Please join us!
(New class starting 4/22/24) Mondays 11:30 AM -12:30 PM at Bellevue Family YMCA14230 Bel-Red Road, Bellevue, WA 98007
Thursdays 9:30 - 10:30 AM Classic Nia followed by Nia FloorPlay 10:30-10:50 AM at Sammamish YMCA831 228th Ave S.E. Sammamish, WA 98075
Blue Heron Ranch Moving Arts Studio Special Classes and PlayShops Contact me for more information if you are interested in joining us.
My Nia classes are athletic, energizing, and fun with a warm community to welcome you at three beautiful locations, The Blue Heron Ranch Studio, at Sammamish Community YMCA - Thursdays at 9:30 AM and at Bellevue Family YMCA - Mondays at 11:30 AM.
What is Nia? Nia is a mindful dance fitness practice that not only conditions your body in remarkable ways, but also conditions your mind with the creative use of music and movement.
Discover Nia, a movement art that will elevate your movement skill by increasing flexibility, mobility, agility, stability and strength. Nia’s unique movement style is founded in 35 years of program development, focusing on aspects of martial arts, dance arts, and healing arts. Nia truly delivers a holistic experience that touches you; body, mind and spirit.Randee Fox is trained, licensed and certified to teach all of these Nia classes:
A classic Nia class follows a seven cycle program and is a barefoot hour-long class:
1. Setting the focus/intent: We focus on one aspect of the practice, it is woven artfully throughout the practice with a desired intent. This is set by the teacher.
2. Stepping in: We enter and step into the experience, leaving all distractions and concerns behind.
3. Warming up: This is where we prepare our body to move, warming up the joints.
4. Getting moving: We move at a higher energetic pace, conditioning our body and cardiovascular system
5. Cooling down: Still dancing and upright we use movements that cool down our body.
6. FloorPlay: Using the floor, we play and condition our body using gravity, space, and the art of moving on the floor to become strong, stretched, defined and balanced.
7. Stepping out: We seal the experience by consciously stepping out.
The technique is founded on 52 basic moves for the base, the core, and the upper extremities, that are used to create the body-friendly choreography of the class. The nine movement forms, of Tai Chi, Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, Jazz, Modern Dance, Duncan Dance, Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique and Yoga, inspire the class with soft and slow dynamics, as well as the powerful energy of Tae Kwon Do and the playfulness of Dance. Nia choreography blends these dynamics to create a class that offers ample movement in a state of dynamic ease. Everyone can do Nia because the movements are so adaptable to varying skill and fitness levels. Nia is generally done in bare feet. Shoes are also fine.
The first principle of the Nia Technique is the Joy of Movement. We believe movement can be pleasurable to the body, and when we move towards pleasure we move towards healing. There are lots of smiles and happy people in Nia classes. Some even say Nia has changed their lives!
What is a Nia FreeDance Class?
A Nia FreeDance class experience is a barefoot
hour-long conscious dance class designed to awaken the movement artist within;
to stimulate an individual's art of movement creativity.
Guided by a certified and trained Nia FreeDance Teacher, participants explore their own movement and dance, in their own way,
in their own time. Participants dance to soul-stirring music, eclectic sonic
landscapes that provide cellular resonance to evoke self-expression, and
unleash movement creativity. Join us and allow yourself to be guided, to explore movement your way and in your own time. Dance to soul-stirring music, eclectic sonic landscapes that provide cellular resonance to evoke your self-expression, and unleash your movement creativity. The four parts of Nia FreeDance explore the integration of body, emotion, mind and spirit through a unique focus for each Nia FreeDance experience. This class is open to
all levels. No previous experience necessary.
What is a Nia Moving To Heal Class?
Nia Moving to Heal class is a barefoot hour-long experience which supports people looking for a gentle approach to Nia and/or for those dealing with a wide range of therapeutic issues and compromised movement ability. (may include healing from injury, trauma, grief, short-term to long-term illness, etc.). Enjoy a slower approach and personalize your movement to fit your body’s way while focusing on feeling better. Improve feelings of wellness regardless of physical condition. Beginners welcome! Chairs optional.
Nia Moving to Heal classes offer anybody an opportunity to slow down, tune in and track the sensation of feeling better, move by move, breath by breath.
