Performance Day!

Wazzzup!

So today was our last day here at the Garth Fagan SMI! What a ride! Here is what happened...

This morning we woke up to the sound of a beautiful waterfall. The only problem, the waterfall was coming in through the 8th floor ceiling! A water pipe burst on the 9th floor and completely flooded and 5 bedrooms (Josh's included) were completely ruined on the 8th floor. Lucky for Ben and me, our rooms were saved by the workers who were able to turn off the water and vacuum up what was spreading down the hall.

So after that incredibly stressful morning we went downstairs and took class as our warm up, ran through our class presentation, Norwood Pennewell's piece, and then "Two Pieces of One: Green" and had a 45min break until we performed. With the entire studio floor packed, as well as the balcony, the show went on with no distractions.

After the performance, there was a wonderful reception where there was fruit, drinks, cookies, veggies, and of course tons of very nice people, the entire Garth Fagan Company, Garth himself, and all of our teachers. The press was there with cameras, and I was asked my information (name, age, hometown). I was also interviewed by the intern who has been filming classes and field trips through this entire process.

All in all, the entire process was life changing. I met incredible people through this experience. The other dancers, the teachers, and the company were all very welcoming, inspirational, talented, and intelligent. I said it in my last blog and I'll say it again, DO THIS INTENSIVE IF YOU CAN! You'll come back a completely different person!

See you soon Milwaukee! Miss you!

Andrew

A Story from the Garth Fagan Summer Dance Intensive

Hey UWM! It's been a while! Ben and I are sitting at the one place we get an Internet connection, (The Spot Coffee House) and I thought I'd share an amazing experience we had last week. We just finished our first week of the intensive and within the first five days, we took our first field trip. The trip took us to Nazareth College for a tech rehearsal for the Elizabeth Streb dance company. They performed this last weekend and we were privileged to attend her first tech rehearsal. We didn't get to see much of the show, but what we witnessed afterwards is what really blew our minds.

After a delicious pizza party, we were taken into a smaller theatre for a very intimate conversation between Garth Fagan, Elizabeth Streb, and a moderator. It's difficult to put into words what we experienced but what I can say is that the conversation lasted an hour but could have gone all night. Both Garth and Elizabeth are incredibly intelligent, articulate, creative, inspirational, intellectual, insightful, innovative, and welcoming individuals.

The entire audience got a sneak peek into their choreographic minds, their history, their viewpoints, and their intense humanistic natures. When the conversation came to a close, everyone immediately stood up to show their appreciation with a standing ovation. Like I said earlier, I could have listened to the two of them talk forever but what I did hear blew me away. I felt like I was in the presence of two dance genius' who would influence the way I dance, the way I watch dance, and the way I create dance for the rest of my life.

So far, this experience takes the cake for the most influential moment of this intensive. The technique classes, the reps, the company members, the other dancers, and the other classes are all allowing me to grow as well (I'll talk about them at another time) but so far, our "private" conversation with Garth and Elizabeth will stay with me (and hopefully the other dancers here) for a long time.