[flickr id=”8365361455″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”original” group=”” align=”none”]

As I had mentioned in my blog post last week, one of my new year’s resolutions was to take advantage of all that the city has to offer.  To start things off, I went to see a show at the Marriott Theatre called My One and Only.  The Marriott Theatre is a regional theatre located in Lincolnshire just outside of the city, and it puts on fantastic productions.  This one was particularly enjoyable for me because it included many different dance numbers, including one what was performed almost entirely in water on stage!

[flickr id=”8366451654″ thumbnail=”medium_640″ overlay=”true” size=”original” group=”” align=”none”]

Then I went to the last night of Zoo Lights at the Lincolon Park Zoo with a few members of my cohort. The awesome thing about the Lincoln Park Zoo is that admission is free all year round!  We had the opportunity to not only admire the light displays but also step into the different exhibits.

[flickr id=”8365377101″ thumbnail=”medium_640″ overlay=”true” size=”original” group=”” align=”none”]

Another one of my new year’s resolutions was to make more room in my schedule to take advantage of dance classes across the city.  As fate would have it, this past week the American Rhythm Center (ARC) was offering free classes, so naturally I took advantage of this opportunity!  From tap to Bollywood, American Rhythm Center offers many different classes and partners with many different companies in the city, such as Giordano Dance Chicago.  As if that weren’t enough, the ARC is located just two blocks from where I typically have class—talk about convenience!  As I embraced this free week of dance, I began to notice how my education at Columbia has already begun to effect how I move as an individual.

This past week, I participated in the jazz class that was taught by Autumn Eckman who is an artistic associate of Chicago’s Giordano Dance Company. What I love about taking a jazz class is that it really forces me to broaden my movement repitoir and move in ways I never have before. This drew me to think about the different ways that the Bartenieff Patterns of Connectivity can help me to connect and coordinate my body when learning new movement patterns. I truly began to see a stronger knowledge of my own body emerge throughout the course of this class as I thought about the information I had gained in just this first semester of grad school.  I have noticed that the knowledge I have gained so far in Laban Movement Analysis and the Bartenieff Fundamentals has helped to strengthen me as a dancer.  I now have a much stronger proprioceptive knowledge of myself and of how to move in a healthier fashion.  While I may be sore for a few days after this week is over, it was totally worth it!