By: Shelby Moran
This is it! The week we have been preparing for all year, though it feels like a lifetime with all that we’ve learned and accomplished. Every single Monday 9AM class, email sent, and cookie sold at a bake sale have all been devoted to revealing this amazing production.
With so much on our plates, so many hats to wear, how do we enjoy it to the fullest? Personally, it has felt like I am just treading water trying to keep up with all there is to do. Primarily, we are performers, which means taking care of our bodies. This includes taking class, being diligent in rehearsals, eating well, and sleeping enough.
However, we are also producers which means that each of us has a great deal of other duties depending on what committee we are on. I am on the ticketing committee, which involves organizing a large spreadsheet and sorting through a plethora of emails to gather peoples ticket requests. In addition to running the show, we are organizing a reception for after the premiere on Friday, April 24th. Our class was responsible for dividing up Manhattan into sections and asking businesses in your section for food donations. Easy right? But wait, you have to follow up with each business you asked that seemed even remotely interested. And of course, life does not stop just for Senior Pro, so if you haven’t gotten a job for after graduation yet, there’s that to handle as well. Oh yeah, and rehearse your Senior Showcase solo in your free time…
Okay, now that you can picture all that we’re juggling, it’s time to set the balls down for a moment and take a deep breath. After all, why are we taking this giant production on? Why does anybody in the artistic world produce? I think that’s something we all have to take time for and contemplate. Many people talk about the feeling of accomplishment one gets after finishing a production. That is of course very important. Everyone involved, including the audience, feels a sense of conclusion and celebration afterwards.
However, I believe it is just as important to enjoy the process and all the steps, however stressful, which get you to the end product. I’ve always felt similarly about dance. Having an enjoyable rehearsal process is just as important as the final performance simply because that’s where 90% of the experience happens. Performances are thrilling, but so fleeting. If you miss out on all the steps that get you to the end, you are most likely missing out or miserable for 90% of your experience.
This is my goal and hope for everyone involved as we embark upon this week of Senior Production. It is also becoming increasingly important for every aspect of my life. Senior Production and my whole experience at Juilliard have taught me the importance of staying present and slowing down to take a breath, to enjoy. Otherwise, as Laura Glenn says, once September of Freshman year is over, you graduate.
This is it! The week we have been preparing for all year, though it feels like a lifetime with all that we’ve learned and accomplished. Every single Monday 9AM class, email sent, and cookie sold at a bake sale have all been devoted to revealing this amazing production.
With so much on our plates, so many hats to wear, how do we enjoy it to the fullest? Personally, it has felt like I am just treading water trying to keep up with all there is to do. Primarily, we are performers, which means taking care of our bodies. This includes taking class, being diligent in rehearsals, eating well, and sleeping enough.
However, we are also producers which means that each of us has a great deal of other duties depending on what committee we are on. I am on the ticketing committee, which involves organizing a large spreadsheet and sorting through a plethora of emails to gather peoples ticket requests. In addition to running the show, we are organizing a reception for after the premiere on Friday, April 24th. Our class was responsible for dividing up Manhattan into sections and asking businesses in your section for food donations. Easy right? But wait, you have to follow up with each business you asked that seemed even remotely interested. And of course, life does not stop just for Senior Pro, so if you haven’t gotten a job for after graduation yet, there’s that to handle as well. Oh yeah, and rehearse your Senior Showcase solo in your free time…
Okay, now that you can picture all that we’re juggling, it’s time to set the balls down for a moment and take a deep breath. After all, why are we taking this giant production on? Why does anybody in the artistic world produce? I think that’s something we all have to take time for and contemplate. Many people talk about the feeling of accomplishment one gets after finishing a production. That is of course very important. Everyone involved, including the audience, feels a sense of conclusion and celebration afterwards.
However, I believe it is just as important to enjoy the process and all the steps, however stressful, which get you to the end product. I’ve always felt similarly about dance. Having an enjoyable rehearsal process is just as important as the final performance simply because that’s where 90% of the experience happens. Performances are thrilling, but so fleeting. If you miss out on all the steps that get you to the end, you are most likely missing out or miserable for 90% of your experience.
This is my goal and hope for everyone involved as we embark upon this week of Senior Production. It is also becoming increasingly important for every aspect of my life. Senior Production and my whole experience at Juilliard have taught me the importance of staying present and slowing down to take a breath, to enjoy. Otherwise, as Laura Glenn says, once September of Freshman year is over, you graduate.