Five Years of Ceaseless Adventure

I want to go. And I want to be human.

The beauty and eternal wonder of this earth–such a colorful, growing, changing earth–inspire my own creativity as the Creator makes for me a new adventure every single day. My name was written on His heart before I knew it myself, and I wanted to know it. My dreams, desires, fears and idiosyncrasies are always teaching me more and more about the living, breathing Aquinnah, in the midst of space and time. Like the earth, I’m always growing, always changing and adapting. It’s not always easy, not always fun– but it is a part of being human, and I am. I am only human. And I’m proud of that.

It is an overwhelming joy to wake up to a family who loves and cares for me, who is near even when far and who inspires me to continue growing and persevering, even when it’s hard. It is an enormous blessing to have friends who are honest with me, who stand up for me and who put up with my oddities on a daily basis in person, over the phone and through mail. It is an honor to learn from teachers who invest so much into making me stronger, healthier and generally happier. It is mind-boggling to know that you, my readers, from all over the world, have continued to read and support me for the last five years of my journey. I could never, never thank each beautiful person in my life enough for being. Just being. Being themselves, being in my heart and being human with me.

We survived Cecchetti exams, assistant teaching, Nutcracker, master classes and intensives, five pairs of pointe shoes, photo shoots, uncountable rehearsals and performances, sickness and injury, Firebird, an internship, tens of books and four birthdays. We thrived. And we’re not finished.

I live to scream without making a sound, moving out of time and into music. I love it. I wanted to come, and I wanted to dance. I want to inspire people as they inspire me.

So, thank you for five years of scribblings, and excitement, and worry and triumph. Thank you for listening without hearing my voice and following along with me as I continue to grow. This blog is a piece of my world– memories. And I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about them almost as much as I’ve loved living and writing about them.

Happy summer, lovelies! Twenty-three hours until dance. Ceaseless adventure.

This post is dedicated to the 125,000 beautiful babies who said, “I want to go,” and, today, were robbed of their chance and to Miss Bethanny, who told me to put chocolate milk in my cereal.

Much love,

I11.1

Three Ways to Summer Semester

Going into summer semester at the studio can be exhilarating and exhausting all at once, so gear up for three ways to smile, be challenged and get into shape!

Three Ways to Make a Dancer Smile

  1. Put her in modern class. Even though my modern-dancer pas de chats make me feel like I’m part of a western hoedown, I got to ditch the awkward Cecchetti arms for a class.
  2. Tell her that she’s getting new pointe shoes in September. Russian pointes, I love you dearly, but oy with the poodles already. Every time I break you in, you come back stronger!
  3. Drive her to the studio after three weeks. It’s like being home again. Coffee dates with sisters and sneaking up on baby bunnies– yep.

Three Ways to Challenge a Dancer

  1. Put her in improv class. I left totally uncomfortable and racking my brain, so…. I think it was good. And I think it will get easier. For now, I’ll be shuffling up my iPod and thinking about dynamics.
  2. Give her The Deathly Hallows and tell her to read a chapter without crying. Then, give her a blueberry muffin because that’ll help with the tears.
  3. Tell her to do 56 releves on pointe. And then remind her to put her feet in a bucket of ice because otherwise, she’ll be in a lot of pain.

Three Ways to Get into Shape after Break

  1. Stretch. And don’t forget. It’s important. I should know. I barely made it down the stairs this morning.
  2. Learn how to do a jazz-style hitch kick. They’re ridiculously fun, even if I look ridiculous doing them.
  3. Take class with teachers who really care about you and how you perform– teachers who know your best and want to see you excel. The best teachers make class challenging and instill passion; they’re truly one of God’s great gifts to humanity, and I’m blessed to be surrounded by them.
Here’s to a beautiful summer!
Aquinnah