A body discovering ballet, balance, and breath

I am fortunate to be able to perform both of my dance loves - I am a member of an internationally recognized Modern Dance company and a nationally active Contemporary Ballet Company. I perform en pointe and I have callaouses on the soles of my feet from years of dancing barefoot.

I love being a part of the diverse and long traditions of both Ballet and Modern Dance. 

But, I have more questions as I'm growing. 

As a dancer, I try to build a bridge between the techniques to add a deeper layer to my dancing and my own kinestetic understanding. As an educator and choreographer, I try to bring my investigations into the studio and stage space. 

I'm excited to spend some time this week exploring the convergence points of Classical Ballet Vocabulary and Modern Dance's Release Technique. Join me on Wednesday and Thursday at KYL/D's CHI Movement Arts Center in South Philly. I'm teaching two days of "Single Scoops" where we'll play with movement and classical concepts of Body, Time, Space, and Energy. 

Two of my research questions include:

How can the weight of release deepen the breath of ballet vocabulary? Can the shapes and lines of ballet be achieved through an organic sequencing of the body found through Release Technique?  

Pre-register online: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1626806

See you in the studio! 

Happy Fathers' Day! Happy Summer Solstice!

Whatever form your family takes, Happy Fathers' Day!

Today, Fathers' Day is shared with the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. 

The word, Solstice, itself, refers not only to the points where the sun is its greatest distance from the earth's equator, but also to a turning point or a culminating point.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the days will begin to get shorter, but the "dog days of summer" are just beginning.

I'm not sure of the micro/macro cosmic significance that the Solstice and Fathers' Day coincide this year. But perhaps it is just a reminder to balance the masculine and feminine energies as they circulate in this turbulent world. Perhaps it is a reminder that with every hour of light, there is an equal hour of darkness and those hours play out within the span of a year.

 Time and space. 

Likewise, with every hour of darkness, there is an hour of light. 

World Oceans Day

June 8th is World Oceans Day. A day dedicated by the UN to reflecting on and recognizing the importance of the great bodies of water that comprise most of our planet. 

I'm grateful to have spent so much of the past year investigating horseshoe crabs and the giant impact these small creature have on not only the ecosystem, but also human healthcare.

Through movement practices I developed from watching the horseshoe crabs, I developed and translated a vocabulary for working technically, metaphorically and with imagery. I focused heavily on the way the body can give into the space, through the expansion and trust of one's own kinesphere. 

Below is a short video of my inspiration - the horseshoe crab is tossed among the waves, but is protected by its circular shell. As a dancer, I take solstice that my own kinesthetic knowledge will keep me safe and allow me to take deep movement risks - in the overcurves and undercurves of movement pathways, and  in the ever swirling journey of life. 

http://youtu.be/3ctFfK2zDgw

How will you celebrate the oceans today?