Journey in New Zealand: Part 4

BRN2.train Vol. 1 (January 2023)

After the Royal Family intensives ended, I had five days to rest until the next training opportunity: BRN2.train Vol. 1. This was a week-long program led by Riley Bourne, a very well-respected and acclaimed dancer, choreographer and instructor from the New Zealand dance community. Compared to the bigger dance events I’ve done so far; this opportunity was a smaller training group, consisting of about eight or so dancers—all advanced/professional level. I mentioned in part 2 of my NZ blog series that there were not many training opportunities outside of being a part of a studio or a crew, so I was grateful this program happened.

A highlight from the program was learning to see my movement through a different lens. During the program, I noticed right away how my movement was such a stark difference from how everyone else was interpreting the choreography; and for me, I felt like this was a deterrent. I already noted this from the IDCO camp and RF intensives, but this point was amplified given that I’m now in a smaller training group. I remember bringing it up during one of our reflection discussions, and It was encouraging for Riley and the rest of the group to affirm that my uniqueness was actually not a deterrent at all. As someone who’s super hard on themselves, feedback like this is harder to take than feedback detailing my mistakes. And I felt like I overcame that here because I started to finally look at my movement through a different lens. 

Riley demonstrating one of the many movement activities we did throughout the program

My movement is an accumulation of all of my training experiences. From my early years dancing with PraiseTEAM studio—where my movement was sharp, hard-hitting and full out;  to my time spent training in Melbourne, Australia—where I started to become more fluid. This program helped me to embrace all aspects of my movement. 

Aside from style and movement differences, I believe the other dancers were at a much higher level. Being in training environments like this can be intimidating, but this time around I learned to embrace the challenge. It was an extra push to keep up with them, but I knew I was growing while doing so. I walked away from this program feeling rejuvenated and determined to keep working harder than ever.