Atlanta-versary!

I can hardly believe it has been a year, and at the same time am shocked it's only been a year, since I moved to Atlanta. So many things in my life have changed and grown and evolved and I am so so happy where I am right now. Yes, things are still difficult at times - of course I struggle at times, but I have found a place to call home and a wonderful support circle, many actually!

 I love the dance scene here and am so glad to be involved in different aspects of it. I have loved working at Skwhirlhaus, both performing and as a collective member. I love teching shows at Emory and working with the wonderful dancers and guest artists there. I have had a wonderful time volunteering with Moving in the Spirit, it is such an amazing organization and watching the sheer joy of children performing is an experience that is so hard to put into words. And of course dancing for T Lang has just been amazing. T Lang's Mother/Mutha show last summer was one of the first performances I saw after moving to Atlanta and I still remember calling my mom while driving home after the show and telling her just how amazing and inspiring and though provoking it was; how I knew I had made the right choice by moving to Atlanta! To say that just months later I joined her company is something I thought would never happen.

Being a part of the Decatur Yoga and Pilates family is something I am so grateful for as well. It's funny how one day I just decided I needed to try some yoga studios out, and the first one I went to I fell in love with. Now that I am working the desk there and regularly taking class, I am so thankful for the amazing people there that inspire me daily. It is the most wonderful work environment, and I couldn't ask for a better place to practice. Yoga has helped me in so many ways, my body feels better dancing, my mind is clearer, I just feel happier on a regular basis, it has been wonderful!

Nannying the twins this past year has been a roller coaster of emotions and experiences. Nannying twins full time from 2 months - 12 months of age is an experience that not many people can say they have had, and let me tell you it is not easy, but I love them with my whole heart and am so glad I was able to spend the first year of their life with them. Being a nanny is such a strange thing, you form this bond with these children and act as a parent to them on the daily, but they aren't really your children, their life moves on and so does yours. This upcoming transition from me working full time as a nanny with the girls to just part time with another family in the fall is bittersweet. I know I am ready to spend more time focusing on my dance and yoga and also just being 24, but I know I will miss them so very much. That is the good part about them being family though, I know I will get to visit the girls and see them grow up, but it will be a hard change from seeing them every day.

Sometimes I struggle with trying to do too much, I want to fit it all in and do it all and see everyone. My biggest goal for this next year is learning to manage my time and really decide what is important to me. I am so thankful though that this is my problem, that there is TOO much rather than not enough. I am so blessed with such a full life with friends and work and dance and everything I could ask for. Atlanta is good. Life is good. Here's to my first successful year and many more :)

Plotting Positions of Objects in the Sky

Performance alert!

Plotting Positions of Objects in the Sky will be premiering at Blabbermouth ATL next Saturday May 11th! My good friend Mallory Baxley is the choreographer and I have been helping collaborate on this work. We are both performing in the work, alongside Lauren Markham, Ce-Ce Miley, and Brittany Baptiste. 

Here are some photos from our rehearsal process :) 

Mallory and I creating a lift for Brittany and Ce-Ce

Love working with new young choreographers, and being able to be a part of a process! Make it out to Spelman for Blabbermouth 2013 and see some new artists in the ATL dance scene! 

http://blabbermouthatl.com/

Lily Baldwin

photo from www.lilybaldwin.com 

I have been obsessed with Lily Baldwin since I first saw her trailer for Sea Meadow a couple years ago. I find myself constantly inspired by her work and drawn to her aesthetic, she is a beautiful mover and has an amazing eye for capturing a storyline through movement on film. As a dancer and filmmaker myself, I highly respect her work and am excited by the level of response to her work by the public. Sea Meadow just became available for purchase through iTunes today, I suggest you all go and download the very affordable ($1.99) film and support the arts while being entertained! Also, here is a link to A Juice Box Afternoon - the first episode in the Paperback Movie Project! 

https://vimeo.com/61779178

Can't wait to see what is next from this dance/film genius! 

First concert at Skwhirlhaus

It is so amazing to be a part of Skwhirlhaus in multiple ways. I love being a part of the collective and working with Maryn getting things ready for performances and working with other artists. And I am also so thankful I am able to perform at Skwhirlhaus. This past weekend I performed for the first time as a member of T. Lang Dance, and that performance just so happened to be at Skwhirlhaus! I feel like all of these huge things are happening in the dance world in Atlanta right now, and I am just so excited to be involved with so much of it. We had a lovely turnout for this weekends show, the weather was nice (chillier than expected, but blankets and fires in the chimineas when it got dark helped) and it is just so magical to see Maryn's backyard transform into a venue with everyone on the grass and dancers up on the stage. Thanks to Amanda Martin for these photographs. I was able to get some film of the next two artists who presented, Jessica Sias Wilson and MaryGrace Phillips after I performed with Deborah in a duet for T. Lang! 

