A Busy Boston Bee

Recently when I wrote, it was to promote the work of the greats in the field of dance... This time, it's to promote my own company's work (and my work as an individual artist)!

What an incredible month it's been. Below are some of the dance-related highlights that I just have to share. I cannot emphasize enough the pride I feel watching Luminarium grow, coupled with the surprise I feel each time I receive a personal invitation to be involved in someone else's extraordinary event. I guess this is what it feels like being "the real deal."

1. DANCE+ Series
Every year, Kim and I make sure that Luminarium produces two major community outreach projects: One in the field of Arts Enrichment, the other Cultural. This year's AE-COP has been such an incredible weekly high--We'll be sad to see it go! This season, Luminarium produced its first DANCE+ Series, providing weekly free classes to grades 1-6 (which turned into ages 3-12, haha) combining dance with other fields, namely: Technology, Science, Music, and Light. Enjoy a quick clip from one of our fun Saturdays here!

Week 2 of Luminarium's new DANCE+ Series. Lumi Company Member
Rose Abramoff (far left) teaches us how rocks turn into lava during the
DANCE+Science class on April 12, 2014!

2. Cultural Council Celebrations
This month, Kim and I were honored to attend a celebratory reception at the Mayor's Office in Boston, having won a substantial grant from the Boston Cultural Council. Sadly, the event overlapped with the tragic fire on Beacon Street, so while the mayor himself could not be present, we found ourselves chatting with a variety of local shakers in the arts, from Boston Ballet to the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and from the Huntington Theatre Company to the Boston Public Schools. It was a wonderful event--And somehow we got talked into posing for a photo in the Eagle Room...

Kim and I rock the "Why B Cultural" sign at the Boston Cultural Council
grant awardee reception, only to later regret not insisting that the photo be
taken in front of the distressing and enormous bronze eagle sculpture just
a few feet away...

Just a week later, Lumi Company Member Katie McGrail and I (because Kim was busy being a snazzy devil choreographing Chicago at Babson) joined fellow local grant winners at a celebration hosted by the Arlington Cultural Council. The evening marked the first official declaration of our 2014 Culture-COP (aka, my own community outreach program baby for Luminarium's 2014 Season), converting the Arlington water tower at Park Circle into a breathing work of art for a two-hour, free, public dance event on Saturday, September 6th. The evening offered us the opportunity to learn about all of the other stellar projects lined up for Arlington this year, while eating possibly some of the tastiest cupcakes and felafels to date.

Katie and I pose with this year's grant winners after enjoying a celebration
hosted by the Arlington Cultural Council.

3. My Simon Cowell Moment
While waiting for the T with Kim post-Boston Cultural Council reception, I found an email inviting me to act as a judge at this year's Boston College Annual Showdown. Little did I realize what an incredible night awaited... Held in BC's Conte Forum stadium (complete with impressive theatrical lighting, fantastic DJ, and two giant video feeds panning the crowd), the annual dance competition boasted the talents of 14 dance teams to a sold-out audience of 3,500! Joining me as judges were Reia Briggs-Connor, owner, choreographer, and dancer for Phunk Phenomenon Dance Complex (middle), and Sarah-Katarina "SKooJ CorE-O," founder and director of Boston Community Dance Project, and artistic director of Static Noyze Dance Company (left). What a blast!

l. to r. Sarah-Katarina "SKooJ CorE-O," Reia Briggs-Connor, and
Merli V. Guerra: Judges at the 2014 Boston College Showdown.
Photo: Christopher Huang

4. Breaking Barriers Conference
It's always inviting returning to the Valley for an afternoon event: This time, it was Mount Holyoke's Breaking Barriers: (Re-Defining) Entrepreneurship Conference that drew me back to the fresh air of Western Mass. The afternoon consisted of impressive presentations from aspiring MHC student entrepreneurs; three panels featuring alumnae from Boston, New York, and beyond; and a keynote address by Senior Producer of CNN's In America, Alicia Stewart. Among the words of wisdom shared: "Just do it, and learn from your mistakes as you continue moving forward," "Turn your challenges into advantages for the future," and "You alone don't need to have every skill necessary; create a strong team to carry out your mission." As always, it was a fun experience tossing my own thoughts into the ring while speaking on the Innovation in Art & Design Panel, while meeting some fabulous alumnae pursuing their work to the fullest.

Breaking Barriers Conference 2014
Mount Holyoke College

And with that, I'll have to end this entry here, because if I don't then one month will quickly turn into two, three, four... Next week, you can catch me (and with luck, Kim as well) at an MHC Speed Networking Panel at the Lenox Hotel in Boston. Then May brings performances for Luminarium, followed by our first festivals of the season and the company's 4th Anniversary Gala & Showcase in June, and so much more after that. Welcome, summer weather, and with it the heat of the season!