Better...

PHOTO BY: TONY BELLISSIMO AND RIED MARTIN

COURTESY OF: TREMAINE DANCE CONVENTIONS

thoughts from LA…

I love my city. I grew up in Southern California, and could not imagine living anywhere else! I love the weather, the energy, and the fact that you can get from the beach to the mountains in a matter of 2 hours (of course depending on the unpredictable traffic). Most of all though, I love the dance community that thrives here in this magical city. The dance industry here is thriving, wait no… BOOMING. There are so many new studios in the metropolitan city, and so many talented teachers and studio owners training dancers at an extremely high level in alot of the surrounding areas. You can travel an hour in any direction from the center of LA, and find a reputable studio that is producing well rounded, professional level dancers. 

This brings me to my thoughts on our Tremaine Convention this past weekend in Los Angeles. The energy moving through each class was dynamic, exciting, and contagious! I found each room to be both motivated and and full of young artists ready to work past their comfort zones. It was inspiring and honestly…. a little overwhelming! 

I have many favorite moments from this past weekend. In both of the teen rooms, I found the dancers to be extremely focused and hard working. Their commitment to truly performing the choreography the way I envisioned it was touching. I also loved the energy in the junior room! Those young dancers were full of excitement and love. Even though at moments, it was a little too much excitement and it felt a little wild, I still loved it! As a teacher, I would much rather have to teach a dancer how to control their energy, rather than beg them to actually have some. 

Then there was the senior room. I felt emotional the entire class because everywhere I looked in that room there was someone who was wholeheartedly pushing themselves to level beyond what they thought they were capable of. I was one of these kids for many years. I attended my first Tremaine at 14 years old and was immediately hooked. I waited impatiently every year for that one weekend in April. The one weekend where I got to dance amongst the best of the best. That weekend was both intimidating and inspiring all in the same breath. All I wanted was for the teachers to see me and give me corrections so I could be better, and though I didn’t always get those corrections,  I certainly always walked away BETTER. As I scanned the room this past weekend, I saw that same desire. I attribute this to the energy, time, and commitment that Joe Tremaine has tirelessly given to this event for the past 38 years. Joe does not compromise on his vision, and he doesn’t believe in backing down when things get difficult. He values good energy and hard work, and when you teach for him, you find yourself gladly upholding these very values in your own classes. Holding the senior room at a high level of integrity and energy gives the dancers something to aspire to. It gives them a purpose… and without purpose, I find even the most talented, hard working dancer can get bored. 

I am full of grattitude and love… It is a joy and honor to teach for the same event that changed me for the better so many years ago. I hope to call on  this feeling whenever things get tough in my life, so I can remember to reconnect with a purpose… my purpose.  

I found that dance, music, and literature is how I made sense of the world... it pushed me to think of things bigger than life's daily routines... to think beyond what is immediate or convenient. 

                                                                         —-Mikhail Baryshnikov

In love and dance,

Keri