Overwhelming Gratitude

madelynn newborn photo by nichelle lawrence

Daughters...
When the little girls danced on stage to Amazing Grace by the Cherokee National Children's Chior, tears started rolling down my face. I watched as my two very healthy and vibrant daughters danced with grace and strength under heavenly blue lights. I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for their health and for the opportunity to share such a powerful and creative experience with them by my side the whole time. They are both life-saving angels.

Dance partner...
When I saw Christi in the dark in the wings on the other side of the stage with her shoulders down and back, neck long and arms full of energy...prepared and ready to meet me in the middle. I teared up with gratitude for such an incredible dance partner and friend. She is such a woman! I am so grateful for her sisterhood and incredible stamina.

A best friend...
As pictures started to project on the screen in black and white and beauty filled the theater in a wave of silence and awe, I cried tears of gratitude for Nichelle Lawrence, my best gal-friend. Her photos were even more beautiful than I remembered in our last rehearsal. To share her work alongside mine was such a moment. It settled into my gut really strong how important it is to nurture my friendships over long periods of time. Our trust and bond is too deep to put into words. I am so grateful for her.

The audience...
When the crowd stood up in applause, tears sprang from my eyes. Are they really standing up? Is this really happening? Was it good? Did it move you? I am so grateful you came!!!! Thank you for your time and your energy!!! So good to see you again!!! I am humbled before your presence.

Gram...
When my 85-year old Gram brought me flowers with tears rolling down her face...I have never felt more proud and happy. I am so grateful that she was healthy enough to be at my first staged production. I am so grateful she taught me to be such a firecracker. She is my red hot chili pepper.

Moon Belly Warriors...
When the curtain closed and I turned around to see 30 performers at my back. I thought, "where did all of these dance warriors come from? When did I gain such an incredible company? How am I so lucky?" Gratitude poured from my heart like fire from a volcano. My heart chakra flew open and all I could feel was love.

My students...
When the Moon Belly student troupe brought me cards and a spa gift certificate after the show...I was in shock. I love all of them so much. Each and every women in that group is beautiful in her very own unique and glorious way. I can see so much potential in each one of them. I am so grateful to get to witness their blossoming. The next morning when I read the cards I sat on my front porch and cried. I just cried. I am so grateful for such hard working, open, honest and inspiring students. I learn from them much much more from them than I can ever teach them.

The DragonFlies...
DeeDee's back massage before I went on stage and a little whisper, "Look what you've created. This is all you. Enjoy it!" Thank you. Megan's optimism as she says to me, "Don't worry, everything is going to be great. Let it go!" Thank you. Jeni's assuring smiles in the darkness in between costume changes. Thank you. The DragonFlies are amazing. I have so much gratitude for each of you.

Trav'lin Home Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Kandice Grossman (573) 815-9187
May 5, 2008

“Trav’lin Home” Photography and Dance Fusion
Benefit for Veterans of the Iraqi War via Military Families Speak Out
May 31, 2008, at Launer Auditorium – Columbia College 7:30pm

COLUMBIA – Columbia enjoys a fresh new fusion of dance and photography when “Trav’lin Home” comes to Launer Auditorium on May 31. The show – which brings many of Columbia’s most exciting dancers together onto a single stage as a form of community expression and activism– is the brainchild of Kandice Grossman, owner and artistic director of Columbia’s own Moon Belly Dance Studio.

“This production is about community, activism, diversity and the unique contributions of the individual,” says Grossman, whose sensual and intensely personal choreography has been seen throughout Mid-Missouri since 2004. “Community because it brings together artists and performers who are rooted here. This show is definitely by the community for the community. Diversity because it presents a wide range of performers and artists – it’s not every day a belly dancer shares the stage with a tap dancer and a hip hop company! Most importantly, it is an expression of the need to actively support our troops through the medium of dance. It is dance activism at a grassroots and intimate level.”

The show is about the individual journey each one of us makes through life, in particularly the female journey. All performers in the show are women. Their gendered roles as women, mothers, wives and workers influence Grossman’s choreography and vision. Women are socialized into the role of caregiver, responsible for the well-being and maintenance of the family and home. This “politics of care” along with the experience of motherhood as a powerful political identity has galvanized Grossman’s movement to speak out on behalf of US military veterans who are suffering upon their return home form the Iraq war. Grossman is excited to be performing the Middle Eastern art form of belly dance while also addressing an issue relevant to Americans fighting in the Middle East.

