Day 21: Final bows

Today was the last of our shows, and my last in New York. We had a great first run with the kids- they performed "Sculpture garden" beautifully, and it was so cute to see their friends from Our Children playing along by putting coins in their hands! I think this really shows kids the value in their own creativity and the possibilities if they pursue their ideas! One girl said she was embarrassed to dance in front of people- but I think her confidence picked up with the cast's encouragement, and she did great! I hope that this helps the kids to open up their view of the possibilities in their future- one girl and I talked about what college is like. When I described it as like Our Children, where we choose what we're interested in studying and get to become very good at it, she seemed to be interested in the idea that at first she was hesitant about. There was a lot more to this than the fun of the show- but that was sure there today too!

Between runs, I walked the High Line, which is a beautiful public garden that was created from an old train platform that was to be demolished. Now it's got beautiful flowers with a nice view of the city and the water between New York and New Jersey. The benches and paths draw visual elements from the original purpose of the place, with train tracks peeking between some flower plantings, and also a neat area of water that runs along the ground like a shallow fountain for waling in, and it falls through a grate that mimics those alongside subway trains at their platforms.

While warming up for the second run, I really felt the energy of the space. Though my knee complained for the first time this month, I felt good in my body, and ready for the show. I think it was a good run! All my previous problems were resolved, and though it wasn't perfect, I feel good about my final New York performance, and will be excited to show the video from tonight to my family.


It has been so special to be here this month, dancing with and learning from the pros, and passing on the joy that Neta has cultivated and shared with audience and dancers alike. I might add more on this later- but unfortunately, my time is short before I leave town, and I need to shower after a two-show day, finish packing, maybe nap, and hitch my last NYC public transportation up to La Guardia for an early flight home. Thanks for following my journey if you've been reading along- I hope you've felt a bit of the bucket joy and NYC excitement with me!

...As Neta would say, "Get your buckets out, and have a ball!"

Day 20: Living/loving NY

We got a great review yesterday! I thought the article linked was especially fun to read!

From [the conclusion of the sculpture garden], a roller-coaster ride of movement and music commences. Neta Pulvermacher deploys her squad of dancers and their fifty-seven buckets in a richly imaginative series of danced and mimed tableaux, set to a musical smorgasbord that runs the gamut from Mozart to Sonny & Cher.

A special treat from today... I got a photo of a man skillfully playing bucket-drums in the subway! I felt like it was a good sign!

This morning I hitched a train over to Manhattan to backtrack to the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn bridge. I wandered a bit and finally found Grimaldi's pizza under the bridge- and I realized I couldn't handle a whole pie by myself, much less the hour-plus wait... so I walked the bridge to find sliced pizza on the other side. The bridge wasn't too long of a walk, and though it was very warm today (77F) the view was worth it as I strolled along dodging tourists with cameras and the bikers they annoyed.

I found my lunch, and looked around the area til I came to City Hall, which had a great park right next to it right by the end of the bridge. I enjoyed the sculptures there for a while, which draw from architectural ideas found in New York buildings, then sat and read my book on creativity for a while. After chatting with a fellow bench-sitter, I decided to head south to see what I could find. I got a tip that Trinity church is worth visiting, and on my way through the area after passing Wall Street and the bull sculpture, I ducked in to have a look. It was beautiful, not unlike what I saw in Germany! I love how the beautiful detailed artistry of the decorations remind me of the passion and faith of those Christian artists- and somehow today it also made me feel like God loves artists. I like to think of artists as following the original Artist in our creative habits. I tried to make my way to the World Trade Center memorial construction site, which I'd glimpsed at a distance earlier- but I walked too far and accidentally circled it, running out of time to make it back to the theater. So I found my train and made it back just in time. I feel satisfied with this as my last touristy day- although I walked a lot and got lost a little, I genuinely enjoyed some very nice places! Tomorrow it's all about the show- matinee with the kids, then the final one!

Tonight's show was really good for me- with all the walking I was a little parched but I figured out that's also why I was lightheaded yesterday, so I avoided some of the trouble today by hydrating better. This audience felt very involved, and the kids loved it- I could see their eagerness to make the sculptures move, and there was lots of laughter during the show! It was neat to think of the value that the show holds for adults and children- very different perspectives, but both can enjoy the same piece. After the show, I saw two little girls playing in the lobby: one was standing very still for the other with her hands out- they were playing sculpture garden! The sculpture girl kept looking at me like she knew I was a performer, so I found a penny in my purse and put it in her outstretched hands. She didn't dance, but she got so excited and showed her mom "look what I got for being still!" Too cute- it's great to see how the show inspired the kids! And tomorrow we get to make some dreams come true for Our Children, "the Harlem Bucketeers" as we're calling them on the program. Looking forward to the last show day!

