So last Friday I hit up BC for the opening of APAHM, and on Monday I did up Brandeis for the closing of APAHM. Different schools, different schedules, you know.

It was a good opportunity because it was a double feature, with myself sharing the stage with the Chu Ling Dance Academy, which has been on the cultural scene in Boston for as long as I can remember, and has been teaching traditional and modern dance to a wide array of folks since forever. The thematic tie was that both myself and Chu Ling use art to explore heritage and as a form of expression of culture. So that was quite an honor to be compared to Chu Ling.

I couldn’t make soundcheck since I had to work, and so it was an on-the-fly soundcheck that happened as the show began. Yeah that’s fine too. So everything in the set went fairly smoothly, except that during my third piece, the fire alarm went off. I got froze in the spotlight, and it took me a while before I realized that yes, we really did need to leave the building. Outside, Elaine put the positive spin on the situation by saying I should acknowledge that it was the first time anything like that had ever happened to me. She was right, and so I had to just up up and away with it.

After that not-very-brief intermission, I tried to continue my set, but it was hard to recapture that momentum, so I basically sat there and sang Ace of Bass and Journey until folks were with me again.

I done Brandeis at a regular clip it feels like, I think I’ve been there like every 2-3 years or so for a long time. I have to give much thanks to the students there for continuing to support my work and for asking me to continue to come back.

Shirley put in the work to bring me to campus, and so a lot of thanks to her. Happy April!