I first met Maranda Blumenthal as a fellow dancer auditioning for Contemporary Dance Theatre of Tulsa’s artistic director, Jill Priest. 
Maranda and I quickly connected through our love of movement and performance.  We both had the opportunity to have our own opportunities to choreograph for the company, as well. I remember the experience of working under her as a choreographer to be nothing but fun with a lot of puzzles to solve. As a performer, that was always interesting to me. It helped forge our friendship for the years to come.
 
The next chapter of life for me was one of challenge but I was thrilled to find myself Maranda’s housemate (her and her gigantic bunny rabbit, that my cat hardly knew what to think of). The energy of another creative in the house was invigorating and supportive. I really feel it gave me much needed fuel to not only complete my grad studies but to find reserves of strength spiritually when we talk of faith and art matters. Maranda and I would find ourselves residing in the same state again a couple years later in Tulsa; two gypsy’s that always seemed to find each other. 
 
Although I don’t remember now how long Maranda has served on The Bell House Board of Directors (I apparently didn’t keep records tidy enough in the beginnings of Bell House history), I’m keenly aware of all the support and service she has provided selflessly for many, many years. In addition to the Board of Directors, Maranda also lent her creative talents to the Exchange Choreography Festival Creative Team in countless meetings and planning sessions that has helped make the festival the “go-to event” for modern dance in Tulsa. 
 
As she and her husband, Joshua, anticipate the arrival of their second child, she has chosen now as a time for a hiatus from board activity. I’m so appreciative of her service and commitment to the arts in Tulsa and at The Bell House. Most of all, I value our friendship and wait expectantly with them to receive this next new blessing into their lives. The Bell House doors are always open in a professional capacity for returning service in the future but, more importantly, they are open unconditionally to her and her family as we share life and love and, even burdens, with them for many more years to come. 
 
Rachel Bruce Johnson

We thought we'd highlight this article on voyagedallas.com from January 2019 on Erika Record....a past Bell House presenting artist. This just gives a glimpse of what she has been doing and how she has been moving the past year.  

JANUARY 3, 2019 Art & Life with Erika Record

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erika Record.
Erika, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I’m a native Texan. I was born and raised in San Antonio, and between high school and graduate school, I slowly moved further and further north until I got to Denton. I studied Dance at Texas State University in San Marcos. After that, I attended graduate school at Texas Woman’s University and graduated with an MFA in Dance. Now I live outside of Fort Worth, and I commute to my various jobs in the DFW area. I spend most of my time as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Dance at Texas Woman’s University. When I’m not teaching at TWU, I lead yoga classes at various yoga studios in the region. When I’m not doing either of those things, I fill in the gaps with freelance photography and graphic design work.
As long as I can remember, I have always indulged in my creative side. As a child I loved coloring and singing. In my adolescent years, I explored musical instruments and played the piano, violin, and French Horn. As a teenager, I loved dancing, and dance is what eventually stuck through high school, college and my graduate studies. In my professional career, while dance is my central focus, my freelance work in photography and graphic design have been integral to my success as an artist.
The life I lead now is not the one I imagined I would have as a child. For the longest time, I wanted to have a career in medicine. But in college, I felt a shift in my life that veered me down the professional path I’m on today. The life I’ve chosen as an artist has not been an easy one, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been rewarding or worthwhile. Every day that I engage with the creative process, I more fully realize my intelligence and personal power.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My art has been evolving and expanding over the years, so lately I’ve identified myself as a creativa. Under this umbrella I create dances, engaging lessons, photographs, infographics, websites, festival environments and more. But the art that I feel the most connected to is dance. When I choreograph dances, I find inspiration in everything from people-watching to cinematography to personal relationships. My work seeks to bring the everyday to the experimental on the dance stage. I value extreme physicality and intricate gestures. I appreciate continuous, fluid movement and intimate narratives. My dances typically stretch time by contrasting complex group unison with moments of prolonged stillness. In all of my creative work, I try to tell a compelling story or create a space for people to tell their own stories. I feel my work is successful when audiences are inspired and enraptured by the stories and worlds, I share with them.
Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
My advice to artists is to broaden your skill set. Many artists already understand that they are likely entering a lower paying career, so it is wise to supplement your income with additional skills. Knowing now that I am doing all of this work in photography and graphic design in addition to my dance career, I wish I would have taken some specific classes in each of those subjects while I was still in school. I am self-taught, so learning these skills earlier could have helped me expand my freelance work more quickly in times when finances were tricky. But you know, YouTube goes a long way (and it’s free!).
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Dance is best supported by an audience who goes to see it live! When dance is collectively supported by the community, the artists who create, perform, and produce the work can thrive. So, whether you are attending a concert featuring my personal choreography or that of someone else, you are supporting my network and, therefore, my work as well. I choreograph often for the TWU Department of Dance, so you can typically see my work in one of the department concerts produced each semester (www.twu.edu/dance). I also create dances in various festivals statewide and regionally. The best way to find out where I am presenting my latest projects is on my website, www.recordmoves.com. For people interested in my photography, find me at www.erikarecordphotography.zenfolio.com.
Contact Info:

• Website: www.recordmoves.com
• Email: erikarecord@gmail.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/erikarecord
• Facebook: facebook.com/erikarecord
• Other: www.erikarecordphotography.zenfolio.com