Favorites

One of my favorite numbers in "Onward Alone" has always been "Emily Abbott Bunker." From the first time I saw it, I almost come close to tears. It tells the story of Emily who makes fun of a mother who makes a baby dress out of old curtain material and vows never to dress her baby in such a thing, even if he must have nothing. That winter, she gives birth to a son and has no material to make him clothes and no one in camp has any extra cloth except that mother she had teased several months before. The mother still had a few yards of curtain cloth and freely gave it to Emily and reminded her to be thankful for what is available instead of scorning. It is such a touching story to see the tender spirit of the mother towards Emily. Each time I hear the story, it touches my heart.

The other number is "Mary Lee Bland Ewell & Mammy Chloe / Down in the River to Pray." I have always loved the song "Down in the River to Pray" and the dancers do beautifully. But what adds to it even more is the story about Mary Ewell and Mammy Chloe as Mary decides to run away from home to marry her love (a Mormon - who her father disproves of). Mammy Chloe faithfully follows - and they go through many struggles and trials but will stay together as support. It focuses on the unknown suffering that Mammy Chloe must have gone through but kept hidden as she continued to serve Mary through her life and cared not for her freedom after the slaves were freed because of her dedication to Mary. It is touching and beautifully choreographed with an amazing piano arrangement of "Down in the River to Pray."

Also, for those who care to know in interesting fact, during the dance called "Eternally," the portrait of the couple that appears on the projection is of my ancestors - Carl and Sine Nielsen. It's wonderful to have that connection to the production.

Opening Night

Whew! The first night is done! I worked nonstop from 1pm to 9:30pm. I ran the audio at least four times, but had no luck fixing the audio problem. At least, I found a reason and different ways to quickly bring back audio when it drops out. Unfortunately, we have yet to fix it permanently. Hopefully tomorrow.

The show in the audience's point of view was wonderful. I was on my toes the whole night, but it wasn't too bad. The lower level of seating was about 80% full I'd say - and I doubt many were in the balcony. I hope we have a better turnout tomorrow, but I understand how there is also "Midsummer Nights Dream" in production at the same time and not many know enough information about this dance production.

Dress Rehearsal

Tonight was the last rehearsal before opening night. It is my second run-through of the show and thankfully it went rather well. I only had a few mistakes - but as I said, second run-through - so all went well enough. However, our new SFX program is still acting up. We're still trying to figure out the bugs, but its getting better as we update the version. The problem we run into the most is the audio not being sent from the audio card to the mixer. If it happened all the time or with a certain song, we could figure it out. The problem is the randomness of it and being unable to repeat the problem. It happened four times tonight, and it seems to only happen when I am on SFX. Mark can't get it to repeat itself. Oh well, the phantoms are always after me. Tomorrow, I'm going into the deJong at 1pm (during a UTA conference) to sit in the back of the theatre and run through the whole show on the laptop w/ headphones to make sure it will run w/o any audio glitches - tedious, but necessary. I'll just make sure to bring a book so I'm not too bored. Hopefully, everything will run smoothly. It won't be a noticeable mistake to the audience, but it keeps me always on my toes. This performance is done on more visual cues then time code so it is a lot harder an any other concert I have to run. I love it (volunteered for it) and will eventually master it. It is worth everything!

Dance Tech

Well, we have finally finished the rough tech for Onward Alone and ran a run-through to begin timing the show. It was quite an experience. I'm not sure how well it went. I started really rough, but it got better as we went through. Of course, there is still a lot to do before we are ready for Thursday's performance. Wait . . . please don't tell me that's tomorrow . . . I am not ready for this!

Don't get me wrong. I love this job, but it happens in such a short amount of time. I want to rest for a week - but I have class, homework (including what I will miss during tour) and there is the tour to begin on Feb. 8. Busy, Busy, Busy. Oh well.

Here to There

Friday night, Andrea and I went to the NELKE to view a play on transportation in Utah County named "Here to There." We were required to see it for a theatre class - and it was really good. It was a presentation of experimental theatre where a collection of stories on social views were compiled together in different ways added with movement and blocking. They touched on the UTA bus system, paratransit, and BYU student parking. It was really impressive with how it was all compiled together. I was surprised that they all read from the script, instead of memorizing, but they were reading real interviews and stories taken from the community. It gave a new point of view to transportation in Utah and the need for improvement. Afterwards, we went to the stage to put our footprint and impression of transportation on a poster that would be placed in an arts exibit downtown about transportation. It was a good way to spend a Friday evening.

