It's almost time for me to gather up my shirts, shoes, and socks and head out the door to the little salon where I learn about tango and milonga. But first I had to check my email. And there it was, an invitation by my professora de tango, to read the blog she's started at TangoCorazon.wordpress.com
What's cool is that she's letting us know what she's going to focus on, and why. Here's a quote that she's taken from somewhere to describe why we're going to be "walking" tonight...
“Tango is like writing a letter, it has a beginning, periods, commas, stops and an end. If you are doing figures and gyros (turns) all the time, people don’t see anything and that is why there is the walk- the invention of the people. In this dance of the people, which is what tango is, all the famous couples have used the walk, and they use it constantly. The tango is on the ground, It is caressing the floor. It is the ball of the foot supporting the weight of the body, right on the axis and each person on his/her own axis. If you make pupils walk at the beginning, they get bored and want to learn steps and more steps – to show off at the dance hall. So you need to have the luck of meeting a teacher who tells you: No. Look. You must walk. First walk.“Tango Corazon, Oct 2009
I guess we're lucky, eh? To walk. Instead of being distracted by all the many (too many!) steps that often keep good dancers from becoming great dancers.
And now, to find those shoes, socks, and shirts (I need a few 'cause dancing – even a slow, meditative dance like tango – is hot stuff, hot and sweaty stuff, for me.)
Shortly after the September 2009 SVI hanspetermeyer interviewed Kate and asked her why SVI is so important in the "conscious capital" conversation, and about her experiences there.
Background on Kate Dugas:
Kate has been building communities on and offline all her life. For the past ten years she has been a pioneer in the online community realm having worked with a broad spectrum of groups ranging from well known international activist groups to smaller community based groups. She has been instrumental in the creation and success of a wide variety of projects including international communities in support of healthy oceans, local action and education portals, and most recently ChangeEverything.ca; an online community all about positive change for Canada's largest Credit Union, Vancity.
She is skilled at facilitating the emergent wisdom of groups, as well as exploring groundbreaking questions often leading projects into fertile and rewarding territory.
As well as her work with Vancity and ChangEverything.ca, Kate is is an energy-healing practitioner and artist who runs Quench Designs, her Vancouver-based jewelery business.
For more information about Kate's work at Vancity Credit Union, visit www.changeverything.ca
Recently, one of the young guys on Courtenay City Council got drafted into the big leagues (yep, the farm club system does work folks; start your political career in your town, village, city, or regional district and, with luck, you'll be noticed by the scouts and head for bigger money, more prestige, and a little more power... maybe). That means we're going to have a by-election this fall. November 7, 2009. That's a Saturday. Enough time in the day to get down to the local polling station and cast a ballot.
I've said it before (and I'll keep saying it): local government may be the minor leagues of political life, but it's where the sustainability challenge gets real, fast. One of my mentors, a former mayor of Nanaimo, called local government the "Hell's Kitchen of Sustainability." So it should mean something to all of us who care about the quality of life in Courtenay, this by-election.
One of the people who's tossed his "hat into the ring" (yes, it's a very tired cliché, and if you watch the interview you'll actually hear me say it as I grope for unscripted words to say) is Doug Hillian. I like Doug. He's a serious guy when it comes to community. He also knows how to play (watch him on Saturday mornings on the soccer pitch). I think he's got some things to offer our town, and I thought it would be interesting to video some little chats on various topics. Here's our first convo, from Studio Willemar...
See you at the polling booth! And stay tuned, Doug and I will be doing this chat on a more-or-less weekly basis. Got some questions for him? Leave them in the "comment" box below.
In this, the 3rd in a series of interviews with SVI09 participants, Rha Goddess is interviewed by hanspetermeyer about her experience at Social Venture Institute 2009 at Hollyhock on Cortes Island, BC.
Rha Goddess is CEO of Move The Crowd, a professional networking, training and development company dedicated to teaching Social Entrepreneurs of the Hip Hop Generation how to “Stay True, Get Paid and Do Good.”
Rha is a performance artist, activist and social entrepreneur. Her work has been featured in numerous international compilations, forums, and festivals. She has received rave industry reviews from Time Magazine, Ms. Magazine, XXL, Essence, The Source, among others. As CEO, of Divine Dime Entertainment, Ltd. she was one of the first women in Hip Hop to independently market and commercially distribute her music worldwide.
In her 30+ year tenure as an organizer, Rha has worked on issues of racial justice and equality, electoral politics, youth empowerment, mental health and young women’s empowerment. She is the Creator and Executive Producer of the Young Woman’s performance movement, We Got Issues! and The Hip Hop Mental Health Project.
Note on the photo:
The cover photo shows Rha on the deck at Hollyhock at the Social Venture Institute 2009 with Suzanne Siemens. (Suzanne provided the photo. She is the co-founder and co-owner of Lunapads. She has attended 4 SVIs, and each time, her experience and the impact it has had on her and on Lunapads is richer than before. Suzanne wrote about her SVI 08 experience on her lunapad blog)
One of the cool things about my life is I have lots and lots of conversations with people. In the past few months I've tried to collect "family history" from preceding generations. But sometimes it leaks into the stories of folks close to me, but not directly related.
