who I am:

Jasmine Goldband

Family...  I'm married to a wonderful guy named James.  We live in Morgantown, WV and have a dog named Porter.  She's been the constant in my life for the past 10 years.  So many things have changed and she was my little buddy through it all.  My father passed away this past December.  He was the kind of guy who would bend over backwards for his family.  He worked so hard to give us what he didn't have.  His father was not a loving dad and my mother said he always wanted a family to give the love he never got.  He succeeded.

Photo by Cassie Kay Photography

Dance... The past seven years I have been a dancer in Pittsburgh, PA.  I've seen companies come and go and have been involved with two that failed due to the economy.  It's a sad thing to see a dance company go under.  In many cases it's not the dancer's fault, but  really more about the tastes of the audiences and how big "the pie" is.  After the economy tanked, so many had a hard time making ends meet.  The arts took the biggest hit. We all get our funding from the same places.  The first company I performed with was a small modern dance company called LABCO or Laboratory Company Dance.  It went under in 2009.  I performed and taught with LABCO, Pillow Project Dance Company, August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble and Dance Alloy Theater over the past seven seasons and have loved every

Biandi Photography & Art

second.  Two weeks ago I lost my income.  Dance Alloy Theater, of which I had the honor of performing with during it's 35th year anniversary, ran out of grant money... along with some other issues that were kept from us by our board of directors.  We merged with a theater down the street, but we are no longer a salaried dance company.  My career is dramatically changing right now.  With a foot injury and living so far from important performance opportunities, I'm finding that teaching is making a comeback in my life.  I was a college adjunct teacher in the theater department at a small college in WV for three years and at a University in Pittsburgh.  Over the past three years I have done more outreach work, like I did early in my career, and have really enjoyed making an impact with young children.  My teaching has really spanned every age range from 3 to 76 and from non dancers to professionals.  I've taught in practically every kind of venue, from studios to elementary schools and colleges to dance clubs.  I really have done it all... and loved it.  www.GretchenMoore.webs.com

Travel...  We love to vacation.  The southern part of the Outer Banks is our new favorite beach spot.  We were always a North Myrtle Beach family, but two years ago we ventured north to OBX and it was perfect for us.  Our friends that live in Boulder City, NV always have us out (usually every summer).  We could never live there.  We love to visit , but wow is it hot!  Love DC.  We try and stop every year on our way back from the beach.  I took this pic of a of a silly female duck diving for food in the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial a few years ago.

Hopefully this blog with be a way for me to share my loves... I have many.  I've only scratched the surface of my life...