Much More

I don't think I have ever gone six weeks without a post. Life has been full. The new job was an intense level of stress, and is only now beginning to feel manageable. Add to that directing an aerial dance show that closed this weekend, with all the administrative, choreographic, and dance performance requirements, and you see why I might have been a bit too busy for casual photography and blogging. Life was reduced to the essentials: Work, rehearse, and sleep. Everything else became optional.

But now I have a few pics from our dress rehearsal last Thursday to share. I didn't take photos of all the pieces because I was in two, plus a transition dance, as well as being one of the go-to people for questions. The piece in these photos was one I choreographed but did not perform. It was a new experience for me to stand outside the work and shape it, but not dance it. It was challenging, and I learned that I have no particular talent for choreography. It is a skill I will simply have to learn. The dancers learned some really challenging material to make this piece work, and I thank them for it. The title of the piece was "Much More".

So as you look at this photo, imagine getting to this shape: Upside down, one foot below your head, a hand on the pole on either side of that leg, and the other leg out in split. It really boggles the mind.



Now imagine hanging on to a vertical pole that is rotating (it's suspended from the ceiling with a swivel), upside down and in splits, using nothing but your thigh and armpit. Got that? Now have another dancer standing on your legs, leaning back and giving a ta-da pose.



The raison d'être of the piece was to have the dancers moving back and forth between two close poles. A great idea, though one that requires a high degree of skill and strength. We got there, but it was a fight the whole time.



The piece came off well and the audience approved. That is all I can ask for. I am satisfied with my freshman effort at that choreographic experience.