A weekend to get inspired

Hello fellow movement enthusiasts!

Just thought I would advise you that the Expanse Movement Arts Festival will be showcasing some of the very best talent in E-town starting March 4 and running until March 6. I also thought I would tip you off (read: shamelessly plug) some of my own acquaintances and fellow dancers from Orchesis.

I had the privilege of working with Raena Waddell during the maintenance rehearsals for Josh Beamish's piece "Faceless Headwoman" for Dance Motif 2010. Raena is a stunning dancer, a talented choreographer, and a fun person!! Working with Raena helped me to re-focus my energy into every extremity while on stage, even while standing still. Her acclaimed piece "The Surrender Method" has been re-mounted for Expanse and I am looking forward to catching her own work in action!

Kathy Metzger-Corriveau is an established modern dance teacher and I am currently taking a ballet class under her direction. Her sharp-eye has helped me identify some of my weaknesses in technique and her patience is helping me turn those into strengths. The piece she has choreographed for Expanse sounds incredible as it details her pregnancy and all of the changes that come with bearing her two children.

Finally, Kelsie Acton is talented dramatist and an amazing dancer. We have danced together in Josh Beamish's piece for Dance Motif 2010 and I look to her for direction every jazz class! Countless hours of rehearsals have gone into Kelsie's piece - I know because she was often running to them after 3h of jazz class! - and I look forward to seeing all of those plans come to fruition as she choreographs and dances a piece that draws on multiple visual media for inspiration.

Regardless of whether you care for any of the aforementioned pieces, I suggest you check out Expanse at the Roxy next weekend to get inspired and get moving! I know I will hardly be able to stay in my seat!!

Click here to read the Edmonton Journal's preview of Expanse.

Click here to find details about Josh's piece for Dance Motif 2010.

Welcome one and all!

When I was six years old, my mother drove me to a dance studio twice a week to participate in tap and jazz dancing classes. Tap wasn't my scene (I need a better inherent sense of rhythm) but jazz made me feel like I could fly! When I turned 10 years old, the dance studio required me to take ballet to supplement my jazz training. I was not enthused. My skinny little sister took ballet and I hated having to watch slow adages set to boring music. After two years of ballet training, however, I was hooked. The aesthetic of an unfurling developpé was unparalleled by even the fastest chaîné turn. Turning out my legs became second nature and participation in exams was a necessity. Year-end recitals were full of sequins, chiffon, red lipstick, and bright green eyeshadow and I loved every second.

Dance is an expensive sport and I was forced to choose between jazz and ballet in my teens. I chose ballet because I had advanced faster in ballet than in jazz and, truthfully, my preference had shifted from fast-paced, fun-loving jazz to slower, intensely focussed ballet. By high school, I had to choose between school clubs and dance class and I decided, perhaps regretfully, to pursue running and volunteer work at school.

Seven years later, I noticed an advertisement in the newspaper for a performance by a student group - Orchesis - at the theatre on campus. Curious, I bought a $10 ticket and attended the show. The dance was breathtaking. I had never danced contemporary nor had I watched an excess of contemporary choreography but I longed more than ever to dance after watching the show. I purchased a year-long Orchesis membership to receive two weekly dance classes from September 2009 to June 2010 for a more than reasonable price and plunged back into dance once more.

This blog is dedicated to chronicling my journey. It's about a love for movement and a growing passion for dance. It's about learning to feel comfortable in my own skin and learning about the amazing and unexpected things my body can do. Best of all, it's about my adventures with new, up-and-coming choreographers as well as established, critically-acclaimed choreographers and dancers. I may never be a professional dancer but dance has surpassed the status of a mere 'hobby' in my heart. It's a love I hope I never find myself apart from again.

Thanks for coming along.