For a friend
A few days ago I tweeted some opinion of mine about who knows what and one of my favorite teachers replied and said that I was very wise. While I don't consider myself to be any wiser than anyone else, I do believe I have gone through enough life crises to gives words of encouragement to others. As an aspiring dance teacher, I take pride in inspiring others and encouraging them to follow their dreams. So if you are feeling down, hopeless, or unsure of your next move (pun intended)...please keep reading. People suck. There is no professional or classier way to spell that out. People are going to tear you down, discourage you, try to make you become something you're not, and worst of all, lead you to hate dance. Well let me tell you the one thing that keeps me motivated every damn day... you can't let anyone take your love of dance away from you. Whether you lose a competition, don't get the role you were hoping for (does playing the role of "water" sound appealing to you?), don't get into the program you dreamed of being in, failed an exam, are stuck in choreographer's block, or are told you're not good enough, you're not wanted, or you're simply never going to make it, you cannot forget why you're putting yourself through this in the first place. Ballet is hard. All dance is hard. Any art form is hard. Quite frankly, living is hard when chasing your dream becomes less possible as the days go on and the NEA gets unfunded and your knees start to give out again. You are dancing for a reason. You need an outlet to express yourself. You need to feel beautiful. You need to create art. You need to be happy. You need to be alive. You need to dance. Y o u n e e d t o l i v e. Your love of dance is what is going to get you through this life. Life is going to be hard no matter what path you take. But that passion, that drive, that love for your art is what is going to be that light off in the distance, that firefly you try to capture in a jar in hopes to keep some of its beauty for yourself for a little while longer. There is nothing more beautiful than a young artist chasing his dream because he knows it's his purpose in life. There's this line from this musical that goes, "the opposite of war isn't peace; it's creation". In this world full of student loans and heartbreaks and hurricanes and political unrest and inequality and abuse and struggle and fear and pain, we need art. We need art to make the world beautiful when it's falling apart. We need art to express our pain and joy. We need art to l i v e. What you're doing is important. It is as important as doctors and lawyers and educators and police officers and soldiers and dare I say politicians. Whatever criticism you receive and whatever struggles you may be facing in your dance career will one day be a distant memory of that one time you went over a speed bump in that parking lot you'll never remember. The last quote which I can't post on the internet enough times is from a song by this band that goes, "you are what you love, not who loves you". No matter what opportunities and adorations you do or do not receive, you are your love of dance. It is a beautiful poem written on your soul that cannot be erased from your soul. People and life are going to try to erase it but it's engraved so deeply it just can't be. Whenever this happens, I simply grande battement life in the ass when it tries to tell me dance isn't going to work out or isn't what I should be doing. Dance is my l i f e and I don't mean it in the sense that I'm going to get a cheesy shirt from Delia's that says it but in the sense that it is the reason I am alive, and it is when I am alive. Live to dance another day. Dance to live another day. Ignore the disjointedness of this piece of writing and just follow your dreams. If you don't, you will end up in a cubicle with a lot of "what if"'s and "could have should have would have"'s. End the war in your mind and in your heart by creating art by dancing. Happy dancing, my friends. -Becca
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September 2020
Offline Updates7/16 Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the showcase I was selected to choreograph for at NYU was unfortunately cancelled. However, I was able to turn my work into a mini-documentary about the choreographic process and art prevailing during these trying times. You can watch my video my clicking the button below!
9/18 Follow my new Instagram just for my dance things!
12/23 I was one of NDEO's Guest Bloggers this year! Read "Teaching is a Vocation. Not a Fallback" on their Behind the Curtain Blog!
9/27 I will be presenting my research at the National Dance Education Organization National Conference next week! See my research project by clicking the button below!
4/15 While working on PMA's production of The Addams Family, I got to combine my two favorite styles of dance (ballet and musical theatre) for "The Moon and Me"! Watch my talented students dance by clicking the button below!
2/20 I am choreographing PMA Theatre Guild's Production of The Addams Family! Come see these amazing high school students perform at Presentation of Mary Academy in Methuen, MA April 13 & 14! Tickets available at the door.
2/20 I am stage managing BSU's Dance Kaleidoscope this year! Show dates are March 29-31 at Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, MA. Come see this student choreography showcase!
11/5 I will once again be dancing in a BSUDC concert! Tickets to WinterDance are now available!
8/24 NDEO's National Honor Society for Dance Arts has published one of my articles in their newsletter! Read an updated version of "Audition Advice" here:
5/16 Interested in learning about movement concepts? Visit Becca's new Educational Dance website!
5/8 BSU Dance Company's Dance Kaleidoscope 2017 is now on Youtube! You can watch my performances by visiting the VIDEOS page!
4/23 I recently performed for the residents of Allerton House in Hingham, MA! You can watch part of my performance here!
Amesbury Children's Theatre presents...James and the Giant Peach Jr, featuring choreography by me! Click for tickets!
2/8 My piece "Barefoot" is now available to watch online! Click to watch!
2/5 Happy to say I have been cast in BSU Dance Company's Spring concert Dance Kaleidoscope! I will be dancing in 3 faculty choreographed pieces, including excerpts from The Sleeping Beauty in which I will be dancing the role of Lilac Fairy! Show dates are March 31-April 1 at Bridgewater State University.
Click the button for more info! 1/15 Ballet with Becca is now on Facebook! Click to visit the page, and be sure to like it while you're there!
1/14 I am happy to say I will be attending artEmotion's summer intensive in June! I will be dancing in the one week artEmotion Adult Program. If anyone would like to join or audition for any other artEmotion program, visit their website!
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