THE SPIRIT OF SPIRITO by Nicole Moscou

I had to admit, the posters intrigued me. Spirito looked like something I would love to see. I own a small ballet school, and I often feel the need to see dance performances to keep my own inspiration going. Still, I made excuses. I was tired. I’d never heard of 127th Street Dance. It was going to be late. My weekends had been busy. But all of these excuses were thrown out the window when my sister (also my student) called to tell me that she’d auditioned and had been invited to join the company dancers in the performance. I bought my tickets immediately, and I’m so glad I did.

The eclectic collection of pieces had me enraptured from the start. I kept forgetting to breathe. The choreography was brilliant, and the dancers themselves were so committed to what they were doing. The level of expression and passion in their dancing were amazing, and I have to say, I’ve never seen anything quite like it. 

The choreography was original and unconventional. Often, I feel that the trend is to fit as much as possible into a short piece of music. This is impressive, but it all happens so fast, it’s hard to appreciate it. Some of the best moments in Spirito were the ones where the dancers stopped moving, or just breathed in the moment, or continued a progression long enough for the audience to appreciate the intricacies of the movement. 
The emotional energy throughout the pieces was also amazing. One piece would make the audience laugh, the next struck them silent. In some, I found my leg muscles moving right along with the gravity-defying leaps; in others, I nearly slipped into a meditative state. Several times, the tears fell freely onto the program I was clutching. For me, it awakened something inside of me that had been set aside for all the paperwork, the class progressions, the business of ballet. It awakened my dance spirit, and allowed me into a world where I speak the language. It was a beautiful moment that I never wanted to end. (And in case you were wondering, my sister was beautiful in the performance, and I’m ever grateful to 127th Street Dance for giving her that opportunity.)

If Spirito comes anywhere near you, it’s not something you want to miss. Dancer or not, you’ll leave with a dancer spirit.

~ Nicole Moscou


*Tickets for SPIRITO available at http://www.kpcenter.org/performances/spirito

Performances at Kirkland Performance Center
July 18 & 19, 8PM

The Work-Life-Dance Balance, by Corps de Ballet Dancer Ciara McCormack

I am a person of many passions- I am a dancer, of course, but I am also a writer, a teacher, an administrator, and a business owner. How I find the time to do all of this isn’t the question, because, in all honesty, I don’t. Each week, I spend a combined 55 hours rehearsing, sending e-mails, chasing 3 year olds, doing accounting, demonstrating proper posture, filing papers, and (every once in awhile) writing articles.

Yet, each job I do could easily be a full-time job, and each additional commitment steals time from the others, making it impossible to do each job to my full potential. On top of the stress of having a busy schedule, it’s stressful to know there’s more I could be doing for each occupation. I could be stretching and going over my choreography more at home, spending more time on lesson plans and curriculum research, or putting more effort into my business accounting and marketing…

So, why is it that I am still taking on new projects- applying for new jobs, saying yes to extra tasks at work, adding more shows to my calendar?

1. Because I’m still testing the balance point between all of these roles- I love working with little people in the classroom just as much as letting my body free in the studio and feeling the satisfaction of checking something off of a to-do list. I can’t eliminate any one of them, but I can continue to re-adjust the ratio- taking on more classes at the expense of a couple hours at my day job, adding rehearsals at the expense of frequently reviewing local performances. If a change doesn’t work, I can always try a new one.

2. Because I know what I want to be when I grow up. Eventually, I tell myself, I will be in charge of an arts-education non-profit that connects professional dancers to schools through long-term residencies. My purpose now, early in my career, is to say yes to everything that will contribute skills, knowledge, and experience to make that goal successful.

Beyond work, there is the job of having a personal life- having a relationship, allowing time for relaxation, celebrating and enjoying the company of people outside your home and office. After that, I do my best to sleep and do my chores, but learning how to truly balance that part of life with the rest of it- well… that’s the hard part. 

