It's (finally) beginning to look a lot like Winter! Let It Snow!

      Well it finally happened.  No matter what your feelings are about the subject, there's no denying the delight of a White Christmas, the first one I have had since my Freshman year!  The frosty white snow that finally dropped around half a foot in my hometown between Christmas morning and two days afterward made staying at home much more enjoyable.  Got to go cross-country skiing, sleigh riding, snow shoeing and even simply got to walk through the Winter Wonderland.  So although the snow made digging my car out and plowing the streets a burden, it also allowed for some fun activities.

      Last weekend, the day before Christmas Eve, my boyfriend and I ventured out down to New York City to see the scene of the crazy shopping in Times Square and Rockefeller Center.  We do it every year together. We just go down to the city with no plans to hangout and see what we can find.  However, we always make it a point to take a picture with the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center.   This year we took the NBC Studios Tour and got to see the studios of SNL, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and even Dr. Oz's studio.  It was a great experience but next year we have already decided that we want to see a Rangers game and then stay and go to Saturday Night Live together.
      Even throughout the getaway of my Christmas break, I still have a lot of work to do in regards to my future.  I received more med school rejections which was definitely a disappointment but only makes me focus on my dance career even more.  I have a pretty decent list of companies I am going to audition and apply to.  Some of these companies include: Missouri Contemporary Ballet, Montgomery Ballet, Pennsylvania Classical Ballet, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble and many more.  I am also applying for a job as a Residential Counselor at Boston Ballet Summer Dance Program this summer.  Since I attended the Boston Ballet years ago and immediately fell in love with the city of Boston, I thought this job opportunity would be a perfect option for me.  The job pays for all my living conditions in Boston for five weeks and I get a weekly pay.  Also, an alum from Mercyhurst, and now a very good friend of mine, has been working there each summer and promised to send a recommendation for me which would be a great help.  Cross your fingers for me, I would love to get the job!   I intend to send in my materials in by the end of the week.

One Week Until Christmas!

With one week until Christmas, teachers have all scheduled their first tests right before the Break which starts Friday.  Good for me, I already got one of my tests out of the way and just have one more to get through this Friday.  So while trying to focus on my studies and start the Winter Term off right with a good solid grade, I also had to work 3 shifts at my job at the mall this weekend to help pay off some of my holiday spending and I am busy getting ready for the Dance Department's Winter Concert, Raw Edges, Feb 8-10, and also the Erie Festival of Dance, Jan 26th.  With rehearsals each night, stress felt from school and work, Christmas Break is going to be a nice time to relax and spend time with the family.  To help ease me into my break, and also help with the 6.5 hour drive home for Christmas this Friday, my brother is coming to visit this week!  We always have a good time together so having him here this week will be a nice push to get me through the week.

'Tis the Season...to be Dancing?

      Yes, 'Tis the Season! And I'm not just taking about Christmas shopping, caroling, and Santa.  But if you are a dancer during the Christmas Season, you probably have little time to enjoy the merriment because you are hard at work rehearsing for performances.  You don't have to be a dancer to know the story of The Nutcracker and that it is possibly the most frequently performed ballet in the world.  Students rehearse for months to prepare for the shows of  The Nutcracker.  Personally, my dance career originally grew up around The Nutcracker. From the age of six to eighteen, I participated in the local The Nutcracker production in my hometown for almost 13 years, growing through the roles from a tiny finale clown to the principal role of Dew Drop. Touring each year with the Albany Berkshire Ballet professional company since the young age of thirteen gave me an experience that transformed my career as a dancer.  Having the amazing experiences of touring each year, dancing in approximately 20-25 shows over a two month span, while also having to balance my high school curriculum laid the foundation for my future of what you see today: a dancer balancing my pre-Med studies.

One of my Dew Drop Performances my Senior Year of High School

Although Nutcracker has been known to dominate the stage during Christmastime, last night I got to experience a lovely performance by the Mercyhurst Dancers in their production of 'Tis the Season!  It was a greatly energetic performance filled with dancing toys, angels, and elves....lots and lots of elves!  Although not the traditional Nutcracker, 'Tis the Season! presented great choreography, music, and fun.  It is a great performance for anyone, especially those with little ones, to come to and share in the magic of Christmas! Great job to all my fellow Mercyhurst dancers!

Last Winter Term!

