Kacie is available to bring the fun (and the funk!) to your location for hour long, half or full day workshops, full of music and entertainment for people of all ages. We provide everything you need including lights, music and sound.
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I have been lost in the most blissful, amazing and challenging time of my life, completely captivated by this magical being from the stars that I am so honored to call my daughter. She’s almost 4 months old, and things are finally settled enough into the new normal that I even thought of my blog. I figured it was time to introduce you to Charlie Starfire!
If you want more beautiful, captivating shots of her freshly evicted from my womb (two weeks after our guess date), you can see the amazing set at Stephanie T. Photography’s blog, If you are in the Edmonton Area, I can’t recommend Steph enough. She’s a joy to work with. It’s tougher than you think to get these adorable shots! In the first one, my husband is actually laying under that blanket.
The experience of becoming a mother is all encompassing. It’s the most potent transformation I can think of, and it has been incredible, exceeding all of my expectations. I tried to prepare myself for how hard it would be, and since I was 15 and a half when my triplet siblings were born I had a very real idea of just how crazy it could get. Since there is only one of Charlie, I have been pleasantly surprised by the whole thing. Sure, there are times that have been tough, but I guess I wasn’t factoring how much the love overwhelms the rest of it. I also didn’t realize just how tough and isolating it can be with how spread my family is. It is the craziest, most wonderful roller coaster ride I could have imagined.
I could write and rhapsodize about motherhood endlessly, but her nap will only be so long, and momma needs to eat too.
Last week, I attended a beautiful meditation for world peace on November 11th, 2015. Two days later the Western world was rocked when the terrorists attacked Paris (I only heard about the earlier Beirut attacks after that).
It was so difficult to wrap my mind around. Violence in the Middle East always seems so far removed, but Paris…. I grew up learning all about France, in school, in countless movies and books, through the food I eat and the wine I drink. I have spent time there, and since I speak French, I feel a kinship with the place, in a way I don’t always feel with the far flung reaches of the globe where I’ve never been.
The news of the attacks hit me, and a whole lot of people I know hard. I cried, and wondered how it could happen, why and how could we stop it from happening again? What can we do? I became more educated about what has been happening in other areas of the world, the things our media doesn’t always report and my heart grew heavier still. Then people began reacting in fear, with many condemning the people who need our compassion the most and my heart felt like it might break.
I refuse to let this harden my heart, or to change what I believe. I know that peace is possible, but we will never defeat darkness and hate with more of the same. Only light can drive out the darkness and only love can conquer fear and hate. This world needs more love, not less. More compassion, not less. More understanding of each others humanity, not alienation and xenephobia.
These terrorists use, well, terror because their hearts are hurting so badly that lashing out in anger is the only thing that might bring them some relief from the pain of their lives. How many of us can even comprehend suffering of that magnitude. Their pain is immense and must seem practically insurmountable.
I, and so many of the people around me are lucky enough to have lives filled with joy and love. Our basic needs are beyond met and we have the room in our lives for fun, and creative self expression. Heck, I get to dance for a living, and dancing is my living praying. It’s how I connect with all that is. It fills me up with so much love and joy that it just burst out of me.
I am lucky enough to be able to facilitate this joyful movement for others as well. In my Hoop Flow class last night, our theme was Dancing Your Essence. We were moving with the intention of expressing our unique light. We moved through several exercises, including Sway and some blindfolded hoopdance, and went into a 25 minute dance journey with a wide variety of music, allowing our bodies to move and interpret the tracks in whatever way authentically arose. We moved through melancholy, desperate, sad music into the hopeful, happy and joyful. You could feel the energy in the room shift, and the happier the music, the higher the vibration. People were grinning from ear to ear, myself included as I felt overwhelmed with gratitude for this kind of healing tool .
After a short rest, we concluded our dance journey with a song dedicated to world peace. With our intention, we filled up our hearts with so much love that it just couldn’t be contained, and then sent it out into the world around us. This was the track we danced to: https://soundcloud.com/revolvr/youve-got-the-love-remix
We can begin to change the world by starting with our own hearts. First emptying them out, through our movement, sweat and tears. Then filling them up with so much love and light that it just spills out of you. Then from that place of fullness, you can go out into the world to do your work. Obviously it isn’t enough to just pray and dance. There is work to do on the ground. This is how I start though. This is how I do my healing work for my own heart, filling it with love, music, movement, joy, compassion, community and gratitude. This is also part of my work out in the world. Helping others fill up their hearts, filling up their cup so it’s overflowing with love, so they too can go out into the wider world and meet all those they meet with love as well, treating each person with dignity, respect and compassion.
