Straight to the Pointe

Change is All Around Us

2012-08-31T10:24:00.003-04:00

“Happiness is essentially a state of going somewhere wholeheartedly, one-directionally, without regret or reservation.”

I post this quote because big changes are happening! It has inspired me to be fearless in the face of new and unfamiliar opportunities as well as reflect on where I have been and where I am going. Tomorrow, Brody and I will be moving to a brand new one bedroom apartment in Claymont, Delaware! We are moving to Delaware to be closer to his job and closer to Philly so I don't have to commute as far. This is a big step for us because even though we lived together in NYC this past fall, we were subletting and living in a room in someone's apartment. So, this is truly our first place and our first time signing a lease! We will be there for at least one year, which is the duration of my contract with D2.

This is an exciting and scary adventure for the both of us, but mostly exciting :) Change always gives me mixed emotions, but I think that's pretty common, at least with everyone I know. It's just a matter of how you handle those mixed emotions, and I know once I get past the unfamiliarity and get used to my new surroundings, it will feel like home. When we moved to New York, I literally cried for the whole first week; not because I hated it, but because it was new and I was scared. But it ended up being the best four months of my life. It just goes to show you that you never know what life is gonna throw your way or how it will turn out, but somehow it always ends up exactly how it should be. Everyone is constantly evolving from moment to moment in their own lives, and I can't wait to see where this new chapter will take us.

This is my parents' family room right now; yikes! I just thought I'd share with the world how much stuff I have. And this doesn't even include all the furniture we're bringing! Moving in will definitely be an extensive and tiring process, but I'm really looking forward to having my own space to decorate. I'll be posting pictures of the finished product :)

Notice the suitcase busting at the seams. Haha!

I've been on a break from class and rehearsal for about a week and a half now. Plus, our move-in weekend is a three day weekend thanks to Labor Day, so we couldn't of had more perfect timing! We'll have a couple days to get settled before going back to work and class, then I start teaching at the studio a week later. It feels like everything is happening perfectly and I couldn't be more thankful. Rehearsal for D2 starts back up on Tuesday, then on Wednesday we have a showing for our next big performance, "Danco on Danco". The showing is where all of the potential pieces will be performed and critiqued, then they pick which ones will be in the show. "Danco on Danco" is to showcase D2, so I'm really looking forward to it. I am in two pieces that D2 has been rehearsing and one student choreography work. Once we get moved in and back to our normal schedules, I'll be posting updates on that, so stay tuned!

Danco at the Dell!

2012-08-18T21:48:00.001-04:00

This is the beautiful outdoor stage that I had the honor to perform on last night for Philadelphia's first annual Founders Day. The venue is the Dell Music Center located in North Philadelphia. The theatre was more like an arena that reminded me of the seating for a baseball game. It has 5,284 seats and can accommodate an additional 600 people on the lawn! The stage itself is open in the front, but the back is connected to a building, so it has a roof that hovers over it. Since this was an outdoor setting, we're lucky that the storms held off until right after the show!

This was my second performance with D2 after only 6 weeks. Donald told us that they normally spend the summer training the "newbies" and they have to wait awhile before they perform, so I'm very grateful that I've been given these great opportunities. Any chance to perform is fantastic, but this performance was big! It included D3 (the youth program), D2 (the second company), Philadanco along with some alumni, and guest artists such as Maurice Hines, Anthony Burrell, Dance Iquail, and Rennie Harris. I shared the stage with some truly inspirational dancers and artists.

The D2 dancers performed two pieces that are in the repertory. The first is called "Music+Style=Jazz". As you can probably tell from the title, this piece is about jazz music and the social dances of that era. Our characters are people in a night club just letting loose and having fun. The second piece is called "Pursuit". As Donald would tell us, "You have to change hats!", meaning this dance has the complete opposite feel from the first dance. We went from sassy jazz club dancers to people trying to avoid death and the end of the world as we know it. Our characters in this piece are fierce, intense, crazy, and in agony. Sounds like a good combo, right? I love this dance because I think it's always fun to do something a little more dark and evil. Maybe that's because I don't normally get to experience that in real life :)

Angela and I in the dressing room before the performance

Performing for a big audience is always nerve-racking, but especially so with D2. I think it's because I've only been in the company for six weeks and therefore, have not had a long period of time to rehearse. I know the choreography enough to perform, but I don't know it in my bones yet. That takes time and repetition, and I know I will be more comfortable once I know the whole rep like the back of my hand because I've done it so many times. It's just like anything else in life; change can be difficult, but you are constantly evolving and growing, and everything becomes easier with time. In fact, I already feel like I'm in the swing of things and thriving in this company compared to my first two weeks of panic, confusion, and exhaustion. I can tell that I pick up choreography quicker than I used to and I hold onto corrections better since the pressure and the standards of this environment are so high.

I am so thankful for the challenge, "tough love", craziness, and occasional stress because it is shaping me into a strong and resilient professional dancer day by day. Despite the difficulties of remembering spacing and choreography, being nervous, and having to dance on sticky marley with feet that are torn to shreds, the show went extremely well. And I think overcoming those kinds of challenges make it that much more worth it. After all the hard work and long hours of rehearsal, it's so satisfying to look into the audience and see all the happy faces and hear all of the enthusiastic cheers.

I don't have any pictures of the performance this time, but both dances were recorded, so I have some snapshots from the videos. I apologize for the bad quality!

Why Do We Dance?

2012-08-08T11:05:00.000-04:00

This is a question that was asked by our company director yesterday in rehearsal, and it is very thought-provoking. I have found that since I've been dancing for so long, I often forget why I dance and I just go through the steps because it has become habit. This is something that you should always avoid, and if it does happen from time to time, constantly remind yourself that you are doing this for a reason. Donald made a good point in asking why we come to the studio everyday and work so hard to get better in class and rehearsal. We wouldn't be putting in all this effort if we didn't care about dancing and didn't feel like doing it. Yet sometimes the inspiration and the meaning of it is lost.

I always apply dance to life because for some of us, these two things are one and the same. This is a perfect example because this happens in our lives all the time. We may go through the motions of daily life without purpose or meaning, we may take the little things for granted, and we may forget who we really are. Life is too short to waste a single moment. Recent events in my family have renewed my motivation for purpose, meaning, mindfulness, passion, and gratitude in my daily life and in my dancing. I want to try harder to live my life to the fullest while I am still young and healthy, then continue that practice throughout the rest of my life. A lot of times it takes a tragedy or something out of the ordinary to jolt someone awake from the mindless, auto-pilot existence that they were living, but you don't need something bad to happen to make you appreciate your life. I think of three things that I'm grateful for when I wake up and before I go to bed. I also try to savor every single experience, even if it's something like driving to dance class.

Even if you don't know your purpose in life yet, just the fact that you are searching gives meaning to your life. It's the same with dance because you may not know where it will take you or what kind of dance career you're going to have, but if you know why you dance, that is enough. Dance without meaning is just exercise. A great artist puts their heart and soul into every movement and understands why they are doing that movement. For example, during rehearsal Donald wasn't seeing the emotion and the story behind the piece we were doing, he just saw the correct steps. Why would an audience want to pay to see that? He said, "You have to change the room." As in, you have to be so invested in what you're doing that everyone stops and becomes transfixed by you. When you're performing a piece, think about what the choreographer was trying to convey and the relationship between you and the other dancers. If you don't portray that meaning, then what is the point of performing the dance? Dance is a way for dancers and choreographers to express an emotion or idea, so our job as dancers is to show that through movement and intention.

This week in class we have modern/contemporary, and right from day 1 our teacher has been pushing us to our limits. I believe that this is one of the many reasons why we dance; to see how far we can stretch our bodies and our minds. After one of the exercises she told us that we were holding back and she said, "There is so much space that your bodies haven't experienced!" Dancing is like exploring; even if you're in class and there's no story or emotion, there is still a meaning. We are exploring how our bodies can move in space and how far they can go. She also told us, "Modern is about being daring and pushing boundaries." This comment was made about a simple step forward that was not bold enough. So, even walking has to have a purpose. Last week at the end of our class with Milton Myers, he summed up what I'm writing about. He told us that dance and life are the same, and we use dance as a means for life. Most importantly, we are so lucky to have found dance.

