summer – Dancing Angel

07/17/2017

I Hope You Dance

Five years. I’ve been posting here for five years.

In June of 2012, I decided to share my dance experience with the big, wide world. I thought that it would be a lot of fun to keep a record of my adventures in pre-professional balletland. I never dreamed that I would one day be able to watch myself evolve from a wannabe professional dancer into an author who loves to dance.

This blog has been many things to me, but looking at it today, it is only one thing: a gift. Plain and simple. I will forever remember where I came from and how I got here.

Who I am today has been influenced–in very large part–by my family, both immediate and adoptive. These five years have turned my dearest friends into sisters and brothers. They’ve turned my teachers into mentors. My passion for dance could never have existed or continued to exist without these people.

Here, I must admit that I’m hesitant to post this because I’m terrible at goodbyes. So, I’ll give you an update instead.

I am currently apprenticing with Ms. Sara in Pre-Training, learning the ins and outs of her teaching style that has made such an impact on my life. If I tried to sum up everything she’s taught me… well… I couldn’t. And I’m kind of trying not to cry, so here come the facts. The scary facts first, I suppose.

My family is moving again. Duh duh duhhhh (like you didn’t see that coming, amiright?)

Beginning in October, I will be apprenticing with Praxis, a nine-month-long entrepreneurial program. I plan to take both Advanced Worship and Advanced Modern this coming year, at least until the commute between work and the studio becomes impossible (but hey, you’re welcome to pray with me that that doesn’t happen!).

Happy fact, though: Praxis requires me to have a personal website. So, rather than saying goodbye, just meet me over here. Same me, new feel.

Still, I want my last words here to mean something. I’m 99% sure that this is how I ended my last post, but these are the words in my heart today, so I’m going to say them again.

When you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I HOPE YOU DANCE.

And I’ll do the same.

Know every day that I appreciate you, lovely dancers, more than words could ever express. Thank you for your loyalty and your love. You have mine.

Always,

Aquinnah xoxo

08/08/2016

Summer Then and Summer Right Now

Summer at the end of May was a whirlwind– the beginning of change. I completed my junior year of high school and friends graduated. And I, in June, and despite my valiant efforts to ignore the fact, began my last summer at the studio.

June taught me to cope with the changes. Senior year can’t possibly be any more difficult than junior year, right? And true friends, even when apart, remain true in the end. Every day of my life is a testament to that. Likewise, dance remains dance, and I feel incredibly blessed to have experienced another summer at the studio, with my beloved family. I wouldn’t trade the past seven weeks for all the time in the world.

July had a few bumps, but I was able to attend the Desperation Conference with thousands of other teens, and it was there that I found within myself a Holy Spirit who called me, “fearless” and “free.” How beautiful it is to worship a God who can make the fearful brave.

One week into August, I am walking in the certainty that I am never alone. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, you could find me worshiping alongside my sisters at Gather, for our last performance of Daylight. It was an honor and a joy to meet so many new faces and to praise with them all. Thanks to Ms. Tina, Miss Athena, Miss Cheri and Ms. Sara for an eye-opening three days.

Summer right now is cardboard boxes and packing tape for my family’s twelfth move. It’s college applications, and senior solos and mixed emotions. All in all though, summer right now is pretty near perfect.

xoxo

Gather

06/28/2016

Presenting Leaps and Turns Magazine

Leaps and Turns Website

It’s been a hectic month! Dance classes have begun (i.e. sore muscles), I’m filling out college applications and yes, of course we’re being entrepreneurial again!

As our [very beautiful– check it out] website so eloquently puts it…

Leaps and Turns Magazine is a purposefully unique publication, the first of its kind in the region, and it serves to promote and encourage the performing arts in Colorado Springs through print and online media. Leaps and Turns features people, places, performances and the many industry related services the area has to offer. The Leaps and Turns team strives to connect the performing arts community, while inspiring creativity in our friends and neighbors.

On our website, you’ll have the opportunity to review our Media Kit and submit your display advertisement or local event advertisement. You’ll also be able to read some notes from the editor (yours truly, very excited!) and, if you live out of town, read a web addition of the print magazine.

Our Premier Issue hits Colorado Springs dance and music studios, theater training centers, performance venues, cafes and coffee shops, supermarkets, organic markets, university campuses, community centers, public libraries and visitor centers in October of 2016. Ad reservation deadline is July 18th! Click here to learn more about display advertising options and here to learn about event listing options.

