My name, if you haven't noticed, is Sage Harper. I am 22 years old and currently a super senior at OU. I am majoring in Psychology (really just so I can graduate in sooner than 6 years) and have completed my minor for Health and Exercise Science which i'll be usuing as a stepping stone to become a personal trainer and then one day a Physical Therapist. When I graduate in December I will be applying to the Physical Therapy assistant program at Tulsa Community College. If I can really accomplish my dream I will be a PT specifically for dancers and athletes. Why only dancers and athletes? Well, I am a dancer myself and have been for the better part of my life (16 or 17 years now) and I have also torn my PCL and meniscus when I played basketball in high school so I know how much it sucks getting back into dance and sports after such an intense injury. I want to work with dancers and athletes and teach them how to stretch and train properly so that they can minimize the amount and severity of injuries and can continue to follow their dreams!
I am currently a member of a dance company in Tulsa, Oklahoma called Portico Danse Theatre and have been for about a three and a half years now. However, I am not just a dancer with the company but also one of their main aerialists! I'm actually sort of a co-director for our aerial program. What on earth is an 'aerialist'? Well, it is this:
(Personal photo.
Taken July 19th, 2014 in the Williams theater at the Tulsa PAC.
Performing "911" in "Mob Mental.Ity" by Portico Danse Theatre.
I am the one on the right)
Yep, I dance on silks and lyra (I've also done a little bit with strap loops, wrist straps, as well as static and flying trapeze) way high in the air, only locked in by my feet and sometimes not even that. I have been performing aerial for almost four years now. I have also done modern, lyrical, jazz, contemporary ballet and a little hip hop (poorly).
Other aerial apparatuses:
Personal photo: 2015 rigging workshop wrist straps
Personal photo: 2016 strap loops workshop with Anya Shevelyuk
Personal photo: Beginning partners lyra workshop with me (black sports bra) and my roommate Paris (pink shirt)
I was born in Santa Barbra, California but raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Both sets of my grandparents along with most of the rest of my family lives in Tulsa as well so it makes it nice to have such a strong support system.
I am incredibly obsessed with dragons. I love to draw them, read about them, have stuffed animals of them, watch movies and shows that have dragons in them, I even have a Game of Thrones dragon egg canister that was given to me as a Christmas present. Someday, I will have a dragon tattoo on my leg. No, I have not seen the movie "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" nor will I.
But on the topic of tattoos, I have four tattoos! All of my tattoos hold an incredible amount of meaning to me, none of them are just because. The feather is for my dad, the blue dove is for my best friend, the sun and moon is for my mother and the rose is for my maternal grandparents.
Photo info: Personal Photos. Top, my first tattoo. I got it in San Francisco in August of 2010.
Middle, second tattoo. The blue dove. The three droplet things are the tail, then the wing is hollow then the beak is facing my hair line. I got this one in June of 2014 in Tulsa. Bottom, third tattoo was the sun and moon and then the rose I just got a few months ago.
I have two cats named Koko and Marie. I love cats and I have always had cats. I had a dog once for about two weeks but he ate the couch in my backyard so my mom and I gave him to a friend with ten acres of land. I used to have a bearded dragon (again, obsessed with dragons) named Oliver and he was pretty much the coolest thing ever.
That is most of the information I feel like is cool stuff that people would want to know. If you're ever in Tulsa you should check around and see if my dance company is having any shows going on! Feel free to ask questions!
Have a great day!
This is super awesome that you are a aerialist! I have been to a few shows that have had acts like the ones that you talked about and showed in your pictures before. BIG FAN! I am interested on how started to get into dancing on silks and lyra?
ReplyDeleteI think its sweet you want to be a physical therapist just like you with Chiropractic I also wanted to be a therapist for a good portion of my life!
p.s Love the tattoos!
Hey Sage! I also danced a ton and want to be a PT that works with dancers! I think it is a great field to be in and I am currently going through the process of applying to schools. I absolutely adore dragons as well so kudos to you for wanting to get a tattoo of them. I am terrified of needles so I'm not sure I could every handle a tattoo!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, Sage! As soon as I saw those photos, I remembered about this dancing... and, like I probably said last time: wow! Let me know if/when your dance company has a show coming up; I would love to include that in the announcements!
ReplyDeleteAbout tattoos: a person once took this class solely with the purpose of deciding what Indian god or goddess he would get as a tattoo. The class was all tattoo research for him. In the end, he chose: GANESHA . :-)
And while I don't have dragons to offer, there are some seriously amazing serpents called Nagas, including the cosmic Naga: Shesha. I think you told me you already have a project for class in mind, but as you explore, keep an eye on the Nagas. They are really cool!
I do actually have a show Sunday September 25th in Tulsa! Its at Tulsa Ballet. Its free too but I think with the purchase of a ticket to another show. I'll post a link once I get more information on it!