Day 19: Show #2

This morning I went to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, with a stop in the lobby of the Brooklyn Museum- I enjoyed both! The museum lobby had quite a few Rodin sculptures and a few others, which I really enjoyed looking at. I really like the raw textures of Rodin's beautiful human forms. And at the gardens I caught a few seasonal varieties of flower still open, as well as many longer-blooming gardens full of breathtaking colors, shapes, and textures. I took lots of photos, and I'll be adding photos from the whole last week at some point here... I wandered the garden for several hours to see most of the different areas, from greenhouses of bonsai trees, to a classical Italian garden, native plants, lily ponds, and a rose garden. Tomorrow I think I'll visit the Brooklyn Bridge and a legendary pizza place there as my last sightseeing of this trip!

Today was our second show, with call to the theater at 5:30. Although we had a smaller audience than opening night, I think it lets us look forward to seeing this show through a great run for the rest of the weekend! The audience responded well- I enjoyed at the beginning when I got to interact with some individuals by playing with how I responded when they gave me sculpture garden coins. When a coin occasionally rolls out of my hand, I take just inhale some and wait for them to get the hint that I want them to give me the coin properly, which they oblige. When I exchanged places with an audience member at the end of this section, his family noted with amusement that I'd taken his seat while he posed with my bucket. As a whole we performed well, and while I personally don't feel that it was as good as last night's show for me I'm looking forward to bringing that energy back again tomorrow!

The New York Times article on us was featured today, too!!

With "choreographic kaleidoscopes that shift from raucous to meditative.... Ms. Pulvermacher proves that there’s more to plastic than you think."

Day 18: Opening day!!

Today we rehearsed from warm-up at 11, til about 4pm, covering a great run-through, some more cue-to-cue subtleties, and even a short break! We took about an hour before show warm-up call, and then it was time for costumes and makeup, lights, and sound- and the house opened!

The show was so great! I feel like today is the first day I understand the piece- I'd been trying to make it something more complicated than it was, when really it is truly about childlike imagination and possibilities! With that in mind and with the excitement of any show, I genuinely enjoyed sharing our bucket world with our audience today. From my opening pose in sculpture garden, through my other various roles til the very end when we party out of the theater past the audience, I felt absolutely part of the wonder and joy of 2,280 Pints!

After the show we went down a couple blocks to HM, a furniture store, for the benefit gala where a trumpet player provided music, and there were drinks, finger foods, and some great cake to celebrate Neta's company's anniversary. It was fun to dress up, chat with friends of the company and dancers, and generally celebrate a great show. It's very late now, and I'm tired after another long day- but I'm looking forward to call at 5:30 tomorrow to do it again!

ADDED: Culturebot featured us yesterday! It's a great interview with Neta, featuring this...

Is your ultimate hope for this piece to convey and inspire joy?
It’s much more than joy. It’s a bucket world. It’s a micro world created with buckets, activated by people and music. It’s not fancy. The fanciness of it comes from your ability as a viewer to go with the idea that the bucket will become anything you want it to be. It’s trying to strip human behavior and show it through buckets. The buckets become human and the dancers become more human because of their relationship to them. The imperfections become accentuated because the buckets are uniform. I wanted to make something that would be generous and open. It’s apologetically accessible without trying hard to be that. To get to that simplicity is a long journey. Mostly I just want you to be enthralled by the end of it that you would join us in the dance party.

Day 17: The longest day of summer

Today we rehearsed from 11am-10pm! And I started the day even earlier with a ballet class from 10-11:30 at Peridance. It was a great way to get ready for the day. I knew I'd be most excited about the long process today if I had a full class in the morning, and it was worth getting up a little earlier. The class was taught by a pleasant French man who gestured foot movements with his hands or indicated them subtly with his feet- instead of speaking plainly, he hummed melodies and moved his arms to show especially how he wanted us to shape the space. With no ballet class in the last six months, I managed to follow along by watching the other dancers and interpreting his marked movements. Even with this different style, he really was a good teacher, especially in the corrections he gave me. I needed to keep myself on track a lot because of slipping technique since last fall's ballet class, but his comments and correction on posture were something I thought about all day.

In rehearsal we went cue-to-cue over lighting, and while I waited for my cues I stood and practiced the posture I'd been shown in ballet. Pelvis back more, ribs lengthening away from the hips and chest lifted to lengthen and lift the whole torso. It was a long rehearsal, with a couple short breaks to eat, but we covered a lot and things are looking good. The New York Times came and photographed our final run of the day- it wasn't perfect, but we'll see what they've got after they review opening night! There's more to do tomorrow before our dress runs before showtime, but I'm confident we'll be ready. Showtime tomorrow, and the benefit!

