A few things I'm loving right now..
-oldies music. Classics like nobodies business. Must. Buy. Record player.
-Blond hair. It's new and I'm not used to it yet but I like it
-Choreo almost being completely finished. Pretty exciting to be able to get into the nitty gritty details of cleaning and making it amazing. Couple more weeks and it should be all completed.
-Exciting projects. More on that, details to come but needless to say I'm stoked and when it comes out man it's going to be something else.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
There Was Little We Could Do To Stop The Ice
There is nothing like the first snowfall of the year. It's always struck me as the most magical day of the year for as long as I can remember. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I woke up this morning to this.
Sincerely, the best morning view I've had since, well, the last first snow of the year. And so by default, today must be a great day. It just can't go any other way. Not with me in this incredible mood. And so it shall be a great day. I have rehearsal first. I get to create in the studio with Luke. It's a new experience as I'm going in to this one without everything prepared and choreographed beforehand. We're playing with discovering movement on the spot and in the moment. We're getting some really great, interesting and certainly unexpected stuff. It's a new experience doing choreography in the moment for me. I usually come in hyper-prepared, as if the world will fall apart and nothing will get done if I don't have the whole thing mapped out from starting pose to ending pose. I am learning that's not the case. The world will keep on spinning and sometimes I might surprise myself in the process.
And that's what it is. A process. I'm still evolving in my process and I find it changes a little more every year. In some ways. But some things will never change I'm finding. Like how I do 90% of my choreography lying down in bed, listening to my Ipod in the dark and 3 in the morning. And those are the things I'm not sure I should change. I'm not sure how much the boyfriend appreciates my 3am replaying of not only a song, but 30 seconds of the same song, but he doesn't complain about it too much. But I am a lot more open to change now. To going in and changing my own work, and being more objective. Knowing when something just won't work and having the courage to take it in a different direction when it doesn't. Ever- evolving.
After rehearsal today I have the customary daily paperwork and such and such, (email overload people) then class and tonight I'm subbing inter/adv jazz so come on out!
Sincerely, the best morning view I've had since, well, the last first snow of the year. And so by default, today must be a great day. It just can't go any other way. Not with me in this incredible mood. And so it shall be a great day. I have rehearsal first. I get to create in the studio with Luke. It's a new experience as I'm going in to this one without everything prepared and choreographed beforehand. We're playing with discovering movement on the spot and in the moment. We're getting some really great, interesting and certainly unexpected stuff. It's a new experience doing choreography in the moment for me. I usually come in hyper-prepared, as if the world will fall apart and nothing will get done if I don't have the whole thing mapped out from starting pose to ending pose. I am learning that's not the case. The world will keep on spinning and sometimes I might surprise myself in the process.
And that's what it is. A process. I'm still evolving in my process and I find it changes a little more every year. In some ways. But some things will never change I'm finding. Like how I do 90% of my choreography lying down in bed, listening to my Ipod in the dark and 3 in the morning. And those are the things I'm not sure I should change. I'm not sure how much the boyfriend appreciates my 3am replaying of not only a song, but 30 seconds of the same song, but he doesn't complain about it too much. But I am a lot more open to change now. To going in and changing my own work, and being more objective. Knowing when something just won't work and having the courage to take it in a different direction when it doesn't. Ever- evolving.
After rehearsal today I have the customary daily paperwork and such and such, (email overload people) then class and tonight I'm subbing inter/adv jazz so come on out!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Occupy and Other Strange Things
The Occupy movement doesn't make sense to me. I understand what they're protesting against and agree with them. Yes there are many inequalities. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. But when I was reading up on it many of the people in Occupy Ottawa sound rather like... communists. Really that's exactly what they're describing. I think Occupy needs to sit down and figure out not only what they want, but HOW THEY WANT THE CHANGE TO HAPPEN. We all know that these are problems, but unless you come up with a concise solution and what exactly you would like to change, nothing is going to get done. No one can work off such inane suggestions as "we want you to fix the inequality". Well great. But how?
Sunday, October 30, 2011
...Reveal themselves one star at a time...
I must apologize. My absence from here as been much too long. An entire summer long at that. But things have been busy. Very busy. And becoming more so. It's been an amazing past few months and ones I will always treasure. Truly some of the happiest of my life. I completed my second year of ADAPT training (only one more to go!) taught some amazing classes (and took some) assisted the wonderful Tiffany Mclean and fell in love. Quite a stellar cast of characters. Then September rolled around, as it always does too soon. And it was back to WORK, back to real life, back to all the things I love.
Competition season is in full swing once again. 5 out of 8 solos done, all unique and vital in their own way. Groups taking shape, ideas solidifying into reality. There's little I love more than the beginning of a piece, when it's still just an ephemeral substance in your head. Before it becomes tangible reality and there's still nothing but pure and distinct possibility. The hum in the air at the start of rehearsal. Joyous.
I'm in the middle of choreography for a benefit concert/talent show happening at the end of November. It's going to be a blast and the ladies I'm working with (though not actually dancers) are willing, intelligent, and oh so much damn fun. And it's all for a great cause, so I would like to take a moment to applaud their excellent community service and sheer balls for getting up on the stage and shaking what their mama may (or may not) have given them.
I am, quite literally, in the middle of shooting a music video for Brandi Disterheft. A Juno winner and Grammy nominee, Brandi is just the sweetest little, giant bass playing chick I've met. Shooting finishes tomorrow, thus far it's been an experience worth remembering. But that's another blog.
Competition season is in full swing once again. 5 out of 8 solos done, all unique and vital in their own way. Groups taking shape, ideas solidifying into reality. There's little I love more than the beginning of a piece, when it's still just an ephemeral substance in your head. Before it becomes tangible reality and there's still nothing but pure and distinct possibility. The hum in the air at the start of rehearsal. Joyous.
