A D F ! !

Hello my darlings...where is everyone? I miss y'all terribly -- dancing here at ADF makes me wish we were all together in Myers again.

I'll recap my adventures thus far because it has certainly been a trip. After our debut in NYC and three hours of sleep I left the city to get my car from Kaitlin's house and drive to North Carolina. However, I realized that I had left my debit/credit card in the ATM in NYC and 60 dollars would not get me as far south as I needed to go. So I spent an hour and a half in Delaware and eventually got some money wired to me. Thank you Mom. Anyway I got to ADF at 5:45 pm and had an audition at 6:30. The craziness continued for a few days with preview classes and auditions. But here is how it all shook down: Raja got called back for basically all of the past/forward pieces (past/forward is a concert at the end of the year featuring student performers in either reset work or new work), I got called back for two of three I auditioned for, Lily got called back for on and Liz none. Liz also didn't make it into any of the repertory classes but both Abby Yager and Keith Thompson (two incredibly beautiful and successul dancer, uh hum danced with Trisha Brown for years) didn't get into anything their first year at ADF. But Liz is going to work on her choreography which is great because I think we can all agree she rocks. So continuing on, Lily made a few reps, I made a few reps, Raja made a few reps. I'd say Conn is very well represented this year at ADF! I am taking Abby Yager's technique class AND her Trisha Brown rep which is a piece called Solo Olos I think from her line dances. It's awesome, and Raja is doing it as well. I also was the first female alternate for the past/foward laura dean piece Tympani. I was really psyched on it and wanted to at least understudy...I wasn't even sure if I would be able to do it if I got the chance to because I'll be missing a few days of rehearsal to perform in New Haven. Anyway -- the rehearsals were tough (we do this thing called spotless spins which is basically like the whirling dervishes but choreographed...for at least 4 minutes straight) and I wasn't sure if I made the right decision to understudy instead of taking another rep or technique class. But, Rodger Belman, the man who is resetting the piece, told me I was dancing well and he was happy to have me there and "you never know whats going to happen." So, today what happened was this other kid Matt quit because he decided his body wasn't really fit for the piece...we do these big fans and all this spinning and he wasn't feeling it. So, I'll get to perform it now! The show is the 14th-16th of July and it's so exciting! A good lesson in understudying!

But -- ADF is quite the trip...all I can say is I am sure to be forever grateful that I went to Conn. I hope you all are as well! Sorry for the length and the possibly excessive information but I figured I'd let you guys know what I've been up to and I want to know the same about y'all!

Oh but the hardest thing I've done thus far at ADF is babysit this beautiful six month old baby. I just rocked her to sleep and I think I might be sore from it tomorrow.

Much love from Noth Carolina -- Halee