Tikune Productions

A few months ago as I sat on a warm sandy beach staring out at the Pacific, I knew I had a decision to make. Do I return to the state I always considered home, or do I build a new life where the temperature rarely dips below 50 degrees? Not such an easy decision based on temperature alone. Then I remembered the summer nine years before when I taught my first hip hop dance class at the Contemporary Dance and Fitness Studio. I was visiting Vermont from Brooklyn and the class was so big there was barely enough room for me in the front. Then there was the first time I watched a group of senior dancers head off to college and we all cried like blood relatives. Finally, here in southern California, I watched 16 year old Lindsay Richardson (who started dancing with me four years earlier) hold her own in a professional audition - while over 100 other dancers were cut.

It was at that exact moment that I realized how truly blessed I really am. Not because of the talent I was given but by the talent I get to watch unfold in the dancers of the Vermont community. Once I made the decision to come back to the Green Mountains, I realized there was so much more I could offer. The hard work, dedication, and trust I have found in these dancers needs to be rewarded. These dancers are amazing and deserve a venue to show the Vermont community, and beyond, just how incredible they are. And as far as the southern California beach, well, the warmth of the Vermont community is enough to get me through the long winters.

The story line is admittedly secondary to just allowing us to do what we do, rock the house! "Blessed" is a story loosely based on my life. It begins with the first dance class that ever inspired me; a jazz dance class taught by a woman that has remained an influence in my life until this day. It then weaves through my discovery and love of hip-hop culture, from my introduction to NYC, to my trials and tribulations as a struggling hip-hop dancer. The conclusion is that sometimes your dreams change and you find that your life will take you in a new direction - one in which you are a happier and more fulfilled person. That dream came true for me when I found my way home.