Bye bye rehearsals...Hello finals!!

So I am back in Boston after a wonderfully, filling Thanksgiving break and it's finally hitting me that dance is over for the semester. This Thursday is our end-of-the-semester pizza party, which is the final DTG meeting that we will have until January. Everyone always looks forward to the party since it is the first time that we will all see the video of the performances. Well, some of us are probably more excited for the tons of pizza we will consume, but regardless everyone has a great time.

Also we had to submit our choreographer space request forms for next semester. I know, I can't believe it either! I already have to start thinking about what I'm going to choreograph next semester? One amazing piece at a time, please. I already have an idea in mind, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. After all, who knows what will inspire me over Christmas break.

AND on top of all of this excitement we received the pictures that our amazing photographer, Bill Parsons, took at dress rehearsal. He takes our pictures and videos the show every semester and he always does such a wonderful job. We are so lucky to have him as our photographer and videographer. I was especially happy with the photos from my dance so I'll post them below. I'm sure you're all ready to see these awesome pictures so enjoy!

But stay tuned--I might have some exciting news to share with you all very soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am so excited to celebrate today and eat all of the yummy food. I was in Australia last year and although our study abroad program catered in Thanksgiving dinner for us, it just wasn't the same.

I am so thankful for everything and everyone in my life. I don't know what I would do without the love and support of my family and friends. But other than my family and friends, I am most thankful for the ability to dance. I couldn't imagine my life without this precious gift. It gives me meaning and purpose each and every day and is something I can turn to when things get difficult and I need clarity.

And without dance, I never would have met my amazing friends at BU who I am so unbelievably thankful for. They have stuck by me through so many things and are the best friends I ever could have asked for. (I know I'm getting corny and cheesy now so I think I'll stop there.)

What's everyone else thankful for this year?

ORIGINS 2011

Wow, I can't believe ORIGINS 2011 has come and gone. DTG had been working toward this weekend that went by so fast for the entire semester. I spent about 10 hours each week in the studio choreographing, learning and perfecting all of the pieces I was involved with. And now as I sit home for Thanksgiving break, I find myself not knowing what to do when it comes upon another two-hour block that I would have been in the studio.

Before reflecting on my experiences this semester, I suppose I should tell you all how AMAZING this weekend of performances actually was.  Starting from opening night on Friday, right through to the closing curtain on Saturday night, everything went off without a hitch.  Dancers, both the old and the newcomers, were beyond excited to perform and show our friends, family and the BU community what we had been working toward this semester.  The audience seem to love each and every minute of the show and gave all of the dancers so much praise at the end of the performances.

Luckily, no major mishaps occurred, like lost costumes, injuries or missed entrances. Everyone performed at his or her highest caliber with much professionalism.  As a four-year member of DTG and the vice president, I could not be more proud to be a part of this wonderful group.

Stay tuned for my thoughts on each performance as well as what I look forward to most for next semester!

Teching and rehearsing all day and night

Only one day left until opening night! Get your tickets in the GSU tomorrow all day or just buy them at the door. It's only $8 for students and BU community and a whopping $12 for everyone else.

There's been so much to talk about these last few days, but I haven't even had time to breathe let alone write out my thoughts. Where to begin? I had tech rehearsals on Monday and Tuesday nights and luckily I had off on Wednesday to relax. So for all of you who don't know what a tech rehearsal is, here's a short explanation. Once we have learned our choreography and chosen costumes, we need to rehearse on the actual stage with the lights and the technical crew. Lynda, our amazing lighting designer, picks out what lighting will work best with our dances to portray the mood we are going for. The dancers are able to run through the pieces a few times to ensure that dress rehearsal goes off without a hitch. Also, this is where everyone meets the stage manager for the show. This semester an alumnus, Gabrielle, is stage managing for us and she is AWESOME. She is so focused on making sure ORIGINS is amazing and she really has a vested interest in all of the choreographers and dancers.

All of the tech rehearsals were great these last few days and the show is really starting come together. Dress rehearsal is in a few short hours and then soon enough it will be showtime! See you all there!

It should be like butter in the sun!