     Well, I successfully made it through my Senior Fall Term! Actually did very well too, managed too maintain my 4.0 GPA even through all the stress of applications, preparing audition materials, and my usual academic work.
    After a very relaxing and wonderful 10 day Thanksgiving Break, filled with my amazing 21st Birthday celebrations, I have returned to Mercyhurst for Winter Term.  Winter Term is usually the worst for me out of all 3 seasonal terms.  Not sure why that is, maybe the weather or the course work I tend to take, but nevertheless, I'm sure Winter with keep me on my toes.  Winter Term starts my audition process for dance companies that I have begun to research.  It's a scary thought that I really am starting to audition for a big girl job but at the same time it's very exciting!  I'm still very anxious and uneasy about the thought that next year I could literally be anywhere in the world!
    You are probably wondering what happened with my med school applications and plans.  As of now, the only thing I have heard back from schools are rejections and an application hold :( Although I still have many more to hear from, I'm starting to plan on the side that I may not be going to med school right away after undergrad.  I believe I may take a year or two off from school, dance in companies and teach, work in the medical field still, study and take an MCAT prep course so that I can take the MCATs again and hopefully do much better then.  My mediocre MCAT score was my only downfall in my application which makes me very frustrated because everything else was basically flawless, I had the grades, the experience, the extracurriculars, the leadership experience, and a diverse background to make me interesting to schools.  Although it is very frustrating to be rejected and told "No," at the same time this may turn out to be a good thing because this will give me the time to live out my dance dreams early enough in life before I may get too old or injured.  So looking at it from that perspective, the rejections may be a blessing in disguise :)
     I will still keep you posted as to what I hear back from med schools, but for now, I'm going to focus on auditioning as many places as I can to get the best shot at a dancing job.  I will also keep you posted on the dance companies I plan to audition for once I figure that out myself . But just to get my name and dancing out there to the world, here is my extended audition/performance DVD that shows highlights of various performances I have done over the past 4 years. Enjoy!

   

Website Completed! Fall Term 2012...Check!

    So after weeks of stress and anxiety, my professional promotional website is finally up and running! Be sure to check it out at:
http://emcdon36.wix.com/eileen-mcdonnell#!home/mainPage
It includes a biography, resume, photo gallery, performance DVD, and more information for further contact. After all the hard work, I am very pleased on how it all came out :) Please spread it around especially to potential employers!
    Well it is finally coming to an end, my Final Fall term at Mercyhurst.  With only one paper, presentation, and final left, I am very excited to finish up this term.  This past Thursday along with publishing our promotional websites, we had to hand-in our group project report on the current issues surrounding the arts. My partner and I had to discuss how technology is affecting the arts as our topic.  Although we didn't completely finish our paper until 3 am the night before because we had to format two papers into one essentially, I think our report came out fairly well.  And along with our paper, we have to do a group presentation Wednesday. Hopefully we will prepare properly and everything will go smoothly.
    As I am writing this post currently, I am also editing my paper for World Geography and studying for the final simultaneously. Oh, and I'm also watching Charlie St. Cloud...yes, I know procrastinating, but considering I'm not going out tonight like the rest of my roommates, I get to slack off a little. Can't wait for Wednesday to head home and see friends and family!

One Last Week!

  Well Fall Term 2012 is finally coming to a close which means the amount of work due in this last week is enormous!  Papers, projects, presentations, and finals are all causing some extreme stress and anxiety for me.  Dance finals start at the beginning of this week which is the least stressful task of all of my work.  Having had to perform my dance finals every term for the past three years, I seldom get nervous for them anymore.  However, the rest of my week consists of an Honors Presentation, a 10 page paper, a 5 page analysis, a 20 minute Presentation, a project, a website to construct, a DVD to make, a conference, and one academic final.  Oh and also add in there two rehearsals and a lecture demonstration performance on Friday.  I just have so much work to finish before I can finally say goodbye to this Fall Term.  I am very anxious to see how my dance performance DVD that I had specially made by a professional came out.  It should arrive here tomorrow so I will be able to post my website for you all to see with a lot of my work towards my dance career shown on it, including my DVD, photos, and resume.  So you should check it out when it's finished!
  Hopefully I can just remember to just breathe for the next week or so.  I am very excited to the Thanksgiving Break because I get to see my family and friends and have time to relax, but I what I'm most excited for is my 21st Birthday on the 23rd :) Black Friday.  Cannot wait to celebrate!

