Magical Fall

Even in NYC, you can find glimpses of the magic of Autumn....you have to look out for them, but they are there!

From the roof of the Met. museum

This season has been buzzing and very busy for me- with lots of new teaching positions (yoga and Pilates)  and the preparation for two upcoming dance performances:

The first is a works-in-progress showing of a new piece I choreographed, called Logan's Way. It explores the inner world of Logan, my younger brother who is autistic. It's a powerful piece, perhaps partly because it  is performed by real people who are performing their real-life selves. The music is Yann Tierson's Amelie soundtrack, the piano version. Leandra Ramm, with her extraordinary voice, is singing hauntingly beautiful overtones throughout the piece on top of the music, and Adrienne Ramm is in the piece as well, both dancing and speaking. Bita Bell, a young dancer from Iran is playing Logan. She has been very interesting to work with because her training is more in drama/theater than dance, so I have worked with her to utilize her full capabilities as an actress to embody the unique and intense energetic quality of Logan. The fourth performer in the piece is myself, playing....myself! Like I said before, this is a "works-in-progress" showcase, and in the full-length version of Logan's Way, there will also be a male dancer/actor playing David, Logan's father. But for now, the cast is made of up 4 people. It will be performed on Saturday Nov 23rd at the Hatch Showcase, Jennifer Muller Studios on W.24th St. You can buy tickets here: http://conta.cc/1boQsBf

The next performance I am super excited about is "An Evening of Dance and Music", a solo performance of solos choreographed by Isadora Duncan, the mother of modern dance in America. There will be live piano (music of Brahams, Chopin, and Scriabin) by acclaimed pianists Roy Eaton and Mark Fiedler.

This is such a special performance for me, because my coach is my incredible mother, who is perhaps the greatest living legacy of Isadora Duncan, who has passed down these dances to me true to their form. The rehearsal process has been so fulfilling and satisfying. There is nothing better than going to sleep at night after spending the afternoon rehearsing these incredibly rich and physically-demanding Duncan solos. On December 5th, 1983, Adrienne performed her (2 hour long!) solo Duncan performance here in NYC, and exactly 30 years later, on December 7th, 2013, I will be performing my own solo Duncan program in NYC! Duncan lives on! (mine is only an hour...things were different back then! haha)

Let's see....what else stands out in the glistening of Fall 2013?

Oh yes! How could I forget the Hay House I CAN DO IT Conference a few weeks ago...!??

I am a HUGE Hay House fan. (You could even say I;m a Hay House junkie)  I LOVE all the beautiful books and teachers and actually bought my ticket back in June, because I knew this was something I could not miss!

To be learning from (and seeing first hand!)  inspiring teachers including Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer, Doreen Virtue, Cheryl Richardson, and many many many more put me in such a high that I thought I entered another realm. After Wayne Dyer's 3-hour Keynote talk, I was literally in such an altered place I could barely talk to anyone. It felt as though someone had gone into my heart, used a wrench and opened it up. In the most beautiful and profound way.

These next few photos are of other inspiring and uplifting moments this Fall. See captions for details:

Central Park, mid-September (it was still warm out!)

Sun setting over the Hudson river, with Statue of Liberty in the background

Freedom Tower

Painting Palette

Painting class!

Speaking to Doreen Virtue at I Can Do It!

I walked by these flowers, and they called out to me to take their photo!

 I'll end this post with a quote from Marianne Williamson,

“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.”

Thought for the day

If you're doing things to make you happy, 

you're doing them in the wrong order!

RammGrass

I call this grass RammGrass. It is wheatgrass, grown by Ramms. 

Courtney Ramm bought the organic wheatberries from the food co-op;

Adrienne Ramm bought the organic soil from Home Depot

and David Ramm supplied the disposable foil baking tray to grow in.

And in 6 short days....it turned from a tiny seed to whom you wouldn't give a second glance to, to THIS!!!:

 

Oh and I forgot to mention Camel Ramm. He guarded the wheatgrass from bugs and evil sorcerers

RammGrass is ready for a haircut

Mama Ramm and the grass

 Ready for juicing....get excited!!!

