Current Classes and Workshops
The Bear Wife 2023
Artist Jackie Morris
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Dearest Dancers,
I am writing to you on a late summer's eve. I just opened all of the windows to let in the long-awaited cool of evening, and put some fresh mint leaves in the teapot. Now, with the pot steeping and my child sleeping, it seems to me as if this is the first time I have sat down the whole day. There are a bunch of orange calendula flowers cheerfully peeking at me from a canning jar on the old wooden table, and I am at long last writing to tell you about the upcoming session.
The inspiration for the fall term revealed itself one bright morning, about a week ago. It happened during a run through the forest, as I came upon the largest black bear I have ever seen. He saw me at the very moment I saw him, and I think I can say with confidence that the surprise was mutual. There was one long magical moment, equally delightful as it was frightful, that cast a strange spell upon us both: there we stood, transfixed by each other’s presence for the briefest of moments. A second later, the spell broken, I called the dogs and turned back from whence I came, and he ambled on up the path to where the berries were sweeter and more abundant.
On the way back home, I found myself thinking a great deal about bears. More specifically, of the stories I know and love that feature bears, and even more specifically, stories about relationships between bears and women. And as I walked further down the trail, past the blackberries and the sun-dried huckleberries, I marveled at the way in which old stories that depict bears who take human brides appear throughout the Northern World, all of them strung with themes of wonderment and trepidation, fertility and instinct, domesticity and wilderness, masculine and feminine dynamics, and endurance and perseverance.
Truth be told, I have always had a personal fascination with bears; not just the ones who dwell in the woods behind our home, but the ones in the stories and illustrations of my girlhood. For as long as I can remember, bears have been deeply woven into the fabric of my imagination and the innermost landscape of my being. As a child, I was struck and enchanted by them for what I perceived to be their human-like appearance and mannerisms; now, as a grown woman, I am struck by the ways in which the man I live with often seems more bear-like than human. More days than not, I feel as though there is a large lumbering bear in our kitchen, accidentally breaking ceramic teacups and tracking mud across the floor. There are fir needles wound into his thick dark hair, and every evening the smell of the forest wafts in through the door alongside him. His table manners leave much to be desired, and his appetite, after a long day on the land, rivals any bear in the woods. My daughter climbs her father like a mountain to ride on his back, while the dogs delightedly bark and chase him around the living room as my carefully arranged cushions go flying in the chaos of it all.
Here, in our part of Vancouver Island, we share the land with the bears, mostly black bears, and in our case, a particular family of bears. Some years they are more present than others, but overall, with abundant apple trees and honeybees on our land, they have made themselves regular guests. Our little daughter is enchanted by bears, and instructs all of us while picking blackberries “to not take too many, and to leave some for the bears” (which we diligently do).
And so, this Fall session, the first of the year, is dedicated to the bears of the world, and the dwindling wilderness they inhabit. So, while the bears fill their bellies with salmon, readying themselves for their long winter’s slumber, we will follow the Bear King into the dance and the old stories. Together, we will explore themes of instinct and wilderness, civilization and domesticity, promises made and broken, and the alchemical union of opposites. We will look at what Jung called “the sacred or spiritual” marriage, which he described as the union of archetypal figures within the psyche, and we will consider the masculine and feminine parts of our own beings, as we strive to unite them on our human journeys.
I have called the September/October Session: The Bear Wife
And classes will be held in the following order:
Class One~ The Maiden Daughter
Class Two~ The Bear King
Class Three~Leaving Home
Class Four~Breaking the Promise
Class Five~The Impossible Task
Class 6~ The Instinctual Marriage
Writing Workshop Addition
Writing The Bear Wife, with Sylvia Victor-Linsteadt
I am also very excited to announce that there will be an additional writing workshop attached to this session, for those who are interested.
Writing The Bear Wife, will take place between the 5th and 6th class, via Zoom, and will be led by my beloved friend, author and teacher: Sylvia Victor-Lindsteadt.
The date for this event has been set for Saturday, October 21st at 10 am PST, and will be designed to explore the themes of our session further, through the process of creative writing and with Sylvia’s skillful guidance.
Writing Workshop: $30 CAN
Payments for the writing workshop are separate from class registration and can be sent directly to: sylvia.linsteadt@gmail.com via paypal.
Please note: The writing workshop is only available to those who are registered and participating in the full session.
Dance Classes
Classes will commence the week of September 11th and run through the week of October 23rd 2023.
I will be offering a Zoom Class on Monday evenings from 6:30- 8:00 pm PST and an In-Person Class on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 - 8:00 pm.
Zoom Classes
Monday Evenings: 6:30-8:00 pm
Cost: $120
Zoom details will arrive via email 1 week prior to the start date.
In Person Classes
Wednesday Evenings: 6:30- 8:00 pm
Cost: $150
Space is limited here, so do let me know as soon as possible.
Classes will take place at Sally’s Yurt in Courtenay, located 1957 Arden Road.