BDC

The Ballroom team was gone from 7:30am to midnight as we worked to set up and performed. In the audience's point of view, they were great performances, with very few if any mistakes. A dancers' and technicians' point of view, they were a bit rusty after so much time, but it went well enough - improving with each performance. In the stage manager's point of view, it was awful! Everything that could go wrong, went wrong - but how is that different from any other time? Even setting up was difficult. The problems began with the light board touch screens not responding, then the lens in the projector refusing to come out, and finding a good place for the mixer and SFX. When I couldn't connect to MIDI control, I knew it wouldn't be a good show. For the matinee, I had to call each cue manually and then half the music wouldn't work as it should. The SFX program is suppose to make stage managing easy, yet it only gave me headaches. It was awful! Lee was behind my shoulder always getting after me for the smallest mistake. Of course it was my fault, but it was an upgrade I haven't worked on much. I can't practice using the program until there is a show to work on. Well, after the matinee, we all went to the host's home for dinner and relaxation. It was the most beautiful home for a very well-to-do family. Amazing! For the evening performance, Lady Luck was on my side to give me help in fixing the MIDI problem, however the audio was still causing problems. I began taking notes on each problem and we hope to fix it before Dancers' Company leaves on tour. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a bug that came with the new upgrade. Even though the evening performance was easier, I made the most obvious mistakes. I blacked out before a tag! I make the most foolish mistakes, but it is the fact that Lee seeks a "perfect" show, and so do I. Although Lee - the director of the Ballroom Dance Company - is difficult to work under, I am glad to have these opportunities to work with him. I began my job hearing of all the struggles with stress under some directors like Lee, but it made me want to work with him. Under the most stressful and difficult pieces of work, come the most learning and experience. I love the Ballroom team and will miss working with them when I graduate - but the memories with them will never be forgotten.

Off on Tangents

The production meeting for Diantha today was so much fun! We are still working on getting organized, reading through the script, and getting our assignments, but with all of the team together, we joke around like no other. For half the time, we went on a tangent about how cool it would be if Google made an application named Google Treasure Map that had all the different treasure maps. From there, we made up our own movie about a man working for 50 years digging for a treasure, just to find out he was on the wrong island - basically pulling ideas from Castaway. It was hilarious! Another thing that happened was Tom (Thomas Russell adapted Diantha into the screenplay and is the Producer? for the film) walks in and tells us about his encounter right before class. Apparently, just as he exits the MOA, a young woman looks at him and says "Life is a BUCKET of fun," gnarls her teeth at him, then storms off. He had never met her before. We just constantly kept bringing it up during the meeting and laughing about it. We also joked about applying it to the film, making it the overall theme. Even making t-shirts with it. Then from there, Tom actually wants to create t-shirts for all of us.

So, not much really happened in this meeting, but we'll get everything organized and begin brainstorming ideas for the next production meeting. I love this team and am glad to be working with them!

Ballroom at Layton

It has slipped my mind until yesterday that I will be gone all day Saturday to northern Utah with the Ballroom team. We have two performances at Davis High School in Kaysville, one at 2:00 and the other at 7:30pm. It has been quite a while since we've performed, but it will be great - just like every other performance we do. I remembered yesterday because I had to set up the lightboard and Pandora's Box to make sure the show was uploaded and working. I also had to learn how to set up the new accessories to the board, including two touch screens and a new computer. We had some difficulties, but Mark helped me out and we got it ready. Also, I had to reprogram the whole show in our new SFX upgrage. Unfortunately, the newer version has no way to upgrade old performances. I had to go in and reprogram the whole show while I tried to learn the software at the same time. It was very interesting. Hopefully, the show is programmed correctly and no problems will arise this Saturday. I am very excited! I'll always love the Ballroom team and I'll never grow tired of their shows.

Juno

On Monday, Andrea and I decided to finally watch the film, Juno. We have both heard so much about it from our film friends and wanted to see it for ourselves. I personally enjoyed this film a lot. I am sure many people I know may not appreciate it in the way that I do, but this independent film is enjoyed and appreciated more by film majors than any other viewer. I was very impressed with the script, concept, and acting.

"Juno" is a PG-13 movie about a 16 year-old girl who becomes pregnant and begins making choices for the good of herself and her unborn child.

