian!
They chose the fun theme of representing your favorite school, so everyone showed up in different school colors, college apparel, or even sports swag. We had everything from Indiana University, UC San Diego, Claremont McKenna, UC Berkeley (x4!), Boston College, Utah University, Dartmouth College, Oregon University, Archie Williams High School, Texas Christian University, UC Los Angeles, Cupertino High School, and the San Francisco Giants! Of course, thank you to Erin Meyers and Barb Untermann for coming up with the perfect backdrop with college flags and banners!
Both Gina and Jenn are amazing dancers that stayed up front the whole time and rocked all our dance moves, even when they didn't know the dance! Thank you for letting us celebrate you both!
Happiest birthdays Gina and Jenn!
A Tribute to Alan Roberts and Pelo...
My heart hurts writing this.
As many of you know, the pandemic in 2020 threw our lives upside down and everything changed.
I went from a 9am-5pm full-time schedule everyday varying from teaching TRX, Cardio Strength, Gentle Yoga, Rock and Flow Yoga, Yin Yoga, Power Yoga, and Stop Drop and Dance classes, to leading 200-hour intense Yoga Teacher Trainings, to helping manage Operations on the Marin Power Yoga leadership team. It was a packed schedule!
Then, it all suddenly stopped.
Zoom came into our lives, and I found myself teaching primarily Stop Drop and Classes in my living room for the first 3 months, and eventually social distanced in-person on my deck, for the next 3 months. But after that, I searched for an outdoor space where I could gather more people together, have internet and power for my computer and speakers, and be somewhat covered so my equipment didn't get wet through the winter. It was impossible...
Until I visited Alan at Pelo Fitness.
Alan was as ambitious as I was about bringing his community back together in-person, and he had already set up portable tents in the parking lot in front of his studio. For his classes, Alan rolled out all the stationary bikes under the tent, 6 feet apart, and had figured out how to install outdoor speakers. Because his classes didn't interfere with my schedule, he let me rent his outdoor space two mornings a week.
Whenever I taught my classes, Alan showed up to the studio and was available to help, whether it was to provide the restroom key, to hardwire an ethernet cord for better internet connection, to give me his old mixer for better sound quality, to collaborate on a fundraiser for the Food Bank or a coat drive, or to teach me how to properly "pinch, twist, and roll" all the sound cords as he shared about his past life working at concerts and shows, or about his dream of moving to Portugal.
I was lucky to have not only a "landlord" who went over and beyond to make sure my classes were successful, but I was and still am lucky that my dad also logs in before every class to be my "IT support" on the user side. One of my favorite memories was whenever I had something not working properly before class, both Alan and my dad would be troubleshooting with each other over Zoom.
What a special team.
I taught at Pelo for about 8 months until the following June, at which point Alan decided to close his Pelo studio and fulfill his dream of retiring in Portugal with his wife, Tina. He has been there the past 5 years.
However, I received the tragic news from "Dr. Regina" (one of his loyal students that is a physician), that Alan passed away just a few weeks ago, on April 4th, from Glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. He was still very active and still cycling in Portugal, so the fact that his symptoms only began 5 weeks before he passed, makes it especially sudden and difficult to accept for all of us and his loved ones.
I am heartbroken to share this news with all of you, but I write this because whether you knew Alan or not, I want us to live like Alan did.
He was someone who went out of his way to help others.
He was someone who inspired others while sharing his passion.
He was someone who lifted up others and brought them together in community.
He was someone who followed his heart and his love, Tina.
He was someone who loved cats and cycling.
Alan, thank you for being a mentor, an inspiration, and a friend. You will be greatly missed.
May this tribute be a reminder to always hug the people around you every chance you get.
With love,
Grace
