Personal Life – Mostly Dance

The 92nd Street Y Presents…..

JoAnne Tucker / April 8, 2026 / Current Dance Events, New York Company, Personal Life

One of the challenges of living in Atenas is the lack of regular cultural stimulation. There are people engaged in the arts here, but no regular performances, exhibitions, or readings. There are some neat things that happen in San Jose but traveling to the city requires much planning, and considering transportation, and traffic to and from, it’s something I do only on special occasions such as when the Cuban ballet was here.

Opening my email two weeks ago I found myself smiling broadly, and excited to learn I could explore a virtual exhibit about modern dance at the Y and stream a recent performance that looked very interesting!

About the Y (“92NY”) and the Virtual Exhibit

The 92^nd Street Y has been a major presenter in the field of modern dance. This was shown beautifully in a 2024 exhibit, Dance to Belong: A History of Dance at 92NY. A digital version of the exhibit is now available to watch online:

Envisioned by Jody Gottfried Arnhold and created to celebrate 92NY’s 150th anniversary, the exhibition gathered rare photographs, programs, film footage, and ephemera to tell the complete story — showing how 92NY became a space for artists to explore identity, community, and meaning, often when few others would open their doors. https://www.92ny.org/dancetobelong/

Online, I enthusiastically entered the exhibition which tries to create the experience of being in the hall by using dots on the floor and arrows to go to the exhibits. Alas, it was frustrating for me because I could not zoom in close enough to read text or know who a dancer was in a photograph. I hope they will put together a film or a more user-friendly way to view it. Its organization is thoughtful, with sections such as Black Modernism, Bodies of War, and Dance as Political Manifesto.

About the Streamed Performance

The streamed concert was performed by Jodi Melnick and Sara Mearns as part of the Y’s series Women Move the World, a season of works curated and created by women. The concert was performed on March 27-28, 2026, and streaming became available on Sunday, March 29, for 72 hours. That was super because I had the opportunity to watch it more than once.

Melnick and Mearns have worked together for 10 years. Melnick has worked with choreographers including Twyla Tharp, Trisha Brown and Sara Rudner as well as doing her own choreography. Mearns is a member of the New York City Ballet who enjoys learning new repertory that is not available to her in that company. She has no interest in choreographing. Their backgrounds and what they bring to their work together is well documented, and I suggest readers who are interested in knowing more check out a recent article in The New York Times that also goes into detail about the concert I watched. Here’s the link: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/arts/dance/sara-mearns-jodi-melnick-superbloom.html

You might also want to check out this interview on Dance Talk with Joanne Carey, where I learned alot about Melnick and Mearns’ backgrounds, how they met, and their work together. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVUZAAiChfs

The concert opened with a short piece performed by Sara Mearns in the spirit of honoring the history of women choreographers at the Y. It combined movement from a piece by Anna Sokolow with movement from Sara Rudner. It featured shaking movement and was beautifully performed.

The main piece in the program was SuperBloom (Dancing into Choreographic Form). It opened with what sounded like rain, and Melnick in a single pool of light, with soft arms and gentle movement. The piece continued with a variety of different dance tempos, and dance groupings (duets, trios, quartets and more solos mainly done by the principal two dancers.) The dynamics changed, and for a piece that was probably 45 minutes long, it never got boring. The score for the piece was varied including nature sounds, chanting, and Melnick’s voice talking about the movement and her process.

A highlight was a duet between the two women done in silence with a mesmerizing backdrop by artist John Monti. The abstract backdrop of floral patterns constantly changed, enhancing the movement, and it was particularly meaningful when the patterns became part of Melnick and Mearns’ costumes.

Screenshot from SuperBloom. L to r, Jodi, Sara

In addition to the backdrop, Monti created two curving sculptural metal blossoms which Melnick and Mearns picked up and danced with.

The lighting was designed for the live event and this presented a challenge for those of us watching it online. I often lost the movement that was being done in darkly lit places.

While it wasn’t a wow artistic experience for me, I was very glad to be able to stream the concert and see what is happening in NYC now.

Most of all I was glad to sample a performance from the current season at the Harknes Dance Center at the 92nd Street Y, and it led me to reflect on a time 24 years ago when The Avodah Dance Ensemble, which I directed for over 30 years, performed at the Y as part of their Sundays at 3 series.

