I love hearing people's reactions to their first time at a dance performance.  When I was in college, I heard these initial thoughts pretty frequently.  I performed ballet, modern, and contemporary dance - performances that some students thought sounded either intimidating, boring, or maybe a little of both.

January 29, 2012: Irvine

Another beautiful day in Paradise, as they like to say here. Sunny and warm here in Irvine, and a warm welcome from Cathy and Charles, at Maple Conservatory. There are so many terrific dancers here this afternoon, from lots of different studios in the area. I really enjoyed seeing Lauren Crocker and her mother, Grace, who was a Resident Assistant for us last year when Lauren came to SI. My friend Yoshi played great music for us all, and we enjoyed this big airy studio. Back home tomorrow!

January 28, 2012: Berkeley

It’s always fun to be back in Berkeley. The cool topography of this site clearly reminded the architects who developed the north Berkeley hills of the great hill towns of southern France and the Italian coast—places like Roquebrune and Amalfi. The hills are sprinkled with staircases and walking paths, so that one can go exploring right between all the cool houses. Up, up, up all the way to Tilden Park—my legs are going to pay for this!!

January 25, 2012: Seattle, Washington

I’ve been thinking a lot today about gardens, and wilderness, and cultivation. I like nature, but I love a garden. It’s not a coincidence, I think, that so many ballet teachers are avid gardeners. We like to nurture, and mould, and develop things to their full potential.

Flipping through the most recent issue of Princeton Alumni Weekly magazine, I came across a short feature on Simon Morrison that sparked my interest.

January 21, 2012: New York, New York

So, it’s finally decided to snow in the New York metropolitan area! Just in time for our New York
audition—I hope that no one is prevented from coming because of the snow. After a busy morning of
having to notify people about our morning classes being cancelled, we made it out to the train and into
the city.

"I hear America singing," said our great poet Walt Whitman.  I’m lucky—I get to see America dancing.  And what fun that is!  Here are my adventures in 2012.

Sunday, January 15, 2012—Washington, DC

Click here to view the Princeton Ballet School Summer Intensive 2012 Audition Tour Schedule.

Pre-registration is encouraged.  Please click here to pre-register.  Pre-registration fee is $25.

On-site/at-the-door audition fee is $30.

The smell of pine trees, the taste of hot chocolate, the view of winter white snow and the warmth by the fire are a few of the reminders that the holiday season has arrived.  All these help me feel the joyous spirit, yet nothing truly says it's the holiday season like Nutcracker.

Many girls dream of playing Clara, the young girl in The Nutcracker who receives a mysterious gift from a favorite uncle and travels on a magical journey to the Kingdom of the Sweets.  This year, two Princeton Ballet School students, Lyndsay Jorgensen and Emilia Kraft, will be portraying "Clara" in ARB's Nutcracker.  To find out more about what it's like to dance the lead student role in this year's production, I asked Lyndsay some questions: