What I have been thinking and trying to write about by Celeste Miller

As we know, the MAPs are supposed to be a faculty member working with students in the faculty member's area of research.  Our actions and conversations are really helping me in my task: to write about this stuff.  Here is this week's writing.

ACT I

The Body/Mind Schism (perhaps it’s a first world problem?)

But it’s dangerous.

Or

Thinking about my artistic practice

as part of the discussion of transparency of aesthetics.

Before we even begin.  I love this project,  check it out. What do you think?

“The Ghana ThinkTank”

The Ghana ThinkTank

Now, to begin.  Maybe.

Prologue

We (I acknowledge my world: USA and the generalizations are this mainstream society)

We live in the Supremacy or Authority of the Mind over the Body,

and the other binary suggestions that support this schism.

This affects me. 

It devalues most of the work I do,

the way in which I do that work.

I believe it limits our human capacity.

I want to do something about it.

I dance to do that. (Create, teach, investigate)

These are some thoughts. These thoughts are the actions (practices)  that are foundational to how I participate in the world: making work, teaching/learning, being a human

Background: This past Spring, I was reading across disciplines. (As usual) 

Particularly, these readings came into contact with one another:

Jonathan Miller Lane, “Towards an Embodied Liberal Arts Education”

And the Dewey essay we would use for our workshop, “The Problem of the Liberal Arts College.

Along with, “Eye and Mind” by Maurice Merlau-Ponty

Introduction to “Creative Arts and Medicine” by Cheryl L. McLean

“Can Poetry Make Better Doctors” by Joanna Shapiro and Lloyd Rucker

“Reflections on the humanities in medical eduction” by Martyn Evans

Reading these with three students for our “Medicine and Humanites” MAP/Independent Study project.

Maile and I came up with the following Petal Diagram based on the language used in the different readings/disciplines, that described the mind/body divides.

Here is our Petal Diagram:

Interlude:

Unpacking my Practice as a series of aesthetic choices that affect the work

This

(This act of writing onto the page at this moment in time)

This

(to put into words, on the page, some notes on the continued explorations of the integration and coexistence of these (at first glance) binaries.  Dualities? 

This is how I am trying to put into words why I make work, use dance, the way I do. To illuminate the choices I make, the why.

To express my ideas about a move towards an integration and coexistence of these notions, rather than an oppositional relationsip.

Ideas about avoiding the problem of binaries in the first place,

(where inevitably one becomes more important than the other.)

(How they are valued in our personal lives, community lives, global existence?)

(How do we give away power?)

What if we see them NOT as oppositions.

But rather to find integration. 

To find coexistence. To not have to stop and “name” when we flow from one to the other.

AN INTERVIEW: CELESTE INTERVIEWS CELESTE.  WE WILL CALL THEM ‘CELESTE’ AND ‘ME’

CELESTE: When you are working on a choreographic project – or just anything for that matter, from teaching to parenting, from writing to building ensemble – do you think consciously about these kinds of binaries?

ME: When I am working

and it is working

 (the thinking, the writing, the making, the teaching/learning),

 I am in “flow”, I am moving with ease between what could be noted as the noted binaries.

I am moving with ease, and not categorizing when I am where.

I am accessing, accessing, accessing full capacity of my nervous system (of which the brain is a part), my sensorial systems, my emotional/spiritual/logical systems etc etc

I feel lucky(?) blessed(?) rich(?) because I practice/have spent my life practicing living in these places.  I can find fluidity between e.g. body/mind, logical/intuitive, head/hand.

In a sense, my training (technical and artistic) has prepared me to be able to do this.

I am comfortable (well, not terrified…) to be in those spaces.

CELESTE: What do you mean “not terrified”? 

ME:

Well, I don’t want to suggest that is always easy, or “feels good”, or you know.  It’s hard.  I get frustrated, frightened, tense – but I can keep accessing all these different ways of thinking.  The word thinking bothers me.  By thinking I include thinking in and through the body, not just a head trip.  But I encounter so many people who are uncomfortable when they are asked to think in their bodies, be in their bodies.  Some dismiss the embodied as non-essential, unreliable, not the Real Stuff.  After Jonathan Miller-Lane’s keynote at Grinnell, (Jonathan is the author of “Towards and Embodied Liberal Arts Education) After the keynote he was swarmed by students and faculty, so interested to know more.  However, there were the nay sayers.  One student said, “Well, if you are into that sort of thing…”  “That sort of thing.”  That is an oppositional/dismissive stand I have encountered over and over and over for so many years.

