Dearest readers, friends, family, and colleagues,

Today marks the completion of 10 years of this blog! This week has been a sweet moment to reflect on this time and this journey.

Because I could not resist, I indeed went back and counted the number of posts from the past decade. The current count is 1381! I have so much gratitude for every person who took the time to write a piece, to share their viewpoints and paths, and to contribute to this site for voice, dialogue, reflection, and celebration of modern and contemporary dance. Readership varies per month – from a few hundred to over 5000. Thrilled to see as of today there are 204,919 reads/clicks, which averages to 1,707 a month. (I know compared to some big blogs, this is nothing. But within the modern dance realm, how many dance books have had 204,000 people pick up a copy?)

Ten years ago, I was teaching full-time at The Hamlin School in San Francisco. I was still performing, and my kids were just 4 and 6. Thank you to dear friends Rebecca Johnson and Mo Miner for supporting me at that moment in August 2012 when I wanted to start this little project. Thank you to colleague Katie Faulkner for saying yes and writing the first artist profile! Thank you to colleagues Melecio Estrella, Nadia Oka, Doug Gillespie, Rachael Leonard, Mike Barber, Ashley Thorndike-Youssef, Tamara Riewe, and Annie Rosenthal Parr for completing the first 10 artist profiles on LAAMD.

I started the blog because I wanted to share and amplify more stories of dancers over 30 and to offer a full picture of their lives in dance – which included teaching, holding non-dance jobs, managing injuries, exploring multiple interests, and much more. I wanted to read what I myself was not seeing in other dance publications. And at the same time, I aspired to have this content (free, online, fresh…) be used as reading material in undergraduate classes to support the next generation of dancers. The seed/inspiration for this idea came from a pivotal discussion my senior year in college with guest artist Keith Johnson. I held onto that story – and his honesty and open heart – for years. Read more about it here and Keith's artist profile, which was the 100th piece on the site.

So, the artist profiles were the main idea for years – self-interviews with artists about their dance background, career paths, goals, and dreams. But over the years I realized that the blog platform could support other important, often underdiscussed, topics as well. I took joy in seeking out new topics and questions percolating in the field. I started to add new features each year – such as the Arts Administrator's Alphabet, a running list of MFA programs in the U.S., My Dance Week, and One Good Quote. I loved playing with durational projects – offering something once a week or once a month (gratitude project, writers' workshop, Dance+Change, 365 Words…).

Then in recent years, due to a gaping hole in dance performance coverage in the SF Bay Area, I started publishing reviews and reflections of local events. I gathered an incredible roster of writers who also wanted to cover the performances and continue to expand how and why we write about dance. It is really important for me to name and thank these incredible writers: Bhumi B. Patel, Sima Belmar, Garth Grimball, Audrey Johnson, Sarah JG Chenoweth, Molly Rose-Williams, and Todd Courage.

During the pandemic in 2021, I had the wonderful opportunity to have my first intern from Wayne State University, Camryn Eaglin! Camryn and I kept projects going, and hope and curiosity alive, during a very rough pandemic patch. Camryn has since graduated from college and is now a paid writer for the blog too. Check out her most recent interview with Dr. Doug Risner here.

As you will see, during the last 2 years I have not published as many posts as prior years. The reason for this is a big one. I have committed to paying every writer a stipend. I am very proud of this commitment.

Thank you for taking the time to read this little musing today, and I look forward to the years ahead with the project! I would love to quote a few pieces from the blog over the years:

question everything.

speaking of questions, there is a difference between the question "should i dance, be a dancer?" and "how can i dance/be a dancer in this moment?" and "how can i make this happen?"

-Shelley Senter, Artist Profile #57 (2/22/2014)

Shelley Senter

I think the biggest thing I’ve learned and am continuing to learn in my 40s is that the messiness that I refer to above is not something that needs to be formalized or contained. Dance for me has become a much more global and holistic practice that doesn’t always find its container in the body moving according to learned behaviors or historicized forms. It’s a philosophy, it’s a spiritual act, it’s perceptual gymnastics, it’s time traveling, it’s psycho-emotional excavation, it’s social communion. The other thing that I’ve realized and something that is not necessarily a comfort is that once you reach a certain stage, not determined by age always, meaning the more the world opens up to you through this elusive practice called dance, there is no turning back.

-Jeanine Durning, Artist Profile #89 (4/04/2015)

Jeanine Durning. Photo: Ian Douglas.

Improvisation – my life in general at the moment. Every move I make from waking up to falling asleep is a study in improvisation. How I use my desires and goals to get me through the day. All I’ve got is time and not many people, places, or things asking much of me. I feel like a professional juggler standing on one leg juggling one small ball. I'm used to using so much more of me; it's a constant study in figuring out what I can do with my other limbs while I hold on to just one thing.

-Jae Neal, Shelter-in-Place Dance Dictionary (5/14/2020)

Jae Neal. Photo: Aeric Meredith-Goujon.

I will be sending out many thank you notes this week, and here I want to share 3 thank yous in particular to Chris Randall, Sima Belmar, and Valerie Gutwirth. My wonderful husband Chris has lovingly supported this project every week, along with a variety of other ideas, dreams, and aspirations. Sima Belmar, longtime friend and colleague, remains my north star with writing – about integrity, curiosity, and continued growth and learning. And Valerie Gutwirth – another longtime friend and colleague of 20+ years – listens to every new, hair-brained idea and says "yes!" to being a part of many of them, including this blog throughout the past 10 years. Love and gratitude to Chris, Sima, and Val!

Last, I hope that you will continue to be a part of it too! Here are 4 ideas:

• Please bookmark the blog on your computer or "Like" the Facebook Page. Those are the 2 of the easiest ways to stay connected.
• Share the blog with a colleague or student. This means so much to me, and you help continue to expand the conversation.
• I am always looking for writers and pitches for pieces. Write anytime to randalldanceprojects@gmail.com. This can be about an artist, upcoming show, new book, or initiative.
• Last, if you are able, I am seeking 100 readers/fans this month to contribute $20/each. This funding will nurture the writing for the rest of 2022. 100% of these donations will fund writers. Please consider donating today via Venmo (Life as a Modern Dancer, @Jill-Randall-6 ) or Patreon. Many, many thanks! (If you are wondering, the cost of running the blog is about $6000 a year.)

I end here by saying – the Life as a Modern Dancer Blog has brought me so much joy over the past 10 years. Reading fellow dancers' life stories, and having them open their hearts, is just breathtaking. And with the posts I personally created over the years to offer resources, ideas, and guiding questions – it is my pleasure and joy to help others, connect others, and contribute to the dance field.

Thank you for being an integral part of this project!

With love and gratitude,

Jill Randall
Berkeley, CA (August 13, 2022)

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