October 17th

Live in this moment!

Procrastinating and putting your workout off? Making excuses and blaming others for not making enough time for yourself? Taking care of you is YOUR responsibility- to yourself, to your family, to your friends. Slow down and make YOU a priority. And begin now. Breathe. Be inspired. Move your body. Express yourself. Just for an hour- forget about everything and just dance....

Emotional and Mental Vitality

Emotional and mental vitality are closely tied to physical vitality-just as your mind has powerful effects on your body, so your physical state affects how you feel and think. Social contact can also make a big difference in how you feel.

Replacing a "lost" activity is a key to staying active and feeling good about yourself. For instance, if you can no longer run, you might try walking, biking, and/or swimming. And if your favorite activity was dancing, you might try something else that combines social and physical activity, such as joining a water aerobics class. Replacing lost activities can help you keep a positive attitude and sense of well-being over time, even if aging and changes in your health mean you can not do all the things you used to do.

Physical activity. Protect or improve your emotional and cognitive health with regular physical activity. While exercise produces chemicals in the body that promote emotional well-being, inactivity can worsen depression, anxiety, and stress. For example, one study suggests that older women who walk regularly have more mental sharpness than those who don't. Another study showed that regular exercise 3 or more times per week delayed the beginning of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Social activity. Protect or improve your emotional health by staying in touch with friends, family, and the greater community. Whether physically healthy or ill, people who feel connected to others are more likely to thrive than those who are socially isolated. Volunteering in your community and sharing your wisdom and talents with others is a gratifying and meaningful way to enrich your life. In fact, older adults who regularly volunteer even a small amount of time generally have a greater sense of well-being than those who don't.

Mental activity. Protect or improve your memory and mental sharpness by:

* Challenging your intellect on a daily basis. Read, learn a new musical instrument or language, do crossword puzzles, play games of strategy with others. Just like an active body, an active brain continues to develop and thrive, while an inactive brain loses its power over time.
* Helping your memory along. Write down dates, names, and other important information that you easily forget. Use routine and repetition-keep daily items such as keys and eyeglasses in a specific place; when you learn a new name, repeat it out loud in conversation or to yourself several times to commit it to memory. (No matter what your age, having too much on your mind can interfere with your memory of new information. And as you age, it is normal to take longer to retrieve new information from your memory banks.)
* Preventing depression, which is a common yet treatable cause of cognitive decline in older people. In addition to getting regular exercise and social contact, avoid the depressant effect of alcohol and sedative use, eat a healthy diet, and include meaningful activity in your daily life (such as learning, creating, working, volunteering).
* Not smoking. Cigarette smoking may speed mental decline; this connection was recently identified in a large study comparing smokers and nonsmokers age 65 and over.

Stress reduction and relaxation techniques. Too much life stress can take a toll on your body, your mind, and the people who are closest to you. In addition to getting regular exercise, you can take charge of how stress affects you by taking 20 minutes per day for relaxation time.
* Meditation focuses your attention and helps calm both mind and body. Daily meditation is used for managing a spectrum of physical and emotional conditions, including high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain.
* The body responds to stress with muscle tension, which can cause pain or discomfort. Progressive muscle relaxation reduces muscle tension and general anxiety and may help you get to sleep.
* The way you breathe affects your whole body. Try breathing exercises for relaxation. Full, deep breathing is a good way to reduce tension, feel relaxed, and reduce stress.

Positive thinking. Positive thinking may help you live a longer, happier life. However, even if you tend to be an optimist, there are times when it takes extra effort to frame your life positively. Take the following steps to harness the power of positive thinking in your daily life.

* Create positive expectations of yourself, your health, and life in general. When you catch yourself using negative self-talk or predicting a bad outcome, stop. Reframe your thought into a positive one, and speak it out loud or write it down. This type of thinking can help you best recover from surgery, cancer, and other life crises.
* Open yourself to humor, friendship, and love. Go out of your way to find reasons to laugh and to spend time with people you enjoy.
* Appeal to a higher power, if it suits you. Whether it be through your faith in a loving, all-powerful God or your connection with nature or a collective unconscious, your sense of spiritual wellness can help you through personal trials and enhance your joy in living.

FEATURED CLASS
STILL MOVING with Heidi

Do you have an older family member, a neighbor, or a friend- who loves music and/or dance and might be looking for a comfortable place to move and express themselves? Even for those who've never danced before, our Still Moving class with Heidi, is great for moving those bones and muscles in a free form expressive movement class designed specifically for our more "mature" members of our community. At only $5 a class, Still Moving is not only a great way to get the body moving, but an affordable experience as well.

Heidi Thornberg is committed to exploring the therapeutic and expressive properties of movement and dance. Finding the story each body wants to tell and letting it speak through pace, rhythm and space is her passion. She has worked with all age groups and has extensive experience working with special-needs clients. She has studied multiple forms of dance from ballet to belly dance and is currently enrolled in the Tamalpa Institute for Expressive Arts Therapy. The work that she has done has fueled her desire to find ways to help every body find the movement that creates joy.

