WIll Morris



Projects by WIll Morris

Diving Deep into IU Ballerinas

By Will Morris, Ellie Belshaw, Jola Wright and Sylvia Sasse

BLOOMINGTON, Ind (April 3, 2025)

As a young girl, Anjuli Paul can still recall the times she spent twirling around her living room. She smiles as she remembers, “I was always just dancing around the house.” Her passionate path as a ballerina began with those carefree moments of spontaneous movement that eventually evolved into a serious endeavor.

 

Paul, now a freshman at Indiana University, began her formal ballet training at the age of four, encourag

Anjuli Paul, Freshman at IU ready for her day of being a ballerina. Her story telling and knowledge of this art is spectacular

ed by her mother, who thought it would be a good fit. But it wasn’t until she was eleven years old that ballet started to mean more to Paul. “That’s when I really started to take it seriously,” she recalls. Ballet changed over time from being a mere pastime to become her life’s passion.

“I think my favorite part of dancing has always been performing,” adds Paul. “It’s just such a special experience.” Paul sees ballet as an opportunity to share something really personal, rather than just a form of dance. She notes that her main form of self-expression has always been dance. Paul, who describes herself as an introvert, struggles to express her feelings in words, but she is able to do it on stage with each leap and pirouette.

Her capacity for nonverbal communication is the foundation of Paul’s relationship with dance. “Dance has always been a way for me to express myself,” she adds thoughtfully. Deeming herself a

As Anjuli Paul states “dancing is a way for her to express herself and show emotion”. This is her while she is practicing for her next big show.

s an introvert, expressing herself through movement

has always felt natural to her. 

A significant part of being a ballerina at Indiana University is not just the performances, but the preparation that goes into each one. Paul takes us behind the scenes to see what it’s like to get ready for a show, starting by explaining their pre-performance ritual. “We stand in a circle with the group, close our eyes, and squeeze each other’s hands. It’s a way for us to center ourselves and prepare for what’s coming,” she shares. 

The process leading up to a performance starts long before the first rehearsal. A choreographer arrives with a preliminary casting list, called ‘learning groups,’ to begin developing the routine. The following rehearsals serve as an audition, a time when the dancers may learn a “key phrase” of choreography. This could determine their role in the final performance. “After the choreographers leave, they won’t come back until tech week, which is the week before the show,” Paul explains. “Once we have the choreography, we’re running it every day, every week.”

Each day up until the performance is filled with rigorous rehearsals. The stakes are high, especially during tech week, which Paul describes as the “craziest” part of the process. “We are here from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day,” Paul says, laughing. “I tell my friends I’m going into survival mode.”

During tech week, the dancers run the entire show in full makeup and costumes, and practice with the orchestra. Though a dem

Anjuli Paul getting herself all ready before her practice begins. It’s a long day ahead of her.

anding schedule, it ensures the dancers are prepared for every moment of the show. Once tech

week is over, the group performs all week long, with the Monday following the performance being the only break. “The whole process is very intense,” Paul states.

The entire process—from auditioning dancers to selecting choreography and rehearsing for performances—takes about eight weeks. Paul’s most recent piece, ‘Sandpaper Ballet’, started at the very beginning of the semester. “From there we’ve just been working on it through now,” she says. “I would say it usually takes about two months.”

Paul’s path to Indiana University was shaped by years of dedication.She became even more dedicated to dance when she transferred to a Boston boarding school for her senior year of high school. She attributes this transition to the nature of being a dancer, having previously been living away from home since she was fourteen. “It definitely made the transition to college easier, especially with living away from home,” Paul added. 

Her time in Boston prepared her for the professional demands of ballet, especially the expectations at Indiana University. “Being able to work with the Boston Ballet Company really helped prepare me for that more professional environment,” she says. “It also helped with that transition from being a student to being more of a professional dancer.”

As she embarks on her freshman year, Paul continues to push herself both as a dancer and an individual. She believes ballet brings out the best version of herself. “It really allows me to express myself,” she explains. “There are certain things you can’t explain with words, and for me the way to express that is through movement.”

Her experience is proof of the ability of performance to not only display skill but also to discover one’s voice in a manner that words cannot always express. Ballet is more than just an art form to Anjuli Paul; it’s a place where she discovers who she is and shares that with the world.

