From 1990-2007, The Lively Foundation presented BAT TALES! annually in San Francisco and around the Bay Area. The program included premiere dances, theatre, original songs–all about bats. Most were based on legends about bats from many cultures; some based on legends we made up. Lucy & the Count: the Bat Ballet was choreographed for music by award winning composer, Jon Deak; Mine Bat, a two part solo dance was set to a story by Leslie Friedman and music by English composer Jonathan Harvey. Mine Bat was based on an article written by famed nature writer, William Stolzenburg. The article appeared in Nature Conservancy, the magazine of the international organization, the Nature Conservancy. Mr. Stolzenburg then wrote about Ms Friedman’s dance and story in another Nature Conservancy article. “At the time I first presented Lucy & the Count, with the Bat being the hero, no one paid any attention to bats. The whole program might have been considered wildly eccentric. Bats were only thought of as scary creatures getting caught in some lady’s hair,” says choreographer, Ms Friedman, “but now there is more consciousness of their beauty and their enormous contributions to human well being.” Lively’s annual performances contributed to the raising of that consciousness. Here’s the good news for all of us and especially for the bats: Bat Conservation International (based in Austin, TX) and The Nature Conservancy have managed to buy more than 1500 acres adjacent to Bracken Cave, near San Antonio. That land was going to be developed into many, many houses and other structures which would have meant curtains for the bats in Bracken Cave, home to the world’s largest population of Mexican Free-tailed bats. Millions of bats fly out of the cave at night to hunt insects. The bats are the most efficient pest control in the world. In the summer, the Bracken bats eat 140 TONS of insects EACH NIGHT. Throughout the US, bats save farmers about $23 billion in crop damage and reduced pesticide use. Three cheers for BCI, the Nature Conservancy and the BATS!!! It’s the best Halloween treat of all. Pictures courtesy BCI: Bats emerging from Bracken Cave, a bat visiting an agave. see also: www.nature.org and batcon.org and www.williamstolzenburg.com and www.jonathanharveycomposer.com and www.jondeak.com
Tag Archives: Leslie Friedman
CLASSES@The Lively School
Current classes are all on Zoom. Adult Ballet meets Fridays, 9:30 a.m. Pacific Time. Conveniently scheduled for Noon, Eastern time & 11 a.m. Central. Private classes or small groups for adults & young people may be scheduled with your calendar in hand. email: livelyfoundation@sbcglobal.net OR call: 650/969-4110
The Lively School offers classes for adults–older teens to any age adult (REALLY ANY AGE) in ballet, contemporary dance, dance workout, Yoga for Life, and Creative Movement & Storytelling for Children. Dr. Leslie Friedman, Artistic Director of The Lively Foundation, is an internationally celebrated dancer/choreographer/teacher who has won acclaim from audiences and critics around the world. She has taught technique and her original choreography to national companies in China, Russia, England, Poland, Korea, Romania, Spain, and more. In the US, she has been a guest artist/teacher at universities throughout the country as well as setting her choreography on companies across the US. She has taught adult beginners and children as well as professionals for many years. She is one of the very few acclaimed artists who offers private classes to adults whether beginners or pros. This gives the students maximum flexibility in scheduling classes. She also offers small group classes. Sign up now! The grace, strength, balance, flexibility of dance will add joy to your life! Contact: livelyfoundation@sbcglobal.net 
IDF@SV: Artist/Teachers Perform
The International Dance Festival@Silicon Valley offers dancers, non-dancers, the dance audience an opportunity to study with and watch the finest artist teachers in their fields. In Summer, 2014, our third season, Leanne Rinelli came from Buffalo, NY, to teach and perform Salsa; Leslie Arbogast came from San Diego, CA, to teach and perform Dunham technique/Afro-Haitian dance; Sohini Ray came from Santa Monica, CA, to teach and perform Manipuri, a classical dance of India; Audreyanne Delgado tap danced her way from Alameda, CA; Etta Walton came from Palo Alto, CA, to teach and lead Line dancing; Amity Johnson, a much sought after Pilates teacher has taught Pilates mat at all three seasons; she teaches in Menlo Park & Palo Alto; Artistic Director Leslie Friedman has based her work at the Mountain View Masonic Center since 1996. Participants in IDF@SV benefit from this wealth of talent, training, and experience. Photos: (L) Leanne Rinelli performs No Seas Cobarde; (Rt) Leslie Arbogast performs Where the River Meets the Ocean, a tribute to Ocun, AfroCuban/AfroBrazilian goddess of the river & love.
INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL@SV: HUGE Success
The audience filled the auditorium. The only time there were empty seats was when Etta Walton invited everyone up to do Line dances with her. The Festival Concert was a tremendous success. The art of Leslie Arbogast, Audreyanne Covarrubias & Megan Ivey, Sohini Ray, Leanne Rinelli, Etta Walton truly captivated everyone. Hats off to the Festival Dancers: Kerry Aradhya, Myu Campbell, Vanessa Nudd Chapman, Julie Van Gelder. The Festival Concert was a brilliant finale to the intensive week of dancing that preceded it. Audience members, Festival Dancers, and artist/teachers all were asking about plans for next year before this Concert had even ended. Photos: (L to R, top to bottom) Etta Walton leads the audience; Audience dancing; More audience dancing; Sohini Ray, an ecstatic moment in Kaliyadaman; Audreyanne Delgado & Megan Ivey tap & even juggle in Mixed Nut Medley; Leanne Rinelli calls the moves for Rueda de Casino Salsa with Myu Campbell, Julie Van Gelder, Leslie Arbogast, Vanessa Nudd, Leslie Friedman. Photos courtesy Merv Chapman.
Los Altos Town Crier Features IDF@SV
That terrific newspaper, The Los Altos Town Crier, featured the International Dance Festival@Silicon Valley in its most recent issue. LATC recognizes our Festival as a wonderful addition to the life of its community. The feature was in “Mountain View on the Move.” The Festival certainly does get Mountain View MOVING! Here’s the link to the article:
www.losaltosonline.com/…/mountain–view…/47987-lively-foundation-hosts- dance–festival
Tune up your technique! Try something you’ve never done before! Have a wonderful time! Come dance with us. FULL DAY OF DANCE© August 16; FESTIVAL CONCERT August 17. Do it!
FULL DAY OF DANCE© CLASS SCHEDULE NOW
FULL DAY OF DANCE© is the unique, amazing innovation of International Dance Festival@Silicon Valley. The greatest dance experiences for everyone from pros to beginners. Take something you already know and love AND try something completely new to you! Never danced before? This is your time. A professional ballerina who stays up late watching Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers tap? This is your chance to give it a try. Supportive, enthusiastic teachers. You’ll be in a class with all different levels. Someone might be a complete beginner at classical Indian dance but terrific in tap. Or — a total complete beginner–you name it; it’s all possible. You can take one, some, or all six classes. The price per class reduces with each added class. No special outfits or shoes required. Even for tap, wear a shoe that will stay on your feet; you can learn the rhythms & steps without taps on your soles, but your true soul will be dancing!!! Here’s the class schedule. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. Save time & pay in advance. Information: call 650/969-4110 or see us at facebook/international dance festival silicon valley and at facebook/The Lively Foundation.
9:00-10:00 Pilates mat (bring a towel or mat if you can); 10:15-11:30 Dunham technique; 11:45-1 p.m. tap; 1-1:30 Lunch Break; 1:30-2:30 Line Dancing with Etta; 2:45-4:00 Salsa; 4:15-5:30 Manipuri, an Indian classical dance. Prices: single class $25/all six $84–in between reduces per class with each added class.
Scholarships Available to Dance at Festival!
GET SOME DOUGH!! 
