Miss Alaina’s Musings

This was one of my favorite posts of Exodus 2015, this reflection regarding our Egyptian-themed stage backdrop. In addition to being able to reuse those backdrop panels this spring, which were handpainted by Miss Gail and stored since for reuse, the combination of apparatus at our new venue and the engineering brilliance of my husband (best dance husband ever!!) allowed my 2015 dream of a parted Red Sea archway to come true!!! So to add to my sentiments from a decade ago:

Original post date: May 17, 2015

I spent my planning period today observing the Spotswood High School shop class hang our Egyptian hieroglyph backdrop behind the stage. There was really not much for me to do except watch and tell them where to hang it, so I had plenty of time to reflect during the process. The back wall of the stage was painted this year for the SHS musical “Hairspray” with a black and white depiction of the Baltimore skyline. Looking at it up close a few months ago and thinking of our task in covering it, I thought it was impressive yet intimidating in height. I was confirmed in this opinion today by our shop teacher’s reaction when he first viewed what he had already agreed to do- meeting his first glance at the height with a few choice words. Despite his sentiments however, his class got to work and quickly had scaffolding assembled, hammers, staple guns in hand, and Baltimore began to transform to Egypt.

I thought as I sat on the stage looking up at the height of the auditorium wall, the light bars above me, curtain riggings, what a rush we get when we are part of something like this. The sheer physical size of this backdrop makes the production seem more legitimate somehow. I think of how performers work for months on a three-minute dance, put so much effort into one weekend, and I remember before I was the director, getting to dress rehearsals and realizing how many others had also put so much time and energy into their own parts. In times like these, the production suddenly becomes larger than life. So many of us take part in these types of productions, and though we often acknowledge the massive amounts of energy put into one performance, rarely do we ever question why we do so. Yet the answer is quite simple. It is an amazing thing to be part of something that’s bigger than ourselves. And in this lies connections to much of what we do, why we take part in community events, sports teams, theater productions, what even drives our faith, is the privilege of being a part of something beyond us. It is awe-inspiring and so comforting to know that the best things in life are bigger than what we can do ourselves.

I think this as I sit watching this class, these students who are not even my own students, who do not necessarily have any connection to dance itself, put forth an effort to create InMotion’s vision for this production. It is only in kindness and community that they do this and for that I am grateful to them and their teacher, yet I also take a lesson from it. It really takes a community to do something like this anyway.

After all these years, I finally realize what it is that gives that rush when I enter an auditorium for dress rehearsal, when I turn on the lights and stand on the stage, gazing at the expanse of auditorium. It’s not me that brought me here. It’s bigger than me- it’s a community, each part contributed by those with their own gifts. A community guided by a force, a love that’s bigger than any of us. I think these productions, the handpainted props, skillfully built sets, the shuffling feet backstage reviewing a specially choreographed dance, is a glimpse of what the Creator does for us everyday. He paints the sky, He builds our surrounding community of family and friends, He teaches us the dance that is our life. Our effort in the coming weekend is feeble, but it offers us a taste, an experience of what it means to take part in something that is beyond us. In it, we can begin to recognize our place in this world, in this Creation. And realizing the scale of something of which I am counted valuable may be the biggest blessing I have ever received.

Original post date: May 22, 2015

While driving a student home from rehearsal the other day, our conversation turned to our journey through Genesis and Exodus in ballet class. She commented that it is fun to learn the ‘backstory’ (we’re currently in Genesis, therefore not even to our actual story yet) and I agreed. I feel strongly that learning any ‘backstory’ gives us insight to any current story. I also commented that this background reading is helping me choose verses to include in the recital program to help promote the meaning of each dance.

In speaking of the recital program, I admit that this is one aspect of the recital over which I obsess each year. As much as I work on the recital, envision it from the audience’s perspective, the program is an added detail, another chance to present the meaning of each piece. It is so important to me to share as much as I can of the inspiration I feel when choreographing a piece, choosing the music, creating the final product. Yet I know that not everybody is ‘spoken to’ through dance. (I have an uncle who specifically informed me of this;-) Some are touched through spoken word, others through reading, still others through music. So to me, words in the program, written promptings, are one more opportunity to share these inspirations with our audience. Sometimes it’s a line from the song lyrics, sometimes an Bible verse, a piece of background information, or related inspirational quote.

At this comment, my student responded “oh yeah! I like how you include those notes in the program- I remember the one from our jazz dance last year (a piece of lyrics), I didn’t even know those lyrics were in the song!”

