“Making Dance Now” is an occasional blog series profiling choreographers and small dance companies to explore the challenges and rewards of creating, producing, and presenting choreography in today’s culture and economy. It’s my hope that this series will spark a dialogue about the importance of dance-making today, and how we can better support choreographers! The … More “Making Dance Now”: ASTC
Week number of 2019 is almost in the books, and if you are like me you are still mulling over your resolutions for the year. One thing I know for sure is that I want to spend more time fostering my creative skills through choreography in 2019. Choreography, like all other forms of creative expression, … More Five Creative Practices Choreographers Should Adopt This Year
This particular blog series – “My Top 5 Skills Your Students Should Know” – was inspired by a question posed in a dance teachers’ group on Facebook a while back: What are the 5 skills that you think are most important for your students to learn? As I’ve written in the past, I initially struggled … More My Top 5 Creative and Performance Skills Your Students Should Strive For
Life with a mobile ten month old and a freelance dance career rarely slows down, but the last few weeks have been exceptionally whirlwind-esque. Just about a month ago, I learned that my grandmother had experienced a sudden illness. Within a few days my son and I were on a plane back home to the … More The #MonthlyMessage: Don’t be afraid of stillness
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery If there is one thing I’ve learned over my 15-ish years as a choreographer, it is that you can’t be is too precious about your work. My choreography mentor Sara Pearson once … More 10 Strategies for Editing Choreography
ArtistMotherWife is an occasional series in which I will explore topics related to the intersection of marriage, motherhood, and maintaining one’s career in the arts. Around 4:30am, I did the thing that all the pediatricians practically beg you not to do: I pulled the crying baby out of his pack and play, took him back to our … More ArtistMotherWife: Choreographing the Post-Partum Experience
Every choreographer feels “stuck” now and again. We all go through periods where inspiration fails to come, or when we struggle to find the motivation to even get into the studio. These times can feel devastating, especially for student or novice choreographers. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to always be “on” as … More 15 Choreography Adventures for When You Need A Creative Challenge
This is the third and final entry in a series of posts on teaching ballet in a way that leads to more empowered students. What is an empowered dancer? In my opinion, students who are empowered are: Self-aware and self-reliant (physically, cognitively, and emotionally) Confident and able to make their own decisions Adaptable and open … More Empowering Our Ballet Students, Part 3
This is the second in a series of blog posts considering the ways we can teach ballet in a way that leads to greater student empowerment. What is an empowered dancer? In my opinion, students who are empowered are: Self-aware and self-reliant (physically, cognitively, and emotionally) Confident and able to make their own decisions Adaptable … More Empowering Our Ballet Students, Part 2
The beginning of a new dance, for me, is always a little bittersweet. There is lots of joy, for being able to do what I love, and bring ideas and emotions to life in a meaningful way. There is also gratitude, for the healthy body and mind that allow me to live a creative life, … More Does the world really need my choreography?
