"everyone needs a hat so we can have a show"

I go to a church called The Cross in Erie :) The pastor's wife had a girls night at her house. We made pizza and then Lydia (the little girl in the front in the red shirt) gave everyone hats to wear :) Mine didn't quite fit :P 

It was a lovely evening and I had great time meeting the girls from another college's Women's Group :) 

I also love spending time with Lydia. She calls me "the dancer" and she always wants to teach me ballet steps :) She also gives the best hugs ever :) 

Cleveland Museum of Art

Kathryn's lovely parents took us to the Cleveland Museum of Art on Sunday. 

We saw works by Degas and Picasso and Matisse and Calder mobiles and lots of other spectacular art. 

I decided to imitate all of the statues (sometimes I behave like a child) we came across including one by Degas (not The Dancer) and some strange-looking African statues :) 

The museum is just gorgeous and it was a wonderful afternoon :) 

visiting Ohio

I'm visiting the state of Ohio for the first time this weekend.

I'm spending the weekend at Kathryn's house :) She lives outside of Cleveland, but we drove past the city (and through some of it) on the way to her house yesterday afternoon.

Yesterday I had delicious seafood nachos at a local Mexican restaurant :)  I also got a tour of all of Kathryn's artwork throughout the house by her mom :)

Today we took ballet at an adorable little studio that reminded me a lot of my "home" studio in Maryland :)

slide over your knee

Jessica used this picture in her final photography project :) 

A Life Less Backwards, Raw Edges 2013

photo credit: Jessica Taylor 

my favorite picture from Raw Edges

A Life Less Backwards, Raw Edges 2013

photo credit: Jessica Taylor 

snow globe

I have determined that the best way to explain Erie weather is to imagine living inside a snow globe that a small child enjoys turning upside down (or sideways) and shaking  . . .  frequently . . .  and in various directions  . . .  at the same time  . . .  somehow  . . .

But seriously, the weather is absurd. Tonight snow/sleet was flying directly into my eyes no matter which direction I turned and the wind was strong enough that I could lean backwards into the wind and let it move me forward. 

I am not ready to only have two years left in school -- it can't be true

Sophomore Review for the Dance Department is finished!

Somehow public speaking is much easier when you're not talking about yourself.

don't stop watching her

A Life Less Backwards, Raw Edges 2013

photo credit: Jessica Taylor

I love this picture :) I love the motion, the projection on the floor, the ropes for the battens, the blue light, the gold light and what was happening in the piece at this moment :)

I have the sweetest siblings

Joel Bean saw this chocolate ballerina while shopping one day and asked if it could be sent to me :) He is so sweet :) 

wrap your arms behind your back

A Life Less Backwards, Raw Edges 2013

photo credit: Jessica Taylor 

Isaiah 40:12

"Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?" 

push away

 A Life Less Backwards, Raw Edges 2013

photo credit: Jessica Taylor 

I love the movement captured in this particular photograph through the swirling skirts and wild hair :) I also like the unintentional crossed lines theme displayed in the wall braces, the straps on my dress, my arms and my legs :) 

Peter Pan pose

A Life Less Backwards, Raw Edges 2013

photo credit: Jessica Taylor 

Also, if you notice in the background of all of these pictures, the choreographer decided to fly out all of the wings and the scrim (take away the fabric that usually hangs on the sides of the stage and in the back). This created a larger stage, allowed the audience to see into the sides of the stage and created a much more industrial and potentially more realistic "backdrop" to the piece. 

look under your leg before you roll on your back

A Life Less Backwards, Raw Edges 2013

photo credit: Jessica Taylor 

listen to the ground

A Life Less Backwards, Raw Edges 2013

photo credit: Jessica Taylor 

lay down in the grass

a.k.a hold this position for 10-20 seconds after completing the first half of dance

thoughts going through my head: "engage your abs", "stop shaking", "look out at your hand", "when will the birds start chirping?" (the next sound cue), keep scooping your abs", "hold still", . . . "finally, the birds :)" 

A Life Less Backwards, Raw Edges 2013

photo credit: Jessica Taylor

  

adolescent pterodactyl - say what?

Seriously, that's what this move was called. 

