The time for RSVP-ing for the Spring Desire Affinity Night at Joffrey Tower is officially closed. Thank you to everyone that responded.
Joffrey Ballet was amazing at last night’s opening of the run. I’m really looking forward to the Affinity event. See you on Wednesday!
Choreographer Val Caniparoli.
RB sat in on a run-thru of Val Caniparoli’s world premiere for Joffrey Ballet this afternoon. Incantations is a whirlwind of movement from start to finish. As lead dancer Matthew Adamczyk* said, “It’s like being shot out of a cannon.” The full-costume run (men shirtless in nude tights w/ sanscrit verse, women in nude leotards with spirals and lines) showed off dancers still a week out from the premiere, but at the top of their game. This work is difficult and non-stop, yet some of the dancers were smiling as if they were delighted (or perhaps delirious) with performing it. Solo passes garnered applause from the dancers watching. Duets are dramatic and fast, with a few partnering moves reminiscent of Mr. A’s Light Rain and William Forsythe’s works. A brief male duet featuring Adamczyk and Rory Hohenstein is…hot! In fact, every dancer in the piece looks great – a tribute to the choreographer.
Caniparoli’s Incantations is joined by Edwaard Liang’s Age of Innocence and Jerome Robbins’ In the Night on the Spring Desire program. Fantastic news! RB also learned that Miguel Angel Blanco, who was sidelined with an Achilles tendon injury last season requiring two surgeries, will be performing a piece on opening night. Welcome back.
Joffrey Ballet Spring Desire runs April 25 – May 6 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy. Tickets: 800.982.2787 or visit ticketmaster.com.
*Click here to read my preview of Incantations in Windy City Times.
I’m excited to announce that three weeks from today, Wednesday, May 2nd, RB is partnering with the fabulous Catherine Tully of 4dancers and the Joffrey Ballet for an exclusive event at Joffrey Tower. Spring Desire Affinity Night is a chance for you to see live excerpts from the Spring Desire program, listen to a Q&A about the show with Joffrey Artistic Director Ashley Wheater and stay for FREE cocktails and hors d’ouervres. This is the perfect chance to get an insiders view of the beautiful studios and mingle with some of the finest artists in our city. Bring a friend that’s never seen ballet before and show them what they’ve been missing.
Attendees will receive 50% off tickets* to the final weekend of Spring Desire at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University.
*Offer not valid on previously purchased tickets. (Please note: attendees are NOT required to purchase tickets.)
Here are the deets:
Wednesday, May 2
5:45 pm Registration
6:00 pm Program and Q&A
7:00 pm Cocktails and Hors d’ouevres
Joffrey Tower
10 East Randolph Street, Chicago
World-class dancing on a week night, inside scoop on the creative process and don’t forget – this is a FREE event! Make your reservation now. I hope to see you there.
RSVP by Wednesday, April 25 – Please include your name and number of attendees. Email affinity@joffrey.org or call 312-784-4640
Dancer Gal Mahzari. Photo by Herbert Migdoll.
I guess there really isn’t a good time during the height of the dance season to leave town, so my taking a road trip this weekend lends to missing some great shows (my apologies to all). Gus Giordano Dance Chicago is at the Harris Theater, the Dance Center has a shared bill with Space/Movement Project, Rachel Damon/Synapse Arts and Erica Mott, and Same Planet Different World celebrate turning 15! at the Victory Gardens Theater. However, there is another show happening this Sunday, March 11th, that I hope gets a good audience too.
The Joffrey Academy of Dance presents the Choreographers of Color Award winners works at the Harris with a 4 p.m. show titled Winning Works. This is the second year for the contest that highlights the work of young, minority choreographers. The three winners are Carlos dos Santos, Jr., Ray Mercer and Bennyroyce Royon. Each winner received a $2,500 stipend, 30 rehearsal hours and the chance to work with Joffrey Ballet Artistic Director Ashley Wheater and Academy Directors Alexei Kremnev and Anna Reznik.
Here are the deets – hope you can make it!
Tickets for the Winning Works: Choreographers of Color Award 2012 at the Harris Theater are $15 in advance and $18 at the door, available in advance by calling the Harris Theater Box Office at 312-334-7777 or online at www.harristheaterchicago.org.
Joffrey dancers Christine Rocas & Rory Hohenstein in William Forsythe's "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated". Photo by Herbert Migdoll.
