Knock on my window, tap on my door
...and wake me up. So very, very, sleepy. I'm still recovering from this weekend. I'm too old for that kind of constant running around for a week.
The shows all went very well, I think. Minor mistakes here and there from me, from everyone, but nothing that the audience was overwhelmed by. Except for the really cute mistakes by small children, who were so amazingly cute I almost cried every time I saw them. And they were pretty well behaved, all things considered. Stood in their lines, weren't out of control. Some even danced what they were supposed to when they got onstage. One little girl reportedly lifted her skirt all the way up so she could see her feet while she danced. Although at least once there was a general push toward the front of the stage, to the point where Marlo actually came out from the wings ( where she was doing their dance, and they were all looking at her) and got out in front of them to herd them back away from the edge.
No one broke anything, even though there were lots of bruises and some bloody toes and feet and things, and I know that personally things kept leaping out and smacking me in the ankles as I walked by. I did end up with a cut on my heel that I'm not sure how I managed. I've been told it looks like a carpet staple cut, which could have happened at the performance hall, but I don't remember doing it. But by Saturday, it was starting to really hurt. I thought originally I had bruised it, but after the first matinee performance, I looked at it and realized, no, that's a cut, and it's getting dirty in there, and I'd better do something about it. I cleaned it out as best I could and put a bandaid on it, but by the end of warm-up for the evening show, the bandaid was just coming off. So I gave up and just hoped the cleaning would be enough. And luckily, since mostly when you're dancing your weight is either fully on your whole foot or in your toes and the cut is on the back of my right heel, it hurt but wasn't awful. Until the last modern number, the one that is slower and more introspective. There's a moment when we all turn in unison, slowly, flexing the right foot up and turning with weight on that heel. I just did it the way I always do, and I almost fell over. I felt the flinch up through the top of my head. The people who were in the audience that evening said they didnt see anything, so it's probably a good thing I was in the back for that part. Yow. Faked that turn a bit more for the rest of the performances. Although a good cleaning out that night and the next day have it on the mend. It's funny though, because I was talking about that when we finished the piece and were going into the green room, and another dancer looked at my feet and said "Oh my god, you're bleeding!" To which I picked up my heel and looked at it and said "Really? I don't see anything..." And she snorted and said "No, your other foot." It turns out my left ankle was all bloody from one of the spins on the floor - I must have torn a scab, and it was trickling down my foot. Good thing the audience probably wasn't looking that closely. Bleh. But it didn't hurt at all, really. I take modern dance. I always have little scabs on my ankles and feet. You get used to it. Usually they're not so openly bleeding, though. I'm not quite *that* hardcore.
There's a fall in that dance near the end where I go down from an arch, right toes folded under, onto my knees. Usually I catch that with my hands more, so it doesn't really hurt that much. A little bruising, but I have to say my knees are toughening up a lot. What with all I put them through on a regular basis, anyway. But the very last performance on my last dregs of energy, pushing through the piece, I was late by a nanosecond with my hands, and went down too hard on my knees. Right after that move, I get to put my head down on the floor for a moment, and I have to admit I actually groaned into my hands. Because ow. That really hurt. I don't think the audience could hear me. But I have to admit I walked offstage after the lights went out, quietly cursing to myself. And not quite limping. And hoping the next piece would start and cover my groaning my way down the stairs to the green room. That's one not so good thing about that performance hall. The green room is down a rather long flight of stairs. Adds insult to injury, it does.
The other pieces I was in all went well. I did end up pique-ing two beats early in the jazz piece in the first performance, which was my worst mistake, I think. Everyone else is doing this one move, and I was so proud of myself for getting the move right before it correct that I skipped a step and started turning. And then thought, oh, crap, I don't know where I am now. Luckily, I knew my next move was to get off stage for a few measures, so I did. Swearing. But that music is really loud, so no one could hear me.
The other modern piece I was in opened each show, which was a little nerve-wracking. But I started each time with the thought to myself, you've danced this before. You know what you're doing, you know the cues, you'll be fine. And I pretty much was. Sometimes the turns worked better than others, and sometimes the jumps were higher, but I didn't make any huge mistakes in that number any time. And it's a fun number to dance, once you get past the nerves. The jazz piece is, too. Remembering to just let go and emote and dance it as well and remember the choreography can sometimes be a challenge, but I do love those pieces, so I think I managed ok.
I did have friends who came to see me dance, and they all said they enjoyed the show. Mostly people came to the matinees, so they could see the tap number. Which went all right, but tap, it is hard. I am not as good as I could be, and my ankles sometimes refuse to do what I ask of them. Luckily, with a large group of people tapping, it is easy to pretend you are doing just fine. Ahem. Smiling! Always smiling! But I have great friends who were very sweet, and brought me flowers and went to food with me after, and told me they enjoyed it (whether they were just being kind or not).
I believe there will be DVDs available within the next month or so. I have to order them from Marlo. There are several pieces that I absolutely *LOVE* that I want to watch over and over again, that are company numbers. I would sit backstage as out of the way as I could and watch them from the side, every time. Holy cow, those people are so talented. And the choreography is stunning. There are some moves that are completely amazing, watching someone move their body in a way that seems like water, or flight, or knives. They just drop me into breathlessness each time I see them. I wish I were good enough (and had time enough as well) to be in one of the companies. Those dances look like so much fun!
Ok, need to get back to work. I'm behind, and tired, and I have to work like a maniac this week to get myself into a good spot, work-wise. Back to my semi-regularly scheduled chaos. I'll post links to pictures and stuff as I get them.
