Why I left the Buzzing NYC Dance Scene to Move to Hawaii...

Aloha beautiful friend,

There’s one question I’m asked on a regular basis (practically daily) that drives me slightly nuts. It didn’t bother me at first, or even for the first month of living in Hawaii, but as time went on and the same question comes repeatedly to this day, well, then I start to wonder if I should have a pre-recorded answer and I simply pull out a tape-player (remember those?) and hit “play” (haha!)

Why would a gal like me – young, a dancer/choreographer, professionally trained in dance, and from New York City – end up living in Hawaii? To most people here, this is most puzzling. They can’t wrap their heads around it. They try to connect the dots-

“Do your parents live here?” “No”

“Is your husband stationed here in the military?” “Nope”

At this point, the look of concern on the questioners face is so distraught I feel the need to console them, to tell them I have not lost my mind by choosing to live in Hawaii, and that everything is going to be ok.

The truth is, there’s lots of reasons I left the cultural mecca of NYC to move to Hawaii. But, it had nothing to do with having friends or any sort of connections here. In fact, I moved to Hawaii about 2 years ago without knowing a single person on the island, and without ever having been to Hawaii before!

I remember the exact moment I knew that NYC was just not gonna work out for me. I was hauling my probably 30-pound rolling backpack around in the depths of winter. The bag was filled with 32 oz of water, 32 oz of organic green juice (both in glass bottles of course. No BPA for me!), produce I bought from the Unions Square farmers market, and everything I would need for multiple dance rehearsals that day. Carrying that big heavy rolling bag with freezing hands up and down the subway stairs...going from one activity to the next...spending hours just in transit underground...taking as much teaching work as I could possibly schedule to cover my expenses..it just felt like I was on a hamster wheel. Luckily, my incredible mother met me during the day, carried the heavy bag up the subway stairs for me as I exclaimed loudly for everyone to hear, “THIS IS IT!, I’ve had enough! I’m not doing this anymore!” I was of course referring to the NYC hamster-wheel life...and my mom totally understood!

So, I left the buzzing dance scene of NYC to be in a place where I am inspired every single day- where I can see the stars and the moon, swim in the ocean, climb mountains, and not waste time putting on eight layers of clothes in the Winter. (That was a major point to leaving NYC- too many layers to take on and off). I left NYC so I could pursue my dream of having my own dance company, and rather than launch my company in a place that’s already saturated with modern dance, launch it in a place that has plenty of room for what I want to create.

So, dear reader, you got the long version, but hopefully that saves me a conversation or two and gives you some insight into my seemingly crazy life choices. ;0)

Stay tuned for next weeks newsletter, which will be a VLOG (video blog) with a super exciting how-to lesson. Seriously, you don’t want to miss it.

Now, I would LOVE to hear from YOU! Have you ever made a decision that was went "against the grain" and defied conventional wisdom? How'd it work out for you in the end? Let me know below in the comments box!

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Blessings for an awesome day,

Courtney