OMG MIRA BETZ!!!!!!1111oneoneone

Members of Skirt Full of Fire and Fire & Gold with Mira Betz and her cute little baby boy.

So I just spent the past weekend studying with Mira Betz and I am so stoked! This was my second time doing a weekend of workshops with her, but the first time I around I was a much less skilled dancer and spent a lot of time struggling with technique without really soaking up much knowledge. This time around I still struggled with some of the technique, but I absorbed a lot more and I learned so much!

The funny thing is, looking at what I wrote two years ago when I got back from the last intensive, I see that I thought I had learned a lot. And I guess I had. That time around I learned about ways to improve my posture and my general technique and the importance of not being a lazy dancer. But this time I was able to go even deeper, and learn about artistry and awareness and complete commitment on stage. Once again, I feel like I got exactly what I needed exactly when I needed it.

One thing I really liked is that Saturday's workshops were less about dancing and more about bringing in theater and emotion to your dance, which is of course something I've been working on. There was also a class on keeping your improv dynamic, which was also right up my alley since I don't choreograph.

But the best part was how interactive the workshops were. It wasn't "just follow me while I do this combo", there was a lot of discussion and back and forth and partner exercises. I feel like this really kept me engaged and probably helped me retain the knowledge a lot better.

I'd like to gush on and on and on, but I am trying to break my habit of novel-length blog posts, so I guess I'll just go write in my dance journal instead.