Get Up and Move this Summer to the Beat Ya'll... Hip Hop Anyone?

The temperatures are soaring and so should your motivation! Nothing inspires us to get outdoors more than the warm weather of the early summer. Crisp mornings, birds singing, and of course, the beckoning beach! Take advantage of this beautiful time of the year to free your mind, enjoy this amazing space we call home, and get outside and improve your health and happiness.

Our coastal area offers a ton of options for exercising outdoors, like running, hiking, biking, walking, surfing, paddle boarding, swimming, outdoor yoga, or kayaking. You name it, there’s no end to what you can do in the great outdoors to keep active and healthy. But in addition to the variety, did you know there are specific benefits you get from being in the open air that you don’t get from an indoor workout? 

Exercising outdoors means you exert more energy due to the wind or hilly terrain, particularly if you are a runner or participating in an alfresco boot camp because these situations add more resistance to your workout. Not only do you spend more physical energy, you reap the spiritual and psychological benefits like a natural mood lifter, gratification, enjoyment – all of which can help increase your self-esteem and reduce stress.  And hey, let’s not forget that little thing called Vitamin D!  Just don’t forget your sunscreen!

Of course, there’s never anything wrong with a great indoor workout. As the summer progresses it’s always nice to have a climate-controlled indoor facility to exercise in. But working out indoors can often become predictable, which means you can easily get bored with your same-old-same-old routine. But Movement Works has got a cure for the common indoor workout blues…something that’s a little unpredictable and will get you out of your comfort zone and into something new to keep your summer-time exercise motivation going. Can you say hip hop?

Join our resident Hip Hop Instructor, Ashlea Sovetts for a 4 week introduction to Hip Hop Jazz! ^rd from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm and concludes on Wednesday, June 24^th.  Pre-register for $45 at Movement Works.  No experience required, just a willingness to try something new and step out of the box when it comes to your fitness routine!  Adult participants will learn the foundation of traditional hip hop dance progressing to jazz dance techniques and power moves, while exploring and honing their unique individual expression. This class focuses on rhythm, musicality, style, choreography and individual and collective growth. Students gain strength, flexibility, endurance, and coordination. This four-week session begins on Wednesday, June 3 from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm and concludes on Wednesday, June 24^th.  Pre-register for $45 at Movement Works.  No experience required, just a willingness to try something new and step out of the box when it comes to your fitness routine! 

Calling all Shaktis: Let’s Shimmy, Shiver, and Shake

Enticing, fluid movements. Colorful veils lifting and bouncing. Seductive hip drops. Beguiling hand gestures springing from the wrists. No ladies, these moves aren’t meant to titillate men into a sexual frenzy, but rather celebrate the cosmic energy of the divine female through the art of dance – performed for women by women. It’s time to rethink…Belly Dance.

Belly dance is a great way to connect to your inner great Goddess, or Shakti as she’s known to the

Hindus. Shakti is thought to be the innermost animating soul of man or god and is translated as cosmic energy that “implies power, ability, capacity, strength prowess, regal power, power of composition, poetic power of signification of a word or term; the power inherent in cause to produce its necessary effect.”  To sum it up, women rock!

Belly dancing expresses these quintessential feminine qualities through sacred movements like hip drops, vertical hip rocks, outward hip lifts and twists, infinity loops, horizontal or tilting hip circles, undulations of the hips and abdomen. And don’t forget the fluid shimmies, shivers, and vibrations. Belly dance isn’t just for physical fitness or entertainment, but an outlet for women to express and share their feminine power and experiences.   

So whether you’re looking for a way to connect with the other Shaktis in your community, or your

family, come experience the cosmic power of belly dance and worship your divine feminine power at Movement Work’s Belly Dance Soiree on Thursday, May 21st from 7 to 9 pm. Come early and join us for wine and hors d’oeuvres. Pre-register for a discounted rate of $20, or pay $25 at the door on the day of the event. We can’t wait to see you!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy mother's day mommies!!

This time of year is always special as we honor mother's everywhere and all the love and work that they put into caring for their families. Of course being a mother doesn't only mean a woman has birthed a child but that a woman nurtures and cares for another. This can come in the form charity, animals and of course children. It is the natural instinct of a woman to care for another and that is worth celebrating!

Here at Movement Works we understand the bond between a mother and her child and just like a mother we enjoy nurturing that relationship. Ask Nancy (the mother of our wonderful facility) about Mommy and Me classes to bond with your little one through Yoga in a creative and playful way.

 

If your looking for a different way to connect and explore with your mama join us for our Hoop FXP Workshop this Saturday May 16th at 12:00 pm! It's a perfect way to connect with mama with fun and classic play with the HULA HOOP!! We promise it will be a memorable experience and it's one you will cherish forever if you share it with your mama. 

We would love to hear from you! Comment below and tell us what makes your mama special? What women in your life are you honoring today as a mother? Remember mamas come in lots of forms. Share with us about the special women in your life who have made a difference in the world with their motherly instincts!

Arts Showcase, the First of Its Kind in Brunswick County

Contortion, tap dance, hip hop, Flamenco dancing, modern dance, ballroom dancing, and a Piloxing fitness demo. It's a variety show like no other, and it's coming to Brunswick County!  For one night only, Sunday, May 17th, Movement Works presents Once Upon a Story, a variety show featuring a diverse group of performers - ages 4 to 80 - showcasing their talents across all genres of dance and movement. The show will feature ballroom dancing by Brunswick County's three-time Dancing with the Stars winner, Mrs. Dinah Gore, along with her partner Paul McTaggert, as well as student performances showcasing Movement Work's interdisciplinary dance and movement classes. 

This type of show is a first for Brunswick County. It brings together community - audience and performers - through art, which is so important for an up-and-coming county like Brunswick. According to the National Guild for Community Arts Education, community arts education programs build social capital, foster democratic decision making, advance economic growth, and generate a sense of shared culture and community belonging. The role of the arts in our community gives everyone an opportunity to participate - whether an artist or an art-lover. 

A recent article published by John Hopkins School of Education sums up the importance of art succinctly: The arts define and celebrate all aspects of our lives. They are the universal language that communities to all peoples. That is why the arts continue - they are values and beliefs. Values and beliefs are the very essence of who we are and how we behave. The arts capture our essence, our purpose, our world, through multi-medium experiences that communicate and transcend to all cultures in all languages.   

So help us celebrate the importance of art in our community and be part of this groundbreaking experience in an inviting, collaborative, inclusive setting, and experience movement and dance in a variety of disciplines.