pennyaskew

The Day I Fell In Love With Ballet

I started ballet when my Grandma Winnie, my dad’s mother, gave me a month’s worth of lessons for my sixth birthday. A dance school had opened in Cordell, where Dad had grown up and my grandmother still lived, about 15 miles south of our home in Clinton. The teacher, Carol, offered ballet, tap, and jazzContinue reading “The Day I Fell In Love With Ballet”

My Sister Is A Badass

My sister, Dawn, is one-of-a-kind. She is fearlessly honest – voted Most Likely To Tell You How It Is by her high school classmates, she has never put up with anyone’s bullshit. She is bossy, somewhat short-tempered (although that has evened out over time), and has certain expectations about the way things should be doneContinue reading “My Sister Is A Badass”

Zoom In

As I think a lot of people are doing, I have been using Zoom (an application I had never heard of a month ago) quite a bit in the last few weeks. My sister, who works for Southern Methodist University, has had several Zoom meetings the past few weeks – with three on her scheduleContinue reading “Zoom In”

Switched at Intermission

When I recently blogged (in three parts) about a flu-stricken Nutcracker weekend, some of my friends initially confused that story with another time that our Clara became ill. That is also a funny story, illness notwithstanding, and after spending a good chunk of the day trying to update my C.V. after not touching it forContinue reading “Switched at Intermission”

Purpose

One of the hardest things for me to deal with right now is not working. I have always loved my work – teaching ballet, directing a school, choreographing, working with dancers, producing performances. For a long time, I did this on my own in small-town America; most recently I did it with a larger professionalContinue reading “Purpose”

Quarantine Workout

I got a text a few days ago from my godson Walker that said “Our new quarantine workout channel,” with a link to a dance workout by Caleb Marshall. I clicked it open, and a tall, handsome guy – Caleb – was talking about how I (or at least the viewer) was going to feelContinue reading “Quarantine Workout”

I Have A Better Idea

In an earlier post [see The Show Must Go On (Finale)], I recounted a conversation with my oldest godson, Charles, in which he said “I have some ideas,” and noted that there was a story behind that statement. That is the subject of today’s post. Charles was all about dance, even before he could walk.Continue reading “I Have A Better Idea”

Revelations

I have been in love with Alvin Ailey’s iconic masterpiece Revelations since I first saw it on video in the early 1990’s. I have watched it over and over, shared it with my students, studied it. I have seen Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II perform it live on several occasions, an experienceContinue reading “Revelations”

Be Interesting

In one of the last classes I taught in a studio before the pandemic shut everything down, I said to the pre-professional dancers in front of me “You have to be interesting.” This is a variation on a theme of mine, particularly when I teach dancers that are aiming for a professional contract. Often IContinue reading “Be Interesting”

The Bride Wore A Red Cape

As with everyone at this surreal time, our family has seen many of our plans, both large and small, upended recently. One of the biggest of these was the wedding of my godson Rhys and his fiancée Susan. Originally set for May 30th, following Susan’s graduation from the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, itContinue reading “The Bride Wore A Red Cape”