Beyond Words II Performance

    This weekend two dance companies in residence at Mercyhurst came together for a weekend of exciting performances.  Mercyhurst Ballet Theatre (MBT) and SoMar Dance Works collaborated on a concert that performed this weekend at the Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Center on the Mercyhurst Main Campus.  With a lot of variety and live accompaniment, the concert was a stunning example of the freedom of expression.
    As a member of SoMar Dance Works for the past three years, the Beyond Words concert series for the past 2 years has become one of our main concerts of the school year.  Closing the show in Act II following MBT in Act I, SoMar Dance Works showed off our months of hard work with very creative, contemporary/modern dance styles as opposed to the classical/contemporary ballet that was showcased by MBT.  Everyone in the audience seemed to love our opening piece that consisted on "dancing lights" and commentary that introduced the cast of SoMar onstage.  The next piece fitting in with the Halloween theme for this week contained a humorous story about a mad-scientist, her evil assistant, and a band of zombies, which is the role I played.  Although the the movements we did and the story felt a little silly for us, the audience seemed to like the plot and dance. Amongst many other popular and crowd-pleasing dances that SoMar performed, the finale of the show was a dance called "Ahhh Oooh" which had a Spanish, Latin sense to its movements.  Containing three different sections, this dance was definitely one of the most tiring dances of the concert, but also my favorite. It really showcased how talented and well-diverse the SoMar dancers can be.  All of us are trained in ballet just like the MBT dancers are, taking technique classes each day.  But I think being part of SoMar teaches you how to perform in a different way and makes us more versatile in our repertoire and movement qualities.
    As I am now icing my body as I write this post, it is obvious that the weekend definitely took a toll on my body.  Covered in floor burns, bruises, and muscle fatigue everywhere on my body from the stress it took dancing and performing, I am looking forward to having a little bit more time to breathe, focus on school work, and prepare for finals, both dance and academic finals.  Hopefully most of you got a chance to see the show this weekend!  If not or would like to see more, SoMar Dance Works will be doing their own concert in the spring so standby for more details :)

SoMar Dance Works Company Cast:

   

Senior Photos Complete. Website Coming Soon!

   This weekend my two roommates (both senior dancers as well) and I traveled to Cleveland for our Senior Dance Photoshoot with photographer, Larry Coleman.  I was a little anxious and nervous like I always am for photoshoots but Larry made the session very comfortable and inspiring.  I was the first one to start in our group.  We began with headshots, which is not always the way Larry runs his shoots. Usually he has us been with our full body dance shots to get us comfortable in front of the mirror and then finish with headshots.  But because I was most nervous for headshots and didn't want my hair to be messy after moving so much, I was glad we did them first...41 headshots later, we finally moved on to the movement shots.
   I brought 4-5 different outfits to where to fit the many different genres of dance that I planned to shoot.  Each audition asks for different shots so it was best to have many to choose from.  We were allowed around 100 shots each so when I realized I used up 41 shots only on headshots, I felt a little discouraged.  It was really hard to make your face, arms, legs, angle, etc. all look good in one photo.  It also made it sometimes frustrating when your body would look great but you were making a funny face :P  Luckily, with our package for the photoshoot, we get to have 8 of our favorite pictures edited and photo-shopped to make them look just like you want them.  Looking through them all, I think I found my favorites but I'm waiting to hear what my parents say are there favorites too.  It never hurts to see what other people think would work :)
   Hopefully once I get the ones I want edited, I can get them uploaded to my promotional dance website.  Having a promotional website is a requirement for my Senior Pro-Seminar class for senior dance majors and needs to be published by Nov. 8.  I'm simply waiting on these photographs and my promo DVD I'm having made and then I will be publishing my site.  Don't worry I will let you know when I do so you can go on and see it!
   Here are some of my favorites that I intend to use for auditions. What do you think? :)

Two Weeks Til Showtime!

   SoMar Dance Works and Mercyhurst Ballet Theatre are busy at work in the dance studio preparing for our Fall Concert, "Beyond Words II" that takes place in the Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Center on the Mercyhurst Campus October 26th at 4:30, October 27th at 2:00 and 7:00, and October 28th at 2:00 (Tickets can be purchased through the Box Office).  With only about two more weeks to really prepare before hitting the stage, both companies are refining and cleaning their many pieces they will perform.
    As part of SoMar Dance Works for the past three years, I have worked under the direction of Mark & Solveig Santillano, co-founders of the company.  Centralized in modern contemporary movement, SoMar Dance Works is known to impress, entertain, and leave you in awe of their strength, talent, and performance humor.  This will be the second year that SoMar will be sharing the Fall show Mercyhurst Ballet Theatre (MBT) but this year the show will be split into two halves, one dedicated to MBT and the other SoMar.  One thing is for sure, the audience is definitely in for a treat!  Mixing the classical ballet with some more contemporary/abstract pieces gives a little bit of everything for the whole family.
    Although we still have a lot of work to do this week and next before show week, including learn an entire dance and finish another, I think our company is in very good shape.  We have added a few extra rehearsals into our schedule which should ease our anxiety a little bit to make sure we finish and clean all our dances so we will feel comfortable for showtime.  I'm very excited to see it all come together.  Everyone should come support our companies and the Mercyhurst Dancers in our performances!

