I would have an in-depth gushy wrap-up post here, but seeing as I have no break in between the ADF and my search for monetary sustainment (i.e. please someone give me a job), this will probably happen in little snip-its.
Multiple choice time. The end of the festival was:
a) off-putting
b) a blast
c) spent internally
d) overwhelming
e) all of the above
As with many high school teachers, the answer is, of course, e. For now, I will remark upon answer b.
Tiffany, Caitlin and I finished our summer as SWS students with a bang. As part of the American Dance Festival’s first hip-hop class, we presented the choreography we had learned over the six weeks in a showing to ADF students, faculty, etc. Allison was kind enough to videotape:
Lashawn Jones’ choreography:
HeJin Jang’s choreography:
Over the six weeks, Lashawn and HeJin taught 3 weeks a piece, alternating. They had very different styles — Lashawn’s was usually more “thug” and HeJin’s more modern-inspired, though, as the video shows, they both work with a mix of styles. I lovedddd their classes (though they exhausted me many times…). I honestly didn’t think at the beginning of the six weeks that I could perform hip-hop with any real confidence (in the past I’ve just tried to fake it as best I could). But the class definitely helped with my goal of picking up material quicker and catching details (my memory is still a little weak, but such is life). And I definitely learned a thing or two about confidence (and how you often just have to pretend to be confident enough to think past that issue and focus on the movement). Once I got past the self-consciousness, the choreography fit into my body much more easily.
And the showing was fantastic. Such great energy and such a fab ending to the six weeks. Definitely the way to go out.
Watch out NappyTabs… (or maybe not.)
