Never forget where you come from and know who you're going places with..

I went back to my dance studio today. It did not surprise me to find that nothing has changed except the growing bodies of the what used to be 2'5" girls. It was the same disorganized chaos, excited little girls (and much to my great and happy surprise, boys), and of course my stays-the-same-age-every-time-i-see-him, director.

This man drives me crazy. For those of you that don't know him, his name is Jamale Graves and he won an MTV award for choreographing this little video:

Yup. The man that did this is the man that taught my first real jazz class, introduced me to Frank Hatchett, choreographed my first solo, and helped mold my spirit within the dance realm. He drives me absolutely insane. Grande ideas, unreturned phone calls, crazy schedules, but always undying support for whatever I want to do. He was the first teacher to really believe in me and offer the best that he could in order to make me better, which was not something I was used to from other teachers growing up.

A 15-minute conversation turns into an hour, even when he's supposed to be running through recital dances, talking to confused parents, or making sure the other teachers are prepared for the next two weeks (prepared? what's that?). I ask for some studio time to rehearse for the august festival, he offers up a key when the time comes. I ask to come and teach, he says of course as long as he's got a summer program. To expect anything but a "yes" from this man would be like him giving up on me.

Besides having a nice chat, it was also great to catch up with one of my all-time favorite teachers, Brandon Jones. Some of you may recognize him from:

He started teaching right after I left to go off to school and has been an inspiration to the kids at the studio and to me as well. Though our director can be all over the place, he does have a talented staff. Marina Bogdanova comes every week while she also works as ballet mistress at the NJBallet; Henry Roy is a college dance professor that has made his way around NJ colleges as well as a few in PA (Temple, etc) and teaches Horton technique once a week. There is also Tom and Kelly who I have yet to get to know; Tom is from the area and teaches hip hop, and Kelly is currently on tour with a show but teaches contemporary, tap, and the younger ones. I sometimes think the students don't know what they have. Most studios don't have modern technique or russian ballet teachers. And those that do may not have the energy flowing out the door like City Dance Academy. It's the kind of place I like to go back to...the teachers talk to each other (and now may choreograph together) the parents and students alike are involved, and most importantly, the dancing and the performing is good. damn good. there is happiness, passion, unique styles, and none of this factory-made dancing suited for armies of mindless moving robots.

I know people that have come through this place and never looked back. Unfortunately I have invested too much in this studio in order to get away, and I would never have it any other way <3

and if you haven't seen this, check it out..it's pretty amazing

Modern Dance animation