Season 11 - Blog #2
Another week has passed. T minus three weeks until showtime.
It feels bittersweet to have this countdown until our annual show, because in a lot of ways it feels like the season has really just begun. Friendships have formed, technique has improved, choreography has been learned, yet it’ll all be over soon.
The passage of time comes as a reminder that while chaos may ensue and the days may be booked to the brim, the stress may feel insurmountable, yet it’ll all be over soon.
We get carried away in the flurry of emotions and the tasks on the to-do list, remembering formation changes, the corrections and cleaning, and “wait, what count was that on?” that we forget to open our eyes, take a look around, and absorb the magic that’s happening in the studio everyday.
Woof! Cancer season may be over, but the emotions are present! Feelings are being felt! Whew!
Really, what I’m getting at, ahem, in so many words, is to not let the anticipation of what is to come take you out of the moment where you get to be, here and now. There is so much time remaining, and how exciting is it that we have a whole THREE WEEKS left of the season?! We literally JUST wrapped up our Summer Intensive and had an incredible two days of dancing with some beautiful movers and teachers, and we’re getting emotional about the season being over?? Absolutely not!!
Our annual Summer Intensive really was such a special weekend, and I’m not just saying that. There were movers of all backgrounds and ages, including ConteXture dancers, students from our pre-professional program (CPSP), high school students, college dancers, and more. Our faculty featured all Metro-Detroit based teachers, and they all provided a challenge for the students, with adequate support to leave all feeling fulfilled. It was a beautiful blend of bodies in the space, hosted at the iconic Andy Arts Center, of course.
We ended the weekend with an informal showcase which shared different combos the dancers learned throughout the weekend, including hip hop, contemporary, floorwork, and ConteXture repertory. Our CPSP kids shared their current work in progress, choreographed by company dancer Kylie Vinitski, and writing this has me emotional again (shocker). You should have seen them rehearsing this piece prior to the showcase; they took every opportunity they could to run through the dance and make sure they knew the movement, formations, and prop transitions inside and out. The support and encouragement they shared with each other throughout the process is such a testament to the power of community in dance.
I think that’s really what Tracy has ever wanted is to curate this environment where local dancers have the opportunity to cultivate relationships, build technique, and feel like they have a space to grow in a professional setting that fuels them and wants them to succeed. This weekend was such a huge reminder of ConteXture’s greater mission, it’s not only to dance and create, but to enhance our local arts community.
Okay, okay, okay, I’m done being emotional and rambling on about dance and what we’re doing. If you enjoy what you read I encourage you to learn more about our ConneXtions fundraising campaign, mark your calendars for our show on August 17th, and if you want to just observe the general happenings that’s okay, too.
We’ll see you next time.
ConteXture Company Dancer
