Lighting the Inner Stage

I’m currently preparing to premiere new choreography in the Marble Valley Dance Collective’s upcoming show, Dances in Bloom. Our collective is made up of adult dancers spanning from their early 20s to their 70s—each bringing a unique body, history, and relationship to movement. Within this show, I’ll be presenting two original works of my own, while also performing in pieces created by fellow choreographers.

I feel deeply proud of the work. And yet, as a choreographer, there’s a rare and powerful opportunity that has elevated these pieces even further: collaborating with a professional lighting director.

The choreography, in and of itself, feels strong and fully realized. But sitting down with the lighting director at Castleton to shape the lighting design added an entirely new dimension—one I could feel as much as see. It was, quite simply, magical. By the end of our time together, I found myself unexpectedly tearful—filled with appreciation, excitement, and a deep sense of humility. I was witnessing something shift: an already clear vision becoming illuminated, expanded, and brought more fully to life.

Growing up in a family rooted in theater, dance, and the performing arts, I’ve long understood the impact of staging, lighting, costuming, and sound. These elements don’t just support a performance—they deepen it. They reveal nuance. They invite us to see more.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how much this mirrors the therapeutic process.

Therapy is not about helping someone return to a neutral “baseline.” It’s not about fixing what’s broken. It’s about illumination. It’s about helping you discover where light already exists within you—and then learning how to direct it, expand it, and trust it.

Even in moments shaped by pain, depression, fear, or anxiety, there is still something present that deserves to be seen. Therapy becomes the process of gently adding light—of creating space for your own depth, color, and dimension to emerge more fully. Not because it wasn’t already there, but because it hadn’t yet been fully illuminated.

You are not starting from nothing. You are already carrying something extraordinary.

The work is in learning how to light it.

And when you do, something shifts—not only within you, but in how you move through and impact the world around you. Your presence gains texture. Your life gains richness. Your light extends outward.

So I’ll leave you with this:

Where are you already bringing light into your life?
And where might you allow even more illumination?

If you’re curious to witness what “light” can do in a tangible, embodied way, I invite you to join us. The Marble Valley Dance Collective will be performing Dances in Bloom this Sunday, May 10th at 2pm at the Casella Theater.

You can find more information here:

Events - MARBLE VALLEY DANCE COLLECTIVE