Tuesday, March 27, 2007

University of Washington



Dear Friends,

Starting in June of this year, I will attend the University of Washington in Seattle in order to get an MFA in Dance. It feels like I've been thinking about this step for years and at last, I will be going. It's a two year program with lots of really interesting collaborations and opportunities. I'm excited to a student again and to take on new challenges.

The campus is really beautiful, right on the water. The faculty was very nice and the undergrads were really strong and beautiful dancers. The program invites only three grad students each year and I'm lucky to be one of them. As a teaching assistant, my tuition is waved and there is a stipend for living expenses. It's a great opportunity.

Of course, I will miss Maine and all of my friends and family here a great deal. I'll post updates of what I'm up to in Seattle here on my blog so you can keep informed if you wish.
On May 12 at 7:30 p.m., I'll be hosting another of my Salons at New Dance Studio. I'm calling it Salon So Long Louis. Please drop by for some fun and farewell.




Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Chakra Solo

Chakras are energy centers in that align with the spine. If you know about chakras, it might be fun to look for the gestures that go with of the seven centers in the dance video I've posted below. For each chakra, I've created a movement gesture and in this dance, I combine the gestures in an improvisational way.

The root chakra reaches toward the earth. The sacral chakra is the creativity/sexual chakra and is located at the sacrum. The solar plexus chakra is the door to our individuality. The heart chakra is where we hold love. The throat chakra is connected with our verbal communication, while the third eye chakra is our connection to intuition. The crown chakra located at the top of the head reaches skyward.

In between the gestures, I spin like a whirling dervish. The dervishes spin in order to align their chakras and I use it here as a way transitioning from one chakra to another. By creating and performing this dance I like to think I am giving my chakras a healthy workout.

Hope you enjoy it!