No Pain, No Gain

2012-08-02T09:35:00.000-04:00

My world has been a little crazy lately, so I apologize for the delay in posting. I have a feeling this is what it's going to be like throughout my contract with D2. I've been spending 7-8 hours a day commuting to and dancing with Philadanco while also working in the mornings. Situations like this stress the importance of enough sleep, stamina, and a healthy diet. I drink a lot of water while I dance, and if I don't drink enough, usually my body will let me know by giving me a headache or fatigue. I've also been experimenting with what kinds of snacks and how much works best for a long night of dancing.

Basically, since I've last posted we've had 2 weeks of ballet and are currently in our Horton week. Last Wednesday we had our first performance (which is the reason why this post is titled "No Pain, No Gain"). But first, let's talk about ballet. It's interesting how 2 people could be teaching the same exact style of dance, but their classes are so different. That's what happened when we had 2 teachers for ballet 2 weeks in a row. The first teacher spent a lot of time at the barre and a lot of time talking about the objective and the anatomy of what we were doing. His barre exercises would switch back and forth from one side to the other without stopping, whereas with the other teacher we would do one side and then pause before the other side. The teacher for the second week didn't talk as much as the first; He would give corrections here and there, but it was mainly about enhancing our technique by doing.

Some tidbits I learned in ballet the past 2 weeks:

Everything at the barre prepares you for the center.
Keep breathing (I tend to forget this a lot).
Ballet is not a tense, held, statue-like position. It is a living, breathing thing.
The center of gravity in ballet is your solar plexus (the center part at the top of your ribs).
Turn out even more when you let go of the barre for a balance.
Where you are in space is part of the step; It's not only how it's executed, but where it travels.

I talked about "Concerto" in my last post, and that was the dance that I performed at City Hall last Wednesday. "Concerto" is the hardest dance I've ever done. It feels like I'm having an asthma attack by the end of it. I am in every section of the piece and I'm constantly going on and off stage. But every time I rehearsed it full out, I felt my stamina growing a tiny bit. Donald always reminded us to breathe in rehearsal. I think it's funny that we have to be reminded of that, but when you're focused on getting through a piece and doing it well, you forget about breathing! He also told us to pace ourselves, which was great advice. Most of us were trying to go all out and give it our all throughout the whole piece because that's what we're taught, but then by the 3rd section we're so tired that we can barely get through it and that's visible to the audience. Since we want the whole dance to look good, he told us to conserve our energy and find places where we could hold back a little bit. I think that's good for any strenuous dance. Also, the stage we performed on was outdoors and it didn't have wings, so we had to look presentable while we were waiting for our cue and running backstage, despite the fact that we were dripping with sweat and couldn't catch our breath.

You would think that being outdoors would cause less than perfect conditions for dancing, but it couldn't have been more perfect! The stage was set up in the center of City Hall and it was huge with brand new marley floor. The weather was beautiful, we were in the shade, and the turn out was amazing (pun intended). The bleachers were filled as soon as we started rehearsing an hour before the show! We had great support and a wonderful reaction from the audience members. They even clapped for us after we marked through the dances during rehearsal. Donald is very hard on us during rehearsal; The movement and the spacing always has to be perfect. So performing for the first time was very, very nerve-racking. Not only do I want to live up to the high standards, but I had just been thrown into this piece less than a week before. At one point when I was off stage I almost forgot where I had to go next, but everything went off without a hitch.

Here are all of the photos that my mom took of the rehearsal and performance:

https://plus.google.com/photos/113627323652062854299/albums/5769533525495221441

No pain, no gain is like the motto of dancing for many reasons. It refers to physical pain as well as mental and emotional challenges. There was physical pain at the performance because of the texture of the brand new floor. Since we dance with bare feet, by the end of our rehearsal I had bubbles and blisters all of the bottom of my feet. One girl even had a blister that split open and started bleeding. When we performed, every time I went off stage and came back to reality for a second, I realized that my feet felt like they were on fire. The floor was beautiful and we're so grateful that we had an amazing stage like that, but the point is, the show must go on no matter what happens. I already mentioned the emotional challenge of being nervous and trying to dance up to high standards. Your stomach might be in knots before a performance, but all you can do is try your best and if you truly believe everything will go well, it will. A mental challenge that I constantly have as a "newbie" in the company is remembering so much choreography. Since our performance we've been working on 3 other pieces for future shows; 2 of them were performed last Wednesday, and the newbies are just getting caught up because Donald wants to add us to them. The third piece is called "Bound" and we had to learn that one off of a tape. This seemed like a daunting task at first because you can't slow down a tape and you have to reverse everything. But, I found out that I am really good at picking up choreography quickly that way :)

As I said earlier, we are currently taking Horton with the one and only, Milton Myers. Milton is a resident teacher and choreographer at Philadanco, and a master of the Horton technique. Horton is probably my favorite style of modern, and I think it's because I like the challenge. I always leave a Horton class sweating and tired, not to mention extremely sore the next day. We do something called laterals where you take your entire torso from side to side, so my abs and sides are killing me! This technique has a lot to do with the torso either bending forward in a flat back, to the side in laterals, or twisting in a spiral. During all of these exercises your legs and pelvis stay stationary and your torso is isolated. That's why a Horton class is such a good workout. The Horton technique is very strong, sharp, and linear, although it may have some other qualities in choreography. It is the foundational technique for modern companies such as Philadanco and Alvin Ailey (Philadanco's sister company). I look forward to building upon what I already know and growing even more in the next 2 classes.

Next week we have modern/contemporary, then Dunham. D2 also has another performance coming up on August 17th, so stay tuned!

Getting Into the Swing of Things: My First Week as a D2 Member

2012-07-13T14:07:00.001-04:00

Monday, July 9th began the newest chapter of my life. As you probably know, I received a contract to be a part of Philadanco's second company, D2. The contract lasts one year and begins with the six week summer intensive. The summer intensive includes an evening class Monday-Friday, followed by rehearsal Monday-Thursday for D2 members. This week's classes were Graham technique taught by Mary Barnett, a graduate of the Juilliard school and a master of this technique.

Since we only have Ms. Barnett for five days and it is an intensive setting, we got a broad overview of the basic Graham technique. This is not to say that she rushed through the exercises to get everything accomplished. On the contrary, she took her time teaching us the foundational concepts and combinations so we truly knew them and felt them in our bodies. Her class structure was about starting with the basics and building upon that to gain a better understanding of the technique, because as she always says, "Learning is accumulative."

Ms. Barnett treated the technique class like academic-type class. On the second day she brought in a huge notepad, tore off a piece of paper, taped it to the mirror, and wrote down all of the basic concepts and exercises that we learned on the first day. Each day we reviewed the list and added to it. As the week went on, we were expected to remember every exercise and do it in sequence so we could move through the class at a faster pace. Each combination was like a pop quiz; She asked us if this was a test, would you pass? These teaching techniques truly benefited me because when we reviewed the concepts everyday, I learned the combinations faster, and the added pressure of being expected to know the sequence always helps me "get on my game". Not only did I memorize the combinations well, but I truly understand what it's supposed to look like and how it's supposed to feel. There were always some members of the professional company who would demonstrate for Ms. Barnett, so she would break it down and show us how every little detail should be.

The Graham technique is based on contractions, which is where you hollow out your middle and let your chest and head relax. It's like making a C shape with your torso, and you have to keep your shoulders over your hips. The opposite of the contraction is when you straighten up and stretch the sides of your body, then you look up to the ceiling and open your chest and throat. The exercises involve both closing and opening the torso, so they counterbalance each other. This technique is especially about alignment, so you always have to be aware of where your body is in space. The first part of the class is done sitting, and most people like to sit with their torso forward from their hips; It's just more comfortable that way. But you have to push back so you're sitting directly on your sits bones and your back is straight, or as Ms. Barnett would say, "Get on your legs!"

