Len Beyea interviews Laura Bishop, Executive Director of The 418 Project, and Beverly Molina, Board Member, about the dance community, the importance of dance and movement, and the acquisition of a new and larger space by The 418 Project, enabling them to provide more classes, events, and space for local artists.
Laura Bishop is a healing practitioner. Laura accidentally fell in love with the 418 Project when she walked through the door of Dance Church one Sunday in the early 2000s. Through her growing involvement with the center, she has discovered experiences that were unexpectedly colorful and meaningful.
At a young age Beverly Molina knew she wanted to write a book. A story about following the heart’s journey emerged to be written, decades later. She also knew early on that dancing with abandon felt like truth, freedom and her wild natural state. If you had told her at that age that she would be a firefighter one day, she would have laughed.
As a firefighter, writer, active community member, mentor, and embodied movement ambassador, Beverly believes strongly in serving and inspiring people in her local community and beyond. Beverly brings the multifaceted experiences from all her endeavors to empower and motivate people to follow their dreams, break through personal and social barriers, and celebrate their authentic self-expression.
With 19 years experience as a firefighter, one of the questions people ask her most frequently is, “Is it scary going into a fire?” When she was first asked this question years ago, she surprised herself when she answered, “No. We train hard and consistently, all the time for fires, so it actually isn’t scary going in.” People often tell her she must be very brave.
However, the bravest thing Beverly has ever done has nothing to do with fighting raging fires, extricating people out of crashed cars or working medical emergencies. The bravest thing Beverly has ever done is listen to the inner urgings of her own heart.
Beverly’s book, Brave and Awake, details life lessons learned on her own personal transformational journey. She also writes a blog in which she explores the positive potential for the human experience when life is approached with authenticity, deep trust, and intention.
Beverly is a new board member for The 418 Project – the movement arts center where she has been moving and dancing for 10 years.
Note that this episode also includes a 2-minute commentary from First Person Singular, about dancing (!), by Bahia Brunelle, at the end of the recording.
