Year in Rear View
Looking back to look ahead
I’m late. As a friend recently opined: The end of the year is always crazy.
This year, I’m doing my review of the year at the top of 2025.
In the next few days, I’ll be taking time to reflect on all that 2024 was. I’ll look at my calendar, photos and videos, my social feeds, and some paperwork, too, as I organize my files for the start of 2025. In the meantime, I wanted to share some of the immediate highlights and to say thank you.
Of all the creative work I do, the writing and dancing that I share here is the most consistent practice I have. Without you and your support it would not be the same. I see every “like” and read and appreciate every comment. That’s to say nothing of the concrete financial support that so many of you have committed to here. Thank you. This space has been the foundation of the journey I’ve been on these past years.
About three years ago I started to envision the ecosystem of my projects. This year, that visioning has begun to bear new fruit. A completely revamped website with clear invitations to work with me in different ways – whether creating or speaking, for example – is the first milestone.
Here are some 2024 highlights from each area.
FEEL – Here the Rhythm, Feel the Story
I closed the Windrider Summit and the Sundance Film Festival with special commissioned piece.
I was awarded a creative residency at JUMP Boise to develop a new public work.
My first new solo work since Rising to the Tap was announced. Dark Night, a 12hr tap dance meditation on the enduring spirit within us, will premiere August 2025.
GROW – Life is a Dance, Discover Your Moves
I’ve enjoyed coaching a number of clients through their creative endeavors. This testimony was especially touching:
Andrew’s calmness, curiosity and experience helped guide me to find more clarity in my creative practice and career.
Danny N.
I collaborated with Lidewij Niezink, the co-founder of Empathic Intervision, to present a new workshop – combining the work I do with individual formation and tap dancing with her work on kinesthetic empathy – at the Designing for Empathy Summit.
I’ve been training, and aim to have my first coaching credential in TQ Intelligence by the end of January! TQ intelligence is a new field focused on understanding transitions and supporting those going through them. I’m very excited to begin to share what I’ve learned here with my coaching clients.
MOVE – Rediscovering Joy
I published my first ebook: PlayTime // The Art of Tap Dance Practice!
I dropped the first custom PlayTime T-shirt, too!
I presented a workshop for the second year in a row at the National Dance Education Organization’s National Conference.
I published my 100th episode of The Breakdowns!
Tap Dance Land got a local address as I began teaching at a local arts preschool.
THINK – Sharing Ideas for Life
I was the closing presenter with a tap dance story at the Designing for Empathy Summit.
I officially launched the Nemr Institute for Spiritual Formation and Creativity.
Spiritual Formation for Artists Course continued with new cohorts.
LOVE – Greater love has no one than this…
I continue to journey with awe in my experience of the reality of Jesus Christ.
I continue to explore the idea of communal listening with groups facilitated by Renovaré and my friends at Goldenwood.
I’ve made a few discoveries, too. This one was probably the biggest:
While listening groups and structured time is great, I have found the most meaningful shift in my life to be the consideration of core friendships as my family. These are the folks that I want to know me, and I am honored to get to know. These are the folks who are gladly entangled in my life, and I in theirs. These are the folks who I know are for me, and I am for them. I’ve become more and more grateful for the opportunity to find a few folks in this circle. You know who you are and I am especially thankful for you as 2024 comes to close.
If you’ve read this far, thank you! This coming year is set to be one of the fullest yet. There will be much coming to the surface that has been percolating for quite some time and I’m excited to be sharing all the things with you along the way.
Oh yeah, one more thing: I think I am famous in Korea :-)