Where has all the summer gone?

Seriously. Where has the summer gone?

I really just feel like it was yesterday that Kevin and I got married and were on our honeymoon. It's hard to believe that it has been almost two months now. Kevin and I both came back to lots of work - he has been working 50-60 hour weeks and I have been splitting my time, less evenly than I would like, between Imagination Stage and my high school.

Most of the summer I have been teaching dance classes and working on fall planning for the HS, but two weeks ago I started my directing job and my life has been completely consumed. Summer Showcase, the program I am working on, is not a book musical, essentially we are creating a revue to existing music around a theme. This year the theme is identity. So in the span of four weeks, we actually create a plot, write a script and produce a very detailed revue. I use the term "revue" loosely because while that technically is what it is, we really try to develop a fleshed out and interesting plot line with 14 characters with each of them having a story arch. It is definitely more interesting for them as actors to do so; however, making a story that interesting and fleshed out is ALOT of work.

Don't get me wrong - I love, love, LOVE this project. I really enjoy working with Debbie and Kierstie, and with this year, Don. I also love working with the kids - it's such a unique project and experience. Admittedly though, the intensity of the project has made the last two weeks fly by more than I could have imagined. I have pretty much spent my time: wake up, do Showcase work, get showered/ready, drive to Bethesda, do Showcase work, rehearse Showcase, meet about Showcase, go home and do more Showcase and finally go to bed. You can see how the time might fly... but it is really rewarding work and I clearly love to be able to do what I love and get paid.

Nevertheless, with intensity comes some freaking out. On Tuesday, I had my personal flip out moment - I realized that our design run is next Wednesday for SHOWCASE and we still hadn't fleshed out the plot outline let alone start doing all of the improvisations we needed to in order to start developing the script. You can't exactly block a show as a director when you don't have a script yet. On a bright note, now we have our plot figured out and have worked on most of it, so by Monday most of our script should be done.

Nonetheless, this Friday it definitely hit me that in two weeks SHOWCASE opens and then the next day I get on a plane to go to Scotland for two weeks with 8 of my high school students, and as the only adult chaperone. My HS students are performing at the American High School Theatre Festival in Edinburgh. (This is a show I am not directing, Lauren is). So you can see why I might be a little stressed...

With this I also realized that I have two more weeks of summer in the USA, because when I get back from Scotland I have one more weekend, but school starts that Monday...thank god for the three day - Labor Day weekend that follows- but really, how is it August already? How is it that I am already thinking about September...

So on that note- I am off to transcribe more video scenes so that hopefully I will have a script to start blocking on Monday... [sigh]

The Week in Review

So this was a pretty busy week - overall a good week. As I said in my previous blog I was spending 95% of my week in DC teaching ballet and jazz technique to 3rd - 10th graders.

I have to admit, I haven't danced for 6 hours a day in a long time, so it was a pretty rough week physically. I don't think my body was quite ready for the shock of it. My calves were so sore on Tuesday that I wasn 't actually really able to dance (what I consider to be) full out again until Friday. Nevertheless, it was actually a nice change of pace considering I don't teach dance during the school year at my HS.

I have to say that it actually made me miss TAKING a dance class instead of teaching one all the time. I am hoping maybe I can squeeze some classes in after school starts in the fall. The other nice aspect of the class was that since it wasn't a Musical Theatre related class, I could choreograph dance for dance-sake. Since I am usually choreographing for a musical - what I do has to be in context with the show, the storyline and characters.

I really enjoyed pulling some ballet out of my back pocket, since you don't use plain ballet in musicals very often. My favorite aspect of the week was choreographing some jazz. There are songs I hear sometimes that I am dying to choreograph, but really have no forum to put them in. There is a song in the show SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD, that is a really fun uptempo jazz piece. Unfortuantely, my students weren't loving it as much as me. So at the end of the week we worked on a lyrical jazz piece to "How to Save a Life" by The Fray. They enjoyed working on it and I wish that I had somewhere to keep developing it - oh well, maybe I will find an opportunity. Hopefully, Mia Michaels won't do it anytime soon on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. Clearly if she does it, it will be brilliant, and it's hard to follow brilliance like hers.

