Why Dancing Is So Much More Than Just A Work Out- Review Day 2

Christina Fragiskatos wrote a beautiful article that I relate to so much. Being able to let go of everything and forget the world through dance has always been the best feeling for me. I admire how well Ms. Fragiskatos explains how she uses dance as an escape from the hardships of life. In many ways I am a lot like Christina: I was put into Ballet when I was two, I used to find it mostly about making friends and having fun; now I use it to strengthen my body and escape the world, I don't put myself out there in dance; therefore I don't get solos or feature parts like her, and being a generally shy and anxious person, dance allows me to speak without saying a word.

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These 'Indesturctible' Animals Would Survive a Planet-Wide Apocalypse -review day 22

An Animal that can survive even up until the sun quits shinning? No... that can't be true. But it is. Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are tiny water-dwelling creatures that are famed for their resiliency. They can survive for up to 30 years without food or water and can endure extreme temperature changes. WHAT?! No, not okay. They can even survive astrophysical events, like supernovas and asteroid strikes. I'm sorry but no way is that even possible! If they can survive all that, does that mean they can survive someone stepping on them? Are they completely impossible to kill? I'm only asking because tiny, eight-legged things resemble spiders, and I hate spiders.

Music

Our culture today doesn't sing publicly or even a loud. We fear being off key and out of tune. Before people were so self conscious, people would sing as large groups all the time not really caring how bad it sounded. For example, Andy Crouch recalls when he was a kid at a base ball game, the crowd would sing the National Anthem, all together and not very well but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that the National Anthem was sung. Nowadays, you never here the crowd sing the National Anthem (well, unless there's technical difficulties with the recording or a singer is too nervous), you always hear a professional sing it now, someone who actually sounds good; and the crowd does what they'll be doing the entire event: watching, listening, and enjoying. I find this fairly odd and honestly, I wish we'd go back to the days where everyone sang out nations song. Singing, I think, brings people together. Pete Seeger knew that most people cannot sing on key to save ...

A Mid-Show Fire Alarm? How to Prep for Onstage Mishaps-Review Day 11

During the most emotional and meaningful part of a performance inspired by the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, the fire alarm sounds. With the perfect timing of the alarm, most of the audience remained seated, treating it like it was part of the performance, when in reality, the on stage smoke mixed with the humidity, setting off the fire alarm, creating a real need to evacuate until the fire department gave the all clear. What is a performer supposed to do when something like the above happens? Dr. Charlie Brown, a retired performance psychologist who has worked with dancers from Charlotte Ballet, talks about the difference between successful and not as successful performers in tricky situations like this, "The most successful performers aren't more perfect; they know how to visualize performance success and mentally prep for when things go wrong," says Dr. Charlie Brown in a interview with Dance Magazine. Dr. Brown suggests that to be a successful performer, you ...

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