Day 16: Tech week begins!

Today we had a later rehearsal after the tech team worked on setting up the lighting. Before going to the theater, the house girls and I shopped in Chelsea. Then at DTW we went through sticky spots, and made some minor changes to adjust to the space.

Tomorrow we have a looong day, and hopefully we'll be able to stay warm and upbeat from 11am-10pm! I plan to go to a ballet class at Peridance tomorrow morning to warm up properly for the long day. Teching isn't my favorite, but I know it's going to make the show look amazing when we have all the spacing and lights together, so I can look forward to that :)

Day 15: WAX Works

Another listing in the media- New Yorker Magazine!

Neta Pulvermacher’s “2280 Pints!” demonstrates that Stomp did not exhaust the possibilities of plastic buckets. The dance uses fifty-seven of the containers, and, in addition to being employed as drums, they also serve as boots, lanterns, stepping stones, hockey pucks, dollies, top hats, and more. At the start, pennies dropped in them bring the dancers to life, and the subsequent modes oscillate between a music-box feel, a vintage TV dance party, and artier slow bits. The ideas keep coming, touching on fun and beauty but promising a bit more than what is delivered by Pulvermacher’s company, expanded for its twenty-fifth anniversary to a stage-filling seventeen dancers by a supplement of students from the University of Florida.

(I checked out this magazine earlier, and it does tend to be critical of all the works it features. I don't know that we answer life's questions, but I do think we touch on some aspects that lead to further consideration for the audience.)

Today we went through spacing for a few hours in rehearsal. Then I went with one of the company members to see some informal dance in Brooklyn. Before the show began I shopped at Beacon's Closet, a trendy secondhand store in Williamsburg. Then down to WAX Works on the same street. It's another open showing, for feedback, which featured five different pieces, some which peaked my interest and others that made me ask more questions about purpose. I will say that I continue to be surprised by how dancers are able to find space in which to practice and perform in this city of tall, narrow buildings!

Day 14: The Guggenheim Museum

Today we had our final rehearsal at Our Children, and the kids are all ready for the show! Tomorrow we begin working on DTW's stage, with placements and lighting, etc. Let show week begin!

After practice with the kids today, I went straight to the Guggenheim Museum to see some modern art! I recognized Frank Lloyd Wright's spiral building as I crossed through Central Park and down "Museum Mile." I wish I could've taken pictures inside- there were plenty of pieces that I had reactions to, and the placards had some good things to say, too.

For example, there was one painting, "Glass" by Larionov, that caught my eye as something I connected with at a glance. I found it interesting that the words used to describe it were fragile, sharp, and transparent, and it made me consider how I relate to those words. The photo below doesn't do it justice- the colors are softer and warmer and the upper right is more green which is what really drew my eye. Until looking up this image, I never even saw the subjects, the glasses!


And Boccioni's futurist sculpture "Unique Forms of Continuity in Space" made me feel a sense of strong determination- especially as the sculpture is oriented so that it strides up the slope of the museum's spiral. I realize now reconsidering that piece that this is not usually what is emphasized in textbooks- the sculpture is normally simply taken as an example of how industrial progress affected artists. The feeling I got from seeing it in person is something that can't be gotten from a textbook; I walked around it and felt my own legs and feet against gravity and felt my own body leaning in the direction it moves. Although I moved down the spiral, I felt its drive and effort in moving up towards me. I got that physical reaction to a couple other more abstract pieces that made me straighten up, or lean with the curves of the image. It made me want to dance with art again like we did at the Harn!

So many of the works were great to see in person to be able to have that rich reaction. There's nothing like the thick paint of VanGoh, or Degas' scribbles that add together in to another ballerina, and all of Kandinsky's works just aren't the same on Google images. There was one wall where I felt I had to look at one of them before I could properly see the other. There was also a blue Picasso that was also very interesting- a beautiful frail woman ironing with such a sense of weight that extends even to the heavy frame of the painting. And another that interested me was a surrealist painting where I felt that the whole setup hinged on a single differently-colored brick that, to me, held the clock up from falling directly down into a bottomless well on the ground. That much tension in potential for movement in just a spooky building- that's some good surrealism!

What I've learned through dance enabled me to have such a good time in the museum. I found the audio guide unsatisfying, as I was able on my own to go to deeper levels of feeling and meaning than what it introduced. Taking the time to be with a piece, to find my own reaction and understand that better- this is important to me not only as a dancer and viewer of art, but as an aspiring counselor. I've begun learning to sit with discomfort, so when something strikes me as uncomfortable or I have an aversive reaction, before withdrawing I give it a moment and consider it again or why it struck me so. Today I found my honest reaction to some art in this way, even with those pieces that I wouldn't say I particularly "like" -I at least appreciate them. And for those that I did especially like, all the better.

