movmnt magazine & bloggers
(LINKS UPDATED 2/20 SO THEY ACTUALLY WORK! HAHA SORRY ABOUT THAT)
Hi Wingers!
Life has certainly been keeping me busy since my last post about graduating from college, and there’s lots to catch up on (performing, teaching a bit, internship, writing…). But instead of focusing on that (which you can read about in my other blog) I wanted to write about an event tonight hosted by movmnt magazine.
Movmnt is a quarterly dance lifestyle magazine that just came out with it’s spring 2008 issue. The Winger was featured in their last issue, and in this new one there’s an article I wrote about injuries, featuring The Winger’s own Kristin Sloan. First of all, if you haven’t seen the magazine you need to get a copy of it…and I’m not just saying that because I write for them. It’s really a fresh take on the dance world that most other dance writing out there doesn’t offer.
THAT being said, tonight the magazine hosted another blogger get-together similar to the one that Cedar Lake Dance had last month. This time we were able to sit down and actual have some serious conversations about dance, publicity, pop culture, and so much more.
Readers, you should know that all of these bloggers you follow are really incredible people with unique perspectives, who all deeply care about dance on a level that I have personally never experienced before to such a degree. It’s different than being in a room full of dancers, or full of just dance enthusiasts. We all come from different places and have our own ideas, and to share them with each other and on blogs like The Winger really does something for the dance world (in my opinion!).
Tomorrow or someday really soon I promise to post details of our (fascinating) conversation and conclusions we came up with, but for now here’s a basic rundown of my experience at the get-together.
I ran into Evan of Dancing Perfectly Free in the elevator on the way up to the movmnt office, and when we got there we were welcomed by David, Editor and Publisher, some of his magazine staff, and Doug . A stack of sandwiches and multiple diet cokes awaited us, with chips and snacks added to make us feel at home. It’s funny because even though we all see each other in person once in a while (and only since the Cedar Lake event), we all have a sense of what’s going on with each other that we don’t really even need to ask, “So how are you?” Haha we read each other’s blogs and it’s such an amusing connection. Sometimes when I blog I think, who on earth actually reads this. It’s nice to hear that people actually do!
Anyways, multiple other bloggers filtered in within the next half an hour, including Tonya and fellow Wingers Tony & Brian (visiting from San Francisco). After munching and marveling over each other’s real life personas versus blogging personalities (haha), we got down to business.
The nearly 2 hour long conversation went everywhere from what influence do bloggers really have on the dance world, to what dance companies are/aren’t doing to modernize themselves through publicity, to social networks and the fame culture, to where is the blogosphere headed in the future (any thoughts on any of this, please comment!). Everyone raised some very interesting points and sparked some great debate/dialogue. It’s really inspiring being surrounded by people who care so much about dance…I was fascinated by each person at the table.
After saying goodbye and walking away with another copy of the new issue, I took the subway uptown with Evan and we continued the conversation for the whole ride, discussing the issues already raised and bringing up other things we forgot to mention. Now that I’m home and thinking it over I realize there is so much to be discussed and we’ve only touched the tip of it. I hope we have more get-togethers like this regularly in the future, and it would be great to hear from blog readers about some of the issues mentioned above.
More details from our conversation and photo(s) to come soon, but big thanks to movmnt for hosting the get-together. If you get a chance, head to Barnes & Noble and pick up the new issue to see my article and lots of other interesting dance writing!
Another Turning Pointe…
As of this week, I officially graduated from college! I have my BA in Communication Arts from Marymount Manhattan College…and since I’m only 19 it’s a little scary to be facing this major turning point in my life!
It’s been a LOT of work trying to continue a dance career while finishing school in 2 ½ years, but I have to say that I’m really glad I stuck it out, because now I have two career paths to follow, both of which I love!
Before I write about some highlights of the last two years, here’s a quick update of what’s been going on lately and what’s coming up soon:
-I did a workshop with Rebecca Kelly Ballet, a contemporary company here in the city. One weekend I got to understudy the company for a small showcase they were doing, which was really great but hard! Learning choreography in the back of a studio while trying to stay out of the way of the company dancers flying by is really the art of the apprentice…haha.
