Studio Kairos Introduction

Studio Kairos was created by the people who have been coming to Nia classes since 2003. When Ann Schwankhart, Michelle Hudson and I qualified as Nia White Belt Instructors, we started sharing teaching 1 class / week. It just grew from there. People; our friends and their friends and colleagues wanted more classes. So from one class / week , we went to 2 classes / week, then 3, in February 2006, the Parktown North Masonic Hall became ours to use as Studio Kairos.

In November 2006 Studio Kairos moved from Parktown North to the Rosebank Bowling Club, 15 Hume road,Dunkeld West. It was sad to have to leave the safe space of the Masonic hall, which we had used for years to grow and nuture ourselves through Nia. However, we now have an even bigger, brighter space which feels more connected to the outside world, with it's huge windows overlooking the green. We are grateful for the time we had to build our Nia community, and feel the new space will bring us into our next chapter of Music, Movement & Magic; allowing us to bring in more light, more sound and celebrate with our dear fellow Teachers and International visitors and other events (see web-site every month for details).

The Studio will always be blessed by Avril Joffe’s five years of inspiring and dedicated co-director partnership with me. From 2006 to 2011, Avril gave generously of her time to co-create in running the Studio. Studio Kairos and the Jozi Nia community values her continued commitment to the Studio in the role of much loved teacher and Black Belt Instructor. I look forward to many more opportunities to work together on other events in the future.

From 2012, Kim Hatchuel has enthusiastically taken the role of Partner in running Studio Kairos, and much gratitude is felt in sharing this task in serving the community. Kim has served the Nia Community in Johannesburg unofficially from the outset of Nia in Johannesburg, and has been very much part of administering many facets of running Nia events and the Studio. It is a great pleasure to welcome her on board officially as a Managing Partner at Studio Kairos.

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Kairos comes from the Greek word meaning "Timeless", the opposite of Chronos, which means linear /mechanical .

We all live in man-made mechanical time with tight deadlines and are constantly racing against time.

In Kairos or "Natural Time", we are able to tune into our natural rhythms and cycles, which fluctuate according to our bio-rhythms. In Nia one of the White Belt Principles is "Natural Time".

It was my dream to create a dedicated space for us to do the wonderful work of Nia. I have endless gratitude for this dream coming to fruition. Once again, this Nia JHB space could not have been created without the following of the amazingly enthusiastic students / participants and the dedicated White Belt Teachers who display and share their gifts with such courage and generosity.

Thank you to Kathy Wolstenholme for instilling this passion and purpose and paving a "road-map" of how to use it, through our White Belt Intensive Training.

Thank you to Ann Christiansen, Black Belt Trainer who travelled from Europe and dedicated many weeks in her busy calendar since 2007, to growing Nia in South Africa. Click here to read Ann's message to South Africa (July 2012).

Avril Joffe, Kim Hatchuel and Susan Sloan (Admin office-behind the scenes of Studio Kairos – a toast to celebrate Avril’s dedicated service to running the studio and a welcome toast to Kim)

Susan Sloan
Nia Black Belt Instructor and White Belt Trainer

The Literary Journal Defines Kairos as:
…”the right moment” or “the opportune.” The two meanings of the word apparently come from two different sources. In archery, it refers to an opening, or “opportunity” or, more precisely, a long tunnel-like aperture through which the archer’s arrow has to pass. Successful passage of a kairos requires, therefore, that the archer’s arrow be fired not only accurately but with enough power for it to penetrate. The second meaning of kairos traces to the art of weaving. There it is “the critical time” when the weaver must draw the yarn through a gap that momentarily opens in the warp of the cloth being woven. Putting the two meanings together, one might understand kairos to refer to a passing instant when an opening appears which must be driven through with force if success is to be achieved.

Click here to download the Class Schedule for Studio Kairos, Dunkeld West