Hi all! It’s been a long time! Angelo and I recently had the opportunity to travel to Arizona to teach a couple of workshops, sightsee Sedona and Angelo deejayed at an event called Solstice in downtown Phoenix.

When we arrived in Phoenix, we were greeted with hot weather and fiery skies as we drove to our friends apartment. We stayed with our friends in Tempe the entire trip and rented a car to make travel easier. Our friends, Rose and We:Whum, have the cutest pit bull named Rza, she is well behaved and so sweet. Our first day we went to Open House session at the Monarch Theatre in Phoenix to practice dancing and just see some of the other dancers. We:Whum djs the event and plays some music that you probably haven’t heard before, so I loved it. The session is only $3!

The following day we taught at Jukebox Dance Studio, the directors Leah and RaeRae kindly allowed us to workshop with their students. The class went really well, the students are talented and charismatic dancers, we couldn’t have asked for a better session. The studio is located in Gilbert, AZ – check them out if your in town, you won’t be disappointed. Jukebox: https://www.facebook.com/thejukeboxstudios

On Friday, I got to meet up with friend Emily and practice tapping with her! I also made a video of our entire trip which I posted on my YouTube channel Onipower, the link is below. That evening, I taught a stretch class and Angelo taught a house class at ASU Urban Arts Program. Both classes went well, and as usual, it was great meeting other dancers in different dance communities. I wish that they had a program implemented like this at UCLA when I was attending the school!

Saturday, I stretched with friends Emily and Maria, we didn’t have to teach that day, so it was quite relaxing. That night Angelo played a set at Solstice, a weekly house music night in downtown Phoenix. Once some technical difficulties were addressed, Angelo played a great set! Everyone was dancing and really enjoying the music. We didn’t get home till about 5am. Solstice: https://www.facebook.com/solsticesaturdays We were a bit tired the next day, but good thing our workshops were later in the afternoon. We taught a house class for Epik Dance Company based in Mesa, AZ. The company founded by Sarah “SAZA” Dimmick, graciously allowed us to teach a 1 hour class during their busy rehearsal day. Epik: https://www.facebook.com/epikdanceco The culmination of our teaching ended on a positive note, we were satisfied that all the classes went so well and that the students were so receptive. This has definitely inspired us to continue to travel and teach.

SEDONA

The last day in Arizona, we drove two hours to visit Sedona. It was a bit of a birthday trip for me, and I had never been before. All I can say is, wow, Sedona is beautiful. We hiked Cathedral Rock to the end of the trail, and I did a handstand at the top! It was breathtaking, and the colors of the rock formations are gorgeous. The hike took a total of 2.5 hours, we stopped a lot to take photos and adjust to the shortness of breath due to the higher altitudes. You definitely need more than one day if you are planning a trip to Sedona. We also went into town to eat (it was ok), and look at all the hippie shops with crystals and trinkets.

Please check out the video I did on our Arizona trip, I hope to do more! If you have any comments of questions please subscribe to our blog and leave them below. We have a really exciting trip in December I can’t wait to share with you!

xoxo,

Onisha