To do or not: video record class
Eight months ago, if a student or an entire class asked if they could record the steps after class, my answer was ABSOLUTELY NOT. First off, for their own sake – it is a disservice to let them do [...]
Searching for profundity
The value of doing the same dance over and over and over: People often talk smack about Soledad Barrios because she’s been dancing the same solo for 20+ years. But so did Carmen Amaya. Watch her videos – same [...]
What flamenco offers…
Flamenco has community & dialogue built into its core. It’s always interesting to me to see the ways that modern dance contrives programs so that it builds community and dialogue. I deeply admire much of this type of work (think [...]
Rebuilding Confidence
I’ve struggled with confidence throughout my dancing career. And the thing is, when you don’t have confidence, people will easily tear you down. When you’re unsure of yourself, it’s hard to convince others to put faith in you, which can [...]
Time to Pause
For those of us who don’t want to jump on the online train… As studios and dancers immediately adjusted to our world shifting online, I took a step back. I am teaching my college courses online, but instead of keeping [...]
Dance takes time…
Had you told me 15 years ago the dancer who is now Sugar Plum would have that role someday, I would not have believed you. As I have done most years since age ten, while home for the holidays, I [...]
The Sea and Compás
“Aprendí a bailar con las olas del Somorrostro, a mí me enseñó a bailar el mar…” --Carmen Amaya (“I learned to dance with the waves of the Somorrostro (beach in Barcelona), the sea taught me to dance...") [...]
A riff on curiosity and adaptability
Curiosity and Adaptability. Necessities for dance. And life. Curiosity I’ve taken yoga off-and-on for several years now. This past year, I’ve taken less off and more on—I’m in class at least a couple times a week at the local yoga [...]
Mini No-Manifesto
No to compartmentalization. No to unsustainability. No to quick, meaningless ways of working. No to compartmentalization: In the past semester—as I planned a symposium, worked on a performance piece, started plans for a performance series in Cleveland, taught and [...]
Reflections & Recap from Breaking Boundaries in Flamenco @ Oberlin
Shortly after accepting a position at Oberlin, I was encouraged to put together a flamenco symposium. Although that’s a pretty broad request, I knew immediately the theme I wanted to explore. Ever since I started to discover that flamenco has [...]