God, I love the performing arts. There have been times where I've pulled away from performance, because I thought I was burnt out, but I ALWAYS come back to it, and I know that my life would be nothing without it. Yesterday, I was a part of two small, short dance pieces at the Wood Festival. It's not the first one I've done, nor will it be my last. I always find myself critcizing certain parts of the show that I thought could have been better, or getting frustrated because maybe my leg didn't go up as high as I wanted it to on my temps de fleche, and as you know, with live shows, you often only get one shot to nail it. Coming from a four-year performing arts college, I've met a lot of dancers. And a great deal of their learning experience was based purely on how high the leg would go, or how close to 180 degrees a split was, or how many beats could be done in a jump. The majority of the dancers I met in college came from a competition background, where the choreography wasn't necessarily to entertain, but to win a prize. There's nothing wrong with competition dance, but a great deal of them spent their lives fearing (and often believing) that they would never be good enough, when in reality, every one of them was brilliantly talented. To me, that's not what the arts are about. I caught myself getting overly picky about certain aspects of my performance yesterday, so I stopped, and reminded myself that none of us are Russian ballet stars. We don't come from Broadway. We live in the middle of nowhere, WV! Heartwood in the Hills is different, and so special. Heartwood teaches dance in a non-competitive environment, and instead focuses on the joy that comes from giving your soul to an audience. It's about feeling the music shock you to life and connecting to complete strangers to make them smile. Instead of pushing artists into cookie cutters, Heartwood not only celebrates the diversity that each individual brings to the dance floor, but finds a way to highlight, accentuate, and use those unique quirks in an artistic way. Heartwood lets each student know they are beautiful, talented, and loved while encouraging them to challenge themselves and continue to grow. I am a perfectionist, and I will always be my harshest critic. But Heartwood in the Hills will forever be that voice that reminds me to not only perfect, but ENJOY my artistry. After all, if you don't enjoy yourself, what's the point? Thank you so much to all of our volunteers who helped yesterday's performances run with ease! And congratulations to all the young artists who are discovering their talents through our little art school. Check out a few neat photos from yesterday below!
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Jessi's ThoughtsHey everyone! This blog is to keep you updated on what I'm currently working on. I will be posting show dates, readings, and other crazy stuff here. Archives
May 2018
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