The next week she taught a whole series of work from her repertoire. It was lots of quick learning and contemporary movements, some of which were rather foreign at first to my ballet based body. They have an interesting approach where feeling and expressing the movement is emphasized. She spoke a lot about getting rid of the “student” image and dancing more like a “professional,” which is definitely what I’m working on at this point in my dancing. It was such a great experience!
-In terms of my writing, a lot is going on. I started my internship at The New Yorker, which is great. You can read more about that on my other blog. And I was asked to take over the studio newsletter at my former studio, Ballet Academy East. On top of working on that, I got a new article assignment from Dancer Magazine, and my piece in movmnt magazine comes out in the next few weeks! Keep a look out for both of those articles, and see some recent reviews I wrote on ExploreDance.com
Moving on…
TOP 10 MOMENTS FROM MY 2 ½ YEARS IN COLLEGE AND DANCING
(in chronological order)
1. Moving to my dream city
2. Getting an internship at Pointe Magazine & seeing my first real (short) article printed
3. Dancing a soloist role in Balanchine’s Raymonda Variations with BAE
4. Working with big names in dance at BAE
5. Meeting the best teacher in the world
6. Finding the guts and opportunity to interview important people
7. Cashing my first major paycheck for performing with a ballet company
8. Having my website take off and getting writing opportunities from it
9. Starting my internship at The New Yorker
10. Realizing that all the hard work paid off as I graduate and move forward with both careers
To anyone who is torn between pursuing dance or falling back on college - I say YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL 
Last but not least, today we had another blogger meetup like the one at Cedar Lake a few weeks ago…this time it was at NYCB’s matinee performance, which was amazing by the way! I’m reviewing it for ExploreDance. It was nice to see all the other bloggers again!
Bloggers Unite!
Okay, so I’m a little behind the blogging times (even though it’s only been 48 hours since this event…) but I just HAD to write about the blogger meetup hosted by Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet on Wednesday. We saw a dress rehearsal performance followed by a quick q&a with Artistic Director Benois-Swan Puffer. You may have seen Kristin’s (real time!) photos of it. What a great night, and what a great show!
My actual review of the performance can be seen here on ExploreDance.com. They have such a nice facility there in Chelsea, and some truly great dancers. Each of the three pieces we saw at the dress rehearsal performance were different but equally exciting.
Perhaps MORE exciting for me, though, was meeting fellow bloggers. Of course I had already met Kristin in an interview for my article in movmnt (coming out in early February!), but this was the first time meeting some of the other online dance writers whom I mentioned in my thesis research and who I read so often!
Before the performance there was snacks and mingling for all of us, and I was quickly introduced to Doug, Tonya, Ariel, Philip, and Evan (with whom I sat for the show). David also showed up (to Tonya’s delight…hehe) and there was a spotting of Danny Tidwell, too. All the bloggers took a group picture, which we’re hoping will pop up here on The Winger soon!
It was so wonderful to meet everyone and discuss blogging, dance, the performance, etc. We bloggers are certainly a motley crew, haha. Check out other people’s coverage of the event: Tonya, Doug, Ariel, Evan, Philip, and Kristin.
While I was so excited after the evening, I didn’t get to write about it until now because the last two days have been insane: I started my internship at The New Yorker as well as a temporary apprenticeship with the Rebecca Kelly Ballet. Talk about busy! Both my “first days” have gone well…
I’ve gotten a lot of questions about my experiences at The New Yorker and more, so I wanted to announce that I also write another blog, Off Center, which chronicles more of my daily life of ballet classes, internships (ie: New Yorker), writing assignments, and more. I’ve had it for a few months now but have kept it pretty quiet - but I think now that so much more is going on I want to invite more people to read it! So check it out if you’re interested!:-)
Anyways…BIG THANKS to Cedar Lake for inviting the dance bloggers! It was such a fabulous night!
More updates on dancing with Rebecca Kelly Ballet and more to come soon…meanwhile, check out Off Center. Countdown: 2 weeks til I graduate from Marymount Manhattan College
Gifts for Dancers…
As a holiday gift to all of you, (I apologize for it’s lateness)…
A sampling of Winger contributors gave our thoughts on what we (or other people involved in dance) might be excited about for the holidays.
