Personal Life – Mostly Dance

Joy of Watching Olympic FIgure Skating

JoAnne Tucker / February 13, 2026 / Childhood, Personal Life

What a joy to be able to watch three hours of figure skating on Sunday afternoon. Most people were getting ready to watch the Super Bowl. I was thrilled to watch the Olympic team finals in real time and was mesmerized by both the technical skills and the artistic talents of the athletes. Yes, the top two in each category were outstanding but so were those that placed in third, fourth and fifth. Their scores count too. An example is the US pairs couple of Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea who placed fourth. The extra point they made by placing fourth instead of fifth contributed to the United States winning the gold medal for the team competition. Kam and O’Shea caught my attention for their enthusiasm and commitment to helping their team.

Screenshot from the Olympics of Kam and O’Shea doing a lift.

Screenshot from the Olympics at the moment Kam and O’Shea finished their program.

Yesterday evening I was able to replay the three hours of pairs rhythmic skating. There were 23 pairs competing in this short program which is part of ice dancing. A lot of them were not outstanding, yet I enjoyed watching them and knowing how hard they worked to be able to represent their country at the Olympics even though they had no chance of winning a medal. The pride they took in completing their program and the enthusiasm with which their coaches greeted them after their performance was heartwarming. The crowd at the Milano Ice Skating Arena applauded the efforts enthusiastically. I thought of how much the skaters had given up for these few minutes so I was happy to be part of the audience watching them.

My own history with figure skating goes back to when I was a teenager taking lessons on Friday in an after-school program at the Duquesne Gardens in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has a long history with ice skating, both figure skating and hockey. John Harris, an entertainment executive from Pittsburgh, got the idea for the Ice Capades when he brought in Olympic figure skater Sonja Henie to entertain the audience between periods of hockey games in the late 1930’s. The performance was so well received that in 1940 he got together with arena managers from eight other cities and proposed an ice show that could tour to each of their towns.

In researching I found that the Ice Capades held skate classes at the Duquesne Gardens in the 1940s on Saturday morning. I think that the figure skating class I went to on Friday after school was taught by a sister or family member of John Harris, but I don’t have any way to verify that. I loved it. It was a very technical class, where we learned how to use our inside and outside edges. We did lots of figure eights and made patterns of a three that I think required us to switch the side of edge we used. We had different skill levels we had to master and when you reached one level, you were promoted to the next. I quickly progressed to the highest level and was thrilled when I could do a little jump using the picks of my skate or going down with one leg in front in what was called “shoot the duck.” At the end of one semester of classes I was invited to continue in the advanced class. I dreamed of being in the Ice Capades. The problem was that it was held on Saturday morning, when I was expected to attend Rodef Shalom’s religious school (through confirmation, which was several years off). I begged to be able to take the ice-skating advanced class on Saturday but my parents’ response was once I was confirmed I could go. By then I was very serious about dance, and skating was just for fun.

The love of watching figure skating and understanding how hard it is has stayed with me. I have enjoyed going to ice skating shows like the Ice Capades and watching figure skating competitions on television. Indeed, it is a joy to be able to watch so much beautiful skating on TV right now.

Ballet of the Birds – A Visit to Arenal Observatory Lodge

JoAnne Tucker / January 22, 2026 / Costa Rica, Personal Life

On a recent visit to the Arenal Observatory Lodge, the balcony of my room gave me a perfect view of the birdfeeder on a deck outside of the restaurant, where the birds soared in to partake of their watermelon treat. The feeder, which is refreshed several times a day, is on a pulley system where it is lowered to the ground so a member of the staff can fill it with fresh-cut watermelon slices and then raise it twenty feet above ground.

The most spectacular time for watching both birds and people is at 6:30 a.m., before the restaurant opens. Two rows of about 40 or 50 people gather to photograph or watch through binoculars the solos, duets, and trios of birds that flutter in, quietly eat and depart, most likely to return. Sometimes there are several of the same species and other times a single bird.

I spent two awesome days at the lodge in early January and loved every minute of it. Hanging out on the deck and watching from my balcony were not the only highlights. I went with my grandson and his partner on a night hike. I had carefully asked at the desk whether the hike was fairly level and suitable for a senior in her early 80s. I was assured it was. Well, I am indeed grateful to our patient guide, my grandson and his partner and my two hiking sticks. I successfully handled the hike and delighted in the unusual frogs we saw. My grandson walked behind me and his partner in front shining his flashlight so I could clearly see the NUMEROUS steps we had to climb down.

Red-Eyed Tree Frog photographed on the night hike

A morning walk by the lodge provided an extraordinary opportunity to photograph a family of coatis and the fiery-billed aracari.

One member of the coati family scampering along to catch up with the others

Most of the time the peak of the volcano was covered in clouds. This presented a watercolor challenge that filled an afternoon as my two travel companions took off on a strenuous hike.

The bird list supplied by the lodge identified 500 species on the property. I added quite a few to my bird list. Here are a few of my favorite photos taken either on the deck or from my balcony. Hmm …. I wonder which ones will be references for new paintings.

Montezuma Oropendola watching the feeder, waiting for his turn to fly in.

