I met Eric when he performed for my show a few years back. Aside from looking like—as my sisters sigh it—”Prince Charming,” he is a good souled, generous and kind-hearted man. He also happens to be incredibly talented in many forms of dance, fitness training, pilates, etc. We met up recently to catch up on lives and projects and he told me about his class he was teaching on Sundays at the Center for Movement Arts.. I gave him every excuse I have to avoid exercising. (I hate self-inflicted pain. I don’t like monotony. I don’t need those muscles until I need them.) Eric didn’t waver and assured me that the method of his class was based on his many years over studying physical therapy, dance and psychology. Basically, I had no where to run. So promised to attend.

I always get a little nervous attending a new class. The obvious reasoning is that I don’t know anyone. The less obvious one is that as a professional dancer/choreographer I assume everyone expects me to be spot on and able to do anything thrown my way. So I never want to disappoint them. But Eric welcomed me and set me up at a barre and class was off.

Let me sum it up before getting into details; This class is basic and straight forward, moving quickly from exercise to exercise with intelligent options for varying degrees of difficulty. Within 5 minutes I was sweating and feeling elongated yet strong.

Now for the details: Do you need to know how to dance to take this class? Somewhat. I mean, you start out standing at the ballet barre but this is not advance ballet frappes or tedious repetition of tendus. All of the exercises are focused on the core and go through some ballet-like movements that you you can pick up by looking in the mirror at the other participants. If you have ever (I mean ever) taken just one class in ballet, you’re good to go. Then it’s onto the the mat with some more core work informed by Eric’s certification in Stott Pilates. All of this is conducted with a trained and gentle guidance to achieve your potential. I pushed and found some difficulty in the exercises but I certainly didn’t feel thrown into the fire like many work-out programs do. (P90X, you know who you are.) This is the really good stuff that makes you feel trim and skinny. So good.

Now it’s my understanding that if you want to just come for the exercise portion of the class you may. And it’s a good option since it is a condensed and streamlined approach to long lean muscles. But the second half of the class is when all of that exercise comes to life as Eric takes you through some jazz-based dance routines. It’s pretty straight forward but with enough hooks and changes of weight and direction that it keeps your brain entertained. I love those kind of classes where it takes you a few times across the floor before you figure out the coordination of it. Plus, Eric uses great music and is such a showman that it feels like by the end of the class you’ll be ready for your premiere at the Folies Bergere.

And the kicker? (Pun fully intended) The total of this event is merely $12. That’s unheard of even for Portland’s standard which is nearly $20 for an hour and a half. And true to Eric’s sensible framework, the class is offered every Sunday except the last one of the month so you can get your groove on in bite sized doses. It’s ingenious. Just go. You’ll have a blast, you’ll be challenged, and you’ll feel great. And right afterward, we can all go to the Burgerville down the street.

You can find out more about it on his facebook page.

Those of you who know me, know that I started out dancing as Folk Dancer at Brigham young University who has an extensive dance program and an amazing Folk Scene. In fact, I would never had been a dancer to the extent I am now if it hadn’t been for this program. And as, I have continued to explore more and more into artistic dance, my first love has always been folk dance. Why? I guess because I’m enamored by the exotic. I love languages. I get weak-kneed exploring the differences and similarities between people. And as a dancer, I can learn all about those people by trying their moves on myself. It’s my way of listening to centuries of trials and triumphs boiled down into a 3 minute phrase of movement that everyone does in unison. I love it.

So last night I show up, a little anxious about not knowing anyone and a little nervous that I seem to be the youngest person there, by decades. They seemed a little apprehensive themselves but were welcoming and Cricket (I kid you not, that’s her amazingly disarming and charming name) asked me join a Bulgarian line dance. I think this was my initiation because once the dance was going and we are all chained up she leans in my direction without skipping a step and says, “I think you can get through 2/3 of this dance but you may have to step out after that.” Aha, this was just the challenge I was looking for. And sure enough, 2 minutes into that song, the pre-recorded musicians amp it up and start playing double time and suddenly before me is a complex Bulgarian rhythm—usually some absurd meter like 17/8 or 11/65—and an odd foot pattern to match without throwing the whole chain into chaos. With eyes trained firmly on Cricket’s feet and trying to send the visual clues into my own feet I get it and jump in with fervor. As the song ends, the immediate dancers applaud and gather round and one be-dirndled lady goads, “Well, someone’s a quick study now isn’t he?” After that I was in. Each new song from the gentelman’s computer in the corner was an invitation to hang on and follow until the end.

The evening lasted until 10pm. I couldn’t believe that they do this every Sunday. I met Mary, a bright face with an even brighter smile, who was wearing a beautifully embroidered traditional Austrian dress but was Irish by descent. Rosalind and Dick who made sure i was aware of all of the future events. And I met Gene who proudly informed me that his father was an earler partner of Ann Miller, danced in old musicals, and was the tap teacher of Bob Hope. There was one lady, who’s name I didn’t catch, was 93 years old and kept going most of the night. I couldn’t believe it. My only complaint of the evening is that the students of Reed College are oblivious to this weekly event taking place on their campus and it’s a real loss to not have that interaction.

