First to wonder

PBS has released another teaser.  This one really got me thinking about my first trip to NYC.  I instantly thought about my first dance class at the Broadway Dance Center.  That class had such a huge impact on my life.    

Free.  That's the word to describe how I felt after taking my first dance class at the Broadway Dance Center. To this day, I still credit this one class as a key- transitional- defining moment in my dance life.  David Storey began his warm up moving in ways that I never knew existed.  All I knew is that I liked it.  The more I moved, I loved it.  It fit me.  As a new dancer, with mostly a gymnastic foundation, I relied on my technique and strength to get me through.  But something happened during this class...something that had never happened to me before.  I felt something...something inside. For the first time, I let go and danced from my heart...from my soul.  I forgot about everything and just danced.  David explained that the style was something new: Contemporary.  I still remember the beginning of the combo choreographed to "More Than Words".  From that moment on, I knew that dance was going to be my life.  Contemporary movement had set me free.  

I'm sitting here reflecting on my other "firsts" in NYC and all that comes along with those memories.  I remember: my first Broadway show: The Will Rogers Follies, my first cab ride, my first slice of pizza from Ray's, my first hot pretzel, my first subway ride, my first equity audition as a choreographer, my first trip across the Brooklyn Bridge, coming around a building and looking up to see my first close up of the Brooklyn Bridge...I have a huge smile on my face right now.  

I am reminded that life is full of wonder.  Interesting...I had a conversation earlier today and was told that we don't seem to use that word enough.  Maybe we don't stop long enough to appreciate the true wonders life has to offer.  So we simply forget to consider...to celebrate...to recognize...to wonder. 

Well, today I'd like to take a moment to celebrate firsts, as this PBS clip reminds me that first experiences can lead to us to wonder...

Watch New York Moments on PBS. See more from Broadway or Bust.