CELESTE: I know that you have developed many techniques and tools for helping people into their embodied thinking, and that that is the purpose of this writing you are trying to do.  But before we talk about that, tell me more about why you think we need to access all the petals on your Petal Diagram?

ME:  It is about resources.  When one door closes another opens, or when the door closes a window opens.  If I can’t figure something out by approaching it through one means, I can use a different kind of thinking to approach it.  This is why I love studying outside of my field – immersing myself in Evolutionay Biology for example, or Economic Theory.  I just read an interview with playwright AinGordon and he talked about the amazing things that happen when people move outside of their discipline/speciality.  He was talking about problem-solving with people bringing their unique perspectives from their disciplines:

“A lot of it has been about making the disciplines deal with each other, making the disciplines offer to each other the knowledge that they have in their specificity and showing how it applies to someone else, and how it expands the thinking of people in other disciplines to hear the tools and terminology used to solve the same problems.”

When trying to come to agreement, Gordon said, “Wait a minute, this is going wrong because we’re trying to all agree on it. We don’t have to agree. We have to jump off each other’s investigation and refract it and add another way of investigation.”

Veanne Cox in A Disaster Begins, written and directed by Ain Gordon. Photo by Jason Gardner

I love this idea.  It is not necessarily that I want us all to “agree”, but I want to be present as you try and problem solve using your tools.  Because then I learn more ways to think about things.  And I want to share the tools I have about the multiple options I have for thinking (embodying) because I believe they are an under utilized resource in most lives.  Due to our public education system that has systematically removed these kinds of thinking from our education.

CELESTE:

(Interrupting. CELESTE doesn’t want ME to go off on the State of Education in the US.  A topic she knows Me will go on and on about)

You don’t mean this just in a surface way, do you?  You talk about “choreographic thinking” as a skill that can be mined, nurtured and developed.

ME: Yes, there is this great book, “Thinking in Four Dimensions” that devotes itself to the notion of choreographic thinking as a very specific means of intellectual engagement (embodied).  In order to take seriously (though laughing is serious business), to take seriously, to value that Intuition (for example, one Petal) intuitive thinking, is a real and viable Thing, and we have to do more than just have a momentarily intuitive moment and be done with it.  We need to be in situations – I prefer improvisation and composition as the tool to manufacture those situations – where we get to practice, reflect and build that skill, in this case “intuition”.  I think every petal in the Petal Diagram takes time to develop as a skill.  We are perhaps over trained in, say, Logical thinking and less trained in Intuitive; more trained in Concrete and less trained in Abstract.

CELESTE: This shows up in your performance work.  Is this part of your “non-narrative narrative” notion? 

ME: Yes.  I create work to function on conscious and subconscious levels.  But, as an audience, if you are not used to hanging out consciously in that subconscious stratosphere you may be frustrated by a piece that is saying, “Here.  Take this image.  Let it explore itself in and of you. Be comfortable in no “right or wrong” interpretation.”  I do have very specific intent in the creation of each moment of my work; from the individual words to the way the gestures line up with those words, with intonation, vocal and body choices. I want to communicate the ideas that I set out to investigate, but like Gordon talks about – what is interesting to me is if I lay out a set of ideas (through movement, text, sound and imagery) and the audience brings all the layers of themselves to those ideas and sees something new, brings their own meaning to the experience.  So in the combination of artist/audience, in the covenant that the artist and audience make with one another, something that neither one could make on their own, happens.

CELESTE:

“Covenant” is the word that Bob Leonard used for this artist/audience agreement, isn’t it?

ME: Yes.  I used to say the “contract” between artist and audience, but I like “covenant.”

CELESTE:

This is a lot to digest for today.  Do you want to finish out with anything?  Tangential or not?

ME:

Two things. 

One: Scientist Neils Bohr credits his insight into designing the model of the atom that we use today with his study of cubism. “Bohr’s discerning conviction was that the invisible world of the electron was essentially a cubist world.”   “As Bohr said, ‘When it comes to atoms, language can be used only as in poetry.’ Ordinary words couldn’t capture the data.”  So he turned to cubism to help him out, because “cubism shatters the certainty of the object.” 