It starts right here, and begins with you. Paraphrasing the wise words of Gabrielle Roth, healing happens when you lovingly move through your pain, sweat your prayers and let go of the past. Once we have done this, our hearts are open, full of love and we can work together to create peace on earth.
Today, November 11th, is Remembrance Day. The day we honor all those who have served our country, and all those who have been affected by war.
Many of us have the day off, but regardless, I hope that we all take some time today to sit in stillness, even just for a minute, in meditation or prayer, thinking of world peace.
It’s not as far fetched as one might think. While our media showers us with images of violence and war constantly, the world is actually more peaceful now than it may have ever been. We are now so interdependent, and connected, growing more so every day that for many nations it would be unthinkable to go to war against each other. The European Union is a great example. We are slowly getting there, and the more loving, peaceful intention we send out into the world, the faster it will happen.
Today is also the Scorpio new moon. A new moon is a powerful time to set an intention, but this Scorpio new moon is “….creating an opening for us to shapeshift into a new form. Scorpio embodies the cycle of transformation and her magic medicine teaches us how to shed outmoded forms of being in order to rise to new heights.” – Mystic Mamma
As we meditate and pray for world peace, we must recognize that change comes from within. Indeed, our inner worlds are all that we can control, and inner peace and self mastery at the individual level is how we get to world peace on the global scale.
You as an individual have the power to create this shift on a global scale. What happens in our hearts sends ripples out into the world around us. As within, so without.
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world” -Mahatma Ghandi
Join us today, as we use the energy of the stars and our collective consciousness to wish, pray, hope and believe in peace, for all of humanity.
We’re so excited to be teaching weekly hoopdance classes once again with Infinity Hoopdance! There are 4 classes to choose from, something for every hooper!
On Monday nights we will be at our beautiful new location, Meadowlark Community Hall, with gorgeous high ceilings and surround sound!
There will be a beginner class from 6:00-7:30 and our new multi level flow class from 7:45- 9:15! Beginner classes will The multi level class will have less emphasis on tricks, with more exercises designed to help you dance your essence and find your flow.
We will still be running our Thursday night classes at King Edward Hall in Bonnie Doon, with the beginner class running from 6:00 pm to 7:30, and the Intermediate/Advanced class from 7:45 to 9:15. The intermediate/advanced class is suitable for anyone who has taken two beginner series, or is quite comfortable with off and on body tricks.
All classes have an emphasis on deepening your connection to your body, mind and soul, offering you opportunities to dance your essence, while partnering with your hoop. Every class will begin with a short centering meditation, guided movement exercises, instruction on new tricks and some jam time to simply dance and play!
http://www.infinityhoopdance.com/classes-2/
We’ve been spending a glorious summer teaching hoop dance at YMCA out of school care programs all over Edmonton during the days, and we’re thrilled to be offering a few exciting evening hoop dance classes this August. There are still a few spaces left for these classes, but our beginner hoop dance class is sold out, and we won’t be surprised if these fill up quickly!
– Multi Level Twins & Minis – August 20 @ 7:45-9:45pm
– Flips, Folds & Fancy Flails – August 27 @ 7-9pm
CHILDREN’S HOOPING WORKSHOP:
– Hooping for Kids! – August 20 @ 6-7:30pm
READ ON TO LEARN MORE!
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MULTI LEVEL TWINS & MINIS
REGISTER ONLINE NOW:
http://www.infinityhoopdance.com/classes-2/upcoming-workshops/multi-level-minis-twins/
Are you ready to take your off body twin hooping to the next level? This class will be full of drills, thrills and challenges for both the beginner and intermediate twin spinner. We will be exploring things like weaves, caps, flowers and more!
Prerequisites: Forward and Backward weaves with ONE hoop
– Thursday, August 20
– 7:45-9:45 pm
– King Edward Park Hall (7708-85 Street)
– $25 before August 10 using the coupon code “SUMMER2015″
– $30 after August 10 or without code
REGISTER ONLINE NOW:
http://www.infinityhoopdance.com/classes-2/upcoming-workshops/multi-level-minis-twins/
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FLIPS, FOLDS & FANCY FLAILS
REGISTER ONLINE NOW:
http://www.infinityhoopdance.com/classes-2/upcoming-workshops/flips-folds-fancy-flails/
This multilevel hoop workshop is all about adding a little more pizazz to your practice. Axis flips, twists, Z-spins and folds all add dynamic flair to your movements, and will seriously spice up your transitions between planes.