Inner victory! This is exactly why I do this- to point out a meaning that may have been missed before. In fact, this particular song to which she referred, I had specifically and lovingly picked out for this group of girls. (“Gold” by Brit Nicole- “from the inside out it shows- you’re worth more than gold”)

So I encourage you to read these notes at our recital this spring- each is chosen with intention, with hopes and prayers that it will share with you the vision we had in creating the piece. Read these inspirations, look for them in the dances, and I pray that this recital will not only be fun to watch, but meaningful to experience.

Introduction:
There was once a time- before a husband, before two children- when I lived alone with two cats (who still live here) and spent more time in quiet reflection- when I kept up this InMotion blog. My hope and prayer was to share insights- some as a studio director, but mostly as an artist- as an outlet to further explain the depth of meaning that is put into staged pieces but may be missed in the viewing experience. The time period when I posted with most frequency as the spring of 2015, when we first staged “Exodus.” Writing and directing a Scriptural ballet was such a blessed experience and as a result there was a good deal more of my heart that went into that show than previous productions. It was only my fourth recital as director of InMotion and though I had no real plan yet for deciding our future ballet productions, I decided then that we would perform my very favorite ballets every ten years…. and here we are.

It’s hard to believe it’s now ten years later, especially seeing some of our older dancers now, who were little ballerinas in that 2015 show, dancing Cast parts now, and reflecting on the growth of the studio as I work to creatively expand and add ensembles so more can take part. It’s been a new blessing to resurrect this ballet and I want to share with our studio family, some of the thoughts and reflections from the writing of the 2015 show. Due to a hack of our website sometime in the 2017-ish era, my old blog posts were lost, but after some digging this spring through old computer files and internet archives, I’ve been able to find all or most of what I shared then. I pray these insights will not only deepen your experience of our 2025 “Exodus” ballet, but mine as well, as blessed distractions now fill my home. To God be the glory for all we do for Him.

I chose the following to be the first re-post since several members of the InMotion Family gathered to watch “The Prince of Egypt” together this weekend. Once again, I found the writing introduction to the movie to be absolutely beautiful and effective to prepare our hearts for the story
Original post date: Winter 2015

Artistic Interpretation

“The motion picture you are about to see is an adaptation of the Exodus story. 
While artistic and historical license has been taken, we believe that this film is true to the essence, values and integrity of a story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide.
The biblical story of Moses can be found in the book of Exodus.”

Though I would define this passage, found at the beginning of the Dreamworks “Prince of Egypt” film, as a disclaimer, I also think it is a beautifully written introduction which causes the viewer to ponder the perspectives with which the story can be perceived, the many variations in the story that go beyond the ancient words, the details that cannot be captured in writing. It challenges one to consider new lessons that come with a different frame of reference.

Interpretation is daunting on certain occasions, simply because no two people interpret anything exactly the same. Interpretation is part of the beauty of humanity, the value in our uniqueness: the fact that we have individuality. This uniqueness of perspective is what we must count as beautiful if we are to appreciate any kind of art. Interpretation is appreciated when it celebrates the beauty of individuality. But interpretation is daunting when it comes to an art such as teaching, how can one teach a concept to multiple individuals in hopes that each will effectively understand the teacher’s own interpretation? Can we match the perception of many people just enough that the true meaning is not lost in our different mindsets?

In the same way, it is daunting when approaching the interpretation of a subject that is central to the deep belief of an audience. I am excited to be doing a story ballet that is Scriptural, a story which has such deep meaning, and which holds so many lessons within. But because of this, I admit I find a Biblical ballet intimidating, because I feel an added burden to capture the heart of the story’s message, a challenge to interpret the story such that God’s Word is further extended to His people. And most of all, I am challenged to further produce this so that it is God who seen and not us, not me.

I know my interpretation in writing this show is different than anybody else’s would be. My choreography for a piece would be different than InMotion’s other teachers will be, and my perception of an audience’s interpretation cannot comprehend the many views that will perceive this story. But I pray that our interpretation reaches people, I pray it touches hearts, I pray it leads us all to ponder further the lessons that are buried in the Scripture we dance out. For that is the purpose of artistic interpretation- to carry a message and promote further reflection. 

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. ~2 Peter 1:20-21

I pray this ballet is carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Most weeks, I prepare a short devotion for our Ballet Cast, which is shared after warmup and barre and before we begin the choreography portion of our rehearsal. This is one I thought would be particularly interesting to our audience and families who have been a part of our story ballets for several years:

Relevant note: this devotion took place near Easter;-)

The months of February and March usually find Miss Gail and me making a “musical tour” to most of the local high schools- to watch our dancers perform and, full disclosure: to celebrate that they will soon all be back in class again;-)

A couple years ago, I began to notice that often, after Intermission, the storyline of the musical begins to drag a bit. (sometimes a lot) I began to examine this after concluding that it was something beyond my personal attention span. Then I remembered watching movies when I was little- it was often during this same portion of a movie that my mind would also wander (yes, this may have been attention span) and I would often begin playing with toys on the side, or ask my mother for a snack.