Alexander Calder

Source: http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/the_future_of_science_is_art/

ME: I can’t wait to read more about the  “Ghana ThinkTank”. Giving voice to the third world problem-solver who is successful in solving problems in their community, and asking for their response to solving a first world problem.  Could the first world be humble enough to realize not only do they not have all the answers, but our solutions are often misguided and inept.

CELESTE: Your eyes have that far away look, now what?

ME:  I am thinking about Joanna Russ’ “How To Suppress Women’s Writing”.  

Which is a funny, sarcastic book not only about women as suppressed writers, but marginalized people in general.  Which is a phrase that has been coming up in our conversations, "voice for the voiceless"

CELESTE: Okay.  You need to stop for now.  Go brush Schmoo.

Art With Open Arms by Ebony Chuukwu

  

On Saturday June 13th, I got to perform at the lovely Skwhirlhaus, an outdoor theater built by Maryn Whitmore in her backyard. This was truly an environment where artists who essentially love to perform can put up a show on her stage and present their craft for people who essentially love to watch genuine performances. What's so great about this is the idea that this is still going on.  Being able to know that there are people still in the world who love to foster art and bring together a community of artist who just love the idea of performing for pure enjoyment.  I found that really inspiring and hope that I am lucky enough to be able to meet people like Maryn when I decide to travel after college with a performance piece and am greeted with the hospitality and positivity that we all felt when performing in her space. 

(The Stage at Skwhirlhaus ) 



What was so interesting about the process of this performance was the idea that there were already 3 solos that were established within the piece between Celeste, Andrea Trombetta, and Julie Rothschild, and they wanted us to construct a quartet that was constructed on the foundation of  an improvisational structure. What I found to be so effective about doing improvisational structures was that I feel like it truly reflected my essence and learning style as a performer.  While learning set choreography has its benefits, it's when I'm given the task to create a phrase and basically do whatever I want with it.  That's when I feel like it becomes my own.  When I can take movement and improvise, I draw on experiences that resonate with me and fuel that into the type of sequence I want present to an audience.  I also found the other sensorial elements that are present amongst the body during the performance to help play a factor in what kind of movements my body would produce. Seeing that this performance was outside, there was the element of heat, bugs, humidity...with sound, there was the recording of the cello being played while hearing Celeste read some quotes of an interview from NPR regarding Karim Wasfi, the conductor of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra discussing his actions of going to bombing sites in Baghdad and playing his cello. There was also the sight of other dancers around me sometimes leading us to feed off of each other and sharing movements or traits of the movement constantly.  With all of these added elements, as well as contributing my own story to why I chose to do the movements I did, there was a general feeling that every time we would work on this piece prior to the performance, I would feel inspired to do something new, which was really empowering. 


Another great event that took place on the 13th was the Playmaking for Girls performance through Synchronicity Theater.  I thought it was great to see the transformation that these girls went through in a WEEK. When coming to the first tech they did, there was already a different feeling in the air between the girls and how comfortable they became with each other, their relationships with the interns as well as the teachers, and just the general confidence that they had with their lines memorized as well as the stage presence that they developed when transferring from a rehearsal space to the actual stage.  I saw many "magical moments" between the girls whether it was witnessing a teacher run lines of a play or song that one of the girls was having trouble with and constantly motivating her to push through it, or seeing another teacher try to learn the nae nae from some of the girls, to seeing even the girls standing up for each other when tensions were high amongst the lot of them, it was ALL such a great experience to witness and they were so welcoming to us as observers which made the entire process so delightful :)

That Time When Beyonce Practically Taught Me How To Dance by Sumi Nayar

This week took me from reality to middle school, the future and then back to reality, leaving my mind bursting with inspiration. 

We alternated between working with Celeste, Julie Rothschild and Andrea Trombetta for a performance called "ThenSome" and going to Synchronicity's Playmaking for Girls. 

Playmaking for Girls:

The experience of meeting these refugee girls and girls from group homes, and watching them gain confidence while putting up a show in less than a week was inspiring. I remember watching these girls walk in on Day 1- some speaking in whispers, others making loud jokes, some 'not caring', others nervously making their way through the corners of the room. My first conversation was with a refugee girl from Iraq, named Albanian. She spoke in soft whispers but made the most sarcastic and witty jokes I had heard from a 13-year old. But you'd have to sit just close enough to be part of her world, or you missed it. Slowly I met the rest of the girls and learnt to love every tiny thing they did. It was definitely a strange feeling because I only got to go on alternate days, so I didn't get to see the girls as often as I would have liked. 