 A Life Less Backwards, Raw Edges 2013

photo credit: Jessica Taylor 

A Life Less Backwards, Raw Edges 2013

photo credit: Jessica Taylor 

now hold your ankle

A Life Less Backwards, Raw Edges 2013

photo credit: Jessica Taylor 

less backwards

This is THE piece. 

The piece that gave me all of the bruises, wounds and marley burns. The piece that pushed me to point of exhaustion day after day. The piece that forced me to grow in so many ways as a dancer in just two weeks. The piece that allowed me to finally say that I can/could be a modern dancer. The piece that asked me to abandon all attachment to being a beautiful, elegant ballerina. The piece that I didn't think I could get through, let alone perform. 

The piece that I did perform.

 The piece that I actually got complimented on performing by several good modern dancers. 

The piece that finally gave me enough arm strength to do push ups :P 

The piece that I finally understood physically, mentally and emotionally in last minutes of the piece during the last time I performed it--I was probably the most physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted I've ever been in my life, but I still distinctly remember the feeling I had as I rolled onto to my back, crawled along the floor, slowly stood up and bent over backwards with the lights fading to black. 

A Life Less Backwards, Raw Edges 2013 

photo credit: Kaylyn Stack 

wonderful evening

SAVION GLOVER CAME TO THE MARY D'ANGELO PERFORMING ARTS CENTER TONIGHT :D 

The performance was marvelous :)

floating and falling

 Also in 2280 Pints, we danced to a Hebrew pop song. At the end of the song, we had to "float" as seen in the picture below . . . 

2280 Pints, Raw Edges 2013

photo credit: Maggie Sullivan

. . . and then we had to abruptly fall off our buckets. 

2280 Pints, Raw Edges 2013

photo credit: Maggie Sullivan

At the Saturday afternoon show, the audience audibly laughed at our fall :) 

bucket head

2280 Pints, Raw Edges 2013

photo credit: Maggie Sullivan

Another one of the pieces in 2280 Pints was to Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal". I and four other dancers did the whole piece with buckets on our heads. It was mildly terrifying and also a lot of fun :) 

drumming

Many of the students on the backstage crew as well as quite a few photography students took pictures of the performance I was in this weekend. So my picture-of-the-day is going to be performance pictures for the next week or two :) 

2280 Pints, Raw Edges 2013

photo credit: Maggie Sullivan 

The first piece in 2280 Pints didn't have any music. The whole piece was bucket percussion. We alternated between drumming with the whole bucket, using the handle against the side of the bucket and drumming on top of the bucket. Percussion has never been a strength of mine so this was definitely a challenging piece for me even though there wasn't any dancing. 

hippie store

That moment when your non-dancer roommate walks into the living room and says that it smells like a hippie store because you have Icy Hot on shoulders, Lavender Shea Butter on your feet and Burts Bees on your lips.
 . . . dancer problems . . .

counting

show wounds 

    bruises

      right wrist - 2

      right elbow - 3

      right thigh - 1
      right knee - 2

      left knee - 3

      right foot - 1

      left foot - 2

   marley burns

     right shoulder

     right knee

     left knee

     right foot

     left foot

   open wounds

     right foot - 4

     left foot - 6

tech wounds

   raw, skinned palms and fingers (carrying large panels of unfinished wood isn't the most fun experience) 

. . . yeah, it's been a long weekend 

Now for more positive things

- I got to go the top catwalk in the PAC :) I could touch the ceiling (51') of the theater :) 

- I took the gels out of the box booms which pretty much means scaling a metal frame and hanging over the top bar (which is at least 6 times my height) to reach the lights

- I performed all weekend and, by the grace of God, still had enough energy to strike the stage
- The range of dance styles I am comfortable performing has increased drastically
- I got a lot of really wonderful compliments concerning the really hard (technically and physically) piece I was cast in :) 

- My parents and grandparents all drove 8 hours to come see my show :) . . . and they surprised me :) I assumed they wouldn't be able to come. After my Saturday afternoon show, my mom called to say that they were five minutes from my campus and wanted to know if I wanted to go out to eat before my next show :) They stayed for my evening performance and church Sunday morning :) :) :) 

Now for regular college things like homework and laundry . . . and eating and sleeping at regular times :)