In other news, my new laptop arrived on Wednesday!!! Unfortuantely, I was in DC from Wednesday - Friday because I was staying in DC to save money on gas. Kevin went to pick it up from Jason and Erika's on Wednesday night - I was sad that I wasn't able to go and visit with them. Thank you Jason for helping me get it and helping me save some money :-)


Another high point of the week was that we finally purchased another couch to replace the one that didn't fit! We went to JCPenny's and didn't see anything outwardly that we liked, but discovered a very comfy brown leather couch. We liked the style, but not the color. Much to our surprise we could actually order it in black. The catch was that being special ordered it would take another 6-8 weeks to get...so it means we are back to sitting on the futon for awhile. (We actually need to get it back in the living room seeing as we have reverted to using the floor and pillows as seating.)

So that's the week - we ended it with a nice trip to Pizza John's on Friday night. Kevin spent all day working Saturday. I spent the day with Kierstie and Debbie working on SUMMER SHOWCASE, the piece I am directing, which starts Monday. SOOOO excited and cannot wait to start!

Today was catch-up day, the hightlights being laundry and McDonald's...and getting started on Thank You Cards. Am really looking forward to tomorrow when we will have a new niece and I get to start SHOWCASE...

Kindness in the Little People World

So this week I am teaching Ballet/Jazz Technique classes to both Grades 3-6 and Grades 7-10 in DC for ISI. I was already teaching the afternoon class with the older students, but Veronika called me last week to offer me the morning class as well because the teacher had to cancel last minute. I was hesitant at first for two reasons - one being the early morning commute to DC for a 9am class - the other being the fact that it was 6 hours of dance and I would have the little guys. Even though it was six hours and rush hour both ways, it was a matter of teaching the same class essentially and making twice as much money because I was already going to be down there. So I decided to take it on...

It was funny because when I was there the first week, I saw how hyper the little people were and I was glad at the time I wasn't teaching them. I know that these guys are not so little to other people. My sister actually considers them "big guys" on her scale. I just knew I had been working with high school students for the last 6 months so it was going to definitely be a readjustment.

My first surprise was that I had a boy in my class. It's not that boys shouldn't be in Ballet class, because clearly I support it, but a this age you don't expect it so much in a summer camp. So I had carefully planned out variations from the ballet SLEEPING BEAUTY to work on, thinking the kids could all be different fairies and create characters My ideas changed completely upon meeting little Howie** as I will call him. On the first day he ended up stepping on his own foot and ended up sitting out most of the ballet portion of the class. It wasn't until Tuesday that he started complaining about not liking ballet and it being too girly. It's funny because the boy claims to not like sports, and wants to be an actor in musical theatre when he grows up. He will need to change his tune real fast if that is what he wants to be.

So this was a primary case of why I generally avoid kids in grades 1-5. I find it is much harder to rationalize with kids that are that young. They generally just get whiney and difficult, which is why I tend to like dealing with the big kids. (But of course I know some people would tend to disagree and believe the opposite).

Nevertheless, once in awhile you get that one child (or a couple) that make teaching that age group worthwhile. In this case, the golden child was named Emily**. Emily was definitely the child you want in every class, granted she was one of the oldest and going into 6th grade. I told Kevin that someday when we do decide to procreate, I want a child to have her qualities.

She was always focused in every class and never wanted to take any breaks, being super eager to learn more. She always wanted to make sure she was doing things right and asked lots of intelligent questions. Emily was always optimistic and smiley, never complaining and getting along with all of the other children. (She was also just innately talented and apparently loves to dance and act.)

However, this wasn't even my favorite Emily moment for the week. There was another camp going on at the school run by other people. About 15 minutes before the end of our class a little boy who appeared to be a little confused came and stood at the doorway. Apparently, they let their children run around alone in the other camp because he was all by himself looking for the dance class that was coming in next. When he told me he was switching to dance, I said "You must be looking for the next dance class. They will be here soon."

We went on to play our freeze dance game at the end of class and during the first freeze Emily asked me if she could "unfreeze" for a moment. She came up to me and said, "That boy out there looks lonely. Can I ask him to come in and play with us?" I said "Of course!" and she proceeded to go out in the hallyway and ask him to come in and play, which he did. And that was the moment she became a little angel in my eyes, proving that little people really can still be kind towards others they don't even know.

**Names have been changed to protect the innocent - and just because I am a teacher

Christmas in July

On my pleasant drive down to DC today for my meeting for my upcoming show, I was listening to my favorite station Mix 107.3 (home of Jack Diamond). I don't get to listen to it much during the school year anymore since I have to be at work so freakin' early and I also live 10 minutes away from school which doesn't leave a lot of commute listening.

Anyway, Carson (the afternoon guy) put on Christmas music and talked about how they are already advertising the most popular toys of 2008. Really? Wait until you here what they are...


