Looking Forward to October

    During academic semesters--no matter how hard I try--I tend to have time to either dance a lot or write a lot, but rarely both. I've finally begun to really work on some pieces for this year's round of journal and literary magazine submissions and finding it difficult to get back into the swing of creative writing after focusing more on journalism this summer. I keep worrying that my couple of creative pieces that have recently done well are complete flukes and that I'll never write anything good again, let alone actually improve as I hone my technique and style. Typical perfectionist.

    Aside from those impending submission deadlines, I'm quite looking forward to October, my favorite month of the year. The hay bales stacked with pumpkins have appeared in front of all the markets on the Upper West Side and I noticed a few eager leaves beginning to take on an orange hue during my walk across Central Park today. Aside from the wonderful autumn weather, a variety of exciting events fill my calendar in the approaching month. Some highlights: 

Fall for Dance Festival

September 28 - October 9

This annual ten day festival at City Center features some of the world's most renowned dance companies and choreographers alongside up-and-coming artists. In addition to the five main stage programs, Fall for Dance includes panels on dance-related topics and free pre-performance dance classes! All seats are $10 which means they always sell out quickly. Thankfully I was able to wrangle a couple of tickets and I can't wait to see such a wide variety of styles--from ballet to Indian dance-- presented in the same program.

Fall Downtown

Ongoing from September - December

Although I'm an uptowner, I often take classes, rehearse, and see performances in lower Manhattan. Presented by the Lower Manhattan Arts League, this festival includes theater, dance, film, music, and visual arts. I'm particularly excited that Dance New Amsterdam, one of the studios I visit most frequently, is offering a day of discounted classes on September 21 as well as a day of free classes on October 9! I'm looking forward to getting in as many affordable shows and classes as possible this season. 

An Extraordinary Echo

October 7-9 

I'm busy, busy, busy gearing up for the premiere of An Extraordinary Echo, In-Sight Dance Company's first full-length ballet! It's really starting to come together well and I'm at that point where I'm starting to become familiar enough with the choreography that I can really focus on exploring the movement artistically. It's been a long time since I've performed a story ballet and it's an incredibly rewarding experience. Have I mentioned that I absolutely adore the people I work with? They're incredible artists and people, truly. We're also launching a blog soon and when I get the green light, I'll be sure to share the link here. If you're in the NYC area, it would mean so much to me if you came to one of the performances!

Mystery Birthday Events
My lovely, creative friend Jennifer emailed me a few weeks ago demanding that I remain available the morning of October 2 for an early birthday surprise. That's less than a week before the show opens so I was hesitant, but Graham insisted that I should ask for the day off from rehearsals. I still have no idea what is is I'm in for and not knowing is driving me crazy! My real 21st birthday is on October 28th so I'll also celebrate with Graham later in the month with dinner and some kind of surprise. Last year he surprised me with a spotless apartment for my birthday which caused me to quite literally wept tears of joy and gratitude because it just looked so nice. The year before that he proposed on my birthday, so he's set a pretty high standard for himself. (No pressure or anything, honey.)

What about you? Any exciting upcoming events you're looking forward to?