Here are some pictures from last year's performance of "Beyond Words."  Some of rehearsal and backstage blooper shots :)

Lights, Camera, Action!- Photo Shoot at Presque Isle

As President of Dance Club at Mercyhurst University, it was a pleasure to be a part of the annual Dance Club Calendar Photo Shoot today.  As a fundraiser for our club, each year we sell calendars which have proven to be a great success and a great idea for Christmas gifts.  For the funds raised, 80% will be going to the Jenni-Lyn Watson Scholarship fund and the rest will be our profit.  Luckily for us, one of our talented dancers who also is the PR for the club, Jessica Stachelrodt, is an excellent photographer (all photo credit goes to her).  Because of this, we got some amazing shots and I'm very excited to show them off. Our group, which was made up of my roommates and I, represented the month of July for the calendar. If you are interested in purchasing a calendar to help support the Jenni-Lyn Watson Scholarship and Dance Club and would love an artistic calendar filled with lovely dancers, please contact me at emcdon36@lakers.mercyhurst.edu.  Here is a little preview you some of the work we did.  All photo credit: Jessica Stachelrodt.

Just Chugging Along

With Midterm approaching next week before Fall Break, my priorities have been concentrated on school work rather than Secondary Med Applications or dance company research.  With projects, presentations and tests piling up, its hard to focus on future aspects of my life when the present calls more attention.  But although it seems stressful now, I know this term is going to be over before I know so I'm trying to enjoy my last fall term as much as I can.
But for an update on how my Senior Seminar prospects are going:  I got my second MCAT scores back this week (still not as good as I would have wanted but still hoping for the best during my application process), submitted seven more secondary apps this week (have about 5 more currently in progress), scheduled my Senior Dance portraits for the middle of October (note to self...no more fried foods!), and Homecoming Dance Performance went very well!
With all this excitement/stress in my life, Fall Break can not come soon enough :)

Although I don't have a great Homecoming pic from this this year quite yet....here's a blast from the past! Freshman Year Homecoming at the Petting Zoo.

As you can see, Freshman Year it did not rain like this year :P

Homecoming, Performances, and Secondary Apps...Oh My!

   Homecoming is right around the corner, this weekend in fact, and the entire Mercyhurst campus can feel the spirit.  I am especially excited this year being a senior and getting to see a lot of my friends on Homecoming Court.  I am also very excited because my dad is coming to see me for our last Parents Weekend at Mercyhurst.  It seems like yesterday that he and my mom came to visit me on our first Parents Weekend when I was a freshman.  He will also get the chance to see me dance again in the Homecoming Performance in our PAC this Saturday night.  I'm dancing in a piece that SoMar Dance Works, the professional modern company affiliated with the Mercyhurst Dance Department in which I belong to, will be performing in late October in our Beyond Words II concert.  But since only my mom will be able to come see me dance then, I am excited my dad will be able to see me dance this weekend instead.  Coincidentally, his good friend from high school now has a daughter who is a freshman at Mercyhurst this year so he is looking forward to meeting up with him this weekend too.
   On the topic of dance and performance, I have officially booked my photo shoot for my senior dance photos that will be included in my audition materials, as well as my website I will be creating as part of my Senior Pro-Seminar class.  I think the website and pictures are a great way to get my face and credentials out into the dance world, but I just wish it wasn't so expensive!  The photo shoot alone costs over $100 plus the cost of prints of photos and resumes could run close to $300.  And I'm not even going to mention the audition fees that most companies charge to audition.  But I guess I should be used to fees like this.  After all, even in the midst of my application process for medical schools, I have already had to shovel out a great deal of money for application fees to schools.

 Photo Credit: Tyler Stauffer, Mark Fainstein, Tyler Stauffer

 In fact, just a few days ago, the American Association for Medical Colleges (AAMC) successfully verified my primary application for medical schools (Finally! It took over 6 weeks after I initially submitted my application.)  So after it was verified, a flood of secondary applications filled my email from a majority of the 17 schools I applied to this year.  Some I am still waiting on.  To add even more stress to my application process, my MCAT scores from my second time taking them are released tomorrow!  Talk about anxious!  The first time I took them, I did not do so well so I am really hoping to improve this time around...or else I may be in trouble :/  But in the mean time, I am going to start pushing forward with completing this boat-load of secondary apps to the best of my abilities and keep thinking positively about my future!

