The Art of Happy Dancing

As soon as I let go of my desperation, I got what I wanted handed to me.  I've been obsessively looking for work as a choreographic assistant for a while, but nothing had worked out yet. My husband and I decided to leave the small town we were living in and move to Frankfurt. The energy seems to be working more in my favour, because I have been blessed with many teaching opportunities since moving here, as well as my very first assisting job!  The choreographers, whom I have known and worked with for many years, managed to get enough funding for a production to hire an assistant, with the rehearsals and premiere in Frankfurt. Coincidence? We had always worked well together as dancers and choreographers, but being a rehearsal assistant is a completely different story.  It has been a rewarding and eye-opening experience and I am so grateful to have finally gotten my first taste of this position.  Z Zentrum, Frankfurt It's my current life's mission to understand how I can supp

Many inspiring people have crossed my path in this life so far. One of these people is a  lovely soul, a kindred spirit, when I was starting my professional dance training at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.  As a first-year student, I used to watch her in class and be awed at her flawless technique, her unwavering work ethic, and her unrelenting desire to learn and improve. We didn't have much to do with each other back then, but she continued to be an inspiration to me throughout my training. It was only after I had graduated myself that we met again in Europe and our friendship began to flourish. I’m talking about my lovely friend, Lauren Murray. In spite of her talent and passion, Lauren hasn’t always had it easy in her career, but she always maintained her fierce determination and kept pushing through to achieve her goals no matter what. On top of that, she is always kind, generous and understanding. How does she do it? How does someone stay so focused and po

"If your heart is broken, make art with the pieces." - Shane Koyczan I was meant to give an online lecture this month to the students of a private dance school on developing resilience for a dance career. It doesn't look like this is happening anymore, but I thought it would be a good topic for a blog post.  On the reality TV show RuPaul's Drag Race, usually in the second last episode, RuPaul would ask the semi-finalists what they would say to their younger selves. I hate to admit it, but this part always made me wipe away a tear or two. It also made me proud to be able to call myself an artist and to be part of this wonderful industry. I took this as inspiration for this post, instead of a factual essay on what resilience is and how to get more of it. I will put a few links to some great TED talks at the end, in case you're interested. Here is something I wish someone had written to me before I left for my first European audition tour in 2008, but in a way I'

As I traversed the eastern Alps last year, I started and finished Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl.  My uncertain future loomed beyond those rugged and regal mountains. My career prospects were, in the best sense of the word, non-existent, and I was running out of unemployment support from the government. On the bright side, I knew what I wanted to do with the next stage of my life but I had no idea how I was going to do it. Then, almost like he knew what was going on in my head, Frankl quoted Nietzsche:  "He who has a why to live can overcome any how ." Piz Boe in the Dolomites Once we were back home, I decided to contact some people who had inspired me during my dance career, and one of them was Christina Mertzani (read my last blog post ) She graciously agreed to have a video chat with me and gave me great advice on how to start on this new path I had chosen. One of them really resonated with me and was so aligned with both Nietzsche and Frankl: before goin

Warm, kind, generous, open, loving .  These words come to mind when I think about Christina Mertzani. We first met when she came as a guest trainer to the company I was working with at the time. Her presence in the studio was like the sun coming out after a long, grey German winter, and she always exuded such a positive and warm energy. Her classes left me feeling so motivated and inspired to move, and she managed to bring out the dynamic and confident side of me which very few teachers or choreographers have been able to do. That’s why I’m so grateful that she was willing to take time out of her busy schedule to answer some of my questions in regard to my previous post about dealing with drama and bad behavior. She has been an inspiring mentor to me since the beginning of my new journey, especially because her approach to her work is through encouragement and kindness. © George Terzis       Even though I only managed to scratch the surface of her wisdom and experience, her response to