Assiduous is the word of the day

Last night, I had the pleasure of seeing one of my all-time heroes in the arts world, Elizabeth Streb, speak to a group of Arts business professionals and students. A self-described “Action Specialist,” Streb takes the concepts and feelings of danger, fear, turbulence and impossibility, and attempts to bring them into the artificial space of the theater. Her choreography includes dancers falling from great heights, avoiding concrete blocks being hurled in every direction, and diving through glass, among other feats.

I feel fortunate to have been asked to be a first responder to her lecture, along with Bessie Cherry, who co-owns the Project  Lodge with me.

My response essentially consisted of praising her ideas, work and extreme action choreography.  Then we talked a bit about how her ideas   I saw her SLAM studios in Brooklyn last year during the annual Arts Presenters conference.  I recall bouncing out of her so-called “garage” (a huge warehouse space full of amazing contraptions used for her choreography) with my heart racing.  It was exciting and inspiring then, but now as I embark on my own arts enterprise adventure, I found her ideas directly relevant.

Here’s some of the ideas, in no particular order, that stuck with me from her vision:

-You can’t fall off the floor.

-How far can a human being fall and still be okay?

-The definition of flying is to throw yourself at the ground and miss” – Douglas Adams

-Audience karaoke

-10 Second Dance, commissioned for $10 per dance by the audience

-Penetrate the audience, give them a physical interruption.  It’s up to the programming to keep the audience’s attention.

-It doesn’t have to be beautiful.

-Learn to live with being uncomfortable.

The last first day of school.

Labor day has come and gone. My summer internship(s) in Chicago are complete. My first year of b-school, already a fading memory. The first of many lasts this year, which I hereby vow not to dwell, today feels like the right time to begin documenting my life as a artist-slash-business school student.

My Tuesdays will be graced with two highly-recommended courses: Entrepreneurial Management and Marketing Research.

Wednesdays begin with a weekly 8 a.m. Graduate Business Association board meeting, for which I serve as the Social Chairperson. Then Business Strategy and Negotiations.

The most pressing issues in my academic world are 1) for whom I will be working for the year in my Project Assistantship, and 2) on what topic I will write my Arts Administration thesis.  The answer to the former should be decided over the next few days, and the answer to the latter will be derived from a bit more reading and a few meetings with my center director.

It’s time.

As I embark on an important, transitional year of my life, I’ve decided it’s finally my turn to throw my proverbial hat into the public exhibition ring.

I plan to make this blog about music–my perceptions about, involvement in, and thought on, it. Then, as school begins again and life happens, we’ll see what happens.

Here we go!