Discovering Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice Read by Julie Andrews

JoAnne Tucker / January 1, 2026 / Book Review, Personal Life

Now that I am part of the Atenas Writers’ Group, I am aware of huge gaps in my reading background – works that would have proved useful to my skill as a writer. Since I was focused on dance and theatre in my teens and college years, I took only the absolute required courses in humanities, social studies and sciences. I have some catching up to do now, and I was thrilled when I saw that Dame Julie Andrews was reading Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice on the Noiser podcast channel. I subscribed and have loved every minute of listening to the 25 episodes. Here’s how Noiser describes it:

Jane Austen Stories is the new show from the Noiser podcast network, narrated by Dame Julie Andrews. In Season One, Julie reads Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, one of the most beloved novels in English literature. Join us twice a week as we journey through the grand estates and glittering ballrooms of Regency England. Meet the Bennet family, spirited Elizabeth Bennet, and the enigmatic Mr. Darcy, in a world where romance, wit, and social scandal collide.

I hope this is just the beginning and that Dame Julie Andrews will read more of Jane Austen’s classics.

This past December marked the 250^th Anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth. She died very young – at the age of 41.

Julie Andrews celebrated her own 90^th birthday on October 1^st. As I began to think about writing this blog, I realized that not only has Julie Andrews had an amazing career, she has continued to do interesting things in her 80s and now as she is 90! I am in my 80s, and finding role models who continue fostering and sharing their creativity is important to me.

I have been following Julie Andrews’s career since I was 13, when my father took my Mom and me to New York City, where he had to attend a business meeting. Luckily, he had his evening free, and so off we went to see three Broadway shows: Diary of Anne Frank, Gypsy, and My Fair Lady. My parents patiently waited at the stage doors while I got autographs. The only program and autograph I kept over the years was Julie Andrews’s. I remember it was lightly raining and most of the actors rushed on, but Julie stayed to autograph my playbill, even sharing her umbrella with me. What fun I had over the next year playing the LP of My Fair Lady, pretending I was Eliza Doolittle and dancing enthusiastically to the songs in our downstairs playroom.

Over the years I have followed Julie’s career, seeing most of her films, including ones that are not so well known. While studying at Juilliard I saw her in Camelot and later, when I was living in the New York area, in Victor, Victoria.

While there is much I could write about how her performances entertained and inspired me over the years, what I want to focus on is what she has done since 2015 when she turned 80 and how that serves as inspiration to me now that I am in my 80s.

Voiceovers and children’s books are things that she started earlier and continues to do. This year she received an Emmy for her role as Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton. Among the films she has done voices for are Despicable Me, Shrek, Aquaman, Minions – The Rise of Gru, and (as narrator) The King’s Daughter.

Julie has written over 30 books, many of them with her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton. She began to focus more on writing when botched surgery damaged her amazing singing voice. She rallied when her daughter Emma encouraged her to write, and she reported she had found in writing a new way to use her voice. Most recent books with her daughter Emma include: Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years (2019); The First Notes (2022); The Enchanted Symphony (2023) and Waiting in the Wings (2024).

In 2017 she and her daughter developed and produced Julie’s Greenroom, a 13-episode children’s program on Netflix, in which Julie appears with guests such as Bill Irwin, Idina Menzel and Tiler Peck. It is still available to watch.

In several interviews I watched, Julie talked about liking to direct. Some research led me to learn that in 2016 she directed a production of My Fair Lady for the Sydney Opera House. The program bill stated, “the 60^thanniversary revival recreates the original Broadway staging under the direction of its original leading lady.” And in 2024 she directed a sold-out production of The Great American Mousical, based on the book she and Emma wrote. It wasn’t the first time she directed The Great American Mousical. What fun to see she directed it again in her late 80s.

In 2024, “Blake Edwards: A Love Story in 24 Frames” was released, and Julie is interviewed throughout the film. It is a beautiful honoring of her husband of 41 years who passed away in 2010.

For the past four years I offered artist residency programs at my home here in Costa Rica. Part of my motivation for doing this was to have creative energy around me. Sometimes this force existed, and the house was filled with a freshness that was fun to be around. But I learned that I couldn’t predict when that would happen. Age was not the guiding factor, as I experienced this inspiring energy with artists in their 20s and others in their 70s and even 80s. Too often though there was a heaviness in the air. I’m not sure why. Was it the themes the artists were working on? Their frustration that their book hadn’t been published yet or a pressure that they needed to accomplish something special here, so instead of being playful and enjoying the opportunity, they were pressuring themselves? Sometimes the residency was just a convenience between residencies – having a place to stay without paying rent. (Yes, there are quite a few people who go from one residency to another, and rarely was the house filled with creative energy when hosting a residency hopper.)

Now that I’m taking a break from offering residencies, I find I am writing and painting more. I also delight in finding role models such as Julie Andrews who are older than I am, expressing themselves in new ways. It is invigorating to learn how they share their creative talents. A big thank you to Dame Julie Andrews for reading Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice for the 250^th anniversary of Austen’s birth. As I listened to each episode I felt like I was having a cup of tea with a friend and learning about the happenings of the Bennet family. With so much change and chaos in the world, these moments are most treasured.

I welcome you to share role models that are inspiring you, and special moments that are breaks from the chaos of the news. With wishes for 2026 that we might be inspired to explore new creative adventures.

The Beast in Me: Not My Usual Choice of TV

JoAnne Tucker / December 19, 2025 / Personal Life

I generally shy aware from psychological thrillers, either movies or series. My daughter Julie told me recently that she had finished casting a new limited series production for Netflix. She had really liked working on it and thought maybe I would enjoy it despite the violence.