Another element of Graham is spirals through the body. There are spirals of the shoulders and head, which is just a partial spiral, but there is also full spirals, which start with the pelvis, then middle, then shoulders, then the head is last. It's like you're a human barber shop pole! With all of these elements to think about, you also have to remember to breathe. You would think that comes naturally, but when you're working so hard, sometimes it can be forgotten. The breath is what moves the body. For example, you start a contraction by breathing in, and when you release the breath, that's what makes the abdomen contract. Even though we spent a lot of time on the floor and the movement seems simple, it was very challenging and requires a lot of strength and focus. The muscles should always be engaged no matter what you're doing. That's why I was extremely sore the next day even though we barely went across the floor! One of my favorite things that Ms. Barnett said was to surrender to the movement. She told us that if you surrender to the movement and also practice surrendering in daily life, everything will become easier. There is no point in fighting what is. Embrace it no matter what, and you will find life to be effortless and free. I could not agree more :)

As I said before, the second part of our evening is rehearsal. I don't really know how to describe the rehearsal process other than crazy, challenging, demanding, exhausting, and possibly the hardest thing I've ever done. They don't mess around here at Philadanco! Within the first night, the "newbies" (There are five new members including myself) were learning multiple sections to a piece called "Concerto". This piece is danced to music by Vivaldi, and it is contemporary ballet with a modern flair. The piece has three sections and is probably over 5 minutes long, but I can't say for sure because I've only actually seen bits and pieces. What I can say is that it's A LOT of choreography to learn in such a short amount of time. I learned the entire piece in 3 rehearsals. Not to mention that I was assigned as a swing, which means that I have to learn everyone's part for every dance. We learn either by watching a tape or asking one of the senior members who already know it. Freaked out, overwhelmed, frazzled, and confused does not even describe how I felt in the middle of the week. At one point the newbies had to show Donald (our company director) what we knew from the piece, and after we were done I was still shaking from nerves.

I think this week was so challenging because the majority of the company has already been there for at least a year, so they know some of the choreography like the back of their hand, and they don't slow down just because some of us are new. We had to get caught up immediately and get on their level. Despite this challenge of working our way into the already established group, I had a breakthrough yesterday. The day before I was a mess because I literally had no clue what I was doing and I have never felt like that before. But yesterday I worked my butt off to get caught up by taking initiative and asking everyone I could for help. For almost the entire 3 hours, I was reviewing everything that we have learned. I did it over and over and over again in order to remember it the best I could. We also wrote down the order of the sections because remembering the sequence was probably the hardest part. So, things are finally coming along and we're definitely making progress.

It has only been 4 days and I already feel like I'm transforming into a better and smarter dancer. Company work is unlike anything I have ever experienced, and I'm so grateful that I get this opportunity to challenge myself. Someone once told me that when you feel uncomfortable like a fish out of water, that's when the growing is taking place. I found that to be true this week. On Wednesday I felt like giving up during rehearsal, but instead, I did my homework and tried even harder the next day, and I came out of it stronger. I can feel my technique and body being enhanced, as well as my mind being more focused on the task at hand. Conquering the hurdle of the first week has inspired and motivated me to keep growing and overcoming those obstacles.

Passion 4 Dance

2012-07-02T11:23:00.000-04:00

Last week was the Passion 4 Dance summer intensive at Cecil Dancenter. There were 12 dancers between the ages of 11 and 15 that attended the intensive Monday-Friday. I taught on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and I had a great time. This group of dancers are the ones that I taught during the year, and I also taught the same intensive last year. So, for the past 2 years I have seen them all grow tremendously right before my eyes. Not only have they grown in height and maturity, but they are growing into beautiful dancers and artists.

During the week we did a wide variety of techniques and styles which included classical ballet, contemporary ballet, improv, choreography, jazz, contemporary/modern, lyrical, conditioning, jumps/tricks/turns, and stretch. This was a chance for the dancers to gain more experience in other genres and therefore, become more versatile. They also had a lot of practice with learning choreography as well as fine-tuning their technique. For every style of dance, I taught a routine that was over a minute long. They say you should be able to really learn a minute of choreography in an hour, but these dancers were learning it in about 40 minutes. Picking up choreography and truly learning it so that you could do it on your own takes a lot of practice. It's just like improving your technique; you have to continuously do it in order to get better. Even though there were times when the dancers forgot the choreography, I was so impressed with the way they took on the challenge. It's not about being perfect, it's about giving it your all.

improv- drawing their names with their bodies

jazz

contemporary- group 1

contemporary- group 2

lyrical

contemporary ballet

When Real Life Begins

2012-06-12T11:52:00.000-04:00

I have wonderful news...I got a contract for an apprenticeship with Philadanco! The apprentice company is called D2, and they take class, rehearse, and perform on a regular basis. D2 performs over 25 times a year and the dancers are sometimes included in Philadanco performances. If you've been following my blog, you know that I've seen many Philadanco performances and I always rant and rave about them. Now I get the chance to work and perform with them!

One of the differences between Philadanco and D2 is that Philadanco dancers receive a salary and benefits, while D2 members get paid for performances. Even though I won't be getting a salary, this is my first ever dance job, and I could not be more ecstatic! Dancer's spend their entire lives dedicating themselves to training and practicing for this moment. Every experience up until now has been about paying to train so that eventually you can get paid to dance. I've finally reached that point where it's the start of a career, and it feels so good. It's like spending your whole life in school, and then finally getting a real job. I will not make a living by being in D2, but many dancers in apprentice companies work their way up to the professional company, which is the ultimate goal.

I'm glad that I auditioned for the apprentice company first because I get to continue to enhance my technique, gain more performance experience, and work with professionals, all without paying a tuition. Also, the Philadanco dancers (including D2 and the youth program) are like a tight-knit family. It's almost like the directors and company members are mentors to the other dancers, so they get to know each other very well. If you are already well-known and work hard in D2, you are more likely to get picked for the professional company. They have auditions in January and June, so I plan on auditioning for the professional company after I've had some experience in D2.

The audition experience seemed a lot tougher this year. Mrs. Brown (founder of the company) told us before the audition that they have had some funding cuts and therefore, did not have as many spots available. Despite having less openings, there were just as many dancers in the audition as there were last year. Last year, they never made any cuts, so all of the dancers were included in the entire audition, then at the end they called the numbers that they wanted to keep. There were at least a dozen dancers picked for D2, including myself. This year, they made a large cut after about 40 minutes, then another cut later on. The number of dancers picked for D2 this time was at least half compared to last year, if not less. I feel very fortunate and honored to have a second chance at being a part of this dynamic company.

Friends Dann, Emily, and I before the audition!

Philadanco is a very traditional and strict company. It is mostly modern based with some ballet. In the auditions, Milton Myers always teaches a Horton class. If you don't know the Horton style, I would describe it as extremely disciplined with linear movements that require a lot of strength. Although that is not the only style that the company does, I would say that it's the foundation. This is a big change from the type of dancing I was doing in New York. I took a lot of jazz, contemporary, and lyrical, since that is what I concentrated in. Those genres are more new and less strict, whereas Philadanco and their style of dance has been around for decades. I believe that every dancer who wants to succeed should train in multiple styles so they become more versatile, so I am excited to see where my work with this company takes me.

Philadanco has a six week summer skills enhancement series for all of the companies. I start on July 9th, and each week focuses on different styles of dance. We have Graham, Ballet, African, Horton, Contemporary/Modern, and Dunham. We will be taking these classes Monday-Friday from 5:30-7. Then D2 and company members stay until 10:30 on Monday-Thursday for rehearsals. Our first show featuring the D2 dancers is in the beginning of September. After the 6 week intensive, we have our fall schedule, which is class Monday-Wednesday from 5:30-7, then rehearsals on Monday night, Wednesday night, and Sunday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. So, with D2 we are dancing four days a week, but we still have time to fit in a work schedule.

Stay tuned to hear more about my experience with this amazing company. I will be posting updates as often as I can! I truly appreciate everyone's genuine excitement and support; it really means a lot to me. I wouldn't want to be doing anything else :)

The Recital Project: Part 2

2012-06-11T10:10:00.001-04:00

This past Saturday was my last day teaching for the year. I've only been teaching these classes since January since I was in New York in the fall, but time sure does fly by! This time of year is always so bittersweet because I'm looking forward to the recital and seeing how everything turns out, but I will certainly miss the good times I had with my classes. I talked about this in my post, The End of a Great Dance Season, which was after last year's recital when it was my first year teaching. Last year was my first time being on the opposite side as a teacher rather than a dancer in the show, but I've gotten used to it and I look forward to seeing all of my students on stage :)

So, on the last day of classes, I had my final two dress rehearsals. The first of these two is my Experienced 4 jazz routine titled, "I <3 NYC". The song is a remix of Frank Sinatra's, "New York, New York". This dance means a lot to me since I lived in NYC for four months and it was probably the best four months of my life. Seeing the girls act like they are tourists in the city and doing the Broadway jazz-style moves reminds me of the great times I had in the Big Apple. This dance is fun, upbeat, and theatrical, which represents the city of New York oh, so well. Seeing it performed with their adorable costumes was just the icing on the cake.