We’ve suggested some things that are useful, inspiring, or just plain cool.
Popular among many contributors were spa treatments (and related goodies), magazine subscriptions, books, music, performance tickets, and the iPhone.
Enjoy!
Also,
LOLAstretch Gift Certificates, which enables the receiver to design their own leotard.
“Give the gift of creative control!”
Another thing I would recommend is season tickets to BAM. - CANDICE
“Look before you leap: an advice guide for choreographers” by Ann Whitley
The description on the back says:
“This is not a book about how to choreograph. It is a practical guide to the negotation, preparation, organization and continuing care of choreographic work. It is intended as a useful source of reference for choreographers, assistant choreographers, dance teachers, managers, administrators, amateurs, movements specialists, composers, designers, technicians and all those who collaborate with choreographers.”
Also,
There is an annual publication in South Africa called “Contacts” - this book contains all contact information for people working in the industry.
A grant to make a work … finding out that my funding applications were successful …. or even just finding a sponsor to support my work;
The completion of my MA thesis.
Spa Treatments for those sore bodies.
Alternative health remedies / tonics to keep us healthy during the intense seasons
Calender with beautiful pics
Funky bag to keep all the rehearsal stuff in
Beautiful journal - to write new ideas in
A subscription to a magazine is always a great gift idea that keeps on giving through-out the year. - MAIA
Also,
Touchstone by Laurie R. King
This book doesn’t come out till Boxing Day, so I guess it doesn’t technically qualify for holiday gift giving status (though I suppose you can always give New Year’s presents… why not?), but Laurie R. King is one of my favorite mystery writers. Her stories are always deliciously smart and satisfyingly precise.
Chocolate
One of those gifts that can very rarely go wrong (though my sister has a friend who likes neither chocolate nor peanut butter! Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups must be like a bad nightmare to him). My recent obsessions are Green and Black’s dark chocolate (really flavorful, but not too bitter) and Theo Chocolate’s “Bread and Chocolate” bar, which is dark chocolate pocked with the tiniest crumbs of salty baugette. This sounds like a really bizarre and unpleasant combination, but it’s addictive and delicious. Plus, the wrapper is a cheerful yellow and has adorable, cartoonish cats on it. - MEGAN
Also,
Tickets to The Nutcracker, Christmas Carol or Passion. - MIKI
Also,
I like all cotton sweats. hate cotton/poly blend. Yuck!
Something like these.
And of course the essential stocking stuffer, We B Girlz. - TONY
Also,
I’d love to be able to design my own ballet-wear somehow… but, like, with a few drags and a click.
…and a puppy. - EVAN
Also,
A subscription to Answers4dancers.com - good website that lists auditions.
And what tops my Xmas wish list this year:
*an iphone or blackberry so I can organize my rehearsal schedule and check emails between running from class to work to where ever! - TAYLOR
Also,
A membership to a museum.
An iTunes gift certificate to purchase some good warm-up music. - MATTHEW
Also,
Always useful - iTunes gift certificates and Starbucks gift cards. (There are four of these within a sic block radius of Lincoln Center).
And warm fuzzy things. - SLOAN
(From Ian, a dancer with Les Ballets Grandiva, who will be joining our family very soon…)
The top on my list are gift certificates for 90 minute massages at the Equinox Spa and 60 minute session gift cards for True Pilates and True Pilates East - anything that soothes aching 35 year old muscles!
Truth be told, I am also a sucker for anything from Hermes in the Hermes orange along with any little Louis Vuitton accessory like the I-Pod case. I guess that’s my two or four cents. - IAN
Going Nuts
Two big things ended this week - Nutcracker, and my last full semester of college!
Nutcracker went really well. It felt great to be onstage after going a few months without performing and it reminded me how much I love it - the whole process, from the makeup to the rosin to the applause to the bows. Nutcracker has been a constant in my (and many other dancers’) life over the years and it truly symbolizes the Christmas spirit. And this was my first run of it as a “professional” so to speak, so it was extra special.