In a pre-show video at opening night of Joffrey Ballet‘s Winter Fire program, artistic director Ashley Wheater says, “This company is eclectic and diverse, the repertory should reflect that”. The three works presented from international contemporary choreographic stars William Forsythe, Christopher Wheeldon and Wayne McGregor were eclectic, diverse and showed the current company of dancers in a new light. A big, hot spotlight. This show reminded me of the Joffrey I fell in love with years ago. A company that always pushed boundaries with challenging, interesting new works. A company that made you sit up and ask,”What is happening on stage?”…in a good way.
This program pushed the dancers to a new level, challenging technique and complacency. They rose to the challenge – they were hot! The hottest of them all was Rory Hohenstein. He hasn’t been featured much in his first season with the company (aside from a stand out solo at Dance For Life last August), but wow, keep your eyes on this one. Last night, he was on fire. A fierce presence in every piece, Hohenstein showed off his partnering skills, flexibility and attitude with every flick of his wrist, penché pitch and swing of his head. Paired with Victoria Jaiani in two of the three pieces, he held his own with the dancer that has become the unequivocal star of the company (“All stars/No stars”? I’m not so sure that’s the motto here anymore).
Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated featured these two in dazzling duets that were so intricate and hyper-extended you wondered how they got through them without being tied in a knot. Jaiani’s incredible capacity for extension and impossibly thin frame punctuated the dark, downlit stage. Similar in build and flexibility, Christine Rocas – let’s call them the bendy/flexy twins – showed her stuff alongside a strong cast. There were some extraordinary things happening on the sidelines, particularly with April Daly, Amber Neumann, Anastacia Holden and Ricardo Santos that unfortunately got lost with so many things going on at once. Also, the two lead females (Jaiani and Rocas) were supple and strong in the partnering, but seemed timid on their own. I spotted Chicago Dancing Festival‘s Jay Franke and David Herro in the audience, with Mayor Emanuel and family. Hint: this would look great on the Pritzker Pavilion stage in August! Yes for the Fest?
Joffrey dancer John Mark Giragosian in Wayne McGregor's "Infra". Photo by Herbert Migdoll.
The LED projections of figures walking displayed above the dancers in Wayne McGregor’s Infra was distracting at first, but became part of the movement theme happening below. Inspired in part by the 2005 London bombings, McGregor takes the every day action of going to and from work and turns into an emotionally charged romp set to a cyber techno beat by Max Richter. You could see a hint Forsythe’s influence at work here. Again, a strong ensemble cast featuring virtuoso turns by all. Amber Neumann showed her acting chops with a mental melt down center stage. A large cast of extras walked across the stage sweeping her off with them alluding to the fact that life goes on. Jaiani and Hohenstein end the work with another eye-popping duet.
Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain was the mid-show palette cleanser offering a softer break from the hard-hitting opening and closing numbers. The music, Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel (which can make me weepy within the first three notes), was brought to life with accompaniment by Paul James Lewis, Paul Zafer and Carol Lahti. A stellar cast of Jaiani, Hohenstein, Daly, Matthew Adamczyk, Fabrice Calmels and Valerie Robin added maturity and nuance to the work that was a company premiere in 2010.
Joffrey dancers Victoria Jaiani & Fabrice Calmels in Christopher Wheeldon's "After the Rain". Photo by Herbert Migdoll.
The duet by Jaiani and Calmels, which was stunning last season, was one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen on stage (aside, perhaps, from the Act II pas in Giselle). What once had a breathtaking romantic feel, like how a young girl dreams her first time in love will be, evolved into a heartbreaking, lifelong love shifting in need. For me, it took on a she’s-dying-and-he’s-taking-care of-her/Dying Swan vibe. Whatever the impetus, it works. As the donor’s rose to their feet in ovation, you could sense the many wallets falling open asking simply “how much?”.
Joffrey dancers Victoria Jaiani & Fabrice Calmels in William Forsythe's "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated". Photo by Herbert Migdoll.
“Just music, head, hands,” he says to the dancers. It’s Monday morning and the Joffrey Ballet dancers are ready for a run-through of William Forsythe’s 1987 work, In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated. They’ve learned all the steps and had two days off over the weekend. Some dancers have been sick, so répétiteur Glen Tuggle tells them to take it easy. “Mark it, but always do head and hands.” Even marking, you can see the difficulty of the choreography. The intricate hand grips, the off-center leans, the speed. This 22-minute abstract piece pushes dancers to their limits and then asks them to go one step more. Stretch their technique to the limit, or “tear it apart”.