Day 13: Not precious- honest!

I keep thinking how democratic the subways are. Very American, having people of all ages and origins and social classes mixed in together. Like in airports, I wonder where they're going. I'd be curious to learn about the jobs some of these people do. But I'm not talking to every other stranger just yet. I did, however, chat with people yesterday and today as I waited for the Wicked lottery (again, no luck today). The first guy was in from Chicago doing auditions, and the other woman was a New Zealand teacher taking a break to visit several large cities in America.

Today in our last regular rehearsal at Mark Morris, Neta was telling us about how she feels about this show. She said "I'm tired of being cool, I'm tired of being trendy; now I just want to be." I didn't know her when she created pieces like Fold and Air, and though I've seen parts of The Orchids Show and Beds/Children of the Dream, I became part of her choreographic process as she seems to have entered a new mindset after seeing her students engage with dance in Israel about a year ago. With 2,280 Pints, Neta's allowed herself to do new things as a choreographer, as she explained to us. Perhaps in a different way than in the past, she freely engages in whatever little leads interest her, as we see in rehearsals when she runs with a new image or bucket use to create entire new sections. She also told us that this is the first time she's delegated choreographic leadership, which is how we formed the teams that created many of the numbers in the current show. Having had her as my mentor for my own foray into choreography this past year, I know that Neta lives what she teaches her students- she is living the choreographic process and following its rabbit-trails, taking developments as they come. There's nothing "precious" or too-careful about it, as we say at UF! I'm glad to see her at work in her honesty and boldness in exploring and forming material, and I can take these habits for my own creative growth.

Speaking of creative growth- I've been reading a great book by Rollo May on the psychology of creativity, called The Courage to Create. It's one of those books that keeps telling me things of the highest level of truth- the kinds of things that you already know in a deep sense, but still love to be told about to have it so clearly confirmed by others. Along with the woman from New Zealand at the lottery, that book kept me company this afternoon and made the lack of tickets less unpleasant.

Oh... and here's what the New York Times featured on us today!

The Neta Dance Company (Thursday) A new work by Neta Pulvermacher, “2280 Pints!” was inspired by an installation, “Rain Rains,” by the Brazilian artist Rivan Neuenschwander. The press materials suggest that Ms. Pulvermacher’s piece “opens the door into hidden layers of the soul.” Perhaps. But since “2280 Pints!” features 57 white 5-gallon buckets (and 17 dancers), it surely won’t pass up the opportunity for a lot of splashing, which could be even more fun. (Through May 28.) At 7:30 p.m., Dance Theater Workshop, 219 West 19th Street, Chelsea , (212) 924-0077, dancetheaterworkshop.org; $20; $15 for students and 65+. (Sulcas)

Day 12: The BIG Apple

In today's rehearsal I kept getting an excited feeling about how the show fits together for me as a viewer. I've felt that many of our scenes are dreams, dreamt by one of the still figures who are often onstage during the rest of the action. Today as I watched "Searchlight" I really felt like it is the flitting movements of the dark subconscious, and "Crazy" also has that feeling of Id-like unrestrained movement; "Bridge to nowhere" feels like the unconnected emotions we trace and retrace and hold to ourselves; and with a Freudian theme the "Tech ledge" and "10 Commandments (Doomsday)" sections feel more like a Superego involvement; Matt and Colette's duet and "I've Got You Babe" are the parts of this mind that is concerned with relationships.... I could go on for each section, but the idea I'm feeling is that these all integrate into a whole not only because they sprang from the same choreographic mind, but that they can, through this specificity, generalize to show us what we all may have in our own minds. The joy, pensiveness, tension, freedom, etc. of the buckets are all things we have in ourselves- as we watch, we can feel along.


After our rehearsal I headed over to Manhattan to see about getting into the lottery for cheap Wicked tickets. That's a show I've wanted to see since I read and loved the book a few years ago! It didn't work out, but I found myself in Times Square as I got out out of the trains to find the box office, so I did some exploring. I checked out a couple floors of the four-floor Forever 21 in the square, and spotted several of the Broadway theaters where I might see another show if I manage to get other discount tickets through some other routes I've learned about from fellow artsy/poor students. I almost went to a comedy show in the area for a good price, but it was late in the evening and I decided I'm not comfortable hanging around the busy parts of the city as the day ends still- this is a BIG apple. I hitched a train home and will look forward to something a little simpler tomorrow evening if I don't find Broadway tickets by then.

Day 11: Act II

It's the halfway point of this trip- which meant laundry at the laundromat between rehearsal and Our Children. We're moving from changes in the program to cleaning as of tomorrow's rehearsal.

