Rested and Red

I spent a few days this past week on a retreat with other members of a dance troupe I belong to. It is mostly vacation time; we do not really discuss the business of the troupe or upcoming performances. Sure, those things come up, but generally the goal is to hang out and get to know each other. Of thirteen members, four of us are new, added just a bit over a year ago, and two others were added just three years ago. In a company where longevity and an almost tribal sense of community was commonplace, this represents a very rapid shift and we really needed the time to bond.

The retreat was at a nearby rustic location - a cabin on a big river. We had the run of the place for a week, and members were free to come and go as needed. Some had jobs that they needed to go to on specific days, or classes they needed to teach, or family obligations to attend. In general, we had a pretty good bunch most of time and it was easy to relax and get to know each other better.

It helps that the site was phenomenally beautiful, as was the weather (despite it being in the mid-90's (F) and humid for several days.





Among other things that happened during the week to deepen our camaraderie was an opportunity to use henna on our hair. Last year I plopped down in the chair and had red henna applied and the results were, well, vibrantly red. The color lasted all year and as a result I had several inches of dark blond (salted with gray now) that needed to be addressed.



With a bunch of help from the good folks at Community Pharmacy who sell henna in bulk, we crafted a plan to even out my hair. The results are pretty good: My hair is again pretty uniformly red, and in a color possibly found in nature. Thanks RB, for the quality application!

I feel pretty rested and ready to hit rehearsals again, starting tonight. Our next aerial dance show is August 25-26 at the Orton Park Festival here in Madison, WI. If you are in the area, do not miss it!