This week Awesome Stories brings you sky dancing, better listening, and winter surfing.
Bandaloop Dance Company
Bandaloop redefines what it means to dance. Amelia Rudolph is the founder and creative director. She’s living her dreams by sharing this unique dance form that is a blend of rock climbing and dancing that has been called sky dancing. Bandaloop celebrates the human spirit, nature, and communities through their unique vertical dance, performed on buildings around the country. They also teach youth and dance companies around the world. You can find many of their videos on YouTube or their Bandaloop website. Below is one of my favorites with mesmerizing choreography, music, and performance from Boston. Enjoy!
Better Listening
If you’ve been following me for a while, then you know that I believe communication is critical to success in relationships and life. And good listening is the foundation for better communication. Here is a good article and Ted Talk by Julian Treasure on 5 Ways to Listen Better. I like his tips for better listening, especially his tips to be aware of our own filters and the environment. Maybe even more important is the intention and commitment to listen better. On a related note, here is an article I wrote about the power of words called Conscious Communication.
Winter Surfing
I don’t know if Dan Schetter is crazy, passionate or a mix of the two. Dan Schetter has been surfing Lake Michigan for 20 years. Lately, Dan’s become well known for his winter surfing and ice beard. In fact, it’s become a playful competition to see who can create the best ice beard, especially during the Christmas season. Recently he asked a friend to photograph him while surfing on a blustery winter day with the perfect conditions of bitter cold, strong winds, and open water. According to Dan, this is the perfect recipe to create an ice beard. Blow baby blow!
I hope you enjoyed this week’s Awesome Stories. May your year be full of passion, play, and purpose.
Happy New Year!
What a great way to begin the new year! 🙂
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Thank you Annette. And your lovely comment is a great way to start mine. 🙂 Happy New Year!
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Happy New Year!! Thank you for sharing. You are a divine storyteller Brad. 🙌🏻
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Thank you Andrea. You are very generous with your praise, but I’ll gratefully receive the compliment. 🙂
Happy New Year!
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😊😊
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Now these are certainly great dares that I would not be attempting any time in the future lol..
Those dancers, wow.. and the surfer brrrrrrrrr….. lol And yes the surfer is probably a mixture of crazy and passionate .. lol..
I hope your 2018 Brad begins to be the best year yet.. Have a wonderful one my friend May your days be filled with all of your Dreams, and may 2018 be the year they come to fruition..
Love and Peace my friend ❤
Sue 🙂
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Thank you dear Sue for the lovely comments and blessings. I’m excited for the new year for the first time in a while. I feel ready to live more fully and make some changes to help me move toward my dreams and goals.
Love and peace for all! ❤
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Yeah! Wonderful Brad… 🙂 Keep smiling.. and know it will be.. 🙂
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Thanks Sue! 🙂
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I don’t know… I think Dan and his winter surfing is less crazy than those Bandaloop Dancers! Yikes! It is beautiful though! 🙂
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LOL. I guess we all have our preferences and fears. I’d take the dancing! 🙂
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Wow, those skydancers are magnificent. I have never seen anything like it. I was wondering what it must be like to be on the inside and watching them through the windows….
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Great question Annette! I would love to try this aerial dance form. Maybe something for my bucket list.
Happy New Year!
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Hope you have a wonderful new year! You are so nice to feature many different blogs and stories. 🌈 Robin
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Thank you Robin. I enjoy sharing stories that inspire. Many blessings to you for the new year.
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I’m very grateful for your sharing and letting me know what is out there in the blogging community. Thank you for sending me blessings.
Hope you will have a wonderful New Year, Brad.
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The videographers really captured the perfect angle for the Boston Bandaloop performance. The illusion that they are dancing on the sky while the “real” sky is perpendicular to their performance is mesmerizing.
Thanks also for helping me generate a new goal for the year. I’ve dabbled with snow beards in the past, but after seeing Dan’s impressive Ice beard, I’m clearly an amateur.
Happy New Year Brad!
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I’m glad to have inspired you for your next wild adventure Gabe. 🙂 I want to see photos of your ice beard! Or maybe we can start our own sky dancing troop? Are you game? Happy New Year!
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hehehe its been several decades since I’ve rappelled, but remember it as a lot of fun. However, the consensus is that I should avoid any attempts at choreography. Some skills are best left undeveloped…
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Great articles and really liked your post from 2011 (Conscious Communication)…so spot on!!
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I’m glad you enjoyed my early post on communication Kirt. I wrote some gems that didn’t get much response in the early days of my blog. It’s been an interesting journey with the writing and blog. Thanks for exploring and supporting me. Many blessings to you and yours for 2018!
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Lovely post, Brad. Happy new year to you. That surfer looks really cold – I just can’t even think about it never mind do something like that.
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I’m with you Robbie. There is no way I want to try surfing in that climate! But I’m glad that he’s following his joy. Happy New Year!
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I’m smiling. Shivering, but also smiling. Not difficult to get a snow beard here now – sub zero temps – even for a woman without a beard! 😉
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Sounds like a delicious blend of feelings Pamela! And now I’m smiling. Happy New Year! 🙂
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The dance was amazing. Wow. Even the sky was in on the choreography. Thanks for sharing, Brad.
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I agree Diana. It was an amazing performance that I could watch over and over. And I think it would be fun to try this form of dancing! May 2018 be full of creativity, joy, and new adventures!
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What an inspiring collection, Brad. There are some marvelous TED Talks. And the dance… wow. Although I will skip the winter surfing – the ice beard has no appeal. Still amazing though. 😉 Happy New Year. Hugs.
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Thanks Teagan. We have the same perspective. I can be inspired by Dan, but have no desire to try it! 🙂
Happy New Year!
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I think due to my not being on Facebook, I cannot like these stories, Brad.
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I meant to write “like” these stories. Hopefully you will find hunor in this accidental comment. Smiles, Robin
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Yes, I understood the meaning Robin. You can like me or not! 🙂
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Awesome! Loved the listening article! We can all learn more about the art of listening – loved the concept of resetting my ears to hear the silence again…but even if it looks intriguing, I am not going to grow an “ice beard” 🙂
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I loved the reminders on listening too and have been practicing resetting to silence. Darn, I wanted to see you in an ice beard! 🙂
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😀
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Wow, a post to inspire, make me smile and just plain blow me away. Those sky dancers were out of this world. Amazing shares Brad. 🙂
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Thanks Miriam. Your real life inspires me. 🙂
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Aww, you make me smile. Thanks Brad. 🙂
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Wow, the sky dancers are amazing! 😍 Happy New Year!
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Yes they are! Happy New Year Laura. May it be full of passion and play! 😍
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