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The Wonders of Gardening...in NYC

Early in the Spring, I was walking through the Union Sq. Farmer's Market, and there wasn't so much to choose from...not the big sprawling market that's there now, since the weather was cooler. Anyways, I was walking along and saw one large vendor with tons of plants to choose from- vegetables and herbs of all kinds were just starting to grow in little plastic trays. I remember thinking, "Wow, if I just water a few plants every day, I can supply all my own greens for salads and juicing, without having to go to the market so often!" I spent a lot of time picking out the perfect plants to buy and take home to nurture, and spoke to many people at the market who ensured me that yes, I could grow these plants in my apartment with very minimal effort.

I decided on romaine lettuce, swiss chard, and celeriac root. These came in packs of 6 each, leaving me with 18 little plants to find a home for in the apartment!

The balcony ended up being the perfect spot- the only little problem was that I could not plant each one 30 inches apart like the instructions tab told me to do. Whoever wrote that little tab must be crazy- 30 INCHES apart?! This is NYC! Who has room for that? (hehe)

So, I decided to plant them more like 3 inches apart in makeshift pots including dresser drawers and ceramic bowls I made in a ceramics class a few years ago.

Here's what happened after about a 5 week growth period:

 See all those tall green things? Those are romaine! I think what happened is they were trying so hard to adapt, and instead growing into a head of romaine as intended, they grow into twisting and turney and tall plants!

One is growing straight up, and the others are growing like a crazy roller coaster:

This incredible Romaine is actually growing down, then back up!

Swiss Chard

Happy Plants

My beautiful garden! I'm a proud Mama.

By the end of summer, I'll harvest all the plants and make a yummy salad. But until then, I'm having fun watching them grow in all kinds of crazy ways. This is a garden, NYC-style!

The beautiful heat of Summer!

above: Escape to Westchester for the day, real Nature!

It is the crux of summer here in the city. This is my absolute favorite time of year! (I guess that's why I decided to move to Singapore, 2 years ago- since it's 95 degrees there, all year 'round!)
And in only 2 short days it's my BIRTHDAY month!!!! (I know, I am such a birthday-obsessed Leo! haha)

Sunset on the Hudson

But here I am, back in NYC, and finally adjusting back to life in the USA and slowly but surely getting a routine together. Recently my friend remarked how busy I am. It's funny- I don't have many actual time commitments, I work only a small handful of hours per week (although this will change in the Fall!) but committing myself to my a) health and b) improvement/getting in shape as a dancer is a full time job!
The good news is that I love what I do and how I spend my days, even though I must admit that my self-imposed busy-ness can't be denyed: infrared sauna (one brutal winter I splurged on one to put in the apartment ), jumping on my rebounder (today I tried the African moves urban rebounding dvd....amazing!), meditation/chanting, washing and juicing greens, cleaning the juicer (not my fav), taking a dance or strength-building class, going to auditions, working here and there teaching classes/private clients, taking care of my balcony garden,...this list could go on and on...and I am sure that if you're reading this, you also have a list just as long of everything you do to maintain your well-being and growth.

July was a tremendous month with lot's of intensity for me and I really feel a shift now that August is approaching and the astrology has shifted significantly. This past month I also had the wonderful opportunity to perform the dances of Isadora Duncan with Dance Visions NY at the Nassau County Museum of Art in Long Island. That was pretty amazing- to have my mom dancing, my sister singing, my aunt dancing, and my little cousin dancing all together in the same performance!

In addition, I began a group cleanse on July 1st, which I am continuing into August on my own. The "Extremely Green Detox", led by Natalia Rose, has been the most fun version of a cleanse you can imagine! Lots and lots of green goodness.

I have lot's of exciting projects in the "creation" mode and very excited to move towards their completion.....soon to be unveiled!

That's all for now, enjoy the pics!!!

"Amazons"

"Southern Roses" (Dance Visions NY)

Aristotle had it right!

 "There is only one way to avoid criticism:

do nothing,

say nothing,

and be nothing."

-Aristotle

I recently came across the above quote on Doreen Virtue's Facebook page. Doreen Virtue is pretty much one of my favorite people, even though I've yet to meet her! I love all of her work. She's the "angel lady" who teaches about how accessible the angel realm is, and I have learned SO much from her. I don't think a single day goes by when I don't talk to either Arc Angel Micheal or Raphael. It is so comforting to know that angels are ALWAYS available to help us, and it really gives them great joy to do so. I learned a lot about the Arc Angels when I listened to Arc Angels 101, a 6 CD set by Doreen...highly recommend it! I have had way to many angel experiences to list here, but it can suffice to say that the angels have saved my life many times as a result of my sincere prayer and gratitude to them.