So in all of the excitement of my piece not getting cut, I somehow forgot to profess my love for Gregory King on here! How silly of me. Not only was he in Broadway's The Lion King (insert excited shriek!!), but he was one of the most beautiful dancers and amazing teachers I have ever met.

Gregory taught a Horton-style modern class last Thursday right after the fourth showing. So, not only was I on a high after learning I was officially in ORIGINS, but now I was going to experience a modern class with a true artist. I have never felt so at peace and been in such awe during a dance class. His style of teaching through sounds and the way he expressed body movement was unbelievable. The music he used was great, but in all honesty I could have just danced to the sounds he created himself. Unreal.

I'll admit, it was a little nerve-wracking at first. After all, he didn't know us or our style of learning and we didn't know him or his style of learning. And who knew if we would ever meet again after that one class? (God, I hope so!) But Gregory was at ease from the start, cracking jokes and breaking right into his style of teaching. He was very hands-on, which I always find is a quality in the best teachers. Gregory made every dancer in the room feel important; he didn't expect perfection, but he wanted to make us better dancers. I think I speak for all of the dancers when I say that we never wanted that class to end. Gregory is amazing, beautiful, unbelievable, sensational (O.K. I think you get my point).


Here's a link to a video of some of our work with Gregory.
Gregory King's class
And here's some pictures from class. Enjoy!

11 months, 6 weeks, 10 days and 5 minutes

O.K. so I think I've left you all in suspense for long enough now. Here goes my explanation of my piece...

I decided this summer that I wanted to choreograph a piece in memory of my best friend's brother, Marc, who passed away about six years ago. His life may have been short, but he lived every moment to his fullest. I wanted to create a piece that was all about embracing life, every moment and movement. I learned from Marc to not take anything for granted, even the smallest things in life and it is that lesson that motivates my dancing.

As I settled on this "theme," certain events happened at the end of the summer and made the piece evolve into something much bigger than I ever thought it would be. Between the last week in July and the first week in September, three members of my family passed away. Their deaths made me realize even more how precious life is and how short it can be. I knew it would be right to dedicate my piece to their memory as well.

It has been an emotional process with many ups and downs. There were times when I wanted to give up, but I felt I owed it to these four men's memories to keep going even when it seemed like my piece wouldn't progress. I had trouble creating movement that I felt was good enough for them, good enough to be dedicated to them. But I had to remember that simply dancing and moving was good enough. Like I said, these men taught me to not take anything for granted and having the ability to dance is one thing I will never take for granted. Every day of my life, every time I dance, it won't just be for me, but it will be for these men as well.

My piece was cut...

Just kidding!! Last Thursday's showing went amazingly well and I am so excited that my piece is officially in the show. The mentors' comments were very constructive and helpful; they really gave me that last push that I needed at rehearsal this evening. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing to have to show at the fourth showing. Without this added pressure, I don't think I would have been able to create the beautiful piece that I did.

I am so relieved that we had one final rehearsal tonight. My dancers ran the piece over and over again; we wanted to get it as close to perfect as possible. I was finally beginning to see how far this piece has come and how different it is from my first rehearsal. It has evolved into more than what I ever expected it could be. Sitting down with my dancers and explaining how they should convey the movements and their emotions allowed me to push them beyond their limits and bring the piece to a new level.

As the clock hit 8 p.m. and my final rehearsal ended, it dawned on me that it is officially production week and there are only 5 days until our first performance. Ahhh! Yes, I am slightly panicked, but it's not because I feel unprepared. In all honestly, I don't know why I'm so freaked out. Maybe it's because my piece is so personal, maybe it's because I am in more pieces than I've ever been in before or maybe it's because this will be my second to last performance at BU. Whatever it is, hopefully my butterflies subside long enough for me to fully take this week in and appreciate how amazing ORIGINS 2011 is.

Stay tuned for more show updates as this week unfolds!

Oops!