Experienced 4 jazz photos

My last class is my Teen 3 lyrical. These girls are always so sweet, focused, and hard-working, and I am so grateful to have them as my students. Their piece is called, "Imagine", and the song is a cover by Taio Cruz of the original "Imagine" sung by John Lennon. This dance is also very special to me, and it was inspired by being in New York as well. Early last fall, Brody and I were exploring our new backyard, Central Park. We went down to 72nd street where there's the building where John Lennon was killed. In that part of the park there's a memorial for him, and to this day, people still put flowers there.

This picture and the song inspired me to create a dance where the dancers work together to express the peace, love, and harmony that John Lennon wished for the world.

Teen 3 lyrical photos

Summer Workshop Fun!

2012-06-07T10:19:00.000-04:00

Who doesn't love a good dance workshop? It's an opportunity to experience new styles and different teachers than you're used to. It's very beneficial to get a new perspective and insight on what you should be working on and how to improve. After all, the more opinions the better!

Along with strengthening and improving your technique and ability to pick up choreography, workshops and intensives are fun! It's a break from the usual schedule, and it tends to remind you why you love to dance so much. Last Sunday the studio had four amazing guest teachers: Robert Taylor Jr. from SYTYCD teaching hip hop, one of our past teachers at the studio, Autumn Schneider, teaching jazz, and Lance and Danielle Guillermo from On the DL teaching hip hop and lyrical. Each had their own way of inspiring the dancers to be their best selves.

I met Robert when I lived in NYC and was taking his class at Broadway Dance Center. Even though I wouldn't call myself a hip hop dancer at all, his class was definitely my favorite out of all the classes I took at BDC. Being in his class is a blast, and you can let loose and be yourself as a dancer and person. He puts a smile on every single persons' face and makes you feel truly happy to be dancing. I took both of his classes (for each age group) and his combinations were so much fun to do in their own individual ways.

I didn't get a chance to take Autumn's class because I took both of Robert's, but she used to be a teacher at our studio and I absolutely love her. She's always energetic and supportive, which really uplifts the class and makes them want to do better. Her combination for the workshop was to, "Another One Bites the Dust" and everyone was working it out and having a great time.

Lance's style of hip hop is usually very intricate and I'm always amazed by his precision and clarity. He talked about how important it is to be a "smart dancer" and not just a good dancer, as well as being well-rounded in order to succeed. Being a smart dancer and being well-rounded kind of go hand-in-hand because a smart dancer practices all different styles so that they become more versatile. You are more likely to get a job as a dancer if you are capable of many different things, not just one style. His combination was very silly and quirky, so it was fun playing up those characters.

Normally with Danielle we focus on a combination the whole time, but this time we worked on technique as well. I like having a combination of technique and choreography because you need strong technique in order to pick up choreography quickly and easily. When you are sure of your technique, you can focus your attention on what you're going to add to it such as artistry and dynamics. We did an intense ab workout, then went across the floor. The first combination across the floor was somewhat long and she taught it quickly. It was practice in truly learning the movement and picking it up as fast as possible. This is a skill that is absolutely essential in the dance world. The next combination focused on turns and pirouettes. I loved Danielle's "I mean business" attitude in this class; it made me really nervous because I felt like I was at an audition! That is exactly what I needed to push me and challenge my abilities. Since we spent time on technique, she also taught her center combination very quickly, so that was even more practice with picking up choreography effectively.

This was a long, but wonderful day of dancing that I feel like I really needed. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to take class from these talented and inspiring teachers :)

More pictures!

The Recital Project: Part 1

2012-06-05T21:11:00.000-04:00

My studio's end of the year recital is next weekend (June 16th & 17th)! Dancers and teachers alike have worked so hard all year long to put together routines that will show off the dancers' skills and performance abilities. This year I have five dances ranging in ballet, jazz, and lyrical.

I have decided to have studio dress rehearsals for all of my classes so that the dancers get used to dancing in their costumes before we get on stage. Three of the classes had their rehearsal last Saturday, and the other two will have theirs this Saturday, which is our last day of class for the year! My first dance is a ballet piece called, "Layers". It is based off of the music that I created, which is a mix of classical and contemporary. The dancers start off as ballerinas dancing to the piano, then the beat kicks in and their movement becomes more edgy. In the end, they return to being ballerinas :)

Experienced 3 ballet photos

The next routine is called, "Bulletproof" danced to the song by La Roux. This is basically a fun, sassy jazz dance that shows off some of the skills that the girls have been working on in class this year. Since the song is very electronic, they are like robots, as you can probably tell from their metallic costumes and the beginning movements.

Experienced 3/4 jazz photos

One of my two lyrical routines is called, "Held Back". During the first part of the dance, the girls are dancing with a rope that represents a person or a situation in their life that has made them feel trapped or unable to reach their full potential. This part of the dance is performed to the instrumental version of "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perry. When the ending lyrics come in, they finally get to break free from what's holding them back.

Experienced 3/4 lyrical photos

Photos and videos from the other two dress rehearsals will be coming soon!

Memorial Day Activities

2012-05-29T10:31:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day and a relaxing day off. I also hope you took the time to remember why we celebrate this special day and give thanks to the men and women who have served our country.

Memorial Day is like an unofficial start of summer, and boy did it feel like a summer day! I was outside for most of the day and I felt like I was going to melt. My family and I went to Elk Neck State Park where you can walk out to the Turkey Point lighthouse, which is on a cliff overlooking the North East River. Being on top of those cliffs and seeing everything around me always makes me feel so small. I'm amazed at all the beauty that there is in this world.

For dinner we went to The Wellwood by the North East River Marina, and we ate at their River Shack. This is a more laid back setting where everyone is eating crabs, and they even had outdoor seating set up in the sand so you feel like you're at the beach. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was great. Across the street, there were tons of people on the little river beach and the docks laying out, grilling, and swimming in the river.

When we got home, my dog Bailey and I took our first swim of the year :) I can't believe how warm the water is already! Everything seems to be happening early this year. Even the lightning bugs are already coming out at night. The last activity of this amazing summer day was a bonfire and of course, s'mores.

I loved every second of it, and I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures from this day.

First Position

2012-05-21T11:59:00.000-04:00

Recently, all styles of dance have been getting a lot of attention in popular media such as commercials, television, and film. As a training and aspiring dancer, this is super exciting. It started off with hip hop being in a lot of ads and movies; there's 'You Got Served', the 'Step Up' movies, and even the Kia Soul commercials with the dancing hamsters. Now with continuing shows such as So You Think You Can Dance and Dance Moms, other styles of dance are getting a lot more attention. A lot of people may not have known what ballet, jazz, or contemporary dance was like, until now.

Just because :)

With more and more exposure to today's society, classical and technique-based dancing is in the spotlight. This genre of dance is typically performed in a theatre setting, and dancers of all walks of life enjoy going to see a live performance. But, what about people who don't dance or people who have never been to the theatre? They can now get a taste of what dance is all about simply by watching t.v. This is how dance is evolving in today's world and the art form is finally getting the attention and respect that it deserves.

There is a new documentary that has been released about ballet called, 'First Position'. I can not wait to see this movie! It will take viewers into the world of ballet and what it really takes. Most people who don't dance don't realize how much time, dedication, stamina, and passion is required to succeed in this career. 'First Position' shows young dancers all over the country preparing and competing in the Youth America Grand Prix. This ballet competition could determine these dancers' entire career. Check out the trailer for this dramatic and eye-opening look into a ballet dancer's life.

Kid at Heart

2012-05-09T20:08:00.002-04:00

Seeing Disney World for the first time at age 20 definitely brought out the kid in me. It truly is where dreams come true. The combination of the gorgeous weather, the fun attractions, and all the happy people around us made the trip a very joyous one. I'm so glad I got the opportunity to visit Disney World, but it was amazing and I didn't want to leave!

The trip got off to a rocky start right away because of the multiple delays at the airport before take off. First, the planes were switched, so we had to wait for the new crew to arrive. Then, we get all the way out to the runway and they decide they need to check something out on the plane. So we go all the way back to the gate, where the pilot tells us there is going to be a 30 minute repair for the nose of the plane. Good thing they checked! I was a bit flustered because even though Tuesday was our travel day, it was also our day to go to Epcot, so this was just eating away at our time at the park. After all that, it didn't even matter because we checked in at the hotel and realized that the shuttle to Epcot only came at 2 different times, and the second time was in 10 minutes. I guess you can say we got a lucky break. From then on, everything went smoothly.