For those interested in viewing this film, it is important to know that there are several different elements that may be difficult to view by our "Mormon" culture. There is a very strong use of language that is dominant in teenage high school vocabulary. Since she does get pregnant there are references to sexual activity with teenagers. Then, there is the hardest thing for me to watch which relates to the relationship between Juno and Mark, the husband of the couple who will adopt the child. Nothing is there, but these is that awkward feeling and fear of what could occur. Along with my film and theatre friends, I loved the movie. Andrea thought it was good. Dan, my FHE brother, walked out of it in the first ten minutes while on a date. If you attend the movie, you will be thrown right into the story, which will tell you to either walk out or decide to look past it.

Party

Well, I'd say the party last night was a success. We had a lot more people come and stay then we'd expected, but it was great! Amazingly, all of us apartment gals acted like ourselves and made sure the party was a hit. I'm just surprised the food lasted. We honestly had very little left over, but no complaints there. We started at seven and it lasted til midnight when all the men had to be kicked out. Of course, the night didn't have to end there as us gals spent some more time together before we all crashed on the couch during a movie. Thankfully, today is the day of rest after such a night and we were wise enough to clean the apartment right afterwards so there is no mess to worry about. Hopefully, we can plan another one soon - of course not too soon. Parties really does wear a person out - but as I like to say, it is all worth it in the end. Thanks to all the people who stopped by and helped make last night a success. Luvs to ya all!

Night of Fun

This Saturday, the 19th of January, the girls of La Grande #17 are throwing a get together for friends. We've rearranged and redecorated our apartment again and want to invite friends over for food and games. It starts at 7pm and will last as long as people come. See you there!

Future Plans

At work, I was able to talk with my boss Mark and discuss several different options for work in the upcoming years. I wish to look for work during July and August, but there really is no theatre job available for such a short period of time, especially over the summer season. Therefore, we looked at different options I could take, like transfering to another BYU job, like grounds crew or custodial, especially if I worked for 40 hour weeks. But we also discussed that if expanding my resume was more important than money, I could look into a job with corporate stage work in another state. Then, that lead to plans for next summer. If I plan to graduate next year, it may be wise to step away from the dance department and plan to find an internship or job over the 2009 summer. It all depends on my dedication to the dance department and if I really want to work for the summer tour that will be state side that year. I definately have a lot to think about.

Onward Alone: Left Behind

The first main project for work is to prepare for Dance in Concert. This year, instead of a selection of modern dances, we will be presenting a program about the Women of the Mormon Battallion. Last Friday, I attended a run-through of the program as it has been prepared so far. It is amazing! Anything relating to the pioneers catches my heart, but it is seeing the dance, hearing the narrations in movement, and listening to the wonderful and powerful arrangements that make it a performance worth attending. I cannot image how powerful it will be on stage with lighting, sound, costumes, and multimedia. Just by what I saw at practice, I could feel the spirit so strong and almost cried with some of the narrations. I am so glad to take part in the production of this program. I look forward in touring with them in February.

Today, I met with the artistic director to begin gathering and organizing the multimedia needed for this program. We expect at least a hundred images and video clips to be used through the numbers. We have portraits, Mormon Historical paintings, and contemporary photographs of landscapes. Then there are videos of the dancers taken out in the canyon. It will be very difficult and challenging to collect these, but when we get it all compiled and present it with the program, it will heighten the show even more, adding to the power it holds.

The Dancers' Company consists of 5 men and 19 women who will add movements to the events and stories about crossing the plains as the men part for the Mormon Battallion. It tells stories of trials, heartache, love, sorrow, and the truthfulness of the gospel no matter what they may go through. It will pull at the heart and make anyone cry. That I promise you. This will be the most powerful performance I have been privilaged to work with, and I have been blessed with many wonderful productions put on by the BYU Dance Department.

It is through experiences like this that comfirms my belief that this job is my mission is life. I am able to take part in creating performances that spread the spirit of the gospel through dance.

1st Pre-Production Meeting

Last Thursday, I attended the first pre-production meeting for the film I will be working on for the next four months. The play is "Diantha's Crossing," being created into an hour long film for BYUTV and KBYU. It is going to be a great team and I can see each other becoming fast friends. The director will a great person to be able to work with and learn from.

This film sounds amazing, and I can't wait to read through the script. It works with several different pioneer stories with themes of the atonement, forgiveness, and the need to find a place in your heart to accept the weakness of men as they do bad things out of fear. There are four main characters, but Diantha is portrayed at three different ages. We will be using this age shift to portray memories and there will be a lot of still photographs integrated within the film. I am up to this challenge and feel so privilaged to assist in the creation of this film. I hear it is so touching, which I can see by the ideas already in progress in the creation.