Tuggle, currently the Ballet Master/Teacher with Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, has danced with Harkness Ballet (disbanded 1975), Zurich Opera, Stuttgart Ballet and Frankfurt Ballet (disbanded 2004). He met William (Bill) Forsythe while in Stuttgart at the age of 22. Forsythe had just started to choreograph. Fast forward 23 years and Tuggle has the enjoyable task of teaching/setting Foysythe works around the world. Having danced Middle for numerous years, he is intimately familiar with the work. Originally created for the Paris Opera Ballet, Forsythe cast a young Sylvie Guillem in one of the lead roles and made her a star. I sat down with Tuggle at the Joffrey Tower to discuss the famous work and working with our home town company.
How is it working with the Joffrey dancers?
Wonderful! I’ve been having a great time. We’ve all been having a great time. I set ‘Middle’ in 17 days. I know it, of course, but for the dancers to learn it that fast is amazing.
What is the most difficult thing about teaching it?
In ‘Middle’, we take the classical language and stretch it – tear it apart. Some of the classic lines…you see them, but then they go to a further degree and you don’t recognize them anymore. I think the hardest thing about teaching it is helping the dancers understand how far they can go. Giving them enough confidence in themselves to be comfortable doing that.
How do you do that?
I find most of my work, whether it’s setting ‘Middle’ or the other ballets I set for Forsythe or teaching class, is to care for the dancers…let them know that I believe in them, that I care for them. It’s a dialogue we have together as a teacher or rehearsal director or coach. It’s quite intimate. I find one of the most interesting parts of my job is the psychological aspect of working with dancers either individually or as a group. It takes a lot of thought to help them understand how far they can go and to trust themselves. I’ve worked with many dancers who’ve been damaged by the schools they went to and they hear “No” way too often in their career. I learned from some of the most influential people in ballet over the last 30 years that the use of language is extremely important when working with dancers. You try not to use too many negatives. There is always a way of saying things without “No” being in it. Especially if you see a dancer who is already not confident. Even if they have the everything, the beauty, the body, the technique…they don’t actually believe what they see. You have to really convince them that they are beautiful.
Why do you enjoy setting this particular work?
It’s always so fulfilling for me, even after 23 years of working with ‘Middle’, because the dancers have such a great time and you’re introducing them to a world they aren’t familiar with in Bill’s works. He says, “Be where you are.” If you’re not where you want to be, dance and be where you are. Technically he’ll let them go for something really difficult, because they’re just going to walk out of it. So if it works, you can say, it really worked tonight, but if it doesn’t work, no one will know. The audience won’t know. You’re not usually asked to do that. I’ve seen some phenomenal things happen in ‘Middle’, where the people themselves couldn’t believe they did it.
Is it just an abstract dance or is there meaning behind it? What is the audience supposed to take away?
I think he just wants them to be stimulated by it and see the degree and the level of dancing that’s possible when one is given the opportunity and given the freedom to tear it apart. There is a lot of freedom in ‘Middle’. The last pas de deux (which is just phenomenal), he said it’s like you’re in a disco and just tearing it apart. It’s so technically so difficult, because of the speed.
Also on the program, Christopher Wheeldon’s beautiful After the Rain, which made its Joffrey premiere in 2010 and Wayne McGregor’s Infra, inspired in part by the 2005 London subway bombings. Joffrey will be the first company to perform the work outside the Royal Ballet, where it premiered in 2008.
Joffrey Ballet presents Winter Fire – Feb 15 – 26
The Auditorium Theatre, 50 E Congress
Tickets are $25 – $149. Call 800.982.2787 or visit ticketmaster.com
Joffrey dancer Ricardo Santo in Wayne McGregor's "Infra". Photo by Sandro.
Blergh. I’ve been down for the count with what I like to call “the ick”, so I’m behind on posts, BUT…I’m excited because this week is Joffrey Week! Tomorrow night is opening night of Winter Fire, a triple bill of contemporary works at the Auditorium Theatre and Saturday is the Chicago premiere screening of the documentary, Joffrey Mavericks of American Dance at the Gene Siskel Film Center. A second screening is scheduled for Feb. 22nd, but if you can’t make either and are curious about the roots of this uniquely American ballet troupe, you can purchase the DVD on the website.