Epcot is the more adult-friendly park, but I still felt just as excited and giddy as a child. The first thing we did was eat a delicious lunch because Brody and I were both about to keel over from hunger. Then, we went on a space simulator ride where you get strapped in with a screen in front of you that makes it look like you're in space. We had to use the controls to steer the ship, dodge meteors, and land safely. Since the seats moved around and we had just eaten lunch, we were both feeling pretty nauseous. Luckily there aren't too many rides at Epcot, so our stomachs settled down.

I loved the next attraction, which was The Seas with Nemo and Friends. There was an aquarium with every kind of sea animal you can imagine. We even got to see feeding time in the huge fish tank. They had an interactive show with Crush the turtle from Finding Nemo where he was on the screen, yet he talked to the crowd and answered questions. So the audience members got to have an actual conversation with the movie character!

The other section of Epcot is the world showcase where there is a realistic village or section of different countries. You get to see what the architecture and culture is like. It feels like you're really there because the buildings are real, they play music of that country, and even the employees in the shops are from the country! There are various gift shops and restaurants in each town where you can experience what that country makes and the food they eat. We wanted to eat in Italy, but they were completely booked and were reservation only. Imagine that; reservations for dinner at an amusement park! So we ended up eating in France and it was totally worth it. The restaurant was very fancy and the food was delicious.

A day at Epcot ends with a spectacular fireworks, laser, and fire show, which completely blew my mind. At that point, I still couldn't believe I was in Disney World viewing this amazing show. It was surreal. Day 2 was Magic Kingdom where you really get to be a kid. We took the ferry over to the park with the view of the castle in the distance. The first thing you see when you walk through the gates is Main Street, which is like a real town. The buildings were quaint and pretty, the streets were bustling with people, and there were even dancers performing for the crowd. It was so magical that I actually wanted to live there!

The first sight of Cinderella's castle up close was absolutely breath-taking. I have always seen it in pictures, but being right in front of it made the magic come alive. This must be what the princesses in Disney movies feel like :) And the magic never faded away. The rest of the day consisted of the merry-go-round, go-karts, a rollercoaster, a visit with my friend who now works for Disney, and much more.

The rollercoaster was called Space Mountain and it was terrifying yet a blast. It's in complete darkness, but there are stars in the ceiling, so it really feels like you're in space. I was in the front seat, and you know when you can't see, but you can feel something close? That's how I felt because I could sense the tracks and other objects very close to me, which explains the terrifying part of the ride. After that is when we met up with my friend Krystal, which was nice because I haven't seen her since she started working there and it's been about a year. Hearing about it made me want to work there too. It seems like a dream come true.

We also rode the train that goes in a circle around the park. It was cool to get a view of everything that we hadn't seen yet. We rode on Splash Mountain where, once again, I got the front seat. But luckily I ducked when we went down the 50 foot drop, so I didn't get too soaked. Another neat attraction was Tom Sawyer Island where we rode on a raft across the river to the island and you get to explore all of the trails, tunnels, and caves. There was even a rickety bridge that bobbed in the water when you walked on it. In a different part of the park, there was an actual tree house up in the branches and when you were at the top, you had an amazing view of the park.

A lot of the rides at Disney World consist of riding slowly in a cart or boat through a building that was transformed to look like a haunted mansion or different countries of the world or scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean, etc. I enjoyed seeing all of the special effects and scenery, especially in the Haunted Mansion where they used holograms to portray ghosts that looked so realistic. These kinds of rides transport you to a completely different world.

To conclude my long description, I had so much fun and I wish I could stay in Disney World forever. It was everything I thought it would be and more. I want to share my many, many, many pictures with everyone so you can get a visual of what I experienced. Click here for my Google+ web album. And here is an embarrassing video of Brody making music with his hands in one of the kiddie attractions :)

Peace Out!

2012-04-30T12:59:00.000-04:00

Well friends, I will be heading off to the airport tomorrow morning bright and early (or dark and early) to catch my flight to Orlando. For the first time in my 20 years of existence, I will be visiting the happiest place on Earth a.k.a....

DISNEY WORLD!

I can't believe it's taken me this long to experience the wonder and amazement of this epic American tradition, but hey, better late than never! I am beyond excited and I can't wait to meet my favorite Disney characters :) Not to mention it will be sunny and in the mid-80s, so I can sport my new, cute summer clothes a little early. Jealous yet? Don't worry, I will take many, many pictures every step of the way and share them with everyone. And if you know me, that is only to be expected. So, peace out Maryland; I'll see you in a few days!

Philadanco Spring Series

2012-04-23T10:02:00.000-04:00

The Kimmel Center in Philadelphia is Philadanco's home base for performances. Whenever they aren't touring the country or the world, they are performing there for a packed theatre of enthusiastic and supportive dance lovers. This Spring Series performance is a special one because it is during the Kimmel Center's 10 year anniversary season.

Seeing a Philadanco performance never, ever disappoints me. They are one of the best modern companies that this area has to offer. What I love so much about their work is that their dancers and choreography is so versatile, and they always give the audience a taste of everything within one performance. Every single show that I've seen has many different elements and a wide variety of styles, not only in the dancing, but the music choices as well.

The performance consisted of 4 separate and unique pieces of choreography. The first called, "Gatekeepers" was about soldiers walking towards Heaven while searching for the wounded and creating a pathway for others to follow. They used various lighting cues to represent the different paths and the force that was guiding them to their ultimate destination. At the end of the piece, they were in a horizontal line looking towards a light that was coming from the side of the stage. It was as if the gates of Heaven had opened, and the light was inviting them in. The dancing for this piece was very modern and African inspired, which involved loose limbs and heavy, relaxed feet stomping into the floor. The music is not what you would expect for this mood and style because it was upbeat and at one point evolved into techno. But, I really enjoyed the music and how it lifted the energy of the piece.

The next dance titled, "Tribute" celebrated the soulful music of Philadelphia International Records. The mood and time period had completely changed to a joyous, groovy celebration of culture and music. The movement style reminded me in some ways of how people would be dancing in a club or any type of social gathering. It was fun, exciting, and sensual all at the same time. This piece was choreographed by Dwight Rhoden, who I mentioned in my last post about Complexions, and it was outstanding. It was a dance that made the audience want to dance. There was intricate dancing in unison, the women dancing together, men dancing together, and a series of partnering duets involving interesting lifts and connections between the 2 dancers.

"Suite en Bleu" was choreographed by Gene Hill Sagan in Israel, and it was a contemporary ballet piece. I love contemporary ballet with its gorgeous lines and fluid movement. The music was classical, so there were classical elements in the choreography, but there were also contemporary elements such as the floor work that the dancers did. They were all wearing ballet slippers, and their costumes were a beautiful yet simple royal blue color. The girls' skirts were down to their ankles so they looked very pretty when the dancers spun, although, I would have liked to see more of their legs and feet. One girl got her foot caught in the material a couple times and my heart skipped a beat every time because I thought she was going to fall. But, she saved it, and the dance went on without a hitch.

The last dance was called "Wake Up" and it was another complete turn around from the piece before it. It was about the birth of hip hop, and based on the dancers' costumes and the backdrop, I believe this dance took place in the 70s. The mood changed throughout the piece because it started off slow and almost solemn, with one of the men getting shot, collapsing on the ground, and coughing and gasping for air. Then all of a sudden, he gets up, the music changes, and we're taken to the streets where hip hop began. Everyone was happy and having a good time. The movement was free and organic because hip hop was not made with a formula or technique. The dancers were just feeling the movement and expressing it through their bodies. One of the best parts of this dance for me was looking around and seeing people in the audience jammin' and dancing along with the music! Everyone was so into it and completely taken over by the fun, high energy. It's really special when dancers connect to their audience that way because there is a feeling of inspiration and unity in everyone. As always, at the end of the performance, the dancers of Philadanco got a well-deserved standing ovation from the entire theatre.

So, it went from African-inspired modern dance, to a soulful and funky dance party, to precise and polished ballet, to fun and groovy hip hop. Philadanco always satisfies the interests of every audience member because they have such a wide variety of styles in their performances. They are a well-rounded company that proves that they are not just one-trick ponies. I leave their performances feeling happy, inspired, and ready to dance every time.

