Today marks the official end of Week One of the annual Allegheny Summer Dance Intensive; although I do have one more class tomorrow morning. The students have been great! As movers they are enthusiastic and have committed to a rigorous schedule. As observers of one another's work, they are well-spoken, thoughtful and detail-oriented.
The Ladies of Antaeus - Heather, Sherri & Marissa - left for Cleveland this afternoon. It has been really nice to give/take class with them this week. Sherri returns for Week Two and Carla joins us from New York City.
We had a lovel
y evening by the fire on Wednesday, and enjoyed what is fast becoming a tradition for us - regaling one another with stories while consuming s'mores. Many thanks are owed to our friend and host, Scott, for indulging us. I look forward to more stories with Sherri and Carla next week. In the mean time, I am making final preparations for the fall semester at Kent State University. My colleagues are in meetings this week and I will join them next Saturday for entrance auditions.
During the intensive, I am re-mounting FFA: Fairy Flight Academy by Holly Labbe Cole on a double-cast of Allegheny College students. I will be doing the same with a single cast from the Kent Dance Ensemble in October. The former will perform in PA in December and the latter at KSU next April. The Allegheny students have learned half the piece in three short rehearsals (roughly 4.5 hours total). This is no mean feat considering their rehearsal comes after a full day of dancing and I am one for making frequent changes. They are patient with my mistakes - it's been a while since the last FFA - and are keeping up with the material. Working with two casts [plus two understudies] can sometimes be messy, but everyone has been gracious and attentive.
Until next week,
Joan
Photos by Heather Koniz
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