We Did It!

The show is over! I feel like a weight has temporarily been lifted off my shoulders, however I need to finish my writing by the end of Feb! It can be done.

The show was amazing. There was so much love and support. The dancers did great and I believe we got the message across. I am very pleased with how everything turned out.

Tre had a dream the night after the show that his friend Shelby was at the show and telling him to Let Go. He said she was so happy and he now realizes she is in a better place. Then he thanked me for including him. Just that, made this all worth while.

The dancers performed for their peers at the studio the Monday before the show and it really touched some of the dancers. They were writing on their facebook pages how they really found new meaning to dance and could see and feel the emotion of the dancers. Some of them really didn't know what it meant to feel through dance and I think they caught a glimpse of it during the performance. It meant a lot that they were moved by what "we" created. This was truly a group effort. It was as much their piece as it was mine.

I can never thank them enough for being a part of this project.

The Show is Upon Us!

Finally we are dancing this weekend! I am so excited for the final showing on Saturday. I think the dancers will be great and all their hard work will pay off. No matter what happens, the message is a powerful one and if we touch one person in the audience our job is done.

I am trying my best not to stress out. Just taking time and getting things done. We had a mini dress rehearsal at the studio on Monday and it went really well. All the nerves were set free and they did an amazing job.

I'd like to thank Katie Rice for some amazing photos, Ahmad Maaty for his words of wisdom and Karen Reedy for her much needed advice. They all took time last week to help put the finishing touches on the piece to make it great.

Here we go...

MERDE!!

The Countdown Begins

So, we are having our last few rehearsals and i'm freaking out. I think it is coming together but there are still parts I would love to change. Katie came in and took photos tonight. Ahmad is coming in to help with our speaking parts on Wed. Karen is coming in on Sunday then we have our dress/tech and then it's show day. Not only am I worried about the piece, mother nature decided to bring snow this year. Not the little "delay" snow. The snow that shut down the city and we couldn't leave the house. We have another storm coming this week and I heard there is one next week. As long as it isn't on Saturday i'll be happy. It's going to be great! I'm excited.

Final Stretch

Time is ticking away. We are in the final stages of putting my project together. I am feeling completely overwhelmed and I hate everything right now. We have gone through a period of "life" where things have come up like family gatherings, surgeries, a wedding, college auditions, car accidents to name a few. We are coming to the end and I just want a rehearsal with everyone there. I am doing some alignment work and tracking their progress is very important. I am coming to a period where members of my thesis committee are coming into rehearsals whether it be for strength testing or simply to support me. I want something good to show them. My dancers are doing great and I hope they bear with me as I start making changes in the last month and a half! It WILL BE GREAT! I will accept nothing less.

Frustration

We have been rehearsing and I feel like we are moving forward in some aspects and at a standstill in others. The choreography at the end is coming along nicely and the dancers are getting it. That is where they are comfortable. However, the first few sections are giving me a headache. We are working with improvisation and it is difficult. I am trying to get the dancers to move out of their comfort zones and push themselves and it is proving to be a challenge. I am trying to get them to understand that it is ok to be still. You don't always have to look like a dancer. Be pedestrian. I never thought it would be hard to get a person to act like a person. Guess what it is! I am a perfectionist so I am sure I am being hard on myself. I am waiting to get goosebumps and when I do...SUCCESS!

Duet

We have been rehearsing Tre and Nikki's duet. It is slowly but surely coming together. I am excited to finish it and by the time we perform it'll be amazing. Nikki has taken on the role of "grief". At the end of Tre's story he just can't seem to move on and he gets entangled in his grief. I hope the story comes across the way it's meant to be.

Acting Lesson

My friend Ahmad Maaty came in yesterday and he was a breath of fresh air. He really connected with the dancers and taught them ways to get into their stories. He was giving them some "tips" when acting. He was encouraging them think more deeply about their situations. Everyone was connected and we were finding connections all evening. It was eye opening. I learned a lot from him yesterday. I am so lucky to have such talented people in my life.