Life is Good.

Loveliness all around these past two days! Beautiful performances, rediscoveries and good news.

Yesterday evening began with a trip to Raleigh to attend the NC State U fall dance concert. But before I head over to the theater, I meet a young woman near campus to make a wedding dress hand-off! I'm delighted that the Wedding Dress Project is taking off. I have amazing pictures from creative ladies, I have secured two (soon to be three!) wedding dresses by donation, and now I only need to move on the third step of the project. The third step of the project will involve creating wearable separates from the dresses (I am collaborating with a costume design colleague of mine at HPU), and find an organization through which we can pair these clothes with women who can use them.

After the hand-off, I made my way over to the theater. There, I stop in at the adjacent art gallery, The Gregg, to kill some time before curtain. The exhibit features mid-century modern pieces for home and for wear. I see beautiful dresses from the 1950's, just like the ones Mackenzie and I wore in "Kitchen Table." I see architectural examples of the era, as well as home objects. This collection of things reflects a time in our country when people were experiencing a new sense of luxury, given the end of WWII. Rationing was over, and society was looking forward to a more modern, stylish, carefree (perceived) existence. Flouncy, full skirts and stylish smoking jackets for entertaining guests in the new suburban culture, buildings with bold, energetic lines boasting a new, strong image for the country and home furnishings in all those easy colors, flowing shapes, screaming of ease and convenience. Yes, the idea of the era sounds lovely. Of course, we know this was not exactly the case. Moreover, one of the first things that comes to my mind is the fact that this new luxury was mostly a white ideal. I wonder how people of color were participating in this new ideal. Given that this period in our history was before the civil rights movement, how were people of color left behind in this ideal? Did a lucky, affluent few get to engage in the activities of the day, or were these consumer-driven activities largely left to the majority race, as a cultural disconnect? I will as my grandparents for their opinions.

After I left the art gallery, it was time for the show to begin! I took my seat right at the top of the arena. The theater, which holds hundreds, looks pleasantly full. Though the peripheral sections of the theater are empty, the middle sections alone can hold about two hundred, as I count rows of seats. The middle sections are full! I'm happy to see so many come out for a dance event. I always feel that it is hardest to get people out to dance events in comparison to other types of events. The show begins with an absolutely stunning piece entitled, "Museum," choreographed by the group of students who danced it, inspired by the current exhibition in the Gregg. The young ladies danced the piece with sensitivity and it was evident that they invested themselves in the project fully. The subsequent pieces in the concert were a mixture of student and faculty work. In the student pieces, I could see the influence of Robin, the head of the program there, in the students' use of gesture and subtlety. There were some lovely offerings. Laura's and my piece, "Common Threads," was left for the final slot in the show. It was wonderful to see the culmination of our work on stage, with all the lights, the costumes and the professional approach of the dancers. Seeing the piece on stage, and hearing our original music fill that large space got my brain brewing on how we can continue to grow the work. The unique space of the theater brought new dimension to the piece in ways that were unexpected, but made me think differently about aesthetic choices I made in the piece. The work is definitely still in process, but the students did such a wonderful job, and the piece looked great!

Following yesterday evening's activities, I decided to take Brenda (a former professor of mine at UNC School of the Arts) up on an invite she extended to me to come and take class with her. On the way over this morning, I was anxious about what being back in class might feel like. Would I leave sore as could be? Would I be bad, or clumsy? After all, it's been years since I've had a Cunningham style technique class. When I got to the school, I went into the studio, and immediately noticed how old I felt compared to the college students there. Though I am not so far away from my experience at UNCSA (almost six years), my recent life and professional experiences have separated me from the students. Once class begins, I am happy to find that the exercises are easily brought forward from the back of my mind. As the class progresses, I am having so much fun! Brenda's class is spot-on, and is like eating your peas (I like peas, by the way) just as I remember it being. She lightens the atmosphere with much humor, while still encouraging her students toward growth. I wasn't worried about how I looked, I wasn't worried about being perfect, and I allowed myself to take the class as a therapeutic opportunity, instead of an opportunity to abuse and scrutinize my body, the way I would have back in college. Today I left with my joints and muscles feeling happy, and no soreness to speak of. A healthy sweat left my skin glowing. I will be back to class during the weeks ahead!

The last little bit of wonderfulness involves my job at High Point U. Finally, after much waiting, it is official, in writing, that I am to be appointed to the position of full time instructor of dance! I'm so excited. I am looking forward to consolidating my efforts into one institution, and being able to focus my energies outside of work, since I won't have to work four jobs. My hope, is that I can get my out-of-work energies more focused on my artwork, and I hope this will mean that I can take my artwork to the next level. The good thing about that desire is the fact that I feel supported by HPU in this endeavor, and that the school may serve, in many instances, as a platform for me to show work, to make work and to experiment.

Life is good.

~Cara