I’ve also noticed while planning recitals- especially when I get to the part when I schedule dress rehearsals, that the distribution of ensemble classes between Act I and Act II is nearly always uneven. Most of our ensemble classes, and nearly always our youngest classes, dance in Act I. It often turns out that Act II consists mostly of Cast dances. It’s a fabulous setup for a studio, since it means that these dress rehearsals allow younger dancers to go home for an earlier bedtime- it is not entirely intentional in the original planning stages of the show. As I began reflecting on why all these might be, something came to mind that most of us learned in an English class somewhere along the way: the Plot Diagram. Most of the Cast instantly recognized this, so they seem to have experienced it somewhere along their academics.

Something I failed to notice when I encountered this plot analysis in high school English class: most of the fun stuff happens in the beginning half. We meet new characters, we hear fun songs, there aren’t a whole lot of complications to the storyline that make emotions fall beyond the carefree. This is why our younger classes are inevitably assigned parts in the first Act=) The middle-end section though, is usually where the deep stuff happens- the “ugly” stuff, the life-changing stuff. And to someone who’s not fully invested in the storyline, it can get boring. For those who are fully invested, it can get uncomfortable. But: this is where the really good stuff happens. It’s where hearts are frozen and thawed, where love is discovered, and where dynamic characters (remember those too?) are transformed. 

This is the part of the Easter story where Jesus was in the tomb. This is where they had to WAIT three days for the resurrection. This is where- even though YOU know what happens- they did not. And it was uncomfortable and scary. But this is the part where it’s important that we not walk away. This is the part of the story that may not be butterflies and rainbows (or snowflakes and trolls) but it’s when it’s more important than ever that we be present. And trust God, and cling to faith- even if we don’t know at the time if faith is truly real. Because this is where the transformation happens, and it’s something we don’t want to miss.

As the world has slowed in such a baffling way, I felt the need to resurrect this blog. I loved using it to share my reflections from the heart of a dance teacher a studio director and hope to do so more in the present and future than I have in the past two years.

Out of all the things we feel the need to anticipate, I can’t say that “pandemic” was one of them. Not a single thought to address this in our pre-semester staff meetings, not contingency plans for our students to learn out-of-studio, not Plan A, Plan, B, or Plan C for our spring recital. In the days leading to the decision to close InMotion during this time, I was ultimately sad. Sad that we wouldn’t be seeing our students, their progress together would and could slow, and the work they were putting into learning their recital dances would be interrupted. And thought that sadness remains, I have been encouraged by technology and its ability for us to continue communicating lessons to our dancers. I hope that what we have provided so far is helping them. In addition to this encouragement, I also feel so much gratitude to so many in our dance family:

To our Families: THANK YOU so much for your patience with our plans, our changing plans, our online learning videos, for your grace in accepting our relative unpreparedness for these circumstances, and for taking them in stride. Thank you for helping your children access these videos and for sharing photos and videos of them dancing at home. Having viewed posts on several studio owner social media forums, it seems that several studios are dealing with stress of families publicly disagreeing with decisions and demanding refunds for tuition payments, I thank you that our community has accepted our plans with grace and patience. I know that you do have questions about payments and recital preparations, I will address these in an email coming to you shortly. 

To our Teachers: THANK YOU for jumping into action to create learning resources for your students to use at home. I have several videos from teachers already and for every class that doesn’t have something already available, know that those teachers are working on it for you! As a studio director, I reached out to see what we could provide without knowing what would come my way for our dancers and have been amazed at what is in the works. Your overwhelming response has blessed me and blesses your students as well!

I hope and pray for your health and safety during this time. I pray that you are growing in relationships with your families and continuing to learn and grow in your studies of both academics and dance. Now that the initial whirlwind is passed and we have resources gradually coming to you, please do not hesitate to send us feedback, questions, and let us know how to continue these videos to best help you and your children. Keep praying with us for our world and for those who are more directly affected by illness during this time.

We miss you and can’t wait to see your smiling faces back in our studio and your feet on the dancefloor!

