Live Peace with One Billion Rising

This Thursday, February 14th marks One Billion Rising, a movement to combat violence against women and girls. Created in honor of the 15th anniversary of V-Day, the day encourages organizations and individuals to dance, rise, and raise awareness of the issues facing women worldwide.

One Billion Rising logo in English, Bengali, Spanish, and German (clockwise from top left). It is a global movement!

Locally, join the UC Irvine cast and crew of the Vagina Monologues at Irvine Rising in Aldrich Park on the UCI campus. Or, find your own way to RISE!

See organizations that are rising and find an event near you!

Good Happens.

Pay it Forward!

Live Peace with The Wooden Floor

The Wooden Floor‘s mission is “to empower low-income youth from diverse backgrounds to strengthen self-esteem, self-discipline and a sense of accomplishment through dance, academic, and family programs.” This Santa Ana based non-profit offers free dance lessons to 375 underserved youth ,which are admitted on an audition basis, from ages 8 to 13 according to financial need and dedication to artistic and academic achievement. In addition, students have access to counseling and crisis intervention services, wellness and family workshops, and other enrichment programs. They also receive academic support ,with college entrance as an end goal, which includes tutoring, scholarships, and SAT prep classes. They are nurtured over several years to become successful individuals, artists, and leaders.

For more information and to support The Wooden Floor visit their website.

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out!

Live Peace with CONTRA-TIEMPO

CONTRA-TIEMPO, an activist Urban Latin Dance Theatre, is deeply rooted in its surrounding L.A. community providing quality performances, free community dance classes, a summer arts academy program, and summer dance intensive for teens and adults. CONTRA-TIEMPO is dedicated to transforming the world through dance as implied by its name, which means against time or against the times in Spanish. It’s many programs are committed to underserved populations and communities of color by working with local youth and schools to inspire communication through dance. In addition to its community involvement, the non-profit invokes powerful narratives that portray social and political issues through its various pieces. It has a wide ranging repertory that explores Salsa, Afro-Cuban, Contemporary urban and abstract dance theater.

To see the company in action, check out their upcoming summer performances, Big! World! Fun! Family! Series and Son of the Drum presented by Collective Events, on July 14 and July 27 at the Ford Amphitheatre. Children are admitted free and adults are $5 for the July 14th show. July 27th tickets are $12 for children and students and $20 for adults.

For more information or to contribute to the group’s efforts, visit CONTRA-TIEMPO’s website.

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out!

Dancing through the Dark

Photo courtesy of anandashankarjayant.com

Via TED, dancer Ananda Shankar Jayant speaks tenderly and vulnerably about her experience battling cancer with a positive mind, body and spirit.  Her story touches in on the fear we all face when confronted with adversity, what she names an “unwelcome, uninvited, new, life partner.”

Jayant goes on to tell, with extraordinary grace, how she made the choice to stay determined and how she found her anchor in dance.  The video is lengthier than most internet clips, but completely riveting — you won’t be able to stop listening to Jayant’s powerful eloquence and watching her equally powerful performance.

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out.

Permalink: http://centerforlivingpeace.wordpress.com/2010/06/20/34

If You Build It, They Will Come…

…especially if it involves cupcakes and lemonade!  Our Grand Opening Weekend was a great success, thank you to all who came out and participated in the weekend of free events and demonstrated many ways to “live peace.”  Take a look:

Children and adults alike had the chance to work with artist Natasha Shoro at her Expressive Arts table in the Center’s world cafe area.

Families also enjoyed perusing the library in this space.

The lobby’s koi pond, made from a Burmese fire bowl, was the most popular of all the unique furnishings in the Center.

Acclaimed street muralist Melanie Stimmell worked throughout the weekend on the mural begun at our Grand Opening Party.  Melanie also led workshops in chalk art for all ages.

Melanie’s finished chalk mural will be permanently hung in the Center.

The first of all the free workshops of the weekend was led by Terry LePage of Open Door Communication.  This Nonviolent Communication class, focusing on how to communicate more effectively and compassionately with others, set the perfect tone for the weekend and beyond.

Craig Causon of The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity and Julie Hudash of Team Kids teamed up to present a service inspired story and art activity in our South Wing.  Children made masterpieces from recycled and trashed materials.

Breaking ground in the Center’s North Wing, The Ecology Center guided families and kids in creating their own terrariums.

Richard Reoch, International Human Rights Advocate and former Media Chief of Nobel Prize Winning Amnesty International, led a discussion on Making Peace Possible followed by an introduction to meditation.

Girls danced, drew, and worked with the impermanence of sand as a medium in Justine Amodeo’s class, Tapping the Body’s Wisdom.

Smiling Monkey Yoga, a children’s program designed specifically for The Center for Living Peace by Patrice Simon and Amy McConnell, made a fun debut teaching yoga and breathing techniques using play and imagination.

The Orange County Museum of Art helped visitors harness the power of the sun to create whimsical solar portraits from collected objects.

Putting our mission into action and making good happen, volunteers from Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County and Team Kids collected over 2 barrels of donations for the hungry.

It was a wonderful weekend had by all!  Missed out?  Visit our events calendar for ongoing programs and workshops.

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out.