The Leaps and Turns team is beyond excited at this opportunity to shine a light on the unmatched beauty of the performing arts. To follow along as we prepare for the launch of our first issue, visit our Facebook or Instagram page @leapsandturns.

Promoting and encouraging the performing arts in Colorado Springs– presenting, Leaps and Turns Magazine. This is just the beginning of an epic adventure.

Aquinnah

06/12/201602/18/2019

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

08/17/2015

Photo Shoot ’15

Tomorrow, I turn 16. It’s kind of strange to think about. I always thought that when I turned 16, I would feel instantaneously different, but today, I’ve been thinking about all the great stuff that happened while I was 15. It wasn’t such a bad year itself– crazy, yes, but not bad.

I’ve been meaning to post these pictures for awhile, having finished this year’s photo shoot at last, and I’m glad to be doing it now. Though I’ve since gotten braces and performed in the summer showcase, these costumes represent some of my favorite moments from my 15th year, and these pictures are dear to my heart. I do hope you enjoy.

I loved the costume – Garden of the Gods scenery combination.

Brody: Quinnah, why don’t you look at the camera?!

Just hoping that the mountain bikers wouldn’t run me over…

Catching fire

“Be multiplied”

Brody: Seriously, Quinnah!– LOOK AT THE CAMERA!

Please, don’t rain.

Desert breeze…

… blow me away

This one was Brody’s idea. 😉

Colorado clouds on point

Little brothers are the special little boys in your life who pick you flowers and take pictures of you with the flowers.

Road trip to Rangeley– this is right after I fell in the swamp. The Blochs live on, and Dad and I had a good laugh.

Dad: Stay right there! Don’t move! I have an idea.

Can you see the fairies?

What dancers actually look like when they’re tying pointe shoes in the freezing cold after falling into a swamp.

What dancers wish they looked like when they’re tying pointe shoes in the freezing cold after falling into a swamp.

Possibly the greatest picture of me ever taken. It wasn’t planned. It just happened. I guess falling in a swamp does that to you (obviously, it was a terribly traumatic experience).

xoxo

08/03/2015

Harry Potter and when He Lived in My Closet

I was born into the Harry Potter generation. J. K. Rowling had published The Prisoner of Azkaban just before I was born, and my parents bought a copy of the renowned series (through the fourth book) in 2000, shortly after The Goblet of Fire was released. It was a gorgeous, completely hardcover set, and it spent several years in the back of my closet before my mom threw the entirety of it in the dumpster. I kid you not.

You see, I was afraid of my closet, and I never went in there alone, so the top shelf was the perfect hiding spot for Harry Potter. Harry Potter contained magic, and magic was dark, and darkness was evil, so Harry eventually had a three-second peek at my bedroom before disappearing down the upstairs hallway and into the trash.

I never forgot the cover of The Goblet of Fire, though, as Harry and I looked at each other for the first time, beneath my mother’s arm. There was a brief exchange, during which I asked her what she was carrying. She told me that they were books– bad, scary books. So I let them go.

Rowling Quote

At this point in my life, my mom is able to call my dog a “muggle.” She doesn’t really know what that means–Can a dog actually be a muggle anyway?–but she knows the word, so I feel partially accomplished. My dad, on another hand, has perfected the nonverbal spell which entails thrusting his wand (fork) upward at the dinner table and looking pointedly at Kaden (who immediately sits up straight).

We didn’t get to this point instantaneously. As a matter of fact, I thought Brody had gone mental when he asked my mom if he could read The Sorcerer’s Stone. I nearly passed out when she told him yes. A year later, I can’t imagine her saying no.

Most of my Harry Potter books are on my e-reader, and I love them so much more than those that spent so long in my closet– mostly because I got to read these ones. But I’ll never forget that moment–that fraction of a second–when I saw 14-year-old Harry for the first time, smiling from the cover of the latest book.

