Secrets of a Successful Dancer...It's all in the Bag

Sure there are significant qualities like great technique, proportional body, great headshots, and resumes that can make or break a dancer but the true success behind any great professional is the contents of his/her dance bag. If it contains the right amount of items one can be prepared for any situation and never go wrong.

Here are a few essential things I think every dancer should have:

1) Tennis Ball: perfect for rolling out those achy muscles

 

2) Toe Tape: keep way the pointe shoe blisters

 

3)Band-aids: never know when a boo boo will occur

4) Theraband: stretchhh

 

5) Water bottle: have to stay hydrated

6) Emergen-C: perfect little packet full of Vitamin C and energy

 

7) Nuts: ideal snack to munch on

 

8) Needle and thread: for sudden wardobe/shoe malfunctions

 

9) Planner: essential to staying organized

 

10) Shoes: depending on what style of dancer you are. Personally it's ballet and pointe shoes

 

11) MukLuks: the perfect shoe to keep your feet warm

 

12) Small journal/notebook: to take notes/jot down ideas

 

13) Last but not least a cute bag to keep it all in!

 

 

"rosee du matin" premiere

All I can say is SUCCESS!

After all the hard work, stress, tears just minutes before the show, it's done. And most importantly it was beautiful.

It was the strangest feeling sitting in the audience and watching my piece unfold on stage. So many emotions coursing through my veins as I sat next to my boyfriend, teachers, and fellow classmates, literally exposing myself to them all. My dancers did a beautiful job, despite the fact that I had a nervous breakdown after the dress rehearsal earlier that day because the socks they were wearing were way to slippery and caused them to dance safe.

If it's one thing I've learned in the dance world to be true is bad rehearsal means a good show and it was better than I ever thought it would be:)

My lovely Cast <3

New Challenges

In the last year of the Ailey/Fordham BFA program we have several tasks which must be completed, the first of which is to choreograph our own piece. It must be 4-8 minutes long, we must find the music, costumes, and do the lighting. While I've taken Composition class for the past two years this will be my first time starting and finishing an entire piece. I'll call it: "rosee du matin," french for morning dew. The final product will be fresh, young, and feminine...I wish I could say the same for the process.

The first strike against the class of 2011 is the fact that they pushed the performance up an entire month earlier than they've done in the past. Perfect.

The second bummer is that all 17 of us, plus outside classes/workshops, plus other "regular" Ailey students, are all requesting studio space for most likely the same time. What does this mean? After our already long days most of us are being given space at 10:30 at night or (gasp!) 10:30am...on a Saturday.

And last but not least there's the general struggle to work with other dancers who are either students or professionals and have the same, if not busier, schedule that you do!

Despite all of these (major) setbacks, I have learned more from this experience than I would have ever thought possible. I now know the real meaning of rolling with the punches, my time management skills have shot through the roof (in a good way,) and most importantly I have a newfound respect for choreographers.

It's such a different world teaching phrases that you've come up with and having your vision come alive right before you. This process has taught me more about myself in terms of movement quality and even stress management than I'd care to admit.

The show is this Thursday and hopefully all my hard work will have payed off. Of course I'll be stressed and squeezing my boyfriends hand as hard as I can, but the moment the music starts I have to let all of the anxiety go because ultimately my work is done. All thats left is for them to make my vision come alive. And deep down I know they'll do it beautifully.

My Inspiration

Strength Within

"The obstacles that come to us are not to destroy us, but to say to us, do you know who you are? You are more powerful than you think." (Alonzo King )


In reading the NY Times I came across this article about a man with cerebral palsy who was kicked off a U.S. Airways flight because he was "too disabled to fly alone." He just happened to be a motivational speaker who missed his speaking engagement because of the flight cancellation and is shocked by the incident since he has spent his entire life being taught and teaching others that "though he has a disability, he should be strong enough to overcome life's challenges without any special treatment from others." 


Reading this article reminded me of a documentary I saw last summer of a dancer by the name of Homer Avila who had his leg amputated because of cancer. Despite this devastating disability in which everyone thought he would be confined to a wheelchair and crutches his entire life he defies expectations with beauty and strength and continues to dance. 


The article and documentary (its only 20 min.!) are interesting to compare, they make me realize how much I take my health and strength for granted. If these two men can persevere with grace, what right  do I have to complain?! 


Please take a moment to look at both of these mens stories, reflect, and comment!

Concert vs. Commercial

Because of a Dancers Responding to Aids show I did last year at the Joyce I received a contract with MSA, a premiere talent agency in the city. They cover anything and everything that has to do with dance: TV, film, print, concert, everything.
Having my first meeting with them this year was surreal. Located at 140 Broadway on the 46th fl I stepped off the elevator and was welcomed with the breathtaking fiew of the Hudson, with lady liberty seeming close enough to touch.
This…is the commercial world. Something I never dreamed of doing but would be a fool to pass up.
I’ve always aspired to be a concert dancer, in a professional company touring the world. Sure, the pay may not be great but just think about the artistic fulfillment…can’t wait.
But in falls on my lap this wonderful opportunity to do short 3-5 day gigs that could pay my bills for a couple of months. I’m talking smiling headshots, commercials, and seeing my face in magazines. Glitz, glamour, and “talent”…is it worth it? Would I be growing artistically or just be more well rounded?
If the baby kicks… 

Baby Steps

So I started my Senior Seminar class for dancers this semester. Basically a course, for the senior dancers, to discuss what we've learned the past four years in the B.F.A. program and how we can use these things in our future as dancers, artists, choreographers, teachers.

One of our first assignments was a dancer profile packet including resume, bio, head shot, mission statement, and cover letter.

Can you say...overwhelming??

This was the first time I was actually forced to get my "professional" shit in order and it was scary! The most daunting of course is my resume which feels so pathetic I'm seriously debating upping the font size about two notches.

It's only the beginning...

Let's Get Personal

So now that you know I'm pregnant, this is my Art Baby. It will serve as my attempt to graduate from Fordham University/The Ailey School  in New York City and come out on top. I plan on sharing my successes, failures, fears, and aspirations as I transition from life long student to uber professional. Here's to pushing through!