Givin' back a little

Joanna flew over to southeast Georgia this evening to speak on an Arts Leadership panel for the Camden County School System... herself, a graduate from that system. She will now be serving on the Camden County High School Fine Arts Academy Advisory Committee. Still working hard at forging her own career and company, it means a lot that she makes time to engender others from where her interest in the performing arts sprang.

Two years ago, BCD went to Camden County for four performances from our repertory. It was a fun road trip with lots of camaraderie and good beach weather. The performances were great and our energy was high. About 2000 students saw the performances (The Lottery) and they were absolutely riveted to their seats--in all fairness, they were probably motionless because they were pressed into their seats by blasting Stravinsky's Rite of Spring so loud that all of the bass and percussive notes would push the doors open slightly in the back of the huge theater. Ohhhhhh.. That's why they were so quiet??!!! They probably couldn't even breathe!

Joanna's personal connection made these performances particularly special. She hosted a Q&A after each performance and an auditorium full of students envisioned their own companies and talked business(and school work) with her. Students came up to speak with her one on one after the Q&A. One young man, in particular, touched our hearts as he told Joanna how much he longed to dance, and how much he was harassed for it. Educators were happy to see Joanna ten years since her graduation. They expressed a sense of pride that she's manifesting her dream and striving to conduct herself, and her company, in a very professional manner.

Now she is stepping up to the next level of leadership in her hometown and taking a more active role in assuring that others may have the opportunity to manifest their dreams.