You might remember that I consider myself a collage artist. If you've seen my work or read anything else on this blog, you know that I gather information and make sense of the correlations through my artistry.
It's hard to do that these days... but I'm still gathering.
So
I made this for you. The quote is from The Conscious Dancer newsletter (check it out). The images are stock from Canva. Canva's a fun way to collage when I can't create dances in the ways that I've been trained. Thanks, Canva and forms of digital communication.
Today used to be one of my favorite days of the year. The longest night meant that tomorrow would bring a little more light. And a little more. And a little more each day. Today always held the literal promise of a brighter tomorrow.
This year, I've spent a lot of time with The Night Sky. She has encouraged me to be patient; to sit in the darkness and trust in time, mystery, and surprise. The Night Sky has enveloped me in the joy of new perspectives and new ways to experience light. What has The Night revealed to you?
Serendipitously, today another episode of The Greater Reading Area Dance Exchange airs on BCTV at 6:30pm. If you're not local to Berks County, you can tune in by clicking here and selecting "Watch Now" and "BCTV.org". For this show, I had the opportunity to revisit Berks Ballet Theatre, where I danced as a younger person, and connect to the holiday classic, The Nutcracker, with a fresh approach. Join me. (And if you miss it, you can catch it again on BCTV's Youtube Channel.)
I also invite you to move and be moved today and everyday. Here's a short and simple seated sun-salutation dance:
I hope you're well, finding opportunities to connect with yourself and those important to you, and are creating joy within the journey of your stories. I look forward to hearing/ reading/ seeing them and you.
PS. In case you missed the live-stream, here's the link for Epi3 of The Greater Reading Area Dance Exchange:
Over the summer, I was invited to be a part of the Dance Committee for the YWCA's Week Without Violence Block Party.
What an incredible experience of bringing together so many people, types of dance, and backgrounds for this events!
Elise Chesson, the Chief Advancement Officer of the YWCA to talk about the event on The Greater Reading Area Dance Exchange on BCTV.org. You can watch that here:
And - learn the dance because we'll be bringing it to the streets of Reading in the spring!
Join me tonight on BCTV.org for the second episode of The Greater Reading Area Dance Exchange! I'll be talking to Barrio Alegria, a community organization using a variety of art forms to create positive social change!
Thank you to everyone who celebrated the astronomical calendar's harvest moon with JCWK Dance Lab's Harvest Moon!
I'll be processing over the next few weeks and have the opportunity to share this research, again - in a new way - at the National Dance Education Organization's National Conference. I'm excited to look at the data, unpack feedback, and reflect on this journey.
In the meantime, here are the additional two poems that were created as part of the audience engagement experience.
