Hello from Maryland!

Hello from Owings Mill, Maryland! Tommy and I are here in the midst of teaching ballet for Young People's Summer Stock,which is an over night camp for kids, and since we are staying in the dorms as well, we are getting quite the camp experience that neither of us have ever had before!

Since Tommy and I both didn't go to a traditional away camp, or ballet intensives away from home (a rare finding among ballet professionals), we are getting a common childhood experience a little later in life. Differences from attending the local ballet intensive and staying at home include, enjoying very warm bunking accommodations (though thankfully not quite as rustic as I imagine other non-arts oriented camps might be) and eating on a schedule. We get to eat at the "caf" before, between and after classes.

We do have the luxury of being free once our classes are over to watch movies on Netflix Instant Queue and even to take the car and venture into whatever Maryland has to offer. The kids can't do that.

Our authority oriented roles include teaching a LOT and we moonlight as judges at the synchronized dancing contest at the camper luau on Sunday nights! This past Saturday was a very close contest, but we were able to discern the best group by their ability to incorporate the hula into their dance. In the classroom, the children are all very dedicated and eager to learn, which is what makes teaching really worth while. When they ask questions, we learn as well and are reminded of corrections that aren't necessarily at the forefront of our minds anymore. Having taught a similar schedule for a week at the Dance Institute in Austin, Texas prior to coming here, I feel I will be approaching my work at the National Choreographers Initiative with a fresh look at the basics of my technique. Tommy will also be teaching at DI later in July, so he too will be beginning the 2009-2010 season with his foundation anew.

I will let you know if anything super exciting happens and I will definitely get back to you when Thomas Ragland and I are situated at NCI!


-Maggie