An Omen for Medicine: Devastating but Motivating

This past week has been a devastating one for my family and me. There is nothing that can possibly compare to the terrible feeling of the loss of a loved one, especially a loss so sudden and heart-wrenching. Although I will not share with you all the details of my uncle's death, I will tell you that his death occurred after a brave decision to stand up to a rare genetic form of cancer.  After a preventative surgery meant to save his life, my uncle endured many complications and his body could not simply keep up. As an aspiring surgeon, my first emotions were complete frustration and disappointment.
 How could a "world-class" surgeon, specializing in the particular surgery, conducting countless amounts of research on the surgery, traveling internationally to conduct the surgery, allow this to happen? What happened that made this surgery turn fatal? Why weren't more tests, labs, procedures done to prevent this? Why couldn't they save him?  It almost makes me feel helpless; if the best surgeons in the world couldn't even help, what makes me think that I, as a future doctor, would even have a chance at making a positive medical impact on people?  Of course, I still have much to learn about the unfortunate encounters in medicine. Truthfully, although we may not want to believe it (myself included) sometimes doctors can only do so much, they are not super heroes or God. I often forget that. It just seems like something more could have been done for him. I'm sure the care he received was some of the best and I know I do not know all the crucial details, but it still did not numb the feelings of aggravation I initially felt toward medicine at this time.
Additionally, my feelings were filled with sympathy and grief. The entire family was beside themselves. My heart aches for my uncle's close family especially my aunt, cousins, and my uncles' brothers and mother. A surgery that was meant to be a positive life-extending procedure turned negative quickly.
Ironically, my uncle played a huge role in landing me my first medical research job a few years ago where I worked on studying particular proteins concerning cancer research. With his help, he may have helped shape me into the physician I hope to be one day and for that, I will be eternally grateful.
If nothing else positive has come out of this sad turn of events, it has ignited an even stronger motivation for my pursuit in becoming a doctor. It has given me a deeper reason for my path in life, raising my guard and inspiring me to give the greatest care possible for my patients one day.
Thanks for the guidance Uncle Patrick, hopefully I make you proud one day! Love you forever!

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/buffalonews/obituary.aspx?n=patrick-j-reilly&pid=174976726

The Landslide- Shifting Careers, Focus, and Life

Hey everyone,
It's been awhile, I know. Life is crazy...and about to get a little crazier! 2014 has come and gone and I have welcomed 2015 with open arms and ready to make the great dream come true.

But lets back up a bit. Last time I posted, I was still settled in Columbus dancing with Columbus Dance Theatre. At the end of the season, I had to make the difficult but necessary decision to leave the company due to personal and career reasons.  I loved dancing in Columbus and made wonderful friends making my experience with Columbus Dance Theatre an unforgettable one! I still miss all of my fellow CDT-ers so very much! But, I also learned a lot about myself and life from my experience in Columbus.

Like the iconic quote in It's a Wonderful Life (by far my favorite movie btw :) where George Bailey and his father are talking at the dinner table during George's last meal "at the ol' Bailey boarding house" before he goes away to college, my mother has always told me, "You're born older."  By this she means that my personality and mentality are always years ahead of my actual numerical age.  I have always been a planner, wanting to know what I'm going to do today and tomorrow and the day after that.... I have always been a very future-oriented, goal seeker, and despite my attempts to relax and be spontaneous, I probably always will be.  Now, don't get me wrong, there are a lot of positives that come from my anxious attitude, I actually think it's a main reason why I graduated college high in my class.  But, no matter what I do, I can't always control every aspect of my life- something I also was forced to learned through battling pas de deux work, but that's a whole other story! 

My two year gap since I have been out of school has allowed me to come to terms with this idea. After I didn't get into medical school right away during my senior year, I thought my life was going to come to a halt.  But, like I had hoped, it turned out to be the greatest blessing of all.

After my season with CDT, I returned to my hometown where I started my job at Samaritan Hospital, hoping that keeping my feet wet in the medical field would help me when it came to applying to medical schools again, began teaching at three different dance studios (I never thought I would enjoy teaching dance as much as I have), planned to dance with my old company here in Albany, and most of all started to enjoy what I was doing every day instead of just going through the motions.  I got to live out literally every little girls' dream by dancing the role that made my passion for dance grow with me through all these years, work with some of the most inspiring doctors and health professionals out there, and overall spend more time with my family which was definitely needed. It let me breathe over life a bit more- I'm still not very good at it but I'm working on it :).

