I wanna be the very best, that no one ever wasss....

Who gets the reference? Here is a hint - I just reread the anime post from Cassandra and this was the opening song from a show featuring a famous electric rodent. :-) 

As out dated as that tune is, I still relate to Ash Ketchum. Instead of pocket monsters, I am catching trainings. This month the vast majority of the Starbelly Dancers are headed to Santa Fe to take part in the SEEDs training held by the fabulously talented and generous human being Myra Krien (link). Referring to previous blog posts about healing the world through dance, taking a part of this training is a part of this mission. Young people are suffering and through COVID, mental health in young people has deteriorated to dangerous levels. Bringing the SEEDs program back to the Treasure Valley will make a huge impact for young women - a population particularly at risk for depression, suicide, and other tragic outcomes. 

​Another training I am looking forward to is the Home Edition II training (link) from the Limon Dance Company. I have long admired Limon style Modern Dance and after this training, which will also focus on inclusive language in the classroom, I will be able to use many of the principals and philosophies from this dance style to create dance training and ensure the spaces I create are equitable. I'm also eager to brush up on my modern technique! Limon not lemon guys. 

Another fun way I'm enriching my life (AKA spending all my money) is that I'm headed into my second year of my MFA program! I can't even begin to describe how incredible this experience has been for me. From the first day I could already feel myself becoming a better artist, a wiser dancer, and a more thoughtful person. I believe the fruits of my labors will be on display soon in the Big Badass Belly dance Show 2022 edition: The House of Secrets. More to come guys. 

A few years ago ​I wrote a post about "what is fusion dance" and I still stand by much of what I said, though I do believe that I have evolved more since then. In an effort to truly "fuse" dance forms I believe that fusion or transnational artists need to always be students and continue to hone their skills within all of the modalities of dance they find themselves in... and then add a few more. Mostly because it is FUN. 

Last month I took my first modern dance class in 15 years - while I have continued to practice modern dance and study it's history and take a small part in today's modern/post-modern dance culture, the body I found myself in during class was intriguing. Dancers of all genres and practices NEED to put their bodies into different contexts - it is amazing to dance the steps from other cultures/dance cultures and to understand the hearts of your fellow artists. I also had the opportunity to take a Butoh class through BellyQueen. Um - amazing?!? Perhaps everything comes back around to my secret otaku identity. 

Is there a job where I can just learn dances forever? Is that the job I'm doing right now? Am I the luckiest person on the planet? 

Yes.