Words from the publisher

By Rhee Gold

I’ve got a couple of things on my mind this month. First, in October I journeyed to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, to serve as a keynote speaker for the Australian Teachers of Dance. A few days before I left on my 26-hour flight, the reality that I would be speaking on the other side of the world hit me. I felt a little unsure of myself, which, when it comes to public speaking, has not happened to me in a long time.

Questions were running through my mind: What if these teachers’ issues were different from ours in the States? What if they had a totally different mind-set? After all, they live half a world away from the dance teachers I know. That doubt continued as I started my speech. I sensed a feeling of apprehension in the room—on my part, certainly, but also from the attendees. They looked serious; after all, they had no idea what I was all about.

My keynote was titled “Celebrate the Life!” and I just went for it. As a speaker, you develop an awareness of your audience’s body language, clues that indicate whether you’re winning over the crowd. You know you’ve got it made when, one by one, the attendees sit back in their chairs and take a deep breath. I could see on their faces that their brains were moving a mile a minute. It was so cool to watch them do that, then smile and nod in agreement, which just added fuel to my fire.

As my speech was winding down, I once again realized that all dance teachers, no matter where in the world they are from, feel the same respect for their calling. We all have “dance blood” flowing through our veins; we’ve all experienced the same joys and hardships. No more “what if” worries were running through my mind. After my talk, all the attendees I spoke to asked the same question: “How do you know so much about us?”

On another note, I have been on a committee of dance teachers from New England whose goal was to establish the Rosemarie DeLutis Boyden Memorial Fund, in memory of someone who was a dear friend to so many in our dance community. As dance teachers do, we decided to put on a show.

During the last few weeks before the event, we dealt with worries about ticket sales, planning a rehearsal schedule, choosing backdrops and lighting. It was a unique experience to be working together on the same show, and the sense of comfort that comes with sharing responsibility with others added to the fun.

The show was excellent, with the audience literally dancing in the aisles—what an awesome tribute to Rosie! And it proved that dance educators who join together to make something happen can do just about anything—and have a great time doing it. “Everything’s Coming Up Rosie” is over, but everyone involved will remember Rosie and the experience with a big smile. That’s what it’s all about!

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