Today was ... weird
Patsfan got home before I had to finally decide "do I stay or do I go, now." He helped me come to the conclusion that, yes, I did need to stay busy. I couldn't reach my semi-estranged friend, unsurprisingly since she was probably tied up making arrangements, so there wasn't even a question whether I ought to be running to her side to be supportive. If I didn't go, I would be sitting around being anxious about our niece, alternating with bouts of tears.
I also realized fairly quickly that I couldn't go with my original plan of driving to Braintree and taking the T, like I did for the last Boston bellydance event. T=down time, and today, that would = crying. I really didn't want to be that person sitting in a corner of the train crying, so I did something I never, ever do if I can possibly help it. I drove into Cambridge.
Driving in wasn't so bad. I even figured out how to loop up and down Mass Ave a few times looking for a parking spot. And found one, so that I didn't have to pay an arm and a leg for all-day parking. Driving out was a challenge, because I couldn't just retrace my route. The street that had gotten me from the Mass Pike to Mass Ave was, of course, one way. One of the many reasons I don't drive in Cambridge or Boston. I kept circling around trying to figure out how to pick River St. back up, only to finally realize I needed to stay on Western Ave, and that would get me back to the Pike. All in all, though, not too bad.
The workshops were great, partly for their content and partly just because they necessarily kept up a demanding pace. When you're fitting 4 workshops in 2 hours, that is sort of necessary. I picked up a few things I may use in my own warmups during the first workshop, though not much I'd likely use with my beginner students. It was, like most of the workshops, designed for dancers who already pretty much know what they are doing and want to pick up a few little tidbits, not so much for beginners.
The veil workshop fit a *lot* more in than I'd have thought possible in a half hour. A very different approach to veil dancing than I am used to, which is all to the good. No point in going just to go through stuff I already know. My veil really didn't want to cooperate. I probably should have switched off to one of the others I had brought, as I literally think this one just desperately needs to be washed. I'm so nervous about washing veils! But, um, it's almost a year old, and is starting to smell like it's (unsurprisingly) full of sweat. That might account for the lack of floaty-ness, ya think?
The hip work for drum solos workshop also crammed in more than I'd have expected possible. And she actually had a third combo planned, from the sound of it. That one was with Johara, who is doing a workshop Nov 5th. That day is already crammed, but the next chance I get to take a workshop with her, I think I shall. The funny thing was, with the lighting in the Middle East Downstairs, she looked like Abby Lockhart from ER:
. She actually looks nothing like her, it was just the way the lighting was picking out the lines of her face. It was amusing, though.
The zills workshop was the one very basic one. With good reason. Even a lot of experienced dancers are intimidated by zills. Za-Beth was a little confusing in her approach sometimes, such as it would sound like she was describing what she would want us to do in a minute ... then would say, well why aren't you doing it? Beeeecause you said "we will do xyz" and we thought you were still explaining what you would want us to do when you said, "ok, now do it," and we didn't want to be drowning your explanation with zills? LOL But she did a really good job of creating a little combo that helped with breaking down some of the mental barriers around zilling while dancing, and gave some excellent suggestions on how to increase our comfort level with it.
I only stayed for the first two sets of performances. The break between the workshops and the first set, I filled by helping carry chairs to set up for the audience ... then snagged a good seat where I could try and take pictures. I haven't tried uploading them yet, so I don't know if they will be visible at all. The lighting is really not conducive to flash photography. I set it for "night" and "fill flash," so a)it's amazing I didn't blind anybody and b)if it is at all possible to get a decent still down there, I should have a couple. But the previews on the camera looked pretty weird. It will just depend on whether they can be made clear on the computer.
The down time between the first set and the second was brutal. I knew I didn't have the cash to go participate in the silent auction, so I kind of stayed put and tried to do some stretching. But that left my mind too much opportunity to wander. I checked my phone to see if anyone had called, which of course they hadn't, as I'd had it in my pocket on vibrate so that I could have run out and answered it if they did. By the end of that break, I knew that the next set was going to have to be it for me.
The performances I saw were great, though I admit to not quite "getting" the one done by the Flying Tresses during the first set. That number was very performance-arty, I think. Or, if it was one of the trancy traditional things like Zar, that I've heard of but know next to nothing about, well, the point is I know next to nothing about them, so again, I just sort of didn't get it. I was bummed, though, that I didn't get to see either of badriyaz's troupe and duet performances, though I did pass her on my way out, rehearsing with a troupemate, and waved "bye."
When I got home, I talked to Patsfan for about 10 seconds, and then just went into the bedroom and lay down. I thought I was going to burst into tears, but didn't. Just kind of lay there for a bit, then did some stretches, and eventually drifted off to sleep, which I was *not* expecting to do. I didn't think I was actually physically tired.
The Boston Globe doesn't have today's edition up yet online, so I still don't know anything about services, or what today is going to look like. I did give Marie a heads-up, and she told me not to worry about classes. She'll just fold the beginners class into the intermediate if I can't be there. Folding the Yoga-Pilates class into her strength training class will, I imagine, be a *tad* more challenging, but at least it's an option.
