In June 2022, the DEL community danced together in person for the first time since the start of the pandemic. They came together for our Movement Sentence Choir, in the theme of “We Are The Joy,” led by 92NY Artist in Residence and co-director of Music from the Sole, Leonardo Sandoval, and DEL facilitator and co-founder of Summation Dance Company, Sumi Clements.
Oh my goodness, it was JOYFUL! Shoutout to Nel Shelby Productions for filming the event.
It was an incredible feeling to hug and dance with the DEL community after only seeing each other via Zoom for almost two years. Since June, we have had other opportunities to gather together, such as:
- -our PS DANCE! THE NEXT GENERATION film screening
- -the Perspectives on The Green Table Workshop with the Paul Taylor Dance Company
- -the NDEO conference in Atlanta, Georgia
We’re also so grateful for all of our virtual community members and have been maintaining our online community through Zoom and asynchronous course offerings.
This time of year, we are often called to consider what we are thankful for. In my family, we have been strengthening our gratitude muscles on a daily basis by writing notes about what we are grateful for, sharing them with each other, and placing them in a jar. We periodically read them aloud to remind ourselves of our gratitude.
My go-to researcher and favorite podcaster, Brené Brown, explains that gratitude is the foundation of joy, and that “practicing gratitude invites joy into our lives.” How is gratitude showing up for you in your teaching?
At DEL, I am grateful to be able to reach educators around the world through our virtual programming and also grateful to have the opportunity to dance in-person together again.
May this season be filled with health, gratitude, and joyful dance!
I hope to see you soon at DEL.
Warmly,
Erin Lally, Director of DEL at 92NY