The three directors along with the singing and dancing teachers were dreams to observe. Rachel, Susie and Jenn (the directors), spoke to the girls with such a level of professionalism that the girls acted like they were part of a professional theatre company. They had their lines learnt in no time, and helped each other. The directors did an exercise with the girls in which they made each of the girls stand in front everyone else, scan the room, stomp and say their names. This was to build stage confidence and presence. The girls were incredibly embarrassed initially- they had all sorts of reactions. But the most wonderful realisation I had of how much they had grown was when in the actual show, the girls stood up at the end and said their names. They spoke with so much confidence that I couldn't move an inch until they decided they were done commanding the stage. 

Kimmie, the choreographer for Playmaking for Girls (also Beyonce's lead back-up dancer- that should explain the title) taught the girls a choreography to "Fight Song" which was very empowering. We learnt the dance with the girls, and I remember screaming the lyrics out- "THIS IS MY FIGHT SONG, TAKE BACK MY LIFE SONG" with them. 

By the end of the week, the girls knew all the theatre terms I did and acted like complete professionals no matter how exhausted they got. And that was thanks to their wonderful teachers and directors who led by example. These girls had different accents and were from incredibly different cultural backgrounds, but these directors helped them enunciate and project their voices perfectly- and never in the process did I see the girls feel bad about the fact that they sounded different from the other girls. I thought that was a big deal for the directors to achieve. By the end of the week, Albaneen said she honoured herself by "being able to do anything", and I think a lot of girls agreed with her. The program helped these girls build confidence that they will carry into every task for the rest of their lives. I even saw little directors emerging, when they came up with their own exercises to help each other learn lines/project. 

The directors were very respectful of the refugee girls' cultural backgrounds. I think its very easy to expect them to blend in with the rest of the kids even though they've been raised in a completely different environment. One specific example of their respectfulness was when Rachel asked one of the girls if she was okay with certain words that were being used in a play. The play was about a girl who prays and studies to a point where she leaves no time for fun (spoiler alert: in the end she has fun, prays, studies and becomes successful). Since one of the girls was Muslim, Rachel checked with her if saying "God" and certain prayer gestures were okay with her. What I loved about this interaction was that she didn't pretend to know these cultures, she respected the girl's opinion as much as she would with her co-directors. That's the kind of leader I would like to be. This was no "social service", they weren't "doing good" for the "underprivileged". These teachers and directors were putting on a show with a group of very creative and talented young women who may have had a tough past, but that doesn't mean they're any less. I was so incredibly inspired by their behaviour. 

I only wish I could come back every day of that week to see these girls grow, and be more part of the process. But all in all, it was an experience that taught me what it is to be a good director, and a leader worth following and I am very thankful for that. 

"ThenSome"

I was very fortunate to have worked with three artists with very different performance styles and my MAP group-mates to come up with this performance. The idea was to have an introduction with all of us, three solos (by the three artists), a quartet (us four MAP students) and to tie them together as one non-stop performance. I think its easiest for me to list what I learnt from this experience in points.

• Structured Improv: This idea was relatively new to me but was a lot of fun to do. The idea was that our performance changes every time we do it, even though the skeleton remains the same. 
• MAPs: Where do I come from? Where am I going? What place defines who I am? We did an exercise in which we visualised a MAP in front of each of us and travelled through the different parts of the world we have called "home"- even for a brief period of time. I found myself travelling a lot, and moving according to how that place made me feel at that time in my life. 
• Three Bodies: The inner body (way within our bones), the physical body (what people see), and the larger body (sort of like an aura). This exercise was layered on top of the MAPs exercise. We moved according to those different "bodies" to these 'homes'. 
• Taking Someone on Your Journey: The idea that there are certain places you can't go back to on your own- certain memories. So you move with someone, try to take them with you or try to follow them. You can choose to follow or say no, simply with your movement. The above three combined created the introduction to the show. We moved through our visualised MAP with these exercises in mind, so our movement was different every time we performed. 
• Layered News: Celeste added a story about a cello player in Baghdad who would play his instrument in places where a tragedy just took place. This added another layer to our introduction. 
• Thread Count: We worked with Andrea's fascination with thread and learnt how to work with thread and movement. 
• Quartet Through Structured Improv: Celeste gave us three words from the Baghdad news story that spoke to her, and asked us to choreograph different movements based on the phrases. The three words were "stability, beauty and compassion". All four of us worked out our own choreographies, put them together in close proximity and performed them at the same time. We borrowed movements from each other, mirrored each other and created new movements in the process- it was great coming up with this with my incredibly talented MAP group-mates. 

