Please find a Cure!

One of my all-time favorite dance routines. This choreography really speaks to me as I am at a time in my life where there seems to be so much sickness all around me. Will we ever have a cure for cancer? I hope so. Meanwhile, enjoy this beautifully choreographed and exquisite performance from So You Think You Can Dance, choreographed by Tyce Diorio and performed by Melissa and Ade during season 5. Not a dry eye in the house!

Missing You

Tonite I am thinking about a few very special, lifelong friends who have lost their battles with cancer. You never know when you might be spending the very last moments of this life together. My life is better having known them. Their loss has left a huge hole in my heart. Watching this piece reminds me that I will see them again one day. Beautiful choreography by one of my favorites, Mia Michaels, and brilliantly danced by Neil and Lacey on So You Think You Can Dance. Always remember to hold loved ones close to your heart!

Lifelong Friends

       Have you ever watched a toddler begin to “dance” when she hears music? Young children seem drawn to music, and at an early age can often be seen starting to move about and “dance” when they hear music. According to the National Dance Education Organization’s website, young children can often learn movement patterns just as easily as they learn language. Sometimes, they may “dance” before they are able to talk. Dance becomes a way of expressing emotions that a child may not be able to express verbally. In doing so, they learn to communicate ideas and tell a story through their movements.

       When a child is involved in dance classes, she will have more opportunities to learn socialization skills by learning to work within a group. In addition, she will learn that she has to move with the group and to stay with the group in order to perform, thus building listening skills, concentration, and impulse control. She will learn to cooperate, interact and relate to others and begin to develop a sense of community with her dancer friends in class as they applaud and learn to appreciate one another for their efforts.

       For a dancer, that sense of community is something that lasts for a lifetime, it seems.  There is something about dance that brings people together.  I have witnessed this over the last twenty years as I have watched my daughter learn and grow as a dancer and now a teacher.  We still get together with friends we have met through dance, even though we no longer dance together.  And we will drive to another city or state to watch other dance friends perform!

       One year, I remember going to six different dance studio recitals.  That's a lot of dance!  And for those of you who aren't familiar with dance recitals and dance competitions, this is not just an hour long activity.  The shortest recital I have ever been to lasted only about two hours, and the longest about six hours!  Competitions typically take a 6-12 hour day, or even an entire weekend, depending on the circuit.  So when I say that dance has its own community, it really does! That is real dedication to watching our friends perform and supporting and encouraging them.

       I came across this picture showing two little ballerinas embracing on a stage. The caption reads that psychologists say if a friendship lasts longer than seven years, it will last a lifetime. I believe this to be true. I have lifelong friends made through my daughter's dance adventures. I wouldn't change that for anything. They are treasured friendships! As further proof, I've attached a picture from my daughter's high school graduation party.  Miss Leslie, her dance teacher from the age of three, is pictured third from right.  And all of the young ladies have danced together since they were between three and five years old.

Another Fantastic Show by Exhale Dance Tribe!

Dead Can Dance: Carnivale was fantastic again this year! I've posted a few photos from the show at Cincinnati's Memorial Hall on Saturday, November 1st.  Performances by the Ringmaster, the Conjoined Twins, the Strongwoman, and the rest of the cast were exceptional. Missy and Andy's choreography and vision for this show was exquisite.  The evening began with an appetizer buffet, costumed characters, and tarot readings. Memorial Hall was the perfect setting for this show.  It's a grand old theatre built in 1908, with its marble staircases adorned in wrought iron, wide, flowing hallways beautiful, stenciled murals and ornate carvings.  I'm already looking forward to next year's show!

Dead Can Dance, Saturday, November 1st, 2014

Today I’d like to tell you about an upcoming show that I am really excited about.  It’s called Dead Can Dance, performed by Exhale Dance Tribe.  This is the third annual installment of the interactive show, which is billed as “Cincinnati’s hippest Halloween extravaganza!”   You've never seen a dance performance like this before.

In addition to the contemporary interactive Halloween dance performance, Artistic Directors Missy Lay Zimmer and Andrew Hubbard have an extraordinary evening planned, which includes complimentary hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, silent auction, tarot card readings, kids’ games ages 9 and up, a costume contest, and family friendly Annual Halloween Carnivale!

The show takes place at Cincinnati’s Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St. in Downtown Cincinnati, Ohio.

Saturday, November 1

7:00-8:15 p.m. Drinks and complimentary hors d’oeuvres

8:15 p.m. Performance
Cost: $30 – Student Rate: $20 @ Cincyticket.com

Don’t miss the Dead Can Dance Preview in the Park:

Washington Park

Saturday, October 24 5:00 p.m.

Meet and greet the dancers, get a preview of the Dead Can Dance performance!

Click the link below for more information:

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/-FOR-A-GHOULISH-GOOD-TIME---DEAD-CAN-DANCE---EXHALE-DANCE-TRIBE-2014-15-SEASON.html?soid=1102261742434&aid=aQ2IbpqZdXo

Visual Storytelling

Today I'd like to share with you a paper that my daughter wrote about her feelings on dance and it's unique language.  Her professor wanted to make sure that she shared her paper with me.  Read on, and you will see why:

Dance: Visual Storytelling                                                                                by Kara Lam

When most people think of language, they typically picture reading, writing, or speaking.  However, when I think of language, I think of dance.  Dancing allows you to tell stories by using motion and emotion rather than words.  It is a language of its own.  I have been immersed in the culture of dance for seventeen years now, so I have had a very long time to adapt to its unique literacy.  Many people do not realize that the dance industry is its own community.  I do not know where I would be today if I had not been a part of its discourse community.  Dance has inadvertently shaped me into the reader and writer I am today.

