Saturday 5 May 2012

another school year over

So here is the story of my life this past school year. 
The first part of my year was insane. It was like when you're in a hot tub then go roll around in the snow then get back in the hot tub. That kind of physical shock. Every Monday and Tuesday of every week. I'm pretty sure none of us were prepared for the intensity of the dance program at SLC, I shouldn't speak for my fellow MUTHers though (MUTH is our program code, so it's what we call ourselves). I know for me, my body wasn't ready for floor barre (aka ballet torture).

 Our ballet teacher is an absolutely fabulous Mexican woman who knows her stuff and is one of the most fit and flexible women I have ever met. I trust a dance teacher who can still really dance. I always thought that ballet was pretty and relaxing before I met her.
INTERRUPTION. Just had a very pathetic life moment. The other day I got this sick feeling randomly that I didn't hand in my final scene study assignment but I was all pshaw I must have. 
I didn't. Just found it in my binder. Sat down and cried.
Back to ballet. So our teacher is a huge believer in floor barre.

Floor Barre -  lying on the floor with your body in strange and unnatural positions while doing endless sets of crunches.

 We do this to develop muscle strength, but mostly to develop muscle awareness. Floor barre makes it easier to understand which muscles you should be engaging while dancing. The first few weeks we did floor barre the entire 1 hour and 15 minute class, Mondays and Tuesday. This put most of us into great amounts of discomfort. Then there was the stretching. 


Our amazing jazz teacher taught us all about PUSHING and PULLING and REACHING to make us as strong and flexible as can be. So basically any muscles that weren't already hurting from ballet now hurt from jazz. Jazz is such a fun class. We get to do and try so many different things, and the energy in that class is always amazing. Our teacher is so encouraging. I honestly have never once heard her say anything negative. She always just wants us to go farther and be better. 
I hate tap. Love our teachers. Hate the dance. Must force self to love it. 
Enter the vocals. When I first met with my vocal coach (and Masterclass professor) I told him I wanted to be a belter. He went through some vocalises with me and had me singing in my chest voice the first day (something I'd never consciously done before, I literally did not know where to "place" my voice). This was really really exciting for me as I had been told in the past that I was "not a belter" and never worked on anything but my usual soprano. 
Our acting classes are varied and with multiple teachers. We learn different techniques and styles in each class which is really fun and a great learning experience. We've had the opportunity to work with lots of different industry professionals this year, which is really important for young actors. It's encouraging for us to see different types of performers, different ways of thinking about things, and different styles of acting. Theatre is art, there's no set format or rulebook.
Music Theatre History and Anatomy = sweet respite from physical activity/using the creative half of your brain! The only classes where we do anything mildly academic. Second Semester we also had Stagecraft. What you mean sit at desk? What is that thing called whiteboard? Do you really excpect us to sit still for 2 hours??? We're only adults!
There are many things I can say about many classes, teachers, and fellow students. Not to mention our production. So much to say, I wish I had kept up better with blogging. But this post is just meant to be a summary, so I won't. I will however, include some quotes from a letter I was writing to my BFF throughout the course of the schoolyear.

"I have a headache. My coffee addiction is getting out of hand."

"Motto of my program: 'I'm OBNOXIOUS!'"

"NO MORE SCHOOL COFFEE blech blech blech"

"You know what I am afraid of? The day I am told to wear fishnet tights. Ugh."

"I just made my squinty eye face at Julija and it almost popped my contact out."

" 'I have a story to tell that is insignificant to anyone else but this topic reminded me of it so HERE ME NOW!' " - music theatre kids

"My coffee is only warm now, not hot. It makes me feel very unsettled."

"We are watching a video of the can-can song played by an orchestra. Everyone is very excited."

"If I want to make it, I have to be fearless."

"Goal of every acting teacher: make their students cry." 

"I don't know why anyone would want to teach us."

"I don't know how to always be real. When I do, I'll be an actress."





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