I SAW ALL THE LADIES SAY......WAY TO GO, ROKAFELLA!

I had the honor of attending the New York City premier of All the Ladies Say, a documentary about women breakdancers created by Ana Garcia a/k/a Rokafella.

What I appreciate about Rokafella's approach to filmmaking and to life is her emphasis on cooperation and collaboration between and among women. (A nice break from all the pop culture **** that pits women against each other. Enuf is enuf!)

At the end of the film, Rokafella got up on stage with 3 of the women whom she featured in All the Ladies, as well as with her super-supportive husband, Qwikstep.

People in the audience got up to express their appreciation for Rokafella's successful attempt to (1) trace b-girls back to the early 80s and show where a bunch of the women are now and (2) bring those women together to let them give voice to what it has been like to be female and part of that scene.

Rokafella: breakdancer, film-maker, community organizer. Let's keep following her lead!

WHO WOULD BE DELIGHTED TO RECEIVE A VALENTINE FROM YOU?

Thanks to my mom, I never thought of Valentines Day as a day that you could celebrate only if you had a "special someone."

Every February, she would lay out colored construction paper, paper doilies, glitter, sequins, beads, glue, lace, brick-a-brack - you name it! - and let me and my brother go to town making valentines for friends and relatives. So much fun!

Most years, I send valentines to friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues to express my appreciation for their friendship.

Do you think someone is going to turn down a Valentine card because you are not their romantic partner. Heck, no!

Send a fun card in the spirit of affection, appreciation, and friendship. There are lots of cards out there - like the ones designed for childen - that are not sappy, frilly, or corny.

Who is going to be delighted or surprised to get a Valentine from you? Your great aunt? Your mail carrier? Your neighbor's child? Your favorite teacher from grade school?

Think outside the box and imagine the delight as that person opens your paper gift!

NEED SOME NEW ENERGY? LET THE OUTSIDE IN

Whenever I feel the need for new energy, I open the windows in my apartment to get a cross-breeze going. Doesn't matter how cold it is outside; when I feel my energy lagging, it's time to throw opn the shutters and bring the winds of change in.

Other ways I create fresh energy and make room for the new:

(1) Buy flowers or a small potted something. Trader Joe's has potted daffodils for $2.50.

I am loving yellow and white together lately.

(2) Change the sheets.

(3) Move everything off my desk and give it a home. Take care of any unfinished business all the pieces of paper represent.

(4) De-clutter my shelves and move things around.

(5) Go for a walk. Look at everything like a detective or a scientist. Study people, dogs, and store windows.

(6) Watch Wendy Williams and catch up on gossip!

(7) Send out a birthday card.

(8) Do something nice and unexpected for someone - hold a door open for a mom with child, help someone across the street.

(9) Say "Thank you" to my husband for what may seem like the smallest thing.

(10) Take myself off of email lists so I can spend less and less time on the computer and free my mind and attention up for present time activities.

Photo credit: Yoshke.com

DON'T MISS "ALL THE LADIES SAY" FILM SCREENING AT WALTER READE THEATER ON JAN 30TH & 31ST

I saw lady breakdancer Ana Garcia a/k/a Rokafella several years back in Innaviews, a show she wrote and performed with husband, Qwikstep. Innaviews is one of many projects that have taken place under the banner of FullCircle Productions, Rokafella and Quikstep's Hip Hop / Dance /Theatre Company that's been going strong since 1992.

I'm psyched to announce that Ana's documentary, All The Ladies Say, is appearing as part of the annual Dance on Camera series at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center on January 30 and 31st at 6:00 and 4:00 respectively.

For info about TICKET SALES and more information about this not-to-be missed film event CLICK HERE.

Hope to see ya there!

From All the Ladies Say blog:

All The Ladies Say is a film that highlights the lives of six iconic female street dancers from San Jose, Atlanta, Miami and Chicago, who havcarved a niche in the physically challenging, male dominated breakdance world. Discussions about motherhood, sexual tension, femininity versus masculinity and the rap industry/mainstream images are a few of the themes explored by the documentary’s main characters. International dancers not only make appearances but also add their two cents about life as a B Girl in the Hip-hop world.

MUPPET CUPCAKES

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TINY BUDDHA: 50 WAYS TO OPEN YOUR WORLD TO NEW POSSIBILITIES

I just subscribed to a blog called Tiny Buddha. Love the title!

And then opened up an article called 50 Ways to Open Your World to New Possibilities.

Here are suggestions 11-16:

11. Walk to work and open your eyes. You may find a gym you want to join, or an organization where you’d like to volunteer.

12. Talk to someone while waiting in line and ask what they do. You don’t need to wait for a specified event to network.

13. Make an effort to connect with people you pass—smile and make eye contact for a little longer than usual. Being even slightly more open can open up your world.

14. Learn a new skill. Start taking piano lessons or karate classes.

15. Say yes to something you always talk yourself out of–sing karaoke or take a kickboxing class–even you’re afraid of you’ll feel embarrassed.

16. Take a walking lunch. Walk around your neighborhood for a half-hour, with no destination in mind, and then eat at your desk when you return. You never know what will happen when you get out without a plan.

THE POWER OF AN UNEXPECTED GIFT

At the end of a workshop I attended last weekend, my friend and artist Lisa Ingram walked up to me with a small gift in her hand. She extended the gift to me.

"What is this for?" I asked with delight and surprise.

"It's a belated birthday present and you've been so great."

When I got home, I unwrapped the ribbon and tissue to find a small, beautiful painting that Lisa had created and mounted on a small canvas. What an honor to now have her work in my home. How lovely to receive an unexpected gift after the rush of the holiday season.

Inspired by Lisa's gesture, I decided to act on an idea I had had for a while to give the security guard at the school where I work a small pot of Daffodils to keep on her desk. She sits by the front door, so she can't really keep decorations around. I thought it would be nice for her to have the bright yellow right in front of her and for families to get to see the flowers right when they come in.

She loved the daffodils and it felt great to give a small expression of my appreciation for everything this woman does to help make people including myself feel so welcome at the school.

Outside of annual birthdays, anniversaries, and other annual events that you help people celebrate, remember the joy of giving the occasional (or frequent!) surprise gift. It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive, just a heartfelt expression of your appreciation for that person.

Photo credit: Design Sponge.

BALTHAZAR, TACOMBI, AND WENDY WILLIAMS - ALL IN ONE DAY!

I get a lot of creative energy from hanging out in SoHo. So imagine the dreaminess of getting to go to two fun, and totally differing, food hangouts in one day.

First, thanks to my brother Adam's gift to us for our one-year anniversary, we had breakfast at Balthazar, which is a SoHo institution. I loved the dark wood paneling and our corner seat where we could see most of what was going on. There was a constant influx of people; never a dull moment at this place. Remember that tv show Will and Grace? This was their fav. place to go for brunch.

We then waded through the snow and slush in search of a winter jacket, only to find a lot of picked -over merch.

Later in the day, when we needed a little protein to sustain ourselves, I remembered a place I had passed by and wanted to try. A guy outside sweeping pointed us in the right direction and we finally found Tacombi, a loft/garage with a taco truck inside. Truly heaven. It was spacious, fun, warm(!), inexpensive, and they were showing The Endless Summer. Since Mike and I are both from CA, we felt right at home here.

Mike somehow mustered up the energy to move on to The Brooklyn Museum. Me, I was craving the warmth and quiet of our Brooklyn apartment. So I came back home to sit in the late afternoon sun and watch Oprah and The Wendy Williams Show.