Prerequisite: Basic vertical and horizontal hand hooping
– Thursday, August 27
– 7-9 pm
– King Edward Park Hall (7708-85 Street)
– $25 before August 17 using the coupon code “SUMMER2015″
– $30 after August 17 or without code
REGISTER ONLINE NOW:
http://www.infinityhoopdance.com/classes-2/upcoming-workshops/flips-folds-fancy-flails/
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HOOPING FOR KIDS!
REGISTER ONLINE NOW:
http://www.infinityhoopdance.com/classes-2/upcoming-workshops/hooping-for-kids/
In this play shop, children aged 8-12 will be introduced to both on and off body hooping and will also be taken through a series of movement exercises and games that are designed to gain them proficiency in hoop dance while exploring creative movement and storytelling with their hoops! This workshop is suitable for all levels.
– Thursday, August 20
– 6-7:30 pm
– King Edward Park Hall (7708-85 Street)
– $17 before August 10 using the coupon code “HOOPKIDS2015″
– $20 after August 10 or without code
REGISTER ONLINE NOW:
http://www.infinityhoopdance.com/classes-2/upcoming-workshops/hooping-for-kids/
Can you feel the amazing energy of this month already?
When I sat down to meditate this morning, my entire being was captivated by this joyful, swirling, expansive energy that I could feel spread out before me. June is going to be a crazy, beautiful month full of all the things I love. I have this week to prepare and ground myself for all the awesome that’s in store. We’re kicking the whole month off with the full moon in Sagittarius (Sun in Gemini), which adds an fantastic expansive, inspired, yet lighthearted quality to the energy right now. If you’re interested in more about that, here’s Lisa Michael’s with how you can work effectively with the energy.
For a peek into some of the numerology of the month, here’s Kari Samuel’s Joyful June Forecast:
She says your adventures this month are sure to put a smile on your face. That’s a given, Kari. I’m so excited about all of it. She also shared 5 things to do to have a magical month: Try new things, socialize, learn (through your five senses), have fun and express yourself. Since I’m spending all month teaching, learning and dancing at different festivals and schools, I think I have all of those covered.
Spin Out is happening June 12th to 15th. I love this festival because you get to do all the things!!! It’s billed as summer camp for grown ups. It’s a magical place full of fun, friends and fire. Also, I get to play in the kitchen since my husband is catering again (and I get to help plan the menu, yay!!)
I’ll be at Elysium Music and Arts Festival in Saskatchewan, June 26th to 29th, offering workshops in hoop dance, movement meditation and conscious dance and then barely home to catch my breath and do laundry before heading up north to my favorite festival of all time, Astral Harvest, July 2nd to 5th. I’m beyond excited for this one, where for the first time I’ll be facilitating a conference (Energy Balancing with the Elements) as well as offering a Twins hoop dance workshop.
There’s a lot coming up, but I feel inspired rather than overwhelmed. The full moon right now is also empowering me to let go of some old ideas and projects that I was still clinging to. Some of you might know I wrote a book last year, and I have been sending query letters out to agents, but my heart really hasn’t been in it. I realized today that I don’t actually want to get the book published. I’m so glad I wrote it, but it’s full of old energy and I want to release the past and free myself up to concentrate on a whole lot of new, exciting projects that are filling my heart with joy. Even though I always want to do all the things, I know that I have to do some pruning, so I am releasing projects are no longer jiving with where I’m at right now.
There is some exciting stuff on the burner, so stay tuned for announcements, and enjoy Joyful June! Do those things that make your heart sing! Then do more of that!
Love, light and laughter to you my friends!
I woke up at 8 am this morning, lazed in bed reading, got up to eat breakfast and then found myself back on my bed petting a cat. One thing led to another and suddenly I was back under my covers. I finished one book and started another, enjoying the warmth of being sandwiched between two sleeping cats.
As I lay there, every so often I would think to myself, “You really should get up…” but I really didn’t want to . I passed several hours this way, enjoying it while another part of myself berated my laziness. An ongoing fight I have with myself whenever I relax when I “could” be working. I’m always afraid if I give in to my impulses I might never get out of bed again. An object at rest stays at rest, etc. I always forget I am not some kind of perpetual motion machine, and that sometimes humans need downtime in order to be productive, especially after teaching 11 hoop classes in two days (I taught my first kids workshops and they were fantastic, but exhausting). I’ve been working on releasing guilt about taking down time for myself, but like all things, it’s a work in progress.