Look for my preview/interview with Forsythe répétiteur Glen Tuggle and my review/report on the movie and post-show discussion led by the Chicago Sun Times’ Hedy Weiss.
Paris-Gutierrez in LABA's new studios. Photo by Iker Gutierrez.
Andrea Paris-Gutierrez in one busy lady. She’s the owner/Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Ballet Academy (LABA). She’s the Director of the Los Angeles Youth Ballet Theatre and the Theatrics Dance Company, which have 70 young dancers between them. This past August, she moved her studios into a brand new space designed by architect Robert Elbogen. Student enrollment is up, she’s now launching adult classes and fitness project. Growing up at her mother’s dance studio in New Zealand, she helped out with classes and soon joined the New Zealand School of Dance and toured with the New Zealand Ballet. At almost 5’10” and still a teenager, she found it difficult to find work in ballet. Once she moved to the States, her knowledge of jazz, modern and teaching helped her gain work in television, film and musicals, even touring internationally. Some of her bio includes: Sugar Babies, Anything Goes, Pennies From Heaven, The Wonder Years, Rags To Riches, General Hospital, and the Oscars. Oh, she also happens to be Joffrey Ballet dancer Dylan Gutierrez’s Mom.
RB met Paris-Gutierrez last fall in the Harris Theater lobby at Hubbard Street‘s Twyla Tharp premiere. We quickly became Tweeps! We finally had a more-than-140-character conversation over the phone one Wednesday evening last November.
How was your day?
(Laughing) Long.
Tell me about the new space.
It’s a really beautiful, inspired space that’s never been used. We had a 20-year lease on our old building, but the city wanted to tear it down, so we were forced to relocate. The city bought the building. We wouldn’t have had the money for a new facility, so it was sort of a fortunate/unfortunate accident. (Dance/Celebrity Photographer) Rose Eichenbaum is doing a shoot of the new space for “Ventura Magazine”.
Why is your Twitter name @drummamamma?
Dylan loves to play the drums. In high school we got him a drum set, which upset all the neighbors…they called the police. We now have two drum sets for sale – acoustic and electronic!
We met when you were in Chicago to see your son dance in Joffrey’s new production of Don Quixote. What did you think?
I like the production. The flying was cool looking. Dylan used to say it would be a dream come true to dance “Espada” and now he got to do Basilio too. I’m pretty critical, but he did a fantastic job! He got to dance with Victoria (Jaiani), which was amazing. She was calm, sweet and supportive to him.
What makes you a good teacher?
No one has ever asked me that before. I’m really passionate about it. I’m interested in it. You have to be interested to keep up and see what’s going on. You have to have a constant interest and hunger. I’m never bored with it. When I first started teaching, I would still dance in class. I thought if I was doing ok, then everyone else was good too. One of my former teachers told me to stop dancing, to turn around and see what’s going on. Observe. You can’t just give the corrections. You have to explain to the younger students what you want and have the patience to watch…let them feel it physically. Do it and repeat it until they understand what you want. Enforcement. It seems like a harsh word, but it’s not. Help them be a healthy, happy person and bring out the best in them. And, I’m competitive. I don’t give up easily. I like to be the best and my students do too.
What was it like dancing at the Oscar’s?
Insanely crazy! It’s not like performing in a theater where the audience is in the dark. There are really bright lights. You can see them and you know every face in the audience. Bette Midler was supposed to be there, but rumor was she didn’t show because she wasn’t nominated for “Beaches” (Paris-Gutierrez also danced in the movie). At the end of the opening number there was a big show and Bette was supposed to walk out, which didn’t happen. They kept changing it and making cuts. Finally, at rehearsal on the day of the show, they added a kick line and told the dancers to sing “Hooray for Hollywood”. We didn’t know the words, so they put up a teleprompter. It’s time for the kick line and the camera is coming across our faces in a close-up and the teleprompter goes out. There are no words on the screen! It got bad reviews, but it was a fabulous experience. I met amazing stars. I met Lucille Ball.
Tell me about shooting the video with Jane’s Addiction (“Been Caught Stealing” won the 1991 VMA Best Alternative Video award).
