several students confided in me recently that they didn’t know coming to a dance class could feel so safe + comfortable until they walked into mine..this feedback is bittersweet because on the one hand that’s all i’ve ever sought out to create for folx—a genuinely non toxic environment to explore movement and feel present in the body. on the other hand it’s pretty upsetting to me that we’re still here in the dance world. where teachers continue to pass on the same body shaming gender normative hierarchal language that they were raised with. i personally believe that toxicity has no place in the studio (especially when it comes to educating + training young dancers). i was a classical ballet dancer for 15 years before i even tried contemporary, so i’m no stranger to the pseudo motivational approach of being told you’re too much of this or not enough of that when really my teachers were attempting—in their own fragmented way—to communicate the potential they saw in me. all of this is to say, whether it’s me or literally anyone else, no one has the power to tell you how you should feel/look/move in your body. we can only create the space, offer technique, and the rest is up to the dancer. and when i say dancer i really mean human. because if you have a body, you are inherently a dancer. it is your right as a living being to move to breathe to ignite to create something new and beautiful. even if it’s just taking a deep breath and remembering that you’re already home. the practice should always bring you closer to yourself, not further away 🖤🌊
𝑃 𝑜 𝑟 𝑡 𝑎 𝑙 𝑠 • in collaboration with @macaulaylerman + @kevin_kuh who sent me a recording of his unreleased song “From Here” exactly one year to the early summer day we filmed—a meditation [maybe a prayer too] on physical disassociation + the ultimate truth/relief found in fully inhabiting body. full film in bio ◬
as artists and creatives choosing to build our lives in a majorly rural landscape, moments of aligned collaboration mean everything.
if you were lucky enough to experience the first iteration of @cafemamajuanavt in the old north end you witnessed Maria bringing her multicultural vision of vibrant, sustainable, insanely delicious food to life just a few months prior to becoming a new mother. before meeting each other @dtx.lens similarly entered into parenthood during a massive shift in both career + creative pursuits around the same time. as small as it often feels, our community holds so much power in how and when we choose to support each other. when one of us opens a business, produces a performance, releases an album, or shares work in a gallery we all feel the excitement and the nerves. truly nothing from the heart is accomplished alone even if the ways we were lifted up happened behind the scenes. to many more incredible meals and wild dreams becoming reality ✨🪐🖤
it’s felt near impossible to be tender lately while the world is so saturated in grief. i lost track of how many times i cried this week let alone the past few months and more often than not it happens when I’m listening to music. all my barriers come down and suddenly it feels safe to be soft again. every day i feel so damn lucky that i get to not only listen to/study music for a living but also that my introverted self is surrounded by collective healing constantly whether it’s in the studio, on the stage, or working intimately on collaborative projects. i’m honored to be performing in a couple shows this month and i can’t wait to share space with you all + feel the feelings 🩵
⋑ friday ⋐ • 2/9 Alentine’s Day @alolender@old_dutch_church_kingston *tonight! my first show upstate in 12 years :)
⋑ saturday ⋐ • 2/17 @linesvermont Showcase @eventmainstreet *7pm is sold out / a handful of tickets left for 1pm
📷 in the @acqua.mossa studio with @danieljcardon ✨
keep protesting
keep boycotting
keep calling
keep using whatever tools you have to amplify the voices of Palestine, demand a permanent ceasefire + fiercely advocate for an end to the occupation. in almost 70 days at least 20,000 innocent Palestinian lives have been lost in the worst ways while our governments actively participate in this genocide. meanwhile the calculated destruction of homes, mosques, churches, schools, museums, hospitals, businesses and controlled access to food/water/medicine/electricity are clear attempts to erase Palestinian culture entirely.
we will never be free until all occupied lands and indigenous people living under apartheid regimes are liberated. enough is enough 🕊️
#ceasefire #now #endtheoccupation
join us next friday @the_tillerman_vt for an unforgettable night of performances by @ahmadkafari #amarabarner @toritorimusic@kristina_desjardins@dricepilaf 6-8pm ✨✨✨ curating this show has been a dream come true + i simply can’t wait to share the rustic stage with some of the most amazing local and traveling artists i’ve ever met—link in bio to purchase tickets, read about these incredible people + their work, and full details on this magical venue + our wonderful sponsors @dedaluswine@savouremtlvt@yatesfamilyorchard
see you in the barn 🤍
this day was such a beautiful, soft (necessary) reminder that the intentions behind our imaginative thoughts inherently shape our realities. it was so wonderful to reconnect with @dtx.lens for the first time in 3 years 🦋 his beautiful family on set with us reading books nearby, while i nestled my brass @xpoleus amidst the gardens…what a dream.
huge thank you to @gigi.mw for lending us this incredible @selkie dress @filausa for the most comfortable pointe shoes i’ve ever worn 🩰 and of course @indescribable.__ for the ethereal vision + color film insanity 💕
when @myraflynn asked me to design a ballet + pole solo for her album release @flynncenter i thought it was too good to be true✨i’m forever indebted to every pole dancer and ballerina who came before me, two worlds and art forms that are wildly interconnected. thank you @myraflynn for the immense trust @lakeciab for curating such a gorgeous 40th @discoverjazzfestival and the entire @flynncenter team.
![• in collaboration with @macaulaylerman + @kevin_kuh who sent me a recording of his unreleased song “From Here” exactly one year to the early summer day we filmed—a meditation [maybe a prayer too] on physical disassociation + the ultimate truth/relief found in fully inhabiting body. full film in bio ◬](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6835582156426634681731_0_ab5703396525c553c31320c22b9e1e11.jpg?o=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&h=79376043dab8326b4cdf43e5f0ec38aa)
