So the last time I was here I wrote about "The Necessity to Move" and my fear of CoEXIST falling onto a plateau, being stagnant, and lacking in progression. I am happy to write that although this is something I think about with CoEXISTdance each and everyday (usually while in the car, when I should be paying attention to the road perhaps) I am making baby steps towards a solution. No, I have not whipped up some brilliant, 20-page business plan, but I have discovered and experimented with small tricks and strategies to continue to attract new audiences, expand the popularity of our company, and most simply just to keep PROGRESSING instead of simply MAINTAINING.
I would not have the confidence of an Artistic Director and the courage to continuously push myself to think outside of the box without my team. The CoEXISTdancers remind me of my own Mother in the sense that they support me no matter what. They have no idea how much their own solid foundation has allowed me to soar. I am beyond thankful for the beautiful group of women I have carrying out the same mission I dreamt up, through their dancing, their actions, their collaborations, and their ideas. So I would like to take a quick second to recognize each and every one of them :)
Megan has been part of CoEXISTdance since its birth. She has such a purity about her and I think it is because she is so honest ALL of the time, with both herself and with others. She never pretends, she confronts reality and truth and accepts them. I wish there were more people in the world like this, myself included. She has assumed a leadership role with the company; I love watching her help others figure out the certain mechanics of a movement (the baby freeze) or assist others with an injury, prescribing how to strengthen the area, stretch the area, etc. She is always so happy to be at rehearsal and she is always laughing and causing us to laugh, an important ingredient to success I have found.
Tia came on board during CoEXISTdance's rebirth in 2011. From the get go, she blew me away with her professionalism and dedication to CoEXISTdance. It was evident that CoEXISTdance was a priority based on her attendance, work ethic in rehearsal, and participation in outside events. She has impressed me even more by consistently maintaining that same professionalism and work ethic, something which I think is easier said than done. She is a BEAUTIFUL mover and she has a way of capturing my own personal dynamics and movement style quirks immediately after learning new material. Her own sense of humor has carried us through MANY rehearsals, again adding laughter into our recipe for success.
Whitney also joined CoEXISTdance on the same day as Tia. One of the most outstanding qualities of Whitney is her pursuit of absolute perfection. Once she has learned a new phrase of movement, she repeats the movement over and over again, pulling it apart, questioning the dynamics and focus, and never stopping until she is 100% satisfied with herself. It is such an honor as a choreographer to watch a dancer take what you have given them so seriously, treating it with the utmost respect and striving to maintain its originality. She has also been such a professional and diligent coEXISTdancer. Her willingness to open up and talk with me and all of the dancers about what is going on outside of rehearsal has really helped us to bond more as a family than as a group of professionals.
I have known Sara since 2006, when she came in as a freshman at DeSales University. I still remember how pleasantly surprised I was when I saw her walk into the CoEXISTdance audition last year! As if her dancing were not beautiful enough, it felt so nice to connect a piece of my past to my present work. It's a really colorful blend of memories, memory-making, past training, and new movements. She is never shy to call me out of pulling out a move similar to one of our old professors! In addition to our past connection, Sara is so loving. She is the first dancer to notice when another dancer is struggling, in pain, or feeling under the weather. She is a great listener and advice-giver. As an Artistic Director, what I love most is that her love pours out in her dancing. It is evident to anyone watching her how much she loves what she is doing, who she is dancing for, and who she is dancing with. It's a rare and beautiful quality.
Lauren also joined our team in 2011. We had met a few times before, attending neighboring colleges, but I never imagined that we would have worked so closely together! Lauren is an extremely technical dancer, her rigorous training is transparent in every movement she does. She has such a fluid quality to her dancing, but she can also execute small and sharp movements beautifully. One of my favorite things about Lauren is her fearlessness. She is never scared to try one of my crazy ideas that usually start with, "I have this idea, but its only in my head right now I'm not sure if it's physically possible". Whether its throwing herself upside down on a stool, jumping into a new lift, or balancing in the baby freeze, she is not only fearless but relentless. She is so strong in a physical, mental, and emotional sense. She will continue to fight until everything is exactly the way it should be.
Brittany jumped on board this past January. She immediately molded as another member of our CoEXIST family, picking up the same work ethic as the others, opening up to everyone, and being honest. Brittany is so full of life and energy; she is always so excited to be at rehearsal and so eager to learn new material. She has been so flexible in terms of jumping into previous pieces, learning another dancer's part, and simultaneously being cast into new pieces. Her passion for dance is so obvious based not only on her eagerness, but on her diligence with new movements, her professionalism, and her dedication. She is clearly a part of CoEXISTdance both inside and outside of rehearsal. I am so excited to watch her grow through her journey with CoEXISTdance, and of course I am so excited to see how CoEXISTdance will continue to blossom through her efforts and contributions to the company.
Antoinette entered CoEXISTdance at the same time as Brittany. She is a natural leader, she has already contributed several great ideas for the company to do. She has also offered advice, ideas, and words of encouragement to the other dancers in times of frustration. She has certainly assumed a motherly role and she is so generous with her time, energy, and resources. It is so clear to me that she wants the absolute best for CoEXISTdance. Again, to see that sort of intention in another dancer is just utterly uplifting. To realize that another individual is just invested in your dream as you are is beyond touching. She is also a beautiful mover, another one who really pulls apart as many details and dynamics to make the movement as accurate as possible.
I could not have drawn up a better team for CoEXISTdance. This blog is a tribute to my dancers and all of their hard work and dedication. You will probably never know exactly how much this means to me. "Thank you" does not even begin to do it justice. I love you very much and thank you for building CoEXISTdance with me!
Kathleen :)
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