Day 3, and Day 4, I'm in an Ailey state of mind

I really want to commit to this blog but as stated before, it is already difficult finding time to write.

Today was great because I was able to forget academics for a bit and focus on dance. One of the many things I do is work/study at The Alvin Ailey School. Last fall I had the pleasure of auditioning and being accepted into the Independent Study program at The Alvin Ailey School. I was so happy because dancing at Ailey, to many, is a dream lifestyle. I balanced school, a job, work/study at Broadway Dance Center, and a full program at The Alvin Ailey School. It was NOT easy. I had to sacrifice a lot in order to remain focused on all 4 elements that were consuming my life. I did not return to the program in the spring because I got an internship with Vh1 through my college. Yes, school does come first. I missed it terribly and so I decided to do work/study at Ailey this fall. I work in the Ailey Boutique twice a week in exchange for free classes.

It felt so great to be back and greeting by my fellow dance friends. I felt so comfortable and accepted there. It's really a great environment. I started with Yoga class. Over the summer I took several yoga classes while I was away in CT dancing at Earl Mosley's Insititute of the Arts summer intensive (Mr. Mosley was my Horton teacher at Ailey last fall and was gracious enough to let me come to his summer program on full scholarship). I didn't know there were different types of yoga. I initially thought it was just a breathing "sport." But, if taking the right class it can be amazing. It really stretches my muscles and makes me more of aware of my body placement. So, having spent the summer taking yoga I thought I'd continue it in the fall. The teacher at Ailey is very nice and incredibly informative. I'm 100% positive I'm going to learn a lot from her.

After Yoga was Horton II. I took a semester of Horton I last fall and a little in the spring so I felt I'd continue to level II. This class was about 15-20 people which is considered small and I enjoyed that. I liked that it was a comfortable amount so that you don't get lost in a sea of people or standout like a sore thumb. When Horton ended I decided to treck to Broadway Dance Center and take a ballet class. This worked out well. I like the class a lot and I accept that it's def. a challenge but I'm willing to look bad in order to learn. His class is really helpful for getting used to different teaching styles and untraditonal methods. Jazz II with Mr. Christopher Huggins was scheduled and I KNEW I wanted to take him. He was also at EMIA and known for his love of technique aka high legs and multiple turns! Well we actually had a substitute and it was the funniest class ever. It was very old school jazz but to music that we dance to today. It was streamed with Fosse. At first I was like oh man I'm going to look dumb but you get really into it because no one is judging; everyone is having fun just like you.

After that class I raced to work. Yep, another event on my plate is working merchandise for Mary Poppins on Broadway. This job is really convienent in terms of hours. It's basically 5 hr shifts, usually at night except for 2 additional matinee's on the evening. I really enjoy that it is a different type of job and not your typical mall store job. The only issue sometimes is getting through the night after a full day of dance or school. Or, when you want to hang out with friends but can't because you work. I shouldn't REALLY complain though because in the end, it's really not that hard of a job.

I'm also going to include Day 4, Friday in this entry because it's pretty similar.
I decided that I really need to learn Graham in order to diversify myself and try to stay on track with the classes I would be taking if I was still in the Independent Study Program. It's hard, but I like the precision of the technique. I also need to take Dunham so I can really get discipline. I just don't know when I can fit it in. After Graham I went to Broadway Dance Center to take Ballet with Miss Goheen. Miss Goheen was a summer dance intensive in CT that I was at this past summer. She also teaches at Ailey so I recognized her when I got there. She's definitely one of a kind. But, she does teach a great ballet class. I plan on taking that religiously..or as much as I can. She's very, very funny and also has wealth of knowledge for ballet and extraneaous facts. After ballet, I took jazz with Tracie Stanfield. I really love her class and I've been taking her routinely for about a year now. She has been helping me a lot with my execution of dance and being able to let go. It's hard for me to just "go" without feeling awkward or that I'm going to mess up but, I've been working on it and I definitely think I've improved. Unforunately I can only take her once a week now because of my new schedule. I want to work with her but I have school at the times that she teaches and I can't change that.
Horton II was my next class and that was taught by Mr. Freddie Moore. He, too, was from EMIA and I had the pleasure of having a class with him. He is really great about applying what you know and truly dancing the movements given. Like Mr. Mosley, he focuses on challenging us with movements and getting us used to just going and if we mess up "just make it work." I also can only take the class once a week and that's going to be tough because he said that he will start a combo on Monday and plan on buliding it throughout the week so that on Friday it has excelled past the normal 16-counts. That worries me because I'm going to get the combinations in it's entirety instead of being able to work on it. It will be a challenge but I think it will force me to really be attentive and focus on what he's doing and how he his executing it.

So this was my Thursday and Friday of the week. Pretty intense but I love it. I want to look back on this and be proud that I was able to sacrifice my spare time for my Art form. I may not update on weekend activities unless they seem fit for this blog. It's about my senior year but talking about working all weekend may get tiring.