Choreographic Process and Performance

“Nerves” (choreographed by Kendra Fox) is an original dance composition created for five dancers that explores musicality, partnering and the artistry of each dancer. Created for an open space, the work can be performed on a stage or in a site-specific location. The piece formed as an investigation of space, shape and time, and was propelled forward to performance with the support of the Baroni Family Dance Entrepreneurship Grant. “Nerves” was first showcased at the American College Dance Association’s regional festival at Boston University in February 2018 as a culmination and synthesis of movement principles and concepts in choreographic form. Through continued investigation and exploration of physicality and relationships between the dancers, the piece has taken on its’ current form. The newest version of the work will be performed under a new title at the Spring 2018 Contemporary Dance Ensemble with PSU Choirs Collaborative Showcase

The Blue Zones, Secrets of Living Longer, Better

The Blue Zones are regions containing the world\u27s healthiest, longest-lived people. Longevity expert Dan Buettner teamed up with demographers and scientists from the National Institute on Aging to identify these blue zone pockets around the world. Places where people reach age 100 and suffer a fraction of the rate of killer diseases Americans do. Each Blue Zone (Loma Linda, California; Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica and Ikaria, Greece) reveals its own recipe for longevity, but many of the fundamental ingredients are the same. They are distilled down to nine lessons for living longer: 1. Move naturally (be active), 2. Cuts calories (stop mindless eating/only eating until you are 80% full), 3. Eat more plants (avoid meat and processed foods), 4. Drink red wine (in moderation), 5. Find purpose (take time to see the big picture), 6. Downshift (take time to relieve stress), 7. Belong ( participate in a spiritual community), 8. Loved ones first (make family a priority) and 9. Right tribe (be surrounded by those who share Blue Zone values). This research poster shares secrets from the American Blue Zone, Loma Linda