The thing is though, after a couple hours of serious chillaxing, I got up, got dressed and went for a run. After this post, I plan on taking a yoga class, doing dishes, making lunch and setting off to my afternoon appointments.
Being lazy for a couple hours set me up to be far more joyfully productive for the rest of the day, rather than dragging myself through my obligations. It always does, and I have never really gotten ‘stuck’ on lazy (not for more than a day or two). Why do I continue to resist, when I know it’s all just part of the natural cycle of my energy flow?
Lessons surrounding this resistance keep coming up for me. A few days ago, Danielle Laport wrote an amazing piece on what happens to you after a breakthrough (You shrink after you expand, but don’t worry, not all the way back to baseline). The main takeaway for me was to be gentle with myself after doing something major. A little downtime is required and perfectly appropriate.
A day or two before reading that article, I pulled some Goddess cards for myself, and the card for my future was Maeve:
The Celtic Goddess who asks us to honor our cycles and rhythms. She reminds us that there is a cycle to all of creation, even to the sun, the moon and the stars. Why should we be worried or upset when we have the cycles of energy as well. She asks us to honor them, and understand they are a sacred part of our experience.
I’m trying, Maeve, I really am. Riding the waves, and enjoying the highs, and allowing myself to accept and even embrace and enjoy the lows as well. Snuggling with kitties and reading is a whole lot more enjoyable when I admit that it’s just as important and productive as anything else I could be doing. RnR is an essential part of life.
I am so grateful to have had the time to do some of my favorite things, finding balance between work and rest, expansion and contraction, and allowing time to integrate all of the awesome.
What’s your favorite way of resting, relaxing and renewing yourself? Do you ever feel guilty about it? If so, stop it! Stop it right now, and let’s relax together so we have enough steam to light up the world and do all the things!
May is here, and it finally, legitimately, feels like winter is truly behind us (of course it just might snow once more on May long weekend, to the chagrin of campers out for the first time of the season).
With May comes Beltane, the fertility festival halfway between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice! This is the time when the Sun and Earth, God and Goddess unite in a sacred dance that creates life. The joint forces of the masculine and feminine principles are the fuel for all of creation. This is where the tradition of the Maypole comes from, by the way. Often celebrated May 1st, this year, the exact astrological point of Beltane is May 6th. My elemental mentor Lisa Michaels details more about Beltane on her blog here, including how you can use these energies to fuel your creations. This is a great time to check in with the intentions you planted during the winter solstice, and you can use the fiery, grounded energy of this time to fuel them.
A perfect way to honor the marriage of Earth, the physical realm and Fire, the action realm is to dance. To be action embodied, in celebration of life itself. This year, to celebrate, I danced wearing as many flowers as I could to represent the blossoming season. Yes, my flowery plants were falling down, but I was having too much fun to stop. How will you be celebrating the start of our summer growing season and the sacred marriage of the divine masculine and feminine?
This spring, we’re happy to be joining forces with Infinity Hoopdance, teaching her weekly hoop dance series while Nina is out traveling and gathering new hoop dance and facilitation skills to bring back to Edmonton.
The beginner class is SOLD OUT (contact Nina to be placed on the waitlist) but there are still spaces left in the Intermediate and Advanced class.
I’m so excited to share a weekly space with beautiful hooperbeings. We will be exploring lots of interesting tricks, but more importantly to me, hoop dance concepts.
There is so much more to moving with a hoop than just trick and techniques. We will dive into self expression, storytelling and
flow using 7 elements as an archetypal structure and guide on our seven week journey. Through the series we will play with the concepts of earth, air, water, fire, space, light and sound. These elements will inform what we focus on each day.
I can’t wait to dance with you!
BEGINNER HOOPDANCE: (SOLD OUT: Contact Nina for waiting list)
Thursdays, March 19 – April 30 from 6 – 7:30pm
INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED HOOPDANCE:
Thursdays, March 19 – April 30 from 7:45 – 9:30 pm
All classes will be at King Edward Park Hall (7708-85 St) near Whyte Ave/Bonnie Doon
These classes fill up fast. Reserve your space here!
Check out the event on facebook as well
Dancing Into Being 