OK, if Julie is recommending it, maybe I should check it out. I did and found myself quickly hooked to The Beast in Me. Before I get into some specifics about its subject matter and why I liked it so much, here are some suggestions if you are wimpy like me and don’t like violence. I did not binge watch it. When there was violence, I just closed my eyes and waited until the scene had passed. I watched an episode early in the evening and then followed it with a fun movie or even a few scenes from a movie that I had previously enjoyed, to make me laugh and put me in a good mood to go to bed.

About The Beast in Me. The main character, played by Claire Danes, is a writer. She is currently stuck on her next book, which is about the friendship between Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia. That immediately got my interest as I am a fan of RBG and I’m in a writer’s group. We often share how hard it is to keep moving along on our projects and how easy it is to find ourselves blocked. Aggie, Claire’s character, recently lost an 8-year-old son to a drunk driver, and she is separated from her wife and living alone. The plot heightens when Niles Jarvis (played by Matthew Rhys), a multimillionaire real estate developer who is thought to have allegedly killed his wife, moves in next door. As the 8-part series progresses, Aggie will abandon her project on the friendship of the two justices and focus on writing about Jarvis. I don’t want to give away any of the plot. I encourage you to watch it unravel for yourself.

My husband Murray (who passed away five years ago) and I regularly shared the joy that raising our two daughters brought to us and how proud we were – and I am – of the lives that they have built for themselves with their families and strong dynamic careers.

As Mom, I can brag here that I am not at all surprised by the fine job Julie did with casting in The Beast in Me. She is well recognized in her field. You can check out her imdb page if you want to know about the shows she has cast and awards she has won. Each actor perfectly fit the part they played. The casting choice of Kate Burton and Bill Irwin as the parents of Niles’s missing wife delighted me. Kate Burton and Bill Irwin played roles in the development of Julie’s career when she was starting out. How wonderful that she was able to use their talent as guest artists in The Beast in Me.

Kudos for the writing, direction and use of music. The techniques used build the suspense.

The Golden Globe nominations were recently announced and The Beast in Me received three nominations: Best Limited Series; Matthew Rhys, for Best Actor in a Limited Series; and Claire Danes, Best Actress in a Limited Series. I’ll be watching in January, rooting for the series and actors to win.

**Promotional Poster from the Wikipedia Page**

Music Events that Tingle, Caress and Thrill – 1962 to 1965 Pittsburgh

JoAnne Tucker / November 19, 2025 / Music, Personal Life

In last month’s blog I mentioned how the outstanding concert of the Alma Duo reminded me of the musical events that I attended over 60 years ago. My husband Murray (who passed away in October of 2020) and I regularly attended the Pittsburgh Symphony and chamber music concerts when we dated and in the first few years of our marriage.

In September 1962, I had finished two years at Juilliard and returned home to begin work in the fall on my undergraduate degree at the University of Pittsburgh. Murray was starting his graduate studies in economics at the University of Pittsburgh. Our dating consisted of attending sports and music events. Murray’s father, Joe Tucker, was “the voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers” and worked at WWSW, a local radio station. He received passes to the Pittsburgh Symphony and the YM&YWHA Chamber Music Series, but he rarely went, and so he gave the passes to us. We loved going.

Our seats were usually in the first row of the Syria Mosque Auditorium. While this seating may not have been the best for acoustics, it did give us an opportunity to witness the passion and intensity of the musicians, particularly the guest artists.

Syria Mosque was a 3,700 seat performance venue located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Constructed in 1911 and dedicated on October 26, 1916, the building was originally built as a “mystical” shrine for the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (the Shriners)…. It was recognized as one of the best examples of Exotic Revival architecture. …. It held numerous events over the years, mainly highlighted by concerts of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria_Mosque

William Steinberg was the conductor of the symphony during the time we attended. I knew he was very much respected by the members of the orchestra and was considered a top conductor. I had no idea of the extent of his reputation or how outstanding he really was. In reading about him I learned that he felt a deep connection to the members of the Pittsburgh Symphony. On his death in 1978 his stepson remembered him:

He moved to Pittsburgh in 1952. His career reached its zenith there. He built the Orchestra into an instrument totally sensitive to his will, his touch. He loved them like his children and criticized them as such. For twenty-five years he made beautiful music with that orchestra. Even when their sound was not as good as that of greater ensembles, they played for him beyond their capacities. He was desolate when he retired, he did not want to let go. https://www.pittsburghsymphony.org/pso_home/web/about-landing/history/history-of-the-pittsburgh-symphony-orchestra

In doing more research I learned that Steinberg was born in Cologne, Germany, in 1899. He showed musical talent at a very young age. He had excellent training and a blossoming career in Europe until 1933 when Nazi brownshirts interrupted a rehearsal and lifted the baton out of his hand while he was rehearsing an opera. The only place he could conduct was for the Jewish Culture League in Frankfurt and Berlin. In 1936 he and his wife left Germany for Palestine. Eventually he migrated to the U.S., where his longest standing position was in Pittsburgh. Reviews of his concerts show that he turned the Pittsburgh Symphony into one of America’s first-rank ensembles.

I have a clear memory of how he calmly conducted the orchestra. He was known for having rehearsed the musicians well – hence his quiet conducting style, just to remind the musicians of the dynamics he wanted.

Two of the amazing guest artists whose performances with the Pittsburgh Symphony were musical highlights in my life were violinist Yehudi Menuhin and cellist Mstislav Rostropovich.

