Spring 2008
In short...
We all know about the beautiful image of surfers while riding their wave: they flow, they fly and seem to become one with their surrounding environment. Surfers love their oceans and on top of that, they are extremely cool.
They are also the first ones to notice pollution and the degradation of the state of our beaches. It is therefore that some 20 years ago a great organization saw the light.
The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over 50,000 members and 80 chapters worldwide.
Surfrider Strategic Initiatives
The core activities and campaigns that the Surfrider Foundation uses to protect our oceans, waves and beaches fall into the categories of Clean Water, Beach Access, Beach Preservation and Protecting Special Places.
They have held 200 community outreach campaigns, taken 8000+ beach water tests, given 900+ presentations of surfrider’s education programs, done 600 + beach cleanups and more:
In Montauk, Long Island the local Surfrider chapter worked to secure access to Camp Hero.
In New York, our New York City chapter worked to overturn a law from the 1850's, that made it illegal to surf or walk on the beach during certain times of the year. Today Rockaway Beach is open for surfing.
In Humboldt County, California, the Surfrider Foundation worked to win the second largest Clean Water Act suit in American history, ending a sordid history highlighted in over 40,000 violations of the law.
In Southern California our Huntington / Seal Beach chapter worked to drive the Orange County Sanitation District to agree to drop their Clean Water Action Section 301(h) waiver and stop the ocean discharge of 240 million gallons per day of partially treated sewage.
In Rincon, Puerto Rico, Surfrider Foundation worked to secure passage of legislation to create "Reserva Marina Tres Palmas de Rincón", establishing a marine reserve in the Tres Palmas area of Rincón and devote $100,000 for the development of a management plan for the marine reserve.
Check out the website as to find out how you can join the foundation, volunteer, or take one of their classes.
How to...
Warm up your body before you jump back into exercise mode?
It’s Spring so this is the perfect time to gain more vitality and feel better thanks to the benefits of exercise. But do remember to prepare your body:
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•you are about to prepare you body for aerobic exercise
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•this will gradually rev up your cardiovascular system
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•increase the blood flow to your muscles
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•and raise you body temperature
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•pick the best activity for that: walking, stretching
Be easy on yourself …….. take it one day at a time!
Where to...
Go in New York for some healthy outdoor boating and reconnect with the wonderful element “water”
Most of the gyms in the city offer rowing devices, but nothing beats the real deal. In New York, there are two locations where you can exercise your outdoor boating in style.
While the first has a very Cambridge college feel to it, that invites you to look your best, the second is more of a “letting your hair down” feeling, where you should wear your regular sports gear.
Our beloved Park is waking up out of its hibernation and the boathouse should be on your list if you want to unleash the romantic you. Make sure you take a pick nick with you and
Pier 40 near the West Side highway is your location for some wilder moments and it doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or experienced. The fun is the same and the guides and instructors are extremely friendly and well trained.
Interview...
PP: You are my belly dance teacher, is this your favorite dance expression?
SJ: I think that belly dance has been a part of my body story even before i was aware of it. People ask me, where did you train, who were your teachers...i simply have a kinesthetic understanding of the technique and a love and acceptance of my body that i believe comes through in my dancing. If this is my favorite form of expression, i cannot say, it's like asking me what my favorite dessert is...everything sweet is good and so all movement feels good to me, but this feels especially good, like homemade tiramisu.
PP: What dominates in your work, dance, culture, nature, preservation, expressionism, business, a mix of it all?
SJ: i think you nailed that question on the head, i work steadfastly to integrate all aspects of conscious ethics in my company because it is my education and because this is the business model, i most respect, so therefore i pursue it. I believe it is no longer acceptable in our contemporary culture to involve our community without being socially and environmentally responsible. I am by no means a monarchy, my company model has always been and will always be collaborative.
PP: For many people like you, their calling comes at a young age. What did you dream of becoming when you were 12.
SJ: What i wanted to become when i was twelve was the same as when i was four, to someday direct my own theater and school, to pursue the education of the artist and fulfill creative dreams on the stage.
PP: Can you describe a day in the life of Sahar.
SJ: i don't know that i have any day that is identical to the next. I think that is why New York City suits me well, i am constantly weaving between dancing, rehearsing, teaching, and investigating. But what i can share that is consistent in my daily practice is observation. I exist in a permanent state of witnessing. For example, each month when i go with friends to Basement Bhangra, i am simultaneously dancing my heart out and internalizing the power of the environment and the specificity of movement relationships between people.
PP: Your are a part of many programs: Reebok, your dance foundation, what do you like most?
SJ: What i like most is where i am of most use. Perhaps it is a cultural proclivity, but i feel i am nothing if i am not being 
of service. I have been involved with world dance education for the last few years in New York, specifically with teaching in elementary public schools and what i find most rewarding is the level of enthusiasm in these students and the comfort and faith i receive in knowing that i am education our future audience, our future arts enthusiasts.
PP: I went to see your last performance, how difficult is it to mix tradition and modern times?
SJ: To mix traditional and modern customs and practices, is still a challenge for me as i had spent many years neglecting my Iranian heritage. I have seen in the last ten years the great power in recognizing the values that i embrace and releasing the values that do not serve me, politically or otherwise. This is a conversation i have with myself on a daily basis, and without question informs the art i bring to the stage.
PP: Did you have a mentor, or a particular source of inspiration?
SJ: I wish that i could say i had one person who has been consistent in my life, a constant source of inspiration. If i really spend time reflecting, it is not so much a mentor i have in my life but artists that i feel have their finger on the pulse of creative consciousness. When i was living and studying dance and theater in Paris, i fell in love with Ariane Mnouchkine and her Theatre du Soleil, i think i may have seen "Et Soudain des Nuits D'eveil" ten times that season. This is woman who, in my eyes, is fearless in her theatrical commentary of contemporary world politics and culture. There is a seamlessness in her work that i believe can only come from working with a large ensemble of people dedicated to the creation of this vision.
PP: The movie Persepolis was a huge hit worldwide. How difficult is it to be an independent career women, having Iranian roots?
SJ: Speaking of Persepolis, an enormous part of my heart is dedicated to supporting Iranian female visual artists, Marjane Satrapi, Shirin Neshat, and Sara Rahbar to name a few. My mother is a set designer and my father an architect who met while studying at Accademia di Belle Arti in Firenze, Italy. It must be genetic for me to love visual arts as much as i do. Furthermore, having Iranian roots and being raised predominantly in the United States combines a strong will coupled with unparalleled amount of focus and dedication to my art. I have my mother and these fellow art contemporaries to thank for empowering me in my creative pursuits. There is no apology for pronouncing my heritage, there never should have been which i think is why my recent dance works, "Dreams of a Caspian Rain," :"In the Valley of Damavand," and "From Persia, with Measured Love" focus on weaving the beauty of Iranian customs and folkloric dance with contemporary modern dance.
PP : According to you, what human behavior could improve in quality, if we would listen to the language of nature?
SJ: Recognizing our interdependence is important to me. To dedicate and cultivate in all our relationships, professional and personal, a palpable sense of loving-kindness, to honor our environment and in turn honor and respect ourselves within this environment.
PP: what is your wish for the future of our planet
SJ: My wish is to continue to respect and honor my physical and emotional environment with steadfast mindfulness.
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