DeleteHey Sage! You have such an amazing future ahead of you! You sound so confident and determined in what you want. I love those pictures you posted of your shows and practices. You look so elegant and graceful! As someone who trips over her own feet every few days, the ability to control your body as you're flying through the air is amazing to me. It was really cool getting to know you!
ReplyDeleteHi Sage! That is awesome that you want to become a PT and help people who have hurt themselves like you have done. I've always thought being an aerialist would be so cool! I don't think I'm meant for it, but I love watching it! All of your tattoos are awesome and it's incredible that each one has a special meaning to you! I'm excited to get to read some of your writing!
ReplyDeleteHi, Sage! I love your name! Thank you for posting all of your personal photos, it really helped me get to know you -- your dancing looks beautiful! I wish you the best of luck in pursuing your PT career, and don't feel lonely being a super senior -- I took a very circuitous route to my University education also, (though I am currently only a junior, a very old junior) so everyone who wants to learn is all good! Goodluck at your show this Sunday, I wish I could get up to Tulsa to see it!
ReplyDeleteHi Sage! Best of luck with going after that career in PT. It's so neat that you're an aerialist; it must require a tremendous amount of strength to support yourself on silks and still look so graceful!
ReplyDeleteI don't visit Tulsa often, but let me know where I can find your dance company's schedule and maybe I can come see a show. :)
I'm sure it was a long, arduous process trying to recover from those injuries. It looks like you really bounced back, given that you're one of the lead aerialists. Do the aerialists from your company ever cross over into some of the more Broadway-type shows? What other performance genres have you been involved in?
ReplyDeleteHello Sage,
ReplyDeleteI like your tattoos! I have always wanted to get one but have never know what to get that would be meaningful enough to me. I have always appreciated when people get tattoos that are very meaningful to them. I am also very impressed that you do arial dancing. It looks so challenging and dangerous.
Hi Sage! Back again for another round of comments on your introduction! It's really nice that you have most of your family in Tulsa. I wish that I grew up with my extended family close to me! I am still amazed that you do all of the aerial dancing. I remember I went and see cirque du soleil a few years ago and they were doing that there. I thought it was super neat and beautiful! I enjoy reading your stories and can't wait to read some more!
ReplyDeleteHi Sage!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading through your introduction and getting to know you a little! I liked seeing and reading your tattoos. I have never gotten one but I have thought about getting one before. I always love to hear about the meaning of other peoples tattoos and hear the stories behind them. Arial dancing seems very challenging and its impressive that you do it!
Oooooh, how cool! I love that you're going into a profession to help other artists like yourself. I'm an actor, but WOW do I admire dancers. It always makes me so sad when one of my friends from the dance department get an injury, because I know what that means for their career. Best of luck in your studies! I've always wanted to try silks! There is a studio in my hometown now, but I moved right when they opened. Boo. I also really appreciate your tattoos and their meanings! I dated a boy once who was covered in tattoo's but claimed that they didn't have any meaning... I didn't really understand that. I mean, I get it, but still... you'd think they would serve some symbolic purpose! Anyway, nice meeting you!
ReplyDeleteThat is so amazing that you are an aerialist! I'm so glad that you included personal photos. I have always been intrigued by aerial dancing. I think it is absolutely beautiful! I think it would be so much fun to do, but I would also be terrified. So I definitely commend you! That is such an awesome talent and hobby.
ReplyDeleteAll the things you have accomplished is amazing. I like that you are pursuing something that you want to do, and is not just doing it for the money. I can see the passion and drive you have for PT. I also am a dance, but different from you. I have always wanted to try Ariel dancing, hopefully someday soon.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you are an aerialist and dancer! I did tap and jazz as a kid and was absolutely terrible at it. Gymnastics too. I think it's awesome that you want to help dancers and athletes. I was a swimmer in high school and we tend to get all sorts of ridiculous injuries over the years. Good luck with everything!
ReplyDeleteIt’s so nice to see that you have such a fun passion. The pictures that you have included look so fun and interesting! I would kill to be that talented at something. Hopefully someday I will be able to find my talent. I sincerely believe that you will go far with your dream to work with dancers and athletes in order to help them to properly stretch and train. I too love cats so much! Unfortunately, I am allergic to them. I do wish that you had kept the puppy instead of giving it away but it’s good to hear that he/she now has plenty of room to roam!
ReplyDeleteHey sage! I think your story and passions in life are awesome! I like the fact that you want to help people and the fact that you have gone through this stuff is amazing and going to be a big asset in my opinion. Have fun with your last few weeks of college before going to school again in
ReplyDeleteCan't believe I've never read your introduction before! As someone who has an intense fear of heights, I could never do what you do on the aerials, and I commend you for your fearlessness! Your pictures look absolutely stunning and I really want to see it in action now! Also, I love your tattoos! I've been considering getting one for a while now, but I don't have the money yet to get a really good one. Yours are all absolutely gorgeous though! Also I know it's almost the end of the year but a picture of your cats would be appreciated :). And the bearded dragon too even though you don't have him anymore. Dragons are awesome.
ReplyDelete