I'm sore just thinking about it...

1 day in counting left of my vacation.

The company starts back on tuesday and the rest of the company has been flying back from their breaks and getting all settled in again. I'm bracing myself for lots of advil for the first week. I managed to get myself a bit out of shape reguardless of the summer classes i taught. Last summer i didn't have a break because our season ran all the day way through until spring. This summer I wanted to take full advantage of actually having pool time. I have to say, it was lovely. I will regret however not taking as many classes as i probably should have, but i'll get my butt into gear and back to my old prancing ways in no time i'm sure. The body never forgets! (however, it will remind you that you aren't 16 anymore!) I'm sure more updates will be shared with the first week back and what's new with the company. I know we are getting a few more new apprentices and a new company member. It's refreshing to see new talent and to get forward to bonding with them for the season. Here's to a hopefully wonderful year ahead!

my best-
~Sara~

SYTYCD

This show never gets old for me. I love watching the choreography and how the dancers embrace each style. It's such a wonderful thing that a dance show can be as successful as this one is. Keeping the dance world (the arts in general) alive is so important. In hard times like these it's crucial to surround ourselves with things that allow us to escape, even for a few min. Dancing embraces everything- the beauty, the pain, the struggles, and the joys of life. These emotions are then blended and fused with the music to create moving art. No light of creativity can shine brighter than being on that stage pouring your heart out to the universe.
I need to take a dance class soon before we start our season! My body is aching to move and create.

~Sara~

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