Friday, May 13, 2011

Congratulations class of 2011!

Listened to the speeches of the graduating seniors at GMU's School of Dance yesterday... Fantastic!

Such beauty and eloquence... I am still savoring their stories about lessons learned, changing definitions of success, and remarkable plans for the future. Faculty member Susan Shields prepares the graduating class for the event through her course called Senior Synthesis and I cannot put into words how much I admire her work and can see her attributes in the ways the students present themselves: poised, confident, reflective, and generous. All in all, a magnificent event.

Many students talked about plans to move to New York, several dancers already have projects and positions in place. In NYC they will join other GMU alumni, like Maya Orchin who just sent an update about a recent audition: "I had a really positive experience auditioning with Trisha Brown.  I have always been inspired by the company and her work.