Thank you for the dances!

Dear friends,
It is with a heavy heart that I write to let you know that I am cancelling the Friday evening dance classes.  Due to low numbers recently, and the blossoming bump it’s no longer feasible for me to continue.  I want to thank each and every one of you for sharing your passion for dance with me, and allowing me to laugh, boogie and explore moving with you these past few months.

Perhaps in the New Year I might hold some workshop type classes, so stay tuned to the blog if you’re interested in that!

In the meantime Oxford has quite a few EXCELLENT classes available for you:
Contemporary:
Wednesday Night Contemporary Dance Classes – David Hudson
http://joelottdance.wix.com/joelottdance#!classes
Helen Wadge/Body Politic (Wed at the Old Fire Station)
http://bodypoliticdance.com/regular-classes/
Lunas Dance Project
http://www.lunasdanceproject.com/classes/

Ballet:
Tango/Salsa:
 
Also the Pegasus theatre has shows and classes:
You can also check out: http://oxforddanceforum.com/
* Sign up for the mailing list if you’re not already on it, and stay in touch with all of the dance events happening around Oxford.
Monday Yoga Classes will continue as normal (see the class page for info)!  I would love to hear from you, so please stay in touch.  And if you have feedback (of any kind) on the classes and my teaching I would always appreciate your comments!
Wishing you a happy and peaceful Holiday season, and that you find a way to dance through every day!!!
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Class & Holiday Update!

dance in the rain

I wanted to say what a joy it has been to be able to share yoga and some fun Friday night dancing with such incredible people!  Thank you for sharing your energy, enthusiasm, passion and dedication!

I wanted to pass along some important information for the next few months.
First of all, class dates from now until up to the Holidays/Christmas.

Monday Vinyasa Yoga
Classes will continue as follows:
Monday November 25th
Monday December 2nd
Monday December 9th
Monday December 16th
* There will then be a pause for you to celebrate, relax and enjoy the festive season with those you love!

Friday Evening Dance
Classes will continue as follows:
Friday November 22nd
Friday November 28th
Friday December 7th
* There will then be a pause as University term ends, students return home to enjoy the festive season!

Class in January
As many of you know there’s a little one on the way.  I’m hoping that I will feel strong, healthy and able to continue classes at least throughout January – however I don’t want to make any promises I can’t keep.  As such I will send out an email in early January to let you know of my intentions in terms of teaching schedule in the New Year.  I appreciate your understanding, support and compassion as I negotiate this exciting time 🙂

Entering the University Club
Many people have indicated that entering the club (especially on a Monday morning) can be a challenge.  The University Club does not require you to be a member to do class!  However, if you do not have a valid membership card, or are a University Member who has registered their card you will need to ‘buzz’ in.  There is usually someone there, however they might be busy elsewhere so you might want to give yourself an extra minute or two to deal with this!

Please know I will always welcome you to class whenever you’re able to arrive, and understand the challenge of Monday mornings and the front door “situation”.  Thank you for cooperating with the Club’s wishes as well!

REQUESTS!!!???!!!
I would love to welcome requests and suggestions for both yoga and dance (poses/movements, music, themes).  If there’s something we’ve done that you loved and you want to do it again – let me know!  If we haven’t touched on something and you’re eager to give it a try, let me know and we can explore it together… Please feel free to send me an email (erika@erikahoward.ca)!

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Class Reminders/Info

Life is like a bicycle

First of all I have to apologize for not blogging more. In trying to keep balance in my life (sometimes also known as sanity) I have let this area slip a little, but we’re all just doing the best we can aren’t we? But, I did want to write a post to let you know about my classes and an exciting new class a friend is hosting.

Classes continue as normal for the week of Oct 27-Nov 1st!
While some people have a half term break, I’d rather just keep rolling (besides I’m not sure which half term really fits into my life anyhow).  As such, yoga and contemporary dance classes will continue at the normal date/time.

Contemporary Class NEWS
After much interest from beginners/intermediate dancers I have decided to focus the class on this ability/experience level.  As always, everyone (at any level) is more than welcome to come but needs to be considerate that the class is aimed at this level.
In addition, choreography for the class will continue for the month (there may be some crossover from month to month if we don’t explore something enough).  The goal of this is so that dancers who attend regularly won’t have to relearn choreography each week, and will therefore get to dig into more technical concepts and explore more (less in our heads and more in our bodies!).

If you have questions or suggestions please let me know! You can always contact me at erika@erikahoward.ca

Oxford has a NEW yoga class!
A wonderful dancer/yogi friend has started a yoga class on Tuesday mornings. Here are all the details!
I will be teaching a new yoga class at Linacre college on Tuesday mornings 7.30-8.30am starting on the 22nd October. This class will be suitable for beginners, but also challenging for those who have already done some yoga. I have been practicing astanga yoga for nearly 14 years and taught yoga classes in Finland and in Germany for ca 6 years before moving to the UK. Now it is finally time to start teaching again. I charge £5 a class and all you need to bring is a yoga mat. Please contact me: roosa.leimu@plants.ox.ac.uk if you are interested.

As the temperature drops and the days get shorter we need to bring more light and warmth into our lives – yoga and dance are the perfect ways to do this!
Hope to see you soon!
Namaste ~ Erika

Class update!

I’m thrilled to announce classes in Contemporary Dance are starting!  The first class will be this Friday!

Contemporary Dance
Intermediate-Advanced drop in(if beginner please contact me! I’d love for you to join too)
Friday 7:30 – 9 pm
Oxford University Club (11 Mansfield Rd), in the basement
£7, £ 5 (concession – for University Club or OUDS members), 5 class pass for £30

Contemporary Classes will feature a warm up, centre exercises, combinations and diagonal work to get us moving, exploring space, and practicing technical elements such as alignment, articulation, clarity, musicality, and performance etc. Erika aims to combine an attention to detail, a sense of play, and a passion for moving through space in an open and fun environment.

ALSO:
I’ll be filling in for my wonderful friend and dancer Helen Wadge’s class this Wednesday:

Wednesday June 19th 7:30 – 9pm
Old Fire Station (studio)
£ 7, £ 6 (concession)

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me at erika@erikahoward.ca

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