Good morning Readers, and welcome back to my dancing life. This weekend was another flurry of events–though no flurries of snow, thankfully. Let’s dive right in, shall we?

Friday night I DJ-ed another dance, this time the Winter Ball for the SU Ballroom Club. Lead-up to the event had been plagued with issues, and so some of us were convinced it would be a flop. Luckily we were proven wrong, and I got to inflict the attendees with my music tastes in growing glee.

Saturday the Sven and I made our way to the Everson Art Museum for the “Festival of the Trees“, a fundraiser for the museum that involves selling Christmas art, live shows, and general partying. The ballet school I’ve been frequenting was doing an hour-long show, and they invited us along for the ride. We performed a lyrical West Coast Swing-ish piece to “Little Drummer Boy” by Pentatonix–sadly I don’t yet have a video. But it was fun! I love performing, and there was something really special about being able to share that with this guy I married. Sure, we’ve been on-stage together before, but never one-on-one (except for the wedding itself). It’s lovely to dance with and smile easily at him, even on the narrow, uneven Everson stage.

In the live theater ‘experience’ I also enjoy being a calming influence. In rehearsals I tend to be jovial, jocular, & jubilant–though generally professional and attentive. I will learn what you have to teach, but I will have fun in the process. Once in a dress rehearsal situation and then for the actual shows, I clam up and hover where I am needed, placing myself just outside the reach of the chaos.

It’s something I’ve always done. Since I was a kid I’ve been known to wander the theaters, eschewing the dressing room in favor of finding corners and alcoves in which to camp out. I never wanted to be far from the stage, and I always wanted to be able to hear music, so as to know where in the show we were.

Performance-prep in the immediate sense tends to make others jittery, loud, and short-tempered, especially when little kids are involved. It’s been my experience that scolding rarely helps, and honestly, we shouldn’t be talking backstage anyway. Just standing or stretching quietly near where I am needed fills me with confidence and hopefully eases the stress for those who rely on me–as well as modeling to the younger ones what theater etiquette is. I’ll be where I need to be to do the thing I am supposed to do. I’m never going to be the most talented dancer in the world, but I sure as hell can be the most reliable one.

Sunday was Steve practice (West Coast Swing again) and the final practice of the SU team, which included some disappointment, news, and a riotous choreography game. I have survived another semester as the dubiously qualified Ballroom coach!

Aaaaand now I have to immediately start picking a song and choreography for next semester. I’m thinking Tango, but I’ve always had trouble finding good tango music. I really like “Tangled Up” by Caro Emerald, but it’s too slow. The search continues. Such is the way of things.