Our first year was a “learning experience.” In typical parlance this means that it was a failure. It was not.
We encountered MiRo Dance Theatre as they were developing a piece called Pitch Black. They met, appealed, auditioned, and werked a group of interested, curious, and some disbelieving students. MiRo did not spend time drilling technique though their director was a former ballerina. They did not spend their time watching video though their producing director was an award winning video artist. They worked and treated these students as members of a company.
Students started saying they danced with MiRo Dance Theatre. They were.
When we traveled to see the premiere of the work at Altria, MiRo delayed its start while they waited for the student company to arrive.
They had arrived. We all had.
This is how education works.