My Summer; An Artistic Tornado
I have given myself a little bit of time to reflect on the whirlwind of a summer I’ve had. It was filled with so many personal and artistic discoveries, intense body conditioning, and some larger than life surprises. In my previous blog, I talked a little bit about what I wanted to do during my company’s summer layoff. I wanted to learn and absorb everything possible over the span of five weeks in New York City with Ellison Ballet training with Mr. Edward Ellison and his staff.
Prior to the workshop, time was spent back at home with family before heading to NYC to commence the summer intensive. It was the calm before a storm to prepare me for what was in store for my adventure. Austin has talked my ear off about how insanely hard this program was going to be after he visited the school for a week or so during our winter layoff. I made sure I rested myself enough beforehand, knowing I was going to need it.
We stayed with all of the other students in the designated dormitories, which was actually an extended stay hotel. My accommodations were on the Upper West Side, with a subway ride only a few stops downtown to 69th Street where the walk to the studios led us through Lincoln Center. A perfect recipe for morning (and evening) inspiration, even when fatigue and exhaustion felt like they were the overtaking denominator.
If I had to use one word to describe the summer course, it would be “bootcamp”; a much-refined, ballet bootcamp. I took the majority of the classes with the advanced women, followed by pointe, contemporary, pas de deux, character, and workshop. On the days where my schedule would allow it, subsequent to my technique class with the ladies, I would jump into Mr. E’s men’s class. I tried to do this as often as possible because Mr. Ellison mostly taught the men and I wished to absorb everything I could from him. His classes are perfectly structured to not only push your body to the edge, but your mind. I found it impossible not to be constantly battling fatigue and soreness throughout the entire class. His passion and intensity pushes his students to strive beyond perfection; the technique, dynamic, expressiveness, work ethic, respect, discipline, and overall zero limitations to learning. Everyday tested my strength in all aspects of my being, the days progressively pushed me to the brink of exhaustion. Simple tasks at home were made laborious due to my constant weariness. It sounds quite unappealing however, this was the first time in my life where my body’s pain and consumption felt so good. I’ve never felt so strong and capable in my entire life, and I will carry on all that I learned from the summer course for the rest of my career and lifetime. I highly recommend it!
In the midst of the intensive, I was struck with some of the most astonishing news I have ever been given. I had just finished my technique class and was preparing my shoes for pointe class, when I suddenly received a phone call. Immediately after my pointe class, I found a place quiet and private and returned the call. A woman picks up and introduces herself as the Program Director from the Princess Grace Foundation,and she proceeds to tells me that I was chosen to be a recipient of the 2018 Princess Grace Award (Chris Hellman Dance Award). My breath was taken away, I was at a loss for what to say because of my immediate state of shock. I will never forget that day, as it was so unexpected and earth-shattering. What a summer was shaping up to be!
A summer in New York is not complete without the city life! Although the majority of our free time was spent resting and running errands, we were able to do a few cool things. The food of course was one of the highlights. I experienced a ravenous appetite due to the surplus of physical activity so I enjoyed going to all sorts of restaurants and exploring the food culture. We visited the Met and got to catch the highly-acclaimed “Heavenly Bodies” exhibit as well as the rest of the museum which was artistically mind-blowing. I also met so many new people, one being Danny Devito at a sushi restaurant in Columbus Square!
Upon my return to Philadelphia after the summer course, there came a few press releases in regard to my award. I was so fortunate to have been filmed and interviewed at PA Ballet studios by CBS3 Philly and interviewed by the South Philly Review, both links to the articles are below and I just love the end products. In addition, I feel completely honored to be featured in Pointe Magazine’s October/November issue in the “Star of the Corps”. It just kept swirling up!
It was definitely an unforgettable summer and I’m so grateful for all of the opportunities I was privileged to experience. Although my time in New York was a summer for the books, coming back to Philadelphia felt like a breath of fresh air. It is so nice to be back home and initiate this season! Home…I forgot…I just signed my 1st apartment lease and moved into a great space right in Center City! Currently looking forward to performing in Macmillan’s Romeo and Juliet in October as well as the Princess Grace Awards Gala in NYC! My heart is so full, I cherish and treat every moment as a treasure as I have never felt such tenderness and devotion to my art form.