Philadanco has auditions coming up this June, and it's a great opportunity! They have auditions for the company, the apprentice company (D2), and the summer intensive training program. I plan on auditioning for D2, which I got into last year, but was not able to attend. I would love the chance to take advantage of that opportunity. Here is a link to the flyer.

I Dream of Complexions

2012-04-18T09:55:00.001-04:00

It was a gorgeous day; a preview of the summer months to come. The sun was beating down through the cracks between the skyscrapers, and the heat could be felt from all around. I was in New York City, briskly walking to DANY studios for the Complexions Contemporary Ballet audition. I had just grabbed a smoothie and granola bar from the wonderfully healthy Green Symphony, and as I was power-walking down the street, it felt like I hadn't even skipped a beat since the fall when I was living and dancing in NYC. Navigating the city is like riding a bike; once you've done it you never forget, and I felt at home in this crazy environment.

To be honest, regarding the audition, I was terrified. This is Complexions Contemporary Ballet, one of the most influential and major ballet companies in the city and the country. I had only ever been to one other audition in the city, so I'm still gaining experience. I didn't know what to expect going in, and it's very intimidating seeing over a hundred other extremely talented ballet dancers waiting for the same opportunity that you are. But, that's all a part of the business. I think everyone gets a little nervous and compares themselves to the other dancers no matter how much experience they have, but the best thing to do at an audition is focus on yourself.

We went in groups of 30 and I was in the second group, so I had somewhere between half an hour and an hour to prepare myself. Usually when I have a lot of time to wait, I feel like I have to be warming up constantly and that's when I start comparing myself to the other people in the room. After I warmed up and stretched everything that I needed to, I relaxed and closed my eyes for a couple minutes. This calmed me and got me centered and focused on the present moment. I thought positive thoughts and when I opened my eyes, I felt strong, confident, and ready to go. A few moments of silence and contemplation does wonders before an audition, performance, or any event.

After we were taken into the studio and introduced to the artistic directors and ballet master, the first thing they said to us was, "I know it's an audition, but everyone relax. Just let it go!" I thought an audition for a company of this caliber would be a lot more intense, serious, and stressful, but everyone made us feel comfortable and at ease. We did two center combinations and one across the floor, and they were actually pretty simple. The goal was to judge our basic ballet/pointe technique and take it from there. It felt amazing to be dancing with all of these talented dancers, and I felt inspired and learned a lot from watching them. Not only were we auditioning in the greatest city in the world, but we were dancing for Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson (the artist directors). They are both amazing dancers, choreographers, and artists, and I felt honored to even be in the same room with them.

As we were waiting for our turn to go across the floor, we were standing in front of an entire wall of windows overlooking 8th avenue. As we danced, you could hear cars, people, and city sounds in the background. These things constantly reminded me where I was and what I was doing, and I felt utterly grateful for all of it. It also felt good to be truly dancing again when lately, I've been doing a lot of teaching and haven't had the chance to take class. Surprisingly, I didn't feel the least bit rusty! After I went across the floor and held a balance at the end, one of the other dancers watching said, "Girl, you betta werk!" which was quite a confidence boost. Everyone seemed supportive and nice, despite the fact that we were competing against each other.

After about 20 minutes, they called maybe 5 or 6 numbers, then dismissed the rest of us. The people that got called were to stay for repertory later in the afternoon. The majority of us didn't get to stay, but I am still so glad that I had this opportunity. The nervousness and fear was worth it because I had a great time and I learn a little bit more every time I put myself in this type of situation. Gaining experience is key, and the more you audition, the more practice you get. Practice makes you a more confident, strong, and prepared dancer. I would like to possibly participate in the Complexions summer intensive this summer since being a part of Complexions is one of my dream jobs as a dancer.

If you aren't familiar with Complexions, here is a montage of some of their more recent work:

New Additions to Freshen Up the Website

2012-04-08T17:13:00.001-04:00

First off, Happy Easter, everyone! Spring time is about rebirth, renewal, and refreshing changes. That's why it's the perfect time to update my website :) As you can see, I now have 3 different tabs where you can view my blog, a gallery of some of my favorite headshots and dance photos, along with a section for my brand new dance reel!

Exciting things have been happening with more to come, and I am so fortunate to be able to share these things. What inspired the different pages of my website was the recent completion of my very first dance reel and my photoshoot with City Digital Photography (I received the pictures and finished my reel all in the same weekend!). I absolutely love the excitement of getting new pictures and seeing how each shot turned out. You don't always get to see the pictures at the photoshoot, so you usually have to wait a couple weeks for the pictures to be mailed. I think the pictures turned out wonderfully and I hope you enjoy them too. They are the first 3 headshots in my gallery and the shots with the blue leotard and black tutu as well.

I must say, I am ecstatic and quite proud of my dance reel, since I've never made one before. I could not have done it without my brother, Chris, who did the majority of the cutting and assembling, and my boyfriend, Brody, who let me use his computer program to tweak it. The clips include performances and choreography from high school and college, as well as some footage that Chris and I got in the studio a couple months ago. The point of a dance reel is to promote yourself as a dancer and display your best work. You want to accentuate your strengths, and also show your versatility. Video editing definitely takes a lot of determination and patience, especially if you aren't very familiar with the process. It takes a good amount of practice and trial and error to get the hang of it, but it was all worth it in the end.

Save the Drama For Your Mama

2012-04-04T19:54:00.001-04:00

So, last night was the finale of Dance Moms followed by the premiere of Dance Moms Miami. I'm not going to lie, it was a pretty bittersweet night. But, if I had any doubt before, now I am certain that the show is completely staged. There were so many events such as the "Joffrey Ballet audition", Kendall doing the same dance as Chloe, and Maddie abruptly running off stage in the middle of a turn combo that were not quite believable. First of all, what dancer doesn't have a black leotard and tights, and why in the world would you even consider doing an acro routine at a ballet audition? The fact that the girls had to do a ballet crash course right before this huge audition says something about the type of training that they receive, but all studios are different I suppose. The drama reached a whole new level when Abby left the competition after an emotional breakdown. The drama and ridiculous behavior is what sucks viewers in, for whatever reason, so they had to do something that would make us hang on until June, which is when the show will continue.

As Dance Moms Miami began, I got the same feeling that you get when you go to a new school or start a new job. Everything and everyone is unfamiliar, I felt nervous, and despite the craziness of the original cast, I missed them. It sounds silly, but when you watch the same people every week for months, you kind of get attached. Oh, the joys of reality t.v. Despite the newness and unfamiliarity of the new season, I have a feeling based on the first episode and YouTube videos that I will like Stars Studio's style better than Abby Lee's. Abby's choreography started to get very repetitive, and any choreography I have seen from Victor and Angel has been completely different and unique every time. Their dancers seem very strong and versatile.

It was rumored that Stars dancer, Mia Diaz, would appear on this new season. She wasn't in the first episode, so I'm not sure if she'll be included, but I've seen her videos on YouTube and I'm very impressed. She's only 10 years old, but she has such a great facility and artistry. I'm currently obsessed with this solo:

Improv Therapy

2012-03-26T10:02:00.002-04:00

I believe that improvisation is an integral part of dance training and expression. It is beneficial for choreographers and dancers alike. Improv is one of the main techniques that was used in my composition classes in college; it helps the choreographer discover their own authentic movement, and that leads to original choreography. Authentic movement is how you move naturally, without thinking of particular steps or technique. But, I believe improv should be practiced in any style of dance, not just in contemporary or modern settings. Just because ballet technique is specific and classical choreography uses steps that you learn in class, does that mean it is not art? What about jazz or tap, where you have a sequence of learned movements or tricks? I think it is important to explore both: authentic movement, and sequencing steps of a different genre as improvisation.

Since there are many different choreographic styles, there should be different styles of improvisation. I'm all about the more natural, organic improv where you discover your authentic movement, but there are times for that and there are times where it's okay to add some technique into your movement. As a teacher or choreographer, make sure you are clear with the guidelines of the improv exercise. Often times, I like to use improv in my ballet technique classes. We'll work on technique for the entire class, then sometimes I'll leave a couple minutes at the end for improv. This is the kind of improv where the dancers are using steps that we learn in class, but they get to sequence their movement together however they like and they get a chance to add their own style to the movement. In techniques like ballet or jazz, you have to stick to strict technique and the class is very structured, so improv in these styles is refreshing for the students.