I realized yesterday that there's an interesting practical aspect to using all of these buckets that I hadn't mentioned yet: germs. Especially with the weather being cool and wet as it is, and with a few people here and there being sick or sniffley, we try to be careful not to pass it around. We wipe the buckets down with Clorox wipes every couple rehearsals or so, so that as we put them on our feet, hands, and heads, we don't get any performers sick. I'm having tea and am glad the imported Florida oranges are on sale, too!

Speaking of Florida, I finally met a Gator in New York today, on the subway just now! He went to UF and stayed in Simpson and Murphree. Pretty cool- another NYC bucket list item checked off, I got to say "Go Gators" to a fellow alumnus!

Finally, here's the article that came out of our press day!

Day 10: Bucket love

We've been spending a lot of time in rehearsals perfecting the transitions between numbers. Neta was talking today about how it's necessary for us as performers to be sensitive to the mood of the preceding and following parts as we make the transitions (and this can vary between performances). Like with movements, the place between one thing and another is something in itself to be given attention, like moving from first to second position. We're still figuring out whether to use the Doomsday music or Austin Powers, so most of today besides other transitions was spent looking at how those two fit into the show in comparison to each other. We also did a full run-through, which I think went well :)

Back at Our Children, the kids remembered their "Crazy" dance parts and "Sculpture garden" phrases well. We started working with them on "Smile" too, which should be lots of fun. It makes me wish I was in that part of the dance in the show- I didn't realize I had such good exaggerated expressions to use, so hopefully I can pull them out with the kids for their matinee performance!

I had hoped to catch a class on Feldenkrais Method at Mark Morris, but it conflicted with the kids' time. The description caught my eye because of its philosophy towards freeing us from restrictive physical and psychological habits, which relates to my career interests with counseling and DMT. I'm going to look more into this! The Feldenkrais site has a quote right on the front page saying that "We improve our well-being when we learn to fully use ourselves," by the creator Moshe Feldenkrais. It sounds like something I'd like to find out more about! Maybe I'll be able to find another class while I'm here... Otherwise, I'll research it on my own.

The last thing I've been hoping to write about is something I've realized comes up when I use props. I'm sure I'm not the only one this happens to- when I use a prop over a length of time, I feel like I form a relationship with it. The first time I experienced this was a few years ago with a small blue recycling bin- it was my first serious prop relationship. I got to know that bin inside and out, and spent hours testing it and myself with it to find what was and wasn't possible to do with it. Something similar happened as I bonded with an abstract sculpture at the Harn museum near UF, as our comp class was given free time to improvise with the art. I didn't have much time with that one, just one day, but it was a focused session with me and the sculpture one-on-one, with no limits and plenty of desire to move freely and find how I relate to it. I loved it. Now, the buckets are my new item. They can be joyful or sad, crazy or refined, tender or rough, worshipful or profane, and sometimes they're sexy- at least as much as a bucket can be. I can't wait for the audience to become part of this bucket love as they experience 2,280 Pints- I already saw somebody falling for the buckets today as she watched rehearsal from the door!

Day 9: Part of history!

Today in rehearsal we changed what used to be "MJ" and then "Austin Powers" to what I think of as the "Angel of Death/Doomsday" song. It's hip hop violin music by a friend of Neta's named Miri, and it's pretty fun to set this dance to! Can't wait to see how it turns out when we re-clean it!

Tonight I got to do something I really hoped to catch while in New York. I just got back from a Movement Research showing at the historic Judson Memorial Church. This church was home to some very important developments in modern dance since the '50s, as postmodern choreographers emerged and developed. I've seen one of them in performance, Lucinda Childs, when her company came to UF. Another Judson name I recognize is Yvonne Rainer, whose Trio A I was interested in this past year as a stage in developing my own choreography. But that was a while back; tonight I saw new choreographers' works in the huge, beautiful space of the church.

I don't have the program handy at the moment, but I enjoyed the diverse pieces. Several featured film, including the first which seemed to use theatrics to break down what people are thinking when they have torn feelings in relationships/mixed with a humorous reality TV-style documentary of the choreographer and his company at work. I'd be interested in seeing more of the more serious live part that appealed to my psychologist side, though it was an interesting juxtaposition of moods between the two media. I'm not yet sure how they relate... questions are good!

The next work was part of a larger process to premier in 2013. This section was in performance for the first time, about Siamese twins in Barnum's circus. I was interested in how the video showed the dancers as separate although the two performers were connected by their shirts sewn together- as well as a cord that was revealed to be underneath. I couldn't see well from the third row of seats and missed a lot of it- but I was particularly moved by the part when one twin died near the end, and how the other dealt with it while still so physically and emotionally attached.

