Long Overdue.

This blog entry has been LONG overdue. My life has gone from its normal routine into a busy rehearsal schedule for an upcoming tour. We will be leaving for Italy on Tuesday! On tour, we will be going to Sicily and other surrounding cities and performing Don Quixote and The Nutcracker. 

The past two weeks have been focused on learning TWO full length ballets and getting them ready to perform. That is no easy task to comfortably dance a role that you rushed to learn. However, I did it! I learned ALL the roles (as best as I could) and ready to get on the boat to Italy. I was told that the stages in Italy are raked. This means that the stage is slanted forward. Its not too common in America (The Hollywood Bowl is the only raked stage that I performed on) so it will be interesting to see how it changes my dancing. Only the older theaters that haven’t been renovated have raked stages. That is one of the reasons why ballet has evolved overtime. On a slanted surface, you naturally stand forward. On a flat surface, you stand upright. So the lines of a dancers body have changed over time. 

In Italy, I will be turning the BIG 2-4! I’m not excited about getting older but I’m excited to be in Italy to celebrate. This year will be the first time I won’t be home for the holidays or my birthday.  Holidays are always wonderful when you can be around your family BUT my family told me that they will be celebrating my birthday back in America. Thats wonderful and makes me feel like I am there. I was just talking to a friend in Germany who has been away from America for a while. He was saying that the holidays are the hardest time to be away. Its hard because dancers are dancing so much and in a place that isn’t home and with people that aren’t your family. I can already understand what he saying. Holiday lights were just put up on the streets and throughout the city. The feeling of the season is here... kind of. This is an amazing experience though so I just as I did for Halloween, I will still be festive and find another way to celebrate. 

I will try to write about my Italian experiences as they come. We have a busy performance schedule but I am sure that I will have a lot to share!