It's taken me a while to post this...
In the Spring of this year, while rehearsing for a production with @operaatelier my best friend Harry passed away.
The direction I had been given for this scene was: "Stare into the face of love lost, and let it overwhelm you completely." There was no acting required.
3 things I learned from his passing:
-You don't know the depth of someone's suffering, even if they share it with you, so it's important to look past what you can readily see.
-Community is everything, being around loved ones makes grief more bearable. Going straight from a performance to a last minute flight for a funeral sounds terrible, but it's not as bad when your buddy @badmancrooks is on the flight with you.
-You won't know when the connection you'll make with someone will lead to a lifelong bond. I left the ballet school and joined their high-school midway through grade 12 so I could get surgery on both my ankles. Harry offered to share his locker with me because my locker was so far away, and the rest is history.
Thank you to the OA team for letting me miss time to attend the funeral.
Love u Harry โค๏ธ. See you again.
Performance photos by Bruce Zinger
Giving a masterclass to the senior students of the Baku Choreography Academy ๐ฆ๐ฟ
One of my favourite parts of the Azerbaijan trip last month was teaching this workshop on behalf of @cote_danse as part of the @bakuartsfestival
It's the national school of Azerbaijan, they have incredible studios, very hard-working dancers, and a wonderful attitude towards the arts. Children can start in kindergarten and go all the way through to getting their PHD, all in one (very large) building! ๐ฎ
@bakuchoreography
๐ธ: @sunnyartmaker
#ballet #baku #teaching