I can feel a cold coming on, too. Yay. Need juice.
I also realized fairly quickly that I couldn't go with my original plan of driving to Braintree and taking the T, like I did for the last Boston bellydance event. T=down time, and today, that would = crying. I really didn't want to be that person sitting in a corner of the train crying, so I did something I never, ever do if I can possibly help it. I drove into Cambridge.
Driving in wasn't so bad. I even figured out how to loop up and down Mass Ave a few times looking for a parking spot. And found one, so that I didn't have to pay an arm and a leg for all-day parking. Driving out was a challenge, because I couldn't just retrace my route. The street that had gotten me from the Mass Pike to Mass Ave was, of course, one way. One of the many reasons I don't drive in Cambridge or Boston. I kept circling around trying to figure out how to pick River St. back up, only to finally realize I needed to stay on Western Ave, and that would get me back to the Pike. All in all, though, not too bad.
The workshops were great, partly for their content and partly just because they necessarily kept up a demanding pace. When you're fitting 4 workshops in 2 hours, that is sort of necessary. I picked up a few things I may use in my own warmups during the first workshop, though not much I'd likely use with my beginner students. It was, like most of the workshops, designed for dancers who already pretty much know what they are doing and want to pick up a few little tidbits, not so much for beginners.
The veil workshop fit a *lot* more in than I'd have thought possible in a half hour. A very different approach to veil dancing than I am used to, which is all to the good. No point in going just to go through stuff I already know. My veil really didn't want to cooperate. I probably should have switched off to one of the others I had brought, as I literally think this one just desperately needs to be washed. I'm so nervous about washing veils! But, um, it's almost a year old, and is starting to smell like it's (unsurprisingly) full of sweat. That might account for the lack of floaty-ness, ya think?
The hip work for drum solos workshop also crammed in more than I'd have expected possible. And she actually had a third combo planned, from the sound of it. That one was with Johara, who is doing a workshop Nov 5th. That day is already crammed, but the next chance I get to take a workshop with her, I think I shall. The funny thing was, with the lighting in the Middle East Downstairs, she looked like Abby Lockhart from ER:
. She actually looks nothing like her, it was just the way the lighting was picking out the lines of her face. It was amusing, though.
The zills workshop was the one very basic one. With good reason. Even a lot of experienced dancers are intimidated by zills. Za-Beth was a little confusing in her approach sometimes, such as it would sound like she was describing what she would want us to do in a minute ... then would say, well why aren't you doing it? Beeeecause you said "we will do xyz" and we thought you were still explaining what you would want us to do when you said, "ok, now do it," and we didn't want to be drowning your explanation with zills? LOL But she did a really good job of creating a little combo that helped with breaking down some of the mental barriers around zilling while dancing, and gave some excellent suggestions on how to increase our comfort level with it.
I only stayed for the first two sets of performances. The break between the workshops and the first set, I filled by helping carry chairs to set up for the audience ... then snagged a good seat where I could try and take pictures. I haven't tried uploading them yet, so I don't know if they will be visible at all. The lighting is really not conducive to flash photography. I set it for "night" and "fill flash," so a)it's amazing I didn't blind anybody and b)if it is at all possible to get a decent still down there, I should have a couple. But the previews on the camera looked pretty weird. It will just depend on whether they can be made clear on the computer.
The down time between the first set and the second was brutal. I knew I didn't have the cash to go participate in the silent auction, so I kind of stayed put and tried to do some stretching. But that left my mind too much opportunity to wander. I checked my phone to see if anyone had called, which of course they hadn't, as I'd had it in my pocket on vibrate so that I could have run out and answered it if they did. By the end of that break, I knew that the next set was going to have to be it for me.
The performances I saw were great, though I admit to not quite "getting" the one done by the Flying Tresses during the first set. That number was very performance-arty, I think. Or, if it was one of the trancy traditional things like Zar, that I've heard of but know next to nothing about, well, the point is I know next to nothing about them, so again, I just sort of didn't get it. I was bummed, though, that I didn't get to see either of badriyaz's troupe and duet performances, though I did pass her on my way out, rehearsing with a troupemate, and waved "bye."
When I got home, I talked to Patsfan for about 10 seconds, and then just went into the bedroom and lay down. I thought I was going to burst into tears, but didn't. Just kind of lay there for a bit, then did some stretches, and eventually drifted off to sleep, which I was *not* expecting to do. I didn't think I was actually physically tired.
The Boston Globe doesn't have today's edition up yet online, so I still don't know anything about services, or what today is going to look like. I did give Marie a heads-up, and she told me not to worry about classes. She'll just fold the beginners class into the intermediate if I can't be there. Folding the Yoga-Pilates class into her strength training class will, I imagine, be a *tad* more challenging, but at least it's an option.
I can feel a cold coming on, too. Yay. Need juice.