Let's Try This Again, Shall We?

Okay, so last time I posted was over a year ago. I'll admit, I've been just a little busy since I last gave some updates. I've been trying to be a performing artist, teaching artist, and adult all in one and it's been absolutely insane. But new year, better blog right? So let me update you on what's happened over the past year, because it's been a lot.

1. In January of 2021, I accepted two new jobs in the non-theatre world. I became an Editor and a Publishing Assistant at Green Heart Living Press and I was a copywriter for Aluminate Life (a company that sells candles and essential oil blends). Both of these positions were remote and offered me to do something outside of the theatre world. To be perfectly honest, I was started to feel sick and tired of the online theatre thing. I know it was the only way we could do things to be safe, but I needed a change, and these jobs were the perfect opportunity for that change. I met many wonderful people, fostered some great relationships, and learned SO many new skills that I could take with me. Unfortunately due to time constraints because of my teaching job, I needed to resign from both positions in June of 2021.

2. In June of 2021, I had my first dance recital as a dance teacher. My musical theatre class performed the dance that I choreographed and taught them in front of hundreds of people. I was so proud of them, they were amazing. I had my debut as a choreographer with my musical theatre class and also with a contemporary solo I choreographed myself. It was the first time I had performed live in a year and a half, and I was so nervous I was nauseous. It felt amazing to present my own work, and to be able to do it in COVID times was even better.

3. I was able to develop, create, and run my own summer camp! I was always a summer camp kid growing up because my parents worked full time, and I had the opportunity to create a musical theatre day camp as an extension of the dance class I had created for the school year. It ran from 9-3:30 every day, I choreographed 3 dances per week, and I planned lessons, activities, crafts, themes, dress up days, and everything else that went into it. It has honestly been one of my proudest accomplishments in my career.

4. I moved out of my parents' house! I moved out of Western Mass and my partner, Alec, and I moved in together in an apartment in Central Mass. I'll admit it, being away from Western Mass is really weird, but there's just a lot more opportunities out here for acting and for teaching, so I'm really happy we went.

5. I currently have three jobs. I am a teaching fellow at a private Jewish high school, I am a musical theatre teacher and choreographer at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts, and I am a dance teacher at Millis Dance Theatre. I am incredibly busy and I work six days a week but honestly, I love what I do. I've loved teaching and to be able to challenge myself by working in three very different places with different philosophies and ages has been priceless.

So there you have it! That's where I've been over the past year. I've been working hard first to graduate college and then to make it as a working professional. None of it was easy and it's been a bumpy road, but I'm here now. And I'm truly happy to be starting my career and hopefully making a difference in our world. Thanks for being on this journey with me, here's to 2022!