Now my life is, once again, getting ready to change-possibly the biggest one yet. Even while dancing my heart out and doing what I really truly loved every day, I still had that calling.  Some say it's a sign from God, others say it's in my blood, but me, I think it is truly what I was meant to do for this world. God gave me this amazing talent of dance that I am so insanely grateful for. It actually had me question my career goals this year. But although it is a beautiful art form requiring the highest amount of focus, endurance, and strength (physically & mentally), it's essence is somewhat selfish and that's because it needs to be- it's possibly the most competitive "sport" there is and as a professional, your life depends on it! Now don't get me wrong, I am NOT saying dancers are selfish. Dancers are some of the most un-selfish people I have ever met. But in the grand scheme of things, other than simply loving dance, why do we love it? It's because it makes us, the dancer, feel "good"- we're proud of ourselves for landing that triple pirouette, we feel a sense of accomplishment when we hear the sound of a roaring applause, we feel alive as our muscles ache from a long day of rehearsals. Now, do we impact others' lives? Of course! Seeing a once-in-a-lifetime performance can turn that little girl sitting in the back row into the Sugar Plum Fairy one day! Part of me wishes that this career was all I want to do with my life, it sure as hell would have made the last couple years much easier. But something inside me yearns for more. I want to make the lasting impression on someone that can literally change their LIFE. I want to be able to bring a man back to this world after suffering cardiac arrest. I want to be able give a woman, facing only a few months to live, years to see her grandchildren grow up. That is what has been missing from my life.

Which leads me to my new career in medicine. Starting this September, I am attending Ross University School of Medicine to pursue this long awaited dream.  Moving away from dance and towards my career in medicine does not mean I am losing ANY of my passion for dance!  Dance will always have a place in my heart and I will continue to dance for as long as I can. In fact, if I am ever so lucky to perform my first surgery I want to do it in pointe shoes- no step stool necessary plus it reminds me where I come from. Although the idea of becoming a retired professional ballerina still sits very sour with me, I am excited for this new chapter in my life.

Now if you excuse me, I have to get ready to take ballet class...some things may never change!

Long Time, No Talk....my adventures throughout the past year and welcoming 2014!

  Yes, I know, I know, it's been 10 months since my last post. Life has preoccupied time. But I'm back to fill you in on the adventures of my post-grad life and what has been going on with my aspirations this past year.
  But first, let's back up to last May...Graduation!  Man, what an amazing, exciting, emotional weekend! After being given the honor of receiving the President's Award for Academic Excellence in the School of Arts and Humanities, the Dance Dept Nu Delta Alpha Academic Excellence Award, and the Etoile Leadership Award, I was so thankful for all the people you supported me through the past 4 years and beyond and proud of the (sometimes insanely stressful ) hard work I had committed to my undergrad career. As I walked across the stage at the Bayfront Convention Center, I had numerous flashbacks: back to move-in day freshman year, back to that crazy party with my friends sophomore year, back to the all-night organic chem study session junior year, and my first legal night to The Stone that senior year. I'm  not going to lie, there were moments I had to hold back tears of joy! After receiving two diplomas to represent the culmination of my double major work for the past four years (I was the first, graduate to receive their diplomas!), I smiled for dozens of pictures with my friends and for the first time in four years of tiresome work, I breathed a sigh of relief and enjoyed the last 12 hours I had with my friends; a 12 hours I will always treasure.

The next day was move-out day, or should I say "Goodbye-to-life-as-we know-it day."  The house we lived in for two years was packed up, our textbooks were sold, and friends went their separate ways, friends that became family over the years. But unfortunately, we had to hug, and hug again, and say goodbye and drive away. Drive away from my home-away-from-home, The Hurst!

  Weeks later, I started my 6 week job as a Residential Counselor for the Boston Ballet Summer Program.  It was an amazing experience and I absolutely loved living in Boston again.  I went to my first Red Sox game, went for daily runs along the Charles River, and even got to take class again in the beautiful Boston Ballet studios.

   Well if you didn't already know, I got the job with Columbus Dance Theatre and in August moved into my apartment (after months of trying to find one!) It was a big step for me.  Despite the disapproval of my parents and family for moving so far away under such conditions, I tried to be positive. I packed up my life and with help from my boyfriend and father, I am still settled here in Columbus.  Believe it or not, the season is already almost half over.  It has thus far been an amazing experience and I have loved the dancing.  I'm so thankful for being given the opportunities to fulfill my dream as a professional dancer.

  Now I know you are all wondering, what about Medical School?!? After putting that part of my dream on hold and giving myself the year to dance, as well as study for the MCAT again, I will be taking my MCAT (for the final time, I promise!) on March 22.  I will hopefully be applying again starting in May and next year hopefully interviewing at schools.  Trying to move closer and closer to my dream :)

An Amazing Spring Break. Back to the Hurst for the Last 10 Weeks Ever!

