FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

East Bay yogini helps busy professionals find balance in their body and minds

Introducing Namaste Gourmet, the Bay Area’s first combined in-home/office yoga and personal chef/catering service.

Oakland, CA., March 4, 2011 – The area is saturated with yoga studios, but many people are still apprehensive about taking a class and not being able to keep up. “Many students are not only afraid to ask questions, says founder Hope Mirlis “but don’t even know the questions to ask.” In-home/private instruction allows the student to get one-on-one attention and get comfortable with their own practice. Hope’s training in both the BKS Iyengar and Hatha Flow styles allow her to guide both vigorous and restorative sessions that focus on body awareness and alignment.

We live in a fast paced world where everyone is so busy. After a long day of work, working professionals just want to go home. Even employers who offer the perk of yoga, bring a practitioner into the office. Mirlis decided to combine two of her passions – yoga and cooking -- and bring them into Bay Area homes and offices for special events or the every day.

Hope Mirlis’ culinary journey started when she tried to take a healthier route as an overweight teen. Trying out new recipes with lower fat and salt with fresh vegetables was not prevalent in suburban New York in the 1970s. But as Hope got certified as an aerobic instructor at 16 years old, diet and exercise went hand in hand. Hope had a thriving personal chef and catering business in Atlanta that specialized in healthy gourmet fare. Once she moved to the Bay Area in 2007, Hope decided to get certified in yoga to add to another aspect of body awareness as an educator of acting and dance.

Hope creates a class for individuals, couples and small groups in the comfort of their homes, offices or conference sites. And while in savasana, the finishing touches are put on a delicious, healthy meal based on what's fresh, local and in season. Rates start at $120 for an hour-long yoga session and a healthy and delicious 2-course meal. However, the services are not mutually exclusive. Therefore you can just book a yoga session or a personal chef experience.

Namaste Gourmet

www.hopemirlis.com/namaste

namaste@hopemirlis.com

510-842-6761

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After a full year I am back up at UC Davis teaching a little hip hop. Just as this form of dance changes, my teaching of this course is a little different. I am also listening and closely watching my students and teaching who's in the room. It's one of the mantras of yoga training and it's now part of my teaching. Doing whatever's necessary in class to challenge the students and push them to progress. The combination we are working on was choreographed to Janelle Monae's Dance or Die. It's very fun and has a driving beat, but it's FAST! And I think it's more of an Intermediate combo - and not a Beginning one. It's forced us to play with the same combination for the first two weeks. Tomorrow we will be playing with a bit more and hopefully we will be able to do it to the song it was choreographed to. We are doing our history presentations so we don't have the entire hour and 40 minutes to dance, but I plan to push them just a bit tomorrow. I am sure I will continue to feel sore on Friday.

This has all been interesting as I am getting over a bout of summer sickness. I have been going non-stop teaching and performing and the temperature changes in Berkeley and San Francisco to Livermore and Davis gave me the sniffles. Actually it started in the throat and moved up to my nasal cavities. The performances down in Livermore of The Real Thing that started at 90 degrees at the beginning of the run wound up at 60 degrees in Act 2 in the last weekend. The great thing is that we all loved doing this show. The weather did not affect each of us playing our truths. The rest of the company forced me to be a better performer - a better storyteller. And for that I am a better person. I am extremely grateful for the experience.

The sickness wouldn't have been too bad, but it's lasted 3 weeks and I had 3 musical theatre auditions. The first was a long shot, but with the other 2 even with my reduced range and strength I managed to get callbacks. I hope that's due to the technique and skill I have rather than the weakness of the talent pool here.

I don't have much else to share quite yet, but I am finally starting to feel at home here - building a community. I am hoping for one of the shows to come through, however. The remaining time will then give me the opportunity to teach, finish my solo piece and satisfy my administrative duties with the 3 dance companies for which I currently work.

Ah, the life of the performing artist and finding my way in the Bay.

Summer in the Bay means one thing - teaching camp! I am fortunate to currently be doing two things that I completely love. Performing and teaching - the true marriage of the Teaching Artist. There has been a good bit of juggling and a bit of frustration, but I think I got my summertime groove.

I started rehearsals for The Real Thing three weeks ago and it has been equally challenging and exhilarating. It is lovely to revisit the world of the straight play. After I did Bathsheba Doran's Nest in the Spring of 2008, I jumped into the wild world of dance and musical theatre. Working with John Jasperse and Mindy Cooper got me in physical and vocal shape, but now have the chance to put my Stanislavsky training to work again and slip back into realism.

I have never done Stoppard and he is such a smart writer. Maybe a little too smart for his own good. There are no throw-away lines and he really makes the actors work. Perhaps its the 'British-isms' but there were a few exchanges that I didn't understand until yesterday. Thankfully we have a great director in Lisa Tromovich who gives us the space to truly explore. I play the role of Charlotte and she just kicks ass. Sassy and witty, she exudes passion. She's juicy, even though she appears in only 3 of the 12 scenes. It really makes me think about story we are telling and my role within. I'm not gonna lie, memorization has been a little tough, but once I finally unlocked Charlotte's journey and her message it made putting the pieces together rather easy. And as of today - really fun.