What is it about stories? "Facts" are one thing, but I love to hear about how my mother or my friend Andy grew up slaughtering pigs, harvesting and living off the food from the garden.
I also love to hear about what it was like for my folks to face the fact of my imminent arrival: unplanned pregancy. I know that one so close to home. It's my story inside and out. One of the best stories.
And these are not just intergenerational, they're also the spiritual and emotional and practical knowledge for the next gen. Hearing my first ex-mother-in-law talk about what it was like to raise small children was – and remains – one of the pivotal experiences in my life as a father. Thanks Jane.
Lately Jane and I have been gathering the stories of her life. Tonight it was my mother's turn. I hope to travel with my father to his home town in Lüneburg in nothern Germany to do the same with him. A foto/audio exploration of the streets that raised him.
Life is grand. Life is diverse and confusing and amazing. But so much of it begins to make sense and fall into place when we listen to the stories of our elders. At least, that's what it looks like to me.
So... thanks to Jane and Elizabeth and Peter for sharing of themselves. If you're wondering about life, generally, ask your mother or father, or your mother-in-law or father-in-law, or maybe your uncle or godmother - ask them: What did you do when you were raising young children? How did you manage with not enough money? What did you do during the war (any war – or crisis – will do)?
My elders don't have "the" answers for me. They do, however, have perspectives that help me see more clearly. When the world is unsettled, it's our family stories that help to give us a sense of place and direction.
In this, the second interview with participants at Social Venture Institute 2009 (#svihh) hanspetermeyer interviews Mark Vonesch. Mark is the Founder and Director of ReelYouth, a media empowerment organization that supports young people in producing and distributing films about their visions for a more just and sustainable world.
ReelYouth works with organizations looking for meaningful ways to engage youth and their communities in using film for social and environmental change. Mark is a compassionate facilitator and experienced filmmaker, having worked in remote First Nations communities across BC, with street children in India, and child soldiers in Nepal. Mark is also the principal of Mobius Media, producing mission based Internet videos for a diverse set of clients in the Pacific Northwest.
Hollyhock Leadership Institute on Cortes Island is the host of the Social Venture Institute, "an intensive, interactive inquiry into how to face the day-to-day challenges of running a socially conscious enterprise."
Michael is co-founder and CEO of Fig Organic Kids Fashion and Clean Slate, and co-owner of Hip Baby. Hip Baby has quickly established itself as a destination for parents seeking sustainability, value and function. Michael was interviewed by hanspetermeyer during his participation at the 2009 Social Venture Institute at Hollyhock on Cortes Island, BC. Michael, and his partner Jen MacCormack, started attending SVI when they started their business 5 years ago.
Hollyhock Leadership Institute on Cortes Island is the host of the Social Venture Institute, “an intensive, interactive inquiry into how to face the day-to-day challenges of running a socially conscious enterprise.”
Michael is co-founder and CEO of Fig Organic Kids Fashion & Clean Slate and co-owner of Hip Baby. Hip Baby has quickly established itself as a destination for parents seeking sustainability, value and function. Michael was interviewed by hanspetermeyer during his participation at the 2009 Social Venture Institute at Hollyhock on Cortes Island, BC. Michael, and his partner Jen MacCormack, started attending SVI when they started their business 5 years ago.
Hollyhock Leadership Institute on Cortes Island is the host of the Social Venture Institute, “an intensive, interactive inquiry into how to face the day-to-day challenges of running a socially conscious enterprise.”
Michael Ziff is c o- f ounder and CEO of Fig Org anic Kids Fashion & Clean Slate and c o- o wner of Hip Baby. Hip Baby has quickly established itself as a destination for parents seeking sustainability, value and function. Michael was interviewed by hanspetermeyer during his participation at the 2009 Social Venture Institute at Hollyhock on Cortes Island, BC. Michael, and his partner Jen MacCormack, started attending SVI when they started their business 5 years ago.hanspetermeyer.tumblr.com, hanspetermeyer
Interested in "conscious capital?" Check out my interview with Michael Ziff while he was at the Hollyhock Leadership Institute's annual Social Venture Institute.
hanspetermeyer lives on Vancouver Island where he is a practicing hard core father, writer, photographer, dancer – a man who appreciates and loves to share the fine and beautiful things in life. hanspetermeyer is currently working on a number of projects related to sustainability (land use, food, finance), coastal logging, sex/sexuality, and lifestyle/family/community experiences. After a recent Media that Matters conference (#mtm09 #hollyhocklive), he is seeing a pattern: the richest aspects of his life flow from the "broken places." Thanks to Mike Littrell for helping to create that insight.
you are doing figures and gyros (turns) all the time, people don’t see anything and that is why there is the walk- the invention of the people. In this dance of the people, which is what tango is, all the famous couples have used the walk, and they use it constantly. The tango is on the ground, It is caressing the floor. It is the ball of the foot supporting the weight of the body, right on the axis and each person on his/her own axis. If you make pupils walk at the beginning, they get bored and want to learn steps and more steps – to show off at the dance hall. So you need to have the luck of meeting a teacher who tells you: No. Look. You must walk. First walk.“ Tango Corazon, Oct 2009
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