But the reason I posted this quote is because it's like a little push saying, "Go on, do it! Don't be scared!" So many times we don't go after our true dreams in life because we're subconsciously afraid of what might happen if we go against the grain. Aristotle reminds us that living a life to avoid judgement and criticism is not really a life at all. Doing something bold and daring will undoubtedly bring judgements, but that is not going to hinder you as long as you remind focused on your goal.
 

Isadora Duncan Celebration

2011 Celebration, with Dance Visions NY

Every May, to honor Isadora Duncan's birthday, a group of Duncan dancers perform her original choreography in Central Park at the beautiful Bethesda Fountain. This has been happening every Spring for as long as I can remember...maybe that's because this is the 24th year of this celebration, and I happen to be 24 years old!

My mom hasn't missed dancing a single year...24 years in a row!

The location is so surreal, as you can see from the photos. Although the photos can't capture the real magic of being there in person. You certainly would never guess you're in the middle of New York City! It's a fairytale location :0)

The video above is of the Musette, a dance that would perfectly take place inside a fairytale!

This is from the 2011 performance, with Dance Visions NY

Prelude. From 2013 performance

My new favorite green smoothie-pudding

Green smoothies are nothing new to me, but this one I created has a special zing to it that I find really extraordinary...plus, no fruit= no sugar=A+ in my books

Also, it's quite thick so that you can also opt to eat it with a spoon like a pudding or custard.

Courtney's spring renewal zing zing minty green surprise smoothie-pudding:

1/2 zucchini
1/2 cucumber (leave peel on if organic)
large amount fresh peppermint leaves
handful fresh basil leaves (these came from right off my new little basil plant, yay!)
some dark leafy greens of choice (I used dandelion, but kale, collards, or spinach would work too)
1/2 a small avocado
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 dropper full of liquid vanilla stevia
water
ice cubes

Blend all in a high-speed blender such as the Vita-mix or Nutri-bullet until smooth.

Then take a sip, close your eyes, and ENJOY!

The Metropolitan Museum of Art...my new hang out spot?!

I find it incredible and kind of crazy that I went to school for several years during my childhood about 1 block from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, yet never went inside. I honestly had no interest. I was very busy I suppose with ballet class, and more ballet class, and in my free time...more ballet class! But now, at the ripe old age of 24 with my priorities straightened out a bit (hehe) I can take the time to appreciate a good museum when I see one.

You see, museums have not really been a part of my daily or weekly routine. Usually, I would go to several museums when I'm visiting a new country. I absolutely LOVED visiting museums in Paris...it was just the thing to do! But back in daily life, museums to me were just for tourists. Kind of like Broadway shows, or the Empire State building....you get the point!

Before I go any further into this post, I have to say that the number one reason for my renewed interest in art museums is the super generous gift I was recently given of a year long membership to any museum of my choice! Of course I chose the Met. It is beautiful and massive and I can wander around and get lost and be inspired by Monet, Degas, and Renoir. The Moma is not really my scene. I love classical art just as I love classical music and classical dance.

I have been several times to the Met in the last couple weeks and am still exploring and probably have only seen a tiny fraction of what's there. It is very important that to me that I find quiet places that don't remind me of a crowded street in Time Square. Pushing and shoving in a museum is no fun! But aside from the art, the ambience in general is very uplifting and exciting.

Here's to my newfound appreciation of art museums!

Welcome!

(Beautiful Thailand...taken by Me)

Hello and WELCOME to my blog, I am so glad you found your way here!

This blog is about all things related to health, wellness, the Arts, and life in NYC.

You may be wondering what "Bluer than Indigo" refers to. It comes from a writing of Nichirin Daishonin, a 13th century monk who created what is now Nichirin Buddhism (see SGI-USA.ORG  for more info on Nichirin Buddhism

The writing says, "From the indigo, an even deeper blue." This passage means that if one dyes something repeatedly in indigo, it becomes even bluer than the indigo leaves. So by continually striving to improve ourselves, we deepen who we truly are, coming closer moment by moment to our truth. It is in the continual efforts, day after day, that form the most magnificent, deep color blue that is deeper than the indigo leaves themselves.

Pretty profound stuff!

I hope you enjoy this blog and feel free to comment on the posts, it's always nice to know that someone else is out there...