The third work was a Rite of Spring of sorts- which began with dancers in the audience doing a sort of summon chant as a masked, faceless soloist entered and progressed to doing poses facing the audience in our horseshoe shape. Later the dancers added light rain sounds by crinkling plastic bags. Then they stood and unexpectedly covered their faces and followed in the paths of her poses until their movements combined to culminate in a stomping and breath-driven ritual that sounded... like something that made me blush as the lights dimmed and they finished the piece in the dark, lol. It all felt very mythical and human at the same time!

The final piece focused on political polarization and was a really cool use of bright lights focused on two sections of the audience. It began with a slideshow of people standing under "For" and "Against" labels, then the soloist hit one light at a time to highlight the people as the text soundtrack called out their biases against the other side and in favor of themselves. The issue itself remained unnamed, leaving the focus on the division created by the polarization. This section was followed by a solo that stretched and pulsed between various poles created by the body. I felt most interested in the fact that he never did capture two still and solid poles, but seemed to show many more "gray" movements between the points. It was really cool to see these works, not only in the historic place we were in, but in themselves for their various stages of progress on such interesting ideas! Even though it's another late night, I'm really glad I went! Videos might be posted here later from tonight's show- I hope so!

I'll also mention that although I got lost again today, I'm much quicker at correcting that! I made it to Judson just in time!

One more thing... I forgot that when I dance so much every day, I eat a TON. I didn't budget for this surprise trip in the first place- and neither did my metabolism! At least I'm well stocked on healthy foods, and a few treats :)

Day 8: An easy day off - sort of!

We had a day with nothing official planned- so we filled it with activities of our own!

This morning we slept in, then got on our way to navigating train changes to get to the American Museum of Natural History It was cool- way too big to see all in one day! I liked the plants and some of the historic arts. The dinos were pretty cool, too.

Then we went over to Central Park, which was awesome! We meant to go from the middle where we entered down to a southern area of it, but before we knew it we'd circled the reservoir all the way up to the north end. Before we left from there, I suggested that we pass through the conservation gardens- and I'm really glad we did! It was a beautiful part of the park with lots of flowers and some fountains- we were lucky to have good weather for all this even though it was a rainy forecast today!

We had a little rest after all the walking, then headed through the Atlantic terminal Target for groceries before coming home while it was still daylight out!

Day 7: The weekend!

I slept in today while the others went to yoga, then met up with them in Harlem at Our Children. Getting there on my own was the first time I've traveled by myself, and I'm feeling much more confident about getting around. I used Hop Stop to plan my route, and I'm recognizing the stops on the way to the usual places- but when I got off at the planned stop, I went the wrong way. New York is cool in that, by going the wrong way I still found something interesting: now I have a photo in front of the Apollo Theater! I texted Google for directions from the nearest address to my destination, and headed the other way for an hour of dance with the kids. They remembered their small group choreography, and we combined it into a larger piece with some combinations for the whole ensemble together.














After this, the housemates and I headed downtown to ride the Staten Island Ferry, which was cold and windy, but a neat thing to do. We saw the Statue of Liberty on the way. Then we went back north to Soho to see what deals we could find at H&M. I like looking at clothes as much as buying them, so I narrowed my purchase down to a top with some pretty details. This is the first night we got back to the house while it was still daylight! We're relaxing at the house for the evening- tomorrow we'll see some museums and walk Central Park if it doesn't rain too much.

Day 6: Getting the hang of this!

The press came to today's rehearsal, and watched us do our first full run-through including all the new elements of the show in their correct order. Maybe I'll be able to link to a NY Times article with our name on it soon! We had a good run, and it's cool to see the flow of the show beginning to come together.



After rehearsal some of us went over to Our Children again, and there we created sections that we combined to make a children's version of the "crazy" section. My trio had some good ideas! Even though the girl said she's shy about showing her movements, she was soon coming up with more ideas than we had time for! And the boy with us had some fun thoughts that we included- he's a little older, so he was a good leader for our trio when we put our part into the larger piece. It'll be cool to see the kids continue to grow in confidence with their own movements until we have it all onstage!

After this we visited Grant's tomb, which was closed but in a nice area of the Upper West Side. We passed Colombia University and in that area we ate at the diner that is shown on Seinfeld- pretty cool! On the train home, we made plans to hit up some other iconic NY sites like Times Square, Central Park, and the Staten Island Ferry this weekend. Now I'm starting to feel like I can handle the city :)

Day 5: "This is like a dream!"

Here are some buckets I've found since I got to New York ^

After another productive rehearsal where I learned the “church” dance (which I need to work on memorizing still), we went to Our Children in Harlem. I’m so impressed with this organization- the children learn a variety of skills, not just explicitly through the activities they do, but through the values that are built into the program. What we did with them in just an hour of dance also had a lot of value to it.

