Montclair State University

“I….had…the time of my life” tonight! A few hours ago, I was enjoying fancy hors d’oeuvres, nice music, and good company on the rooftop of a building on Park Avenue, called Scandinavia House, in New York City! Skyscrapers shot up all around, enclosing the party in an intimate setting. I was working this annual Gala event, because I am a part of the House of the Roses Volunteer Dance Company, the organization that gives the gift of dance to children in need throughout the city. All the guests, who had made generous contributions with the purchasing of their tickets, were supporters of the arts and wanted to know more about the company. Most volunteers wore red dresses to embody our logo of red roses. Everything, from the guests’ dress to the catering hall’s decoration, looked spectacular! My job was to sell roses to guests. There was a miniature “house of roses” that buyers would then cover with the roses they bought, the lower-priced rose buds or higher-priced roses in full bloom, as a fundraising effort. I’d never been the “flower girl” at a wedding, and I’d always wanted to be, so this assignment gracefully filled that void! I doubt I’ll be invited to any more galas until the next year, when this one rolls around, but tonight’s was wonderful enough to last!

Posted by Kelly Vaghenas at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This Easter was very different from past Easters, for me, because I was working all day! It was neat, though, to be at Greek Taverna yesterday, because Greek Easter just so happened to coincide with U.S. Easter this year. I had to recite new dinner specials, many of which were lamb dishes, to my tables for the occasion. In the back of the kitchen, the staff celebrated with special sweet bread called tsoureki and other Greek Easter desserts. My sweet tooth was satisfied; no Easter egg hunt was needed! Plus, the money usually found in those cheap hollow plastic eggs is nothing compared to the tips I earned! It was a “Happy Easter,” indeed, even as I spent it without family. So, as they say in Greek, “Kalo Pasxa!"

Posted by Kelly Vaghenas at 4:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you are a Broadway aficionado, like I am, then you will sure appreciate this one!

Imagine sitting in the first row of the Gershwin Theatre and seeing the awe-inspiring show, “Wicked.” The performers are so close that you can see their facial expressions, match a voice to a person, and get a little started when they crawl up out of the trap door that’s on the downstage left promontory. What’s more, you got that front row seat, a $310 value, for $26.

That dream was my reality on Wednesday evening! I went into New York City that morning with a friend. We tried our luck with the “Wicked” lottery for the matinee showing, but lost. We returned to the outside area under the roof of the theatre to try again for the evening show. I was in a sort of divine trance when my name was one of about 15 called from a bucket of approximately 400! By some stroke of luck (Thank Oz!), I got super discounted tickets for myself and my friend.

I will cherish the free souvenir that labeled me as a victor: a big Elphaba-green pin that reads, “I won the Wicked lottery!” which has the silhouette of a witch on a broomstick in place of the dot on the “i!”

Posted by Kelly Vaghenas at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Performing in the spring musicals was the highlight of my high school years. I played the following roles, starting in eighth grade and continuing through senior year: “Hot Box Dancer” in Guys and Dolls, “Featured Dancer” in Bye Bye Birdie; “Dream Laurey” in Oklahoma!; Tess in Crazy For You; and Hattie/Dance Captain in Kiss Me, Kate. Dancing, singing, and acting in those shows created some of the fondest memories of high school. I returned to my alma mater yesterday afternoon to see the matinee showing of this year’s musical, The Wizard of Oz. That was my favorite movie as a little girl, and I still love it. The bookmark in my planner has a picture of Glinda in her gorgeous poofy pink gown, and on it is one of her famous lines, “Only bad witches are ugly.” Yesterday’s performance certainly did not disappoint. Complete with glow-in-the dark lighting and echoing sound effects, the show kept the audience engaged. The thirty or so Munchkins who turned up in Munchkinland were quite possibly the most adorable little kid chorus I will ever see onstage! The show was perfectly cast with students I’d shared the stage with, except without a yellow brick road, in previous years. The final scene in the Emerald City instilled in me the important message of the show, one that applies to the young and old. If we pause for a moment and excavate our inner strengths, we will be pleasantly surprised. If we dig deep enough, we will find that we do indeed have the brain capacity, the open heart, or courage of conviction we may have forgotten about or thought we lost.

Posted by Kelly Vaghenas at 4:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If two’s company and three’s a crowd, then what is one? Solitude. But sometimes, a little alone time is lovely. Last Wednesday, my English class was canceled, so I was able to get into New York City (to teach a weekly dance class with the House of the Roses Volunteer Dance Company) two hours earlier than usual. Instead of quickly grabbing a bite to eat and taking the subway, I walked all the way up to 100th Street from Port Authority and ate snacks along the way, including frozen yogurt! Somewhere uptown on Lexington Avenue, a cute little Italian restaurant called “Bella Cucina,” “Beautiful Kitchen,” caught my eye. I hesitated for a moment but then decided to walk in and enjoy a nice meal, just me, myself, and I. I asked to sit in an annexed room, which had windows on all walls, except the one leading into the main room. It was lunchtime, so the sun was high up in the sky and sunlight was streaming in. I ordered one of the specials, “baked penne with ricotta,” which was preceded by a tossed salad and fresh Italian bread. The time allowed me to organize my swirling thoughts, to self-reflect. I passed on the tiramisu and cannoli, but the experience was sweet enough as it was.

