So I am trying to put my "philosophy on dance" together and post it here so all can read it, but it is requiring quite a bit more thought than I originally planned. Every time I sit down to write it I can't seem to put into words exactly what I believe dance can do for the world. I will complete it soon though as soon as I can combine the words in the style that best shows my feelings. Its amazing to me how similar finding the right "words" are for a sentence to finding the right movement for a dance phrase. I do have a dance that reflects my philosophy on dance which is 15 minutes long but I am having trouble uploading it to the blog. It usually takes a forever for things to load :-P especially with the internet going in and out as it does at my house.

My goal for this blog is to have my own little dance corner where I can post dance videos and little philosophies that I discover along my way. I know my destiny is to become a dance teacher/ choreographer its just getting there thats the hard part. I often go to sleep with choreography running through my head. Last night I was trying to perfect the choreography for the Spanish variation in my dance centre's Nutcracker Ballet. You'll find the link to my dance centre's web page by clicking the photo of me in an arabesque with the seagull. Dance is almost constantly on my mind its no wonder that that is where my talents lie. Some days I just get this burning feeling inside of me like I know I have this great potential for something and that I just need to get out there and learn more and grow more but it always begins to fade as self doubt creeps in and I see all of my weaknesses laid before me. How can I possibly begin to teach or choreograph when I have no idea how to properly wrap an ankle injury or how to help a student who is struggling with some physical ailment and needs exercises to help. But I am learning and with this blog I hope to post and learn even more as I go.

My Choreography to Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes"

My Movement Style

When I was in 7^th grade my teacher had me start to help her choreograph pieces. I was so excited! I taught the choreography and then when time for the show came I asked one of my friends what she thought of my piece. Her reply changed everything for me. “I liked it! I could definitely see things we’ve done in Nikki’s and Jen’s class in there.” What? I had spent hours on this piece and all they could see was Nikki’s and Jen’s movement! But it was mine wasn’t it? I had taught it! I had organized it! I wanted someone to recognize it as my movement. A quote by Mia Michaels solidified what I needed, “I encourage you to find your own movement. Everybody should move differently. Everybody is so different; from where we come from, our body types, our separate cultures, to the way we hear music. So why would we want to dance the same? Why? You're different so BE different. Be it! Own it! And just explode with your individuality!"

I knew then that I needed to discover my own voice. I had no idea how to go about it and so I decided to do a little experiment. I went down into my basement where it was private and turned off all the lights. I began to play simple piano music with no lyrics. I started to move how I wanted to move with no mirrors and no one watching or telling me what I was doing wrong. I danced how I wanted to dance. I listened, I felt, and then I danced. Stories began to express themselves through my body. Different moods and different characters began to find expression through my movement. I was myself and yet I was more than myself. It wasn't never about shape or technique. It was about emotion, and conveying something outside of myself.

I came away from that experience knowing what I liked to do with my body which I could then manipulate with lyrics in music. I began to search for music I liked which usually told a story and had rhythms that spoke to me. Some of my favorite artists include Regina Spektor, Ingrid Michaelsen, and Mindy Gledhill all of which usually include stories or emotions with their lyrics.

I also discovered that my movement is very abstract. I love taking realistic movement and manipulating it to where it is still recognizable as the original but with an abstract twist. My favorite form to work in is Abstract Narrative where I get to tell a story but in a quirky way "me" kind of way. I choreographed a dance once to Snow Patrol’s “We could be Happy.” The story was about a little girl’s three dolls that she liked to play with: a soldier, a ballerina, and a quirky doll. I created a love triangle where the soldier thought he was in love with the ballerina because that is what was expected, the quirky doll was in love with the soldier, and the ballerina was in love with herself. With a story and character, movement for each, was different. Originally the soldier’s movement was stiff like the ballerina’s but as he discovered his love for the quirky doll he broke free and began to find his own movement. I find that people relate very well to stories it gives them a break from their own lives while also allowing them to unknowingly get something they may need from it. When I discovered my voice in dance I discovered what I could give to the world that no one else could. Now that I have found it I am going to be it! Own it! And just explode with my individuality.