Posted: 2/19/03

Dance turns tragedy to triumph

Jessica Foster
Staff Writer

Looking at her dance, seeing photos of this young woman, one sees a dancer, a mother, a daughter, a wife, a woman. But talking to her, hearing her story of tragedy and triumph, so much more is revealed.

Her courage.

Her strength.

Her determination.

Nicole Grandstrand, the daughter of Chuck and Dorothy Grandstrand, Wyoming, has been dancing since she was 6-years-oldópractically forever.

Dancing, expression through movement and grace, has been a constant in her life. Now, she can credit dance, in part, to saving her life.

Now, about to appear as the Water Goddess in ìTranscendance,î premiering next weekend at the Basilica of St. Mary, Grandstrand is a true survivor.

Shortly after the birth of her second son, Mercer, the 32-year-old suffered a stroke.

ìThere wasnít really a good explanation other than my migraine history,î Grandstrand said of the strokeís cause.

Though she said the stroke did not cause her pain, the after affects certainly did.

The stroke dramatically changed her left arm and left lególimbs which danced with liquid movements and grace now would not let Grandstrand do simple tasks such as taking her children out of their car seat.

Though she was up walking again just two days after her husband, Lee Carmichael, brought her to the emergency room that fateful day, she would have many challenges.

She spent nine days in the hospital and began occupational and physical therapy.

She walked with her right leg, slightly dragging her left. Walking flights of stairs, she would have to stop midway to rest.

Thinking back to the toughest days of her recovery, Grandstrand will say she felt like a young woman living in the body of an 80-year-old. She learned having two small children to care for was a daunting task when she needed help herself.

Her house became a stopping place for friends and family who had the time and want to help.

ìYou canít be fatigued and have babies,î Grandstrand explained.

Because of her stroke, she had to cut off breast feeding her young son immediately.

ìThat was more heartbreaking than to be told I had a stroke,î Grandstrand said. ìI didnít even think about dancing. I knew my dancing would be pushed off for a long time.î

She was just trying to move again.

ìIt was honestly the hardest thing I could ever imagine,î Grandstrand said of the stroke. ìStrength, stamina, agility and grace, I was used to having all that. And I was dragging my foot through the grocery store.î

Asking for help, the independent woman would learn, was difficult. She didnít want to ask for help but learned she had no choice.

She refused medication to combat depression and became depressed and severely underweight.

Then things started to look up.

Dancing again

Grandstrand can remember going out to lunch with Kristin Freya in December, 2001. Freya was a classmate of Grandstrands when the two were students in the University of Minnesotaís dance program. Friends in college, the two had connected again in their mid-20s. Then, Grandstrand joined Freyaís dance company, Vox Medusa. Through the company, Grandstrand had been in several productions including the Fringe Festival, The Southern Theater and Theater de la Jeune Leuneówhile 8-months pregnant with her first son, Oliver.

Indeed, Grandstrand proved she was a woman who could do it all and juggle multiple responsibilities. Her latest show has been the title role in Vox Medusaís production of ìCleopatra: Ambitious Childî at the OíShaughnessy Auditorium. The show was exhausting, and discovering she was pregnant with Mercer, Grandstrand had decided to take a break from dance.

A year later, out to lunch with Grandstrand, Freya encouraged her friend and colleague to get back to work.

ìI was terrified at that first rehearsal,î Grandstrand explained.

When she danced in ìCleopatra,î she was at the top of her form. She didnít know what to expect at that first rehearsal. Taking a year off from dance as a healthy woman was one thing, but with damage to her left side, she did not know what to expect.

ìMy first performance sucked,î Grandstrand said with a smile.

She started taking technique classes again and her body began to relearn what she had been doing since she was in first grade taking classes from Marcia Galle.

Now, as her body is near top form again, Grandstrand said she has learned to appreciate her 30-something body, even prefer it to her pre-stroke 20-something body.

ìThere is a certain wisdom with age,î she said. ìYour body can move more wisely and deeply. I would take the wiseness over youth, it is a healthier way of moving and understanding dance.î

Dancing, she said, is an omnipresent component of her life.

ìMy absolute favorite thing is going into a wide open studio and working and playing and doing something new, it makes me a better momma!î she said.

Transcendance

ìTranscendance,î an original show written and choreographed by Freya, is about the emergence of the first two souls. Four goddesses representing the elements of water, fire, earth and air prepare the souls for existence on earth.

The show was inspired by Grandstrand as she was pregnant with her first son, Oliver.

ìIt is an artistic representation of mother love, touch, pain, healing and acquisition of knowledge,î Grandstrand said.

While it is not necessarily the story of Adam and Eve, ìTranscendanceî deals with preparing new lives for the world we have.

ìHaving a child is powerful and it is lonely and it is frightening,î Grandstrand said. ìThe show is not about me, it is about the creation of a beingóa human.î

ìTranscendanceî features original music by Jeremy Christensen.

ìIt is ambient, itís instrumental, it has most certainly got a beat,î Grandstrand said of the music she has been rehearsing to. ìHe throws the congas in there, itís moody and itís sensual with operatic voiceÖpulsing, hard.î

World of dance

Despite the popularity of dance among little girls, professional dance is a world unto itself.

ìThe world of dance is a tricky, tricky thing,î Grandstrand said. ìIt is incredibly time consuming and there is no money in it.î

While dance is a worthwhile art to witness, dance can be a tough sell.

ìI think theyíre missing out of seeing a story unfold in a way words never could do,î she said. ìEvery person, not just children, love to be told a story.î

Tickets/information

Tickets for ìTranscendanceî are available by calling 1-800-595-4TIX(4849), online at www.voxmedusa.com or at the Basilica before performances. Tickets cost $5 to $25 each.

Showtimes are 8 p.m. Thursday, February 27 and Friday, February 28.

For more information visit the website or call the information line at 612-722-5112.

The Basilica of St. Mary is located at 88 North 17th St., downtown Minneapolis. Parking is available in the lot on the west side of the Basilica or in a parking ramp on the east side.

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