What's Behind Door Number Three?

Something else that has been a large part of my life is semester is being a student choreographer for the Purdue Contemporary Dance Company. I have been working towards this goal for almost three years now (basically since I started at Purdue) and it has finally become a reality. I have already been working with my group of 7 lovely dancers for about 7 weeks now, crafting a piece of choreography out of the creativity of their dancing bodies and some direction and ideas of my own.

It's been a really different experience, having 3 hours of rehearsal every week, coming up with costumes that I actually have a budget for, working with a super cool sound designer, (whose name happens to be Mercer, yes I know, it's adorable) and my favorite ever lighting designer, Ethan. :) I have a top notch team working with me, and a vivid imagination that is making this into a fun experience that is stretching me as a choreographer and dancer.

Last week I had the AWESOME opportunity to attend the American College Dance Festival which was held at Grand Valley State University in Michigan with several(~25) Purdue cohorts. At the festival I was able to take a gaggle of master classes from faculty members at schools around the country, watch 7 phenomenal dance concerts, perform in one of them, and listen to feedback from three highly esteemed adjudicators. The feedback was probably what challenged me the most as I listened to the adjudicators pick apart and dissect and evaluate and comment on piece after piece. Some of what they said I agreed with, some of it I didn't, but all of it was constructive in helping me re-evaluate what I am currently working on this semester. I'm really excited to head back to school and apply some of these ideas I have to my dance this semester. Hopefully my dancers don't get too upset about the new changes that are headed their way. :)

Also, if anyone is interested in attending this show at the end of April, let me know!

~A