Tash is a fantastic teacher - accolades aside, her hordes of adoring fans and students say more for her than I ever could. Her years, decades even, of experience in education and life, coupled with her thirst for truth seeking, her exposure to multiple cultures, a wonderfully open mind and depth of thought - make her not only an invaluable teacher to those fortunate enough to interact with her, but also in many instances, a wonderful example to follow birth in actions and principles. #Tashformula is her brainchild from her years of expertise and exposure in the world of music and dance, and while it probably only represents a fraction of what she knows, it’s a clear and flexible structure for learners all around to begin their dance journey, and for the experienced dancers to enlighten their path forward. I am fortunate enough to have been exposed to both Tash and the #Tashformula, and I can wholeheartedly recommend others to do the same.
Tash is an amazing teacher/mentor/friend to me. The way she articulates and breakdown abstract concepts regarding dance and locking gave me a lot of clarity in seeking and clarifying my direction/identity in dance and as a locker. I'm also inspired by how she formulates and creates her pedagogy, being able to teach effectively to dancers with different levels of dance experience. Tash's relational and empathetic side amplifies the learning students received, making students feel accepted and empowered in exploring their learning growth. Carl Roger once said "learning takes place best in a context of a relationship", to me that's Tash.
Having been on the platform for a year now, there is always something new to be found in Tash Formula. I find that the more we work on the material, the more we could utilize it when we are even more ready. From sampling in music to foundations of movement to a dedicated perspective on our beloved street dance, Tash Formula has been a fruitful journey and I believe it will continue to be. Tash Formula has a way of explaining and getting me to understand abstract concepts in simple terms and I believe that is the main magic of this platform!
An educator I listen to relates garnering the spark of creativity and learning as similar to cultivation from farmers. If we create the conditions where it can flourish, creativity and the love of learning simply will happen as surely as we are human. TashFormula, to me, has done just that. We all learn in different avenues, and I love that she breaks down lessons to be based on music by era, and then by movement fundamentals.
Not all dancers have the same foundations, and many times we don't even know what we lack or were never shown until the information is presented to us. How does one know what they lacked when they've done fine as they were so far? I would go even further, what does a dancer become as they mature and age? For many, we teach or try and become a resource to our communities, sometimes too early I feel. As a dancer I was given free rein to determine how I learned, and what I engaged with; As a teacher, I resolidified lessons I knew before but never could put names to; As a resource, I learned better ways to explain things than how I previously did--and I can't fully express how wonderful that is. TashFormula becomes a rising tide for communities when it uplifts people from different levels.
Now, to be given the autonomy to meander and fully take in the material is one thing, but it would be no different than a curated library. I think the FULL value comes from who runs the library, and how they communicate. To be fair, my interactions are a bit anachronistic. I learned from and got to know Tash before partaking in TashForumla, but the intention and more importantly, care, carry over all the same. She makes herself available for clarification, garners explanations to the audience who receives it, shares all of what she has, and shows us how a love of something becomes infectious to those who approach the material.
Her class is full of knowledge. It give us a taste of what it was like in the past when the dance was at its rarest form. I was also able to understand, clarify and be sure of what locking is.
At the very start, I didn't know what to expect from TashFormula; I didn't know the treasures it held through all types of teachings. It has been essential in curating my events and teaching people about traditional African American cultures. TashFormula allowed me to make the teachings on the platform relatable to the people, the events I organize, or the students I teach.
TashFormula is and will continue to be an essential tool for me to reflect on my own knowledge and understanding, a place where I can go back to, a hub of knowledge. I can use it very meticulously to teach within my own circles. I religiously use the platform as reference material for the events I organize, understand, and do further research.
It allowed me to appreciate the African American culture, as a whole, more deeply and intentionally than I knew possible. And this goes from starting with Blues, learning about Soul and Jazz , Funk and Disco and circling it all the way back now to at a point where I've always shied away from gospel music cuz I'm not religious, but now coming to the understanding that it all started with gospel music, and being able' to hear that in the music; a very big part of that eye opening experience was being able to reference Parliament Funkadelic and what they did with their live show "The Mothership" in Houston and seeing that live show in full to being able to do my own event in honor of Parliament Funkadelic and just seeing how it is basically a church, it is basically gospel, but a more evolved version of it and it still occurs up until this day.
Being able to continuously reflect, reference, understand, learn and further teach, both in a traditional classroom setting and through more unorthodox ways , like organizing events, has allowed me to develop so much more, not just a dancer but as somebody who consumed African American culture from a young age, from a very commercialize point a view or point of view that was clouded with a lot of ignorance, lack of understanding and lack of knowing.
TashFormula gave me the understanding that I needed to be more confident in my teachings. It gave me the knowledge to better emphasize what is important within African American culture. It allowed me to further develop my own ways of approach when it comes down to this culture, these dance styles, these music genres, and how I continue to teach it to people, regardless of the setting or context, if I don't know, I can reference TashFormula.
Apart from being a course, it is a guide and a tool of many that will exist up there, but it's to me one that I feel is the most authentic in a very accessible way. Tash Formula is authentic and it maintains that authenticity by not just highlighting the commercial aspects of these music genres or dance styles, but it goes really into the nitty gritty of it all, literally to a spiritual sense, all the way down to that spiritual core. And it made me so appreciative of being in a position now of being able to learn, grow and understand.
Hey, my name is Misha.
I believe I’ve been a student of Tash for a long time since she recognized me in Sweden in 2016.
In a short amount of time, she became like a dance mother to me. She is literally the best teacher I could ask for. Very very rich and deep for knowledge. She will teach you everything you need to know about street-style dancing. She taught me the essence of hip-hop and locking.
The best friend, mentor, and teacher I could ask for!!
Give her all the flowers you have because she’s been in the game for a long time and knows what good dancing and art mean.
Thank you so much, Tash!!!
Thank you so much for being a great inspiration. I have known Tash for just 3+ years.It doesn’t matter how well she knows you. If you shoot her a question, be assured you will get the best answer possible. She got real patience. Trust me; she sends LONG answers (even for the dumbest question) just so that it pushes you a step ahead.After a LONG, LONG WAIT, I got to take her class here in Chennai, India. I got answers to some of my long-awaited questions.She connected the social context, the music, and how it impacted the dance. It might be familiar and intuitive. But when she demonstrated it, we understood how it actually gets manifested in the movements.Rocksteady and break it down: She explained that the difference is actually in the music. I was awestruck. Many dots instantly connected.I have always said this. She is THE BRIDGE. She connects the new generation to the source. It’s important we learn from someone like her, who has spent time with many OGs, lived the culture, and has a holistic perspective on dance, music, art, and life in general.