Avodah at the Y

Avodah shared the program, Dances of the Spirit, with two other choreographers, Kara Miller and Lynn Parkerson. Avodah presented two pieces, one of which was singled out by Jennifer Dunning in a review:

Ms. Tucker’s “Heroic Deeds” danced by her Avodah Dance Ensemble, distilled community need in a quartet as stark as its score by Ives. Isolated dancers made solitary journeys. Eventually all but one dancer interacted supportively. The dance built to a poignant moment when the hymn “Rock of Ages” filters through the score. (NY Times, April 10, 2002.)

For more information about “Heroic Deeds,” see this blog.

The performance on April 7, 2002, holds a special place in my memory. I am grateful that we were asked to participate in a program at this important venue of modern dance.

Program from the April 7, 2002 Performance

Working with a Trainer Brings Back Dance Memories

JoAnne Tucker / March 17, 2026 / Costa Rica, Personal Life

When the third doctor emphasized the importance of keeping one’s muscles strong as a senior, I thought it was time to act. A friend had mentioned an excellent trainer who came to her house, so I asked for the trainer’s name, made contact, and set up a date to begin.

It’s now three weeks later and I am loving the experience. We meet twice a week, and a third time I do some recommended exercises on my own. There were some challenges at first and I learned how important it is to communicate directly my reactions. I’m 83 years old. Keeping myself safe screams out at me.

“Please be mindful,” I calmly explain to my trainer on our third meeting.

I continue, “I want to feel the movement deeply and correctly and it’s important to go slowly with me and not push too far. Last session when we lengthened the twenty minutes of the first session to forty-five minutes, I was exhausted and it took me two days to recover.”

“Thank you,” Villi Alfaro responds. “Some people would just call and cancel. You didn’t. You are sharing your reaction. We’ll slow down.”

I sigh and am relieved. I am enjoying working with Villi and had a lot of fun the first session as we did playful twisting, reaching, squats, and modified pushup using the kitchen counter as our floor. It was the second session, which lasted over twice as long with more repetitions of each exercise and ended with walking around the atrium in the house with two-pound weights in each hand, that did me in. After making two circuits I felt shaky and like I might fall. Villi had noticed and wisely said not to do that on my own. When the fatigue lasted that evening and the next day, I knew I had to either quit or speak to her. The idea of quitting didn’t appeal to me.

Villi balanced the next workout at a pace that I could enjoy. She reminded me to rest, take deep breaths, and sip water between exercises or before a new set of repetitions. It worked. Muscles that have been asleep are stirring.

A special moment occurred when we were doing twists turning to one side, seated in a chair. As I twisted, a movement memory reminded me of being in class at the Martha Graham studio in New York City. We were sitting on the floor doing turns around the back. I remembered how the series began and advanced to a fall to the elbow, then a whip around of the upper body to the other side before a stretch out to the beginning side. I could feel sensations in my body that I hadn’t felt in years, particularly the first 6 counts of the Graham “turns around the back,” and I loved it. Over the next several sessions this pattern continued. Villi would introduce a new exercise and my muscle memory would take me to a modern dance class or a ballet class and I would find myself smiling and happy to be rediscovering movement that was familiar but hadn’t been used in years.

So often we read about how the body holds trauma. Much has been written about how trauma affects the body with the body remembering danger even when the threat is no longer there. Now I am experiencing the opposite. Beautiful memories are coming back. What surprises me is how detailed each memory is. I know the kind of class I am in and even the teacher. At one point as I was reaching over my head with a pole I found myself back in Alfredo Corvino’s ballet class and his emphasis on using the muscles under the shoulder blades.

JoAnne working with the pole, lifting a bent leg and
thinking about keeping her shoulders down. (Photo by Villi)

Oscar loves to be a part of our training session. He walks with us in the atrium and sometimes sits right beside me when I am doing exercises in the chair.

Oscar walking with me in the atrium. (Photo by Villi)

He is the first to greet Villi at the door and expects to be acknowledged. He loves to smell the different dog aromas on Villi’s legs and shoes.

A big thank you to the three doctors, each of whom emphasized the importance of maintaining muscles as a senior!

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.