I can't believe I forgot to shamelessly plug the show with our awesome poster! Here it is:

It's Crunch Time

O.K. so it's less than two weeks until Origins 2011, which means PANIC!! Just kidding. I'm actually feeling pretty calm considering tomorrow night is the 4th and final showing and the last time the mentors will have the ability to cut my piece. I'm not worried about the piece not making it into the show, but still you never know. Since the show is so soon, it means that this week was also the final week for rehearsals. And I think the title of this post definitely describes everyone's moods during rehearsals. Dances needed to be finished, polished and looking awesome (which they all are) at the end of each rehearsal this week.

In addition to tomorrow night being the 4th showing, DTG is also having an amazing modern class with Gregory King. He has danced with some great people and companies in his career, including the Erick Hawkins Dance Company, the New York Theatre Ballet, the Washington Ballet and Rebecca Kelly Ballet. On top of that, he was in Disney's The Lion King on Broadway. No if that isn't amazingly cool, I don't know what is. I'm really excited about his class tomorrow night and cannot wait to meet him.

Next week starts tech week, which basically means I will be spending my free time (what little there is) at FitRec dancing or in the GSU link selling tickets. I'll explain more about tech week as it gets closer. And don't think I've forgotten about telling you what my piece is about. I just like keeping my readers in suspense for as long as I can.

But I'm not going to leave you empty handed! Here's the title of my piece to ponder over for a bit: "11 months, 6 weeks, 10 days and 5 minutes" Did that help anyone? =)

Live From the Third Showing!

That's right, it's third showing time and so far so good. We're running a little behind, but hey, what can you do about that? My dancers performed absolutely beautifully and I am so proud. Since I haven't finished my dance yet, I may have to move on to the fourth showing. But no worries.

Now, to briefly explain the fourth showing--basically, the mentors sometimes need to see a few of the pieces one more time before production week. It can be because the pieces aren't entirely finished yet or it acts as an opportunity for the choreographers to show the mentors one more time why their piece is ready for the concert. It's a possibility that they will cut pieces at this showing, but it doesn't necessarily mean I will be. *fingers crossed*

All in all I'm happy with the piece I've created and I can't wait to see how it turns out. Unfortunately at this point I've run out of things to say AND I have to go perform. Stay tuned!

Having Some Fun

All right, so tomorrow is the third showing, so I shall be rehearsing all night and day tomorrow in preparation. Who's bright idea was it for me to dance in four pieces and choreograph one of my own?! I mean I'm definitely enjoying the amount of time I'm able to spend dancing this semester, but my brain can only take so much more information!

Anyways, I figure I'll post more about the third showing after it actually happens. I'm such a smart girl sometimes. =)

But for your viewing pleasure, I leave you with a link to a video of DTG's AMAZING Afro-Jazz class with none other than Ann Brown-Allen. Enjoy!
Afro-Jazz Woo!!

Ohh Martha...

"Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion." -Martha Graham

I came across this quote as I was studying and I realized how true it is. I've always loved this quote, but I sometimes feel that I forget about it when I'm choreographing because, of course technical dancing will always be beautiful. But when you place a very technical piece next to one where you can feel the dancers' passion and choreographer's passion, I don't think that there is any comparison.

I know I haven't given away what my piece is about yet. And don't get too excited because I'm still going to keep you in suspense. But this quote is the essence of my dance. It doesn't matter how much technical ability you have as a dancer. If you don't love what you do and appreciate every moment that you are moving then the passion isn't there. And the passion is what matters most.

A Little Under the Weather

O.K. So yes, I realize I have been neglecting my readers lately, BUT it was only because I have been sick for quite some time. I've been so sick in fact that I could not even dance in class last Thursday and I've had a difficult time performing fully in rehearsals. Luckily, I'm feeling much better!

Anyways, back to last Thursday's class, which was a modern/jazz class with Andy Taylor-Blenis, who is the sister of our very own mentor, Micki! Although I was only able to watch and take pictures for our Facebook page, it was a great class and I honestly learned a lot.  Andy focused on placement of our bodies and alignment, which is very important for a dancer. We always have to think about the different connections in our body and how we can maintain those connections while dancing. Andy is a very hands-on teacher, which I think can make some people nervous, but everyone seemed to really enjoy class and most people wanted to find out where they could take more classes with her. It was definitely a success!