  My Spring Break experience dancing with the Mercyhurst Choir in Orlando and Tampa, FL was amazing.  Being in the warm weather of 80 degrees and higher each day for a week was such a tease for summer weather.  I met some really fun people on the trip and we even got a standing ovation at the church we performed.  What's even better, I got to experience Disneyworld at the Magic Kingdom for the very first time! It was incredible! I could not believe how much was there and how magical it all seemed.  I even got to meet some famous characters :)

 
   But now that we are back in 30 degree weather here in Erie, it is now time for my final 10 weeks of college in Spring Term.  My other senior friends and I are working on completing our bucket list of different things we have yet to do in Erie and Mercyhurst for the past 4 years.  It is definitely going to be a fun couple weeks!
    As for the future and auditioning, I auditioned for Columbus Dance Theatre last week and was one of two girls who made it all the way to the end of the audition! I really enjoyed the audition and even got to learn a little bit of their repertoire which was great.  I would love to be able to dance for them in their company.  Right now I'm still playing the waiting game and hope to hear from them in around a week.  Cross you fingers for me that I might have a job!

Successful Interview

     This weekend I had my interview for the RA position for the Boston Ballet Summer Dance Program.  As an alum of the program myself, I was familiar with the studio and administrators.  It felt great to be back in Boston, which is definitely one of my favorite cities.  I interviewed with the program director and came out of the session feeling very confident.  The program would offer me an intense job for about 5 weeks of my summer with the opportunity to live (for free!) in Boston during that time.  They wanted to check with my references as well as have a personal interview with me so I will hopefully hear about the decision soon.
     Boston has always been a place I wanted to live and now after being back there, I'm really going to consider moving there and finding some dance work down there after graduation, that is if I don't get any other company jobs worthwhile elsewhere. Then who knows, maybe I'll end up at Med School in Boston too! I just love the city atmosphere and the lifestyle there.  Truthfully, if I would have loved to have gone to college there.  Unfortunately, there we no schools there that offered the academics as well as dance like I had wanted.  I hope I at least will get the chance to experience living in Boston again this summer and who knows, that might just be the city meant for me!

 My dad and I at Fanuel Hall

      My parents and I at a celebratory dinner at Legal Seafood :)

Dancing in Florida during Spring Break!

    7 Days more and I will be traveling down to the Orlando/Tampa area in Florida to perform with the Liturgical Dance Ensemble for Spring Break!  Five dancers (including myself) are traveling with about ten choir singers to perform in a number of Liturgical Performances in churches all around the area in Florida.  We have been rehearsing for about two weeks now and this weekend we will be learning our last dance, along with cleaning some of the other choreography.  This gives us a total of 4 dances we will be performing.
    While down there, we will be staying in this gorgeous villa equipped with 8 bedrooms and 5 baths along with game rooms and two swimming pools.We are also planning on going to Disneyworld! This will be my first time there so it will definitely be an experience. I'm so excited to get to spend some time relaxing, possibly getting a tan and laying by the pool, after the end of my last Winter Term.  Although I will still be working on my Senior Thesis Project, I am looking forward to a much less stressful Spring Break beginning in March.  I will also be auditioning for many more companies in hope to find the best one for myself and hopefully soon will begin looking forward to a new life after graduation.

Save the Last Dance!

This weekend's Raw Edges Performances showcased my last dance performance at Mercyhurst!  The concert was absolutely wonderful with some amazing student and guest artist choreographed pieces that left the audience astounded of the talent fostered in the Mercyhurst Dance Dept.  Although my body was physically exhausted and bruised from all the rehearsal and shows from the weekend,  Raw Edges definitely allowed me to go out with a BANG for my undergraduate dance career.

Photo Credit: Maggie Sullivan

Here you will see the choreography of Jessica Stachelrodt during my last dance on stage at the Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Center 

In State of Emergency on Mercyhurst Campus...Erie Festival of Dance proceeds with show

       Mercyhurst Erie campus went into quite a frenzy this past weekend due to water main breaks that left students without running water.  Thursday afternoon, all classes were cancelled through the weekend and students were instructed to evacuate back home or to friend's house nearby because of sanitation and heat issue.  Luckily, our townhouse was not affected more than with low water pressure.  We never lost all water or heat.  With the Erie Festival of Dance set for the D'Angelo Performing Arts Center stage at Mercyhurst, the Erie Dance Consortium had to change the venue to McDowell Intermediate High School here in Erie.  However, this presented a lot of confusion and anxiety for the Mercyhurst students who were planning to perform in the show but were instructed by the administration to evacuate the campus.  Many students were put up in professor's home over the weekend so that they could perform in the shows.  However, SoMar Dance Works had a slight problem with their organization and dancers.  The dance we were supposed to perform called for four of us (me included).  But one dancer had already scheduled her trip home before discovering that the Erie Festival of Dance had in fact not been cancelled, but relocated.  Unfortunately, the one dancer who could not make it was the one dancer who did not have an understudy :/ So throughout the chaos, our directors made the executive decision to let us free for the weekend and they would perform and dance in our place at the show.