6 Steps to Overcoming Adversity in your Training, by Corps de Ballet Dancer Tira Sweet

The last couple of years, both in and out of the studio, have been filled with great triumph and even greater adversity. As a dancer, it is common to hear how much work you have left to do; your pelvis isn’t neutral, you aren’t pulling up enough, you could be using more rotation. You’ve heard many of these corrections and more over the years, but how do you process them when you’ve fought so hard and fallen short? 

1. First thing is first, stop beating yourself up. It is natural to make mistakes, even as you’re learning. Oftentimes dancers hear a correction and think that everything they’re doing is wrong, despite vast attempts at fixing the problem. Technical strength is a process. Some things go right, and other things go wrong. 

2. You’ll never be “perfect”...and that’s okay. A wise man once said to me “Once you’ve reached perfection, you might as well be dead. We all make mistakes until the day we die.” Not to be overly morbid, but I think he has a point. We’ll always make mistakes, it’s human nature, but what matters is what you learn from them.

3.   If you’re willing to put in the time and effort that it takes, your greatest weakness can become your greatest strength. Work hard, be specific, focus on refining your craft. Just don’t obsess over it. Often you’ll find that once you’ve worked on that area enough, you gain confidence in showing off the progress that you’ve made.

4. Take time to appreciate your strengths. It’s not being vain or narcissistic, you’re just giving yourself a confidence boost. Telling yourself what you perceive to be a strength can help you avoid focusing on the negative.

5. Take pride in being a PERPETUAL student. I don’t mean for this to sound daunting, but we will always be students of some sort. Regardless of whether you’re enrolled in a school program or not, the universe will always have something to teach you. Be patient, as these can be applied to your training.

6. Surround yourself with people who support you. Find a “safe haven” so to speak, where you are pushed to work hard, but can let your guard down while doing so. This allows for more progress, when you’re not stressed out about it all the time. Gather with people who will help you recognize your strengths, and help you with the hard stuff. Simple words of affirmation can go a long way.

For me, my safe haven is here at 127th Street. I am pushed to excel not only by myself but by all of the company members. I am continually inspired by each one to better myself as a dancer and as a person. Thank you.  

Photos by Vycktoryja Selves

Home Away From Home

Home Away From Home

By Scotty Flores

I miss my family. I miss being within 5 minutes of my friends. I miss chasing after my neurotic puppy whose fur you can find on every couch, rug and sock.  I don’t miss the triple digit heat. I miss driving alone with my parents and our long talks that keep us up past 2am. I miss cobalt blue glass in every corner of the house and the sound of a million keys jingling coming home from work.

Moving to Seattle to pursue dance has to be one of my best decisions to date. However, being far from home is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. This will be my first summer away from home after a spring semester. I won’t be able to visit until December, that’ll be nearly a year away from my loved ones. As much as I love where I am and what I’m doing, I still get homesick.

I’ve made enormous strides in my time studying, training and living in Seattle the past two years. Looking back at my progression stuns me quite a bit. Two years. And look where I am now. I still have a long way to go, of course, but a lot has happened. A lot of the time I wish I could run to my friends and family to share the joys and pains I’ve encountered these past two years. It’s been quite hard adjusting my life to an entirely new place where I knew absolutely no one.

Seven months ago I auditioned for 127^th St. Dance Co and little did I know how dear to my heart they would become. Within my first rehearsal as a company member tears were shed with one another while working on a new piece. I’m pretty sure about ninety percent of those tears came from me. Those first five hours with the company were physically, emotionally and mentally draining. I loved every second of it. It didn’t take to long to find sanctuary with the 127^th.  

We are all working towards the same goals and want each other to succeed. We push one another other to improve, exceed and shine. We hug, we laugh, we cry and lean on each other. We share a passion for something far beyond movement. 127^th St. Dance Co. has been my safe haven. The company is my family. They’re my best friends.  

Although my heart aches from time to time, I am reminded constantly how blessed I have been these last two years. The opportunity, love and lessons I’ve leaned with 127^th have become priceless moments of my life I will forever value. This makes it all worthwhile. Being far from home hurts, but because of what I am doing, I know I’m in the right place and on the right path.

“Missing is just a part of moving on.” –Unknown