It has been a pretty eventful week thus far. Emily and I have found out the dances we are doing for the recital in June. Our oldest cat, Tuxedo (14 years old), is quickly declining in health.
Monday Sara Ellen and I took a walk up to the library. We also stopped into Blockbuster to rent Ratatouille and got lunch at Subway. The whole trip took about an hour. At ballet Emily and I learned that Carol’s ballet will be Balero, an abstract ballet with a Spanish flair. Instead of this dance Katie M and I will be dancing a modern dance choreographed by Kristi to gives the other ballerinas time to change. We were originally given the choice to do this dance with Kristi and her friend who is the current jazz teacher. Now… the dance will be a duet for Katie and I!! Monday afternoon we learned that Tuxedo, who has been suffering for a while from renal/liver failure was bleeding from his mouth. I found him in the basement with red on his front paw and matted fur. He didn’t have much energy and sat in front of the water dishes while I did the litter.
With Thanksgiving behind us, the Christmas season is upon us! I wanted to take advantage of the local seasonal events (like pumpkin patches at Halloween) so Tim agreed to visit the Kennedy Krieger Institute Festival of Trees as a family before his trip. It meant driving up …
Did we really just see Tim last night?! Sara Ellen and I put him on a plane to Norway and we’re already missing him. She has been saying his name off and on since we left him. This is different from the time of our Virginia trip …
The holiday season is even more exciting for Sara Ellen, though she may not know it. She has a birthday and Christmas coming and I’ve compiled a little list for the gift-givers. For clothing she wears a 3T or bigger. She already has boots (warm and rain) …
So this year’s dance festival is over. I am glad that I attended but it wasn’t as great as I hoped it would be.
First class Friday was Open Stretch with Lucy Bowen-McCauley. It was a full class, dancers of all ages. We did a lot of great stretches, some I’ve never tried before. Second class Friday was Open Modern with Thom and Christine Cobb. Again, very full with dancers of all ages. It was fun but I wish I’d been able to get the combination better that Christine taught us. I felt pretty good after both classes, loose and relaxed. But then I did not sleep well all and woke up early, sleepy and achy.
First class Saturday was Senior Int/Adv Ballet with Rhodie Jorgenson. The lights were dim and the wood floor slippery but the teacher was great. I stood with Emily and Carol (L’EdD teacher) and worked really hard. This time the level was more specific but still, several dancers had their own interpretation of the instructions.
Second class Saturday was Senior Contemporary with Calen Kurka. Helping him were members of his company. It was *really* crowded, maybe seventy or more. They led us through a few exercises to gauge our abilities, then they taught segments of choreography. It was fast, hard to see and very detailed, making it pretty frustrating to learn. By the end I just gave into the throwing myself around parts. Emily and I drove out for lunch and then I returned her for afternoon classes before going home.
I went back for Emily and pizza before the Artist’s Concert. Oh, boy, that did not go well.
November is shaping up to be fun, and busy.
This weekend, Emily, myself, and several dancers at L’Ecole de Danse are attending the Maryland Council for Dance Festival. Starting tonight we took an hour long stretch class then a modern class. Very loose and easy. The rides there …