I'm in the middle of choreography for a benefit concert/talent show happening at the end of November. It's going to be a blast and the ladies I'm working with (though not actually dancers) are willing, intelligent, and oh so much damn fun. And it's all for a great cause, so I would like to take a moment to applaud their excellent community service and sheer balls for getting up on the stage and shaking what their mama may (or may not) have given them.
I am, quite literally, in the middle of shooting a music video for Brandi Disterheft. A Juno winner and Grammy nominee, Brandi is just the sweetest little, giant bass playing chick I've met. Shooting finishes tomorrow, thus far it's been an experience worth remembering. But that's another blog.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
This Year, All But Disappeared.
And so a season ends. Recital was great. It's always so exciting to see the kids show off all the skills they learned in the past season. And an emotional one this year at that. Our first grads. Such amazing students and young adults, now going out into this harsh world to fend for themselves. It's hard trusting that they're ready for it. That they're going to be able to know when to be bold and when to hold back and protect themselves. To know that they will inevitably fall down and make mistakes and get their hearts broken. But eventually you have to let them stand on their own. I hope they keep in touch.
After recital I did something I never do.... NOTHING. I actually for the first time in years took the time to take a deliberate rest. A deliberate break away from what I do. I spent time with my friends. More time in the last 2 weeks with them than I had spent this entire year combined. I went to bbqs and hockey games and sat on my porch people watching for hours on end. It was really great and I needed it. I'm now coming back to work refreshed and ready. Bursting with energy. I'm trying this new balance thing and maybe sometimes I think it's working. We'll see how that continues.
After recital I did something I never do.... NOTHING. I actually for the first time in years took the time to take a deliberate rest. A deliberate break away from what I do. I spent time with my friends. More time in the last 2 weeks with them than I had spent this entire year combined. I went to bbqs and hockey games and sat on my porch people watching for hours on end. It was really great and I needed it. I'm now coming back to work refreshed and ready. Bursting with energy. I'm trying this new balance thing and maybe sometimes I think it's working. We'll see how that continues.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
So In Love With the Wrong World...
Time to play some catch up. It's been a hectic fucking month. Back to back competitions, moving day, teaching regular classes, recital prep... Time is not something I have in large supply. That being said, the summer is gearing up to be something special. I'm not going to give away all the details yet, suffice to say there is big shit ahead. In the good way. I can tell you some things though.
-Competitive summer program! 10 weeks, for not only our regular comp students, but also we have a BRAND NEW JUNIOR SUMMER PROGRAM. Jazz and ballet, for the wee ones. They are the future after all and these students are so very talented. So much to do with them!.
-Summer camps July 11-29, three different weeks you can attend. My teaching will be sporadic (few days a week at each camp) as I am....
-In Toronto for my 2nd year ADAPT training from July 13-20 (I will be back for classes the evening of the 20th so don't fear). And then I am....
-In NEW YORK FUCKING CITY for the Dance Teacher Summit!!! From July 29-31 I will be doing nothing but taking class with the best faculty in the world, attending seminars, buying too much from vendors, and watching the ACE awards. Consider me a lucky and stoked girl.
On top of all this, I am looking forward to teaching my regular drop in classes (check the website for full schedule, let you know which ones I'm teaching when I do). I'm also getting my own training kicked up a notch, taking some private lessons, actually having the time to work on myself a little bit, which I'm really looking forward to. It's going to be great to focus on my own stuff for a while. I'm realizing that sometimes you need to take a step back and take care of yourself. I can't neglect that any longer. It's starting to wear me down just a little bit. So I won't anymore. There are too many people willing to help me get where I want to be and too many who believe in what I do to not, you know, do it.
-Competitive summer program! 10 weeks, for not only our regular comp students, but also we have a BRAND NEW JUNIOR SUMMER PROGRAM. Jazz and ballet, for the wee ones. They are the future after all and these students are so very talented. So much to do with them!.
-Summer camps July 11-29, three different weeks you can attend. My teaching will be sporadic (few days a week at each camp) as I am....
-In Toronto for my 2nd year ADAPT training from July 13-20 (I will be back for classes the evening of the 20th so don't fear). And then I am....
-In NEW YORK FUCKING CITY for the Dance Teacher Summit!!! From July 29-31 I will be doing nothing but taking class with the best faculty in the world, attending seminars, buying too much from vendors, and watching the ACE awards. Consider me a lucky and stoked girl.
On top of all this, I am looking forward to teaching my regular drop in classes (check the website for full schedule, let you know which ones I'm teaching when I do). I'm also getting my own training kicked up a notch, taking some private lessons, actually having the time to work on myself a little bit, which I'm really looking forward to. It's going to be great to focus on my own stuff for a while. I'm realizing that sometimes you need to take a step back and take care of yourself. I can't neglect that any longer. It's starting to wear me down just a little bit. So I won't anymore. There are too many people willing to help me get where I want to be and too many who believe in what I do to not, you know, do it.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Feel the Fire Burning
3 days until competition! More rhinestones, more sewing, last minute disasters and triumphs. I'm really looking forward to it all. It's going to be interesting and extremely nerve-wracking to see if my risks pay off. Fingers and toes are crossed.
I never thought that it could be so simple. That all I would have to do is ask to have someone say sure, no problem, I can help you. I can point you to the right people. I'm breathless to see where this might take me. Could be anywhere. I can't wait to find out.
I never thought that it could be so simple. That all I would have to do is ask to have someone say sure, no problem, I can help you. I can point you to the right people. I'm breathless to see where this might take me. Could be anywhere. I can't wait to find out.
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