Dear AADT,
After finding out that I had been elected captain, I remember being apprehensive, nervous, but most of all excited. These feelings remained through the first board meeting, the first general rehearsal, and even to our bow at EASTBOUND. Now as I have finally passed on the captainship, I find myself again immersed in AADT-caused emotions, with satisfaction, happiness and confidence mixing around in my head. Between the drama, the excitement, and all the dancing, this year has undoubtedly been an amazing experience.
My favorite memories include recruiting at the activity fair, the rush both during and after EASTBOUND, reminiscing on the freakouts of the year, and seeing the smiles of other company members. Nothing could really have prepared me for communicating through noises, or that crab dances would become our signature dance move, but I think that's ultimately what I am going to remember the most.
I think the most difficult part of this year revolved around dealing with, at times, obnoxiously complicated situations. These events were mixtures of miscommunication, misunderstandings, and overall frustration from many parties, and tended to build upon themselves rather easily. Looking back, I definitely can think of problems that I could have handled better, so this year's been a good learning experience for me.
So, for a final closing idea: things that I'll miss. There will definitely be some parts of the captainship that I'm a bit more willing to let go, such as having to try and fix things when everything goes wrong. However, isn't that what the position is all about? This year's been a mess of problems, successes, new ventures, plans for the future, and every part has been absolutely essential, and I will (strangely enough) miss it all. Despite all the rantings and ravings, there's something to be said about being an AADT captain, and I know I will miss it next year. With that being said, cheers to Tara and Jieliang, and best wishes for (what I already know will be) an amazing year!
Love,
Anna Liu
Dear AADT,
AADT 2007-2008 saw its share of excitement, as well as a number of challenges. In the beginning of the year, an enthusiastic recruiting effort by all of board saw membership swell to 75+. We emphasized more extensive jazz-based general training for beginners (that is, until dancers inevitably became too busy to consistently attend.) We brokered new dance styles into our repertoire, including South Asian fusion, spinning with dangerous weapons, lyrical, and the now-infamous pelvic thrusting. We received word from Lowell that our usual April performance date had been slotted instead to March. We retaliated by having EASTBOUND completely sell out two weeks before show time (WOOT!) But possibly most important of all, we sweated together, joked together, whined together, and in the process, strengthened old friendships and made some anew. It is with a measure of sadness (but mostly a whole lot of relief) that I pass the torch onto Tara and Jieliang. The past year has been frenzied but fulfilling, and I am happy with the growth we have achieved as dancers and as a troupe. I wish you two lovebirds the best of luck for next year, for your vision of how AADT will change and for your execution thereof. Can't wait to see what you have in store for all of us!
Love,
Diana Lu
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