Fall Orchesis

Here are some pictures from my show!

This was the Orchesis poster for the concert.

We just love costume fittings! About two weeks before each show, dancers go into the costume shop to try on their costumes so we can make sure everything fits and looks good.

We get notes from professors after each run through of the show. These notes can be about specific movements, qualities of movement and sometimes its just technical notes for the stage crew.

Dressing rooms! 

We arrive at the theatre at 5:30 for a warm up class, which ends at 6:30. Giving us about an hour to get all of our hair and make up done.

During intermission. 

The audience is chatting on the other side of the curtain, but all the dancers are going over movement, making sure they are ready to go!

I love what I do, and I'm grateful for the opportunities I have to perform. :)

Thank you to everyone who came to the show, I hope you enjoyed it.

Nuclear News?

The front page news the past couple of days has been about the negotiations on the nuclear treaty with Iran. On Sunday government officials came to a temporary agreement, meaning Iran is going to stop developing nuclear technology for only six months. The reason Iran had to stop "researching" in their nuclear facilities is because they were having a hard time proving that they were not trying to develop weapons. They also were not allowing the UN to monitor what was going on in their facilities.

Just in case you don't know a whole lot about the history of nuclear technology, here's a quick overview!
Nuclear technology was developed in two areas of the world, the Manhattan project and the German nuclear energy project. The German nuclear energy project started at the beginning of World War II, in April of 1939. This is because nuclear fission (the splitting up of atoms), was discovered in January of 1939. As the world war continued, the Allies spied on what the Germans were attempting to do with the new information, and then started their own little research project. The German project lost steam as the war drew to a close, the Manhattan project on the other hand was able to continue and eventually develop two different kinds of "atomic bombs".
Once this technology was developed, it needed to be regulated. Drafted in 1968, the Non-Proliferation Treaty would allow countries to gain nuclear technology for energy purposes. It was not until May of 1995 that the treaty was completed. (If you need a time frame, this is when Bill Clinton was president). This treaty makes it clear that only five countries are allowed to have nuclear weapons, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China. Conveniently, these five countries are the only permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Only four other countries are believed to have nuclear weapons: India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea. (North Korea had signed the treaty back in 1985 but then withdrew in 2003).

Fast forward to today, the issue with Iran. Iran isn't on the list of countries that are allowed to have nuclear weapons, but they are allowed to have nuclear technology for energy purposes. So the big issue was that they were trying to be like the big kids on the playground, and have some nuclear weapons on their side too.
Do you want to know what we are giving Iran in exchange for their nuclear research to stop temporarily? Six to seven BILLION dollars in "relief". Which Congress did not have to approve, because the President and his cabinet are in charge of humanitarian aid.

Nuclear technology is awesome, and scary. I personally don't think it's fair that only 5 countries in the world are "allowed" to have those kinds of weapons. Not only that but the United States has nuclear weapon stations all over the world, and has the most nuclear weapons. What do we need all those weapons for? Are we not trying to make the world a more peaceful and happy place to live? It makes me feel like the United States are just big bullies. We go around telling everyone that they can't have what we have, but they need to let us take care of them. I just don't understand it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/world/middleeast/talks-with-iran-on-nuclear-deal-hang-in-balance.html?pagewanted=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Nonproliferation_Treaty

perception: mind or body?

November is a stressful month. It always seems like everything happens, or needs to be taken care of, the week of my show. I am already feeling better as the week is ending. It's a bittersweet feeling, the end of a show. I'm excited because I will have time to be a human being. But I love performing, and I don't get to do it nearly as much as I'd like to.

Being a performer has given me a better appreciation for bodies. The things bodies are capable of are astounding. When time slows down on stage, every movement is exposed. Thats why I love watching professional sports like football because those guys are true athletes, their bodies are incredible. The way that they move around obstacles at full force is incredible to watch. When those guys jump, everything in them is extending as hard as it possibly can to reach the goal. And boy, do those guys know know to fall, they just carry their momentum and roll out of it and pop right back up like it was nothing.

Maybe because American Sign Language was my first language, I find it easier to communicate with my body. I get  frustrated with people who don't understand their bodies. You know, those people who become terrified when you invite them to do any type of physical activity. You live inside of your body, you should know how to move it! When people tell me they don't know how to dance, I roll my eyes. Dance is any and all movement, graceful or not. I love to dance, you can explain more than just subjects to an audience when words just don't do it justice, but emotions and ideas too.

Speaking English is hard for me, especially in groups. I'm busy translating in my head, and by the time I've caught up to the conversation its usually a little too late to respond. I've found that if I can be physically close to someone, then I have an easier time communicating with them. I guess I just experience the world through my body, rather than my mind.

Opening Night

There is nothing like stepping onstage in front of an audience

I can hear every breath and heartbeat, time slows down

Every square inch of skin is hyper aware as I move

Experiencing things only bodies could

Words never enough to express what we share

All eyes on me, I feel 500 feet tall

We go on a journey, the audience and me

Sad to see you go, until the next curtain.

