Give a little

The other morning when I was driving around campus picking up the books from the book drops I was listening to one of those morning radio talk shows, I think it was 97.1zht. Anyway, they do "Secret Santa" every year for Christmas, asking the community to write in about families that they know need some extra help for the holidays. I listened as the talk show hosts called a woman that they were giving things to, and seriously I was crying in the car.
I've been on the receiving end of a few "Secret Santa"s over the years. My family didn't always have a lot, so when we opened the door and saw presents sitting outside our door, it was the most exciting thing to ever happen to us. A Christmas miracle. Even though it was usually some clothes and a game or two, it was incredible, because otherwise we wouldn't have gotten anything for Christmas.
I'm so grateful to those who have helped me and my family. If only you knew how much joy these people brought into our home just because they cared.  I wish I knew who doorbell ditched us the Twelve days of Christmas, or any of the secret Santas, so I could say thank you. Thank you, whoever you are.

Avert

This semester of Orchesis was different for me. I am used to the grueling hours of rehearsals, but I was not ready for the emotional ride that this particular performance had. The choreographer, Rodolfo Raphael, is a choreographer that I am very familiar with. I have performed his choreography in the past, as well as had the opportunity to perform with him. It is because of this relationship that I was more invested in our message.

            I have many friends who are openly gay/lesbian, and I have always felt that the way they have been treated was unfair. So when I learned about this “aversion therapy”, it made me angry. Through the creating of the piece, we watched many interviews of people who had been forced through these different kinds of “treatment”. I cannot even tell you how upsetting it is to listen to how badly these people were treated, just because they’re a little bit different.

            In performing this particular piece, I had a part where I was one of those people being forced into treatment. The most intense part of the piece for me is when I tried to travel through the group, and they were all grabbing at me. I felt like all of these hands were someone telling me how to be “right”, trying to control me and force me to be something that I’m not. The frustration and anger that built up inside of me made me feel like punching those hands away and screaming at them to leave me alone. I imagine that’s how these people felt, when going through their therapies. Confused about why they’re bad, scared of what others might do to them and apologetic of who they are.

            This piece made me consider how I connect with those around me, because even though someone may say they’re okay they might not be. Everyone is dealing with his or her own struggles underneath the surface. It makes me so frustrated with how little people truly care about those around them. How can we be okay with the way we are interacting with others? Why do we treat people with such disrespect? Just because someone is different, doesn’t mean we have to change them, we should love our differences. The world would be an incredibly boring place if we were all the same.

Blue Balloons

This September, I attended Ririe-Woodbury’s season premier show, The Start of Something Big. The strength and endurance of the dancers, as the six of them danced through the night, impressed me. The evening consisted of many repertoire pieces displaying the company’s versatility. Including a couple from Alwin Nikolais, and the founders of the company, Joan Woodbury and Shirley Ririe.  Topped off with a spectacular piece by the company’s new Artistic-Director, Daniel Charon. The old dance films connecting each piece were entertaining and added to the evening’s program.

The performance that was most compelling to me was a piece towards the middle of the show, created to entertain school children in the 1970’s. The words that are read to us during the performance are from a Winnie the Pooh book, when Pooh Bear is floating around on his balloon, making up a song about being a cloud. The free flowing effort and playful tone of a breeze are movement qualities that are carried throughout the entire piece. The female dancers held balloons in their hands and moved as if they were drifting around on the wind. Any shift seemed to change their direction. Nothing was rushed, as if we had all of the time in the world to lie out in the grass and observe the clouds as they went by. The male dancers almost disappeared into the background, acting as the air, effortlessly transporting everyone around the stage.

No movement seemed unintentional, there was precise attention to detail and it was satisfying to watch as the bodies on stage fulfilled each shape. The ease and breath of the performers was fascinating, it helped me as an audience member, to feel included in the daydream. I wanted to jump up on stage and play with the balloons along with the dancers. I enjoyed the world that was created on the stage; innocent, fun loving, and made with a younger audience in mind.

The entire concert contained such a variety of skill, showing off the dancer’s abilities, which left the audience begging for more in the end.  The diversity allowed there to be something that everyone could identify with and enjoy. I am excited to see what else the Ririe-Woodbury dance company has in store for the rest of the season.

What is it??

Today before class, a bunch of the dancers were talking about having babies (one of the girls is pregnant, and a few have babies of their own). This conversation made me realize that I have a somewhat traditional view on the whole babies thing.
 I don't want to know if I'm having a boy or a girl, until the doctor hands me my baby and says "Congrats, it's a ... " fill in the blank.
I think not knowing kind of makes you more prepared with a gender neutral nursery and clothes. You won't get all the silly frilly dresses or baseball outfits that your baby either isn't going to wear, or only wear once. Instead you'll get tons of onesies (bonus!).
I've heard of people who thought they were having one thing, and ended up having the other. That would suck, you'd have a little girl in boys clothes and a blue room.
Some articles I've read talk about parents who knew whether they were having a boy or girl, and how they would end up gender typing the pregnancy. Like when they would read books to the baby in the belly, they would read Eloise and girly books, and avoid the boyish books. I don't want my kids to feel like they have to be a certain way to be loved. That includes gender stereotypes, I wouldn't want to pressure my child to be super girly if she didn't want to be. I would want my children to find out what they liked, and like it regardless of what is "appropriate" for their gender. It starts when they're babies, so the longer I could put off the stereotypes, the better.
Plus, think of how fun it'll be not knowing! Everyone will be looking up old wives tales to try and figure out what I might be having. Making all kinds of guesses.

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.