My Movement Background

Photo of me in performance taken by Seth Golub at the San Francisco Circus Center

I have always needed to be in motion.  I began as a gymnast, so I could explore all the ways the human body can move, including being upside down and flying through the air.  I was on a team that trained up to 4 hours daily after school.  I loved every minute and kept practicing even when I got home.  Our coach made us run for conditioning, and unlike just about everyone else on the team, I loved it as well!  It felt natural and free, in contrast to the somewhat unnatural motions required of a gymnast.  When I left gymnastics (very reluctantly) due to an accumulation of injuries near the end of high school I began to run more seriously.

I ran in local road races, and in college I joined the cross-country and track team.  Meanwhile, I discovered dance, which was similar to gymnastics in that it required strength, coordination and balance, but was not quite as high impact.  In addition, I loved that it was not competitive.  Instead, it was collaborative, in that you worked together with a group to create art for the purpose of sharing with others.  I typically danced 4-8 hours a day, studying mostly ballet and modern dance and performing in local shows.  During this time I continued to run daily, but not competitively. Unfortunately, injuries were still a problem.  Eventually I stopped dancing completely for several years, and went on to graduate school in the sciences.

Photo of me in performance taken by Seth Golub at the San Francisco Circus Center

During graduate school, I started dancing again, since my injuries had improved.  I ended up spending way too much time training and rehearsing for shows when I should have been working on my thesis!  After finishing graduate school, I decided to focus on movement.  I found a way to combine my love of dance, being upside down, and creating art at the Circus Center in San Francisco.  There I trained intensely in Chinese acrobatics with master teacher Lu Yi, specializing in handbalancing.  I performed in a number of local shows, creating acts that combined handbalancing and dance.   I no longer perform, but I do still practice dance and handbalancing for the joy of it.  I also still continue to run, and participate regularly in half-marathons and marathons.

Photos of me near the beginning and near the end of the Seattle Marathon

Other Background Information

I grew up in a rural area near Kent, WA, which is about an hour southeast of Seattle.  Before I began formally training in gymnastics, I fulfilled my need to be in motion by exploring the outdoors.  I played in the mud, built forts in the trees, and rode bikes and horses with the neighborhood kids.  I was always fascinated by nature, both plants and animals, and science classes were always my favorite in school (after art classes, of course). As I grew older, I thought I might like to be a veterinarian, and began college at the University of Washington with that intent.  However, I like to know how things work, so when I studied biology, I found I really wanted to understand chemistry to truly know how living organisms work.  Then, I wanted to understand physics to know how chemistry works.  So, to make a long story short, I ended up getting a double degree in biochemistry and physics, and then going on to graduate school at Stanford to get a doctorate in physics.

Along the way, I had a number of different work experiences that were part of the process.  I did work for a vet for a couple of years, and loved the animals but found the work itself too routine.  Research fit my way of thinking much better.  I worked in a microbiology lab as an undergraduate, a biochemistry lab for a couple of years between college and graduate school, and several physics labs before and during graduate school.  Ultimately, I was able to combine my interests in human movement and science by doing a project where my advisor, Chris Bregler, was an expert in computer graphics.  I studied methods for using data of live humans in motion and applying it to animation to make it look more realistic.

Although I enjoyed all my work in science, and it definitely shaped the way I view the world, I ultimately decided that my passion for movement and art was so great that I had to focus my energy in that direction.  In other words, I decided to be completely impractical and follow my truest dreams.

EDUCATION

Ph.D. in Physics

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

B.S. in Physics

University of Washington, Seattle, WA

B.S. in Biochemistry

University of Washington, Seattle, WA

CERTIFICATIONS

ACSM Certified Personal Trainer

AHA CPR/AED