 |
TAYLOR GORDON Dancer, Student and Journalist New York, NY UYSA BIO | POSTS |
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! 