We met in a hotel room to discuss the concept and I got the job (choreographer). I also did casting on it. We did a night shoot at a liquor store in Santa Monica. It was a fun shoot. The band was really focused. It really upped my cool factor with my students.
Mark Goldweber in Gerald Arpino's "The Cowns". Photo by Herbert Migdoll.
We’ve lost too many lights in this world this year, a number of them to various forms of cancer. Some that were dear to me are former First Lady Maggie Daley (fearless and forthright), writer Christopher Hitchen (boisterous and brilliant), my friend Justin Barth (laughing and loyal) and former Joffrey Ballet dancer/Ballet Master and Ballet Master for Ballet West Mark Goldweber. On Friday, December 9th, Mark also lost his courageous battle with cancer. He was 53.
Perhaps the brightest light of them all, Mark delighted audiences and inspired students with his cheerful attitude and love for the art. I met Mark while working in the Joffrey administrative office almost 12 years ago. Every time I saw him, even if it had been years in between, he greeted me with a smile that lit up the room and a big hug. He was like that with everyone he met. Kind, loving and giving.
The arts world was rocked by the news of his death. His spirit will be missed. Here are tributes from Ballet West, Oregon Arts Watch, Miami Herald, New York Times and the Joffrey Movie site. He is featured in the film.
Smith as Drosselmeyer in Joffrey's "Nutcracker". Photo by Herbert Migdoll.
“I’m very thankful,” Michael Smith told me over cocktails this summer. “The Joffrey chapter of my life has been going on for a while. I’m lucky because I never really planned on it being this way.” A Chicago native, he lived for a short time in Gary, Indiana with his teacher/social worker mother before moving back to the city. That is where he got his first taste of dance at school. “My grandma would say that I watched The Nutcracker in her living room and just dance around. She’d say, ‘ok, you need to stop it before you knock something over!'” Smith, now in his 11th season with the Joffrey Ballet, is finishing this year’s run of Nutcracker performances (only two matinees left!). This season he’s dancing multiple parts: a parent in the Party Scene, a soldier, the Mouse King, in snow scene, two parts in Waltz of the Flowers and Russian nougat and Dr. Drosselmeyer, his favorite part. “There’s nothing like it. It’s an acting role, but it really gives you a chance to tell the story with Clara and have a great time with the audience,” says Smith. “You are the storyteller and you get to make all the magic happen. It’s hard because if it’s not done well, the story is lost.”
Here’s my Q&A with a man that literally grew up within the Joffrey and who I’m happy to call friend.
So, what’s your story?
(Laughing) I’m a child of the 80’s. Imagination was really pushed with me and my sister. When I was going to be a freshman in high school, my Mom thought I should audition for this private school…Chicago Academy for the Arts. I wanted to just go to school and be a teenager, but she convinced me. I went to the audition and I got in…then I freaked out. I had no idea what that really meant. Most kids know that they want to dance and have been dancing since they were three. For me, it was more like a hobby. At school. I was taking three hours of ballet, jazz, modern classes and learning about the art form. It wasn’t until my junior year that I thought maybe I should do this…maybe I should start taking this seriously.
How did you go from hobby to Joffrey?
The secretary of the school told me the Joffrey was looking for boys to fill in the background in The Nutcracker and I was like, “no, I don’t do ballet”…but she convinced me. The school sent four of us over and we had to take class. Mr. Arpino came and watched. The asked me and a friend (David Gombert) to come back and take another class, then asked if we were interested in doing Nutcracker. So for a few months, we would go to school in the morning, then head over to Joffrey to take company class at 10:00 am. We were there all day rehearsing. We did Nutcracker season and started getting to know a few people in the company that we weren’t scared of. I was terrified of everyone, but Calvin (Kitten). He’s the cutest little nugget ever. I was a soldier. I still am! I did the same soldier spot for like 12 years. (laughing) That’s sad. Now, I help teach it.
Were you hooked? Was Joffrey it for you?
My goal since my junior year was I want to go to New York. I’m going to dance for Ailey. Period – end of story. My email address used to be Ailey2000! Being at Joffrey…we were in this fantasy bubble where dance was our life for a few months, it was weird transitioning back into school life again. Joffrey was starting a new apprentice program for six dancers and asked if we (Smith and Gombert) were interested. I’d just started taking it seriously, meaning, ok I’m not going to skip my ballet class and go take another modern class. I knew that I didn’t want to go to college. I thought ‘you need something. You can’t be poor!’ I agreed to it and signed the contract. Literally a week later I got offered a contract with Hubbard Street 2 and had to turn it down. I graduated in 200 and started the apprenticeship in the fall.