Murray and JoAnne (1963 – dressed to go out, to a concert ??)

There were other very memorable musical events in Pittsburgh besides the evenings attending the Symphony. The one that stands out most in my mind was when Pablo Casals conducted musicians in two concerts which featured the full six Brandenburg Concertos. Pablo Casals, in 1965 at the age of 88, spent two weeks in Pittsburgh at Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) where he worked with musicians from the Pittsburgh Symphony, and faculty and students from the university’s music department, in all six Brandenburg Concertos.

I found a reference to a firsthand account online:

“Casals’ direction must be seen as well as heard,” the story said. “He was supposed to conduct from a seated position but the excitement of a phrase, the upsurge of a crescendo or the neat realization of a cadence brought him to his feet time and again.”

“He sings a bit here and there, and he is not above stamping his foot to bring an errant musician into the strict tempi he employs,” Mr. Steinfirst wrote. https://www.post-gazette.com/local/pittsburgh-history/2015/04/26/eyewitness-1965-cliburn-casals-credited-with-fine-week-for-culture/stories/201504260062

I remember thinking these were concerts that not only touched me musically but felt like a total theatre experience. Reading the firsthand account confirms why I felt that way.

I was first introduced to one of the Brandenburg Concertos while a student at Juilliard. It was the music that accompanied a piece by Doris Humphrey and Ruth Currier. Brandenburg No.4 was performed at Juilliard during the time I was there. I liked the piece very much, particularly how the movement fit Bach’s music. Doris Humphrey died while choreographing the piece in 1958. Ruth Currier finished the piece in 1959 and set it on selected students from Juilliard around 1961 or ’62. There is an excerpt on YouTube with students from the University of Utah performing the piece in 1991, set from a Labanotation score. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPfiw8YK4H8

Screen shot from the 1991 Brandenberg No. 4 – University of Utah

I am not a big fan of listening to recorded classical music. I like to attend live concerts, and I like to sit up close, where I can see the musicians. It is the passion of the musicians as they play that inspires me and takes me to a magical place as I feel my breathing change, heart rate responding and limbs tingling. Indeed, the concerts in Pittsburgh were special shared time with Murray, and now I feel so lucky to have moments like that again in Costa Rica with Alma Duo. (Check out the last month’s blog if you haven’t already read it.)

Musical Theatre – Collaboration (Part III)

JoAnne Tucker / August 11, 2025 / "Let My People Go", Avodah's Early History, Dance Midrash, Musical Theater, Personal Life

I am fascinated with the collaborative process. How does a team work together to create a musical? Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George by James Lapine gives us an intimate look at how he and Sondheim worked together.

I never saw the show but had the original cast album and knew all the songs by heart. The songs really registered with me as they speak of the challenges of being an artist. “A blank canvas” for me is just like an empty space in a dance studio. The book goes into detail about how Lapine and Sondheim developed the show. Lapine was just beginning his career while Sondheim was already very successful. They had an easy time developing the first act but struggled with the second act. It is not usual for major stars like Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters to participate in workshops to help develop a show, but both did. It was interesting to read how both Patinkin and Peters requested an additional song to develop their respective characters further.

The librettist who was part of the artist in residency at Casa Uno not only recommended the book but told me that there was a recording of Sunday in the Park with George online. And indeed, there is. What a joy to finally see the show with the original cast. It was made for PBS’s American Playhouse in 1986. Here’s the link so you can watch it too.

Reading about the Sondheim/Lapine collaboration reminded me of how many gifted collaborations there have been in the musical theatre world and how much joy collaborations like Lerner and Loewe, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Kander and Ebb have brought us.

I found that my creative energy was pushed to a new level whenever I collaborated, which was most of the time. While my collaborations were not in musical theatre and took different forms they stand out as very meaningful parts of my creative life.

The beginning of Avodah Dance Ensemble was a result of a collaboration between me as choreographer/dancer and Irving Fleet as composer. Together we wrestled with what we wanted to say about the key prayers in a Shabbat Service for the piece In Praise. Here’s a Link to read about the beginning of In Praise. Those discussions happened in 1972. That is over 50 years ago and yet those beginning discussions are memories I cherish. We went on to collaborate on two other pieces, Shabbat Women and Sarah, that are also very meaningful to me.

Rabbi Richard Jacobs and I collaborated on a piece M’Vakshei Or with music by David Finko. Rick, then a rabbinic student and a member of The Avodah Dance Ensemble, introduced the concept of midrash to me and to the other company members. Drawing on his knowledge we worked together bringing ritual movement and improvisations on Biblical text to life.

Later a collaboration between me and Susan Freeman, also a rabbinic student and dancer in Avodah, would develop the idea of dance midrash used in M’vakshei Or into the book Torah in Motion: Creating Dance Midrash which is still available to buy on Amazon. Susan also contributed poetry and insight to a piece Sisters based on the Biblical sisters Rachel and Leah. Cantor Meredith Stone and dancers Kezia Gleckman Hayman and Deborah Hanna also collaborated on this piece and made it one of my favorites.

Often a collaboration has a key moment when you realize that you share a complimentary vision and that working together will take it further than you could alone. With Irving it was visiting him in his hospital room and talking about God. With Rick it was driving to Philadelphia and meeting composer David Finko.

