Tag Archives: Dr. Leslie Friedman

The Lively Reading: A HUGE Success

Sunday afternoon, June 25, 68 people gathered over Zoom to hear five writers read from their works. The audience represented every US time zone and many different states. The event also attracted one friend vacationing on an island in the Baltic Sea. Jimmy Kolker, a distinguished US foreign service office called in over Zoom to let everyone know that he was watching, too. This writer will not take a bet on what time zone that was.

The authors were Randall Nicholas, poet, Ogden Dunes, Indiana; Judith Offer, playwright and poet, Oakland, California; Joy Passanante, Univ. of Idaho professor emerita, Creative Writing, author of creative non-fiction, poetry, fiction, Moscow, Idaho; David Shepard, poet, musician, and psychiatrist, Denver, Colorado; Leslie Friedman, dancer-choreographer, historian, author, Mountain View, California.

Dr. Leslie Friedman, Artistic Director of The Lively Foundation, observed that bookstores and venues that supported live readings had gone out of business during the height of the pandemic. “I realized that there could be a reading over Zoom which would reach those interested in poetry and literature in many areas. It took a little while to line up the writers and get a date set. Then, we were ready to take off. I knew the writers were terrific. Turns out they were TERRIFIC.”

The program offered a wide variety of styles and subjects. The audience was truly appreciative. Emails with words like “stunning,” “brilliant,” “gorgeous,” “touching,” came from everywhere.

Lively has sent a recording of the readings to 17 more individuals who were not able to attend due to prior commitments. The recording will remain available to those who did not know about the event or who attended and want to hear it again. Interested in the recording? Email livelyfoundation@sbcglobal.net and let us know you would like to receive it.

“As The Lively Foundation’s activities had to be slowed or disappeared in the past 3 years, we are delighted by the great response to the Lively Reading,” says Dr. Friedman, “There have been requests for more such programs. ‘Watch this space’ to find out about exciting new events.”

International Festival@Silicon Valley’s 10th Anniversary!

The International Dance Festival@Silicon Valley

Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary

The Lively Foundation is proud to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the International Dance Festival@Silicon Valley. This season the Festival’s Full Day of Dance© will take place on Saturday, November 13. All Full Day of Dance© classes will be offered over Zoom and will be free. See list of classes and schedules below. To register go to: https://forms.gle/dAd5DKho8sgFgPn8A

In addition to the Full Day of Dance© there will be classes offered during the preceding week days. For example, 30 minute Pilates mat classes will be led by Audreyanne Delgado Covarrubias, 9 a.m. Pacific time, Monday – Friday. Weekday classes will be offered on a Pay-What-You-Can basis, suggested amount is $5 – $15 per 30 minute class.

(L to R) Etta Walton, Audreyanne Delgado Covarrubias,

Starting in 2012, the Festival has offered classes in an amazingly wide variety: African, Afro-Haitian, Ballet, Bharatanatyam, Classical Chinese, Contemporary, Kathak, Korean, Line Dances, Manipuri, Mexican Folclorico, Salsa, Samba, Tango, Tap, Waltz, and even more styles. Participants learn from accomplished professionals and also see them perform. Winners

of the Choreography Competition present premiere works on Festival Concerts.

Artistic Director and Founder of the Festival, Dr. Leslie Friedman says, “Do what you love and try something new! A ballerina might discover she loves Tap. A ballroom dancer will find the Pilates mat to be just what he needs. Beginners get to fall in love with dance. Professionals in one style get to be beginners in something new to them. It helps to remember that dance can be fun.”

Lively Foundation Artistic Director Leslie Friedman

The International Dance Festival@Silicon Valley’s innovations were ground breaking and have been adopted by other companies: presenting learning experiences in multiple forms, for participants of mixed levels of dance training (or no training), chances for participants to perform, and the exciting opportunity for the whole community to gain understanding and appreciation of dance by watching fine artists in concert.

(LtoR)Megan Ivey Rohrbacher,Physical Comedy; Annie Wilson, Jazz

Artist-teachers will include Etta Walton, Line Dances; Annie Wilson, Jazz; Megan Ivey Rohrbacher, Physical Comedy; Audreyanne Delgado Covarrubias, Tap, Pilates mat. These artists have performed and taught in previous Festivals and all have devoted followers.

Full Day of Dance©

Pilates mat, 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.

