The curtain has come down on Giselle and about to rise on Don Quixote and The Nutcracker. Giselle has been such a wonderful and surprisingly great process. I am leaving the production with more experience and knowledge of my craft that I could only have gotten with this company of amazing artists.
By closing night, we were all pretty tired and warn out. We have been rehearsing for other ballets during the day which has been stealing most of our energy. Also, when you are doing a run of a show, you get comfortable in the role and end up just relying on muscle memory to get you through. The thrill of a new show, new costumes and a new set have been replaced by a feeling of routine. However, on the night of the last show, dancers run amuck. The dancers all put their responsibilities and professionalism aside for that one show and pulled pranks onstage that included fondling, winking, different spacing... and laughing of course. The last show is always filled with mixed emotions. Happy and sad that we don’t get/have to perform it again. Im happy we’re moving onto a new production but sad to be leaving this one to my memory.
The theater is a really funny place. As I was getting my makeup done, I looked around the counter and noticed spirit glue. Thats nothing out of the ordinary for a performer but it made me think how crazy this world is. So much is put into just one show. I was sitting there in the makeup chair and thinking about how the audience has no idea what is going on backstage or who the real performers are. However, if they knew, it would ruin the whole experience. Dance should look effortless and transport the audience to a place that only dreams can take you. During the intermission, I searched for an empty seat in one of the balconies of the sold out theater. The balcony curves around the house and on the two opposite ends, I saw two little girls so excited to be at the ballet. Their excitement of being there gave them the courage to look at each other and wave their little hearts out to each other. It was a precious moment that supplied me with a beautiful memory. I can picture when I was young and went to go see a high school talent show. I remember the night very well. I was inspired that night. I watched dancers of all styles dance to music and wearing fun costumes. I went home that night KNOWING that I wanted to start dancing. Maybe thats what happened to those girls. I’ll never know but I will always be able to imagine.
Back in Vila Dalmacija, my fellow housemates and I have been throwing dance parties in the late hours of the night. Its such a wonderful way to let down your hair and get closer to the people you live with. We are dancing other peoples choreography all day. This is our time to just dance for ourselves. The best part is that when I look around the room, I see people from all over the world. The music playing in the background might be in clear English but our communication is not always as clear. When you’re dancing though, there is no need for words. We were all just making fools of ourselves and enjoying our night with no need to verbalize to each other. I always just assumed that colors and music were the two universal things in this world that will spark the same emotions no matter what language you speak. However, I learned that dance is just as powerful. Giselle is a perfect example. I performed Giselle in America and Croatia. I’m sure the audience had the same feelings after watching it. So as we were dancing our little hearts out, we were able to communicate through our dancing. Its a beautiful thing really.
Monday is a religious holiday so that means WE HAVE A TWO DAY WEEKEND! I don’t think you understand the excitement of a two day weekend for us. It makes it very difficult to rest your body AND run all your errands when you only have one day off. Today however (the day after our last show), we rehearsed and had one of the longer rehearsal days that we have had so far. We were all busted and tired. Our brains were fried but we all pulled it together long enough to get through the day. It helped thinking about a full two days off. So I will be enjoying my weekend and staying completely dance free for two days.
So to sum everything up, when you’re stumbling on some words and can’t figure out what to say, JUST DANCE!!!
Kristina and I walking into town
Alan and I pre dance party
Caity and I post dance party
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