Another important collaboration was with the choreographer Louis Johnson, for a piece based on Exodus. And the moment when we knew we could create something together was when we were having lunch and Louis, with a sparkle in his eyes said, “I can hear Go Down Moses with the Hebrew chant at the same time.” The resulting piece Let My People Go was performed many times during the next ten years.

Photo of JoAnne and Louis taken by Tommy Scott

Finding the collection of poems Wine, Women and Death: Medieval Hebrew Poems on the Good Life by Raymond Scheindlin was a different kind of collaborative experience. After choreographing five or six of the poems, I got to know Ray and he joined us on tour talking about the medieval period and introducing the piece before we performed it.

Newman Taylor Baker began as a substitute performer the first season of Let My People Go, and we felt an immediate connection over his approach to accompanying the piece. That led to a collaboration that has continued to recent years. I loved how I could work on choreography and then Newman would find just the right percussion sounds to take the movement to a new level. Working with him on the Forgiveness Project was one of those special experiences. Fast forward seventeen years and the film company I founded, Healing Voices – Personal Stories, was looking for the right music for a film we had completed on men who experience domestic abuse. Newman’s music came to mind. I’ve written a blog on how his approach enhanced the film. And then just three years ago Newman spent a month in Costa Rica and contributed to inaugurating Camino del Artista, the labyrinth on my property which is an important part of Casa Uno’s residencies.

When I began writing this blog about collaborations in the musical theatre world I did not anticipate that it would soon lead me on a journey to explore how meaningful collaborations have been in my creative life. Mostly Dance is filled with more examples than I am highlighting here. Each member of original casts, whether dancers or musicians, played a collaborative role in creating that new piece. I am so grateful for their willingness to try things and to make suggestions. And this blog is a collaboration too. For thirteen years Kezia, the blog’s editor, was a member of The Avodah Dance Ensemble and was part of the creative process on pieces like Let My People Go, Sisters, and Binding. Now I send her my first draft of a blog, she smooths my language out and makes suggestions, I go over it again, and she checks it before it is published. I could not do it without her. I love when she remembers a moment in the dance company’s history that I had forgotten to include.

I end with a deep bow of gratitude to the dancers, composers, and choreographers I have partnered with.

Musical Theatre: A Favorite Passion (Part II)

JoAnne Tucker / July 16, 2025 / Film, Musical Theater, Personal Life

“What books do you suggest I read to learn more about the history of musical theatre and how different composers and librettists work together?” I asked one evening, as a resident graduate of NYU’s MFA program in musical theatre and another resident working on a novel joined me on the porch to enjoy the sunset.

“One of my favorites books,” responded the musical theatre resident, “is called Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George. And I can email you the reading list that students get from NYU when they are accepted into the program.”

She did indeed email me the list, entitled “Year 1 Textbooks & Summer Reading/Listening.” It is an extensive and challenging reading list. It begins with their required textbook: American Musicals: The Complete Books and Lyrics of 16 Broadway Classics, 1927-1969 (Library of America) by Laurence Maslon. I was really pleased to see how many of the musicals in their textbook I had seen and enjoyed. If you remember from the last blog, as a youngster I danced to the original cast albums in my friend’s living room. Today there are quite a few I listen to while I am walking/dancing in the swimming pool. I am surprised to see that well over 75% of the sixteen musicals are favorites of mine and I know most of the words of the songs. Check this link and press “more” to see the names of the 16 musicals that are included in the two-volume set.

The required reading goes on to list 42 more current musical theatre works with which the student should be familiar, and again I have seen many of them. But there are some I haven’t seen, and so I am building my own list of what I need to listen to, read or see if I can find them on YouTube. Next there is a list of 50 plays the faculty recommends, as they feel musical theatre has often been lacking in diversity. I hunch I won’t spend much time going over this list although I applaud the program for wanting future musical theatre writers to be familiar with these works. The last section intrigues me as it continues with books on the writing and process of creating a musical theatre work. WHEW… so if I get bored I have a lot of resources to go to in a field I am passionate about.

The resident novelist also responded to my question and made a super suggestion, “Read Mary Rodgers’ Shy: The Alarming Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers.

I didn’t know much about Mary Rodgers other than her being the daughter of Richard Rodgers of Rodgers and Hammerstein fame. My curiosity was piqued and so I downloaded the audio book written by Mary Rodgers and Jesse Green. The book had me laughing from the very beginning. She immediately lets you know that Richard Rodgers was no saint. When someone is identified by the narrator Christine Baranski (who is reading Mary’s voice), Jesse Green gives us immediate notes about the person. For Richard Rodgers, Jesse states, “1902 – 1979, composer, womanizer, alcoholic, genius.” The main game Richard Rodgers played with his two daughters was getting them to identify musical intervals. That’s ear training, which is part of college composition courses. The girls loved it and his reaction when they got it right. The first chapter, called “Hostility,” goes on to name a variety of games that Mary played with various people in her life, most of whose names are very familiar if you are a musical theatre person. Among her close friends was Stephen Sondheim, and he figures a lot in the narrative.

It was a quick listen as the book continues with a sense of humor, sarcasm and inside scoop on what the musical theatre royalty celebrities’ life was like. It was great fun for me, and I learned some interesting things about Mary Rodgers, a writer/composer herself. Even though she was married two times and had three children with each husband, she was the main support of her family. She faced many challenges as a woman in the mainly male-oriented musical theatre writing and composing world.

