2 weeks in counting

The last student show went really well for all the students and the apprentices. I think the mini Michael Jackson tribute a few of us choreographed to went over really well. The audience responded with loud cheers and clapping along. As i had mentioned in previous posts, I choreographed to "earth song". The other songs choreographed to were "black and white", "gone to soon", and "for the children" (<- i think that's the title?) I think it was was a good way to end the summer session.

It's birthday season right now. Boobas bday is in a couple of days as well as my roommates, dad, oh yea, and ME. :) I think we are going to go to an amusement park the day of my birthday. I've been wanting to go to one for a while now. I have about 2wks (little less than) off before we officialy kick off our season so i want to take advantage of my mini summer. What other fun things can you do in the summer? I'm going down the shore tommorow (weather pending).


What is something you have enjoyed doing so far this summer?

Any really good summer dance programs you have been too for you dancers out there?

Just curious to hear some input. :)
Take care!

~Sara~

Earth Song...

love this artist.




Last week of camp!

It's the last week of teaching at the summer camp. It's been educational for me not just as a teacher, but as a dancer. You really get to learn from being on both sides. Every year i teach i learn a new way and technique to getting through to my students. It's important to understand how they work as a group and how to connect with them while at the same time maintaining your authority. (not OVER them, but as someone who wants to share knowledge they have yet to discover). Being an artist can be viewed at times as selfish and self-full-filling. Teaching has opened up a whole new (rewarding) world to me where i WANT to give my students everything. Teach them from mistakes i have made, but at the same time let them make thier own. One grows stronger as an artist when there is some struggling to get where you want to be. It's really the struggle more so than the goal that makes you an artist. That's when you truely live.


here's a video of the Michael Jackson dance *tribute* that i finishd choreographing for the girls on Monday. They did very well with the piece. I really like this song too, it's very powerful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYHguBEXkac

best wishes!
~Sara~

summer time in the city

picture i took from sleeping beauty. i teach these little ladies arts and crafts this summer. they are so sweet.

Camp: 1 and 1/2 weeks in counting left!

It felt like this summers camp really flew by! Here i am a week and a half away from enjoying some short time off before going back into the season. I have to say i am a little nervous about how things are going to go this year. I recently had a conversation with someone who brought to my attention that things were looking a little grim as far as booking for next year. We will be doing Midsummer Nightsdream in September and possibly Dracula, but as far as the rest of the season things are up in the air. It makes me a little nervous to think that this season will end short and i will be stuck without a dancing job. I've already started to think about guesting at studios for their nutcrackrs as a backup plan. I was asked last year to do sugarplum by a friend at their studio, but i was too busy with our nutcracker at the time. Maybe this year will be my opportunity to take her up on the offer! It's good to have a plan b when it comes to the dance world anyway. Things are never 100% secure. All i can do right now is just seeing how things go with the company and enjoy performing while I can. I wish i could extend our careers longer, but our bodies decide otherwise!
Be safe.
~Sara~

guten tag!

OK. So i know i disapeared for a bit there, but now i'm back on track. We just got wireless for the apartment so i will be able to make more daily posts. I love it here. The apartment is nice and my victorian room gets more girly everyday. I even joked about renting the room out like a bed and breakfast on the weekends because it looks like one straight out of Cape May. (i'll post a picture of it when it's completed).

It's week 4 at camp and i've just been teaching here and there. I choreographed a contemporary piece for the girls that they get to perform in A.C on the boardwalk. They are all so sweet and did a really good job. I also love my little arts and crafts girls. We just made bumble bee headpieces for a dance they just learned in which they act out the life of bees.

I haven't taken a lot of classes. (tisk on me) But yesterday i took one and it was so bad. The company starts back on the 10th of August and it's going to be intense. We have about three weeks to get a ballet up to perform in September. My director talked to me yesterday and informed me that we will be working long days until the show. SO, that means i need to make the most of the summer now because come August it's going to be ballet ballet ballet ballet. But it's really not a bad thing. I do love it. It means everything to me and has made me who i am today. I'd gladly give up a summer to be able to dance.

Oona is sleeping in the window looking all sweet. She still wakes me up around 6am every morning ready to play. You can't get that mad at her though because she's so cute.

I'm off to the doctor today. I found a lump in my breast about a month ago. I'm a bit nervous because cancer does run in my family. Especially on my dads side. He had throat cancer about two years ago and skin cancer a year before. I'm hoping the lump is just nothing. And i'm sure it is. This is just always the scary part. Not knowing.

Best wishes to everyone! <3
~Sara~

Booba and i celebrated 5yrs in cape may. Here are some pictures:

here's my usual shot. i decided i'm going to do this where ever i visit.


our afternoon 'tea' (it was wine)


the ocean calms me


cheese. picture after our breakfast..at our bed and breakfast.

updates.

