2015 is flying by!!!
Pennsylvania Regional Ballet dancers waiting to begin an Ugly Duckling performance
I can't believe that we nearing the end of summer. Before we get into another dance season, I wanted to take a moment and fill you in on all that has been happening.
In February of this year, I took on a new position. I became an Adjunct Instructor for Messiah College's Department of Theatre and Dance. The major is just beginning its fourth year (Fall 2015), so it is a very exciting time to join the program. For the Spring Semester I taught ballet classes.
At the Pennsylvania Regional Ballet, I had the privilege of restaging Kirsten Kaschock's work, The House That Jane Built. The young PRB dancers were so eager to do this work; it made my job so easy! Kaschock is a brilliant person and a veteran choreographer. It was nice to be a part of her rehearsals and listen to her discuss her creative process and intentions for the piece. The work was shown at PRB's annual Spring Gala in March and was later selected to be performed at the Regional Dance America/Northeast Festival in Philadephia, PA in May.
May was a busy month for me! The Pennsylvania Regional Ballet toured my 30 minute ballet, The Ugly Duckling. The ballet addresses bullying using dance, narration, and an original music score by James Casey. We also offered an in-school residency where I am able to talk more in-depth about the movement, bullying, and individuality. This year alone, more than 1800 students in the Harrisburg School District (Harrisburg, PA) were able to watch, participate, and/or be a part of these offerings thanks to generous support of the funders of PRB.
I had some time off after PRB's annual Summer Concert before heading into their annual Summer Intensive. As part of the faculty, I taught ballet, modern, dance history, and anatomy to the summer program students. We had a great time and I'm so grateful that my mother was able to make it a great summer for my own kids! The end of the summer was bittersweet as I said goodbye to my role as a faculty member at PRB in order to take on more responsibilities at Messiah and still maintain balance for my young family. After 10 years as a faculty member, and many years as a student before then, PRB will always be home. I look forward to returning in January to set choreography on the company dancers.
Here we are in August! In the earlier part of the month, I had a chance to be the student and take a few classes at Broadway Dance Center, thanks to the good fortune of my friend and fellow teacher, Stacey Tytler Raab. We also went to see An American in Paris! Beautiful dancing, choreography- winner of 4 Tony Awards, but not one of my favorite shows overall. We also had a chance to stop by the Ailey studios to see Ellenore Scott and Michelle Ramos Burkhart as they prepared for another year of the Breaking Glass Emerging Female Choreographer's Project (I was part of the inaugural group in 2013). I am amazed, but not surprised to see how the project is growing each year. The work that they are doing to advance female choreographers is incredible.
Now, I am gearing up to return to Messiah next week, but this time I will take on a few more classes. In addition to teaching ballet classes, I will be teaching dance history, and will create choreography for their concert dance ensemble, GiViM. I'm also looking forward to assisting the seniors as they navigate their senior projects and make plans post-graduation plans.
I will keep you informed of opportunities to see my choreography or take class from me throughout the year. You can always check my calendar to see upcoming events or send me an email through my contact page!
Best wishes for a new season of dance!