Announcement Time

Let's not beat around the bush here. I am putting on a show. This is going to be a full length contemporary work. Here is a poster I worked up.

Joy Box is a physical exploration of human emotion. Picture it like this: you keep your emotions in a box. Some days that box is too heavy for you to carry alone. Some days it's empty. Other days it's full. How do we manage those different days? How do we help other people fill their boxes? Who do we turn to when we need help to carry our box? Creating a dance work involves asking a lot of rhetorical questions. I also want to explore how our expression of gender affects our boxes. As a woman, do you feel guilty or angry at yourself for being "overly" emotional? As a man, have you ever stifled your emotions and ended up damaging your box in the process? Have you ever yelled at yourself to stop crying? I have. I will be writing a series of posts throughout this journey to keep everyone updated on the process. There is a lot that goes into putting on a production. Especially because it's really just me. I am in charge of everything: costuming, lighting, music, advertising, writing grant applications, the actual choreography, booking a venue, props. That's all me. Gratefully, I have a small cast of dancers who originally volunteered their time to be in this piece. Little did they know that I would receive a Quick Response Grant, courtesy of Wollongong City Council to pay them for their rehearsal time. I cannot tell you how much it excites me to be able to pay my dancers. Anyway, I will begin to introduce my wonderful collaborators in later posts. In the meantime, here's a short clip from the one rehearsal we were able to have before dance studios got shut down.

As soon as I have a date for the theatre confirmed, I will make an announcement about tickets going on sale. Sit tight for that one. Until then, if you are feeling particularly generous and want to contribute towards this exciting new venture in my life, here is my paypal. Yes, I got a grant, but it's specifically for paying my dancers as outlined in the grant application. And there are still many many costs involved. As a little added incentive, anyone who contributes will be included in the thank-you section of the program (which is yet another thing I have to do). Any little donation is appreciated. I hope this got you at least a little curious, if not downright excited for this work to come to fruition in the coming months. I'm excited, but also terrified. Because if it flops and no one shows up, or the stage accidentally catches on fire (anything can happen in contemporary dance) that's all on me and my reputation. So fingers crossed.