When I was just three years old, my mother enrolled me in dance lessons because I was very shy.  She wanted me to be exposed to a different type of environment.  For the first month of lessons, I was so painfully shy that I could not adapt to the environment on my own.  Thus, my mother had to actually take the class with me for the entire month.  However, after that month I began to develop a basic understanding of the procedure and structure of a dance class.  Little did I know that I would eventually fall in love with the art form and understand it in ways most people would not even think about.

It wasn’t until junior high that I actually began to comprehend exactly how dance really was its own community.  Before then, I was only taking recreational dance lessons once a week.  While I was part of the dance community, it was more of just a hobby for me.  Because of my age, the routines I performed at my recitals were basically just steps to music.  Then, in the sixth grade, I auditioned for my first competitive dance team.  During my time being a part of a dance team, I was spending more hours practicing.  I was also exposed to new styles of dance during these extra hours of practice.  I soon realized that dance was so much more than just steps to music.  I was astonished when I learned that the way I performed could evoke some type of emotion in my audience.

Because of dance, as a writer I am capable of choosing words that flow together.  I find that transitioning between my ideas comes naturally to me.  As a dancer, you have to understand how to transition between each move to make your performance seem effortless to your audience.  Every step counts in dancing as much as every word counts in writing, and transitions help to make your story flow even when they are only being seen and not written.  In addition to transitioning, dancing has also helped me to pay attention to detail in my writing.  When I dance, my audience is judging every aspect of my performance.  If I have errors in technique or lack of emotion, the audience will pick up on it and not be as involved or interested in the story I am trying to tell.  This has helped me use more detail within my writing because I want my reader to be able to picture what I am writing about.

The literacy I have adapted to from dance has also helped me to become a better reader.  As a reader, I am able to actually have a visual image in my head of how I would picture what is happening in a particular story almost instantly.  This is because I have been so exposed to performing and watching dance.  It has basically trained my brain to interpret everything in a visual manner.  Being able to take my audience on some type of emotional journey during a performance is crucial to a successful performance.  My personal goal when I dance is to leave the audience wanting more.  I am able to apply the same knowledge when I read.  I want to be able to be taken on an emotional journey when I am reading, which will make me want to read more at the end of the story.

Overall, I am a better reader and writer because of being able to be a part of dance as a discourse community.  Being able to physically take part in many stories through dance has helped me be able to understand literacy and actually become more literate.  It has allowed me to approach my reading and writing differently and it has also broadened by knowledge.  Dance is basically just a visual aid for me in my understanding of literacy.  Without it, I cannot imagine what the last seventeen years of my life would have been like.

From the Beginning...Dance Changes Lives!

I’m a Dance Mom.  My daughter is two months away from her 21st birthday.  She’s been a dancer since the age of three.  When I was a little girl, I always wanted to be a dancer.  My family didn’t have the money to spend on dance lessons, so I took a few classes but that didn’t last long.  There simply wasn’t room in the budget for that.

I think I was more excited than my daughter when it was time for her to start dance lessons.  She acted like she wanted to go, and she happily wore her new tutu and ballet shoes to the neighborhood studio.  I sat in the waiting room, and near the end of the class, the dance teacher called me from the door of the classroom and said, “I don’t think she is ready yet.  She won’t participate.”  My heart sank!

My whole reason for taking my daughter to dance was to help her overcome extreme shyness.  I had been told by friends that dance lessons would help.  As I walked up to the reception window, the receptionist took me  aside and told me to keep bringing her to class.  She said I could take the class with my daughter if she needed me to.  She said that her daughter was also painfully shy, and now her daughter teaches and had a dozen numbers in the recital!  So, for the next month, I ended up having to go into the class with my daughter hanging on my leg, wearing my business suit, complete with stockings and heels!  It only took about a month, and from that point on, my daughter was thrilled to be dancing every week for “Miss Leslie.”

Over the years, dance has brought much joy to our lives. My daughter still dances, and is proud to be teaching and coaching other dancers.  She is thrilled when a student learns something new.  She calls me to tell me all about her dancers.  I love the fact that she has the chance to inspire others to enjoy dance as much as she does.

I’ve started this blog as a way of promoting positive, uplifting thoughts and showing how a powerful dance performance can be emotionally inspiring and motivating.  I believe strongly that every child should be involved in dance at some point in their lives, and not like the crazy characters portrayed on reality television. Studies have shown that involving dance in education can have a positive impact on critical thinking and creative thought processes, problem-solving/mathematics skills, social skills, verbal/nonverbal communication, socialization, self-concept, focus, artistic expression, and cultural and historical awareness in addition to the obvious physical benefits.

This week I am posting one of my favorite pictures of my daughter from her first year as a dancer at age three.  Enjoy!