Over the years, how has the company changed?
Technically, the company has always had its technical people in it, but now it is really emphasized. The company is a lot younger than it used to be. There’s a huge age gap. There’s a small group of us that are about to turn 30 and a few at 25, then the babies…19, 20, 21. Over the years, the emphasis on rep has changed…the things being brought in and what is being demanded of us. I kind of miss doing some of the historic works. There’s nothing better than to be choreographed on, being that vehicle to produce art. At the same time, there’s something very interesting and a lot of growth can happen by doing older, historic works. I go to do the horse in ‘Parade’. Who wants to do that? The experience was amazing. I miss doing Arpino stuff a little. I guess that’s a change as well. I got to dance while he was still alive in his company. To have that greatly influenced how I viewed and still view dance and this company.
Do you have a favorite Mr. A story or memory?
Some of my favorite memories are just random moments. I miss seeing him sitting in front of the room or seeing him in the back giving you a thumbs up or an ‘ok’ sign. As apprentices, we would get gifts from him every once in a while. One of them was this huge, oversized knit scarf that,I assume, someone had made for him. The first couple of years, I only wore it every once in a while, but now it is a saving grace come wintertime. I need that big, chunky scarf. I need Mr. A’s scarf. Getting to dance for him at the opening of the new building (Joffrey Tower), that was a really special moment. He’d always say, ‘This company is going to have a home.” To see him walk into that building was such a special time. His dream just came true. That was pretty kick ass.
How have you changed?
I’m a lot calmer with age. Outside of work, I try to be really chill. In the studio, in my early 20’s, I tried to be a bad ass and talk back. You’re still trying to figure out who you are at that age and my nature was to be more aggressive about it. You have to find where you’re going to put your energy. Life is too short. I’m here to dance. I want to be art. I want to express myself through art. I want to exchange art and discuss it with other people. I’m the most senior boy in the company now and I know what it’s like to be that little punk kid in high school. Now I have all this experience under my belt. There is nothing more humbling than to have someone new in the company and to go and help them. I learn things and help teach it to others. I’ve been here a long time. I’m dedicated to it. It’s home to me.
What have been some of your favorite pieces to perform?
(Jiri) Kylían’s ‘Return to a Strange Land’, hands down. I got to do it with Maia (Wilkins) and Willy (Shives). That was beyond a dream come true on so many levels. Kylían is one of my all-time favorite choreographers. It just feels good to do his movement. Having the chance to dance with two people that are such great partners and to be the third in the trio…that’s a lot to live up to. That was a super highlight. The Pilobulus piece ‘Untitled’, ‘Suite Saint Sans’. ‘Inner Space’ was three dancers in a 4×4 Plexiglass box. Loved it! Everyone wants to go out and be the prince or the lead, but there is something to be gained from doing the more abstract stuff too. Finding your own story in it or how you can get through this to make it entertaining and find growth within yourself. You’ve never had to do some self-examination until you’ve been put in a 4×4 box with two other people for seven minutes! Getting to do one of the stepsisters in ‘Cinderella’ with one of my best friends (Gombert). We were playing ourselves pretty much only in women’s clothing. I don’t know if anything that silly will enter my life again. It was pretty fantastic. And ‘Nutcracker’ is always something special. I do love it. It’s the one time of year where you are performing constantly. It’s like, should I even take this make-up off? I’m going to be right back.
You also have talents in a vast range of hobbies: photography, videography, choreography and teaching. What are your goals?
To take whatever comes and see what happens. When Jessica Lang came and set ‘Crossed’…that was a great experience. Really inspiring. You truly just have to be the vessel and let the art come through you. She told me to never say no to anything. Go do it and see what happens. Try to make all these things happen and see what comes out of it. It was a great piece of advice. Not that you can’t say no, but if you can do it…why not? My goal wold be to keep experiencing everything I can possibly experience. If you allow yourself to be open to just experience it, you’ll learn a lot. I’ve auditioned for Hubbard Street like five or six times now. I love them. I’d love to dance for Hubbard Street.