Miss Lonely New York...

Well it's official... I now live in New York; Yonkers, New York to be precise. I have been here about a week and officially explored pretty much everything there is within walking distance of my house.

Events so Far:

Thursday 8-18-11

I move in! yay... Slight panic when I arrive to find out the number my roommate gave me for the landlord is wrong... and my phone is dead. Luckily I am very smart (some days) and I knew my laptop had full charge and my phone charger is a usb so I got that plugged in and got to texting my roommate.

When I got to the house I was let in and hauled my beasts called baggage up to the third floor of the house, which is our apartment. The place itself is very open and light and pretty. I really like the apartment, and when all of my stuff finally arrives my room will be quite charming and nice.

That afternoon I left to walk to the school, all I knew was that it was on Kimball street about a mile away. Unfortunately, I accidentally walked the wrong way down Kimball and got very angry at the HUGE Hills I had to go over. On the way back I stopped by a CVS and grabbed some food to last me a couple days (IE ramen).

When I returned it was starting to get stormy and there was a large thunderstorm, which of course made me happy.

Friday 8-19-11

I found a neighbor that has an open internet wifi, but it doesn't always work but has allowed me some internet access so I don't go crazy.

Today I decided to actually walk to school and see the grounds (not covered in snow, like when I visited in February). It was really pretty! I'm excited to start school and get going with becoming a real dancer/choreographer.

That evening I was luckily taken to the store by my roommate who has a car so I could get some real food.

For more.... see next post!

Update

very super quick update!

1. I was asked to audition for Sarah Lawrence in Feb... I went
2. I was accepted to Sarah Lawrence for their graduate prgram in dance
3. I graduated from CalPoly
4. I choreographed a piece for Nipomo High School's show
5. I am moving to NY in a month
6. I created a piece for a friend to be performed at his church after he came to my class
7. He performed the piece with my friend Leslie

8. I went to Tahoe with friends and filmed around a river near Auburn to make a backdrop for a dance
9. need to find music for that dance
10. I need to actually update this more... sorry

Love is a Futile Skirmish

Love is a Futile Skirmish from Lauren Chertudi on Vimeo.

Why I want to attend Sarah Lawrence

I don’t want to be like anyone else, I want to explore dance and expand my identity as a dancer and choreographer in order to better share my thoughts. I have always worked to create my own thoughts and never rely on what I’m told or the world’s standards.

I want to study not only the human body, but also the mind and spirit that drive it. The body is a reaction to psychological and exterior factors. There are forces inside and out that affect every aspect of our lives. It is the forces and effects that fascinate me as a dancer and choreographer.

Sarah Lawrence is not a place to perfect technique in order to create carbon copy students. It offers a place to explore, discover, and grow; not just as a dancer and choreographer but also as a human. Sarah Lawrence also provides a cerebral study of dance. I attended California Polytechnic University as an out of state student (6.8% of students) in one of the most rigorous business programs in the country. I want to continue to use every bit of my brain, a marriage between right and left halves. Pure physicality cannot exist alone; it requires impetus from the psyche and/or spirit. All elements need to be engaged to create a true piece of art.

I see Sarah Lawrence as a chance to live in a new environment and experience a much different community from those in Idaho and California. While I have lived in France I have never been east of Salt Lake City in the United States. I am excited about Sarah Lawrence’s proximity to New York to see shows on and off Broadway, visit MoMA, and experience a diverse area, something I have dreamed of since I was young. I also want to experience the natural beauty of the northeast. I draw a lot of inspiration from my surroundings and Sarah Lawrence provides a new and unique setting for me to learn and explore.

I was fully convinced Sarah Lawrence was for me upon receiving emails and phone calls from the school, simply asking if I had any questions or needed anything. From the second I ordered the information packet from SLC Dance I felt supported and welcomed. No one has ever done that before; schools, jobs, or activities. Recently when I landed in Phoenix halfway through my journey to Idaho for Christmas I turned on my phone and seconds later received a phone call from Sarah Lawrence about this application. I felt that I mattered and I was important. Dedication to a student means everything to me and shows me that Sarah Lawrence will be a place where I can grow as a dancer, choreographer, and as a person.

Why I want to pursue Graduate studies

Dance is the door to exploring, molding, and defining my identity. Throughout my life I have challenged myself to take every opportunity available to sculpt my character. The human personality and soul from afar are a simple shape, after looking more closely and studying it, more unique and intricate facets of the object appear from the single dimension to become a complex multi-dimensional object. Dance is a tool for studying and learning more facets to the human spirit. There are infinite possibilities and facets to discover about yourself and the world.

I am currently intrigued by the idea of site-specific dance, the ability of space to effect the movement. I want to experiment with the effect of dance in a space with the audience there to experience the interaction. Dance in a space created for a camera and dance on stage affected by a space caught on camera. The dynamics of the interaction between an unusual space, dancer(s), and media needs further exploration.

Living in a tiny apartment in France I began creating site-specific works in different parts of my living space. While I had done site-specific improvisations before, the audience was usually there to view the pieces. This was the first time I had created work for a camera and I found the challenge inspiring.

I want a creative and cerebral study of dance. I want to take my library of knowledge and apply it to every aspect of my life. Everything is a web connected together: technique, music, lighting, anatomy; they are all facets of an idea. In this ever-changing world it is important to be more than a specialist. Every area of study is applicable to another, musicality can inform movement, which can be influenced by light, and influenced by another human’s desires or needs.

Dance in its purest form is relatable to everyone, even in a miniscule way. Dance is based upon pure human emotion and experience. Intertwined with the use of movement, dance becomes an investigation between the human mind and body guided by the spirit. I use the world around me as a source of inspiration to explore relationships between myself and the world, things, people and rhythms in it.

I have never fully immersed myself in dance; it has always been a secondary activity to school. I’m ready to make dance the focus of my life and to be challenged in an academic study of the art.