The Community
AUGUST 2010
Nanci Kuzins ~ Twirling in Silver
Around and around she twirls (a streak of silver in her hair). “Too dizzy” is a former way of feeling she no longer knows.
I’m Nanci Kuzins, who as a child klutzed my way through junior high square dance, avoided high school dances and proms, and was glad that the Introduction to Dance couse in college would be taken pass/fail.
As the years passed and I turned silver, I decided it was time to try some things I had never done before. Dancing was an idea. I wasn’t interested in perfecting certain steps or styles. Nor was I seeking a partner other than myself . Rather, I was seeking the self-exploration of my body with the music and the joy that it could bring.
At a Winter Solstice Celebration a few years ago, I watched as Kelly led children in dancing, and that was what I wanted. Interestingly enough, I soon found a flyer about Kelly’s Nia classes.
Music is playing… Dancing is doing… These days I dance in many places – in church, at parties, in my seat while sitting in my car at stop signs. Recently, a woman spontaneously started doing “the twist” in the frozen food aisle at Trader Joe’s – that describes Dancing Through Life!
At Nia, I don’t have favorite dances. Each time I hear a song, it sounds slightly different and I get something more from it. I’ve come to feel the power in the vocalizations with the martial arts moves. I can now spin and twirl as it feels right for me. And I enjoy dancing through life!
AUGUST 2009
Laurie Martin (aka dj Lodoll)
I discovered Nia about 18 months ago, and it has contributed to transforming my life, awakening body and spirit!
I was working out in my local gym but I wasn’t feeling much inspiration. Although I was feeling better and losing some weight and inches, I was not enJOYing my time on the treadmill or feeling any spiritual growth or connection.
I saw Nia on the schedule and OMG, after the first class I was hooked!
We have a fabulous teacher, Kimberley, who guides us and inspires us in ‘the joy of movement’, ‘sensation’, ‘setting our intentions’ and ‘building community’.
I recently retired from a 9 -5 “desk” job and am now “Renewing”. Nia has become an essential part of my weekly practice (2x per week). I was feeling sluggish and “arthritic”. I Am now feeling playful, energetic and expressive in my movement. I am lighter, freer and more joyful… and LOVING every moment and movement.
Nia is the BEST and I am an avid promoter, particularly to my 50 something friends who are wanting to be more fit, have more fun and feel divinely connected! I am filled with gratitude to have found Nia and Kimberley and to be part of this growing movement community.
With peace and ease – LoDoll
MARCH 2009
Steve Detwiler
A co-worker dragged me to my first Nia class. She told me all the usual stuff…a mix of dance, martial arts, etc. Mostly she told me the teacher’s “booty shake” was a sight to behold. There I was tripping over myself doing jazz squares, having trouble following the steps. But the atmosphere was very friendly, and I didn’t feel judged. Plus, the guidance through the thoughtfully choreographed routines really helped. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much of a workout I could get basically doing dance…something I always feared…loathed, actually. But I chose to lean in to the challenge and try and grow beyond it.
The body awareness that Nia has brought to me can be described as incredibly expansive. It took Nia to help me understand that I’ve spent a lifetime moving in one-dimension—completely linear. Nia has literally opened up all three dimensions of movement for me, and awareness of fine motor control in places I simply wasn’t using. Even after all these classes, I still find room to grow, something new to explore, some new way to challenge myself. It is a discipline that can meet you wherever you happen to be in the moment.
I’ve been a Nia regular for near 3 years now, and yet I struggle to find the right words to define it. I realized in the search for words that it largely defies definition. The usual terms only frame what amounts to a much richer individual experience. Some moments in life, the line between what is created and what is experienced vanishes. In this space lies an awareness only understood within the moment. Every artist seeks to capture these magical moments. So the best definition I can venture for Nia is: A creative art form actively expressed through a combination of structured and free-form bodily movement. But ultimately, Nia must be done to be understood. Come try it for yourself, and maybe you’ll be hooked. If nothing else, you gotta see the impressive Nia “swish!” I am still working on mine…