NORTON

FROM PAGE 12 ments, wins and celebrations. Reminiscing brings back joyful moments of those we have lived our lives with and through, and just how special each moment was to us during those seasons of life. Do you have any of those memories? I sure do. ere is no greater cure for the blues than spending time with a family member or friend stirring up our greatest and most memorable escapades of our past.

While reminiscing brings fond memories of years gone by, we sometimes visit that other side of our memories as we lament the missed opportunities in life, lost chances of love, and the mistakes we may have made along the way. We don’t often hear the word “lament” anymore. Merriam Webster’s Dictionary denes “lament” as, to express sorrow, mourning, or regret often demonstratively, or, to regret strongly, or, to cry out in grief. ose are some very strong words that should emote some very deep feelings.

When given the choice, most of us would probably prefer to reminisce about the good old days, right? We can laugh with one another, embrace one another, and choose to only remember the best times of our lives. ere is nothing wrong with that and as a matter of fact I highly recommend it.

Yet there is also something to be said of lamenting our past, our sorrows, our griefs, and the challenges we have faced in all our years here on earth. e struggles have been real, age reservoirs are now full, water conservation will continue to be at the forefront of our summer messaging to customers. Just because we’ve had a wet spring doesn’t mean that drought won’t continue to be a concern over the long-term. We all need to continue to keep an eye on conservation, partner to practice water e ciency while keeping our landscape vibrant, and continue our e orts to nd opportunities to preserve the community’s long-term water sustainability. rough innovative practices in nance, operations and resource management, we are constantly working to ensure we remain a resilient community, capable of responding when drought occurs. We have a history of taking proactive steps to build resilience over the past 40 years, and that philosophy remains at the core of Centennial Water’s focus for the future.

Examples of the district’s e orts to create a resilient community include work that began decades ago, such as securing additional surface water storage as part of the Chat eld Reservoir Reallocation Project (1994-2020), implementing a the hurts have been devastating, the challenges have brought us to tears, and the disappointments many and plentiful. Why would I say that there is something to be said about lamenting our past? Because sometimes even the pain brings back memories of something once cherished. Because sometimes it’s healthy to lament, and feel the pain so that we can maybe nally let it go. And sometimes, it’s OK to never let go of something or someone we cherished so deeply, that is now lost, because it keeps us connected forever. e daughter who lost her mom before her wedding day laments that she couldn’t experience that special occasion with her mom. e same daughter reminisces each holiday about how special her mom made each and every holiday, bringing both tears of sorrow and tears of joy to her face. Do you see how they can both exist in the same moment? conservation-focused water budget billing system (2003), building the South Platte Reservoir (2007), adopting a Drought Response Plan (2021), and making the tough decision to go into drought restrictions last year to protect our long-term sustainability. is is not always an easy job, which makes us appreciate our customers every day. Water is a nite resource, and we can’t protect it on our own. Centennial Water has the important job of acting as stewards of water for our customers, and we need the help of residents and business owners alike to help us continue our success.

How about you? Do you love and appreciate the moments where you get to reminisce about the best, happiest, and craziest times of life with your family and friends? Do you also lament those moments in life where you wish things could’ve been di erent? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can remember all of the sweet, bitter and bittersweet moments of life that shape who we are, it really will be a better than good life.

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

Centennial Water will be out in the community this summer, so please stop by and say hello. We will have a booth at Kid-Fest on June 10, a stop on the High Line Canal on Bike to Work Day June 28, and a booth at the Ice Cream Social on Aug. 2. We would love to answer your questions, and we always enjoy talking about water.

If you have questions about conservation, want to learn about our rebate and incentive programs, or would like to learn more about our water supply, our sta would love to help you. You can email info@centennialwater.org, call us at 303-791-0430, or nd lots of great information on our website at www. centennialwater.org. ank you for taking the time to learn more about our water supply in Highlands Ranch and what you can do to be a part of our long-term success.

Sam Calkins is the general meanger of the Centennial Water & Sanitation District e Studio is an all-inclusive space for people young and old to feel the music and express themselves. For dancers who want to break out of the traditional dance studio format, the international company based in Denver could be a dream come

Striving to bring the magic of global movement to people in Colorado, Caitlin BroznaSmith founded the dance studio that brings a piece of global culture along with self-expression and con dence with each class.

“It was so important to include people from where these cultures are sourced,” said Brozna-Smith. “I found people from Polynesia to teach Polynesian dance… teachers from Iran. We really have this beautiful, electric group of dancers from all over the

Among a multitude of dance styles, students can learn the soft style of Hula ‘Auana, Tahitian dance, Bollywood, Belly Dancing, adult ballet and Ginga Vibe, which draws on styles from the African Diaspora including Funk, Afro-Caribe, Dance Hall, Soca, Lambada and Samba. e studio also o ers Taiji Fit, a halfhour mind and low-impact body workout that combines traditional T’ai Chi with mindfulness and modern Western tness. Inspired by the Bollywood style of dance, BollyX Fitness is a 50-minute cardio workout and GROOV3 Hip Hop Dance Fitness.

Within the Bella Diva studio, both the

Students learn worldwide dance styles at Bella Diva World Dance Studio

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

teaching sta and students are multinational. e dance teachers come from ve di erent countries and teach a range of students from 29 di erent countries.

teach countries.

To bring as much authentic culture into Denver, many teachers have gone abroad to study di erent styles of dance.

“ e people (teachers) who are not native from the cultures that we’re teaching travel and learn from the source because it’s really important that we do cultural appreciation and cultural exchange,” Brozna-Smith said.

Samba styles (teachers) the from source appreciation exchange,” Brozna-Smith abso-

Samba, the high energy and fast footwork style is not just a dance form, it is a lifestyle. ose who teach Samba at Bella Diva make sure they are staying true to the culture and teach the students the history of where the dance originated.

“I am very careful when I am teaching my students because I am not Brazilian, it is not my culture, but it is something that I am absolutely fascinated with and love,” said instructor Chelsi Vecchiavelli. “I spend a lot of time outside of class researching, asking experts, listening to podcasts, consulting my mentors who are Brazilian and who are my teachers.”

Born out of the slave trade when it was down in Brazil, Samba was a means of hope and joy and is a dance of resistance and raises up against oppression.

Samba schools have often been located in a favela, which is the poor neighborhoods within Rio De Janeiro. Vecchiavelli said there