Lost...

Some days I feel like I'm just lost in an ocean.
Pushed around by the currents, drowning in the crowds.
There's too much happening, too much to handle.
Losing my grip on reality, losing control.
Where does the calm go?

God and creatures

In one of my rehearsals the other day some of the girls said some things that seriously bugged me. These girls are super religious, like - won't be friends with me because I'm not "good enough". They are entitled to their own opinion, but so am I. These girls were adamant that animals are soulless, and are only are here for human consumption. And of course, since they do not have souls they can't go to heaven.

Those statements are so completely ignorant and arrogant, that it's been bothering me for days. I can't even believe it.

To believe, first of all that humans are the only ones that have "souls", is a way to believe that humans are better than animals. Doesn't your precious bible teach that the animals were created by God? Why would he only bestow the gift of a "soul" to humans, animals make choices and live full lives just like you do. By the way, humans are animals, and evolved from other animals. Nothing you can do or say about that, its fact.

Animals were not "placed on the Earth for us". That nice little bible of yours also tells you that animals were created before man, and man was placed here to care for God's creatures. So for you to tell me that I should consume animal meat because they were put here for us to eat, makes me want to slap you. The creatures of the Earth are here for the same reason as us, to live.

Oh and the whole heaven thing. God created the animals didn't he? Why would he decide that once the world ends there would only be humans left? He is supposed to love all of his children (hey guess what, all those creatures? they're his children too), so I would think that he would want to have them around too. I know I wouldn't want to be in a heaven where there were only humans and nothing else.

Just do it!

I have no sympathy for overly fat people. I understand that everyone is made differently and so it is completely unrealistic for everyone to be the same size. But it really bothers me when people complain about being overweight. I feel like if you really have a problem with the way that you look, or your size, then do something about it. Change your diet, exercise more.

I hate it so much when people tell me that I don't understand because I'm "just skinny". Excuse you, I worked hard to make my body like this. I made a serious diet change, and a conscious decision to exercise daily. I'm willing to bet that if everyone payed attention to what they ate, and how it made you feel. You would change your diet. Your body should feel good. Aches and pains happen because your body is trying to tell you something. Listen to it! Since I started paying more attention to my body, and giving it what it needs, I've noticed a change. I have more energy during the day, and I can wake up feeling rested. I'm sore less than I used to be. Overall, my body feels much better.

Our bodies are incredible, and are capable of so much. We should treat them with respect by giving it things that help and repair, not hurt it. Do you know what aspartame does to your body? That shit they put in food instead of sugar, it turns to formaldehyde when it reacts with your body's chemicals. Formaldehyde! Thats what they pump into dead bodies to preserve them. I want to live for a long time, but not because my body was pumped full of preservatives.

Daddy's girl...

I enjoy being a girl, and being treated like a girl. I hope chivalry never really dies, because I love it when guys are being gentlemen. I also love that I'm small, but the perfect amount of small. I'm the perfect size for hugging.
If my dad had been around when I was growing up, I would have totally been a daddy's girl. I love going to do all that guy stuff as a girl like going to football games and camping. I wish he could have been more involved in my life, but my mom didn't want him to be around at all. I've always been super jealous of those kids who have both parents in their lives. You have no idea how lucky you are.
There's some kind of statistic somewhere about how if you have both parents then you have a better chance at having successful relationships. Especially if you have a strong connection with the parent that is the opposite gender as you. Kids like me, we didn't get a chance to even try to have that relationship.
Someday, when I get married, I want to it to be real. So my kids don't have to deal with what I had to deal with. I want them to be able to really know who both of their parents are, and have a strong support system.

Stuck in my head...

I was engaged once, for about a year.
After Jacob and I had been together for a little over a year we were in Salt Lake City the week before Christmas. He suggested that we go to Temple Square to walk around and look at the lights. I thought it was weird that he suggested it because he's not exactly the biggest fan of the mormons, but I love temple square especially at Christmas time. We wandered around until we were alone, he sat me down and told me that he loved me and wanted me to be with him forever. Of course I said yes, I was so happy and excited.
Well, I guess he only did it because he felt pressured to. By me, by the people around us, I dunno, but I wish he wouldn't have done it.
It took me a couple months to notice that he was withdrawing. I felt like the harder I tried to make him happy, the more he'd back away. I was like one of those pathetic girls in the movies, waiting for her boyfriend to get home while he was out doing god knows what. I can't tell you how many times I fell asleep on the couch waiting for him to come home. I don't know why I didn't leave then. I guess I was worried that no one else would want me.
Growing up, I felt that way too. That no matter how good I was, how hard I tried, I still wasn't enough. My own mother couldn't love me, I reminded her of my dad too much.
After a year of being "engaged", I gave him back the ring, and called the whole thing off.
I'm scared that maybe I don't know what love is, or that maybe I want so badly to be accepted and loved that I'm scaring people away. I am having a hard time finding words to explain how I feel, maybe I'll figure it out later...

