ACDFA Review

I just got back from Salt Lake City where I participated in the American College Dance Festival Association Northwest Conference.  This is where several universities and colleges gather together annually in the Northwest Region of the U.S. and celebrate dance.  Each school brings a few pieces to show and be adjudicated.  From these pieces a few are chosen to represent the Northwest Conference at the National Festival.  This was my first time going to ACDFA and I have to say that is was amazing.  I was able to take classes from professors of other schools and I also got to see work done by the other schools.  I have to be honest that at first I was not a fan of the work of other schools but after I spent some time thinking on their work and opening my some-what closed mind at the time I found their work to be beautiful.  I especially liked the work done by the University of Montana, Utah Valley University, Colorado College, University of Colorado at Boulder, and University of Utah. Okay so I know I'm a mormon and a lot of the others who went with me would probably disagree with me and say the pieces were nothing but political statements and were only good for shock value. But there was so much more to the pieces than that. Their works were deep and rich in meaning and if one was only able to look past the superficiality of them they could get a wonderful meaning of what the choreographer was trying to communicate. I guess I'm just a little more liberal than some. Anyway, I feel I've learned a lot about myself and how I work as a choreographer and artist.  I received a lot of inspiration this week and I have some interesting ideas I'd like to work on in the near future.  Thanks to the God of heaven for DANCE!

Final Edit

This is the final edit of my class project and the version I will be turning in. Tell me what you think and I hope you like it!

This short dance film was an assignment in my Choreographic Explorations class.  I had to come up with an idea, get dancers, find a location, decide if I wanted music or not, get a camera to use, film it myself, and then go and use an editing program to put it together myself.  This is the first time I have ever done anything like this.

It's gonna be a bloody good one!

Long time since I've written on here.  This new semester has already started off crazy.  I audtioned for the BYU-I Dance Alliance Company and made it which means that for the next two semesters I will be in lots and LOTS of rehearsals shoving choreography down out throats.  And then we will be touring in the New England region in July and August for two weeks starting in Boston.  I'm so pumped for that.  Along with that I will be going to the University of Utah in March to participate in ACDF (American College Dance Festival) where I will be taking master classes and attending workshops along with performing two group numbers.  I am way excited for that as well.  This is going to be a great next few months!

Happy New Year!  I had a great holiday break, but now I'm ready to get back to business with a new semester.  And it already looks to be a promising one.  I'll be taking the usual technique classes along with a choreographic explorations class, kinesiology, and a teaching techniques class which I am very excited for.  I will be observing and teaching classes are part of the requirements.  Also I have some other pretty exciting news. Firstly, on Jan. 17 Aspire Dance Company will be performing at a cultural celebration in Idaho Falls which should be fun.  And the best new of all is that this last Friday I auditioned for the 2012 BYU-Idaho Dance Alliance Company and made it!  I'll be part of Dance Alliance for two semesters where we will put on shows this semester and next semester on campus and then go on a two week tour this coming summer to the New England region starting in Boston.  BUT a week before that, we will get the chance to perform in the theater of the Conference Center in Salt Lake City.  This is going to be an exciting year!

Weird Morning...

I woke up this morning with my heart racing.  I was having a dream that I had graduated from school and while sitting in an interview I was told that my degree meant nothing and was completely worthless.  The interviewee said that I would never be able to get a job with my degree.  When I first woke up I started to think whether or not I was doing the right thing by getting my BA in dance.  But I know now more than ever that this is not only what I want to do but this is what I'm SUPPOSED to do.  A while ago I decided that I needed to get an MFA.  I've looked at a few programs but I still don't really know where I want to go.  Any ideas or suggestions?