I HAD said no.

audition season, for those of you who have gone before this is EXACTLY what it's like:

Well, i told myself this year "no more auditions, no more stress and spending money to get rejected." But i found myself the past week starting to think more and more about audition season. I had a feeling of guilt wash over me. If i didn't at least try a few auditions i would never know. I'm happy that i have a paying dance job, dont' get me wrong. To actually be dancing and not paying for class is a blessing. I just feel that my years as a dancer are coming closer to an end. If i just try a few auditions this year it wouldn't hurt and i would feel better just to see if i could maybe land a different company? I have zero expectations and if anything i would do this for the experience. To see what kind of crazy 15yr old dancers are out there now. They always make me want to quit ballet when they do 5 turns and kick their leg...and hold it...behind their head. Every year competition gets more and more fierce.

So, im doing some research into companies. We will see. Like i said, i'm happy to be where i am now dancing but, 'what if' has a strong hold on me this time of year.

Happy rainy Sunday! :o/

~Sara~

A last min. Happy Birthday to Mr. B

Happy Birthday Balanchine!!


"I don't want people who want to dance; I want people who have to dance." - George Balanchine

George Balanchine (January 22, 1904 – April 30, 1983), born Giorgi Melitonis dze Balanchivadze (Georgian: გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to Georgian father and Russian mother,[1] was one of the 20th century's foremost choreographers, a pioneer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet: his work created modern ballet, based on his deep knowledge of classical forms and techniques.[2] He was a choreographer known for his musicality; he did not illustrate music but expressed it in dance and worked extensively with Igor Stravinsky, his contemporary.

Friday thoughts.

If i could, and i had the means to,i would love to create a piece dedicated to all those in Haiti who have lost loved ones and are struggling. Then, i would travel the production to different major cities in the U.S and take ALL the earnings and donate them to Haiti relief fund. I sometimes feel helpless and that i can't just drop everything and help these people. Most of live fairly privilaged lives. Our problems probably don't even come close to what they are going through.

But that's just me and my little rant.
I want to donate, even if it's just a few dollars. I know i can't create my ballet and make money for them that way, but every little donation helps.
www.WorldVision.org/Haiti

This week i have been slowly getting back in shape with class. It's a bit rough and my body is fighting me. But, i feel good. It is certainly is helping with my mood. I was starting to feel a bit of a downer coming on from not having class. It's amazing how quickly those hormones level out once you start releasing that energy. Movement is thearapy.

Teaching is going well. I want to push my students. They have so much potential and i want to be able to walk away from each class knowing that i have given them everything they will need to survive the dance world. Even if they choose not to pursue a dance career, what they have learned in class will offer them the disipline in what ever field they choose.


~Sara~

keep on your toes.

SO, i'm back from the wonderful vacation/mental break to Miami. It wasn't as warm there as i would've liked, but it was lovely non the less.

I now officially am feeling the effects of not dancing. Old injuries start coming out and you'll wake up hurting for no reason. It's interesting how your body releases pain like bad memeories even when you are doing what you think it needs -rest. When you are dancing 24/7 and always on the go your body goes into flight or fight mode and just starts putting injuries on the back burner. OR, as a dancer we are stubborn and we ignore pains and push through. Either way i need to start stretching more so my muscles don't shrink!

I'm putting my full concentration during my time off to focus fully on preparing recital material and lesson plans. It feels nice to have time to sit down and map out the pieces i will be presenting in the recital. It makes the time off feel more productive and i get to do my second love, choreography. I'm one of those people who have a 'dance' or a vision of movement everytime i listen to music. It just pops into my head and i find my self with a story through steps. But, just as writers face it, i go through 'creative blocks' where it's hard to find the movement. I find that watching movies, listening to music, and watching people all can help filling that block. I'm going to be working on that a lot today and hopefully something wonderful comes from it!

I'm off to be productive...
hope everyone is well!