Among her unique jobs was writing songs for the Little Golden Books for children, and assisting the producer for Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts which were television specials from 1958 – 1972. She wrote the novel Freaky Friday in 1972, and it has had a long life of entertaining people with the playful situation of a mom and daughter switching places for a day. Disney has made three films with the name and story outline. The first one was in 1977 and starred Jodie Foster as Annabelle the daughter and Barbara Harris as the mother. It tickled me to see how the Disney channel describes each of the four movies just a bit differently.

For the 1977 version the description is, “A free-spirited girl switches bodies with her strait-laced mother.” When they remade the film, released in 2003, it starred Lindsay Lohan as Anna the daughter and Jamie Lee Curtis as the mom and was then described as, “A mother and daughter see things a bit differently when they switch bodies.” I watched the 2003 film and it was a perfect antidote to the day’s news. Fast forward to 2018 and now it’s “Disney’s madcap musical teen Ellie and Mom Katherine swap bodies” starring Cozi Zuehlsdorff as Ellie and Heidi Blickenstaff as the mom.

Next time I need a funny cheer-me-up from the day’s headlines I will watch one of the other interpretations. And I can look forward to one that is soon to be released by Disney called Freakier Friday which is being billed as the sequel to the 2003 film version.

I’m fascinated by how Mary Rodgers’ novel has motivated different interpretations, and I look forward to watching all the films and comparing them with the original 1977 which is probably closest to the book. In fact, as a beginning writer, curious about how something is adapted to theater or film, reading the actual novel sounds appropriate.

Until reading Shy I mainly knew Mary Rodgers as composer for Once Upon a Mattress. I was lucky to see the show, which starred Carol Burnett, in 1959. I was taken to see it by my father’s elderly great-aunt and uncle, who lived in NYC when I was taking a modern dance intensive at the Martha Graham Studio. I had to pass up my favorite habit of waiting at the stage door to get autographs. While the show didn’t have a long run (256 performances) it is still frequently performed by community and school groups across the United States, and a Google search proved just how popular the show has been.

On YouTube you can watch two made-for-television productions, both starring Carol Burnett, one made in 1964 and the other in 1972. In 2024 Sutton Foster played the Carol Burnett role of Princess Winnifred on Broadway, and in fact opening on July 16^th there is a production at Central City Opera in Central City, Colorado. Indeed, as Mary stated in her book, there is always a production of Once Upon a Mattress playing somewhere. Next time I am looking for something to dance to in the pool, it will be the original cast album of Once Upon a Mattress available on YouTube.

I highly recommend Shy for the inside story on famous people in the musical theatre world during the 40’s through 60’s. It was also valuable to learn how shows are developed and how Mary Rodgers persevered as a woman competing in a male-dominated career. I love that her work continues to have a presence in the entertainment world today, over 50 years later.

Book Cover

Next blog will be a look at Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George by James Lapine. Meanwhile if you have seen Once Upon a Mattress or Freaky Friday I would love to hear your thoughts! And of course, if you have read Shy, please share too.

Finding Balance in a Challenging World

JoAnne Tucker / May 27, 2025May 27, 2025 / Art, Current Events, Personal Life

One of the last pieces that I created for The Avodah Dance Ensemble was called Balancing Act. I was fascinated with the different ways we catch ourselves when we are losing our balance and how we can support each other to find balance. The motivation for creating the piece was mainly from a physical point of view, although there were certain emotional challenges that I was facing at the time. I didn’t explore any; I just approached the choreography with a physical fascination.

I love this picture from the piece. In this moment the dancer is grounded to the floor with her one leg while the rest of her is reaching out… looking … exploring what’s around her, with both arms testing the space, her focus up and one leg in the air reaching for a giant step forward. Try this … balance on one foot with your head facing the ceiling! Natrea Blake did an outstanding job in the piece.

If I were to create this piece today it would come totally from an emotional place. The events of the past year pose daily hurdles for me to keep my balance and stay informed with what is happening in the world without sinking into a deep depression. A quick Google search of the relationship between the news and mental health showed that I am not alone. In today’s blog, I’ll share what is helping me to stay aware of what is happening, while maintaining a healthy outlook. I welcome you to add a comment as to the tools you are using.

Setting limits. I set boundaries as to how much time I will spend keeping up with the news. I find I can no longer spend even a half hour listening to news. I am best to read headlines on the computer and then a few paragraphs of an article. I also rely on a few daily email journalists on Substack to skim what they are sharing.
Being creative each day is essential. For me, spending some time painting is very calming. When I am painting, all my focus is on the picture.

A painting I just completed of a Pitahaya in full bloom.

My new project of creating a dance film about resistance is helping. Even though I am realistic that my goal will be to finish it and share it on this blog, it feels good to be doing something related to my concern for democracy in the United States.
Challenging myself to do something new. And then feeling good about accomplishing it. Leaf cutter ants are both amazing and a problem in Costa Rica. Overnight an army of these ants can destroy a tree, making a parade back to the nest carrying a part of a leaf. Recently when I was walking the property I discovered I had three different areas affected. I solved the problem through both pellets and painting a dot on the leaves as the ants marched by. The ants carry either the pellet or the leaf with the poison dot back to the nest. I only spent 15 minutes focused on painting leaves or putting out pellets, and there are no more ants doing damage today. Of course, I will need to keep a daily watch and most likely repeat this several more times in the next few months.
Reaching out to friends, particularly in person, and enjoying time together with only limited conversation related to the news.
In the evening watching fun movies that cheer me up.