By having the kids work together across all age groups to strategize and build pyramids of buckets, we give them opportunities for healthy competition and emphasize teamwork. I saw them negotiating social relationships, demonstrating leadership and consideration to each other, thinking strategically and creatively to solve a problem, and generally being very active! Our improvisational games with the buckets, like traveling with the bucket in different ways through the space and creating their own “sculpture garden” dance also really give them a chance to be themselves! As the Gators demonstrated, anything you can come up with is fair game! Each child had a unique way of interacting with the bucket, and I loved seeing their confidence in showing us their phrases! This is something that is worth teaching children to help them really learn the value of their input and their unique perspective- it’s something I’ve learned best through dance, myself.

Bringing the arts to children is so important, most significantly (I feel) because it clearly teaches flexible thinking and encourages confidence in their own value; this is important whether the child goes into the arts or any other life path. One girl I met said she wants to be a professional dancer, and when I talked about how we’ll be performing together onstage in a couple weeks, she said “This is like a dream- it’s like I’m dreaming!” It really is a special opportunity to experience the whole value of dance for these kids- today I really saw what Neta means when she says how important it is to her to be part of the community. The kids responded incredibly to our activities, each one appreciating the whole experience. I was also glad to have Matt and Colette’s examples of activities that really enrich what dance offers to kids, as I enjoy leading workshops for children when I can- I can include more improvisation having seen the absolute ability and eagerness with which these kids responded to today’s choreographic games. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s visit to Our Children!

Day 4: A bridge of buckets to Manhattan

We rehearsed a few more sections of 2,280 today- I learned some of "Tech Ledge" but may not be in that in actual performances. I like to see how it's become independent of the original setting, which was leaning on tech ledge bars above UF's Black Box theater a year ago. Now it's performed without the railing, center stage, and it's even more interesting for that fact! That's happening to a lot of the show, as it develops deeper into- and beyond- what I knew it to be a year ago. Another example of this is the Michael Jackson/Austin Powers/ Broadway spectacular remake- as Neta said, "It's so bad it's good... Screw Michael Jackson!" (The record company didn't give her the rights, prompting these much more fun developments!) Some of the newest parts of this show really are my favorite- for example, I can't get over the "bridge" scene. Whitney's performance of that solo at UF was lovely, and Rebecca's restaging it here- I just love the curious textures of the changing scenery that are created out of a simple row of buckets. The whole show really has an element of magic, more than I first realized a year ago, and it keeps growing!

After rehearsal ended by 3pm, my roommates and I decided we'd like to check out Manhattan. This turned out to be a long day! We had a little trouble getting our bearings when we got off the train there, so we wandered past Chinatown through Little Italy and even into Soho. We never made it to Canal Street for shopping; we realized we'd gone in the wrong direction! So we backtracked past where we started and almost as far as our original goal- but were really ready to eat so we stopped at a place in Little Italy called Il Piccolo Bufalo. I got a huge delicious calzone that I'm looking forward to finishing later :) We decided we'd make it back to Canal Street and the Brooklyn Bridge another day, maybe during show week when we'll have longer mornings free. I still have plans to see art museums, the Botanic Gardens, and a show or two, too.

From dinner, we wandered a bit and decided to go to a free Movement Research showing at Dance Theater Workshop, where we'll also be performing in a couple weeks. When we got to that area, we looked all over for ice cream! There were some neat shops in the Chelsea area, but the ice cream places were either missing or closed!

The showing, which started at 8pm, was for feedback like those we do most weeks in UF's dance program. In a half hour, we saw three works in progress, including a modern solo, a preview of a group piece that will be performed in Washington Park soon, and another belly dance solo. Our little group of Gators didn't stay for the feedback session, because we'd had such a long day and didn't know how long it'd take to get home. It turned out we found a 3 train right from Manhattan to our stop, and with a stop for our sought-after ice cream just around the corner from DTW (Pink Berry fro-yo, even better!), we were home in about 40 minutes. Now it's time to relax!!

Day 3: Movement-- in my body and in the city

I woke up feeling like I danced well yesterday- ahh, bucket bruises on my bum and a little whiplash from La Zous. I think of that as meaning I worked hard. :)

Before rehearsal we went to a donation-based yoga class called Yoga To The People. We used a nifty trip planner called Hop Stop to find our way! Even though we had to re-plan our route and had a delay because of train construction, we arrived early, so we circled the block looking at the many open-air shops and tall buildings. That part of Manhattan is a much cuter part of the city, in my opinion. We buzzed into the second floor of our building. Over 50 people fit into the tiny room, and we did some nice stretches and poses for an hour. I especially liked the explanations and instruction. For example, I learned that we press our thumbs into the mat in poses like Downward Dog because it's the only finger that acts on the bicep!

