First two days at JCD

Maddie and I started our Hawken Project at Jordan Center Dance yesterday. One of our friends, Mackenzie, is also doing her senior project at the studio, and we all arrived at 11:00 am. Monday was not a typical day, as we had to go over goals for our entire project and plan out a general schedule (shown below):

Recital:
- Show lineup
- Dress Rehearsal (May 24th, 2013): scheduling, setup, gift bags, order balls
- T-shirts: labeling
- Get balloons
- Items for setup: boards, tables, signs, merchandise
- Yearbook (needs to be made/ads)
- Tickets
- Reserve seating for senior parents
- Costumes
- Lanyards for volunteers
- Music: pre-show mix, 2 big CDs for dances
- Slideshow: get pictures!
- Senior pictures and paragraphs
Daily:
- Make sure things look good/are put away properly
- No bobby pins on floor!
- Clean mirrors and front door glass
- Go through props for KAR dance competition (next weekend)

We also chose a song for our senior dance at recital (we can't reveal it yet... it's supposed to be a surprise), and learned some choreography for the recital's opening number.

Today we arrived at the studio at 10:00 am and took the adult tap class that Jordan, one of our sponsors, teaches. There were four adults who took the class, and the three of us stood behind them. It was an upbeat class and we learned a combination to Candy by Robbie Williams. Our main task for the day, though, was to make a board about recital and summer opportunities at the studio (it is pictured below). We also helped Ms. Mary, our other sponsor, organize recital costumes for the recreational dancers at our studio.

Overall, a great first two days at JCD! We are now taking a break before our classes begin for the night at 5:00.

Sigal and Maddie

First post!

I figured that my first senior project blog should be written about the first day, therefore in four and a half weeks, I can look back and see what had/hadn't changed within that time frame. So, here it goes...

When I first arrived at Dancing Wheels Company located in downtown Cleveland, I felt anxious and excited. Throughout my entire dance career, I have pretty much stayed inside the same studio with the same familiar dancers and instructors for a whole ten years. This doesn't consider the annual trip my dance company makes to NYC for Broadway Center dance classes, but, nevertheless, even those trips involve me dancing with people I know and feel comfortable with. Hence, not to my surprise, it felt a little intimidating to walk into a wide open studio with 10+ professional dancers (both handicapped and non-handicapped) all in their upper twenties eagerly waiting to see how my amateur dance skills would compare to theirs. Ballet class was about to start and I could feel the nerves rushing through my body. I assumed my first position at the bar.

Luckily, this is how it felt for only about ten minutes. Halfway into the ballet lesson, as I was performing the traditional plié exercise, I realized that all the anxiety about being "the new dancer" was completely normal. I reminded myself that I was here to dance to the best of my ability and learn about how other people use dance as a form of physical and/or mental therapy in their lives; I continue with my pliés.

For the rest of the day, as the Company rehearses their upcoming production of "Dumbo", I sit back and observe the makings of the show, intimately focusing on the lines and shapes of each dancer's body. Although every dancer has extraordinary talent, what I particularly notice are the handicapped dancers, better known as the "sit-down" dancers. With just their upper body to work with, these sit-down dancers put their heart and soul into every movement they're given. Even as they roll the wheels of their wheelchairs, they do it in a graceful way that contributes to the dance.

It was a great first day!

You are required to complete the following:
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO:  #1.  Post a substantial blog 3 times a week (M,W & F).  Aim for 200 words.  You could:  describe something you learned; explain something that surprised you; tell a cool story; etc.  Include images, sounds or video.
#2  Respond thoughtfully to another blogger's posts on this site.  Post 1 of these response-blogs per week.

Each of you is expected to contribute regularly to this blog--even if you're working with other students.  Have fun!