Speaking of Nutcracker, I did an article for ExploreDance.com on my ballet teacher retiring from her role as The Sugar Plum Fairy, one she has danced for over 30 years! Read it here.
And also, the fall semester is finally over! I’m officially one month away from graduating college - and am both extremely excited and somewhat nervous for the future. To this point I have always squirmed away from making the terrifying choice between continuing ballet or reverting to ‘real life.’ Luckily, at this turning point I’m still not giving up one passion for another.
The end of the school semester has been intense with work and finals and finishing up my work as Features Editor at our school paper. I completed my senior thesis on dance journalism after tons of work (I even got to speak with New York Times dance critic and fellow Winger Gia Kourlas!) and it seems to have paid off. I had submitted my abstract a while ago to Dance Research Forum Ireland, a conference for dance scholars and historians, and I recently got an email saying they accepted my project! It’s not until June and I’m not positive I’ll be able to attend yet, but it would be nice to have an outlet to share all that work…
On another note, this great new ballet site called Ballet Connections has started interviewing some dancers so that readers can hear their insights to the dance world, and they interviewed me. Read it here, and be sure to check out the other features on the site.
After a tough semester I’m glad it’s time for the holidays and the new year. My plans for 2008 include starting a new internship at The New Yorker magazine (SO excited for that), working a little bit with this contemporary company, doing lots of auditions, and continuing with grad school (among other things…). Busy as always.
Hope everyone has a happy, healthy, and restful holiday!
dance writing opportunities
Since the success of last week’s post about my senior thesis on dance writing (which is still open to discussion!) a number of opportunities have come up for me. Everything seems to be happening at once and if things weren’t crazy before, they certainly are now! I’m excited about all that’s going on though…
I’ve started to write for ExploreDance.com . See my reviews of Complexions at the Joyce and Pennsylvania Ballet at City Center. Both were such great performances! I haven’t been to the ballet since ABT’s Met Season, so it was a treat to go to two shows in one week! Complexions was neat because my ticket happened to be next to the editor of Pointe Magazine, whom I interned with 2 years ago! Nice to see her after a long time.
Pennsylvania Ballet was extra good for me personally because I did Nutcracker with them the two years I was at The Rock School. I saw lots of familiar faces, and some of the people I went to school with are now apprentices. It’s such a different perspective seeing a company from the house rather than from the wings.
During intermission I also ran into the directors of Ballet Academy East, where I just finished in June. So nice to catch up with them! And it made me remember how small the dance world is and how easily people run in to each other! Haha.
The other writing opportunity that has come up is with movmnt magazine, in which The Winger was featured last issue. I’m doing a big piece for the next issue and I’ve been working hard and interviewing some great people for it, including The Winger’s own Kristin Sloan! So cool to meet you in person
Needless to say, with all this writing on top of Nutcracker rehearsals, class, my internship, school and finishing up a draft of my thesis, I’ve been crazy busy. I’m definitely ready for Thanksgiving break! I’m heading home to Boston to visit the family for a few days before getting back to work for the rest of the semester. As insane as it’s been, I have to say the fall has been going by really fast! I graduate in 9 weeks! Eek!
Happy (almost) Thanksgiving everyone!
Senior thesis and other thoughts
Hey everyone,
Wow, midterms and rehearsals have had me going crazy lately! Things are calming down a bit for the moment, but I have lots to share!
To start, I just HAD to post these pictures from our Halloween class. Every Halloween I can remember I’ve been in class or rehearsal, and we always dress up and attempt to have a serious class — but it always ends up being somewhat less than the normal plies and pirouettes and more of a blast of fun! This year was particularly amusing…I was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, and 2 of my friends were the Tin Man and the Scarecrow. I made a yellow brick road and actually danced on it at barre! What fun
(note the yellow brick road haha)
Next order of business: The November issue of our college paper, The Monitor (where I’m the Features Editor), is now online. Lots of work went into it…click and go to pages 10-11 for my two articles. One is a set of interviews I did with student choreographers in the Dance Department preparing for a show next week. It was so interesting to hear their processes of working together with other students. Extended interviews here.
Also of note is that I’m starting to crack down and write my senior thesis. As I might have mentioned, our assignment as Communication Arts majors is to consider some aspect of new media and relate it to how it’s changing society.
