Week in Review (3RD WK OF OCT)

Hello, all!

I am so happy to try this first "Week in Review". I'm just going to be talking about the highlights of my past week. Hopefully, this turns out somewhat interesting.


Monday (10/19/15)

Izzy's 9 month appointment! She weighs 18 lbs. and 9 oz. and measures about 2 feet long. All she got was 1/2 of a flu shot does that she needs to come back for to get the second shot.

















Tuesday (10/20/15)

We got to volunteer to hang out in Izzy's infant room in the morning so the classroom teacher could go to a staff appreciation breakfast on campus! It was so much fun hanging out with all the babies and spending a little extra time with our little bean. (:
















The same day, I had a final critique for an art project that I've titled "take a penny, leave a penny". This piece is about how I've lost a child and how I've gained a child. It was a lot of fun to do and made me smile the whole time. ^___^

Thursday (10/22/15)

I spent three hours watching the new Heroes season.

Friday (10/23/15)

These brilliant photos came out... and I put the video of the performance up! I'm still reminiscing of last weekend.

Saturday and Sunday (10/24 and 10/25/15)

I've spent this lovely weekend with my family. Yesterday, we took some long walks and watched the NCDF performance at Valborg.

Thanks for tuning in! (:

xxx,

Beth

Loose Leaves Showcase (Fall 2015)

Hello, all!

I am so happy to be blogging about this wonderful experience. I couldn't describe it any other way. It truly was a remarkable moment to behold. I applied to choreograph for the showcase early September and was notified of my acceptance a few days after. Then, I started working on the piece later that month with a group fellow dancers. Kai used to be on Entropy Dance Crew with EC and I, and I had met Jason during FADE auditions. We practiced about twice a week for 4-6 hours per week until the performance during Fall Break on October 17 and 18.

I finished choreographing the whole shebang after three rehearsals and for the rest of the time, we cleaned, worked on spacing and formations, and intent. Overall, I think the whole experience was very helpful for me as a choreographer and dancer in the NC community. 

The best part was being able to connect with fellow dancers and choreographers who were also new mamas! I met a mother of a 9 month old, Camerin Watson, and a mother of a 6 month old, Elsie Mufuka. Both of these dancers produced wonderful works while staying true to their new found identity of motherhood. It was inspiring to see these women as examples, as colleagues, as creative people. 

10 out of 10, would do again.

xxx,

Beth

P.S. - here is the link to the video of the piece: https://youtu.be/zV2Ep6XjCfs

Are you being objective or subjective?

Hey friends,

It's been a long while but recently, I've been doing a whole lot of thinking about the words "objectivity" and "subjectivity". These two words have a lot to do with life, especially right now, but maybe especially all the time. Many people lash out with emotions full of feelings that can be either objective or subjective and the way these feelings come about can be due to either of these things, as well.

Being objective means acting, speaking, and living through facts while being subjective is driven by opinions. What's so messy about this idea is that facts and opinions are still hard for the multitude to grasp.

No matter where you go in the world, there will be opposing forces which can be one or the other. A calculator is objective and a Facebook post is subjective. What's difficult about being objective is how hard it is to relate to something without emotion, feeling, or human attributes. A Facebook post is more filled with a person's manner of speaking and therefore something we can relate with.

I've encountered so many differing opinions in different conflicts. From discrimination to the art world to the dance world to the university as an organization...it's hard to take one side. Many things can be seen as black and white while others can take on a variety of grays. Taking all the art supplies from a classroom without notifying anyone? Wrong. This is stealing. Or is it right? Were the materials not being used regardless? Putting Football games on Thursday nights which are still a school night...? Right or wrong? Is this person racist? Are some services biased and wrongly force this opinion on their patrons? Are we being fair to every person and respecting all kinds of people's choices? Are we saying things out of turn? Are we publicizing a pretty image or who we actually are? If this person is a feminist, does that make them wrong? Donald Trump? Gun rights?

These things aren't black and white. Nothing is black and white. I suggest to all of you, to try as hard as you can to be unbiased, to live in a mind that can accept all things and act in the best possible solution (or not solution, not everything needs to be resolved). But seeing all sides and taking time to understand people you don't even want to look at might be eye-opening and better help you make an argument for the side you stand on.

Take a deep breath and listen.

xxx
Beth