National Dance Educators' Organization Conference this week (and a lot more)!

NDEO's Annual conference is this weekend and I'm so excited to be sharing some of my research. I'm presenting a case study, Thursday, about Service Learning and KYL/D's InHale Performance Series. Saturday, I'm presenting with a dear friend and super smart educator, Elisa Foshay, on incorporating mindfulness into an arts organization.

In Chicago? I hope I get to see you!

 In the Greater Philly area? Go see Alvernia University's Theatre Productions:

Or one of the many other performances that are happening this weekend:
Philly Dance Performances (click here for a list and more info)

Merde to all of the presenters, performers, choreographers, directors... !

The clothes make the...

I had the opportunity to peek at the costumes for "Puppets at the Fairground." They're beautiful and stunning! I'm so excited for the actors to wear them.

And I was reminded of putting on KYL/D's "Land of Lost Content" costume for the first time. "Land was the first KYL/D performance I saw and was the moment I fell in love with the company. Putting on the costume was an honor and I was surprised at how much I was effected and empowered when I put on the costume for the performance - even though I've been dancing with the company for several years.

Costumes are so powerful for the performer. They assist in telling the story and getting into the character.

Several years ago in a Dance Appreciation-like class, my students asked me about costume choices. The students seemed to assume that costumes and colors were arbitrary. Until I asked them how many of them thought about what they were going to put on this morning. How did their clothing choices effect the way they felt and the way they presented themselves throughout the dance? How did they think about how their clothing choices made other people perceive them? Almost all of my students (even the ones that looked like they just rolled out of bed to attend an 8:30am class) acknowledged thinking about their own clothing choices.

Choreographers, directors, and costume designers also think a lot about costume choices. The costumes are an essential part of telling the story.

To say it better, here's Martha Graham. The first part of "A Dancer's World" provides insight into preparing for a performance.

Upcoming theatre collaboration

I'm honored to be working with Dr. Nathan Thomas and the students of Alvernia University Theatre again. Thank you! It's been an exciting adventure watching these young artists grow and transform. Come see for yourself!

I've set the choreography for A Merry Death and Puppets at the Fairground. Both are interesting stories and reflections on life, love, death, and how we experience the space in between.