Being the ballet dork that I am, I am focusing on dance journalism/criticism/discourse and the effect that the internet is having on it - basically the shift that’s going on from print to online dance writing (this website, The Winger, as an example!).
I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts about this and how you think blogs, etc are changing the scope of communication about dance. Below is part of my proposal for my thesis - just a basic outline. Any comments or input would be greatly appreciated!—
Dance Journalism and Criticism in New Media
For my paper I would like to explore the changes that the internet and new media are bringing to arts journalism, specifically dance criticism. With the invention of online communities, blogs, and social networks, the journalism and publishing industries have seen significant changes in recent years. I want to investigate these changes and see how they are leading us to the future of arts journalism.
Being passionate about both dance and writing, this topic has intrigued me for some time now. The culture of the dance world is extremely unique and the way this community fits in and interacts with the larger world has proven to be a special relationship. Concert dance is far removed from mainstream culture and the art form has always struggled to find a place in popular media. I personally want to find a way to integrate this sector of society and raise awareness of what’s going on in the dance world by communicating with the mainstream. In a culture that thrives on celebrity pitfalls like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton it seems as though true art is far underappreciated.
With that being said, the most powerful method of communication about dance, besides movement, has been in print media. Newspapers traditionally provide entertainment listings where dance performances are given brief blurbs of details and ticket information. Only the country’s largest papers allot space to dance criticism, and as a result only few dance companies are represented in the press.
The more important issue is that in recent years there has been a severe cutback in print space given to dance coverage. Magazines, such as New York Magazine, have completely eliminated the position of Chief Dance Critic and run stories on dance very rarely. Newspapers have also seen a shortage of staff on this beat. The New York Times, which is the largest print outlet serving the dance community, has cut space for dance in the popular Arts section in recent years.
Another major issue with dance journalism is the shift in dance magazines, with the merging of all titles into Macfadden Performing Arts Media in 2006.
What seems to have risen as a solution to these two major issues of coverage cutbacks and media convergence is dance criticism online. A number of message boards have been in existence for years, allowing dance enthusiasts and balletomanes to express their opinions on the goings-on of the performing world. But only recently have blogs begun to pop up that provide more in-depth coverage of performances, news, and general issues relating to dance. These sites allow a bigger variety of perspectives to be exposed and are not limited to the restrictions of time and space as print outlets are.
The internet has allowed for a beneficial increase in dance writing and has allowed for a close connection to be developed among the community. There is now an outlet for public discourse around the art form that would be nearly impossible to have without new media. Especially with the New York Times rumors of eventually going out of print and being solely online, this could be the future of arts journalism and potentially publishing as a whole.
Dance Spirit Magazine
After the September issue of Dance Spirit Magazine came out, focused largely on balancing college with a dance career, I thought it necessary to share my side of the story. Today there is so much of a pressure on young dancers graduating from high school: do we follow our dream and attempt to make a career from ballet, or do we follow a more conventional path to college, perhaps setting a dance career to the side or deferring it to a later date.
When I was at this point in my life (not long ago), nobody told me it was possible to have both. I had to find that out on my own the hard way. It’s been worth the effort, though, and I decided to share my story with the editors at Dance Spirit Magazine.
They printed a portion of my letter in the new November issue of the magazine. Buy it and turn to page 38…I’m there!
The part about Ajkun Ballet Theater is no longer valid (it was the plan at the time I wrote this, though), but many other things have taken the place of that (internship at Quick & Simple, Nutcracker with the company in CT…).
Anyways, I thought I’d share that. I’m off to do lots of work for midterms this week….
busy busy busy
I don’t know how things can get increasingly busy week to week. When I think I can’t possible add something else to my schedule I end up squeezing in a ton more things! Ahh. Anyways…
As a follow-up to my last post I should mention that my performance at New Dance Group went well and received a nice audience response, and my dropping the position as trainee with Ajkun Ballet Theater hasn’t caused any significant consequences to date.