Registration
To confirm your registration please send payments via e transfer to naoisobel@gmail.com
If you are outside Canada, you can send payment via paypal to honeygrove@telus.net
Dearest Dancers,
I am writing to you on a late summer's eve. I just opened all of the windows to let in the long-awaited cool of evening, and put some fresh mint leaves in the teapot. Now, with the pot steeping and my child sleeping, it seems to me as if this is the first time I have sat down the whole day. There are a bunch of orange calendula flowers cheerfully peeking at me from a canning jar on the old wooden table, and I am at long last writing to tell you about the upcoming session.
The inspiration for the fall term revealed itself one bright morning, about a week ago. It happened during a run through the forest, as I came upon the largest black bear I have ever seen. He saw me at the very moment I saw him, and I think I can say with confidence that the surprise was mutual. There was one long magical moment, equally delightful as it was frightful, that cast a strange spell upon us both: there we stood, transfixed by each other’s presence for the briefest of moments. A second later, the spell broken, I called the dogs and turned back from whence I came, and he ambled on up the path to where the berries were sweeter and more abundant.
On the way back home, I found myself thinking a great deal about bears. More specifically, of the stories I know and love that feature bears, and even more specifically, stories about relationships between bears and women. And as I walked further down the trail, past the blackberries and the sun-dried huckleberries, I marveled at the way in which old stories that depict bears who take human brides appear throughout the Northern World, all of them strung with themes of wonderment and trepidation, fertility and instinct, domesticity and wilderness, masculine and feminine dynamics, and endurance and perseverance.
Truth be told, I have always had a personal fascination with bears; not just the ones who dwell in the woods behind our home, but the ones in the stories and illustrations of my girlhood. For as long as I can remember, bears have been deeply woven into the fabric of my imagination and the innermost landscape of my being. As a child, I was struck and enchanted by them for what I perceived to be their human-like appearance and mannerisms; now, as a grown woman, I am struck by the ways in which the man I live with often seems more bear-like than human. More days than not, I feel as though there is a large lumbering bear in our kitchen, accidentally breaking ceramic teacups and tracking mud across the floor. There are fir needles wound into his thick dark hair, and every evening the smell of the forest wafts in through the door alongside him. His table manners leave much to be desired, and his appetite, after a long day on the land, rivals any bear in the woods. My daughter climbs her father like a mountain to ride on his back, while the dogs delightedly bark and chase him around the living room as my carefully arranged cushions go flying in the chaos of it all.
Here, in our part of Vancouver Island, we share the land with the bears, mostly black bears, and in our case, a particular family of bears. Some years they are more present than others, but overall, with abundant apple trees and honeybees on our land, they have made themselves regular guests. Our little daughter is enchanted by bears, and instructs all of us while picking blackberries “to not take too many, and to leave some for the bears” (which we diligently do).
And so, this Fall session, the first of the year, is dedicated to the bears of the world, and the dwindling wilderness they inhabit. So, while the bears fill their bellies with salmon, readying themselves for their long winter’s slumber, we will follow the Bear King into the dance and the old stories. Together, we will explore themes of instinct and wilderness, civilization and domesticity, promises made and broken, and the alchemical union of opposites. We will look at what Jung called “the sacred or spiritual” marriage, which he described as the union of archetypal figures within the psyche, and we will consider the masculine and feminine parts of our own beings, as we strive to unite them on our human journeys.
I have called the September/October Session: The Bear Wife
And classes will be held in the following order:
Class One~ The Maiden Daughter
Class Two~ The Bear King
Class Three~Leaving Home
Class Four~Breaking the Promise
Class Five~The Impossible Task
Class 6~ The Instinctual Marriage
Writing Workshop Addition
Writing The Bear Wife, with Sylvia Victor-Linsteadt
I am also very excited to announce that there will be an additional writing workshop attached to this session, for those who are interested.
Writing The Bear Wife, will take place between the 5th and 6th class, via Zoom, and will be led by my beloved friend, author and teacher: Sylvia Victor-Lindsteadt.
The date for this event has been set for Saturday, October 21st at 10 am PST, and will be designed to explore the themes of our session further, through the process of creative writing and with Sylvia’s skillful guidance.
Writing Workshop: $30 CAN
Payments for the writing workshop are separate from class registration and can be sent directly to: sylvia.linsteadt@gmail.com via paypal.
Please note: The writing workshop is only available to those who are registered and participating in the full session.
Dance Classes
Classes will commence the week of September 11th and run through the week of October 23rd 2023.
I will be offering a Zoom Class on Monday evenings from 6:30- 8:00 pm PST and an In-Person Class on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 - 8:00 pm.
Zoom Classes
Monday Evenings: 6:30-8:00 pm
Cost: $120
Zoom details will arrive via email 1 week prior to the start date.
In Person Classes
Wednesday Evenings: 6:30- 8:00 pm
Cost: $150
Space is limited here, so do let me know as soon as possible.
Classes will take place at Sally’s Yurt in Courtenay, located 1957 Arden Road.
Registration
To confirm your registration please send payments via e transfer to naoisobel@gmail.com
If you are outside Canada, you can send payment via paypal to honeygrove@telus.net
Artist Jackie Morris