Skwhirlhaus members with Maryn during opening speech - ignore my crazy outfit, I pulled warmups on over my costume as I was about to perform! 

T. Lang Dance

T. Lang Dance

Easily Pleased

"The key to knowing joy is being easily pleased." - Mark Nepo.

One of my favorite yoga teachers, Astrid, introduced me to Mark Nepo by reading selections from his writings during class, and I knew I needed to start reading his work daily. I have learned to appreciate the small things such as reading my daily passage from The Book of Awakening or enjoying a cup of tea while the girls nap. I look forward to these simple quite times to reflect, meditate, and become inspired for the day. This used to not seem like much, but now I know the power of being easily pleased. Happy friday :)

Not so little dance scene...

I am so excited to see first hand how much this little dance world in Atlanta is growing. I have only lived here less than a year, and I have already see so much change and growth. Over the past few weeks I have seen some amazing performance and performed myself! I went to the Atlanta Ballet's New Choreographic Voices, which was incredible. I love seeing technically trained ballet dancers performing contemporary work, it brings a whole new feeling and interpretation to contemporary dance. That same weekend I also saw Staibdance perform Versus at Emory; another amazing show! Staib had a TON of dancers, and I am friends with the majority of them (no matter where you are, the dance world is small and connected :). It is always incredible to watch your friends on stage. Some of these folks have grown and matured so much since I last saw them perform so that was really neat to watch.

Last Friday night I went to my friend Erik's show, Better. He performed in his amazing rehearsal space at North Druid Hills Baptist Church, right around the corner from my apartment. This guy know how to entertain, and is such a beautiful mover! I love that he put together this solo show - everything from costume, lights, staging, professional flyers - on his own with a just little help from his friends. And I love how receptive and supportive the whole dance and art community was, coming out to this show. Makes me remember how much I love this dance world in Atlanta.

Saturday night was our Skwhirlhaus Hauswarming! After rescheduling from the previous weekend due to rain, we went on with the event even though the forecast seemed a bit looming. I am amazed how many people came out to watch and donate and enjoy treats even in the rain! And the dancers who were showing excerpts from their work were all good sports and danced in the rain! It was really beautiful and a great way to kick off the first season of Skwhirlhaus. I performed a short improvisation early in the evening, and a few of the other Skwhirl members also showed portions of new and old work. The rest of the night I had so much fun photographing the event and mingling with other dancers and dance lovers while snacking on too much sugar! I am so looking forward to the rest of the season, starting with our April show which I am performing in with T. Lang Dance!

Meg Gibbs - solo

Crossover Movement Arts 

Skwhirl Snacks table :)

Tara Hemmer - solo

MaryGrace Phillips - solo

I just love watching and being a part of this dance world as it blossoms and is embraced by the community!

Skwhirlhaus

About a month ago, Skwhirlhaus put out a call for artists to present new work. I am becoming more and more excited for our inaugural season as we, the cooperative members of Skwhrilhaus, sort through submissions to curate into our March - October performance series. The high level of creativity and artistry in Atlanta is apparent and I am so anxious to see the series bloom to life on stage!
Be on the lookout for blogposts from us over at http://skwhirlhaus.wordpress.com/
to get updates about selected artists and performance series schedule.

Here is the information copied from our facebook post about the Hauswarming if you would like to come over and see what we are about!

Skwhirlhaus Hauswarming 

March 23 6pm - 10pm

Join us as we start off our 2013 season with an evening of performances, fundraising, and backyard fun. Bring some fabric to donate to the Skwhirlhaus community stage curtain, enjoy kombucha and homemade snacks, check out the stage, and meet some of the artists. 

Skwhirlhaus is located at 327 Sisson Avenue Atlanta 30317.

Parking is limited, so carpool if possible. The East Lake MARTA station is located 2 blocks from Skwhirlhaus. 

Please bring cash for donations. 

Skwhirlhaus cultivates a cooperative sustainable environment where creative individuals gather to present work and experience community.