Understand
that it is OK to be scared and uncertain;
right
beyond those barriers, ultimately lies your dreams.
(Josh
Hinds)
Challenges
are an opportunity to test you to rise to the next level.
(Angelica
Montrose)
Moon
Marvel:
On July 20, 1969, 3 men with deep passion for space exploration,
'laid their lives on the line' ~ Apollo 11 delivered Neil
Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins
to the Moon's lunar surface. Neil Armstrong is the most famous, only
because he climbed down the ladder first. Buzz Aldrin is lesser
known, only because he climbed down the ladder second, even though
Neil took a picture of him descending the ladder. Michael Collins
is least known because he remained in lunar
orbit. Neil
Armstrong's profound words will always be inscribed in space history:
That's one small step for (a) man ~ one giant step for mankind.
On July 24, 1969, they crashed safely in Pacific Ocean waters.
Everest
Exuberance!
Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, on May 29, 1953, became the
first people to stand atop the world's highest mountain, Everest at
29,035 feet above sea level.
Of
Interest:
Realizing they were alone on the summit...and it was Norgay's home
country, they made a secret pact that neither would ever tell which
one actually stood on Mount Everest's summit first!
A life filled with vicissitudes, uncertainty and hard lessons...
provides with skills to better approach new challenges that come
along.
(Veronica Smith)
Dance
Discovery:
A Story of
Passion and Resilience
Bringing
history and creativity to the Pan America Games, renowned Six Nations
Dancer, Santee
Smith,
brought her talent as an artist with her company Kaha:wi
Dance Theatre
to the Games. Smith's works interprets the story and history of her
culture.
(written by Janie Ginsberg ~ published in Hamilton Spectator)
When Santee Smith first wanted to try out for Canada's National
Ballet School, her parents said, 'No.'
Growing up on the Six Nations of the Grand River Reserve, they
didn't want to let their only child go.
'She kept bugging us and I think it took a whole year before we
said OK,' said her mother, Leigh Smith. 'We thought...what are the chances? It's all across Canada, and
if we don't let her try, she's going to bring it up to us her whole
entire life.' Santee was 11 when she was accepted.
From starting to dance at the age of three...to being commissioned
to perform
and choreograph for various
cultural events at the 2015 Pan and Pan Am Games,
Santee's
story is one of great passion and resilience.
'When we turned music on, she sort of went into this dancing
trance and moved to the music,' Leigh said, recalling a record player
given Santee by her grandmother as a young child. She is now 44 and
a proud mother of a 16-year-old, but her road to a professional dance
career started with tragedy. (Before the age of 5, she broke both her
legs by being run over by a car and the other from a bicycle
accident. She also broke her collarbone from rolling out of
bed)...all incidents that led Santee to start dance as a form of
therapy. 'The teacher saw she had talent and spent a lot of time
with her,' said her father, Steve. 'She tried everything else to
strengthen her body after injuries...from figure skating to
gymnastics...but ballet just stuck.
'After moving off the reserve and into residence at the National
Ballet School in Toronto, Santee had a hard time adjusting. She
decided to stick it out, but after dedicating 6 years to ballet and
training 6 days a week, she eventually decided it wasn't the career
path she wanted.'
Santee returned home to the reserve and completed two degrees:
kinesiology and psychology at McMaster University. While studying,
she stopped dancing completely. Santee says of herself, 'I just
stepped away from dance, thinking I wasn't ever going to be a
professional dance artist...and there was nothing really that filled
the void of that.'
The lack of creative outlet triggered her return to Toronto ~ and
to dance!
'Since about 1996 I've been moving forward creating my own work as
an independent artist.'
In
2004, she premiered Kaha:wi,
her first full-scale production and by 2005, she became a full-time
artist and choreographer. With the help of founding board members,
she established Kaha:wi
Dance Theatre (KDT),
the same year, a non-profit art organization with locations in Six
Nations and Toronto.
Through
KDT she was commissioned by PANAMANIA, Pan Am's art and cultural
festival, to create a dance work that celebrates five sports. The
performance, Tkaronto
Bounce
took place at the Pan Am Park in Nathan Phillips Square...featuring
kayaking, taewondo, volleyball, lacrosse and athletics.
Her group also performed at the Markham Pan Am centre for Global
Fest, before switching gears to children's dance theatre and putting
on 3 shows at the Aboriginal Pavilion at Fort York.
Aside from cultural events, Sandy is also a creative advisor
for the Pan Am closing ceremonies and both ceremonies
for the Para Pan Am Games where her input on traditional dance
and feedback about culturally sensitive topics are crucial.
Santee
states, 'Acknowledging
the land is really important , this place we all live on, and some of
us have been living on it for thousands of years prior to it being
Canada.
In my work, I choose to be inspired by a lot of stories that come
from my culture...and I like to give voice and expression to that.'
Robin's 55-km Swim will Benefit the Birds
Hamilton tri-athlete Robin Lajoie, 60, a musician, is set to swim
around Pelee Island to help raise money for the Pelee Island Bird
Observatory. The fundraiser is a collaboration between two beer
companies and Margaret Atwood (an advisor to PIBO board)...to monitor
bird migration in an effort to understand the changing population in
migratory birds. The swim of 55 kilometres around Pelee Island in
Lake Erie, August 5, Robin says the swim could take anywhere from 25
to 28 hours.
The island, which is only accessible by water or air, is home to more
than 275 species of birds. “I just want to be part of something
good, that makes a difference,” Lajoie says. He believes his talent
for swimming (beginning at age 40) is God-given...when swimming for
hours at a time, these are his thoughts. There will be 8 people
staffing a boat for the duration of his swim.
(Unfortunately, due to waves and rough waters, Robin was unable to
complete his swim ~ although well into his swim distance.)
Be thankful for each new challenge: it will give you strength and
character.
(Author unknown)
Merle Baird-Kerr...written July 26, 2015
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