3 - 2 - 1! Here we go!!

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In 3 - yes, THREE - days, we will fly our frosty New York City coop and land in the one and only, the legendary New Orleans.

I can't wait!

We had a rather busy weekend! Our Oscars Sunday was filled with fundraising, rehearsing, performing, and working through some logistics to ensure that we're prepared for our week of service.

Our weekly meeting began with a rehearsal of our "Dancin' in the Streets/Dance to the Music" mash-up which we will soon be performing all over New Orleans. So many wonderful riffs and amazing partnering moments! Sneak peek footage coming soon!

After an energizing mini rehearsal, we discussed some logistics, covering everything from teaching protocols to packing lists. (We gotta make sure we don't forget to pack those beautiful team t-shirts!) As we had our teaching touch-base, I thought back to this time last year when I, as a new teammate, eagerly prepared for our time in the classroom. At that point, all of my teaching experience had involved dance instruction, and though I looked forward to co-teaching arts enrichment and drama classes, I was a bit nervous about how those classes would actually go: How many students would be in each class? For some, would this be their first time in a drama class? Would the students have fun? Would they enjoy the games my co-teachers and I led? What if we run out of exercises or something "bad" happens?

And then we arrived in New Orleans, gave classes to several eager groups of students, found a productive co-teaching dynamic, and found that our students were generous, fearless teachers themselves. With teaching, much like live performance, you have to go with the flow. The unanticipated will always happen in the classroom. And it's those unplanned moments that often offer profound opportunities for discovery for everyone, teachers especially. I love those moments where a student embraces their perceived slip-ups as much as their successes; they're beautiful moments.

Suffice it to say, as we reviewed our teaching teams during our Sunday meeting I found myself brimming with excitement for the brilliant and unexpected moments we're bound to have next week!

After our meeting, we also had a benefit concert. Thanks to the generosity of the Church of St. Paul the Apostle, our hosts for the lovely benefit concert, we performed an eclectic program featuring many of our teammates. Our cabaret offered a little something for everyone: Bach concertos, original works choreographed and performed by our dancers, some Shakespeare, contemporary theater, jazz, a medley of standards, and some amazing operatic spirituals. It was so inspiring watching my teammates speak through their muses! Their technical dexterity is enlivened by their generosity of spirit. It's a pleasure to watch them perform.

And last but not least, we drew our raffle. Congratulations to our lucky winners and HUGE thank you to everyone who supported our fundraising endeavors!

Until next time,

Victoria