Back into the swing of things...

The first week back to dance classes always leaves me a little sore and a lot discouraged.  But that's just motivation for me to keep working hard in class.  I took about three months off from dance this summer to pursue an internship position at a medical research institute in Buffalo, NY and to complete observational hours with an orthopedic surgeon.  I was glad I took the time off to pursue my medical aspirations but I did miss dancing a lot.  Sometimes it takes that time off to realize how much you really enjoy something.  Even though at some points dance can be the most frustrating aspect of my life, I love the challenges it presents and I owe a lot of who I am to the lessons I learned through my fifteen years of experience of dance.
But after returning to ballet classes this past week, I was both sore and excited to be back dancing.  Although my break this summer may have taken a toll on my flexibility capabilities and strength to some degree, I still had my passionate movement quality that has always presented itself when I perform and dance.  In my Senior Pro-Seminar dance class, we are beginning to cultivate our audition materials such as our resume, cover letter, and audition photos.  It is amazing to see how much I have progressed and have learned over my four years at Mercyhurst.  Looking over the amazing artists and directors I have been privileged to work with these pas years, I know that my technique has become very diverse from my training in college.  Although auditioning is very stressful and scary process, it also is exhilarating to show off what you been working for over your many years of dancing.
I am still in the process of selecting different dance companies to audition for but with the amount of research I have been completing with my Senior Pro-Seminar class, I know that I will be prepared when it comes time to audition in the early Spring.

As for my medical school applications, I have completed another secondary application this time to Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.  I believe that my AMCAS primary application should be verified by the AAMC this week or so which means that I should have secondary applications quickly rolling in soon.  Also next week I receive my scores from my second attempt at the MCAT.  I am really praying to come close to a 30 because these scores are going to be the only one downfall to my application if I do not score better than my mediocre score I received the first time.  I'm trying not to freak out about it but I cannot help but think about the uncertainty I will feel about next year if I don't score high enough.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!

New Year...Senior Year!

Yes, despite the amount of denial I am in, this week began my last year as an undergrad at Mercyhurst! And like every other senior, the anxiety of the future has begun to take a toll.  As a double major in Dance and Pre-Med Biology, my next step into the real world is still very hazy.  After reflecting on my possible decisions for after graduation this past summer, I came to the realization that my next step into the future is to finally become what I have wanted to be my whole life.  My dream has always been to be able to combine my two passions in medicine and dance into a career.  Faculty and friends often call me "The Dancing Doctor" and I hope to uphold this title in the future as an orthopedic surgeon to specialize in treating dancers and other athletes with injuries.
But before I start to jump to conclusions about establishing my lifelong career, I first have to successfully graduate and establish myself in this great big world around us.  So as you can guess, I have two directions to go with my life after Mercyhurst.  I can either dance and then go to medical school or go directly to medical school while still pursuing dance as another part of my life.  My strategy for this upcoming year so far is to basically put myself out for both medical school and professional dance companies and see what happens with my application and audition process.  Luckily, this term I am taking career seminar classes for both Biology and Dance which will help steer me in correct directions when going about apply to medical school and auditioning for companies.
This summer while I worked as a research intern in Buffalo, NY, I was busy completing my primary application for medical schools, as well as studying and taking the MCATs.  Wow! What job the application process is?!  I was really surprised by how complex the application for AAMC, which will be sent to the 17 medical schools I chose to apply to.  I'm very glad I started early in the summer.  I am currently waiting to have the application verified through AAMC and have begun to complete and submit secondary applications for the specific schools I applied.  It has been a stressful and worrisome process thus far and it will definitely continue this way for the rest of the application process.  I will keep you updated on my application process weekly.  Soon I should have some more information to discuss when my primary application is finally verified for submission.
As for my dance audition preparation, I have begun to research different cities and companies in which I would like to audition.  My Senior Pro-Seminar class with the Dance Dept will definitely help prepare me for this upcoming year.  We have already begun to discuss our future goals in class and have updated our resumes to make sure they are looking professional.  I will soon be preparing to take my head shots and dance photos in the next coming weeks for auditions.  And since I will be auditioning for a performance position, I have decided to create a performance DVD showing my dance technique and performance quality which can be used to serve as your audition in the instance that the audition venue is too far away or an inconvenient venture.

So as you can see, I will definitely be busy this year planning for the future.  I predict a lot of anxiety and stress as well but I know in the end it will all be worth it.  Excited and nervous for what is to come, I will keep you all updated on my journey this year!