Fearless Firebirds

This blog post is from Julianne Harper picture here as the pink Triplet Ish, Sheepish, in the center.

Wowee! Just finished up another residency at First Ward Elementary in Charlotte, NC.  What a blast and what an incredible school! Each school we travel to is totally different, and you really don't know what to expect. From the first day we were welcomed with open arms and could really feel how important the arts are to this school.  The classrooms were filled with enthusiastic and creative minds, open to anything we threw at them.  Mr. Chesley and I were able to to have a room full of actors, dancers, and musicians at any given time. And of course we weren't just singing and dancing about just anything; we created songs with movement about aquatic ecosystems, made sound wave soul train lines, and composed an orchestral movement representing the flow of a stream into a river into the ocean...all in a day's work! And absolutely without a doubt, none of that would have been possible without the amazing teachers at First Ward. Every teacher we worked with fully supported our non-traditional way of teaching, and joined our lessons side by side with the kids. It makes such a difference when the teachers participate with the children. They adore their teachers and when Ms. Lewis is dancing down the soul train sound wave line, the kids don't hesitate to follow. It's hard to believe that we only have one more residency to teach this season, and the First Ward Firebirds are going to be a tough act to follow!

Disrupto Dissappears with Teamwork!

This is the fun final post this season from our wonderful Julianne Harper. Enjoy!

Well, well, well...our final day of ODE season 8 has snuck up fast, but it's here, and who else would make sure to have one final attempt to foil The Open Dream Ensemble's plans? None other than the disasterously evil, menacingly maniacle, undisputablely handsome, one and only - DR. DISRUPTO!!!!!!!!!! Most of you might recall this evil villain from our web-series adventures in which the team and myself traveled back in time to help Isaac Newton and Pythagorus complete their written roles in history. At every turn Dr. Disrupto was waiting for his chance to change the course of history and therefore, rule the world! Well our last day of the season would be no different. Disrupto surprised us by showing up at our place of departure, begging to be a part of our team. Promising that he had learned from all of his past mistakes, he desperately asked to join us on our journey to somewhere extraordinary. He sealed the deal with fresh baked muffins and piping hot coffee to enjoy on our final drive. In dire need of nourishment and some extra hands, we reluctantly accepted the Doctor's offer. Little did we know the snacks and coffee had been "doctored" and the whole lot of us instantly fell into a deep slumber. Disrupto's plan had worked, and for our final performance of the season- the stage would be all his! Although Disrupto was thrilled to have stolen our show, once he got on stage in front of the audience, he froze. He didn't realize how much skill and bravery it took to perform in front of an audience. So now we find the evil Dr. Disrupto at his most vulnerable, and just as the show was coming to an arresting halt, the rest of the team and myself woke from our slumber and rushed to the stage. Even though Disrupto had done us wrong we felt that through his grave embarrassment he had learned his lesson, and we stepped in to save the show! We aren't sure if Dr. Disrupto will change his evil ways for good, but at least he got a lesson in the enormous value of teamwork. Without the amazing talent and dedication of each individual member of ODE season 8, Big Shoes would have never been filled or arrived in such style at the finish line...THE END! P.S. Thanks to Peter Shanahan for inspiring this tale:)

Combining Real World and Play World

This post is from joyous Julianne Harper, aka Emily.

"Gordy...have you been out back? There. See? You got to the summit, Gordy. We both did." -excerpt from Big Shoes How wonderful it is to combine our real life world with our play world while on tour with Open Dream. We are currently working with Saluda Elementary located near the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains. After a delightful day of working with the kids, Cameron, myself, Marrisa, Haydee, and William decided to head out for an adventure. Gordy, Emily, Sheepish, the Nice Woman, and Alexander journeyed to Sliding Rock in Brevard,NC. The 60' natural rock slide with a 8 foot deep pool at the base was a site to see. The challenge was made...who would be brave enough to fare the near freezing cold water? Of course Gordy was the first! Sheepish soon followed, then Emily made her way. The Nice Woman and Alexander provided a great support team with warm towels waiting at the bottom. We weren't ready for the adventure to be over, so we decided to keep traveling upward until we reached the summit...riding in a dry,warm van this time- saving the explorers' way for another time. As you can see, the view was amazing! We are having so much fun, and I can wait to see where our next adventure takes us!

Big Shoes Taking Open Dream Places

This post is from the lovely Julianne Harper, Open Dream Ensemble cast member and choreographer. Her photo is from Open Dream's residency work in Monroe, NC.



It's finally here! Season 8 has officially begun for the Open Dream Ensemble! I am so happy to be returning for my fourth season and I am eager to move forward with our brand new show, BIG SHOES. Written by cast member Michaela Morton, BIG SHOES is an exciting new production that incorporates an evolved focus on music and visual design. In just four days we are finding a strong connection between cast members who all bring an array of talents to the project. Our production team has built a stunning set that is unmatched with any of its kind and we are very eager to utilize it creatively. Working closely with the shows composers is also giving us, as a performance team, a much deeper involvement with the show's music. We are just getting started and I am thrilled to see where our Big Shoes take us!

Travel, tissues and thanks

This post from the kleenex-toting Julianne Harper!



We are now approaching the end of Open Dream's season seven, and what a season it has been! We have traveled all over the state of North Carolina and through that journey have met so many amazing people. All of the schools we have performed at have taken such good care of us, offering us lunch or any accommodation that would make our day easier. At our Wendell residency we felt like royalty. Every day each department at the school provided us with lunch, some even homemade! One teacher hand crafted a beautiful cake with a very detailed Peril on the Red Planet theme. Our stay at STARS was wonderful as well. Each of our classes gave us a send off with special "thank you" cards all signed with messages from the children.
As rewarding as this work can be, it is still a very tough job. I can't remember that last time I wasn't surrounded by a pile of kleenex tissues, illness always being a close companion throughout the season. It is easy to get worn down, but when we encounter such support and appreciation from the schools we are working with, it makes the sneezing- sniffling- coughing- aching- stuffy head- fever-not being able to rest go away.

Fun Times at Benton Heights

This post is from the lovely dancing robot-lady, Julianne Harper.



So...we just finished up our wonderful first week at Benton Heights Elementary! Ian & I are working with Ms. Norman's fourth grade class, Ms. Lewis' fifth grade class, Ms. Foster's fourth grade class, and I worked with Peter and Brandon in Ms. Hoover's third grade class. I want to take a moment to give all of our students a HUGE round of applause! (clap,clap,clap,clap,clap,CLAP:0)
The week was so much fun because of our students; they are all so creative, well mannered, bright, and enthusiastic. Not only did they already have a fairly comprehensive grasp on the curriculum we were covering, but every second of class time was filled with creative investigation. As as result, so many discoveries were made as well as deeper understandings of subjects that the students were not as familiar with. And bottom line...we had a lot of FUN!
Our third grade classes were able to share with each other what they had been working on during the week. We all gathered into the school's auditorium, and the kids were able to see what performing on a real stage is like. Ms. Hoover's class presented commercials that they had made up from scratch to sell soil, and let me tell you-I was ready to buy some soil!
I look forward to this week continuing with our fourth and fifth grade classes because they will have a chance to perform for each other just like the third grade. I can't wait to see what surprises each class has in store!