Love from Miss Alaina & the InMotion Staff

“A Man Has Dreams.” A song on my Mary Poppins playlist: at least four minutes, and a slow and quiet dialogue between only two characters- no ensemble. From my dance teacher’s perspective, four minutes is a long time for two characters to dialogue onstage, especially two that don’t need  any extra solo time to even the stagetime among my cast. I looked over it last fall and thought to myself “I’ll trim that down some.” I’m always looking for ways to make our shows just a little shorter- after all our classes and soloists dance, it’s plenty long enough without adding unnecessary scenes. For this scene was one I never understood when I was little. When I reached that part in the movie, I’m pretty sure it’s where I chose to take a bathroom break, or find Mom and ask her for a snack. Nothing much was happening and I didn’t understand the words Mr. Banks exchanged with Bert anyway.

But as I wrote this show and as I cut, trimmed, and meshed music to create our custom playlist, I found that this was a scene that simply couldn’t be cut in any way. For I found that this was indeed the climax of the plot. I can’t say I expected this since as previously stated, it was a scene that was left misunderstood during the time in my life when I watched the movie the most. But if we examine the storyline of Mary Poppins, the title character is not the character who undergoes any change in the story, she is perhaps the most rigid character of all, the static character. After all, she is already “practically perfect” when we meet her;-) Rather, she is a catalyst for the change in the most dynamic character of all- Mr. Banks. And this scene is where the dynamic takes place deep within, where Bert speaks truth and for the first time, Mr. Banks listens.

So I left the length, and I apologize to all the brothers out there (namely, my own) who think the show should be much shorter than it is. But I encourage those watching to take to heart, the transformation that takes place within Mr. Banks. For he sings (and she dances) here of the dreams that were had, of worldly desires that were dashed, yet are suddenly found unimportant in light of transformed dreams. For I think there is some of Mr. Banks in all of us- that rushes past important moments, that ignores a plea for care, for a listening ear, all in pursuit of other things that we see as dreams. I pray that the shining eyes of our little girls and boys onstage- your children, your family, your friends, are the catalyst that Mary Poppins was to Mr. Banks. That the magic of rooftop-dancing and jumping through chalk pavement pictures might draw us to put down our phones and join in the laughter and smiles that are our families and community. May they never be unimportant. May our everyday dreams include them.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders: make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. -Colossians 4:5-6

19 Jan 18
Thursday
En route Kathmandu to Istanbul to Home

We have finally taken off from Kathmandu after sitting at the gate for an extra two hours. One last (hopefully last!) frustration at Nepalese transportation- though this seemed to be a problem with Indian airspace. It’s amazing how quickly frustration can be turned to joy- as we taxiied to takeoff, we got one last glimpse of the Boudha Stupa, where we spent so much of our time. As we rose above the smog, there again are the Himalayas, at my eye level. It again reminds me of childhood years spent staring out the school bus window, marveling at the intricacies of nature, looking as deep into the woods at the landforms, swamps, and laurel groves as they flashed by. These mountains are so very large, they do not flash by, rather, I am allowed a few minutes to marvel at the intricacies and beauty of each one.

How blessed am I to see these in my lifetime, the beautiful sculptures, frosted with snow, a reminder of the gift God gave us in Creation. To have the means to travel here, to be one to listen to the stories of these women, to come away with an expanded view of this world, of humanity, in all of its beauty and pain, problems and gifts. And this knowledge and experience comes with a challenge- to live in harmony with this Creation- to love and respect the environment in which we live, so these majestic mountains may remain snowtopped. To be aware of the pain in this world, to pray for those experiencing such and give thanks for the gifts in my life. To listen and seek to understand the stories of those around me. I am thankful for this experience and pray for all those I have met along the way.

18 Jan 18
Wednesday
Kathmandu

Our breakfast discussion:

Materialism:
David shared insights and we discussed our own reflections on not being defined by possessions, but seeing each material that passes through our hands as a precious material from the Earth. Environment and conservation: we are called to embody the example of how to live. We have seen on this trip, vast amounts of litter along the roads, especially on the banks of rivers. And of course we see in our society at home, the manner in which we embrace all things disposable. Seeing such large amounts of trash everywhere we went on this trip reminds me again that something that is disposed of in our household and our sight certainly does not mean it is in any way returned to how it was before it came to us, but rather becomes yet another unusable item in the world.

The bus breakdown yesterday:
Sarala told us how other passengers kept confronting the drivers and saying “we can wait more, but what about our guests?” it was heartwarming to hear how they saw us as guests and wanted us to have a pleasant time in Nepal.

Visit to Entertainment Sector:
Sarala says this part of town is active at night, but not in a good way. We visited a building within the sector of the city and met with several women there. This is a resource center connected with Shakti Samuha that helps women exit the entertainment industry. It was established in 2011 to work with girls and women here and help them find jobs outside of this realm, for the entertainment industry itself feed trafficking through its dance bars, massage parlors, and other services. The goal of this center is to provide an introduction to these women of their rights and empowerment.