        As all shows go on, Erie Festival of Dance was no exception and from the reviews I have read of the performance, it was a success.  But the missed days of rehearsal because of the water problem, the Dance Department is bit nervous about the Raw Edges performances for this weekend.  Extra studio time and rehearsals will undoubtedly be scheduled for this week making "Hell Week" even more stressful.  But with the talented students performing and choreographing, it is sure to be a great show.  In fact, it will be my last show on the Mercyhurst stage because I have decided not to perform in the Spring Dept Concert.  It's very bittersweet but I'm excited to dance in front of my family and friends who are traveling to see me this weekend :)

One Down, Many More Too Come

Well my first audition is officially over and it went well!  This weekend two friends and I traveled to Northampton, PA to audition for Pennsylvania Classical Ballet.  Along with an hour and half ballet class, we  had to perform a solo variation in front of the the Artistic Directors.  I chose to do the Black Swan variation which was probably one of the more difficult variations performed by the 6 audtionees in our class.  Although they were not handing out contracts this weekend because they wanted to wait until all the audition dates were finished,  I personally thought that I did very well.  They said we should be hearing from them within a month on their decision.  So cross your fingers for me :)  Truthfully, since this audition was only my first one, I am going to hope for the best, but try not to get my hopes up too high just in case.  It would feel great to get offered a contract with them though.  I think the experience was a good confidence booster and preparation for all the other auditions I have lined up.
All my weekends from now until Graduation are officially packed!  Between performances, auditions, and traveling, I will definitely be a very busy girl as I finish my undergraduate career. As I plan my schedule for my last term in college with my advising sessions this week, I'm realizing that I am very prepared to move on with my life from Mercyhurst and show the world what I've got.  Stay tuned for what is to come!

Travel Plans and Auditions Begin!

    This week has been a very exciting week of making future plans.  After sending my promotional packet materials including my resume, headshot, dance shots and my performance DVD.  I have been invited by two companies for an audition.  This weekend I will road-tripping to Philadelphia with some of my friends to attend the first audition for Pennsylvania Classical Ballet. Although, I still need to work on my variation I need to perform for the audition :/  Hopefully I will be able to throw something together.  I am also in the process of scheduling my audition for Rochester City Ballet for mid-March in which I was invited for.  There's no turning back now! I'm ready to dance my way into a job (fingers crossed!)
    Also this week, I was informed that I was invited for an interview for the Residential Counselor position at the Boston Ballet Summer Dance Program!  I would absolutely love to get the position for Summer 2013 for at least five weeks of living in Boston with pay! I have planned to travel to Boston for that interview in mid-February.
       Then three days after returning to school for my second to last set of academic finals, I will be traveling to Tampa, FL to dance with the Mercyhurst Liturgical Dance Ensemble for a week of performing. Although the beach and fun will definitely be distracting, I will still have to continue with my work on my Senior Thesis work.  And as if that traveling wasn't enough, I'm still trying to schedule a trip to Chicago at some point at the beginning of Spring Term to do more auditions.
        Even though these auditions and interviews are coming up, I still need to stay focused on my school work to finish this term out strong since it will likely be my last term with any academic courses :)  Currently, I am icing my muscles from the 15 hours of rehearsals all weekend for the Dance Dept's Winter Concert, Raw Edges, coming up on Feb 1-3.  It is likely that this performance will be my last performance with the Mercyhurst Dancers considering I may not be participating in the Spring Concert. Hope to see you all there!

New Year, 2013! Let's Make Things Happen!

    2013 is finally here which means only 4 more months and 1.5 terms left until Graduation.  I just finished filling out my Graduation information, scheduling my Senior Graduation portraits, and am in the process of clearing all my required courses for both of my majors with the Dance and Biology Chairpersons.  I have also decided that I will walk with the Dance Dept. for Graduation as opposed to Biology, just because it was my initial major and decision for coming to Mercyhurst in the first place.  Although leaving college is scary thought, I'm actually very excited to get started on my life after Mercyhurst.  Mercyhurst provided me with a lot of essential skills and knowledge that I know will prepare me in my life.  I have applied for the job in Boston over the summer with the Boston Ballet as a Residential Counselor and am waiting back to here from them.  Hopefully more jobs will present themselves as I begin to send out my promotional packets and audition for companies.
    You are probably wondering, what about med school?  Well, it's true what they say about the MCATs.  They can make you or break you, and unfortunately they broke me.  They were the only flaw in my applications and seem to be the one thing turning me away from med school.  But med school is still definitely in my future.  I just plan to take a year or two off to figure out my dreams in dance and take a MCAT prep course so that the next time I take them, I will be completely ready and won't just be wasting money.
    I'm headed back to Erie on Sunday to continue the rest of my work for Winter Term and to return back to reality after the Holiday Season!

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 :)