The shows all went very well, I think. Minor mistakes here and there from me, from everyone, but nothing that the audience was overwhelmed by. Except for the really cute mistakes by small children, who were so amazingly cute I almost cried every time I saw them. And they were pretty well behaved, all things considered. Stood in their lines, weren't out of control. Some even danced what they were supposed to when they got onstage. One little girl reportedly lifted her skirt all the way up so she could see her feet while she danced. Although at least once there was a general push toward the front of the stage, to the point where Marlo actually came out from the wings ( where she was doing their dance, and they were all looking at her) and got out in front of them to herd them back away from the edge.
No one broke anything, even though there were lots of bruises and some bloody toes and feet and things, and I know that personally things kept leaping out and smacking me in the ankles as I walked by. I did end up with a cut on my heel that I'm not sure how I managed. I've been told it looks like a carpet staple cut, which could have happened at the performance hall, but I don't remember doing it. But by Saturday, it was starting to really hurt. I thought originally I had bruised it, but after the first matinee performance, I looked at it and realized, no, that's a cut, and it's getting dirty in there, and I'd better do something about it. I cleaned it out as best I could and put a bandaid on it, but by the end of warm-up for the evening show, the bandaid was just coming off. So I gave up and just hoped the cleaning would be enough. And luckily, since mostly when you're dancing your weight is either fully on your whole foot or in your toes and the cut is on the back of my right heel, it hurt but wasn't awful. Until the last modern number, the one that is slower and more introspective. There's a moment when we all turn in unison, slowly, flexing the right foot up and turning with weight on that heel. I just did it the way I always do, and I almost fell over. I felt the flinch up through the top of my head. The people who were in the audience that evening said they didnt see anything, so it's probably a good thing I was in the back for that part. Yow. Faked that turn a bit more for the rest of the performances. Although a good cleaning out that night and the next day have it on the mend. It's funny though, because I was talking about that when we finished the piece and were going into the green room, and another dancer looked at my feet and said "Oh my god, you're bleeding!" To which I picked up my heel and looked at it and said "Really? I don't see anything..." And she snorted and said "No, your other foot." It turns out my left ankle was all bloody from one of the spins on the floor - I must have torn a scab, and it was trickling down my foot. Good thing the audience probably wasn't looking that closely. Bleh. But it didn't hurt at all, really. I take modern dance. I always have little scabs on my ankles and feet. You get used to it. Usually they're not so openly bleeding, though. I'm not quite *that* hardcore.
There's a fall in that dance near the end where I go down from an arch, right toes folded under, onto my knees. Usually I catch that with my hands more, so it doesn't really hurt that much. A little bruising, but I have to say my knees are toughening up a lot. What with all I put them through on a regular basis, anyway. But the very last performance on my last dregs of energy, pushing through the piece, I was late by a nanosecond with my hands, and went down too hard on my knees. Right after that move, I get to put my head down on the floor for a moment, and I have to admit I actually groaned into my hands. Because ow. That really hurt. I don't think the audience could hear me. But I have to admit I walked offstage after the lights went out, quietly cursing to myself. And not quite limping. And hoping the next piece would start and cover my groaning my way down the stairs to the green room. That's one not so good thing about that performance hall. The green room is down a rather long flight of stairs. Adds insult to injury, it does.
The other pieces I was in all went well. I did end up pique-ing two beats early in the jazz piece in the first performance, which was my worst mistake, I think. Everyone else is doing this one move, and I was so proud of myself for getting the move right before it correct that I skipped a step and started turning. And then thought, oh, crap, I don't know where I am now. Luckily, I knew my next move was to get off stage for a few measures, so I did. Swearing. But that music is really loud, so no one could hear me.
The other modern piece I was in opened each show, which was a little nerve-wracking. But I started each time with the thought to myself, you've danced this before. You know what you're doing, you know the cues, you'll be fine. And I pretty much was. Sometimes the turns worked better than others, and sometimes the jumps were higher, but I didn't make any huge mistakes in that number any time. And it's a fun number to dance, once you get past the nerves. The jazz piece is, too. Remembering to just let go and emote and dance it as well and remember the choreography can sometimes be a challenge, but I do love those pieces, so I think I managed ok.
I did have friends who came to see me dance, and they all said they enjoyed the show. Mostly people came to the matinees, so they could see the tap number. Which went all right, but tap, it is hard. I am not as good as I could be, and my ankles sometimes refuse to do what I ask of them. Luckily, with a large group of people tapping, it is easy to pretend you are doing just fine. Ahem. Smiling! Always smiling! But I have great friends who were very sweet, and brought me flowers and went to food with me after, and told me they enjoyed it (whether they were just being kind or not).
I believe there will be DVDs available within the next month or so. I have to order them from Marlo. There are several pieces that I absolutely *LOVE* that I want to watch over and over again, that are company numbers. I would sit backstage as out of the way as I could and watch them from the side, every time. Holy cow, those people are so talented. And the choreography is stunning. There are some moves that are completely amazing, watching someone move their body in a way that seems like water, or flight, or knives. They just drop me into breathlessness each time I see them. I wish I were good enough (and had time enough as well) to be in one of the companies. Those dances look like so much fun!
Ok, need to get back to work. I'm behind, and tired, and I have to work like a maniac this week to get myself into a good spot, work-wise. Back to my semi-regularly scheduled chaos. I'll post links to pictures and stuff as I get them.