Hey! Hey you over there! Yes, I'm talking to you! Do you feel like I have neglected you long enough?
I'm kind of sorry about my long leave of absence... but kind of not. Sometimes, doing something extra in your day on top of everything else just seems plain impossible. These past several months, I have had to push through several physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual pains, which is why i have been absent from my corner of the internet. While I will spare you the details (you can thank me later), I can truly say that I have fallen more deeply in love with dance, my family and friends, and most importantly Christ.
What has happened since I last left you:
-I started and completed Nutcracker season. Performing on a stage with PNB dancers and to a live orchestra was so sorreal. It was literally a dream come true.
-I spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with wonderful girls in the program who have become like my family over the past few months.
-In mid-December, my family traveled to Seattle to see me dance in the Nutcracker and spend some quality time with me in my new home.
-I got to go back to H-town for a ten day vacation after Christmas. I spent it reuniting with my friends and family (and my kitchen at home). It was truly a joy to be home again and relax.
-Came back to Seattle this past week and started classes and rehearsals again!
Now that you know the gist of what went down while I was absent, maybe if I spell out a day for you, you will feel like you heard about every day.
I usually get up around 7:00 am, spend a little bit of time on the internet while eating breakfast, and then actually decide to start moving. By the time I get ready, it is about 7:55 and I head over to the studio to get there by 8:00. After checking the schedule, I start stretching, trying to relieve the soreness and achiness out of my muscles from the day before. Then I move on to doing exercises; crunches, back extensions, planks, arms work, feet work, more abs, and hip exercises so that I'm warmed up. Sound excessive? Don't worry. I'm just getting started. Oh, and jamming to music helps this process.
At about 9:15, I tape my toes (to prevent blisters.... although that doesn't always happen because i totally got a horrible blister a few days ago... New Skin is my savior) and stick on the blocks of wood covered in satin, affectionally known as pointe shoes, and finish stretching before class. When it is 9:30 on the dot, our teacher comes in for our technique class and we start with the usual plies. Even though I'm technically warm, my body still feels like a creaky door that is being pushed open, but that goes away in about ten minutes. In this class, we work on our technique. Think of it as like drills for a football player, we do these type of exercises everyday, but it is what makes you stronger as a dancer (although i personally think that dancing takes a lot more skill than sprinting or hitting other people... but then again, that is just my opinion).
It is now 11:00 and we just finished grande allegro (the big jump stuff, for those who do not dance) in our first class, and as we thank the teacher we grab a swig of water, change pointe shoes if needed and head off to our next class which will be pointe, variations, modern, or pas de deux. In these classes, we build off of our technique that we work on in class to improve physically and artistically.
A little after noon, we take a break for lunch. Sometimes I have enough time to run home, but other times, I pack a lunch so that I will not feel rushed. This is also a perfect time to stretch some more, run up to the shoe room and grab pointe shoes (as well as sew them), and go over any choreography that we are rehearsing. But sometimes, a nap is needed and the carpeted floor becomes an opportune resting place.
After our break, we will either have another technique class, or rehearsal, depending on how close we are to a show. On average, we finish anywhere from 2 pm- 6pm... you just never know.
My evenings are usually spent cooking dinner and relaxing on the couch doing schoolwork or watching the food network. Then, the inner grandma in me gets tired and I crawl into bed around 9:30. Don't judge me. You try dancing all day!
Now that you know what happens every day, I think it is appropriate to say that almost none of my days are spelled out exactly like this. Sometimes we have random rehearsals that take over class time, or performances that are kind of a big deal and change the schedule completely. There have also been days where we have the morning or afternoon off for no apparent reason. But that is just a part of being a dancer. We like to keep things interesting. It keeps us on our toes... pun totally intended.
