What's in a Name?

For the title of my business and my senior project at UWM, I came up with Pilgrimage Dance. It was inspired by various places that I perform in with this business including: libraries, schools, senior centers, and community centers. I find that I myself am on a journey not only to these places, but to share and encourage dance within many communities and learn something about myself at the same time. A pilgrimage for me is a search for knowledge, and at times, it is a spiritual search as well. In many religions, people often make a pilgrimage to a holy land.

Now, I'm not sure there is any particular place that is the holy land for dance! It seems to me that every place has inspiration from it's history to it's people to dance and create dance.

When I was coming up with the title, I also thought about how dance moves and a pilgrimage is specifically locomotor movement from one place to another. In my mind, I find it interesting that a pilgrimage is actually one really long dance! It's an abstract thought, but I think it describes my work. I am a nerdy dancer who interrelates dance with all areas of life and community. They are not interchangeable! There can be no growth without the freedom to move. There can be no life without growth. And there can be no dance without life.

Still Learning

My senior project for the Dance Department at UWM was to begin my own business that allowed the community to experience dance in a new light. The great part of this "assignment" was that it could potentially affect the rest of my life. I didn't know when I entered UWM as undecided that I would be where I am now with my studies and certainly couldn't have imagined the wealth of knowledge I would receive.

School has taught me to be versatile, and has trained me to be strong in adversity. I have had opportunities to take classes with brilliant teachers, and meet guest artist from around the world. As friends and colleagues, my peers have been competitive and supportive in the same instance. I have made many close friends from all over. I experienced life in a completely different culture than my own through a study abroad in Morocco. I will always take with me the people I have met throughout my life whom I have had the pleasure to call my friends. So now what do I do with the lessons I have learned and the connections I have made?
I form my own niche! Creating my own business that involves all aspects of my education, I feel that this project showcases all that I've learned these past four years of study. It also gives me a chance to work with many different people.

Working through college has allowed me to make mistakes and learn from them financially. Every position has had it's challenges, and I have had many great coworkers filled with advice and good company. How do I become more than an employee, but self-employed?
I become aware of business and personal finances along with marketing and licensing.

My family may not always understand my aspirations and goals, but they try their best to be there for me. I have learned from them to respect everyone I come in contact with and always keep intact my backbone. We most certainly have our arguments, but we always work through them. How can I repay my family for all their years of love and care?
I love them right back, and make them proud. Maybe one day they'll let me buy dinner!

My husband has his hands full with me since I tend to complicate life. Being in love with a man who works harder than anyone I know, you can be sure, I learn a lot from him. If his love has showed me anything, it is that I cannot let my fears rule me. Can I handle the obstacles to come?

With a great love by my side and a lot of hope, I can't look back. All I can do is try, and continue learning.

A look at Frederick Ashton

Photo Taken From Barnes & Noble

Frederick Ashton was a dancer, choreographer in love with Ballet. He lived from 1904-1988, and while he was born in Ecuador, he is most famous for being the artistic director of the British Royal Ballet. I am currently reading “Reading Dance” edited by Robert Gottlieb, and it includes an excerpt from the famed choreographer as he describes what he believes a choreographer to be… “First of all, he is to the ballet what a playwright is to a play; but whereas the playwright writes his play and generally hands it on to a producer who animates it for him and puts it on the stage, a choreographer does all this himself. Usually he is his own librettist also, so that in a sense the whole fount of the creation comes from him.”

Now, it is my opinion, and I state this with the deepest respect for this man’s work… But what about the dancers, the musicians, the lighting specialists, the costume designers, the people who have affected the choreographer in some way shape or form?

I realize he is trying to raise awareness to the actions of choreographers in the production of a piece of art work, but I think he forgets about the world around him for a second in this statement. Choreographers are people who take the world and wrap it in dance. They can sometimes seem in full command in the fact that they give direction to the work that they do, but they have dancers with varying capabilities and talents. They have musicians and composers that they collaborate with to fill the stage with sound to draw in the audience even more. They have so many people behind the scenes who dedicate themselves to their art of lighting and staging magic. They have designers of set and costume who tie the movement to an even more visual theme. And they have life experiences from people that have entered or left their lives.