Skip to main content

Summer Dance Intensive -Part 2-

 Last week I posted about packing and planning for a summer dance intensive that is almost 800 miles away. Today I wanted to talk about how it went. 

We arrived early Saturday evening and I immediately started getting settled in to my dorm. I met my roommate and the other girls in my small group, and we all went to dinner together and started getting to know each other. Our counselor had us all meet in her room that night to play some games before showering and getting to bed. 

The next morning we woke up and went to orientation before having some free time in the afternoon. I was assigned to take the second placement class so I got ready pretty soon after orientation. As I got ready and walked to the studios across the street, I got pretty nervous. I had never done any kind of audition so I was nervous about what it would be like and what level I would be placed in. 

The class ended up going really well and I felt good about how I had done. The hard part was that we had to wait until the next morning to find out what level we were placed in. 

. . .

I woke up early Monday morning and got ready for my first day of classes before heading to breakfast with my group. After breakfast we walked back across the campus to the studios where chapel was held. After chapel they announced that the papers with level placements were downstairs, and I quickly followed everyone else to see them. I found my name with level 9 and was so excited. I was expecting to place in level 6 or 7 of the 11 levels, so getting in level 9 was a big surprise. 

My classes were at two different locations- some of them were on the college campus we stayed at, and the others were at a different studio that we rode the bus to. We danced about 6 hours a day, and between classes we had lunch or short breaks. After classes were over each day we had dinner at the cafeteria, bible study with our group, and then we showered and got to bed. 

Our last class each day was variations, in which we learned a variation we performed at the end of the two weeks. The performance went really well- it was really neat getting to see what each level had learned. 

When we got back to the dorms after the performance, my roommate and I both fell asleep before we had finished packing and getting ready for bed. Our counselor woke us up so we could meet with our group one last time before leaving. We left the next morning and after a two-day trip, I made it back home.

. . .

I'm beyond grateful for this amazing experience, for what God did in my heart while there, and for the incredible people I got to meet. I learned so much from my teachers and they helped me improve so much in my technique. My counselor and counselor assistant really helped me feel safe and cared for while I was there since I was so far from home. And most of all, I'm so thankful for the sweet girls that were in my small group. We talked, laughed, and cried together. I was so nervous about who my roommate would be before going, but now I'm pretty sure I couldn't have had a better one. 

One day I took a long walk around the entire campus with one of the girls in my group and I pretty much poured my heart out to her. I really enjoyed that afternoon and getting to talk to her. She actually only lives a few hours from my house, so we're going to try to get together in December which I'm really looking forward to.

Our small group has a group chat so we've been able to stay in touch. We're also doing a bible study together weekly which has been really encouraging spiritually.


Romans 11:36 ESV

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever.


Dancing4Jesus

Psalm 149:3~ Let them praise his name with dancing. (NIV)


Contact me here: dancing4jesus20@gmail.com



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My History as a Dancer

 Since I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with anything related to dancing.  My journey as a dancer began about 12 years ago when I was a little girl, about the age of 3. I had a book about a little ballerina, called I Wear My Tutu Everywhere. I also danced around the house more than I walked, so it wasn’t long before my mom realized my interest in ballet. She got me a dancing dvd so I could practice at home, and looked for ballet flats for my little feet, but couldn’t find any, so instead she got me thin house shoes that resembled ballet shoes.  As my love for the art of dancing grew, my mom decided to put me in dance class. She put me in a dance school which I danced at for one year, until I was about five.  We eventually moved across the state to a small town. One of my kindergarten friends took ballet classes at a nearby ballet studio, and her mom recommended the studio to my mom. My mom contacted the studio about a year and a half later, and I remember going in...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tips for Fast Changes

 We all dread those fast changes during performances. I have a performance coming up in mid-January, and I have to make several fast changes for it. I wanted to share a few tips today that have helped me.  Know how long you'll have. I was actually able to look at a DVD of the performance we're doing since we've done it before. I timed how long I'll have for each of my fast changes. If you don't have this option, try setting a stopwatch during a rehearsal. Knowing how long you have can help you to prepare. Practice your fast changes. If you know how long you'll have to change, you can set a timer and practice your fast changes at home. This can help you to figure out things you need to do differently before the night of the performance.  Get someone to help you. If you have a fast change assistant, that's great. If not, find someone who's not on stage during your fast change that can help you. They can fix your hair, tie shoes, or whatever else you need. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dressing Modestly for Ballet

Dressing modestly in the ballet world- and not spending a fortune while at it- is definitely a real struggle. It was easy as a young dancer to dress modestly. Leotards were high in the front and back and skirts were appropriate length. Everything was cheap and easy to find. They even have a section at Walmart with little girl's ballet clothes. Once you start wearing women's sizes, though, everything changes. Dancewear stores aren't very common, so looking online is what most older dancers do. And then to find inexpensive, pretty, and appropriate leotards that match the dress code can take a long time. In this post I'm going to share what dressing modestly in ballet looks like, as well as some online dancewear stores you can try. Dress code is the biggest problem for a lot of dancers. Unless you can find a school who's dress code lines up with your beliefs, you've got a decision to make. If the dress code, whether for class or performances is inappropriate, don...
Post a Comment
Read more