New private students are required to fill out an application for lessons. I think it's only fair if the teacher answers the questions, too, and I'd like to share a few of my thoughts about the overarching interest that is the center of my teaching and performing (and life in general, really).

Why is Story important to me?
The Art of Storytelling has always been at the center of my life. As a young child I was captivated by stories told in books. I was deeply moved by stories singers sang, emotionally touched by performances of actors and dancers, and enthralled by stories told instrumentally. I found it fascinating how especially the wordless parts of stories played upon our shared cultural expectations of sounds and patterns in order to influence our emotions and ideas.

I started to become aware of the stories we tell ourselves in order to learn new skills. Learning and functioning within our understanding of the world is directly related to the stories that our minds and bodies hold so tightly. Peeking into the studies of neuroscience (and specifically cognitive neuroscience) made my years of studying education as an undergraduate click into place with new clarity.

I am intrigued by each day that I get to spend in this lifetime, diving into deeper understanding (and deeper puzzlement) about how and why we humans do the things we do. I feel as if I'm a detective, collecting details of this complexity and applying it to the characters I portray, as well as helping others discover paths and pieces that work for them. I love participating in a student's realization that sometimes their physical or mental self is getting in the way of them achieving their mission, and then helping them find detours around the tension or blockage so that new paths can be created. I love playing with the integration of our body and mind as the instrument of our storytelling in its myriad of forms.

In short, I am excited by teaching, by performing, by learning, by living, and Story seems to be the thread that binds it all.