Where the heck did this week go?  I honestly am amazed it is already Saturday...ah well.
So, this was the second week of classes at Eden's with Luis, however my jaunts to Sleepy Hollow and then some sight seeing I did with my dear friend Karen and her parents sent my left foot to a place called swollen town. :( 

So I had to force myself to sit out, and I did not attend friday morning class. On a "sad but trying not to be sad" note, Karen has returned to Ireland. I miss her very much, but we are connecting on skype and she has wonderful dance news up and coming in her own neck of the woods. To keep up with Karen, check out her site here

However, this week Melissa West resumed rehearsals for Pretty Little Things, set to debut on June 18th in Staten Island (also-That is my fathers birthday! Just like old times, isn't it Dad? I was always dancing in my childhood school recitals  on his birthday!) 
Melissa's rehearsals are like trips into your inner childhood happy impulses. The five of us (Melissa West, Laura Brandel, Kat Gorsuch, and Melissa Knestaut) hula hoop, sing, gogo dance, and dance like bugs to our hearts content. I believe we will have an amazing show, and I'll be sure to keep the information available here. Check out Melissa's site here

In addition to Pretty Little Things, Melissa will be restaging People in the Sun, an excerpt from Pictures her senior choreographic project at Hunter College which I had the pleasure of dancing in it's original creation and casting. Kat Gorsuch will be joining in this duet. 

Melissa has invited me onto the bill as a guest artist, and I will be debuting a solo, When Was the Last Time you Danced? based on my current film work of the same title. I'll incorporate quotes, video, and audience participation to give an interesting glimpse of my present research.

Speaking of my film-I am scheduling my final interviews, most notably with one Ruth E. Grauert, also known as Reg. Reg is the director of Bearnstow in Mt. Vernon, Maine. It was there that I have been influenced and transformed by the invaluable lessons of the environment of people, dance, and work. I cannot wait to interview Reg this Thursday-look out for a preview!

TODAY WAS HUGE!!!

First, I met Karen and her parents and aunts at the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market around 12 or so. We didn't stay long, and Karen and I had a bigger goal in mind: GET OUT OF NEW YORK CITY. One day. Nature. Spooky Things. These elements, of course add up to taking the Metro-North to Sleepy Hollow. 

So, we traipsed off to grand central, caught the 1:20 towards Croton-Harmon, and basked in our take off. I was making a video along the way (soon to be edited) about our excursion and we were H U N G R Y, with no time to eat before departure. 

40 minutes later, we are in Sleepy Hollow, and it begins to rain. We walked on the highway, smelling the grass (I miss that smell here in Bushwick), and trying to to get hit by cars. We clearly didn't look at the map correctly, but you know what? It was fun. We saw daffodils and beautiful homes and found the cemetery quite easily.  Like I said, Karen and I were really hungry, so we walked a bit further to the Horseman Diner for a Burger and a Rueben. 

Full up, we walked back out into the wind and rain. Our umbrellas were bending shields, but we were still all smiles. We explored Philpsburg Manor  and heard some stories from the actors, checked out the sheep, and got an in-depth tour of the manor house. We crossed the street into the cemetery to check out Irvings grave, but it was 5pm and completely pouring. We shortened our trek, walked the correct route to the train station, and put some more images to video. 

After a lovely orange cream Magnolia's cupcake in grand central compliments of Karen, we parted ways. I headed to Hunter College to see "Sharing the Legacy, Alwin Nikolais" It was the last event in a year long celebration of Nikolais centennial. An enormous tribute to his creativity and foresight, the event was filled with works such as Pond, Tensile Involvement, Mechanical Organ, Water Studies, Imago, and Gallery, reconstructed by Alberto Del Saz. 

The really special moment of the night for me was of course Aviary. Only performed once before, Aviary was restaged and reconstructed by Gerald Otte. Otte is a Professor at Hunter College and danced with Nik for many years. I loved seeing my classmates perform such a rare and beautiful work, and of course I was so sad I didn't audition last fall. Ah, well. We win some, we lose some. It was excellent to have the moment to be an audience member and really be influenced by the art form in it's final presentation, rather than the process. I think seeing shows is just as important as going to class. It keeps your eye on the prize, reminding you that while the journey is and can feel paramount, the audience sees the final destination. 

If you ever can, please see any Nikolais work. It won't disappoint you with it's amazing mind bending creativity, and before it's time total visual theater. 

I admit I'd like to write more, but the day-oh the day, it gets away from me. 

This morning I decided to sleep in and really relax. I didn't budge out of bed until 10:00 am. What a rebel, I know! It's inventory day in the Carafice Bushwick abode. I'm detailing my resumes, and applying to performance opportunities and generally taking an office day to manage my life. Every artist needs to take stock, and make sure they are on the right track! I am going for a Thai Yoga massage later, and I'm really curious about it. I've heard quite a bit, but never really anything with lots of detail. All I know is that I have been opening up my joints more and I feel looser and more vulnerable, so I want to take extra care that I don't get hurt. 


I've added some of my past videos to the video section of this site, so please check them out. I am also currently working on a film titled "When was the Last Time You Danced?" 
If you'd like to be interviewed for my film, please contact me and we can set up an interview date. The usual interview takes approximately 5-15 minutes, unless you are really jazzed about talking about dance (like I am).

I am also in collaboration with Mark Ince, a fellow student and artist at Hunter College for a film project currently titled "Pablo" exploring the creativity of the three Pablos: Nerauda, Picasso, Casals. Each a master of their art, I will be exploring Picasso through dance. Updates and video studies to come!