Born Again Dancer

Wow, two cool things happened over the last week. I'm in the middle of another project and can't go into all the details right now, but here are the headlines. Antarctica rocks! First, I got called back to perform in a rock musical called "Antarctica." It will run in Austin for two weekends in February at City Theatre. I'm going to learn to be snow and perform as an Antarctic animal. And I get to practice typing "A-n-t-a-r-c-t-i-c-a" over and over (just try). Maybe I'll go watch the movie Happy Feet again... And in other news... Born Again Dancer is a finalist for Top Dance Blogs of 2011, in the 'Favorite Top Dance Blog' category and in the Adult Dance category. Thanks Dance Advantage! So here we go again: please go vote here:  http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/27/vote-top-blogs-2011/ . It'd be great if you voted for Born Again Dancer, but if you find something else that you like -- well go for it! There are some great dance b...

I'm feeling a little shy about this. But I need your help. If you have read and liked my Born Again Dancer blog posts over the last three years, you're qualified. You see, there's a contest on for Top Dance Blogs of 2011, hosted by Dance Advantage . -- and there's a category called Adult Dancers. You see where this is going now. If you like my blog, please leave a comment on this post. What do you like about Born Again Dancer? I love all the comments and responses my friends and readers have shared on Facebook over the years, and I really love it when I see comments on the actual blog itself -- that's kinda exciting. So will you comment on this post, please, and make me a contender for Top Dance Blog 2011? Thank you, thank you for taking time to comment. For those of you who've been with me for awhile, here's a "Born Again Dancer" retrospective. First masthead - feeling a bit shy perhaps? Feeling a bit more confident here. Th...

On Friday night I stayed up late, writing and working on this blog. I went to bed well after midnight. On Saturday morning my DH asked me if I dreamed about dancing last night. I don't remember, I said, a bit groggy. Why? Because you did this, he said. And he described how he woke up to turn over, only to see me reach toward the headboard, left arm overhead, body extended, before I snapped to a sitting position and looked around the room. Then I slumped back to sleep. I wondered if your toes were pointed, he said. I don't remember the dream. I'll bet it was good. *** After two solid hours of class and rehearsal on Friday, I didn't want to leave. I was just getting warmed up. Physically I was warm exactly 35 minutes after walking into the studio. In this particular class, the warmup does not change. In the same way that Ashtanga yogis practice a series of postures in specific order, my classmates and I embrace the familiarity and routine of what we all si...

For three Augusts now, something special has happened in my life as a dancer. In 2008, I rediscovered my love of dance and committed to its practice for one-year . (+dance) In 2009, I celebrated that year -- and didn't stop. I added ballet . (+ballet) I started thinking about " getting a gig ." In 2010, I co-produced a cabaret act with my friends (and began taking voice lessons). (+singing) In 2011, I performed in my sixth stage production, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels . (+more performing) With all the excitement of Augusts, Septembers could easily be letdowns. But this September, a seed of an idea from last winter began to sprout. Over a couple of margaritas, a friend urged me -- for the second or third time actually -- to write more often and openly about my experiences as an adult ballet student. Why? Perhaps because I have some opinions on this subject (especially after a couple of drinks). She thinks that others may relate to it. Here's something interesting abo...

“Kick Lines and Drill Teams and Poms, Oh My!” That’s the headline on my newest issue of Dance Spirit magazine. Actually, the magazine is addressed to my husband. A few years ago he bought me a new pair of black jazz shoes at Capezio, a purchase that led to this glossy mag in my mailbox every month. And every month, I pour over it like it's the 1983 Homecoming Fashion issue of TEEN Magazine . Given that I'm a bit (ahem) older than their audience of aspiring dancers, I feel like I'm reading my daughter's diary. It's not exactly written for me, but I can't put it down. Kinda like men who watch Golden Girls marathons on WE tv. They can’t help themselves. One of my favorite Dance Spirit reads is a front-of-book piece called “Letter to My Teenage Self,” written by successful adult dancers to the memories of their ambitious yet insecure selves. The letters, such as this one by the enviable Broadway star Elizabeth Parkinson , often move me. Perhaps this is because I...

"You oughta get a gig." That's what he told me nearly two years ago, and I was skeptical. In the fall of 2009, I'd been dancing again for about a year. I had performed in two community workshop productions at Ballet Austin's Butler Community School, but the thought of auditioning for a "gig" sounded a little silly at the time. I processed the idea slowly. I performed in a few more workshops. I co-produced a cabaret act for my birthday in 2010. But I didn't actually entertain the idea of an audition until last May, when I learned that a community theatre in San Antonio was producing the musical "Chicago" -- a great opportunity for a dancer like me who has been learning a wide range of Fosse choreography for the last three years. So I went. I prepared a song -- "Bye Bye Blackbird" -- it has about five notes in it, perfect for my less than confident mezzo-soprano- ish voice. And a group of us traveled to San Antonio to get some...

The advantages of Ballet Austin's Butler Community School programs are numerous, one being its class-card system that allows you to buy a punch card and attend any classes on the community school schedule. This "open class" system is a boon for an adventurous and busy dancer who may not be able to make a weekly commitment to the exact same schedule or who simply likes to take a variety of classes. (Both describe me.) For the last year or so, I have bought my class cards in bulk at a discount each fall and spring, calculating my usual class load and buying accordingly. (On average, I attend four classes a week.) Well, I miscalculated this spring, and I have 12 classes left and 6 days to use them. You can do the math. So here's my ambitious schedule for the week: Monday - Jazz Funk: Best defined by what it's not -- it's not hip-hop, it's not a classic, old-school jazz class, and it's not "lyrical" jazz akin to "So You Think You Can Danc...

"A lot about a little." That’s how our director describes Broadway musicals. It’s an observation, not a criticism, artistic judgment or evaluation of the cultural significance of musical theatre. It’s a simple way to say that musical theatre shows are a whole lot song and dance about a little bit of life -- the orchestra, big multi-level mechanized sets, fancy costumes and lighting are glamorous embellishments to stories of love, success, sex, greed, corruption, treachery, etc., etc. All the things we hold near and dear to our hearts. So this weekend I’m part of a cast of nearly 70 adults, teens and school-age children who are celebrating what’s on Broadway today. What’s on the stage in New York is the inspiration for an 80-minute revue that we will perform in downtown Austin at Ballet Austin’s Austin Ventures Studio Theatre. By celebrate, I don’t mean imitate. You won’t see Spider Man flying a zipline , tap dancing sailors fronting a full size battleship on a backdrop or a c...

Begin anywhere. Credit composer John Cage for that gem. It's my mantra for 2011 -- maybe the rest of my life. Not exactly dime-store magnet wisdom. Grocery store, actually. I bought that message on a magnet at my favorite upscale grocery store. It caught my eye as I passed the greeting card display en route to bulk snacks, my treat after a yoga class. When I bought it last fall, it spoke to me immediately, and I realized that it represented a huge shift in my thinking. Because I'm kind of a neurotic planner by nature. But planning can be paralyzing. "Plan paralysis" began plaguing me when I worked for PR agency that did brilliant projects which always began with writing many, many plans. While a lot of plans made it to reality and launched impressive new products, services and causes, many plan did not survive. At times we would write a razzle -dazzle plan only to be met with resistance every step of the way. Idiosyncrasy. Unrealistic ideas. Cost. Timing, Implementati...