How Reading Changed My Life

      I was born in Brazil and only moved to the States when I was eleven, I spoke no English mind you except for the classics like: "I want cheeseburger" or "How are you?" and so forth, this obviously put me in an interesting place when starting my education in the states. Middle School is rough for kids that are a bit different, I was no exception, put a Brazilian kid that knows little English in there and you got yourself an easy target for jokes and mockery. At the time strength was what got me out of the radar, a bit of muscle here and there and people just tend to leave you alone afterward. It took me a while to finally find a way to learn the language better, and after a few months I finally knew what the direction I needed to take, reading, that was the answer to my language problem.

     For me reading started slowly, my vocabulary was miniscule so big books were out of the picture, so I started with kids books, picking up anything I could to read as much as possible. My mother used to take us to the library a bit so that helped as well, good parenting is always a great aid. I focused on simple exercises like listening to a song and reading the lyrics, trying to understand the meaning of the song and the dictation in order to be able to sing each particular song well. I'm not a great singer so obviously that was a difficult thing. This was the beginning process before getting to "real" books, it was children's books, music, comic books, magazines and eventually I worked my discipline enough and learned enough English to read "real" books. It was one of the most defining accomplishments till that point in my life, I was about fourteen at the time.

    I'll always remember the first "real" book I read in English, "Lord Of The Rings", it took me like 3 months to read the whole thing but the sense of accomplishment from reading it was a high I had never had before, like beating a really hard game, or winning a tough sports match, this was my tiny awesome victory. So this adventure into reading took off and more and more books began to be added to my collection, I also at this time got very into comic books thus graphic novels started being added to my collection as well, and through this process, slowly but surely not only did I start to read faster and comprehend more and more but my speech got better, my writing got better and my critical thinking also improved significantly.

   I originally started reading in order to improve my vocabulary but never did I expect, in my young mind, that reading would improve my life so much, it was as if every book I consumed changed me little by little. By the time I reached 10th grade I moved on to heavier material, I picked up Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard and Plato. Looking back I understand that these four where not the best way to start my philosophy education but I knew nothing about the subject so how was I to know where to start, keep in mind this were pre-wikipedia days. So diving in to the deep end of the pool my education continued and learning heavier material increased my understanding of the world, life, and aided me in being a better writer, thinker and also aided my speech as well, reading kinda does that.

    This process continued way into College and Grad School, it is one of the major things that separates student's skill in the classroom. Reading is one of the best ways to help you in life, it'll increase your imagination, it'll aid you in your critical thinking, it'll help your writing and it'll expand your vocabulary. There are a ton of benefits that come from reading, and I've experienced a few of those withing my own life. I encourage you to pick up a book this month and start setting a reading goal per year, something like 10-20 books is a good average, if you can do more then do so, I personally read a lot more as well, but 10-20 is a good start. You'll see the benefits right away, it's like exercising but for your mind, it seems like a good thing to exercise. 

  Hope you all had a great weekend and pray that this coming week might be a great one for you.

Love from your humble blogger,

An Evening With Anne Polajenko: "Y.A.G.P."

http://www.yagp.org/eng/index.php

 DANCERS WORLDWIDE COMPETE FOR PLACES IN THE Y.A.G.P. FINALS

    It’s that time of year again! Thousands of dancers all over the globe are traveling to the Youth America Grand Prix semi - finals in Brazil, Europe, Japan, Mexico and the United States in the hope of qualifying for the New York finals in April 2012. In its thirteen - year existence, Y.A.G.P. has become the definitive place to be seen and, more importantly, it is the one place where a future career can be made.

     Launched in 1999 by two former dancers of the world-renowned Bolshoi Ballet, Larissa and Gennadi Saveliev, Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) is the world’s largest student ballet scholarship competition that awards over $250,000 annually in scholarships to leading dance schools worldwide. The competition is held annually around the world and in New York City, and is open to dance students of all nationalities 9-19 years old.

   Youth America Grand Prix has become an internationally known meeting place for dance students and teachers, where they can exchange ideas, share their experience and learn the most up-to-date information on a variety of issues in ballet and contemporary dance. YAGP's level of reputation as a showcase for dance students from America and abroad is such that even passing the preliminary round to be selected to participate in the New York City Finals gives a participant an important distinction and a boost to their professional dance career. Over 25,000 dancers worldwide have participated in YAGP’s international workshops, competitions, and audition classes. Over 200 YAGP alumni are now dancing with 50 companies around the world, including American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet and San Francisco Ballet, among others. YAGP’s contributions to international dance education were recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with a membership in UNESCO’s prestigious Conseil International de la Danse (CID).

Photo: Isabella Maylart, 13, wins 2004 Youth Grand Prix

  THE BRAZILIAN CONNECTION

  So”Dança has been involved as a major Y.A.G.P. sponsor for a number of years both in Brazil and the United States. Our commitment to the advancement of the art form and its aspiring performers has assisted many a young dancer achieve their dream of being seen by the directors of the major schools and companies in the world. Currently, countless Brazilian dancers are studying or performing with major schools and companies after receiving coveted scholarships through YA.G.P. A few of these success stories are:

Isabella Gasparini – Gold Medal 2003  (scholarship to National Ballet of Canada)

Daniel Deivison –   Full scholarship to San Francisco Ballet, now a company Soloist

Paulo Arrais Neto – Full scholarships to Paris Opera Ballet, the Royal Ballet and now

                                Soloist with Boston Ballet

Isabella Maylart –  Winner Youth Grand Prix 2006. (Full scholarship to School of the 

                               Stuttgart Ballet)

Irlan Santos -         Full scholarship to ABT II and star of the film Only When I Dance

Mayara Magri –     Winner Y.A.G.P.  2011 Grand Prix and Prix de Lausanne

   For more information and results of the recently completed 2012 semi-finals in Brazil, go to www.yagp.com and click on the Brazilian flag

         -- Anne Polajenko

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    We hope you have a fantastic week, and make sure to check out the YAGP website for info, pics and more!

  Love from your humble blogger,