While my afternoons and weekends have been in Livermore, my mornings have been spent with the kids in Oakland at the first of Cal Shakes' 2-week camps. I have the luxury of teaching movement to each of the 5 groups. Ages 7 to 17. I am teaching largely the same curriculum of Laban and Boal to all and witness first hand what works and what doesn't for each age. I tend to move faster with the wee ones and push the older kids to more complexity. I enjoy teaching the older kids more, but there has been some lovely moments with the younger ones. I only have 3 sessions with the little ones and 4 with the older kids so I have to work fast. This would have been fairly simple, but some of the directors for the Shakespeare shows have requested dances or other specific movement as part of their 30 minute presentations. As if I needed more challenges.

Needless to say I am truly blessed - on the front lines as a teaching artist.

Three weeks ago we started the Spring session of Story to Stage at MTC. This session I have a smaller group of 6-7 year olds. They really love to play and are eager to volunteer, but what I aim to get into their little bodies is discipline. With my classes of older students it's breaking down years of walls and judgement and finding freedom in their bodies. With these younger students they are so open and creative. They don't have many censors, but their energy needs to be harnessed just a bit and focused. To be honest, it's a tall order. But when it happens it's really magical. We are working on the theme of Summertime and on Wednesday we played with Midsummer Nights Dream and some fairy and royalty work. They didn't have any problems playing overbearing princesses and queens, but struggled a bit with the lightness of the fairies. We have a showing for the parents at the top of June and I am so curious to see what it's going to look like.

I am very excited to take on a slightly older set in June and July with the program at Cal Shakes. I just got my schedule and will be teaching a little movement and acting for two of their 2-week camps. Since I will be certified in yoga in less than a month, I am sure that I will be throwing a bit of that in as warm up. I am finding it's a great way to stretch and connect with your breath. This of course is a great segue into voice work.

I am waiting on my schedule for another camp with another theatre and with my acting gig at Livermore Shakespeare, I should have a full early summer. Livermore Shakes performs at a vineyard down in well, Livermore, CA and I have never done outdoor drama. So I decided to accept the role of Charlotte in The Real Thing. It's in rep with Romeo & Juliet and that show has the brunt of both the rehearsals and the performances. So, while the drive may be challenging, I think it will be a little mecca once I arrive. From what I can tell the Livermore community is very warm and welcoming.  Once rehearsals start it will be 9 months since I've last been on stage and that's way too long.

With the re-working of my solo piece, When You Hit Your Funny Bone, I hope the summer starts a long line of work in my field. I mean, that's why I got my degree, right? It may be wishful thinking, but just as we consider the asana of yoga, this is not my stance, but my direction. 

Last night we opened Jess Curtis/Gravity's Intercontinental Collaborations 4 at CounterPULSE. The show has come together quite nicely. The space reminds me of the Back Space Theatre at 7 Stages so pre-show I started having deja vu of productions with Synchronicity. I really appreciate the community spirit at both venues and there is a homey quality that was nice to experience again. During the run of the show, I have shifted slightly from Production Manager to running crew since they needed an extra pair of hands on the deck. Or with the small theatre feel I was doing a little of both. It's nice to be so hands on. Jake Nelson, the lighting designer and Rosamund Grimshaw, the stage manager have been integral to the project. They have both gone over an above their regular duties. Both of them share my feelings about supporting the artistic goals. In fact, Jess commented that he rarely feels as supported on his projects. It made me realize the importance of a strong ensemble and clear communication.

I knew this week would be crazy, but I decided to help a fellow MTC teaching artist out by subbing her class. I usually teach on Wednesdays, but I also took on a Thursday class. I was not excited about driving into the city from the North Bay after the class to get to the theatre, but once I breathed through parking anxiety, I was fine. It also gave me a chance to process the two classes. 

Since I've taught on the University level for the past 2 years it has been a huge shift to teach 6-9 year olds. The discussions and analyzing that I loved in my college classes must be replaced with more and more play. I usually bring a large arsenal of stuff with me and have an opportunity to try a bunch of exercises. See what does not work, and which exercises get the kids to say, "Again, again!" The younger students are a strong barometer of what works an what doesn't. Losing one students attention is not bad, but once you see that you have lost most of them, you must move on. 

As I look at the job postings, classes for this age group seem to come up the most. So, now's the time to hone my knowledge of creative play and get these little bitties started on their theatre education.

After 3 years of amazing change, I'm hoping for a little bit of settling this year. Since I am fan of definitions I am talking about:

13) to become or cause somebody or something to become calm, quiet, or stable 14) to put all the details of a piece of business in order or into a desired arrangement and 17)  to establish somebody or become established in a place, occupation, or way of life and NOT 8) to sink slowly to a lower level.