Nutcracker rehearsals are going quite well. The way we work in these rehearsals is very different from any way I’ve worked in the past. The director goes through steps extremely meticulously, explaining each detail thoroughly where many people would simply ignore or overlook. It takes a long time to finally get through a sequence, but once we do it’s all “cleaned up” right away. It’s an interesting method that I’m not used to but that I’m starting to really appreciate. It’s equally as challenging mentally as it is physically, which adds an interesting layer that, being an avid student, I like. It’s a very different frame of mind I have to get in.
It’s been a lot of work, and the long commute is rough, but overall I’m really looking forward to performing. Nutcracker is such a staple in my life…the one real tradition that remains constant each year. So many dancers can’t stand the sound of Nutcracker music, but for me it brings back sooo many memories and childhood dreams. Ah how I love to reminisce…
Besides that I’ve been doing a lot of work for school since midterms are fast approaching. Because it’s my last semester (!) I have to write a long senior thesis. As a Communications major, our basic assignment for the thesis is to discuss some aspect of new media and communication and the future. Being an aspiring dance critic, I am focusing on how dance journalism/criticism/writing is largely making a shift from print to online media. I’m specifically discussing how blogs are now becoming an integral part of the discourse on dance and the benefits of that. If anyone has any thoughts on that I’d love to hear them so I can consider them in my paper!
Anyway, the other half of my life has been busy as well. I’ve now been at my internship in the Home Editorial department of Quick and Simple Magazine for a little over a week and I’m really enjoying it. My 2 bosses are super nice, and I get my own little desk in the intern cubicle. Similar to when I interned at Pointe Magazine, I get to work pretty much independently and at my own pace, which I love love love. At another previous internship it was more of a collaborative environment, which definitely had its plusses, but I had to wait to find out my next task minute to minute. The way I work now, I can get much more done and have more creative freedom.
To that effect, the other day I got to start researching for the first story I’ll be helping with. Though it’s a weekly magazine, they work really far ahead in order to get issues out on time, so we’re working on the Jan. 1 issue right now. Because it’s the home and crafts section I really get to think outside the box. Good stuff.
Getting to know the magazine is a really interesting process and it’s kind of fun to be in an office environment (how much of a dork am I?). 180 degrees the opposite of a ballet studio environment, I like that it totally takes my mind off class and technique for a bit.
Ballet used to be my mental escape from homework, but now work seems to be my mental escape from ballet!
change of plans
(sorry again for not posting for quite a while…I’ve been busy, and you’ll see why below)
Life would be boring without change - especially MY life. Lately almost every single day brings something new or unexpected, and I’ve come to really appreciate that quality of my life after years of monotony (school, ballet, sleep, school, ballet, sleep). But recently there have been some really significant changes going on, so I’ll share some details:
(a warning: this is very long post. If you want a quicker update just look for the bolded stuff)
The first change is a pretty last minute and important one. For those of you who don’t know, I had been planning to become a trainee with the international (based in NYC) ballet company Ajkun Ballet Theater beginning in October. Now, the plan is off.
The back story is that I auditioned for them back in March during the spring audition season and was accepted as a full time trainee. They supposedly rehearsed at a big facility here in the city and toured both locally and a lot internationally. I took the position immediately because it gave me the opportunity to be in a company while still staying here in NYC to finish up college. I didn’t do many other auditions at the time because I was pretty much set on staying here, but I was desperate for some semblance of a plan. I have this incessant need to be in control, and leaving my last year of ballet school with no sense of where I would be dancing in the fall was terrifying. I signed on as a trainee.
One of the problems with the situation was that I actually had to pay them to be a trainee. As you know, in most apprentice/trainee situations the company pays a dancer little to nothing but they receive training for free and transportation costs (etc) when requested on tour. This company is different - it’s actually more of a school-type scenario which isn’t exactly what I anticipated or wanted. I think I’ve gotten everything I can from a strict pre-professional setting, and it is really time for me to move on one way or another.
I stuck with the plan of attending all through the summer, convincing myself that it was what I was working towards while just taking open class for a few months. Since the fall semester started, though, I’ve been growing more and more fond of the freedom that “freelancing” has given me. I’m able to take advantage of spur of the moment opportunities (and sooo many have cropped up just in the past 3 weeks!) and, being my final semester of college, I feel like I owe it to myself to have some sort of flexibility before I graduate and “the rest of my life” starts.
