Sept 3rd-9th
In the midst of preparing for the emerging artist showcase I had to travel back to Maryland to prepare for the Bad Boys of Ballet 2018/2019 season opener. Each year the company host a concert series that allows dance studios around the community to come together and present their work. We spent the week working together to prepare a new work for this concert. We worked Monday- Friday from 9am until about 4pm and we performed that weekend. It was nice to be back in the swing of things with the company. My body has been killing me as I have mostly been instructing and not taking class as often as I usually do. I love taking ballet class so it was refreshing to spend a week solely focusing on myself.
I am the newest member of the company so majority of the events we do are fresh and exciting. This was my first time being apart of the creative process with my boss. As a choreographer myself it’s always interesting to see what processes other choreographers use to develop material. Within the first three days the entire piece was set and the coaching process begin. This was an eye opening experience for me as my boss was having a bit of a mental block and it was our jobs as her dancers to help her fulfill her wants. Over time we made it to the finish line and the piece were to her likings but it wasn’t easy at all.
Being in a company of all men is pretty cool. We have developed a brotherly bond that will never break despite where we venture off too in life. Bad Boys is a contract to contract company so not every0ne will always return for each tour. The next Bad Boys tour is Germany and Switzerland. It’s such a blessing to be able to travel internationally and be paid to do what you love.
Both performance this passing weekend were amazing! I had amazing time meeting some of my friends family, entertaining an audience full of supporters, and seeing my loved ones in the audience as well. A great friend of mine (who I met at LINES SDI 2010) Alliyah Caldwell came out to see me perform and it truly highlighted my entire experience. After performing this weekend I realize I really want to be on the stage as much as possible. I love teaching but my true passion is in performing. The art of performing is a skill I natural possess and it’s something that I want to share a lot more on a ton of stages.