There are also improv exercises focusing on the emotional aspect of dance. You can choose a specific feeling or scenario and show that through your dancing using different movement qualities. This past Saturday in my lyrical class we did an exercise similar to this. Their recital dance is called "Held Back" and they dance with a rope for half of the piece. This rope represents a person or situation in their lives that holds them back and they can't escape it. There is a feeling of struggle and desperation until they break free from the rope and dance powerfully as a group at the end. So, I had the dancers write down the specific person or event that makes them feel this way and improv while thinking about what they wrote down. The result was beautiful. Everyone was totally committed to their dancing the entire time and I saw the emotion on everyone's faces. This is a great way to practice the emotion or feeling that should be put into choreography.

Improv can be used as an exploration of yourself, a tool for choreography, a fun activity for class, or an emotional exercise. Whatever the purpose is, it is beneficial for dancers to practice moving in their own way. Improv should flow and come naturally. At first you may have to think about it before you get into the swing of things, but the more you do it, the easier it will become. Improv is a way to express yourself, and when you know yourself as a dancer, your dancing in class and on stage is organic and genuine.

A Day in Annapolis

2012-03-06T15:28:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday I traveled down to Maryland's lovely capital to audition for The Ballet Theatre of Maryland. The audition was for dancers interested in either being company members, apprentices, or trainees. The company's artistic director, Dianna Cuatto, uniquely combines multiple styles of dance in her repertory. In fact, at the end of the audition when asked what we hope to gain if we were picked, most of the dancers said that they loved the company's variety of works and wanted to expand their versatility. The Ballet Theatre of Maryland is a great place to do that because they perform classical ballets, contemporary ballet pieces, and even include some modern and jazz elements.

This would be a great opportunity to continue my training and gain performance experience in many styles of dance. For example, towards the end of the audition we learned some repertory from a ballet about the four elements. We were taught the dance representing earth, which was very strong and grounded. It was modern en pointe! I loved the unlikely combination and the choreography truly showed the qualities of earth.

Before we learned choreography, we took a ballet class that was almost 2 hours long. This was the main part of our audition because Dianna wanted to see the level of our classical ballet technique. We did barre on flat and changed into our pointe shoes for the rest of class. Not only have I not taken a full pointe class in a while, but this one was extremely difficult! We're talking tricky pirouettes, lots of beats in the jumps, and 16 fouette turns at the end of the grand allegro. The steps included in the combinations were challenging, but so were the combinations themselves. Plus, Dianna never showed anything full out, so we hard to figure it out on our own, and very quickly. I am so glad I went and challenged myself because that's the only way you can improve. This audition was practice in technique, stamina, and picking up choreography. I definitely could have been more prepared with my pointe work, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger :)

The company is quite small and there were over 30 dancers at the audition (plus another group coming in to audition this weekend), so I'm not sure how many spots there are, but if it doesn't work out it's just on to the next one. No matter what happens at an audition, it's great experience to gain and you're putting yourself out there. The more you audition, the more you will be recognized in the future, and sometimes that makes you more likely to land the job. All you can do is your best, so instead of viewing the other dancers as your competition, try learning from them. When you see everything as a learning opportunity you are constantly growing, and when you are constantly growing you are unstoppable.

Construction

2012-03-02T09:03:00.001-05:00

I know it's been a little while since I last posted, but I am currently working on creating multiple tabs for my site. There will be the blog/home page, a page to view more of my dance pictures, and I'm going to add my very first dance reel for everyone to see! The reel is still in its final stages of editing, but I hope to be adding it soon, so stay tuned!

Some more updates:
Along with working on my site, I have an audition for The Ballet Theatre of Maryland coming up this weekend, and a photoshoot later in the month. I will be sure to talk about both :)

Happy dancing!

Why Homemade Is Better

2012-02-15T12:16:00.000-05:00

So, maybe that's just my opinion, but I'm sticking to it! I've always been creative and crafty at heart, but recently I've been doing more and more homemade projects rather than running to the store to buy something. Yes, it takes up more time to do it yourself, but there are so many benefits to making hand-crafted products.

When it comes to food, it's usually healthier homemade. That's not always the case, but if your goal is to be healthier, you control what goes into the recipe. I like to look up healthier versions of recipes or get ideas from Pinterest and make them myself. Another great resource that changed my ideas about food is Bethenny Frankel's book, The Skinny Girl Dish. She provides dozens of recipes that are the healthier version of many popular meals; even comfort foods! There is also a "variations" section after each recipe where you can substitute another ingredient for one that you might not already have in your pantry.
Homemade items as gifts show how thoughtful you are and how much you care. It's easy to run to the store and buy something for someone, but that's not always meaningful. Putting thought, time, and effort into a gift for someone is a gift in itself. It's expressing what that person means to you. Also, you can personalize whatever you make because you know the person better than the people who make the products in stores. A collage of pictures documents experiences you had together, a hand-made card can express your feelings in your own words, and their favorite homemade treat is a gift that will never fail.
Homemade items are unique and original. Have you ever walked down the hallway at school or walked down the street and seen someone wearing the exact same thing as you? Why buy something from a store when you're the only one who can truly express who you are? Now, I've never made my own clothes from scratch, but I have altered clothes I already own to make them different. Originality is interesting, replication is boring. Homemade projects are a way to express your unique qualities and creativity.
Making something yourself is cheaper! I think that one's pretty obvious. It would be quite an adjustment to never buy anything from a store again, but it is possible. I still buy plenty of things, but I try to think of new ways that I can create them for myself whenever I can. I would even love to grow my own food someday. I love being outdoors and if you do too, gardening is another great way to use what you already have. I believe that people who use their own resources and are self-sufficient live happier and healthier lives.
Crafty projects are fun! Maybe you're not usually a do-it-yourself type of person, but the challenge for most people is simply starting an idea that they have. Once you get going, the process flows effortlessly. If you have ideas but haven't started them yet, first, set aside some time specifically for that project. Then, try getting out any supplies you would need for the project, and your mind will tend to automatically go to work thinking of ways you can use them. Before you know it, an hour has passed and you have an item that you can be proud of because you made it with your own hands :)

Here are some recent projects that I've been working on:

Make your own breakfast sandwich-everything bagel, 1 whole egg and 1 egg white, chopped onion, olive oil, and sliced avacado

Homemade suagr scrub-brown sugar, white sugar, any kind of oil (I used canola), and vanilla extract. This body scrub exfoliates dry skin and leaves you smelling sweet. It's literally good enough to eat!

dry ingredients

added wet ingredients

voila!

Hand-crafted cards-I got this photo strip idea from Scrapbooks etc. I used construction paper, tissue paper, and cut out part of a gift bag for the hearts. Then, I used a strand of ribbon and buttons to hold the strip in place.

This is not a picture of the finished product, but you can tear out a page from a notebook to create a space for a neat message or letter.

Make your own headbands! The top and bottom headbands are the elastic from the top of dance tights. The middle one is a strip of fabric from the sweat pants pictured below that I just sewed together. These are great for dance class or working out.

Shorts made from sweat pants

Altered t-shirts-both shirts have the sleeves cut off to create tank tops. The green one has a slit cut vertically in the back, then smaller horizontal strips on the sides. The side strips are tied together to show a little skin while holding the shirt together. Watch a video tutorial here.

Not pictured: homemade oatmeal and granola that can be used as cereal, a topping on yogurt, or a yummy snack. Email me if you want either of the recipes!

The Broadway Experience

2012-02-07T11:23:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday night I held a three hour workshop at the dance studio and it was a great success! There were dancers between the ages of 10 and 16, and I was impressed by each and every one of them. What inspired me to give this workshop was my experience from The Professional Semester at Broadway Dance Center. I gained so much knowledge about auditioning, careers in dance, how to succeed in the business, and how a positive outlook can change your dancing and your life. This program truly prepared me for the real world and I wanted to share some of this information with my students in order to give them a glimpse of what it's like out there.

I started the evening by talking about some of the tips for success and quotes that I received during my orientation week at BDC. I mentioned them all in, "Continue to Thrive". Then, we practiced strong and confident body language as well as "taking the floor" for an audition or performance. I also introduced slating, which is basically introducing yourself to a panel of judges and usually stating your name and a fun fact about yourself. We had to do this every week during our mock auditions at BDC, and I was always pretty nervous about what I was going to say. But, everyone at the workshop blew me away with how confident and funny their slates were!