Through this series, I’ve learned one very specific thing: You cannot know a person 100% until they’ve been given two things: money and power. Ginny Weasley taught me that age is not a direct relation to power. All of the Weasleys together taught me the importance of family. Sirius Black taught me that who you are expected to become is not necessarily who you are to be in the future. Remus Lupin taught me never to judge people by what they are but by heart. Luna Lovegood taught me not to take everything so seriously. Neville Longbottom taught me to stay determined. Albus Dumbledore taught me to search for the good in others, even when it is difficult. Hermione Granger taught me that knowledge is beauty. Ron Weasley taught me to laugh whenever possible and for as long as possible. Severus Snape taught me that love goes beyond all magic.

Harry Potter–though he had to wait 15 years–taught me the power of friendship. He taught me to do what’s right instead of finding an easier way.

And J. K. Rowling. She taught me that little details, seemingly insignificant, are what matter most in the end.

The Deathly Hallows ended in an epilogue. I’m glad. It makes me feel that the story isn’t over. In fact, a new chapter has begun.

Always

Aquinnah

Photo one (1) Credit: Magic world…. Anonymous. 2015. We Heart It. Web. 2 August 2015. View photo.

Photo two (2) Credit: the stories we love best. Lisa. 2015. We Heart It. Web. 2 August 2015. View photo.

Photo three (3) Credit: Always. alexis. 2015. We Heart It. Web. 2 August 2015. View photo.

07/31/2015

Something about Summer

There’s something about summer that makes me look forward to it every year. Maybe it’s the sunshine or the way the grass smells in the morning. Maybe it’s the birds that insist on waking me up so that I can fall back to sleep. Maybe it’s having the time to sit in bed and disappear into a good book. Maybe it’s the present possibility to do anything, everything and nothing as I see fit.

My thought process this morning, around 5am: I have a lot of stuff to do today. I wonder what everyone posted on Instagram last night. I should probably write today. What if that update messed with iTunes? Or Rosetta Stone? Can I reopen Rosetta Stone? How’ll I ever get back into Rosetta Stone?! And I was getting pretty good at French, too. If I go on Pinterest right now, I’ll never get off. Oooh, but Big Hero 6— that’s where my Big Hero 6 board is. Does the dog whine this loudly EVERY MORNING? I’m gonna read Harry– nope. Everyone died. Why do all the good characters die? Next week is going to be crazy. Stop trying to get me to read, Harry Potter; I only have two chapters left in Deathly Hallows. I’m so hungry. But it’s only 5am. There’s so much laundry to be done. Why did I wake up in the first place? My calves are so tight. Oooh, Pinterest.

And therein, folks, is why I’m awake at this ungodly hour, watching the innumerable rabbits hop around in the backyard. I’m not quite up to Lorelai Gilmore’s random string of thoughts standard, but I think I’m getting better…. Summer was meant for sleeping late!

I’ve been denying it for awhile, but July is coming to a close. I could do without the giant cardboard pencils hanging from the ceiling in every shopping center around the city, but yes, July is ending. I can hardly believe that summer semester is over; I’ve learned so much. On Wednesday, in pointe, we taught ourselves the first Odalisque variation. Yesterday, in choreography/improv, we analyzed the cinematography, choreography and costume in the above video, PAINTED. While we each had a different perspective on the piece, we all agreed that our analysis was far more objective than it would have been seven weeks ago. It’s bittersweet– seeing choreography in parts rather than as a whole. “It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart,” said Finnick Odair. I think the same goes for dance: It takes ten times as long to put a piece back together as it does to mentally take it apart. Once I could see the little details and quirks in this video, it was impossible to un-see them. Visualizing the over-all meaning of the dance became difficult until we watched it a second time, and the puzzle rebuilt itself. My one empty brain cell–bam!–fried. Leaps and Turns was a phenomenal experience, too, teaching me how to get out of my head and just dance. I can’t wait for it to start up again in the fall.

With fall comes Training 3 with Miss Mia, Miss Sara and Miss Bethanny; intermediate pointe 2 with Miss Mia; leaps/turns with Miss Bethanny; and advanced modern with Miss Sara. I’m also SUPER excited to be interning with Miss Beth in Pre-Training and Bethanny in ballet/tap and ballet 1A.

For now, I’m hanging on to summer and the wonderful people in it. To my dear Caroline: As the original Training 1s break up yet again, I pray every blessing over you and your family. God has such wonderful plans for this next adventure, and although I am going to miss you terribly, I’m so excited to see where those plans take you. Love you and miss you already, girl.

Aquinnah