Antsy

     I like routine. 

     This summer has been a strange one because it's been relatively unscheduled with little consistency in my day-to-day routine. I thrive on routine, full schedules and predictability. I like that ballet class always starts with plies, and that my mornings always begin with the whirring of the coffee grinder and a boiling kettle. I enjoy books even more the second time. I watch the same TV shows over and over again. I am not the carefree, adventurous sort. 

    I haven't been teaching as much as I'd hoped over the past few weeks--really, only one Pilates and aerobics class each week with a few private lessons here and there--and I miss it. This is good news for me, since I was facing serious burnout just a couple of months ago and questioning the whole existence of my business. Now I can't wait to get back to work, see my students and just dance. 

   The break in my teaching schedule allowed me to take on a couple of other projects: I choreographed and performed in a production of Rodger's & Hammerstein's Allegro with a local theater group. The original production included three separate ballets choreographed by Agnes de Mille (one of my all-time favorite choreographers) so this was no small task. We ended up shortening most of the dance sections due to the small cast, but I hope they stayed true to the spirit of the story and the music. I've never been super confident in my skills as a choreographer, but Allegro pushed and challenged me creatively in a way that I think I needed. Working as a teacher for little ones, it's easy to get stuck in a creative rut, making the same dances over and over. 

     I also took on new work writing fitness and dance oriented pieces for a content production company. While it's been nice to use the knowledge I gained studying for my Pilates certification (and in my time working with clients), I tend to get antsy after an eight hour day spent in my computer chair. Most of the work I do for this job is fairly mind-numbing, as I have to adhere to strict style guidelines with little room for creativity or personal touches. Since this is work-from-home stuff, I have to figure out ways to keep my toddler occupied while I work. Sometimes this means taking him to a sitter for a couple of hours when I can afford it, other times it means trying to bang out as much work as I can during his 90 minute nap. 

     Otherwise, the summer's included a lot of unpacking from our move, playing outside with the toddler, reading, trying to commit to daily creative writing, gardening and starting applications for MFA programs! 

   

     In the last weeks summer, I'm finding it difficult to enjoy my last few free weekday evenings. I'm just so ready, you know? Fall always offers a fresh start and a new opportunity to try new programs and methods. Along with debuting some new classes and amending my syllabi, we're making some improvements to the physical space and tightening up the admin side of things.

    As the days cool off and leaves start to fall, I find it more and more difficult to focus on anything but the coming dance season! (Hello, obsessive personality.)

Summer is so last month for some of the trees in our yard. (From my Instagram.)

What are you most looking forward to about a new school year, a new semester or new season?