Giving of Thanks

With Thanksgiving having been very prevalent in the past week through dinner preparations with friends and with the excitement of anticipation for the real deal tomorrow, I've been thinking a lot about what I'm thankful for, where I'm at, and how I got here.  One person comes to mind as a strong influence in my life, really responsible for everything I am doing right now.  Julie Miller.

I met Julie at Southwestern College 3 years ago and knew immediately this was someone I had to be friends with.  She was, and still is, literally bat-shit crazy.  She is so full of ideas and dreams it's impossible not to dream yourself when you are around her and think of ALL the possibilities.  After a year and a quarter together at Southwestern College, Julie began to question whether this was the right school for her.  The same question had been flowing through my mind at different moments in time through my 2 and a half years there.  It wasn't until Julie was bold enough to press me into examining why this question was reoccurring and why I hadn't done anything about it that I really examined it.  Along with her, I weighed my options, the pros and cons of being in Winfield, the reality of going somewhere else, the costs financially, the options of other places... Every question was turned over and over between the two of us in that month before we decided to go through with it.  I remember the nervousness we had of hiding our college visits as being sick and not making it to class... I remember the terror of going into Roger and Allyson and telling them I would be going to ESU next semester.... Our last party in Winfield in which I had to say goodbye to so many fantastic people I had gotten so close to...  Hardest thing I've ever done.  But definitely the best.

Because of this transfer I have met so many more wonderful people!  I love working in the costume shop here, I love the options of classes I have - I have found a hidden talent and interest in scenic design! - I have been given great guidance by the professors here, the magic of ESU Summer Theatre has prevailed once again this past year as one of the best periods of my life - I love it here!  My first semester here I was doubting my transfer.  I didn't enjoy it.  But constant conversations with Julie have opened my eyes to looking at the present rather than the past or future.  I have met the man of my dreams and have a solid idea for what I would like in my future, but I'm not so worried it turns out exactly like that.  I can fret and worry about what I have done and what I will do, but I can change those.  I can only influence them by what I am doing at the present.  Julie Miller is the epitome of that and had made me realize that is the way to live life.

So what am I thankful for?  Friends, family, my boyfriend, this school - it all adds up to Julie Miller.  Thank you chica!

Standing O

A few weeks back I went to the touring show of the Houston Ballet here in Emporia, KS.... 

I LOVE going to ballets.  It is the perfect magical atmosphere of attending a show.  People still dress up nice for them, the casualness of clothing has not set in as it has in the theatre realm.  It's different from opera in the sense that everyone can truly appreciate ballet.  Sure, opera singers are insanely talented, but their talents are not appreciated by everyone today.  Music still plays such an important role in our world's daily life - but everyone has their own style they like.  Only true music lovers are open to the idea of different genres of music.  Dance, however, is an art form that is making a comeback.  For the longest time it was pushed out of our lives, no longer deemed necessary.  Recently reality television shows have have helped to bring a resurgence of this at form and its multiple facets.  We can all easily embrace the difficulty of moving one's body in such controlled ways that practiced dancers can.  In my opinion from my observations, it is easier for people to accept, embrace and enjoy dance...

My favorite part of a ballet is seeing all the little girls come in before the show wearing dress they wore for Christmas or Easter, their hair up in buns, a little bit of make-up on their faces to make them feel grown-up like mom, finding their seat only to trade with mom and adjust themselves on their knees to see better.  One such little girl sat by me in the back row.  They had gotten there kind of late and there were no more seats near the front - on top of that, the mother didn't want to sit that close.  Why person after person came into the theatre that night not wanting to sit in the front two thirds of the auditorium is beyond me....  This little girl had taken ballet for two years and tap for one.  She informed me that her tap shoes are kept up high though.  Her mom explained she liked the noise they made so much that she would wear them every where so now they are kept on the top shelf of the closet...

With all these children there, the dreams and hopes they generate are almost tangible in the energy of the air....  

At the end of the show, the ballet company full of 16 year-old dancers who were fantastic received a standing ovation.  My initial thought was, do these dancers really deserve a standing o?  They were good, yes, but they are young and not the best and this is small town Kansas.  This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for many of the people there....  A standing o?  Really?  Attending theatre performances here at ESU has raised that question in my mind when a production will get a few people standing up at the end if not the entire audience.  Really?

But why am I so skeptical?  This performance touched these people in a way that moved them return what they could to the performers.  Isn't that our goal?  To move people?  To plant a seed of thought or motivation?  If one person stands and claps at the end of a show, making a fool of their self, it's worth it.  It's what you came to do as a performer.  Never again will I judge the validity of a standing ovation...