It’s that time again… Spooky Night Out! Friday, October 28th, 6:30-10 pm. There will be Halloween games and a great workout…maybe all in the dark? Yes, with special Halloween glow lights! Take a trip through our spooky-ish haunted house! Eat some ghoulish snacks! Open to kids of all ages, those in our programs, and also their friends. But a spot needs to be reserved – call the studio or sign-up online here: http://www.studionaga.com/store.php. $25 per child.
Tulen Foundation Annual Auction: December 4th! Our annual fundraiser is coming up – and we need your help! Every year we throw a big party, dinner, and auction where we raise all our scholarship funds – our training awards, as well as our college leadership grants. Please plan on attending, and helping to make this the best auction yet! Can you help by making calls, soliciting donations, or making pick-ups? And remember, the person who sells the most dinner tickets wins $100 in auction bucks! Tickets will be coming in and available to sell this week.
September had our best demos yet! Yay to Mas Nick for leading the charge and for his great narration and guidance. And hooray to all who participated. The Solano Stroll was excellent, and our block party demo rocked!
Mas James and Mas Even fly through the air at the Stroll!
January Pendekkar Testing and Renewal Camp: January 1st – 3rd. Bantoes Ethan and Amber are testing for Pendekkar! Throughout the three days we’ll have many classes and opportunities for renewal, reinvigorating, and recommitting to our training and living our best lives. It’s exciting for us to have our first advanced testing here in Oakland at Studio Naga! Plus we’ll have a challenging beach workout. Portlanders – come join us! All are welcome!
Upcoming Golden Weekend October 21st -23rd – It’s the last Golden of the year with Pendekkars Sam and Michelle (and baby Max!?). See you there!
Green Sash Testing: 6pm, October 26th! If you are planning to test, talk to your mentor ASAP! Each tester will have a service job to perform for the school -adults and kids as well.
And a little deep reading: This article from the New York Times Magazine echoes a philosophy we share here at Studio Naga: What if the Secret to Success is Failure? The Character Test, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/magazine/what-if-the-secret-to-success-is-failure.html.
It’s about how one school is getting kids to develop “zest, grit, self-control, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism and curiosity.” Read it and let’s discuss!
Goeroe Louise’s thoughts for October on a “training paradox”: “Your feelings are as important as they are misleading.”
And this from Bantoe Alicia on testing:
Upcoming testing has me thinking on what it means to test for a new sash. I’ve been told that the color sashes were not traditional in Poekoelan – in Indonesia it was white, or black. Mas Goeroe Agoeng put sashes into his art to give students a sense of accomplishment and help us reflect on how far we’ve come and where we’re going. (And I also like to think because the colors look cool!)
I think how proud I was every time I earned a new color, and how hard each test was. Every test was preparation for the next and as it turned out, preparation for my life. The challenges that come up for me in testing always seem to reflect what I am struggling with in my life outside the Studio. And, after breaking through and earning that sash, belt or stripe, I find I have new tools to use in my regular life. Even though testing is hard, I always get what I need. That is very special, and I am grateful.
It’s really special to train together, support each other, and come through the ranks with your teammates, sometimes earning your colors together and sometimes not. It’s very powerful having just enough competition to motivate each other, but letting love override ego if your colors don’t change at the same time. My teammates are like my family.
Rank is not about what you get, it’s about what you’ve done and where you are going. Your sash shows both the work and heart you’ve put in your training and reminds you of the goals you hold….and, by the way, it really does look pretty cool.
Happy Testing!
Bantoe Alicia
Bantoe Alicia teaches some cool moves at the Solano Stroll!
