The Path I Traveled

Photo by Eric Olson

Years ago, I thought long and hard on the big decision of where I wanted to go to college and what I'd be doing for the rest of my life. The only thing I knew and kept reverting back to, the place where I felt most comfortable and like myself, was when I was dancing. I am truly thankful my parents supported my ultimate dream, no matter the cost. (Trust me, I’m definitely paying for it.) Sometimes I wonder why they didn’t avert my ambitious 17-year-old-self from attending a school in which I could sustain a job that allowed me to support myself financially. What did I know? And then again, would I listen anyway? But, in writing this blog, I’m really glad they didn’t. I fully enjoyed my college experience once I stopped being a homesick baby. I wore sweatpants to class, I went to dance performances and dinners, I danced every day for four years while learning to stand on my own. Sometimes it was brutal and exhausting, but well worth the exploration. Not to mention, I met a lot of great people who are a huge part of the Chicago dance scene, and my life.

I worked part-time through college at a dancewear store a few blocks from my dorm in the city. After graduation, that job turned into a full-time opportunity, so I stayed. The first year after graduation, I went to numerous auditions- the pickings were slim and like all auditions, competition was intense. I am not a highfalutin dancer, probably the least flexible dancer in the history of the universe, but I found where my quirks and creativity were acceptable. This occurred a year later when I was asked to be an apprentice with The Dance COLEctive. Though the apprenticeship was an unpaid position, I was able to put my BA in dance to good use, and luckily I had a job that supported me and two roommates to help share the costs of living.

Along my way, I strangely stumbled into the field of law. I think I got lucky considering the fact that I now work full-time as a legal assistant downtown. I never dreamed of this when I was younger, ever. Dancer? Yes. Teacher? Maybe. Legal assistant??? No. Never even a question. But I feel really grateful that I understand and am pretty good at what I do, as it pays the bills. It’s one of those things that definitely happened for a reason. Working a 9:00am to 5:00pm is convenient and sometimes redundant. And redundancy is well, redundant. I'd like to know what job isn't. I’m glad that my schedule allows "me" time to even have a source – an outlet granting me the opportunity to take an uppercut to my routine – rehearsing, teaching, creating work, performing, and taking class year round.

I have come to find that it is tough to find a dance career that pays the bills, even now as a company member, and in this teetering economy. I am happy that I get to do what I love on nights and weekends and have the monetary support I need working during the day. Grant it, most of my days are technically 12 hour workdays and on occasion there is sacrifice for fun, family, and time, I get to do what I love which definitely keeps me sane. Most people can't say that and maybe some people don’t even get the chance.

Dance and TDC has been a major constant during the most important time of my life while finding myself and evolving as an adult. It’s always been the one thing I can rely on. It’s hard to count on and trust people, but every Tuesday and Thursday night, I know my team is there, and I know I can find myself there too.

Submitted by TDC dancer Katie Petrunich on January 26, 2014.

“..how the hell did this happen?”

Well here we are, nearing the end of The Dance COLEctiveʼs 17th season and Iʼm looking back at the past two years thinking “..how the hell did this happen?” I remember showing up to my first Modern 1 class at Columbia College Chicago oh so many years ago, a bit apprehensive about this new teacher talking about the wonder twins, little green men, and corn. But, I stuck with it. After semesters of thinking that I would never make it to a professional dance company, especially Margi Coleʼs (or really wondering if I even wanted to perform), I found myself unable to stay away from her, her classes, the companyʼs performances, and its dancers. There was something about it that I respected so much.

I knew from the minute I left high school that I wanted to pursue my teaching certificate in Dance and that it would require time and effort. So, during the frequent 3 hour commute to and from Milwaukee, I realized that teaching wasnʼt the only part of dance that I wanted for myself. I needed something in my life that I didnʼt have to control all the time, something that fulfilled the creative side of me but something that also allowed me the chance to share my life with others (a collective perhaps (I know, super cheesetastic)) closer to my age. At the time, the only people I had the opportunity to share with were the ones who wanted to know my favorite color, if I had a mom and lived in a house, and that they just got a brand new outfit and hairdo that I NEEDED to know about. After attending my umpteenth Dance COLEctive performance, I checked the program and committed myself to the audition 7 months away. I attended the summer workshop and was surprised with how many of the dancers I knew, or who actually remembered me from coming to company class. Being there, dancing with these girls was just so comfortable. I appreciated that and understood that this wasnʼt just a dance company, it was a family that had been thoughtfully formed through the direction of a woman who took the time to research her dancerʼs values and goals. I wanted it. I respected it, and knew that this was the “something else.”

Photo by Mike Doyle

 













And now here I sit, explaining all of this to you but reflecting to myself about how it all came to be. Something I didnʼt fully understand until now. I am nearing the end of my second year with the company after starting as an apprentice and couldnʼt be more grateful for the opportunities provided to me. Itʼs been made clear that nothing is accomplished without full commitment, and that if you want something enough you must work your way towards it through as many paths as you can find. The Dance COLEctive, in my eyes, is an established, respected, and carefully constructed crew of beautiful dancers I can proudly say I am a part of, and if you have the chance or interest, I highly recommend inquiring about it.

 Submitted by TDC Dancer Madelyn Doyle on Tuesday, May 9, 2013.

There’s Always Room to Grow!

What never ceases to amaze me about dance is that there is always more to learn.

I have been dancing since I was 3 years old. Though I think we can all agree that a tiny child in a tutu with her butt hanging out isn’t really committed to dance, I’d say from age 7 or 8, my training has been pretty rigorous. To calculate the number of hours I have dedicated to practice in the studio would be too much to handle. The point is, after 25 years of daily practice in my body, I am still amazed by how much more there is to discover. Or more specifically, by how many muscles, bones, and flows of energy I have yet to master or fully connect.

Something I have always struggled with is the placement of my rib cage on my spine. I have a tendency to splay my ribs open in the front rather than connecting them down to my center. There have been many times over the years when I have made a major connection and (seemingly) course corrected this tendency toward imbalance. However, day one back in the studio this season and I am getting corrections from Margi about softening my sternum. Really? Yes. Still something that requires focus.

All the boo-hooing aside, I think I might have figured something out! Imagine my arms in fifth position above my head. By shifting my arms forward more toward my brow line rather than being directly above my head, the entire position of my chest shifts downward. Really, Maggie? Duh. But it has taken me all this time to realize that it is ok to move my arms out of this above-the-head zone where I perceived a need for my arms to be to achieve classical ballet accuracy and into a space where I can be connected through the vertical center of my skeleton.

And by shifting my arms forward, I’m actually experiencing a new sensation at the bottom of my rib cage. This may not be the most inspiring example, and I would never use this when teaching, but I am feeling as if a limbo bar is pressing across the bottom of my ribs. That’s the image I get when I feel connected. It’s an activation of the muscles and a connectedness in my bones.

Just a little something I’m working on these days in class. Now, to be able to achieve that alignment and maintain that awareness while moving through all the planes, balancing on one leg, upside down, through the air, leg above ninety degrees, while my spine snakes…oh, dance. Never a dull moment.

---
Submitted by TDC Dancer Maggie Koller on Sunday, September 30, 2012