Theatre Classes

Class today was wonderful!! In Dramatic Lit, we talked about the Viewpoints of Anne Bogard by acting it ourselves. We spent class in the Pardoe Green room running around the room acting out these viewpoints to better understand and apply it. We discussed and acted out the viewpoints of time and space - therefore, making shapes and gestures as we worked with tempo, topography, and repetition. Very simple and basic practices, but it was a lot of fun to be active throughout the class period and it is great exercises for actors - something good to know if I ever go into teaching or directing. Every little piece of knowledge is helpful - and I greatly enjoyed it.

In Scenic Design, it was fascinating how my teacher brough the gospel into the lesson. He put up quotes that related to the fact that all things were created spiritually before they were created temporally. "Before a building can exist physically, it must be conceived and designed. This process can be likened to spiritual creation. . . An architect creates a building spiritually and the engineers and contractors create it physically [just as a designer creates their design and the technicians take those plans and create it on stage]." I never really though of it that way. He even added scripture to show how everything was first created spiritually before they were created temporally. An amazing class!

Work Meeting

I have had my first work meeting for the semester as we have an overview of what needs to be done during the year, and especially in the next two months. Hopefully by the beginning of February, our new offices will be complete so we can begin to move in. It's exciting to have a big office reception area for ourselves and being next to both Benjamin and Mark's office.

The first show we have to work on is Dance in Concert at the end of the month. It has been decided that both Stephen and I will work with the company and go on mid-semester tour with them because it is an engaging show with live and recorded narration, videos, images, and specific time codes. There are at least 40 sound clips including narrations and music. Images and video clips are a very important part of this program so that will be a treat to tech. On top of that, there are the lighting cues to add. It will be a nightmare to tech, but will definately be worth it as a whole. Dance in Concert performances are Jan 31 to Feb 2, and the mid-semester tour is Feb 8-17 (aww . . . gonna miss Valentines Day again . . . good thing Dancers' Company knows how to throw a great party, even if it has to be on a tour bus).

After that is Ballet in Concert in the Pardoe theatre at the HFAC, but I won't work too much on it because I will be in the RB working with the Children's Show of Evening of Dance. Then, Cougarettes in Concert will occur out in a theatre in the community. I hear that will be interesting.

Therefore, as soon as February hits, I am non-stop busy. I guess I'd better do all the homework I can now so I don't get behind.

This month, though, it is time for organizing. Each day, we'll probably meet together to organize tech cases, take stock of everything, and clean out our storage unit at the Motion Picture Studio (MPS). I'm excited to get to learn the new SFX program and get the Ballroom show transfered over before our show in Layton on the 26th of January. We've got a lot of nice toys to play with and learn this semester. We are definately updating the dance department to make our shows and tours easier to tech (and more compact for travel).

While I am busy with work again this semester, it is important for me to work just as hard at school - especially so I can go on the International tour - and also at my social life. I am never again going to let anyone tell me that I care about stage more than I care about them. That is a promise. Anyways, it is the goals of all my co-workers and even boss' to make sure I keep up on school and date a little. I've already been banned from working a photo shoot this weekend unless I ask my friend out. I just wish she was teasing with me.

School Begins Again

Today is the first day of Winter Semester. I'm excited for all my classes; I just hope it's not too much outside work for me to handle. I am taking Mission Prep with my roommate as she prepares for her mission and I consider the possibility. For work, I will have culture class every Monday morning at 7am for two hours to prepare for the International Tour in June. The rest of my classes are towards my major emphasis as I finish the prerequisites with Directing Fundamentals and Dramatic Literature 2. After that comes beginning Scenic Design, then a pre-production class for the film I will be helping with this May.

This is going to be an exciting year! I look forward to working more into the theatre department and begin designing with the dance department.

New Years Resolutions

The new year has begun, and with that is New Year Resolutions. It is important to write them down, but they do not always need to be shared. I don't write this to show my resolutions, but to look more on what should be on our minds during this new year. I am most grateful for my friends, especially my roomates who are always there for me. There is never a dull moment at our apartment as we have Poker Night, movie nights, music videos, "nightly readings", and so much more. This year will be full of new memories as we grow closer together as roomies and friends. We are a perfect team as we work together to get through any problems that may arise. As girls, of course we talk about boys - or better yet the lack of boys. But we also support each other in our hopes and dreams. This year is for gathering closer together with friends, and strengthening that bond we will always share. Love ya, roomies!




Poker Night 2007:

Sariah
Andrea
Kris
Krista