Into the Woods!

This year's Middle School musical is Into the Woods. Last night was their opening performance, after doing three shows on Monday for all the kids in school.  They've worked so hard and truly put on a fantastic show.  Hats off the to the entire cast, crew, directors and parents who pulled this production together!  And, I'm so proud of my "Jack"! Here's a peek into the show. If you'd like to see it live, you have one more change tomorrow on Thursday, March 23rd at 7pm!

Congratulations on a great performance!

Heather Headley at Metea Valley!

Every once in awhile, an opportunity comes along and if you are lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, you'll get to join in the experience.  Our local high school has an amazing music and theater department. I'm so thankful that my kids will be attending Metea Valley High School!  They recently won a Grammy at the IMEA State Competition. With some of the money the school was awarded, they were able to bring in a bonafide Broadway star!  Heather Headley came to speak to the students at MVHS on January 31st.  What a thrill!  She was kind and funny and engaging and real.  As Metea is producing Aida for their Spring Musical this year, it was beyond special to have the woman who was the original Aida on Broadway come spend time with the kids, talk about her journey and share so many nuggets of wisdom.

I was so excited to be able to photograph this event, especially since I love theater photography, and to  be present to experience this incredible Master Class.  Additionally, my actor kid got to come along for the ride and I think I might have been most excited about that.  Here's a peek into what the day looked like!

After the chat was done in the choir room, with a Q&A, we all moved into the Black Box Theater where Heather did some theater exercise with the kid and worked with 3 students on their songs.

To finish out the event, the students performed a piece from Aida for Heather!

What an incredible day in the theater and I'm so thankful for this once in a lifetime experience!

From one side of the arts to the other

Once a dancer, always a dancer....at least that's what some people say.  I think my body would beg to differ at this point, but that's okay.  From the age of 4 to the age of 29, I danced. At first it was at the Park District, then on to a private studio, followed by many years at Salt Creek Ballet, Lou Conte Dance Studio and finally to being a founding member of the Cerqua-Rivera Art Experience. During high school, I danced about 20 hours per week.  I taught the Advanced Jazz classes at SCB for a couple of years and sat on the Board of Directors for about 10 years.  And, at the ripe old age of 29, I hung up my dancing shoes.  However, the love of the art form has never left me.

And now, instead of dancing myself, I love to be on the other side of the equation, capturing both dance and theater through my lens.  It's been a perfect way to stay connected to the arts in a totally different way. I'm so thankful for the opportunities I've had to capture these moments on stage and for the artists and companies who have trusted me to do just that.

During my time at Salt Creek Ballet, it was a joy to capture moments during adjudications as well as some moments on stage:

Additionally, I've been thrilled to get to photograph some beautifully talented dancers and actors.

I'm excited to see what's next!