I also learned when one should lead versus following. Each of the soloists took leads on their ideas and followed on each others- all very strong and women used to leadership gracefully took turns to follow. They even allowed us to take lead sometimes- it was a truly collaborative process and I was incredibly lucky to be part of it. We perform in Athens this Thursday!

On a different note, this past week has had me raising questions about the idea of "home" and the rights we have to tell stories of places that are not our home. What does it mean to be displaced from home? And how is one's identity formed as a result? The statements that start with, "where I come from..." fascinate me. I'm still working on this idea but thought I'd write about it anyway. 

Its been an amazing week, and my favourite feeling from it was when I caught myself at the PFG performance, stomping my feet like a middle-schooler and signing along with the girls- "cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me". 

Here's leaving you with a cheesy lyrics video because I think everyone should sing the chorus of this song to the mirror every morning: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UqfrH74wc0

Bodily Integrity by Halley Freger

Potential Paper Topic (And How it's Relevant to Playmaking for Girls, Skwhirlhaus, and Moving in the Spirit)
As I'm starting to develop a paper topic, I thought I'd make a blog post working out some of my ideas, and relating them to my experiences at Playmaking for Girls, Skwhirlhaus, and Moving in the Spirit.

I've been thinking a lot about how a person can have bodily autonomy. How can someone have full control and ownership of their body? From a very young age, we are told that other people are allowed to have access to our bodies. If a child is small and cute, people feel compelled to pick them up, pinch their cheeks, etc. If a child's hair is sticking up, an adult with smooth it down; if a child has food on their face, an adult will wipe it off. By doing this, we tell children that their bodies are not their own. Their bodies can be touched, cleaned, and manipulated by other people--people with more power, whether it's a teacher, parent, or stranger. It might seem silly to consider asking a five-year-old, "Can I wipe your face?" But why? I believe that it is imperative to ask for consent when touching another person's body. What are the consequences of telling young people, especially young girls, that anyone can have access to their bodies?

So...how does this relate to theatre and dance? Well, that's what I'm trying to figure out! But every day I keep experiencing something related to this topic.

Playmaking for Girls
At Playmaking for Girls (PFG), a lot of the teachers were very touchy. On the first day, I remember noticing the teachers touching the girls, especially on their legs and backs. Clearly, this was a way for the teachers to connect with the girls. They wanted to appear caring and comforting. However, I was put off by it. Of course, on a human level I understand the desire to connect, and how physical connection can allow this to happen. But I thought, these are girls you have never met before, and you immediately assume you have the right to touch them? Why?

Apparently I wasn't the only one who was put off by it; at the end of the rehearsal, one of the teachers told us that two girls asked to not be touched. I felt relieved. Phew, I'm not crazy! There are other people who don't like to be touched. Ever since I was a kid, I've been weird about being touched. Of course I enjoy physical contact, but only when I want to be touched and have given someone permission. Something as simple as a friend tucking in my tag without asking me sets me on edge. Is this "normal"? Who knows. But I know that at least two of the girls at Playmaking for Girls felt the same way. All of this inspired me to ask a few questions. How can people connect and engage physically in a safe and comfortable way? What if a theatre exercise involves touching; should everyone participate even if they don't feel comfortable? Is it healthy to learn to be comfortable with physical contact, or is it healthy to know what is comfortable for you as an individual?

After my experience at PFG, I also thought, what if one of the students touched one of the teachers by patting them on the leg or rubbing their back? If this were to happen, I'm pretty sure the teacher would be put off by it. I often think that touching, even if the intention is to connect with something such as an affirming pat on the back, is actually a way of establishing dominance. One time, while working on a project a male partner pat me on the leg and said, "You're smart, aren't you?" I suppose it was possible that this was a compliment, but the genuine surprise in his voice and the fact that he assumed he had access to my body disgusted me. I interpreted his comment as meaning, "Oh wow, this little girl actually knows how to think. Who knew?" As a male student in a computer class of mostly men, he was in a position of power. How can patting someone's leg or rubbing their back be a way of showing dominance? Obviously the teachers at PFG weren't trying to assert their power, but is that what they were ultimately doing? Is this a bad thing? Is it important to have someone with more authority to comfort you? I'm not sure. But I sure am interested in thinking about these questions!