These are some of the things that are helping to keep my spirits up. I want to hear what you are doing. Please share in the comment section so we can all benefit.

Burning Desire to Choreograph – A Dance of Resistance

JoAnne Tucker / May 3, 2025 / Current Events, Holocaust Repertory, Personal Life

For the past few months, I have found myself missing working with dancers the way I did for over 30 years with The Avodah Dance Ensemble. At first my recent focus was on creating a work inspired by the labyrinth in my garden. I haven’t abandoned the idea and still envision a piece that can be performed on the labyrinth and filmed. It will also be developed into a performance piece for the stage. But in the past few days another idea has been driving me, and that is what I want to focus on in this blog.

I am very glad to be living in Costa Rica rather than the United States right now. However, that doesn’t mean I am not VERY concerned with what is happening in the United States, and I do want to take some kind of action to support the growing call for change. Surprisingly I am inspired by the writing of David Brooks in The New York Times. Brooks was one of my husband’s favorite columnists. Brooks is a moderate, centrist, and conservative unlike me. I consider myself a liberal and strong Democrat. Yet the past two articles that he wrote resonated with me. For example, in an April 17th column he stated:

Trump’s behavior has aroused great moral indignation. It has aroused in people’s hearts a sense that something sacred is being trampled here — democracy, rule of law, intellectual freedom, compassion, pluralism and global exchange. These things are worth fighting for. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/opinion/trump-harvard-law-firms.html

Then in an April 24^th column he wrote:

[W]e are the beneficiaries of a precious inheritance. Our ancestors bequeathed to us a judicial system, great universities, compassionate aid organizations, great companies and scientific genius. My mission statement would be: America is great, and we will fight for what has made America great. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/opinion/trump-administration-energy-strength-weakness.html

After reading the second column, the urge to use my talents to respond was triggered. A dance of resistance. And I have a clear vision of how it will begin. There is a moment in the piece I created in 1976 called I Never Saw Another Butterfly, based on poems written by children in the Terezin concentration camp, where the dancers link arms and lunge forward moving strongly on the diagonal. That is how my new piece will begin.

Kezia Gleckman Hayman and Beth Millstein demonstrating linking the arms together in a rehearsal.

The Avodah Dance Ensemble performing I Never Saw Another Butterfly at a high school: the lunge with arms linked.

I Never Saw Another Butterfly was the first piece I choreographed for a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony. It was soon joined by Kaddish, which is set to the opening eight minutes of Leonard Bernstein’s Kaddish Symphony. Primo Levi’s poetry inspired a third piece, Shema, several years later. These three pieces were an important part of Avodah’s repertory using dance to bring awareness to the Holocaust and were performed in settings such as a Catholic Boys School in Jersey City, an Interfaith Conference, and a Community College in Philadelphia, in addition to many schools, universities, synagogues and Jewish community centers.

My new piece would see dancers (maybe 20 or 30) coming from different directions of the stage and slowly linking arms in several lines building a strong force of energy to become a unison statement to lunge forward and continue to progress in unison with choreography yet to be designed.

In the past when I decided on a theme, one of my first steps was to research all I could find on the subject. A few days ago, I googled dances of resistance. Wow did I get a lot of information. I encourage interested readers to do the same and see how dance has for centuries been a tool to bring a community together and to make strong statements of resistance.

I was also curious to see if there were examples of linking arms together for resistance and change, and indeed there are.

One is an event that created a human chain connecting Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt to the Tennessee State Capitol, which took place April 18, 2023. The purpose was to support changes in gun laws to make public spaces safer. https://news.vumc.org/2023/04/19/linking-arms-for-change-images-from-the-event/

A title of a book that was published in 2001 called Linked Arms: A Rural Community Resists Nuclear piqued my curiosity. The book describes how a rural group used civil disobedience to defy the nuclear industry and governmental authority, preventing the building of a nuclear dump in western New York. While I don’t know if the group linked arms as part of the demonstrations, my hunch is they did, hence the title of the book.

On May 1, 2025, The New York Times reported that after a speech in Philadelphia by Bernie Sanders, “dozens of demonstrators locked arms and sat down at an intersection near a highway entrance for about 30 minutes before police began to make arrests.”

Artists have long been responding to injustice, political upheaval, and social causes with their talents. This is an important time for all of us to be active. I close with some recent words from Mikhail Baryshnikov’s International Dance Day Message (April 29, 2025):

It’s often said that dance can express the unspeakable. Joy, grief, and despair become visible; embodied expressions of our shared fragility. In this, dance can awaken empathy, inspire kindness, and spark a desire to heal rather than harm. Especially now—as hundreds of thousands endure war, navigate political upheaval, and rise in protest against injustice—honest reflection is vital. It’s a heavy burden to place on the body, on dance, on art. Yet art is still the best way to give form to the unspoken, and we can begin by asking ourselves: Where is my truth? How do I honor myself and my community? Whom do I answer to? Link to article.

A Visit to La Senda

JoAnne Tucker / March 14, 2025 / Costa Rica, Personal Life

Ever since Ronald Esquivel designed Camino del Artista – the labyrinth at my home, Casa Uno – I have wanted to visit La Senda, the largest labyrinth in the world, which Esquivel collaborated in creating. It is located outside of Tamarindo, about 4 hours from my home. I also knew that someday I would get there. I did, on my birthday this January. Pam Wax, a friend and poet who leads workshops and writes about labyrinths, also wanted to visit, so the trip was planned when she was here.

