spring contemporary/modern solo

music? check
title? check
music burned onto a CD? check
costume? check ($3.49 at goodwill--cheapest costume ever)
straps shortened and camisole tacked to costume? check
choreograhpy? mostly check . . . those last 9 seconds will just come to me, right?

Summer Reading List 2013

I've started Why We Love the Church, Everyday Church and Ophelia so far. 

Also, I may add some other books, but this is enough for now. 

storms

"Giving thanks is only this: making the canyon of pain into a megaphone 

to proclaim the ultimate goodness of God." ~Ann Voskamp

Pleaassseee read this article. It's just beautiful -deeply, painfully beautiful.

daddy

I found this picture yesterday while looking for Mother's Day pictures. It clearly wasn't suited for Mother's Day, but I didn't know it existed and pretty much love it so I decided to share it today :) 

I get to see my daddy again in 5 days :) 

photo credit: Cyndi Sain 

C-o-c-k-e-r-h-a-m

A few years ago on "The Many Ways To Misspell My Last Name"  . . .

For this week's episode . . .

Stay tuned, I'm almost positive there will be a new episode soon. 

climbing slowly up the mountain (and enjoying the rush of looking down every once in a while)

I very much enjoyed being in the ballet this weekend. Corps de ballet work is always challenging, I enjoy stage acting and Fille is particularly turn-oriented ballet (jumps come much easier to me so I definitely had to work on the consistency of my turns). All three of these things definitely made the process valuable.

However, I think I equally enjoyed performing in the contemporary piece that I performed in yesterday. Contemporary movement fits my body type much better and and it's beginning to feel much more natural.

Another dancer in my sophomore class came up to me after the contemporary performance and told me that she thought my movement style has definitely developed over the past two years and she just wanted to let me know that she's enjoyed watching that progress. It was so nice of her to tell me that and I was certainly incredibly thankful to hear that from her.

I will always love ballet, but it's rather exciting to see all the other genres of dance that I haven't really explored yet, but do have the physical capacity to explore.

I started out last year firmly rooted in classical ballet and not too interested in personally performing much else.
I performed a very modern piece this past winter with 5 other girls that definitely changed my view of modern and my view of myself as dancer.
I just finished a contemporary piece that I got to have a little solo in. (The show may or may not have started with me on the floor in a spotlight.)

Next up . . .performing a modern solo in Maryland in a few weeks that I'm choreographing myself :) (gah!)

entrance of the village women

La Fille Mal Gardee

photo credit: Maggie Sullivan

Remembering to hold your skirt at various places in the choreography is so much harder than it looks.

souté

Kathryn and I mid-jump :) 

La Fille Mal Gardee

photo credit: Maggie Sullivan 

snapshots of my day

In the morning . . .

bagel, blueberry greek yogurt and hazelnut coffee

Bible, worship music, devotional reading, ballet blanket and heating pad (for my hip) 

hair cream, hair spray, bobbi pins and comb

hair twisted (and sprayed until hard) 

make-up

snacks (packed for the day) 

homework and tights (packed for the day) 

pointe shoes (hanging up to dry) 

At the studio for warm-up . . .

mucklucks, ballet slippers and ipod 

*I might need new ballet slippers soon :)

After a long day of performances . . .

foot soak, foot balm and socks

3 shows completed :)
1 more ballet performance tomorrow and 1 contemporary performance Monday :)
1 ballet final Monday and 1 tap final Tuesday
I will survive . . . I think . . .

blue bows

It's time to start posting performance pictures again :) Most of the pictures this time will be group pictures because I'm in the corps de ballet for La Fille Mal Gardee.

La Fille Mal Gardee

photo credit: Maggie Sullivan 

I know our backs are turned, but I like this picture :) 

I love the costume (better picture to come soon) and the blue hair bows :) 

(I'm second from the left.) 

"The tragic hypocrisy is that the enchantment of security lets us take risks every day for ourselves but paralyzes us from taking risks for others on the Calvary road of love." ~John Piper

bad life decision

I saw this at Wegmans so I decided to try it. 

I shouldn't have. 

I now very much miss my mother's real crab soup. I am also rather upset by the fact that the mush that was contained in this can is allowed to be advertised with such a distinguished title.