Camp has been busy and tiring, but very rewarding in the end. It's week two already and i've really grown to like the students. Some have come all the way from California! I love my little youth camp students. They are so full of curiousity and the eagerness to learn. In my choreography class with them we learn to experiment different ideas for movement by setting up different scenarios. They come up with such elaborate stories i just love sitting back and watching it unfold.

I choreographed a three min. contemporary piece for the older campers over the past two weeks. We had a short amount of time to get pieces together because they were to perform them on the outside stage in Atlantic City that coming Friday. Earlier in the first week we got some exciting news from out director about a movie company being interested in using the dancers for a film they were shooting. More exciting news came when i foudn out that students and staff were to be paid $100 for being part of the filming!!

That friday we should up late afternoon and saw all the film crews and equipment set up as they were already filming scenes around outside. We were to just hang out and wait for our cue to start running the pieces we had. They watched the show and picked the pieces they liked that would fit well with the movie. (apprently it's a movie about a boxer....not sure how ballet ties in with that haha) They made those poor girls do about six takes so they could get it from all different angles. It was hot and humid out and those poor girls looked like they were dying! I got to sit in the audience (first row) and was directed to clap loudly after each run. (hopefully that will get me in the movie because i was extra outgoing and excited)

Going to celebrate 5yrs tommorow with booba. <3 should be a lovely day and relaxing. I could use that for sure.
Ok, nothing else too exciting i promise better posts to come soon!

~Sara~
some pictures to end!

My sleeping Onna.


In the window, her favorite place

Take a moment to take it in.

picture: craig billow (http://www.fluidoptics.com/)
Phew. It's been a busy last month or so. So much that i haven't even had a second to get on here and share what's been happening. I will try to sum it up in a simple terms:

-found a new apartment with my best friend after living in awful conditions in our other place. Started moving in the past week. We have till the 30th to be out of our old place so this gives us time to move things in sections.

New place = far better neighborehood and living conditions. (it's only 7 blocks away from our old place)

-Started decorating my room in a 'victorian' theme. Lace and wicker. It's painted a light yellow and is coming along nicely!

-Finished my first set of recitals that went VERY well. Everything went smoothly. Thankfully my director is extermely organized and had everything so mapped out that it was almost mistake proof. ( i have video of my 4 pieces..might try to upload them)

-Had tech rehearsal for the other schools recitals last night that will be happening this saturday. Fun story about this one- one of my pointe girls (there are 3) just disapeared about 4 weeks ago. We tried calling her, left messages, NOTHING. We don't know why she just decided to not show up and we have her costume and everything. I decided to be fair to my girls that have worked so hard that i would fill in her spot so it didn't change anything in their dance. So, i'm dancing in the recital with my girls! Didn't see that one coming haha. I'm also dancing with the other teachers and our director in our "surprise" teacher dance. It's fun to get to be on stage with them. (and to laugh at ourselves)

-My company has started their summer camp officially this week. There is a apprentice intensive for a week along with the summer campers. I took one class this week so far and realized how out of shape i am! I know i'll get back into it, but i want to take it slowly so i don't hurt myself. To be honest, i feel in shape just from moving stuff to a new place. What a workout that really is!

-I was panicing this summer about how i was going to make it financially. I talked to my director and she gave me some classes at our summer camp. SO i am teaching :
*nutrition class
*a choreography workshop
*arts and crafts (with the little ones)
*game (little ones)
and i might be picking up extra classes when someone can't teach. It makes me feel a little bit better that some income will be coming in till things start back in september.

-offically adopted my Oona kitty baby on monday. I was fostering her to make sure she got along with my roommtes cat before i made her mine. So happy to have her with me. She's so beautiful and sweet. I love the comfort animals offer you in time so of stress.

So things are slowly rolling from a dead stop to a slow go. Good to be busy again, but stressful all in the same breath. I will try to update more frequently , but we need to get internet in the new place first.

Hope you are well!
~Sara~

There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them..

Ok, so nothing huge to report as far as dance goes. We are still on break for a little bit longer. To be honest, it's been really hard. The first two weeks were pretty ok. I got to catch up on sleep and rest my body. But, now i'm feeling the effects of not taking class. It's a bit of 'dancer depression' as they call it. You go from dancing everday to not and your body just feels the changes. I feel like i lost that emotional release that dance gave me. Now things are bottling up and i don't know how else to get them out so it leaves me feeling anxious. I know it's because i'm not dancing and as soon as the season starts up again things will level out. For now it's just battling the inner demons that want me to feel sad. Booba helps me through it as well as this little white angel, Oona:




First set of recitals are this weekend! It's going to be a long one. I'm proud of my girls and hope everything goes smoothly with my pieces.<3
~Sara~