What is a Nia Moving 52 Moves Class?
Nia 52 Moves Class experience is an energizing, hour-long barefoot class that gives the students one whole minute to practice each of the 52 Moves of Nia - the base moves, the core moves and the upper extremity moves. It's energizing, cardiovascular, fun, healing and conditioning since it and engages the whole body systemically through a variety of simple choreographic movements. Regularly practiced, Nia's 52 Moves enhances proprioception, perceptual motor skills represented in the sensations of flexibility, agility, mobility, stability and strength. It's a great class designed to learn, move and energize each move and bring them all into your dance.
What is a Nia FloorPlay Class?Nia FloorPlay is an hour-long Nia class experience and is just that, playing on the floor with functional movement, in relationship to gravity.
Through physical conditioning we use Nia’s Five Sensations using gravity, or our body as a ‘free weight':
1. Flexibility is sensed as energy moving outward.
Dynamic flexibility, the perfect balance of contraction
and release, is sensed as opening and lengthening.
2. Agility is sensed as a shifting of dynamic tension, the
ability to easily start and stop movement. It is the
physical feeling of pulling and pushing. Dynamic agility,
is the perfect balance of movement and stillness,
is sensed as a balance between yin and yang.
3. Mobility is sensed as energy in constant motion, moving all around and generally within a range of motion that varies slightly. It is the physical feeling of juggling power and creates a sensation of continuous energy flow and excitation of the nerves around the joints. Dynamic mobility, the perfect balance of excitation and relaxation, is sensed as youthful freedom.
4. Strength is sensed as energy moving inward, a
squeezing in or packing of energy against bones.
It is the physical sensation of containing and sustaining power. Dynamic strength, the perfect balance of power and grace, is sensed as relaxation not tension.
5. Stability is sensed as energy moving from the center
and out in all directions. It is the physical feeling of harmony and peace, combined with readiness for action. Dynamic stability, the perfect balance of all of the sensations, is sensed as powerful peace.
Nia FloorPlay is done to music with teacher guiding to and from the floor. Kneepads can be worn or utilizing Yoga mats, bolsters or blankets can be used as well. Though we may start in standing, walking, moving, exploring and taking note of where our sensations are in that moment, which joints, muscles or parts of our body need special attention, most of the class is explored on the floor.
Nia FloorPlay, like all Nia modalities, is also self-guided using the Voice of the Body - ‘Sensation’. It can be as gentle or intense as students choose.
What is a Nia Moving To Heal Class?
Nia FloorPlay is an hour-long Nia class experience and is just that, playing on the floor with functional movement, in relationship to gravity.
Through physical conditioning we use Nia’s Five Sensations using gravity, or our body as a ‘free weight':
1. Flexibility is sensed as energy moving outward.
Dynamic flexibility, the perfect balance of contraction
and release, is sensed as opening and lengthening.
2. Agility is sensed as a shifting of dynamic tension, the
ability to easily start and stop movement. It is the
physical feeling of pulling and pushing. Dynamic agility,
is the perfect balance of movement and stillness,
is sensed as a balance between yin and yang.
3. Mobility is sensed as energy in constant motion, moving all around and generally within a range of motion that varies slightly. It is the physical feeling of juggling power and creates a sensation of continuous energy flow and excitation of the nerves around the joints. Dynamic mobility, the perfect balance of excitation and relaxation, is sensed as youthful freedom.
4. Strength is sensed as energy moving inward, a
squeezing in or packing of energy against bones.
It is the physical sensation of containing and sustaining power. Dynamic strength, the perfect balance of power and grace, is sensed as relaxation not tension.
5. Stability is sensed as energy moving from the center
and out in all directions. It is the physical feeling of harmony and peace, combined with readiness for action. Dynamic stability, the perfect balance of all of the sensations, is sensed as powerful peace.
Nia FloorPlay is done to music with teacher guiding to and from the floor. Kneepads can be worn or utilizing Yoga mats, bolsters or blankets can be used as well. Though we may start in standing, walking, moving, exploring and taking note of where our sensations are in that moment, which joints, muscles or parts of our body need special attention, most of the class is explored on the floor.
Nia FloorPlay, like all Nia modalities, is also self-guided using the Voice of the Body - ‘Sensation’. It can be as gentle or intense as students choose.