Final Engagement

And here I am, just days after my wedding bliss, back at work. Since arriving home, I have taught three yoga classes, been to the dance studio, edited shots for our film and signed some contracts for the coming season. It never stops. If there is one thing I can say about being an artist, there is never a dull moment.

The most pressing event on my plate right now is the Goose Route Dance Festival. Mackenzie will arrive tomorrow, bright and early for a day of rehearsal before leaving for West Virginia on Wednesday morning. We will spend five days in Shepherdstown, WV dancing, showing our films, meeting fellow artists and taking in the scenery of this beautiful diamond-in-the-rough-town. Mackenzie and I have danced at this festival before, and I must say, it is one of our favorite experiences of the past three years. Not only is the dance festival a wonderful, lively happening, where enthusiastic audience members recognize you on the brick-laid sidewalk and invite you to lunch, where artists forge lasting relationships, and where movement arts can thrive, there is another wonderful part. The Contemporary American Theater Festival happens literally across the street, and features the work of up and coming playwrights in a variety of intimate theater spaces at Shepherd University. The two festivals are not so much in competition I'd say, as much as in concert with each other, sharing audience members and feeding interest for each other. It's a lovely experience, to participate in a performance at Goose Route, then walk across the street to watch a play, and come back to Goose Route to partake in a master class. Art abounds here over the few weeks these festivals are on. And the setting is inspirational, too.

Shepherdstown is a beautiful, old place. Many of the buildings have been left largely unchanged since the 1700's and 1800's. It is quaint, and the people there have worked to keep the history of the place alive. Shepherdstown is not far from D.C. and many people who work in D.C. or have lived there come to, or live in or near Shepherdstown, and thus, Shepherdstown gives off an air of patriotism, but not the kind that would scare you away. In the same breath, Shepherdstown seems a laid back town, where people stop for padestrians, drive nicely and eat a lot of tofu. I like Shepherdstown, and am happy to be returning. I plan to relish our time there, but will be happy when our final engagement of the summer is complete. After the festival, I plan to enjoy the remaining few weeks of my summer, as I am in denial that I am very much looking forward to fall. Maybe I can hit the beach one more time.

~Cara