I’m 26! I love to celebrate and I love to reminisce, so in honour of my birthday, here are some highlights from the past year:
Twenty-five was good to me. Reflecting on the year, I think the big theme of my 25th year was community, which is pretty great if you ask me! Community takes on various forms for me, as I’m sure it does for everyone. This year, my communities formed around swing dancing, church, music, and of course, friendships that go far beyond their initial contexts.
I began swing dancing at 16 and continued dancing on and off (maybe mostly off) over the past decade. In recent months, I’ve returned to the dance floor in a way that allows me to really feel like I’m a part of the community, and it’s great to be back!
In terms of music, community involved in performing with 11 different ensembles throughout the year, including:
- Leading Ladies Little Big Band (various gigs throughout the year)
- Dean Thiessen’s Stranger Friends Orchestra (Jazz Fest 2023 & Fox Cabaret March 2024)
- A special vocal group led by Hussein Janmohamed for the Indian Summer Fest 2023 opening ceremony
- Thomas Holden’s 11tet & Chelsea McBride’s big band for a holiday spectacular
- Mike Allen’s Space Elevator
- Chris Berner’s Big Band
Of course I can’t talk about ensembles I performed with over the year without mentioning the Vancouver Youth Choir, a group I had the privilege of performing with for seven years up until I aged out at 25. It just barely makes the cut for groups I performed with while 25, but thanks to an after-season bonus performance on June 16th, 2023, I get to talk about it! IIt’s been a year since my last VYC performance, and I am so grateful for my time in this community. Truth be told, I thought I would miss it much more than I actually have so far, because so much of the experience has continued with me beyond actually singing in the group. The music we sang continues to enrich my repertoire, the unique performance opportunities are unforgettable, and most importantly, the friendships forged there have expanded beyond the choir, enriching my life in countless ways.
Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my life this past year. Here’s to hoping that community continues to be the big theme in my life for years to come.