After that class, we had an hour to get from Manhattan back to our Brooklyn rehearsal space by 4pm. Navigating this was where I finally figured out how to read the subway map I got my first day here. Now I've got it! We arrived just in time with a couple quick train switches, and rehearsal began with about a half hour of individual warm-up. It's a nice opportunity to continue what I've worked on in the morning and to give my body special attention where it needs it. Personally, I always tend to my back and hip flexors- and lately my quads and neck/shoulder area are wanting too, so I take advantage of that. ...Though yesterday's ballet warmup was wonderful too and I'd be glad to have that again soon! (Neta leads a great barre that blends in some nice modern stretches- and she sings the instructions, so it's that much more fun, lol.)

We spent most of today's rehearsal resetting the Michael Jackson piece to new music. I think having the Austin Powers theme song stuck in my head is worth it- the new version is great! I wasn't originally part of that piece, so I learned a section of it today as we reworked it, and it was fun! We also ran everything we did yesterday, and I continue to recall and relearn details. For the second day of rehearsals, I feel like we're pretty productive! The show is even more fun to be part of the second time around!

Back home, it's time to relax now :) Rehearsal starts much earlier tomorrow, at 10am!

Day 2: Sounds and Sights/ First Rehearsal

Was yesterday a holy day for Muslims? Or can I expect beautiful amplified sourceless chanting to happen at 6pm, 9pm... and 4:30am every day? I woke up a few times to sounds of cars at all hours, including a siren that another sleeper described as sounding like "laser tag." This morning I remembered that I did in fact pack ear plugs.

Rehearsal today was great! I haven't done La Zous, "Korean," or "1,2,3" for a while- those are the pieces I was part of today. It was fun to remember what I've done before, and to learn the details of performing it with New York quality. There were a couple new sections that have been in development since I was part of 2,280 last summer- the new parts may be my favorites! They really have new beautiful, fun, and crazy qualities that I can't wait to see on stage! Mark Morris Dance Center had a beautiful space, and time flew by with all the bucket fun!

Tonight some dancers have plans to meet friends in New York- personally, I'm home for the evening, as I'm still getting my bearings here. It's not the people or the traffic that intimidate me, but the huge buildings everywhere, and partly the fact that I have no idea what's inside them!

Here's a photo of where we rehearse:

We wandered a little after getting off the train to rehearsal, and found a Target near our studio so I bought dancing snacks. The interesting thing was that it was hidden within a secret mall that was piled up about three stories high between all the other same-looking buildings! And I can only imagine how many elevators are in this city, since all the buildings are so tall!

Even our rehearsal space was on the fifth floor, and it was the entire floor, because of how small but high each building is. There was a nice view from the little balcony outside the studio, though- it was sunny and breezy overlooking the area while we snacked in a rehearsal break. I could go for that again tomorrow :)

Day 1: Arrival in New York

The airlines successfully got me and my luggage to New York in perfect time! As we flew in, I saw about 20 baseball fields in about two minutes- they seem to like that sport here! I managed to find my M60 bus at the airport, pay with coins, and get my gigantic luggage on board. There was a helpful man who I think of as the Luggage Hero who helped me and others keep our bags in order on the rack, as he let me know I’d be on the bus for a while to get to my stop. It was about a 45 minute ride. I kept looking out the window, noticing the hominess New Yorkers create within their small sections of land with flowering trees and bushes and kids riding bikes between tall housing buildings. Another kind man pointed out where my stop would be, and after disembarking and some slightly confused street-crossings with Neta directing me by phone, I found my way down the street where she buzzed me into her Harlem apartment- it’s a pretty, cozy place on this urban corner!

For a first impression, New Yorkers are very friendly! I’m glad I wasn’t afraid to bus it alone- having traveled in places where people speak other languages, this wasn’t so bad at all! We soon headed to Archie’s place, which is where five of us Gators are staying together the next three weeks. When Lindsay arrived at Neta's, we hauled our luggage back down five flights and over to Archie’s by train. We figured out that buying three weeks of 7-day MTA passes is most cost effective for getting around the city. It looks like I’ll be learning to use the trains pretty well these few weeks!

With about five different subway trains on my new unlimited pass, Neta, Lindsay and I made it to Bravo and Archie’s Brooklyn place which is disguised as a law office for rent. It’s a very urban area- we took some more trains and walked a while to get an early dinner at The New Apollo Diner, and returned to find a grocery store. We ended up walking to a nearby C Town to get some basics to hold us for a while. We’ll see about going to class tomorrow morning before our first rehearsal- I’m thinking yoga, since I hear it’s cheap and I’m in the mood for that. Time to call family and let them know how it’s been so far!