I GOT THE JOB!!!

It's official! I GOT MY DREAM JOB.
The job I expect to retire from.

The only full-time dance position at the school -- which means I'll be leading the department.

A full-time position -- which only 25% of community college faculty members ever get.

The position that many folks said "will never come," or "you'll probably have to wait seven years."

Yup. I busted my ass, and my totally amazing, wonderful boss & colleagues worked it out to open the position.

Then, I made it through a five-month application process, with totally amazing competition.

I AM SO EXCITED TO GO TO WORK EVERY DAY.

I am so full of gratitude that I have such wonderful, supportive, fun, awesome co-workers!

And, I'm really proud of myself for working so hard.

When did I start this process? Five months ago, when I applied? Three years ago, when I started working here as an adjunct? Five years ago, when I went to grad school? Seven years ago, when I applied to grad schools, knowing I wanted to teach? Twelve years ago, when my hobby of dance became a double major at UC Berkeley? Fourteen years ago, when I was inspired by my amazing community college teachers to want to be as loving, giving and kind as they were? Twenty-one years ago, when I began taking performance lessons? Twenty-four years ago, when I first jumped up onto a stage in front of a rock band and began dancing at some mall in San Jose?
Or is this one of the biggest culminations of my entire life's work so far?

It's a BIG DAMN DEAL. And if feels WONDERFUL.

THANK YOU!!! I couldn't have done it without everyone's support, love and encouragement!

"All,

I am pleased to announce that Amber Steele was selected and accepted our full-time dance position. She will start this full-time assignment in the fall semester pending approval by the Board of Trustees. We had an outstanding group of candidates to choose from, and I would like to thank those who served on the hiring committee. Amber has been working at Skyline and CSM as a dance and fitness instructor since the Fall of 2008. Please join me in welcoming and supporting Amber in her new assignment.


Best,

Joe

Dean, Physical Education/Athletics/Dance/Athletic Director
Skyline College"

Proofreading & Recommendations, purdy please!

Hi, Friends!
I'm in the process of updating my resume for my DREAM JOB application. I'd be ever so grateful if you guys could peruse, maybe tell me if there are any corrections needed to be made.
Also, I would be ever so grateful for any additional professional recommendations. I figure the more the merrier!

Thanks,
~Amber
http://www.linkedin.com/in/ambersteele

Meme - Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you.

Fifteen Books that you've read that will always stick with you - GO!
Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.

1. Dangerous Angels -- Francesca Lia Block
2. 100 Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
3. Hamlet - Shakespeare
4. The Bridge - Ian M. Banks
5. Consider Phlebas - Ian M. Banks
6. Transmetropolitan - Warren Ellis
7. Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '76 - Hunter S. Thompson
8. Lolita - Nabokov
9. 1001 Nights (The originals; took a class that compared different translations)
10. Bluebeard - Charles Perrault
11. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
12. La Vagabonde - Collette
13. Goodbye, Paper Doll - Anne Snyder
14. Good Omens - Niel Gaiman, Terry Pratchet
15. Mythago Wood - Robert Holdstock
16. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

Cheer Camp, Day 1

Wow!!!

Ok, so I am a sucker, and I am totally participating in Cheer Camp. The dances just look SO FUN; I can't help myself!!! I'm going to run out of clean work-out clothes. :p

I am totally grateful that I have been teaching 20 hrs/wk (and hence, working out 4-6hrs a day) for the past four weeks, because OMG: dance camp is HARD. Today I didn't do the warm up, nor Routine A, nor the technique class. However, I did do Routine B and C; both AWESOME girly jazz/hip hop/street jazz; the stuff I love and used to take from Alison but these were taught by Lizzy Richardson (she reminds me very much of Alison in a wonderful way). I also took FAST Hip Hop with Brandy (can't find video for ya... I'll keep looking), and learned the Camp Dance. So that was my four hours of BUSTIN' for today.
Tomorrow, more of the same, but also the warm up (at 8:30 ... I'd better get to sleep!) and some administrator classes.... I'd kinda like to take the technique classes, too: triple pirouettes into hitch kicks = NOM!!!


I watch my tough girls getting into the Spirit, and I wonder what would I have been like, if I had done this when I was young? (Well, I'd be a much better dancer, wah.) I'm pleased that I can at least take class with these college stars; but I'm getting my ass handed to me, frequently. This choroegraphy is amazing, and they teach SO FAST!! There are Britney Spears' choroegraphers and ... well; I digress too much for 1am.

I am really engaged by how this whole process is about team-building.
It reminds me of the really great weekend jesus camp I went to, which was all about feeling good and singing alternative-rock-styled songs about Jesus for hours on end. They'd use an overhead projector for the lyrics, so everyone could sing along. The first night was what I remember most: over two hours of singing (translates to chanting, if you have yogic experience) in a large group, that got everyone high on physical experience, physical expression, positivity and a unity of openness and security in single-mindedness.

I totally got teary-eyed a few times today; watching amazing performers teach and go all-out; watching groups, watching teams cheer for their team-mates and for the staff here -- just because that's the culture. (YAY! You got up and danced the twist with twenty other people, just to represent our team!!! Let's scream your name and cheer you on!!) The culture insists that you support each other, and you help one another to learn and grow. No BS. You're a team. And for those of us who have not had that kind of community in our upbringing, it's amazing.

I'm really glad to be experiencing it. I am enjoying my perspective, as the cheer-virgin that I am, and watching how my cheerleading team is observing 500 people's camaraderie and having (for the first time, for some?) a deep desire for that unity. I think that many of us have not ever experienced this kind of cultural/familial/communal acceptance and purpose, where one can feel safe enough to admit and commit to really throwing our hearts out there and being a *team*.

So many of us only feel free to take that risk of vulnerability when we're infatuated, but these young adults are leaders, creating their own family. It's really touching.
YAY CHEER CAMP!

You know you're working too hard when....

I woke up hungry. Not just peckish, like normal, but STARVING. Mind you; I ate dinner last night at 11pm-midnight; and it was loads of salad with dressing and avocado and cashews and penne with marinara and near a quarter pound of hamburger, and Guittard Chocolate chips and two glasses of red wine. And I woke up at 9am STARVING. As I rushed off to work, I stopped at Peet's and got a large latte with two raw sugars (NOM), and a lemon-currant mini scone, and scarfed that down on my way in to teach yoga.
I started everyone sitting on the floor, and breathed deeply, and then had us all lean forward, letting our backs stretch out, and then to each side... and the room was SPINNING, like a sloshy boat. I drank more latte and slowed myself up to speed and was okay after I covered up that the room was tilting around me for five minutes.

I came home after the following hour of teaching Pilates & ate all the meaty pasta leftovers, covered in a big pile of mozzarella. I'm so glad the cheerleaders canceled on me, so that I can take a nap instead of practicing leaps and turns with them for an hour.

I leave at 6:30 to teach at least 2 hours of dance.....
(And this after Monday was a holiday.)

Birthday Pictures!

(Thank you, Steev!) Birthday Pictures, Album #1




Birthday Pictures, Album #2

We're on America's Got Talent!

It is weird that they showed Sharon Xing us -- she was the one who *didn't* X us. I'm just thankful that they didn't decide to linger on humiliating us (like they did with the folks who fell off the stage).

They cut all the dancing, for the sake of close-ups, but really; I'm counting our blessings. We performed in front of 2000 high school teens (listen to them FREAKING OUT; ha ha ha! I guess we are still scary!), on (inter?)national television, and everyone looked Great!!