Poor Americans...

Sometimes it frustrates me how privileged we are. This last weekend there was a huge typhoon in the Philippines. So many people are dead and missing, and here we sit with our fancy gadgets. Complaining that our phone screens are cracked, the internet is slow, our favorite television show was cancelled.
Living in the United States, we live in the lap of luxury. Even if you were at the lowest of the lower class, you can still get food, or find a place to sleep. Most everyone who wanted to could work, and even if you aren't getting paid very much, it's still a job, you still have some kind of income. Being obese used to be a sign of how well off you were, as in you had enough to eat complete meals. Today people are fat, because they're lazy.
I hate feeling like it's a competition to have the newest, coolest gizmos and gadgets. I understand that we are "improving" our lives. But what about the rest of the world? They don't have access to everything that we do, and yet we complain and complain. Families in the Philippines are frantically searching for their lost children, praying that they are alive. Not having enough food, and lost family members? Those are serious problems. Your cracked smart phone, that still works perfectly, is not a problem.
Something that has stuck with me from an Astronomy class, is that I am insignificant. Seriously, in the whole scheme of things, I am just a speck of dust on a rock that is moving around one star. There are BILLIONS of stars out there, millions and millions of miles of space that is constantly growing. So why does it matter if I have all of the nifty whats-its, when in a few decades it'll all be gone. Not even that, it'll be outdated two years from now.
I'm not saying we should not have stuff. Stuff is nice to have, but do we really need ALL of the things? Do you really need a desktop computer, a laptop, an ipad, and an iphone? Don't all of those do generally the same type of things? Plus your PlayStation/XBOX/Wii, and e-readers. Do you really NEED to get a new one every single year?
I just feel like there are better things for us to do with our time and money, especially since we can survive perfectly fine without all the fancy shit.

Hey! Hi! Over Here!

I have not always loved yoga. Nope, not even close. I used to hate it, seriously. When I had a dance class schedule a yoga day, I planned to skip that day. Why? Well, the first few times I took yoga classes after I got home, I would spend the next few hours in what felt like a black hole. I refused to talk to my friends, or do anything really. I was depressed and upset, at what, who knows?
This made me frustrated, isn't yoga supposed to make you feel good?
I finally had talked to a few teachers about my problem with yoga, maybe I was doing something wrong. They all told me that yoga releases buried, deep emotions that need to be let out. That if I was feeling a certain way, it was because I was suppressing it. Well, that wasn't the most encouraging thing to hear. I felt like I wasn't secretly depressed, my life does not suck.
I decided I was going to try to do yoga anyway. If I was actually suppressing something, I needed to figure it out and deal with it. After a while of trying out different yoga styles, and sticking through it all. I finally started to feel better, clearer. And I started to understand myself, and maybe why I had all these weird emotions trapped in my chest.
I HATE being ignored. Yup, it was as simple as that. For those of you who don't know me very well, both of my parents are deaf. If my mom was sick of "listening" to me, she closed her eyes. What can you do to that? Yell and scream? She ain't gonna hear you. This along with the fact that I'm a small person, so it's easy for people to look over me in group conversations. I also noticed that when I feel like I'm being ignored, I make the problem worse by going silent. Well, there it was, I guess I was upset at people for ignoring me. Except, that wasn't exactly fair.
The yoga helped me to see that people are just trying to be people. So no one was going out of their way to make me feel this way, they didn't hate me. I just needed to find a way to be heard.
Thats why I started this blog, so I can write random things. To myself, to whoever's out there reading. So I feel like I'm making an effort to be heard and not ignored. :)

Vegan/Vegetarian

When someone walks into a restaurant and sees something on the menu that says "Vegan" or "Vegetarian", they usually write it off as some disgusting concoction of rabbit food and tofu that they most certainly would not want to even try. I hate how misleading those two words are, there are so many different kinds of diets within even those two categories. People automatically assume that if something is vegan, you've ADDED something to it to make it vegan. When actually all you've done is taken OUT the animal products. I eat sandwiches all the time with no cheese and no meat, all veggies!

I used to work at the local pizza shop and they have one vegan pizza on the menu, meaning it does not have any cheese or meat on it. Working on the counter, I realized how much of an impact calling the pizza "vegan" had on it's sales. I watched guest's body language change from when they saw the pizza on the warming table next to me exclaiming "What pizza is that?! It looks delicious!" to "Oh, it's vegan. Never mind..." Wait a minute, you were stoked on that pizza until you heard me say that it was vegan, you like all the toppings on it, so why are you not ordering it? Because it's labeled "vegan". Interesting.... I did an experiment one day, instead of calling it "the vegan pizza", I called it "the tapanade pizza". Guess what? Sold the shit out of the pizza, people didn't even care there was no cheese on it, they still loved it!

Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is don't let labels scare you. Just because something says it's "vegan" or "vegetarian" does not mean that it's gonna be something weird.