From the living room to the stage, her journey is just beginning, but it’s clear that dance will continue to be a key part of her story, both at Indiana University and beyond.

https://youtu.be/rDuIrTfzyaA

Apple Watch Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts
Will Morris
Ava Eppley
Jennie Scala

CUPERTINO, California (Sep. 9, 2014) – Apple today has just introduced its newest product on the market, the Apple Watch. Tim Cooks, the CEO of Apple, took the stage to have his viewers gain more knowledge on the newest product. The watch itself has so many different, amazing features that are all user friendly. The watch has a small, rounded square, touch screen that allows the user to be able to guide their way to the different apps allowed on the watch. Like any watch, It allows for a digital clock to appear right on the front home screen but that’s not all. You are also able to have a stopwatch so you can accurately time things, or you can set timers on the device and once the timer goes off your watch white vibrate right there on your wrist to notify you. The watch itself is super customizable and allows users to make their watch have their own style. As stated before, the app has so many different features and apps like a health and fitness app that allows for the user to check and keep track of their heart rate, their steps and many more. 

Apple introduced their new product, the Apple Watch, with new innovative technology similar to the iphone. A student at Indiana University checked his calendar on his new Apple Watch and ensured he made it to class on time.

The Apple Watch has more than just a touch screen as well. On the side of the watch there is a small circular dial that is a major tool the user is allowed to use to have more convenience. The dial or as Tim called it “The Digital Crown” works as a function for people that need to use the touch screen but don’t want to cover the screen with their fingers while they are trying to zoom in or scroll. This amazing and helpful feature allows the user to scroll up and down on the screen or if they are on an app that allows it, it can be used to zoom in, like on the maps app for example. The feature is very important to have on the watch but it also does more. If the user would like to navigate to the home screen to view all of their apps, they just need to push the dial and it will take them back to the home screen. This feature is amazing and super helpful. 

As mentioned earlier, the watch has many different apps that it allows. One of the super helpful apps that is on the watch is Messages. This sounds exactly how it is, it’s the same app on your iphone and allows you to message your contacts that you have synced on your iphone. This is super helpful in times where maybe your phone is dead and your watch is the way you are able to contact someone. Simpler to the messaging app, it also allows calls. Yes you are able to call someone right there from your wrist. Another app is the photos app. This is an app where you are able to look upon some of your favorite memories that you captured on your phone. You are able to select photos you would like to keep, or would like to delete and complete this task right there in the app. 

The watch allows for the user to have their own style, taste, and diversity with the different customizations. The Apple Watch body comes in many different colors which you are allowed to choose which one you want. There are different straps that the user can purchase to have it be 

Seated at a table at Raising Canes, a man enjoyed his meal and glanced at his Apple Watch to check his notifications. The new Apple Watch made it easy to stay connected without interrupting his dining experience more comfortable or to change up their style. You’re also able to change the way your screen will display like the clock on the front and a wallpaper to go with it that can be set to whatever you please with your own photos you have saved. As Tim Cooks said during this announcement “the watch is made to be as personal as you want it”. 

This new amazing product by Apple is life changing  for the users that buy and create a whole new way of communication and lifestyle. It brings convenience to the user for day to day tasks. The watch working as a normal watch but also as a smaller, personal, version of an iphone is a new life changing piece of revolutionary advanced technology that is bound to be a must have for the apple community.

[kultura]https://iu.mediaspace.kaltura.com/media/t/1_7b4r0mnx[/kaltura]

Segment 1: Apple plays video to announce their newest product on September 9th, 2014 held at the Flint Center at De Anza College in Cupertino, California. Their brand-new product that was announced on this day was called the Apple Watch.

Segment 2: Tim Cook, Apple CEO, introduces Kevin Lynch, Apple Vice Presidnet to the stage to give the first ever live demo of the product. Both Cook and Lynch were ecstatic about Apple Watch’s release and were very proud of the detailed product Apple created.

Segment 3: Tim Cook, Apple CEO, announces the Apple Watch’s starting price and release date. Apple Watch started at $349 and was to be released in early 2015.

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