Jazz 10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Physical Comedy 12:30 p.m.- 1:30 p.m.

Tap 1:45 p.m.- 2:45 p.m.

Line Dances 3:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.

Full Week of Dance© mini-classes

Pilates mat MTWThF 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Nov. 8-12

Line Dances MWF 2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Nov. 8, 10, 12

Repertory: TThF 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Nov. 9, 11, 12

“Dances for Small Spaces

All Full Day of Dance classes are free, but we do request that you register.

All Full Week of Dance classes request registration and are on a pay-what-you-can basis. Suggested amount is $5 -$15.

TO REGISTER PLEASE GO TO: https://forms.gle/dAd5DKho8sgFgPn8A

For further details please watch http://www.livelyfoundation.org/wordpress/?p=3586

Wonderful Winter Workshop: WWW. 2.0 Begins Soon!

Join the dance! The second Wonderful Winter Workshop (www.2.0) offers you opportunities to dance. Learn something new, dance styles that you love, make your own dance. Shake El Nino out of your spine and remember that dance can be fun! There are TWO parts to www.2.0; participate in one or both. Bring your dancer buddies and friends who never dance. It’s time to dance!

Audreyanne Delgado-Covarrubias

The Choreo-cubator© Invites You to Make a Dance & Dance It! Polish a work in progress or start something new. Then, perform it. ALL styles welcome. Explore. Experiment. Exchange supportive feedback with other explorers. There are four working sessions: 6-7:15 p.m., Feb. 4, Feb. 11, Feb. 23, Feb. 25. Your Showcase performance is 6:-7:15 p.m., Feb. 28. All working sessions & the Showcase performance will be at the Mountain View Masonic Center, 890 Church Street, downtown Mountain View. Fee includes working sessions and performance: $60.00.

Winter Full Day of Dance© Sunday, Feb. 28, five wonderful classes. The first one starts at 11:30 a.m. The last one ends at 5:30 p.m. Take one, all, or any number in between. There is a 15 minute break between each class. Classes include: Contemporary, Leslie Friedman; Tap, Audreyanne Covarrubias; Pilates mat, Amity Johnson; Etta’s Line Dances, Etta Walton; Improvisation, Leslie Friedman. All classes are mixed levels. That means they all will welcome pros & beginners. Ages mid-teens to any adult age. Location: Mountain View Masonic Center, 890 Church Street, downtown Mountain View, 94041. Cost per class reduces with each added class: $20 for a single class – $50 for all five.

The Choreo-cubator© and Winter Full Day of Dance© are parts of the Wonderful Winter Workshop, www.2.0, presented by the International Dance Festival@Silicon Valley, a project of the not-for-profit organization, The Lively Foundation. FOR MORE INFORMATION & TO REGISTER: CONTACT livelyfoundation@sbcglobal.net Photos: top, L to Rt: Audreyanne Covarrubias will teach Tap, 2/28; Leslie Friedman (L) and Amity Johnson work on a new dance, IDF@SV; middle: Etta Walton will teach Etta’s Line Dances set to great Country/Western music; bottom: Amity Johnson will teach Pilates mat.

IDF@SV IS “AWESOME!” – DANCERS’ COMMENTS

INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL@SILICON VALLEY, 2015 began just two months ago. It was a whirlwind of dance, energy, creativity. Comments keep coming in from participants about how much they loved their experiences. The word most often, and most appropriately, used is AWESOME, awesome teachers, awesome dancers, awesome new friends. Here are just two sent to Dr. Leslie Friedman, founder and director of IDF@SV.

“Boy, did I have fun taking those classes! I am glad you offered Pilates because I have always wanted to try it, and I just loved it—and Amity is awesome! What a wonderful, fun experience and I just adore all the people I’ve met at the festival this year and last…Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making all this possible. Love & admire you to pieces!” C

“Leslie, Thank you so much for the wonderful forum to present dance to the Silicon Valley! Loved the teachers, classes – (yours was awesome!) and beautiful environment you created! Great to see Ann Woo again too! Much appreciated, Leianne

COME DANCE WITH US! it really is that wonderful.

Pictures: top to bottom: Artist/teachers Leslie Friedman, Contemporary Dance & Choreo-cubator©; Amity Johnson, Pilates; Ann Woo, Classical Chinese Dance.