1) Rubix cube
What? I mean even if you make it electronic isn't it a little outdated. I think once you have solved it with your eyes closed using your tongue and feet and put it on You Tube it kind of loses some of the glamour.

2) Indiana Jones and Star Wars toys
Okay--Indiana Jones I get, but Star Wars??? Did a new movie come out that I am not aware of (maybe it really did and I am just that oblivious). I think George Lucas is just trying to ride on the coattails. The monkeys and prairie dogs were NOT a good idea George. Bad choice...

3) The Pen that Reads Books to Your Kids
I agree with Chili Amar on this one - let's give parents even less bonding time with their kids. I mean I think there are many merits to reading to your child, even it means reading "Go Dog Go" until your blue in the face. But technology has found yet another way to bond with your child and cut out the middle man.

4) Indiana Jones Whip
Ok this is my favorite. I know it looks plush and all, but all I see is an older brother pounding the sh*t out of his younger siblings with it for fun. I am not pro corporeal punishment, but I think the parents should buy it for themselves INSTEAD to use on their kids....::Sigh:: yet another Christmas weapon to go in the stocking for fun battles Christmas morning.

You know what - I got my Christmas in July today. Working at my high school minus announcements, bells, crazy kids and slews of distribution list emails was a nice gift to me. I LOVE the quiet and peace of the halls. I did see SOME kids today though, just enough dosage to satisfy my missing them.

Ahhh, who could ask for anything more....I am satisfied until December....

My Savior - Hats, Skirts and Latin Accents

Since I have become a school teacher, I now have my summers "off." Well that is somewhat of a loose term, because we all know most teachers find other jobs to do over the summer to keep themselves busy and keep up the finances. I am lucky enough to continue teaching all through the summer, but I get to teach fun subjects like dance and musical theatre. My old employer Imagination Stage has been kind enough to have me back, which is nice because it's a change from my normal activities now and I get to see all of my friends and many of my students from my old job. (The only thing that is currently sucking is that my work is in DC and the current gas prices are insane, thank you George Bush and the oil industry!)

This past week started my first week of work for the summer and I was teaching at an off-site location in DC near my alma mater (American University). I taught one week of Musical Theatre Jazz dance to 7th - 10th graders, which was really only comprised of middle school girls. The class was 3 hours a day from Monday - Friday.

For those of you who don't dance, dancing for three hours straight is a long time for anyone. When I was at my performing arts high school, we had 3 1/2 hours a day of dance class and THEN we would have rehearsals. These week long camps don't often attract the hard core professional dancer wannabes - instead they often attract the kids who dance once a week for fun or those who have never danced and just want to try it out. Consequently, three hours can quickly feel like an eternity for both the teacher and the students.

When I came into class on Monday, I had just had a cavity filled that was still aching so I admittedly was in a "blah" mood myself. The kids equally seemed to lack energy and enthusiasm. The three hours seemed to go on forever and when I taught them the combination to "One" from A CHORUS LINE they still seemed unimpressed and bored. (This is usually a hit with kids when I teach it.) The only time they seemed to show a hint of excitement was when I told them to bring in skirts the next day for the WEST SIDE STORY combination I was going to teach them. So I went home that night dreading how I was going to get through three hours the rest of the week.

Well the next day I went in and my camp manager had brought in hats from Imagination Stage that we could use for our A CHORUS LINE dance. I walked into the dance studio with hats and it was like I had brought them each a pony. Suddenly, there was energy and excitement and they could not wait to put on their hats and skirts. In fact, they wanted to wear them through all of our warm-ups and floor work (really...), which I wouldn't let them do. When we got to A CHORUS LINE, you would have thought I taught a brand new combination. All of a sudden, it was like they were all hopped up on Red Bulls and Hershey Bars.

So then we got to learning a combination to "America" from WEST SIDE STORY, and they were equally thrilled to put on their skirts. Later in the week I made them create characters for this song, seeing as it was a musical theatre dance class. They all groaned when I told them it was a written project, but as soon as they got the questions you should have seen how excited they were to create new names for themselves like "Rosalinda" and "Carmelita" and discuss how they were sisters working as seamstresses and talked with thick Latin accents. (Some of them missed the whole time period aspect, and wrote about their cell phones and their diamond studded sneakers, but hey I guess you can't win them all.)

Lucky enough, the hats and skirts seemed to maintain the excitement through the rest of the week. (I didn't even have to add any props to the HAIRSPRAY combination they learned.)

What I can gain from this...

Clearly, when I am teaching a class of middle school girls, I just need to give them hats, skirts and Latin accents and a three hour class will be a breeze.