Multi-layered visuals and movement will encompass: Scene 1 regarding birth and childhood; Scene 2 carries us through the most challenging aspects of life, including adolescence, love, parenthood, sex and gender, and the reality of the urban environment; Scene 3 concludes with a powerful look at death and rebirth. “The theme of traveling home is both literal and symbolic. It is about the journey to find peace within our selves and our community and to develop the ability to listen to our hearts,” says Grossman.

Grossman – who was voted Best Belly Dancer in Columbia 2008 by Inside Columbia magazine – has invited a host of local and Midwestern artists to interpret different aspects of the human condition. Performers include:
• The Dragonflies Belly Dance Company, a five-member performance troupe known for its fusion of modern dance with traditional belly dance, as well as outstanding technique and artistry
• Members of Moon Belly Dance Studio performance groups
• The Outer Limits Dance Team, a high-energy collective of University of Missouri students who perform, teach and compete in hip hop dance
• Stacie Strong, a rhythm tap dancer and dance journalist who recently moved to the Columbia area
• Youth jazz dancers from Dance Arts of Columbia

A speaker and representative of Military Families Speak Out will be offering a testimonial about their personal experiences as a veteran of the Iraq War to begin the show followed by dance segments interwoven with photography and projections by Chicago photographer Nichelle Lawrence. The production also boasts stage installations by Columbia College student Angie Taylor and costumes by House of Van Sickle, led by Columbia designer Suzanne Van Sickle.

“This collaboration is about celebration of life, movement, birth, death and community. It is about women carving time out of their busy lives to express care about issues and people outside of themselves. It is about community artists sending a message to others: let’s motivate!” says Grossman.

“Trav’lin Home” will show one time only at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 31, 2008, at Launer Auditorium on the Columbia College campus (1001 Rogers St.). Tickets available at the door ONLY.
Adults: $7 - $10 sliding scale
Children under 12: $4
Children under 5: FREE


Contact information:
Kandice Grossman, Moon Belly Dance Studio, The DragonFlies Belly Dance Company
Parkade Plaza, Business Loop 70 W, Suite #124, Columbia, MO 65202
bellydance@moonbelly.org
www.moonbelly.org

Nichelle Lawrence, Life Photography by Nichelle
nichellelawrence@gmail.com
www.lifephotographybynichelle.com

Stacy Hafley, Military Families Speak Out
Stacy@mfso.org
www.mfso.org

Trav'lin Home Tagged

Moon Belly Performance Ensemble
is proud to present:

Trav'lin Home
Photography and Dance Fusion

Saturday, May 31st, 7:30pm
Launer Auditorium, Columbia College
BENEFIT TO SUPPORT OUR TROOPS
via Military Families Speak Out
$7-10 sliding scale, kids under 5 FREE

1. A large portion of the proceeds from this show will go toward supporting US troops and veterans from the Iraqi War via Military Families Speak Out. I got the idea to give support to veterans after listening to the Winter Soldier reports on NPR last month. I cried every morning for a week until I realized I could help.

2. We have a variety of performers in the show. It is truly by the community for the community. The variety includes belly dancing by The DragonFlies Belly Dance Company and Moon Belly Performance Ensemble, Rhythm tap by Stacie Strong, hip-hop with Outer Limits Dance Team, lyrical ballet, youth jazz dancers from Dance Arts.

3. We have performers of all ages in the show from age 13 to age 55!

4. The dancers in this show all have full-time jobs. Most have kids and husbands. We all have busy lives. We have all carved out lots of time and energy for this project because we believe in the power of expression, movement and action.

5. Almost all of the costumes in the show were created by a bad-ass local fashion designer by the royal name of Suzanne Vansickle AKA: HOUSE OF VANSICKLE.

6. The photography exhibit will be presented by Chicago artist Nichelle Lawrence. Her work is amazing and emotionally moving. I first met Nichelle on the job at Chuck E. Cheese in 1992.

6. I have always felt an identity clash between performing and studying a Middle Eastern art form while my country is at war with a Middle Eastern country. I am grateful that I have the freedom of expression as a woman to embrace the art form. This show is an offer of appreciation to its Middle Eastern roots.

7. I am an alumni at Columbia College. I am currently faculty at Columbia College. So trav'lin home is literal for me. I am trav'lin back to the campus where I received so much inspiration and support to do what I believe in.

8. You will not see a traditional belly dance performance. I don't perform traditional belly dance. It comes out something like a modern contemporary fusion of belly dance. I have to be honest with what comes out and keep it real to my heart.

9. The show is on May 31st. This is also the first birthday of my neice, Orrin Elizabeth. I witnessed her birth last year! I was the first person to hold and kiss her.

10. I can't think of anything else other than the Trav'lin Home production. If I start to talk about boys or movies...somebody please intervene and redirect energies. Something has gone seriously wrong.