First Day Thoughts

We're here. And wow.

The travel day was harder than I expected (red-eye and a 2-3 hour long drive), but I was able to get to the pool (warm water and hot spa) and stretch. All things considered, I woke up feeling pretty good. Traveling with (AB) dancers is so weird. You see them next to other people and they look small, but ordinary. If you watch for a while, however, flashes of beauty break out of their bodies as they lift suitcases, sit on the floor, get up and stretch, and then suddenly their dancerly-ness disappears; they could pass as non-dancers again. It's different traveling with disabled dancers. Here, I always think that people just don't get it. There's no expectation of a norm for us; everything we do is somehow extraordinary. I know that my colleagues can do more than anyone; I see that in every push or every small arm movement. But in the public spaces of airports (and possibly in public spaces everywhere), there's no hiding, no passing for normal.

Today's schedule is split up. Class in the morning; class in the early evening, and rehearsal with the community cast at night. In between, I went to the pool to swim and to do my PT stuffs. I feel good (if a little tired). The setup here is pretty cool; the studios are nice, and we have free access to the pools and training facilities. Totally, nice. Yesterday, there were auditions for the community cast, and today, we meet our new performers and rehearse with them.

The work ahead is plenty, but the dance culture here is strong. So many beautiful movers; I even overheard a conversation on the bus about dance. Two women were discussing how to manage a lift; pelvis to shoulder, distribute weight on both sides of the shoulder .... It's nice to be in a place where dancing seems to be part of the fabric of everyday life.

OK. Off to the next thing. Going to find clean clothes and start again.