The idea of bodily autonomy was also present at PFG when they did an exercise where they each walked on stage, stomped their feet, and said their name. The point of this exercise was to work on stage presence and confidence. However, I think this exercise has a lot to do with ownership of your body. The girls were asked to physically take up space and to make themselves seen and heard. Women are expected to be quiet and small. Ideas of female beauty rely on us taking up as little space as possible. We live in a world where there is a size called DOUBLE ZERO. How can a body be less than nonexistent?! Anyway, the point is, girls aren't allowed to take up space, but theatre exercises like this allow them to be present and powerful. Also, just the concept of stage presence relates to the idea of giving other people access to your body. Of course, the audience isn't touching you, but they are looking at you. By being on stage, these girls are saying, this is my body, but I am giving you permission to look at it.

Finally, at the end of a PFG rehearsal, all the girls had to say something they liked about themselves. At one point, a girl said something like, "I like my eyes," and one of the teacher encouraged her to choose something about herself as a person. I thought this was odd because isn't her body part of herself? Again, I was thinking about the ways in which women's bodies are supposed to be small or nonexistent. Can't a girl feel confident about her physical appearance? How can we encourage young women to take pride in their physical existence and take ownership of their bodies, without prioritizing looks and normative beauty standards?

Skwhirlhaus Performance
I loved the opportunity to dance with a group of such powerful, talented women. I was new to the concept of improv with structures and I found it to be a liberating experience. I realized that because the "rules" for the improvisation were often individual, I was very much focused on myself and my own body. I'm used to dancing for an audience--moving my body to command as much attention as possible and smiling like I'm having the time of my life. Basically, I'm used to dancing for entertainment. However, when doing this performance, I wasn't so focused on the audience and how they perceived my body and how it moved. For example, during the opening, I was concerned with creating my map and focusing on my internal, external, and environmental body. I was thinking about myself and my body, and I think this allowed me to gain a high level of ownership over it.

Improvisation allowed me the choice to do movement. Every movement I did was up to me, even if I was pulling from a certain vocabulary. My body could do what it wanted to do, and wasn't restricted by specific choreography. This all relates back to the idea of ownership of one's body. This body is mine and I am in charge of moving it. I love this idea and hope to continue exploring improv with structures.

The performance at Skwhirlhaus also created a safe space for touching and physical contact. We gave each other permission to interact with each other, including physically touching each other. Because the performance was improvised, physical contact could happen during any of the improvised group dances at any moment. This requires a great deal of trust, and this was developed by creating a safe space. We created a safe space during rehearsals and performances, where we were encouraged to check-in and check-out, discuss how we were feeling, and come up with creative ideas. I think there's something very powerful about theatre and dance in terms of creating safe spaces for touching and physical contact. Performing allows you to think about your body in relation to other bodies, and how they interact. During the quartet we performed, I was not only very aware of my own body, but the other bodies and where they were on stage and how they were moving.

Moving in the Spirit
Dana taught us about "sunshine." This is where you take someone's hands, make eye contact with them, and give them a compliment. However, to begin sunshine, you must ask the person, "Can I give you sunshine?" This emphasizes the importance of consent, even when it comes to holding someone's hand to give a compliment. Consent is always necessary. Dana also told us that she often asks if she can give a hug after sunshine. Asking is important.

While meeting with Erin Dalton, the Director of Marketing & Communications, she mentioned teaching a class for 5 to 7-year-olds where the focus is to build body awareness. She allows the kids to make choices, rather than just making them mimic her movements. I think this is amazing. She is allowing these kids to take control of their own bodies, rather than controlling them herself even though she is in an authoritative role because she is the teacher.

Okay, last but not least, here's a picture of Sweaty Halley and Rex hanging out after a beautiful performance at Skwhirlhaus:

*Note: I often use the pronoun "them/their" even when referring to a singular person because I prefer to keep things as gender neutral as possible.