Next was a leaps and turns class where we worked on pirouettes, fouettes, and gaining height in jumps. I even had them jumping over chairs! This is a great way to get the floating, "up-and-over" quality that beautiful, airy leaps have. Since there were 17 dancers and a wide range of ages and levels, I gave a few options for each exercise so that each person could work at her own pace.

There were two groups based on levels, and each group got to perform their own combination in front of the rest of the group for their mock audition. The group that was judging got to fill out an evaluation sheet where they rated their peers on presence/professionalism, performance, technique, and remembering the choreography. There is also a place on the form where I get to rate the dancers and write comments. This is a great way for the dancers to get feedback and see what they get to work on because they have two different perspectives. The younger group got to perform a cute, jazz combination to, "Baby, It's Cold Outside", and the older group had a contemporary combination to a song called, "Groundhog Day" by Frisson. I was very proud of the way that everyone acted professionally like they were at a real audition, and they all picked up the choreography so quickly.

Everyone learning the first combination

The first group during the mock audition

The older group learning the contemporary combination

For the last hour I had just the older group. First, we worked on improv with different instructions such as: staying on the floor, like you have no bones, with bent knees the whole time, with straight knees the whole time, and leading with the head. Improv can serve as a good warm up for your body and your mind. It gets the creative juices flowing because you have to think of new ways your body can move without ever stopping. After a while, you stop thinking altogether and your body just takes over. That is the ultimate goal of improv.

Improv led into the next activity, which was an acting exercise. This acting exercise is for dancers and the objective is to actually feel the emotions that you are portraying in a dance rather than just acting them out or using obvious gestures. This goes for dancing or choreographing. When you are the dancer, you take direction from the choreographer who usually has a specific feeling or idea in mind for the dance. If you make that feeling real in your own body, your body language and energy will change without altering the choreography, so your performance will be more believable. You can do the same thing before you start choreographing so that the emotion is coming through you rather than just being shown.

Since singing and acting was terrifying for me during The Professional Semester and a lot of dancers don't have any experience with that, I expected everyone to feel the same way and resist when I said we were going to be doing an acting exercise. But to my surprise, everyone got really excited and I had volunteers willing to do it by themselves! This was wonderful to see because acting experience will make a dancer a better, more well-rounded performer. I gave a simple 8-count of movement to apply the various emotions to, and in doing this, I wanted to show that it doesn't matter what the choreography is; you can express any feeling when you dance. I had everyone close their eyes and think of a person that they know, an event that happened, or make something up that will cause the specific emotion to arise in their body. When they actually felt the emotion then opened their eyes and did the movement, the result was incredible. We tried emotions such as anger, joy, jealousy, annoyance, grief, and nervousness.

I think one of the highlights of the night was learning "All That Jazz" from Chicago. It's such a fun dance that had the dancers putting their acting exercise into practice. The choreography is simple and the seduction is subtle, so you have to use your eyes and your face to flirt with the audience. This dance requires a strong presence and focus in order to come across to the audience effectively. The girls pulled it off and we had a blast!

This workshop could not have gone any better. I was so pleased with the way everything worked out; I covered all of the activities that I had planned and we all had fun doing them. Everyone was so enthusiastic, open-minded, and professional, and I could not ask for more. It is the greatest compliment to a teacher when the students embrace what they are doing and put all of their energy into it. With the two age groups dancing together, they not only learned from me, but they learned from each other. The younger girls worked very hard to keep up with the older girls, and I was so proud of their determination and professionalism. The older girls got to lead the way and they were excellent role models for the younger ones. This night reminded me why I dance and why I love sharing my passion through teaching.

Take It to the Next Level

2012-02-03T10:38:00.001-05:00

Since the second month of the year has begun, I thought it would be a great time to reflect on the New Year's resolutions that were made on that very first day of January. That was just over a month ago, but it feels even further away in the past because you have most likely gotten back into your normal routine by now. After all, major, lasting change takes a very long time to achieve. That's why vague, large-scale resolutions never work. A lot of people say, "I want to be happier this year" or for dancers, "I want better technique". Those are respectful goals, but there's no plan of action. Now, don't let this discourage you. If you want to succeed, you must take your goals step by step. And I mean small steps. Sounds easy enough, right?

If you've already broken your resolutions down into concrete steps, at this point you're probably struggling with how to follow through and keep it consistent. I've been using a resource on a blog called, The Happiness Project (originally a best-selling book) called, The Happiness Project Toolbox. In the book, author Gretchen Rubin made a resolution for each month of the year. Then, she made smaller steps within that resolution to focus on everyday. The online toolbox is very helpful because you can post your specific resolution for each month, and the individual steps are shown in chart form similar to a weekly calendar. The chart lists every single day of the month, and each day you can check off whether you completed that step and write notes about your progress!

You can either do this online or on your own in a journal, but I believe that writing down your steps and tracking your progress is essential to making lasting change. Even though I have this great online resource, I found myself losing determination throughout the month of January. I continued to mark my progress on the toolbox, but I started to get less and less checks because I thought that being consistent with the website everyday was enough. But, you have to be serious about your goals and you have to find ways to renew your enthusiasm. Once I realized that I was slacking off, I became more determined and started getting checks for every single step. When I look back on those days where I completed every step, they were the best days of that week and that's when I was the happiest.

Here is an example of what a resolution chart looks like:

Another wonderful tool is something called SMART goals. It stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. We got a SMART goals worksheet in the beginning of The Professional Semester and it helped me narrow down what I wanted to achieve in the field of dance. We had to make 3 short-term, 3 mid-term, and 1 long-term goal. Each goal has 3 action steps and a deadline, similar to The Happiness Project Toolbox. What's amazing is that I recently reviewed my short-term goals for my semester at BDC, and I achieved every one of them :)

Ways to renew your determination:

Review your goals and steps everyday. There are no exceptions. You have to do it everyday to make it a habit. Post your goals somewhere where you will always see them and be reminded of what you're trying to accomplish.
Make an inspiration board. This is a collage of pictures, quotes, and positive affirmations that relate to your goals and will give you a boost every time you look at them.
Imagine what your life will be like once you achieve your goals. It's important not to spend too much time thinking about the future, otherwise you will not be present enough to take those crucial steps that bring you towards your goals. But, if every once in a while you visualize how these resolutions will benefit you and change your life in a positive way, you will want to do everything you can to start living the life of your dreams.
Try doing all of your steps for one day and see what happens. You will be amazed at how good you feel. It's like a cycle; if you achieve your goals you feel good, then you continue to achieve them and continue to feel good.

It takes awareness, effort, and time to make any kind of change, but it will become easier the more you practice and it will definitely be worth it in the end.

Meet My New Love, Pinterest

2012-01-30T12:38:00.001-05:00

It's true, I've hopped on the band wagon. I know what you're thinking, "It's about time!". Even my mom had a Pinterest account before I did and she had to explain to me how to use it. But, it's official, I'm hooked. For those of you who are out of the loop like I was, the fun starts here.

Pinterest is a place where anyone can post photos, quotes, and inspiration for everyone to see. If you have an account, you can pin these things to your boards and customize the categories that you use. Now, I'm no expert yet, but my favorite categories to look at are food, quotes, and dance photography, of course.

If I want to make something new and healthy to spice up my meals, I go to Pinterest for recipes. Even just looking at the pictures gives me inspiration to create something totally outside the box. It's amazing what you will find: cake in a jar, apple pie baked inside apples, and cupcakes inside ice cream cones. As you can probably tell, my favorite things to make are desserts :)

I love looking at all of the different quotes and sayings posted on Pinterest simply because they make you feel good! It's like having a friend that always knows the right thing to say. I also love sharing uplifting quotes with others via Facebook and Twitter. Share the love!

I would call myself an amateur photographer as well as a dancer. I enjoy being on both sides of the camera, and I am always inspired by dance photography. When it comes to this type of photography, I have always been the one in the pictures, but recently, I have been interested in what it would be like to be taking the pictures. What is so amazing about dance photography is that it captures fluid movement, and no two pictures will ever be the same. Pinterest has fed my appetite for beautiful dance photos.

Since this is my first week on Pinterest, here are some of my top finds so far:

pretty cake

peacock nails!

seaside homes in Italy

a hammock in the ocean

SNL

free

inspirational

underwater dance photography; I have no clue how this was possible!

true

rawr!

tree home

my dream kitchen

flying

beauty