This week, we are lucky to have San Francisco Bay Area dancer Julie Crothers writing for the blog, sharing about her experience at New Dialect's Winter Intensive in Nashville, TN. (Julie is joined by two other Bay Area artists, Nina Wu and Courtney Armani.)

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Here's day 3:

What's settling in? The soreness, the pathways, the rigor, the ease in flow, the commute to Centennial Park, feelings of accomplishment, the morning ritual (which is requiring a lot of rolling, stretching, wiggling, and breakfast, lots of breakfast).

What are you excited about for tomorrow? After spending all of today working on intricate partner work, I'm excited to sleep on it and revisit the partner phrase tomorrow. It ain't easy! But it makes so much sense, and is delivered in such a clear and patient way that it's digestible, straight forward, and totally do-able. Today I found myself flipping and flying in ways I never thought I'd be able to. I felt strong and supported and like I was able to access a part of me who hasn't had a place in a dance studio in a long, long time. It was fun! Tomorrow we're going to expand on the structure of the phrase, bring in some other elements, and make it more of a thing that's happening rather than some cool moves we are executing. I'm really excited for that. 🙂

What is inspiring you to bring back to inform your performing next week in the Bay Area? Shannon [Gillen Lipinski] reminded us at the end of the day, after cycling though the partner phrase in groups several times: "Remember, it's happening to you." To you, to the mammal that you are, with blood, and feelings, and allergies, and histories, and eyeballs, and all the things that make us real. This I take with me for sure. How can I feel more alive in my performance and less like I'm performing something cool or funny for someone to look at? What is it actually that is happening? Who am I in the work anyways? In the piece I'll be performing next week, This Could Be A Choking Hazard, I also incorporate as props dozens of tiny rubber animals which serve many purposes, practically and abstractly, but I'm inspired to think about how they can be less of a "prop" and more of an essential presence, existing right next to the living and breathing one onstage, informing and participating in everything that is happening.

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