First challenge was how to get from Atenas to La Senda without renting a car. It’s fun how things fall into place. Several months ago, former Avodah dancer Kerri Anne Grace visited and shared how she had found an easy way to travel around Costa Rica by using Interbus (https://www.interbusonline.com). While they don’t list Atenas as one of their routes, I learned from Kerri that you can call and make a reservation and request both a pickup and drop off at a gas station outside of town. We took a 20-minute taxi ride from home to the gas station, and the bus was right on time to pick us up. About halfway into the trip our small bus of about 18 people stopped at a large roadside area that had a restaurant, gift store, bathrooms and a large parking lot where other vans were parked. We all got off and had a relaxing time enjoying some refreshments while our driver moved any checked luggage to the next van that would take us to our destination. The wait for the next van can be as short as 10 minutes or as long as an hour depending on traffic and vans’ arrivals. I was impressed with the organization of the system and the comfort of the waiting area. It was fun to talk to some of the other passengers and to discover this was a very safe and economical way to travel around Costa Rica. I thought to myself… yes, I would use this again.

Once in Tamarindo we were met by a driver from La Senda and made the half-hour drive to the beautiful 74-acre property located in a tropical dry forest. We were met by one of the owners, Ann Vervoort. Although I had not met Ann in person we had been on several Zoom and WhatsApp groups related to labyrinths in Costa Rica so it felt like I was meeting a good friend. She drove us to our glamping unit which was almost a half mile away. Pam and I each had our own separate unit.

La Senda’s website (https://lasendacostarica.com/en/) describes the glamping units:

These units that we call Leaves of Hojas in Spanish are architectural pearls, 4 meters (13’) high and 10 meters (33’) long. They each have a private, partly open-air bathroom and a terrace with view of the forest. All Leaves are equipped with movable fans. We did not opt for AC so prana can flow freely. Staying at our Leaves opens the opportunity to connect fully with Nature.

Shortly after I got settled, I heard rustling outside of the front door, and sure enough there were several monkeys playing in the trees. I sat on the steps of my unit watching and photographing them.

As it was cooler and the air more refreshing, I decided I wanted to walk to the labyrinth and begin to experience it. The glamping units have a lovely path through the forest to the labyrinth. It is a back way to enter, not the usual day-visitors’ entrance. As I walked I felt like I was going to a special sacred site.

I easily found the sign to enter the labyrinth. I immediately felt its largeness and how the path is defined by diverse cacti of different sizes.

A description on the website states:

the position of the entrance in the North, and the exit in the South, the fact that all turns had to take place in the central part of the labyrinth, there had to be 14 layers (two times seven = two complete musical scales), and it had to be built out of cactus to attract Prana (Life Force), according to the knowledge from local indigenous tribes.

As the biggest in the world, the labyrinth measures above 2.5 acres (over 1 hectare) and the path is almost 2 miles (3km) long. It took 6 years to develop and now is fully planted with over 5.000 cactus. All sentient beings, like humans, animals, and plants in La Senda constantly live under the upbeat influence of this big pulsing heart of energy.

I walked slowly and sometimes stopped to make sure I had made the correct turn. The sun was beginning to set and the colors were intense and beautiful, particularly looking toward what I learned was Tiger Mountain.

After a while I was beginning to feel tired and realized I was also near the first of the two centers. It was a big circular opening with cut down tree logs to sit on.

I sat down. Within a few minutes I both felt and saw clear waves of energy coming from the sides of my legs. The palms of my hands felt intensely warm. I stayed very still and quietly heard a voice inside me say, “Be.” I knew I didn’t need to do anything. Just sit there. I sat for a while until the sun was set and it was getting dark. I put on the phone’s flashlight and made my way out of the labyrinth and back to the path that led me to my glamping unit. Since La Senda only serves breakfast and twice-a-week Farm-to-Table dinners, I had brought food for dinner as this was not a Farm-to-Table evening. I didn’t have much appetite, and I was too tired to do anything other than “be.” I did not write, read or sketch as I had planned. Even today, over 6 weeks later, I still am processing the experience.

The next morning after breakfast I had a chance to talk with Ann and learned that there are two opposite charged centers found in the middle of the labyrinth. One is feminine and the other masculine. The labyrinth was designed with these two spots as centers. Where I was sitting was the feminine center.

Sergio Salas, an expert in energy work, discovered these energy points on the property. Sergio collaborated with Ronald Esquivel and together they designed the unique layout based on sacred geometry and the energy setting.

My second day at La Senda, I decided to walk the perimeter of the labyrinth instead of following its path and completing the full distance of visiting each of the two centers and exiting. I photographed as I walked, taking in its diverse cacti and acknowledging how large and unique it is. I climbed the stairs of a pavilion and took some pictures but was not able to get the full labyrinth in a single camera shot.

My body felt an internal energy surge different than I had ever experienced. I felt mindful to be quiet and still. I didn’t feel unsafe or unhealthy, just a clear message to “be.”

I am now home and walking my home labyrinth that I had a part in designing with Ronald Esquivel. Since visiting La Senda I may be finding a different, quieter purpose emerging for this chapter in my life. It is to “be” here as a keeper of this home I call Casa Uno and to share it.