In January 2011 my role as a dancer with SCD began to rapidly evolve when I found out that my husband and I were expecting our first child. My first trimester challenged me in a number of ways, particularly as a dancer, as I was working alongside nausea and exhaustion. The company members were extremely understanding and supportive.
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Christie's baby boy! SCD's first company baby ... and the only boy in the cast of our show Woven. |
It was at this time that the company was developing our first full length show, “Woven”. While learning my choreography for the show, “Aneurysm” by Trish Armstrong, I found myself personally connecting with the character I was portraying. My interpretation of the piece was that of someone going through many changes in their life, which supported and mirrored some of the physical and mental symptoms I was feeling. At the time I was experiencing a sense of being outside of myself, which I thought was conveyed through the piece as well.
After the first trimester was over, I began to feel more like myself again. In class I truly felt more grounded, rooted into the floor in my movements. With this I also found myself feeling more cautious, unwilling to take risks physically.
When summer came around, and I was 6 months along, I was still participating in and enjoying the classes offered by SCD. At this time though, there were new limitations to myself as a dancer in light of my growing belly. Obviously movements that required rolling on my stomach were no longer in my realm of motion, but I also felt challenged by getting up off the floor quickly. Artistic director Sarah Lochhead was a pillar of strength throughout the journey, encouraging me to adapt my movements, and celebrating the changes I was experiencing.
In August, at the “My Moves: Choreographic Intensive, I felt empowered by the creative process that was designed to challenge us as choreographers and dancers through he use of improvisation and imagery to creative movement phrases. Dancing with my 8 month belly bought me to a new place in my movement. Improv has always been a challenge for me, but it was so different for me in this workshop. Using my belly to guide my dancing was a beautiful experience for me, leading me to places I wouldn’t have gone to before.
My beautiful and healthy baby boy was born in late September, he has been a precious gift to my family. He is now 3 months old and I am looking towards making a return to dance. This will come with a new set of challenges, which I will face with the continued support of the fabulous SCD crew.
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