Day 42: December 7, 2010.

I've been absolutely exhausted all day today.  Between the 20 hours of rehearsal put in for the gala in such a short amount of time to the adrenaline rush of the whole experience yesterday, I was hit with that post-performance crash when I woke up this morning!  (Luckily I got to spend the night and morning in the hotel with my awesome mom, who came up and watched the gala.  It was really weird when she got off the subway at 34th Street to catch her bus and I kept going the next three stops to Union Square, but though it was short lived, I appreciated time and her willingness and excitement to come to the city for less than 24 hours nonetheless!!)
At this point, knowing that I really am going to be pretty much coasting through the next nine (well, eight) days is enough to keep me breathing with as clear a mind as possible.  I've got two in class finals, one take-home, and a few more busywork assignments to get finished, but that's it, folks!
My bus ticket has been reserved for next Thursday :) After my music exam I'll be grabbing my bags and making my way uptown to the corner of W. 34th St. and 8th Ave. to catch a Washington Deluxe bus to head on back to VA for a few weeks of family and friends!  I'm so looking forward to all that is to come!

But at this moment, taking a night of rest without schoolwork makes me happy :)

Day 41: December 6, 2010.

I'm sorry this is a day late! Unfortunately I had no access to any computers yesterday due to the hectic schedule of the events of the day, but here's why it was a fabulous day :)

First of all, my dance history final paper is turned in and out of my hands!  That's always SUCH a happy time :)

Secondly, and probably one of the more exciting experiences I've had in my dance "career" thus far was performing at the Tisch Gala.

Click here for an article :)

It truly was a spectacular event, and we knew it really was real when the first dressing room we came upon was Robin Williams' (the second being Whoopi Goldberg's), after having to enter through the theater's stage door.  We were given real tags on real lanyards with a card labeling us as part of the "Tisch Gala-Cast."  We had hair and makeup stylists doing our, you guessed it, hair and makeup, making me feel very professional in my 1950's-inspired look.  The red carpet outside the theater welcomed the night's celebrity appearances, financial contributers and all other ticket holders.  Marsha Gay Harden chatted with us backstage as she and Jesse L. Martin (for you musical people, the original Collins in Rent on Broadway and in the feature film, for you TV fans, a Law and Order regular--whether that's past or current I'm not sure) waited for their cue to go on stage to give the opening words for the night's performance.  We danced on stage with some members of one of the notable jazz bands that performed at 111 Second Avenue (the current home of Tisch's dance department, a.k.a. where I spend many waking hours of every day) who performed there in the '50s when it was a public dance hall during the jazz sessions that Billy Crystal's dad ran.  In between his short spiel and our closing number, during Billy's acceptance speech after he'd received his award, Robin Williams chatted with us backstage for a bit.  Tony Bennett and Dustin Hoffman were spotted during the dinner reception afterwards.

I'm feeling like saying I was "star struck" is a bit of an understatement :)

Today--well, yesterday--the ability to share the stage with and be inspired by such great talent, and the great blessing it was to share in the whole experience with the people that I did makes me happy :)

(Tisch dancers for the 2010 Gala :))

Day 40: December 5, 2010.

Tomorrow night I get to perform alongside an amazing cast of dancers chosen from NYU's dance department at the annual Tisch Gala fundraiser.

We'll be performing here at Rose Hall in Lincoln Center:

The theater seats 1,100 and we've been informed that it's a sold out show :)

At the end of rehearsal this evening, we'll have rehearsed for tomorrow's performance a total of 20 hours in five days and I've got to say, some awesome, upbeat, energetic numbers are going to be opening and closing the show!  This is an incredible opportunity for us all and I'm so thankful to be able to be a part of this experience!  Especially since we're going to be sharing the stage with a number of acclaimed celebrities, from various Broadway performers to film and television actors and actresses to Honoree Billy Crystal himself.  

And my mom is coming up to watch and take part in all the fun herself :)

Today, exciting performance opportunities and the artistic community make me happy :)

Day 39: December 4, 2010.

To all who have been following this blog, I want to apologize that the past few entries have been short with little explanation.  Because of the amount of things that have been going on and how little time there is to even breathe, let alone get anything done, my brain is just about fried and I actually can't even think complete thoughts anymore.  (Or hold decent conversations with meaning!  Haha!)  I promise when things slow down I'll posting like normal!

But for today, this really needs no explanation.  This is something I'm thankful for every single day, especially in stressful, frustrating times such as these:

Today, this Book and every piece of wisdom and knowledge it contains makes me happy :)

Day 38: December 3, 2010.

FRIDAY :)


> Surprisingly good ballet class this morning!
> Dance history paper...well on its way!
> Gala rehearsal tonight!  SO much fun!  (If I was unsure before, I'm completely sure now...I think it would be absolutely amazing to dance on Broadway.  Here's to hoping it's in the cards for me!)
> Pandora Christmas radio.
> Oatmeal.  Any time of the day.
> A makeup-free face and sweats.  (Love my "job"!)
> The fact that I was able to open my eyes and awaken to another new day :)

Today, the ability to find peace amongst the chaos makes me happy :)

Day 37: December 2, 2010.

I'm pretty sure every college student is fully aware of the fact that the fall semester is coming to a close.  In a few short weeks we'll all be shutting the schoolbooks for awhile and going into holiday/rest/family/friend/vacation mode.  Actually, I can only speak for myself, but I can say with confidence that I am already there for sure.  My mind is already set to December 16th, two weeks from today, when I'll be finishing my music final, getting on the bus with my suitcase and bags and heading south for a good few weeks of Virginia!

But that's not for two weeks.  I can't be so wishful about future events that I stop enjoying the things that are happening right now!  So today, these thoughts are what are going through my sleepy brain and keeping me going:

-Monday I'll be on stage at the Lincoln Center, dancing alongside Billy Crystal and other acclaimed celebrities.  We started rehearsing last night and it was a blast :)
-I'm really thankful for the dance teachers here at Tisch.  They know when we're dragging and are in need of a bit of a break, so toward the end of each rotation they've been known to have "chatting" days, which are just big discussion days.  No dancing, just talking.  Today was one of them in modern.  SO thankful.
-My weekly chiropractor appointment always makes me feel so much better after I leave the office.
-My friends rock.  They're just amazing.
-I love feeling healthy.
-I love the sun.
-I love music and singing along to it.

But the biggest thing these days that's keeping my stress level from becoming a monster of an emotional mess is the joyous spirit of the holiday season.  I know I keep dwelling on how wonderful this time of year is, but I really can't get over how happy I get when I just stop myself and think about the time of year we're in.  The holiday season is everywhere, so just knowing that I get to live my days consumed in its peace and spirit seems to overpower any frustration I find myself having, causing me to remember that it's all going to be okay in the end!

Today on this sleepy Thursday, it's the little things make me happy :)

Day 36: December 1, 2010.

I really can't believe that it's December 1st.  Where the heck has this year gone?!

Tonight's "like" is short and sweet...

Today, the 1014 Christmas Tree makes me happy :)