Choreographing for the student showcase was one of my most significant events this year. I learned about how difficult it can be to work with 14 vastly different bodies and types of dancers in order to bring everything together into one cohesive piece. I learned how to deal with people’s negativity as well as how to channel the supporters’ energy instead and to thrive off of the feeling of seeing my mind and soul painted onto a stage. I learned how to jump into a piece last minute and to also lead rehearsals at the same time, which was beyond difficult, but was necessary in the situation (my lead dancer had a seizure and became very ill for many weeks and I had to do her part). I learned that all the stress, doubt, and last-minute choreographic bursts are totally worth it once you see your work on a stage and on video.
One thing I would undoubtedly change about this year would be the amount of procrastination I engaged in. The reasoning for this is obvious, because I would holistically feel better if I didn’t put off the things I need to do. Another thing I would change, concerning my own choreographic experience, would be too be more direct with the dancers that I choreographed on and to not be afraid to order them to do what they need to do to make the piece look its best. I would change this because I felt that in many situations I was much too “soft” with them and wanted to make sure everyone was happy all the time, which led to a lot of wasted time in rehearsals that could have been used more efficiently, had I been more strict and demanding of them.
I would like to advise myself, as I prepare for the upcoming year, to take a deep breath and to not be too hard on myself. I’ve landed the spectacular opportunity of dancing with Quixotic, a contemporary-cirque-ballet company, and I want to make sure that I take every moment possible to acknowledge my own gratefulness and passion for this endeavor. I also want to advise myself to never lose sight of my daily goals; without them, the foundations of my mind, body and soul could disintegrate into meaningless rubble.
My thoughts about who I am have stayed pretty consistent this year as far as dancing professionally goes, but one thing that I have taken interest in is performing on aerial apparatuses and with fire props. My next steps will be to continue to strengthen my core and upper body and to learn the basics of aerial training and fire dancing, in order to lay a groundwork for my future skills.
One goal that I have set for myself for the upcoming year is to make steps towards graduating a year early. To help me on this quest, I have begun logging all of my hours that I am dancing at Quixotic this summer in order to transfer into ballet and modern technique credits that I can put towards my degree. Combined with all the hours I have already pooled into my degree, these summer hours will propel me into my final stretch of College-Land, and I will be able to focus all my energy into my dancing career, as well as other passions such as art and natural exploration.
One thing I would undoubtedly change about this year would be the amount of procrastination I engaged in. The reasoning for this is obvious, because I would holistically feel better if I didn’t put off the things I need to do. Another thing I would change, concerning my own choreographic experience, would be too be more direct with the dancers that I choreographed on and to not be afraid to order them to do what they need to do to make the piece look its best. I would change this because I felt that in many situations I was much too “soft” with them and wanted to make sure everyone was happy all the time, which led to a lot of wasted time in rehearsals that could have been used more efficiently, had I been more strict and demanding of them.
I would like to advise myself, as I prepare for the upcoming year, to take a deep breath and to not be too hard on myself. I’ve landed the spectacular opportunity of dancing with Quixotic, a contemporary-cirque-ballet company, and I want to make sure that I take every moment possible to acknowledge my own gratefulness and passion for this endeavor. I also want to advise myself to never lose sight of my daily goals; without them, the foundations of my mind, body and soul could disintegrate into meaningless rubble.
My thoughts about who I am have stayed pretty consistent this year as far as dancing professionally goes, but one thing that I have taken interest in is performing on aerial apparatuses and with fire props. My next steps will be to continue to strengthen my core and upper body and to learn the basics of aerial training and fire dancing, in order to lay a groundwork for my future skills.
One goal that I have set for myself for the upcoming year is to make steps towards graduating a year early. To help me on this quest, I have begun logging all of my hours that I am dancing at Quixotic this summer in order to transfer into ballet and modern technique credits that I can put towards my degree. Combined with all the hours I have already pooled into my degree, these summer hours will propel me into my final stretch of College-Land, and I will be able to focus all my energy into my dancing career, as well as other passions such as art and natural exploration.