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.

Ed Burgess - Thank You!

Photo taken from Peck School of the Arts website

Over the recent loss of an inspiring professor, choreographer, and dancer, Ed Burgess, I am shaken with anger and sadness. He was fearless and strong. I don't even truly comprehend that he is gone. How could he just not be? I remember the last time I saw him we were in the Dance Dept office just catching up on each other's ongoings, and I asked him if he every wanted his own dance company someday. I will take his answer with me for the rest of my life because it is so Ed. He just simply said not really; he never wanted to be too definitive with who he was as an artist because he felt that he was constantly changing and evolving with however he felt. He enjoyed the freedom! I deeply respect him in more ways than one because he was such a free, expressive individual. Ed Burgess was an amazing professor who not only had goals for us on the syllabus, but goals for himself as well. As a student, I wanted so desperately to make him proud, and as he had high expectations, it was sometimes frustrating. But I remember always feeling empowered and free after one of his Modern dance classes.  I deeply regret never telling him so and I hope he knew how thankful I was for him and his approach to dance and life.

There is a Tribute by Third Digest that gives a really deep insight into the life and passing of Ed Burgess to commemorate such a beautiful man.


Thank you Ed! I gave myself a good butt kicking work out this morning thinking of you!

New Dancemakers: In the Flesh

Another opportunity I had last semester was to perform in the New Dancemakers: In the Flesh show at UW-Milwaukee. I had the pleasure of working with two choreographers Nastassja Bates and Beth Mudroch. They were each very different in the ways that they make dances, and I learned so much from these two ladies. The overall process for the show was crazy because there were about 26 choreographers and three programs; it was bound to be a little stressful. I found the show weekend to be hard and hectic with long hours and lots of costume changes, but it was also really exciting too.

Nastassja Bates choreographed a dance inspired by women in the military called "Lady Machine". It took a lot of sweat and timing from myself and Rachel Elliot, my partner in the dance, to really perform this piece to it's true strength and unison. For me, the dance really stretched my capabilities because I definitely prefer smaller more intimate movements in my body over the large, stronger choreography that Bates put together. There were drills and jumping jacks, but also inner battles with ourselves and each other. Her eye and ear made for an exhausting, exhilarating dance. In rehearsals, there was never a need for a warm-up because it was installed in the piece. We wore fatigues on stage, and that just made me sweat even more! I have not served in the military, but I most certainly am thankful for the service of the men and women who do come together to protect and support our country.

In "You will never understand me" choreographed by Beth Mudroch, I had a chance to enter into a different culture -- the Deaf culture. The dance took us to the Wisconsin School for the Deaf where we saw a High School homecoming game, and got to experience what it felt to be in an environment where we didn't understand what was going on. I am actually quite familiar with the feeling since my study abroad in Morocco, and my travels to France. The dance made me more sure that being deaf is like being French or German; it is  a community and a culture rather than an ailment or disease. I will never fully understand, but I can sure try. Mudroch used film and dance to try and convey her message. With the help of four dancers including myself, Nadia Whitley, Bianca Ware, and Chris MacGregor along with film maker Daniel Kelly, the piece was a lot of hard work. I thought Mudroch did a wonderful job giving a peek into Deaf Culture in her piece, and it was a pleasure to participate in a piece that could be the start of something huge. I know now that I have a greater appreciation for the Deaf community, and perhaps there will be more people who saw the piece who have a better understanding or desire to better understand Deaf culture.

If you missed the show, I'm sorry because the overall event was phenomenal. It's truly amazing that all the pieces were performed and organized so well with so many choreographers presenting. Professor Luc Vanier, Music Director Seth Warren-Crow, Production Manager Iain Court, Stage Manager Colin Gawronski, and Program Manager Kayla Premeau had much to do with the organization and the success of the show. It could not have been done without them, and the stage assistants who aided them.


One final note to Nastassja and Beth -- A huge thank you to you both for making me apart of your pieces. I will remember the experience for the rest of my life.

Interview with Deborah Farris, Executive Director of Danceworks

The other day I had the chance to interview Deborah Farris, the Executive Director of Danceworks. As a college student, I was introduced to Danceworks through a jazz dance class that I took as a General Elective Requirement. It reminded me of how much love I had for dance when I was younger, and I decided to try to continue actively studying dance. I have taken many classes at Danceworks through UWM and on my own during the summer programs. One class I had as an early college student was a ballet course taught by Deborah Farris. It was rough! I remember being very challenged in the class as Farris helped me work through the basics of ballet.

