PBT

Just got into Pittsburgh today! What a car ride! I managed to sew three out of seven pointe shoes and sleep for four hours (which made up for only having three hours to sleep last night). So the dorms are very old-fashioned and nice. Only drawback is no AC. I have a fan and I opened the windows, but I'm still working on bug-proofing them. Just figured out how to use the ethernet too!!

Today was orientation and such... I just literally finished unpacking! PHew!!! The PBT studios are truly amazing; they just re-painted, installed new Harlequin floors, and put in new mirrors. There are 150 students here! 23 of which are boys. Four of my friends from school came here for the SI as well, and I have another friend from Kirov's SI a few years back that I know.

I need to get some rest since tomorrow is our placement class (wish me luck!). Plus I still need to sew my canvas slippers and break in some pointe shoes all in one night!

I think I should just shut off this computer... Until we talk again!

"Mantis-cide Straight Up" Show Review

The Harid Conservatory lit up Boca Raton's Countess de Hoernle Theater this year yet again. The conservatory's three spring shows included the Greek Dance (from Le Corsaire), Les Patineurs (Pas de Trois), Sleeping Beauty (excerpts), and Mark Godden's Mantis-cide Straight Up. The latter piece is a Harid premier as well as a world premier that showcased choreographer Mark Godden as well as twenty-one of Harid's students.

The stage started out dark and foggy (dazed and confused anyone?). Two girls enter; both identical yet so different. They wear a green leotard with pink tights and hair pulled into two crazy antennas. Their angular arms sway in circular motions - rocking to the music. They each carry a martini glass on a platter. After they cross the entire stage and exit, a new couple emerges in a pool of light.

Together the insects dance: male and female. Where one pushes, the other pulls. Their energies unite into one as they continue their mating dance. There is one moment - a short yet distinctive pause - where she steps away from him. She looks at him with blind judgment in her eyes. The tables have turned; now he is hers. Now the animal dance continues as she grabs his neck and covers his eyes. He tries to run, but there is no where to hide.

More girls (or insects rather) enter and block his escape. They force him to the ground and cover his body with a sheet - they ran around him creating a circular ritual almost. The two girls with martini glasses come back and pour an oozing red liquid over his draped body.

The music suddenly stops. What was dark and mysterious is now classical? Yes, Minkus' Shades from La Bayadere now begins to play. One by one girls enter from upstage stage-left (deja-vu anyone?); except they are not doing any arabesques. Godden's genius is how he transforms these girls into bugs - or rather cannibalistic praying mantises. They zig-zag the entire stage repeating their rhythmic trances and fist pumping provocative lunges.

The climax of this part of the piece is when all the girls stop their dance and hold a pose with their arm holding their leg in an attitude a la seconde - all with their hand covering their eyes. At this point every person in the theatre was sitting at the edge of their seat. And now, the girls all slowly and uniformly extended their leg to a new level of elevation. Now they angrily push their leg down. The harp drones on as the end of Shades approaches. The man enters again with his mate, and a new dance begins.

Now more people enter including more men, and the tremendous music has a catchy beat. Each person pounds their wrists to the floor. Half the cast jumps in linear lines as the other half sways and sits in their hips. The men leave and the women take over the stage. They thrust their hips and form a small clump. They turn their backs on us and begin to apathetically walk away. They hypnotize us while five couples enter shifting in a big square.

These five couples unite us as they mate in a challenge dance. When it seems the male succeeds, the female always prevails.

Now everyone is running in tight clusters and thrusting their hips in an astute manner and hopping all over! After this dance everyone leaves - the men are dead lying on top of one another. The stage is dark again. The girls now circle back on and sit around their prey. Each girl carries a martini glass where they toast to their feast. They each take a devious sip and sway and bounce around the men.

The curtain closes.

BACK HOME FINALLY!!!!

WOW. That is all I have to say.

I am so very happy to be home. Home has not changed much, but all the same it still feels strange to be back where I started. I got home Thursday night, and I cleaned/unpacked that night and until Friday afternoon. I'm glad that is done! Woo! I have taken one ballet class, and I've been swimming everyday. Hopefully this will keep the weight off.

As for friends, they are still all in school. I will be visiting them today at lunch though.

Our spring performances were beautiful! Everything went very well, and because I was not in the last piece I got to watch in the audience the Manticides, Straight Up! piece. I will be writing a critique/commentary on that as soon as my notebook gets mailed to my house.

