Let the Touring BEGIN!

So I know a lot of you are probably thinking or wondering where in the world I’ve been these last 2 months. Yes, I am still in London getting my MA. No, I did not forget that I had a blog. And yes, I have been very busy! I wanted to give everyone an update, but I didn’t know what to say/type. So much and so little has happened at the same time, that I didn’t even know if I should write about it or where to begin. For those of you that have been keeping up with my blog (if you haven’t feel free to go back a re-read my previous post), I know you’ll remember where I said tour dates were announced, well IT IS TIME!!!

EDGE is tour ready! All the pieces have been finished (ish), costumes have been picked, and lighting/staging designs set! EDGE had their first premeire at MOVE IT (it’s like a dance competition/convention [NYCDA, West Coast Dance Explosion, The PULSE] but like way more intense), and then as guests in a show premiering works for Postgraduate Choreographers of LCDS at The Place (which is where I had my first international performance). I have officially seen my life goal of performing internationally realized, and we aren’t even in full swing of our tour. I cannot believe that I have seen my dream come true and that I have so much more to experience.

The company went to Chichester, England on 22 March to participate in an exchange with MAP (Master of Arts Performance) Dance. We took class with Yael Flexer, the co – artistic director of MAPDance, and performed 3 of our 4 works. It was so great being able to learn about another program similar to mine. (I had no idea so many schools in England had this type of program/experience. There is nothing, to my knowledge, like this in the states, probably because of the cost to travel, and I wish there was.) The dancers were amazing and we got to see a small bit of the works they’re touring and let me just say, BOSS!!

I think that when tour starts I’m going to keep a journal for the day to day activities. Of course, I will carry my phone/camera everywhere and take so many pictures and videos of my travels, but I think that writing down some of the small bits that a camera will miss will allow me to really look back at what I’ve done and accomplished. I will also try to post some excerpts from the journal I keep. (The key word is ‘try,’ so if I don’t do it as often or at all, I apologize in advance.) We leave for Salzburg, Austria, the 16th of April meaning it’s a little over a week until the hard but fun part begins.

I am currently ending a 2 (ish) week break before we jump in the international tour! I’ve taken these days off as a chance to rest(ish), take some fun dance classes, work on school assignments (still can’t believe I have that), and for some reason I’ve been doing a lot of shopping. You know it seems that whenever I get free time, I spend some (a lot) of that time shopping whether it’s in store or online. (Is that normal? You know what, let’s just pretend it is.) Now, I’m not saying that I was just spending money right and left, I got things that are going to be very useful while on tour. (I’m not going to name them all because I had 12 work days off and we could be here a while.)

MOVING ON….

It’s finally starting to get warm in London and when I say warm I mean like 60 degrees fahrenheit (F), but compared to the 20 degrees F we were getting, this is a pleasant change. During my break I took some time to discover some of the nooks and crannies of where I live and let me tell you it’s beautiful! I took a walk by the Thames River (or River Thames, depending on where you’re from), explored the park, and went to the science museum. I knew London was cool and full of experiences and things, but I never imaged there would be so much. And I know that I am only at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to discovering all that London has to offer.

Well I’ve babbled on enough, but I think that about sums it all up. Keep checking in for mini post about the tour and any other information. And before you go, check out the blog post, Creative in Students of All Ages, I did for Studio To GO, the sister company to Studio Go (the company I worked for in Atlanta, Georgia, USA), that offers assistance and tools to dance teachers.