Kids Class Sessions
Registrations Still Open!

It's not too late- sign up now and we can pro-rate the session for you! Both Ballet/Tap Combo and Kids Hip Hop will end in a special Holiday Recital/Party on Friday December 21st.

Ballet/Tap Combo Class with Kristen- Thursdays 4:00-5:00 PM for ages 5-7: This class will introduce children to basic ballet and tap techniques, while awakening a sense of imagination, creativity, and self-expression through movement and music. Basic ballet positions and steps and basic tap rhythms will be introduced, as students get a chance to explore their own ways of moving and discover the creative spirit of dancing while, most importantly, having fun! At the end of the 10 week session, there will be an opportunity for the students to demonstrate their new skills and experience the joy of performing at a showcase for parents, friends, and loved ones, where the emphasis will be on fun and creative expression rather than executing the perfect routine. Ballet shoes and tap shoes are preferred, but if you would like to try the class before purchasing them, students can wear socks or be barefoot for ballet and wear hard-soled shoes for tap. Leotards and tights are great but not required, and any clothing that is comfortable and easy to move in will do.

Kids Hip Hop with Chelsea on Fridays 4:00-5:00 PM for ages 7-10: This class engages kids sense of creativity and fun to great current pop hip hop music. With the use of big, fun bouncy moves, students will increase coordination, stamina, and their ability to memorize choreography. There are opportunities to perform in the middle of the session for a special Halloween show and at the end of the session in conjunction with the other kid's class for a Holiday Recital. This is a fun exciting way to learn one of the most sought after disciplines in the entertainment industry today.

10 Week Sessions started 10/11 and 10/12 however registration is still open!
$130 for 10 Weeks

Bellydance Guest Instructors
Soy and Oceana in October

While Heather is still touring around the country for the Month of October, come enjoy a new Bellydance experience with our fabulous Guest Instructors Oceana on Tuesdays the 16th and the 30th and Soy (pictured above) on the 23rd.

Belly Dance Fusion
Tuesdays 7:30 PM Beginning
Tuesdays 8:30 PM Int/Adv

Community Events
Atwater Village Trick or Treat on the BOOlevard!

Atwater Village Neighborhood Council / Atwater Griffith Park Chamber of Commerce Celebrates Fall with its Fourth Annual Trick-or-Treat Event!

3100 Block of Glendale Boulevard
(Between Glenhurst/Glenfeliz and Revere)
Friday, October 26th, 2007
4:00pm to 5:30pm

On the same night as the Kids Hip Hop class have their first recital, come watch and then let your kids trick or treat on the streets in a safe environment. Local participating businesses (including Heartbeat House!) will provide treats!

Schedule Updates
Cancellations, New Classes, Substitutes

NEW CLASSES:
New Kids Ballet/Tap Class (for 5-7 yrs.) with Kristen began Thursday Oct.11 at 4:00 PM. REGISTRATION IS STILL OPEN!

SUBSITUTES:
Tues. 10/23: Beg and Int/Adv Bellydance Fusion at 7:30 and 8:30 PM will be taught by guest instructor Soy.

Tues. 10/30: Beg and Int/Adv Bellydance Fusion at 7:30 and 8:30 PM will be taught by guest instructor Oceana.

Events:
Kids Hip Hop will be having their first mid- session Halloween Recital on Friday 10/26 at 4:00 PM.

Volunteer Program
Work Exchange

Want to dance.... but low on funds? Come help us out at Heartbeat House in exchange for FREE dance classes. Every 4 hours you work, you will receive a 4 class card. Email us with your availability!

Promotions
New Students, Birthdays, and Referrals

SPREAD THE WORD AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE PROMOTIONS NOW!

New Student Promotion:
New Students can try any class they want their first week for only $5/class!

Birthday Promotion:
Come dance off that birthday cake with $5 classes the week of your birthday!

Referral Program:
Receive 20% off a 4 Class Package when you refer a new student who buys a Class Package.

Dance Events
Mark Morris at the Music Center

Mark Morris Dance Group - Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

The Mark Morris Dance Group makes its Music Center debut with the critically-acclaimed presentation of Mozart Dances. Pronounced by The Washington Post as "our Mozart of modern dance," Mark Morris' work is often celebrated for its musicality and innovation.

Set to music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart Dances offers a visually stimulating, elegant, and often tender display of movement and technique. The piece blends folk dances, balletic lifts, pose and ensemble sculptures in a way in which each dancer exudes the beauty and emotion of Mozart's masterpieces and Morris' skillful and innovative choreography.

Mozart Dances was commissioned by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (New York), New Crowned Hope (Vienna), and the Barbican Centre (London).

For more information