I am wondering how I can still work on cardio in the pool without building up my upper back muscles. It is important that these muscles do not get big because that does not look feminine for a classical line. My ab exercises continue and I still have hope at having a rock hard abdomen.

Talk later!

rehearsals continue

So rehearsals have been continuing... basically run-throughs everyday. My hips, ankles, and back are dying at the moment, but it is totally worth it; I am so excited for the shows and happy to see my Mom and go home!

So our shows are Friday 7:30, Saturday 3:00, and Sunday 3:00 at the Countess de Hoernle Theater (Spanish River Community High School) 5100 Jog Road, Boca Raton, Florida.

Come out and support! I will be in all three =] (knock on wood)

I need to have dinner and start studying for my academic finals, so talk to you soon!

spring show coming soon

I know I haven't written in nearly two weeks, so here it goes...
Nothing much has happened. Our shows are May 28th-30th. That is next next weekend!!!! We had our first run-through of Sleeping Beauty last friday which was a mess. We also had one yesterday and a partial run-through today. Our first complete run-through of the entire show is Friday I believe.

My Mom is coming May 28th!!! I am sooooo excited to see her. I know that it has only been a month and a half, but I miss her so much. She will be flying in to see one of my shows, and then the both of us fly back home together.

Then I am home for two weeks. I don't think I mentioned, but I got tickets to see Alina Cojaharu and Natasha Osipova in Sleeping Beauty at ABT!!!! I am so very excited. Last year I saw Osipova in Giselle -- most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Anyways Sleeping Beauty is probably my least favorite ballet, but it will have to do for now since I cannot see any other shows, and Cojaharu is only guesting as Aurora.

Then I leave for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive for five weeks. I am nervous but excited for the program because it is a company that I would like to audition for. Anyone have any opinions about it?

So that is it for now. I'm going to practice guitar.

Revolution!!!!!

So today I had somewhat of a revolution! I guess you could call it that. Anyone think of a better word?

Anyways so this whole year I've been fighting with myself; trying to figure out if this school is right for me and how to pursue my training here. Because I've been fighting with myself, I've been sick. I was not eating right or thinking straight. As a result, my dance has suffered.

This week I started eating healthier and my body felt refreshed. Today I noticed this especially in class, and it made me feel rejuvenated. Today I could tell my body what to do, and it did it flawlessly. I felt happier and my teacher noticed (as well as other students I think :P ). I felt like how I danced last year when I was at my old school dreaming about being somewhere else). I have rediscovered my body today, and I plan on controlling it.

Anyways this is the start of the end of my year, and I am going to make the best of it, making up for what I have lost all year long being depressed with myself.

If anywhere out there is reading this, I hope this inspires you!

end of the year

I am getting way too excited, WAY TO FAST. I have exactly 31 days until I leave for home! I miss my family so much!!

Anyways, our spring show here includes the following:
Sleeping Beauty: Rose Adage, Jewels, Ladies of the Court, Garlands
Le Corsaire: Greek Dance
Les Patineurs
Manticides (Mark Godden choreography)

Because of my foot I am only rehearsing Garland Waltz. Hopefully my foot will be better in four weeks so that I can do Greek Dance. But we'll see. Right now my priority is getting my foot and back completely healed for the summer (I'm going to Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's Pre-Professional Summer Intensive).

Talking about SI's (summer intensives), I wonder what PBT will be like. I know it's not strictly Vaganova like my schooling, but it's not Balanchine either. I really enjoyed the audition class, so hopefully that will be similar to the summer program style. One thing I do not like is that we will be having different teachers everyday.

I have already been accepted into their year-round program, so if I like it there maybe I'll go.

And speaking about next year, there will be a Pink Floyd 'The Wall' concert tour! If I go back to my current boarding school, I cannot go, but if I go to PBT, I can. So there's a positive.

I had another breakdown in class today. It seems to be getting more frequent. I am just very upset about my foot. My PT (physical therapist) said that I keep rolling in on my feet because my ligaments are really stretched (which is extremely bad). So I'm working on strengthening, but it's hard because I also have achilles tendonitis. So it's a win-lose situation. I need to strengthen, but then if I strengthen by achilles gets to tight the next couple of days....

Anyone have any suggestions (and please anything but IB profin because that is my only best friend right now).

So that is it for now, I am going to practice guitar and study Italian. Possibly watch LOST with some friends and read A Clockwork Orange.

Goodnight anyone reading this!!!!