Posted by Kelly Vaghenas at 4:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last Thursday was opening night, not to mention the regional premiere, of “The Matter of Origins,” by the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, in the Alexander Kasser Theater. I was lucky enough to claim one of those plush red velvet seats in the house. The show combined art and science; it used human bodies to explain atomic bodies studied in physics. What set it apart from so many other professional dance performances was its cast of mixed ages. I guess that the range was from twenty years old to seventy years old! After the show, the audience was ushered to the backstage wings, then brought onstage to find seats at tables covered with fresh white linen cloths to enjoy cake and tea while participating in a discussion led by an MSU professor or other scholar. The history lesson we learned was about Edith Warner, the lady who served as hostess of the tea house in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where scientists gathered daily to covertly plan for the invention of the atomic bomb. The last paragraph of the notes in the program reads: “Tonight’s Tea is inspired by the tea house gatherings of Edith Warner, and the question of what could happen if we combined the active minds of you in a convivial atmosphere with a few stimulants: tea, cake, a team of table hosts (we call them provocateurs) from diverse backgrounds…along with a few surprises. It is a laboratory of its own, so find your table setting and join us for this experiment, a chance to converse, react, muse, or just observe, listen, and enjoy Edith’s own chocolate cake recipe.” “Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show” did not properly introduce “The Matter of Origins;” perhaps “Sit up, get ready, and enjoy the experience” would have been more apropos.

Posted by Kelly Vaghenas at 12:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While most people headed south for spring break, I traveled up to Boston! Sure, the weather wasn’t ideal, but the sun did come out of hiding, from behind the clouds, to light up the much-needed vacation. I visited a friend who attends Emerson College, so I was introduced to Boston’s college scene. Sometimes called “the college town,” Boston is home to so many post-secondary schools, including Boston College, Boston University, Berklee College of Music, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University, Northeastern University, and Harvard University. During my stay, I hit Boston Common, the YMCA (for boot camp and belly dancing classes!), a great consignment store called “Second Time Around,” and Ryles Jazz Club (for some salsa dancing!). Of course, two girlfriends seeing each other after a long time apart are bound to spend the nights chatting instead of sleeping! To stay awake and functioning, I frequented Starbucks for caramel macchiatos, vanilla soy lattes, and those frappuccinos I love…and Dunkin Donuts, just because I wanted to eat Boston cream donuts in the city after which they’re named! All in all, I loved Boston; however, it’s just not my city. I still believe I’m a true New Yorker. As I sit here and type in my dorm room, looking at the skyline from my window, the Empire State Building standing tall and golden (for tonight, at least…colors vary!), I know I’m in the right place.

Posted by Kelly Vaghenas at 12:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The weather is finally starting to warm up, and that means students are spending more and more time outside! An early sign was the Quidditch match that took place on the Alumni Green in front of College Hall the other day! The outside tables of Café Diem are being used, and students read or listen to music on blankets or on the benches dotting the campus. I work at Greek Taverna, a restaurant in downtown Montclair, and the sunshiny weather allows me to walk there if I don’t want to take the New Jersey Transit bus. On Saturday, I set out for work on foot, and I stopped halfway, in upper Montclair. It’s a little quainter than the downtown section. I saw the movie The Adjustment Bureau at the Bellevue Theater, and then got a tall Java Chip frappuccino (every time, it’s either that or Café Vanilla!) at the Starbucks on the corner before continuing my walk. Soon enough, I encountered Bloomfield Avenue, turned left, and arrived at work feeling refreshed and sun-kissed!

Posted by Kelly Vaghenas at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It’s important to eat healthfully, especially for a dance major. I try to hit all categories of the food pyramid, and in the right amounts, on a daily basis (although I’m sure I overdose on the sweets category on those days I crave mint chocolate chip ice cream or double chocolate macadamia nut cookies in Blanton cafeteria!). In Café Diem the other day, I decided to try a chocolate “soy and dairy protein shake” by the brand called Odwalla. To my surprise, it was very tasty, almost like chocolate milk; I was even more surprised when I looked at the nutrition facts and discovered that I just drank 200% Vitamin B6, 200% Vitamin B12, and 100% Calcium, among others. The next day, I picked up the Strawberry C flavor, and…ready for this…one bottle contains 2000% Vitamin C! (That’s no typo!) I posted an alarmed status update on Facebook regarding this number, asking, “how much is too much?!” My friend from work assured me: “You can’t have too much Vitamin C. Mega doses of that particular vitamin are especially beneficial, and have also reversed many diseases and ailments including diabetes.” Well, that’s a relief! Still, though, to me, those numbers are outrageous!

Posted by Kelly Vaghenas at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By definition, a collage is “an assemblage or occurrence of diverse elements or fragments in unlikely or unexpected juxtaposition.” What do superheroes, immigrants, and female soldiers have in common? Well, they’re all subjects of the pieces which will be showcased in Montclair State University’s six performances of “Dance Collage!” This show is unique in that it is composed of mostly student-choreographed pieces. All works made the cut, got the “OK” from the MSU dance faculty, to be shown onstage, under the spotlights! I’ll be performing in teacher Jessie DiMauro’s “We All Fall.” As part of the curriculum for my “Production Elements” class, I designed the costumes for senior dancer Natalia Cordero’s piece, which sizzles with Spanish flair! Three couples transform the stage into the dance floor of a club in Havana in her work, “Tres Faces of Amor.” The show runs this Wednesday through Sunday, and of course, tickets are absolutely free for MSU students. I’m backstage in Memorial Auditorium right now, about ready for the first dress rehearsal. I’m being summoned to go onstage to warm up…catch you later!

Posted by Kelly Vaghenas at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)