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Flint School of Performing Arts

Updated: Sep 30, 2023

September 30th, 2023


"My hope is to shed light, provoke thought, entertain, and move through dance." - Dwight Rhoden

Wow.


It has taken me a few months to collectively wrap my head around what has happened from June until now. The majority of the past four months passed in somewhat of a blur. However, there are parts that I can remember so vividly that if I close my eyes, I can relive them.


It is what you would call a perfect storm.


It was around 9 AM on Tuesday, June 6th when I got a text from a dear friend, boss, and ballet mother, Alisha Thibodeau. She explained to me that Founding Artistic Director of the Flint Youth Ballet, Karen Mills-Jennings, had retired in May and that Flint School of Performing Arts was currently looking to hire a full-time dance faculty member who would begin in August! The faculty member would be responsible for teaching all different levels of Ballet (Children's, Intermediate, and Adult), choreograph new works for their annual Festival of Dance, and serve as Children's Ballet Master for the Flint Institute of Music's annual production of The Nutcracker at The Whiting Auditorium. The other half of the position involves teaching a dance elective for the students at Flint Cultural Center Academy. It was a full-time position with benefits and insurance offered, I had absolutely no reason not to apply. So, I drafted my letter of intent, updated my resume, and Alisha sent everything over to Davin Pierson Torre (Director of Flint School of Performing Arts) and Tara Gragg (Chair of the Dance Department at Flint School of Performing Arts) as a personal reference.


It is truly amazing how small the dance world is and how far connections can get you.


I received an email from Tara about a week later wanting to schedule a phone interview. She was in New York for her American Ballet Theatre Certification for levels 4 and 5. Despite her busy schedule, we ended up talking on the phone for about an hour and a half! We came to realize that she knew Nick and Laura Schultz (who were my Artistic Directors from 2013-2016) and Steven Houser (rehearsal coach, guest artist, master teacher, and dear friend) from when she danced at Grand Rapids Ballet! There was a great deal of respect on both ends of the conversation, but I knew after the phone call that we were going to get along.


At the end of the call, she invited me to come in and teach a trial class on the students for the second portion of my interview process. About a week later, I was walking into the dance office at Flint School of Performing Arts. I met Tara in person and was introduced to Karen Mills-Jennings who was also there to observe me teach. I taught a mix of about eight students from various different ages and levels who I had never met before. It was a bit nerve wracking considering I was pretty much going in blind, but I was able to adjust as necessary and go with the flow of the room. After the class, Karen and Tara took me back to the dance office where they proceeded to ask me more questions and get to know me a bit better.


We all came to find out that Karen danced with Denise Paavola (my beloved ballet teacher and Founding Artistic Director of Young People's Ballet Theatre) in Ballet Michigan when they performed together back in the day. She also knew my dear teacher, mentor, and friend Jennifer Wiley who taught me for the majority of my middle school-high school years. The more we talked, the more we realized how connected we already were. It was a beautiful experience that I will never forget. I thanked them both profusely for the opportunity to come in, meet the students, teach, and ultimately, meet two female pioneers in dance education in the state of Michigan.


It was about a week before I received an email from Davin Pierson Torre wanting to schedule a zoom call. Before I knew it, it was July 3rd and I had just ended my third interview with the Director of the Flint School of Performing Arts.


I was offered the position less than an hour later in the form of an email.


And well, here we are!


I am officially heading into week five in my new position at FSPA! It has been a whirlwind of events, but I could not be more grateful for my wonderful boss, new colleagues, amazing opportunities, artistic freedom, and the best students that any teacher could ask for. The dancers at Flint School of Performing Arts are some of the hardest working students I have ever met. They are the kind of students that make me a better teacher. They want to be there. They want to be challenged. They are always asking questions and trying to get the most out of their dance education. They are the reason why I do what I do.


One of my favorite quotes says


"Behind every dancer who believes in herself is a teacher who believed in her first"

There is so much truth in that statement. I wouldn't be where I am today without every single one of my teachers. I will forever be thankful for the years of wisdom, advice, knowledge, and expertise that they passed down to me. Now, I am in a position where I can continue building relationships with my students, making connections, pushing boundaries, and inspiring the next generation of dancers.


This weekend, we were honored to have Carmen Felder come in as our guest adjudicator to teach master classes and ultimately, help us cast our production of The Nutcracker. The cast list will be released tomorrow, and I know the dancers are so excited to get started. Flint Institute of Music's annual production of The Nutcracker is strictly a in-house production using only ballet students from the Flint School of Performing Arts. It has live music by the Flint Symphony Orchestra and Professional guest dancers from Collage Dance Collective in Memphis, Tennessee. It is truly a holiday classic that you will not want to miss! There are two performances for you to choose from and the ticket links are below for both dates.


The Nutcracker Saturday, December 2nd at 7:30 PM Ticket Link: https://www.eventticketscenter.com/the-nutcracker-flint-12-02-2023/5858414/t


The Nutcracker Sunday, December 3rd at 3:00 PM Ticket Link: https://www.eventticketscenter.com/the-nutcracker-flint-12-03-2023/5858415/t



I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of an organization as influential as this. The Flint School of Performing Arts is the largest educational artistic institution in the stage of Michigan, and I am honored to be sitting on Dance Faculty next to some incredibly talented women. I finally have the support, resources, and time to continue pursuing my education. I have my Progressing Contemporary Technique Certification on November 5th and hopefully my ABT National Training Curriculum Certification in Pre-Primary through level 3 soon to follow. It is moments like this when you realize why everything played out the way it did. It never makes sense in the moment, but now, I completely understand. I can see the bigger picture and the people who were meant to be in my life long term. I wouldn't change anything for the world.


"Having limits to push against is how you find out what you can do. I have always been full of contradictions. I am shy but I love the freedom of the stage. I need reassurance but at the same time, I don't want it. I hate being afraid, but I can't help wanting to frighten myself. That is how you grow." - Sylvie Guillem
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