From my understanding of the conversation, these are some of the people who work here:
A counselor to work with the women who come here.
A beautician, who helps teach them what true beauty is and can also train them as beauticians.
An outreach worker, who visits the sector at night to evaluate the situation and coordinate with other organizations and the police.
There is a library here with stories of trafficking survivors and empowerment material. Women are also able to receive some nonformal education here.

The house was very clean and they were so welcoming to us. And of course they served us milk tea=) This is a place that does receive funds from NCP, especially for microloans so that women can start their own businesses in order to get out of the entertainment industry. They say that “NCP” is a common term around here! There is one woman who knits items to sell. Another woman first tried to start a spicy noodle business, but when that didn’t generate enough income to support her, she started pig farming. She is now making enough to support herself and is no longer working in the entertainment industry.

During the afternoon, we met together once again at the headquarters of Shakti Samuha to discuss our trip, ask further questions, and so that David could discuss with the leaders of Shakti, specifics of how NCP can help their organization between now and when a group will come here again. See, this is how NCP does its business- with the people, among the people, and working with them to create a community between us the giver and the recipient of the gifts they receive- it’s inspiring to see the empowerment that takes place.

After a last dinner at our favorite restaurant, a few of us took a walk in the square around the Boudha Stupa to buy last-minute gifts and souvenirs and make use of any last rupees. As we headed back to our guesthouse, Sarala stopped us at one of the candlelighting stands: “Let us light candles together and pray for solidarity for the women affected by sex trafficking and all who work that it will no longer exist.” It was special to pray together for this on our last night in the city. I continue to pray that Shakti’s work will someday be finished in Nepal and in all countries on this Earth. May God be with all affected and with all who fight it.

17 Jan 18
Tuesday
Chitwan to Kathmandu

We left Chitwan this morning at 8:00. It’s 5:00 now and we are stranded by the road, 1.5 hours from Kathmandu by a broken gear on our bus.

The first stop we made for this problem was impressive- they had parts off the bottom of the bus and in a shop within a few minutes of stopping. Apparently this was a needed repair but did not solve the problem because we soon stopped again due to loud banging noises from under the bus. This time, they took off the universal joint to find several missing teeth. We are currently waiting for a new bus to come from Kathmandu to take us the rest of the way.

I just finished reading Hidden Figures and I hadn’t realized when I packed the book, the significance and connection it bears to this trip in themes of women’s empowerment. It leads me to back to the through of parallels. Women in so many nations, racial disparity in so many places. It’s human nature, it seems, to attempt to come out on top,and any difference is one we can identify as an excuse to do so. I like to think human nature is good and works for good of all, yet these patterns plague the world again and again.

16 Jan 18
Monday
Chitwan National Park: Safari

We boarded dugout canoes at 8:00 a.m. The river was misty. We saw many birds, especially ducks. We stopped for a ten-minute break in a dried mud flat, where we were able to see many varieties of animal prints.

We reached our designated shore around 11:00 a.m. Before setting off walking, our guide instructed us in how to ward off each kind of dangerous animal.

Elephant: run faster than 30 km/h- you must run at least 31 km/h!
Rhino: act like a cartoon! Hide behind a tree and walk around the trunk if you need to to stay on the opposite side of the rhino. Or you can climb 7 ft. or higher- you pick.
Sloth bear: stand close together in a big group and start yelling to confuse it!
Tiger: not much. Just hope it doesn’t start crouching and wiggling its hindquarters like it’s about to pounce. If it does, try backing slowly away while keeping eye contact. Luckily, these are nocturnal.

Just as we set off, the sun came out for the rest of the day. When we reached the first fork, we encountered a tree full of monkeys. After watching, our group split, so our larger group would be less likely to startle wildlife. Each group was led and followed by a guide with a large stick. We walked on a road through the grasslands until we encountered a ranger on patrol, riding an elephant. Though we didn’t see anything besides peacocks, we stopped for a packed lunch at a park station and ate in the raised lookout there. Hardboiled egg, vegetable patty, fruit, juice, and oreos. After we resumed our walk, we entered the woods. We never saw any large animals besides deer and we certainly never encountered or put into practice the more dangerous animals the guides were obligated to warn us about, but we did see evidence of them: plenty of tiger tracks, and holes that were dug by sloth bears in order to find and eat termites.

That evening, we were able to arrange an impromptu meeting with the owner of the Chitwan Gaida Lodge. It turns out, he is a ornithologist and very much into conservation. He was able to tell us some of the history of the Chitwan National Park and the troubles with poaching within the park and how they’ve been able to combat this.