~Sara~

miami'10.jpg

You have a Picture Mail from plonngren02@pm.sprint.com

Message: View Entire Message Send and receive Pictures and Videos through Picture MailSM. For more information go to www.sprint.com/picturemail.

Please be aware your friends can forward your picture, video, and album share invitations to others or post the unique Web link to your share invitation on any number of sources (e.g. blogs), through which others could also gain access to your online photos. If you have private or sensitive photos you are sharing, please share them only with those you trust.

© 2009 Sprint. All rights reserved.

Just a few more days...

I've been pretty good this week. Took class Monday, Wednesday, and ran for 30 min. on Thursday morning before teaching. Usually with time off i get use to being lazy and fall into that trap of "well i'm already out of shape why bother" mind set. But, i think i'm doing pretty good. Today i will take another class at 12. One of the guys from our company has been teaching class which has been helpful. I really do enjoy his classes and feel my body reponding positively to moving a bit again.

Another reason why i have been taking class this week is because in t-minus two day i will be going away with booba to our usual winter spot :


this:



plus this :



equals : :) <-- a happy me in South Beach Miami Florida.

We love it there. This time of year it's empty. Warm and relaxing it's exactly what i need after a long season. Plus we get a super cheap amazing deal through expedia. Seriously, if anyone wants to book a flight plus hotel trip go there! We leave Sunday and get back late Wed. evening. I got subs for my classes and i'm ready to refresh my body and mind.

Side note:

While watching HBO at my parents house this past weekend i just happened to stumble acroos a documentary called "Ghetto Ballet" i didn't get to see the whole piece, but saw most of it. It was very interesting and eye opening. I will leave the synopsis from the website since it explains it better :

Ghetto Ballet

From acclaimed filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, GHETTO BALLET focuses on several young dancers enrolled at Dance for All, South Africa's first ballet-training program for black students. Targeted at children living in Cape Town's poorest townships, the program gives young dancers the opportunity to train abroad at many of the world's top ballet schools, most notably in Paris, or to dance professionally in their own country. Ghetto Ballet profiles several of the program's most promising dancers, each of whom commutes to the Dance for All studio in Cape Town to train with founder Philip Boyd and his staff. The goal of these elite students is an all-important audition, when dancers will be asked to join a professional dance troupe in Cape Town or to train in Paris - with life- changing ramifications.

Check it out if you can! It's worth it.

My best to you all. Hope 2010 is treating you well so far

~Sara~

Elusive Muse.

Happy 2010! First post of the New Year.

I have been enjoying time off from the company. Not going to lie. Being lazy for about two weeks now has been very enjoyable. I was semi-productive and decided to take a master class last wednesday. It was good for me to take a class taught in a completely different style than i have been use too. I got some good corrections that i don't normally get. It's important, i think, to go out and experience as many different teachers/classes as a dancer. It refreshes the way you think of certain steps and forces you to learn a different style/technique. Each teacher has their own way of moving and putting steps together so you can't just go into robot mode. I was very sore after the 3 hour event, but i'm glad i got to do it.

On Monday i'm back to my company because, like good little ballerinas, we decided to give ourselves class so we aren't completely out of shape come mid-feb. Our director would be proud! It's only for a week and then i'm off to Miami, South Beach with booba for our winter getaway we save up for every year. I'm very excited to sit on a white beach with blue water drinking fishbowl size cocktails. Yum.

To finish up this post i would like to point out that Netflixs is awesome, once again. I have been watching ballet documentaries and it has been very enlightening for me as a performer. Suzanne Farrell: Elusive Muse , is the one i just finised. I never really knew her whole story and romance with Mr. B and how it really affected her career. I highly suggest it.

I'm currently watching :Etoiles: Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet. Im enjoying it so far. I didn't realize how much contemporary work the company does. Anyway, if you get a chance check these both out. I will prob. be adding more later.

Class and teaching Monday!
Happy Sunday everyone <3

~Sara~