Image found on the Danceworks Facebook Page

Now near the end of my Undergrad degree, I have taken the opportunity to sit with Deborah Farris and interview her one on one. She has some remarkable stories! Not only does she dance and have some great management skills; she also has talent in fields of visual art, theater, and singing. She told me that it was hard to find a niche because she had so many interests. Thankfully, UWM had an inter arts program to put all her interests to use where she earned her undergrad degree. Many of her interests are visible in Danceworks as a well rounded arts’ community. You can see these features throughout the building itself where Danceworks is located with artwork covering the walls and in the Dancworks Performance Company (DPC) shows that often collaborate with artists in other fields.

If you haven’t seen DPC in action, it is made up of hardworking individuals who are talented professional people. Farris attributes the growth of the company to the efforts of the entire staff at Danceworks who she says, “uniquely serve the purpose of performing, training, and getting people in the community motivated about moving”. She went further to mention that they each are a part of the core of Danceworks, and factor into all the great work Danceworks does for the community. From children to elders who sometimes have little or no resources, Danceworks integrates all art forms throughout Milwaukee to support the community. It wasn’t always easy, Farris told me. She said she had to learn a lot about grant writing.  In today’s economy, the pressure is always on to be able to support the arts financially.

Farris does an amazing job of managing the books of this growing organization, and it is not the first time for her either. Even though Farris never went to school for business, she learned through experience. Helping manage the books for a modeling agency when she was seventeen, she gained knowledge for numbers and organization. With her voice, she started performing at the Skylight Theatre and moved to New York where she performed Off and Off-Off Broadway and got sucked into the dance scene. She did even more traveling all over the U.S.; performing with companies until she settled into Chapel Hill, North Carolina and had a son. In North Carolina, Farris continued to be inspired by the arts in the area, but she also began book keeping for the Botanical Gardens which is a place she grew into with a business and finance management position. A new marriage brought her back to Wisconsin where she pursued her masters degree at UWM, and she became apart of the dance community in Milwaukee. When she started as Executive Director, it had its challenges such as building revenue streams, focusing the mission, developing the board, and coming down with pneumonia. In a vulnerable state, Danceworks pulled through, and Farris works hard to see that happen.

Farris is an incredibly versatile individual with a great group of people working with her at Danceworks. I have lots of faith that she will continue to be an asset in the dance/art community here in Milwaukee, and I marvel at the work she has done already. I know this company well as I have gone to many shows and taken classes with a few of their instructors, and have benefited from Danceworks being a strong entity in Milwaukee. It is a place where I began my study of dance, and I am very thankful to those who helped encourage me. Under the direction of Deborah Farris along with the help of the rest of the Danceworks staff, I hope to see dance and art continue to grow here in Milwaukee.

A huge thank you to Deborah Farris for being willing to take a moment to talk with me, I have a greater understanding of how it can be challenging to find a voice when there are so many interesting wonders in the world, and how integrating partnerships can make it possible to explore many fields of thought and study.

If you are interested in learning more about Danceworks or Deborah Farris, click the highlighted links above.

Dance Therapy with Emily Van Nelson

On Monday, I had the privilege to listen to a lecture by Emily Van Nelson who previously graduated from UWM in 2004 with a Dance BA. Then she continued her education at Columbia College where she earned her masters degree in dance therapy. She now works in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin at Rodgers Memorial Hospital as a dance therapist who helps a wide range of people.

For those who have never heard of dance therapy, it is the "psycho therapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, cognitive, physical, and social integration of individuals" as defined by the American Dance Therapy Association.

One of my confusions about dance therapy was the differences between a dance therapist and a physical therapist. Within the lecture, Emily cleared up for me the fact that in physical therapy they try to help fix body ailments due to physical injury where as in dance/movement therapy the focus is on the body and mind connection to help patients dealing with mental health disorders and addictions along with a number of other issues.

I have always had in the back of my mind an interest for dance therapy. A lot of my work with people in the community is geared in a very similar fashion. My goal for all of my programs with Pilgrimage Dance is to help people build their self esteem. Dance can be very challenging for people to participate in because of their own self doubts, but it can be a great physical, mental, and emotional change that can be very rewarding.

The reason why I couldn't call my work dance therapy is because I don't have research and science to back up what I do. All I know is what I observe that works and doesn't work for me, and how it can apply to helping other people feel more comfortable in their own skin.

Picture taken from the ADTA website

In the lecture, Emily also discussed that one of the biggest challenges facing her in the field is explaining and validating her work. It is a growing field that has a lot of room to develop and catch on, but people have a hard time really understanding the full extent of the benefits from dance therapy without experiencing it first hand.

Maybe somewhere in the future, I will pursue dance therapy, and run with it. I am learning a lot of concepts about dance therapy also in my Laban Movement Analysis class which deals with how movement is connected to how a person is feeling or thinking.

If you are interested in learning more about dance therapy, please click on the links highlighted above.