The other problem was that Ajkun Ballet Theater didn’t put up a schedule of rehearsals or performances until just last week, and we were supposed to start really soon. That was cutting it too close for me because I had other things (performances and such) planned that may have conflicted. When they finally put up the schedule on the website it was really different than what I was expecting. There are very few performances, and some I wouldn’t be able to participate in due to my busy school schedule.
So after a lot of contemplation (and stress, and sleepless nights, and fear of the unknown) I decided it was best if I drop it. It seems like the best thing to do, and I am fully confident in my decision. At this point I’m not sure what the consequences of leaving will be, but whatever happens I know that what lies ahead will be well worth the choice. For self-justification: I am not a quitter.
What I AM (fortunately and unfortunately) is an overachiever. So in place of dancing with that company I am doing many many many other things.
First off, I’ve started rehearsing for Nutcracker with the Albano Ballet Company in Hartford, CT. Though it’s a heck of a commute (3 hours each way!) it’s a really wonderful performing opportunity at Mohegan Sun, a huge theater in CT. I only go out there to rehearse on Sundays, and so far the choreography is nice and it’s going well. And the best part about it: I get paid. Granted it’s very little, but it’s something. It’s my first time dancing as officially part of a company, and it’s not even the apprenticeship I was counting on.
Also happening is the New Dance Group Teacher’s Showcase, this Friday, October 5 at the New Dance Group Studios. I’m in a piece by Irene Kent, a teacher at NDG. We’ve been rehearsing for the past few weeks and the piece is coming along nicely. It should be a fun performance. ($5 tickets at the door if you’re interested in coming!)
Outside of dance, my life is just as crazy. School itself is going well, but as the semester moves forward the workload is definitely increasing. On top of that, this week we are closing our second issue of the year of The Monitor, our school paper. Since I’m the Features Editor I have a ton of work ahead of me, editing and proofing stories from my team of about 10 writers, and finishing up my own piece. I’ll put up links to the issue when it’s available online next week.
More importantly than school is that I got another internship. As some of you know, I’ve interned with Pointe Magazine and Shelter Interiors Magazine, as well as in 2 public relations places. I really enjoy working at internships (besides the unpaid, free labor aspect) because the experience is so practical: I get to put my education to use and actually see real-life results. I guess it’s the equivalent of apprenticeships in ballet.
I believe internships are the best opportunity anyone can get in college, and to this point with my insane schedule I’ve been somewhat limited. Now that I’m out of the Ajkun Ballet thing and have my days relatively free I’ll be able to have significantly more responsibility because I can devote more time.
With that in mind, I sent out a batch of resumes last week while I was contemplating leaving Ajkun. I was very lucky (maybe it’s not all luck…I HAVE worked super hard…) to receive 2 interview requests from the 2 biggest magazine publishers: Conde Nast and Hearst Corporation. Just getting the chance to interview at each was enough validation for me.
Quick & Simple Magazine at Hearst offered me the internship right on the spot. It’s kind of an editorial position in the home department and sounds like a lot of fun. I’ll be starting there later this week, and balancing that experience with ballet will, as always, be a worthwhile challenge.
Also of interest in the Taylor-as-intern segment of my life is that last week I spent 2 days volunteering at the Folio Show, the magazine industry’s biggest annual conference/seminar. I felt so professional attending a business meeting, haha. It was such a wonderful opportunity and I was so glad I was able to take advantage of it at the last minute (an example of why I’m not sticking with the Ajkun Ballet position).
So in a nutshell (or, not so much) that’s how my life has completely shifted in the past few days. I’ve always been one for planning and goal-setting and everything, but I have since learned that you have to be flexible with your life. It’s been really difficult for me to accept “not knowing” what the future brings, both in dance and in life, but I’ve almost come to terms with that vulnerability. I’m discovering that not having a plan is the best plan of all because I can do what I want, when I want, and in a city like New York with such a fast pace, there is no better way to seize opportunity. I’m finding myself overwhelmed by possibility, but I love that I have choices to make and opportunity abounding.