I loved learning the steps, I loved hearing the strange names and trying to figure out which country it was from and what that dance taught me about the people. I loved holding their hands, men and women, and joining in the focus of moving as a single unit with a single mind. I loved the comradarie and the community of it. And—this is where my age may suddenly sky-rocket beyond those of my dance partners—I think that the invention of Rock-n-Roll has created a world where people dance in clubs, introverted and self-centered, never learning how to guide a dance partner, join a circle or engage in a conversation while whirling around the floor. I guess I’m an old Folk at heart. Opa!

The imagery for Shotgun—the new work—is becoming more and more clear in my mind. Periodic checks with my mastermind friend Lyndsay assure me that things are possible or a challenge. She never tells me it’s impossible and I love that about her.

While I ride the bus around town I listen to music. This is when they start to jockey for position and guide the arc of the show. It doesn’t all make it into the show but it’s influence can change the look of a dance or even the show. Right now I’m listening to Sufjan Stevens and I’m pretty sure he’s made the cut. And Nick Drake’s haunting melodies are so beautiful I love to dance to them. I think he might get in there as well. Now the joy and agony of researching music is that I find so many great songs but so few that allow me to use or manipulate them to out of their completed state into the message I’m trying to send. I mean, if could just use any music that made me dance I’d have “Grazin’ in the Grass” in every show I ever made. “I can dig it. Dig it. He can dig it. Dig it. They can dig it. Dig it. Dig it. Can you dig it?”

So that’s the news from the progress of my latest choreography. And I’ll leave you with this teaser: There is another bigger and even more exciting project on the horizon that is so fantastic I want to run around telling everyone about it. But, I have to keep a lid on it for now until it is more solidified. I don’t want to jinx it but I also don’t want to stifle it so this me sending all of my hopes of its fruition through this blog out into the universe. Get ready for it.

Well, it’s official. They were bound to do it sometime. They made me go back to school. Actually, they asked me to teach some high school students at Jefferson. It’s a great arts magnet school in Portland that provides many opportunities to youth interested in the arts. I can’t imagine where I would have ended up if I had had this opportunity as a teenager.

The drama teacher in my high school (Foothill High in Pleasanton, California) knew me from church where I was much more comfortable sharing my singing and dancing talents. She was always trying to get me to join the drama club. I would peek in on rehearsals but just couldn’t open myself up to the potential humiliation I’d face from the rest of the student body. Absolutely my loss. But art was not encouraged and praised the way it is at Jefferson.

So I’m working with a group of young adults who come from completely different dance backgrounds and different levels of ability. It is somewhat of a challenge but also very fun. Their personalities are so alive and engaging. And, they are willing to try things I never would have tried. It gives me the courage to be less introverted and share with them my movement style.

Plus, I’m learning too! So far I’ve learned that they know none of my T.V. references and I know none of theirs. I thought The Brady Bunch and Pettycoat Junction was universal. And, thanks to the help a French exchange student, I have learned the french word for tissue is Mouchoir…I think.

Thanks to my friend Kristi Bacon who invited back to school. I hope I get an “A.”

I had asked the students at Columbia Dance under the direction of Jan Hurst in Vancouver to help me out by performing a piece I taught them this summer at their Intensive. I was so proud of them and they were very professional. They didn’t seem to mind the escape from school. Allegra Carlson came by and performed the film/live dance “ice skating” piece Dear Mr. Rorschach. It was actually the most beautiful I have seen her do it. It’s tough to keep those long limbs on the screen but the audible gasp of excitement from the audience when they realized she was there behind the screen was great to hear. I also danced. Don’t remember much of what happened but the reaction was positive and I spoke with so many interesting people back at my booth and got some great ideas for future events.

Thanks again to all who helped me out: Jeff, Jan, Columbia Dance, Allegra, Amber. The company may have my name on it but it’s really for everyone who is walking down the “Lane” less traveled.

Oh and I forgot to mention, my sister Brooke has been tutoring me on the mysteries of web design and such. She’s brilliant, cute, and always funny. Go check out her site ohbrooke.com.

In a way, I guess it has but not how I’d expected. For starters, I’m not filthy rich…yet. What I have learned is that the title of the show, “The Beginning Is Near” was more prophetic than I thought. It is indeed to beginning, not the end. The end is when you can rest. But if I want to create a company, where I can further hone my talents while providing my community, city, and world an art-rich environment, then I need to stop riding shotgun and grab the wheel.

I have been working on the foundation of the company and have some good ideas, good support, and bright outlook. I hope that you will join me on this journey because it will be more fun if we all join in.