I have a number of things in the works, potential performance and teaching jobs. I am going for my yoga certification and after officiating a successful wedding two days ago with a day permit from Marin County, I decided to get ordained from the Universal Life Church. I know, I know, it's an online thing, but it's something I take seriously. I have always been one who people seek council. I am not interested in making this my life. However with my performance background, spirituality and lack of fear in asking the hard questions, bringing couples together is a gift. While there many things in the "pending" pile, there is one sure thing.

I start 2010 out with a return to a little administrative work. The one position that has panned out thus far is with Jess Curtis/Gravity. I am the new Production Manager bringing his thesis project, Dances for Non-Fictional Bodies from Davis to San Francisco in the form of an evening called Intercontinental Collaborations 4 (IC4). Jess is a heavy hitter in the SF dance scene and tours globally. I met him as a fellow MFA at UC Davis and he added his work on symmetry to The Dada Cabaret. I am super excited to be on the support end as Jess brings his vision to the Bay Area. 

As I mentioned during the interview process, I am creative in every sense of the word. My brain shifts when I do administrative jobs in the arts. I go into advanced thinking and problem solving mode. I see this trait when I work with some great stage managers. I want to make sure that all the pieces of the puzzle are in place so the artists can do their work. Make them feel fully supported and at ease so their full attention is on their art.

Jess and Maria arrive from Berlin today I will be shuttling most of the dancers up to Davis as they arrive over the next week. Making them feel welcome on one hand and keeping the artistic team on task and meeting deadlines. I cannot wait to see how the show develops.

Dances for Non-Fictional Bodies runs up at the Mondavi Center at UC Davis weekends February 12 - 21. The deconstructed work-in-progress Intercontinental Collaborations 4 runs at CounterPulse in SF February 25-28.

In my classes when we finish an exercise or at the end of a session I always ask my students if they have any questions, comments or epiphanies. At first they usually remain quiet, but once they feel comfortable with one another the questions and comments come flying out. Epiphanies however are few and far between. I don't think it's because they don't have any of those "a-ha" moments, I think it's because they may not be able to articulate the epiphanies quite yet.

To fill that lack in my life, in the last 2 months I have had the opportunity to work with Epiphany Productions and it's Artistic Director Kim Epiphano on a few projects. With Kim and then on my own, I lead site specific dance workshops in a few of the local public schools. It was great to see the students connecting with the architecture of their school in a new and physical way. Even when the kids were more hesitant or difficult, I found myself more enthusiastic and encouraging. Usually just one student who jumped out of their shell allowed the rest of the students to lose their inhibitions and be silly. It didn't happen all the time, but when it did it was pretty magical.

These workshops lead up to SF Trolley Dances, a dance festival that Epiphany presents annually. Kim selects a Muni line and finds sites along the way. So the audience gets off and on the trolley to see 6-7 different dance companies in a 90 minute time period.

I went with my friend (and fellow classmate) Jamie Kumpf to see the 2008 Festival on the new T-line. I loved it so much that I based the afternoon portion of The Dada Cabaret on the format. This year Kim selected the J-Church line and there were 3 dances in Mission Dolores Park and 3 in Balboa Park. The most exciting part was a  surprise dance presented along the way.

My friend (and fellow Davis alum) Randy Symank is the Managing Director of Epiphany and he asked me to be one of three lead tour guides this year. This position was added to increase the educational and aspect in a performative way. A traveling curator, if you will. Some parts were incredibly successful and others less so. However either way, we learned a lot. Some epiphanies, if you will.

I cannot wait to hear what Kim has in store for next year!

I graduated from the MFA acting program at the University of California, Davis in June and immediately eased back into professional theatre. Mindy Cooper directed me in my final university show, Oklahoma! and we had such a great time that she also cast me in On the Town with Diablo Theatre Co. We are performing for one more week in the Hoffman Theatre at The Lesher Center in Walnut Creek. It's a beautiful 800-seat house. Luckily due to the strength of the show and support of the company, the houses have been good and the applause mighty. 

The role of Hildy is very me. I unleashed my inner New Yorker and the sass came flying out. I have not played a vamp role since I Can Get it For You Wholesale at Jewish Theatre of the South in 2001. It was a long time coming and quite a gift! The songs I sing are some of the more well known in the show -- I Can Cook, Too, Come Up to My Place -- so each night I had to let the pressure go and sing them my way - without worrying how I compared to those that played Hildy before me. Just breathe and belt.

One of my cast mates complimented me on a creating a vibrant, yet grounded character. I am not a review reader, so I take great stock in the words of those around me as the character develops. After doing so much Stanislavski work at UC Davis, I was excited to be successful in portraying Hildy as a character that lives in the world of a big, bad musical, but who also is a real person.