Happy New Year from my family to yours!!

I like my life.  Happy 2009!!!

Happiness is...making a show you love.

Abiyoyo!!  A show made with love from everyone involved.  No one else will possibly see how magical this show because they didn't get to spend three months with it, but it doesn't matter. It's perfect to us.  It's rare to get a show that feels so special when you do so many, which is why I am taking the time to feel, appreciate, and gush over it.  Coming soon to 32 grade schools near you...

Directed, choreographed, written by me

Original music and orchestration by Eric Mayson

Set and Costume design by Amanda Rosmairek 

  (We comprise the top picture and bottom row)

Starring... (second row L to R, top row L to R)

  Kayla Bartlett as Cook and Hermit 2

  Taylor Johnson as Carpenter, Hermit 1, & Abiyoyo

  Kim Steffen as Grandmother and Hermit 3

  Emma Ottoson as Chief's Daughter

  Stephen Crisp as Chief

  Adam Moen as Ukulele Boy

  Duncan Scully as Father

Based on the South African fable as told by Peter Seeger

THIS IS WHY I LOVE WHAT I DO!

My new step-dad

prototypical procrastination post--

As I sit in my office, cooling my heels between pieces in what will be the LAST dance recital of my life, I should be crossing things off of my to do list.  Instead, I am hit with a massive case of procrastination.  Even as I know the less I use my time right now, the less I get sleep, I cannot make myself work on my design project!  (George ignore this.)  Thus I blog...

Thanksgiving was nice.  Family was good.  Chris forced me into braving Black Friday for the first time in my life and I liked it.  It made me realize he'll be leaving again very soon and how much I count on him.  Also...Mom got hit on my a department store Santa Claus.  AND we got to hang out with Heidi for a bit!  So all in all, an excellent time!

I am in tech for the Fall Dance Concert.  I am in a modern piece.  I am dancing for someone else, in a non-musical theatre style, for the first time since I was 17.  It's been interesting.  I loved dancing outside my usual area and a part of me loved not choreographing it...but the other part of me had a really hard time not taking over or trying to clean or clarify the piece.  This piece made me realize how much my knees have really taken the toll for this dancer inside a big girl life I've forced on them.  What I thought would be dancing for the love of it all semester turned into something that made me limp and kept me out of the gym for months.  It wasn't what I thought it would be.  It's a good realization to make: I can teach and choreograph as much as I want because then I decided when I do and don't use my knee, but I can't dance on other people's terms.  Thus this will be the last dance recital of my life.  It's kind of appropriate.  I was 7 at my first one (Elephant Dance forever!) and I'm 27 for the last one.  It's a pretty good run.  I'm at peace with it.

Michael John and me

It's rare in our lives that we get to meet and connect with people whose work has seriously affected our own work.  How often does a young actor get to spend a weekend with Meryl Streep?  Or a young basketball player with Kevin Garnett?  Or something else to that ilk...

This past weekend has been one of the most overwhelming experiences of my life.  First off, I had amazing support from all of my loved ones.  In attendance were: Ben (3x), Mom (2x), Kate, Little Kate and Joey, Grandma and Robbie, Gary and Sheila, Dad  and Brenda, Chris and Laura, Ben's parents and sibling (Beth, Paul, Chris, Dan and Alicia), Evey, Blake, Pat, Cory, Diana, and there were also two adorable nephews crawling around this weekend.  This is not even to mention the support and attendance of the department.  Even if there had been no LaChiusa, this weekend would have me feeling blessed and fortunate.  To do what I do and love who I love...well, it's not so bad.

But the fact is there was also this man, Michael John LaChiusa, who wrote the show and began inspiring me eight years ago.  He was wonderful to all of us: warm, genuine, generous.  He told me the truth too--parts of the show that could have been better, other parts that he loved.  He taught me so much about our craft and the world we have around us.  It feels like a dream.  He said we were friends now when I left and sent me an e-mail the next morning of a funny youtube video that he thought I'd like.  I have a new friend.  A real one. 

Life is good.  And the show turned out alright too...

Wanna listen to me talk shop?

www.mnsu.edu/theatre

Scan down to the 'See What I Wanna See' poster and check it out!

I was interviewed and also wrote the little snippet at the bottom of the page.

Send us positive energy!  Thank you!

How great is this?!

Overheard in Mankato: A True Story

While at Dunn Brothers, a naughty 5 year old and his mother enter.  The mother has brought a girlfriends with whom I can only assume she was trying to have an adult time with...  the son was having none of it.  Over the mother's conversation, he yells at the top of his voice:

Little boy:  Mommy, I love bagels!!  I love bagels!!

Mother ignores him.

Little boy:  I love cookies, Mommy!  I love cookies!!!!

Mother ignores him again...he gets louder.

Little boy:  Mommy!  Mommy!  Mommy!! I love chocolate!!  I want your chocolate!

Yup....ignoring.  The volume and resonance of this small child was quite amazing.

Little boy:  MOMMY, I LOVE BOOBIES!!!

Mother gasps and suddenly covers her son's mouth.  Nearby coffee drinker (me) starts laughing and can't stop.

Mother:  Oh my god, I'm so sorry.

Me:  Well, at least you know he's not gay.

I had a moment at the polls today and have had a hard time not crying all day.

The power of this day is overwhelming.  

With hope...