Showcase at Elan

Hello Everybody,

It has now been confirmed that Garry and I will do a little dance show case during the Elan Open house event on January 3rd. We will have our demonstration around 2pm, but the Open House will be from 12:00 pm till 5:00 pm with various classes and demonstrations.

Classes will last 30 min each and will be free.

I hope to see you all at Elan.

P.S. Tomorrow is my seminar on the BODY AWARENESS - please join.

Larissa

Mom's Birthday

This year we celebrated mom's birthday for 3 days!!!

Day 1 - Saturday - VA State Open competition which was amazing with very high level couples competing and fabulous Max Kozhevnikov and Beata doing the show. My favorites were the Mirage (Rumba), the Gypsy (Paso) and Chaplin (Samba). It is hard to believe that human bodies are capable to move with such speed and precision. Their artistry is quite amazing as well. Well, for those of you who missed the show - put it on a must do list next year. (In addition to my Race for Hope :-)) If you want to see some pictures - you can do so at my friend's blog: elizabethrichardson.blog (I just had to borrow this Rumba picture from her site)

Day 2 - surprise party with mom's friends. Thank you all who joined us on my short notice to wish mom Happy Birthday. You made the party! Unfortunately I forgot battery for my camera so pictures are from the phone. Mom's expression when she saw everyone there said it all great!!! She keeps talking about who much she was surprised and happy.

Day 3 - winding down - just a dessert at my friend's (Alexander Arman) new restaurant in Rockville, but Teramisu was quite wonderful. This place - Fortuna Grille has great food, excellent service and now live music on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. I hope you will check it out. Mom got totally drunk hi-hi-hi and acted silly. Overall, very, very nice weekend she truly enjoyed. Well.....back regular schedule now.

Va Beach Trip

Virginia Beach

Just wanted to share my pictures with friends. It is amazing what 4 days of leisure can do for you. You teach teach teach...........until you start shouting in response to a simple question: "would you like some coffee?" So luckily I had to take a break to heal my knee a little and thus decided to use that time more fruitful and take off to VA Beach. My mom and I turned out very lucky with the weather and had wonderful relaxing time on the beach, so I will try to put some pictures to prove the same:-)
I hope Liz and I will now be able to plan another escape perhaps to Miami and perhaps in September. Tag along - the more the merrier!

Garry Gekhman - thinks I am a great talented dancer!

I am so excited - my new coach Garry Gekhman has moved to VA for good and now I get to dance with him more often. I think he is a brilliant instructor ......if you are willing work hard. Sometimes it may feel like "I can do NO RIGHT!" But then I got comment like - there is nobody to dance here with except of you and Polina or he asks if I would be willing to be his demo partner on the work shops.... OF COURSE!!! I guess I am doing something right. Garry definitely knows his stuff in and out, knows how get it though to you most of the times (although I still like Genia most for Latin). And did I mention that Garry is a sweetheart? Very nice, sweet, reliable guy, a kind you want to be close friends with.
Anyway with Garry and Genia - I could not be happier in my professional carrier. Wait....- could be - if I had a partner of my own :-) Hey - available partners out there - Garry thinks I am excellent - where are you :-) ??

Nothing but quick update

Embarrassing, but there is nothing really new happening in my life. Trying to keep mom busy and being too busy myself. Dancing, dancing, dancing. Does anyone have social life any more? J Likely the weather is suggesting more time spent on the trails and on the biking paths. Hence new pictures. Anyone interested? Mom can’t join me on the same paths so trails for pictures for her, hiking for me, where I need a buddy soon.

I suppose this is about it.

Have to make a little advertising for Genya Bartashevich. Just started participating in his classes in Elan – Falls Church. Some can question the level of his dancing (he is not always in the finals). However he is hands down one of the best coaches out there. Not only he knows what he is talking about and can show it, but he knows how to explain to make a student FEEL what he suppose to. Excellent instructions with real care for improvement or at least definitely looks as such.

Race for Hope

Today my mom and I participated in Race for Hope which was held in Washington DC and was a positively inspirational event! It felt almost like a red carpet when all of us survivors were opening of the race in our yellow t-shirts and all of the people cheering and clapping - very touching. I think I had teas in my eyes. (Then again new me is very emotional :-). But of course my competitive personality decided that next year I actually have to win among women....On a serious note, I hope that next year we can get together a group of supporters to race, celebrate and party together!
The Cassidy & Pinkard Colliers Race for Hope to benefit Brain Tumor Society and Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure celebrated its eleventh year of supporting brain tumor research and support services. The Race for Hope 5K Run/Walk is one of Washington, DC’s most successful volunteer events, and it is one of the country’s largest fundraisers for the brain tumor community. The Race is organized by volunteers and benefits funding for innovative brain tumor research and supportive services for families already affected by this devastating disease, and hastening the discovery of a cure for brain cancer.

Brand New Baby on the Block

Hello everyone and welcome to my Blog. I am so glad you found me and me I hope you take it easy on the judgement. This is the first try in "opening to the world". A friend shared her site to me and I truly liked that idea. Let's see what comed out of it.

Larissa