Financial aide is still available to help you attend the International Dance Festival@Silicon Valley. Funds are available NOW. Do not miss this great opportunity! Let us know of your desire to attend as soon as you can. In addition to scholarship aide, IDF@SV offers more ways to reduce your costs: FREE homestays in lovely homes only a few blocks away from the Festival center for all classes and events; bring another dancer to the Festival, and you both will get a discount; members of Dancers’ Group get a 10% discount on all classes and events.This is YOUR time to dance. It is YOUR time to perform in a real, public concert on a program with acclaimed professionals. It is YOUR chance to create a dance to be performed on the Festival Concert. Come dance with us!!
Gold Rush in Fremont!
Bringing The Gold Rush! to the Brookvale School, Fremont, CA, was a fantastic way to close this spring season. Wonderful students and teachers filled the auditorium. The Lively Foundation performers truly hit it out of the park; a great performance by dancers Amity Johnson & Audreyanne Delgado Covarrubias, singer & banjo player Jonathan Clark. Ms Johnson & Ms Covarrubias also narrate comments originally written by people living in the mining fields. Mr. Clark is the tech director setting up and running the sound (recorded narrations, music for the dances) and projections of the archival photographs, engravings, paintings which HE researched, found, photographed and made into slides for our absolutely unique, wonderful show. Director Leslie Friedman choreographed the dances, narrates, and wrote the show. She dances in Sweet Betsy From Pike which is appropriate as both Sweet Betsy and Leslie are Californians originally from Missouri. Here are pictures of some of the Broncos from Brookvale, teachers and performers. Thanks to teacher Laura Dean for organizing this great event!
Top: two of the classes attending The Gold Rush! May 30, 2014. Bottom row, L to R: Audreyanne Covarrubias, Amity Johnson backstage preparing to perform.
International Dance Festival@Silicon Valley: The Artist/Teachers!
Here they are: dance artists who will open your dancer heart and help you to reach the heights of your dancing! Leslie Arbogast, Leanne Rinelli, Leslie Friedman will lead the M2F (Monday to Friday!) classes in Dunham technique, Salsa, and Contemporary tech and composition. On The Full Day of Dance© they are joined by Sohini Ray, teaching Manipuri classical Indian Dance, Etta Walton teaching Etta’s Electric Lines, Audreyanne Delgado-Covarrubias teaching tap, Amity Johnson teaching Pilates mat. Give yourself a chance to dance! August 11-17. It’s here before you know it; register now to get your Early Bird Discounts. Apply now for scholarship aide. Scroll down a couple of entries to get links for the forms. Then: come on and DANCE!
Questions? email livelyfoundation@sbcglobal.net
International Dance Festival@Silicon Valley: Beauty & Fun in Mountain View
Live your dreams. DANCE. You can do it! Why come to Mountain View, California to dance? IDF@SV offers you the finest artists who want you dance your best. Teaching artists who want your artistry to shine. (SCROLL DOWN TO ENTRY BELOW THIS ONE FOR REGISTRATION FORMS.)And, Mountain View has it all, that’s why. Castro St. is the charming main street downtown. It is lined with bookstores, cafes, and restaurants. Not sure what to eat? You can choose from Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Mediterranean, Italian, fish, burgers, vegetarian, & lots more, all in one walkable area. Need to grab a quick salad between classes? That’s available, too, just a block away. That block is actually Pioneer Park. It has beautiful trees, grassy places and benches to sit on, an awesome Japanese garden of plants and rocks donated by Mountain View’s sister city. The Mountain View Masonic Center, home for the International Dance Festiva@Silicon Valley, is next to the park and the Mountain View Public Library, a great place to read and relax or use one of their computers. Worried you’ll miss big city life? Mountain View is the world headquarters of Google. Microsoft, Apple, and dozens and dozens of amazing companies right here. In the Starbucks one block from the Festival Headquarters, you’ll see computer wizards working on the newest biggest thing. See the Pacific Ocean? It’s just over the mountains or down the highway to Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel. Take a train, bus, or car to San Francisco–when you have time. You’ll be dancing your heart out every day & performing new works for a dance loving public on Sunday on a program with the acclaimed artists who were teaching you their work all five days before. Don’t miss this chance! Live your dreams. Dance.picture: Leslie Friedman, Artistic Director