Tappa, Tappa, Tappa

Tonight was my first rehearsal for the two pieces I am premiering at Celebrate Dance in August. I'm working with two great dancers to put together a trio, and we got together to work this evening in the smallest space in existence at the Academy of Performing Arts. It was great to jump into a piece, but frustrating to be in such a small space. All of us acknowledged the fact that we would have to find someplace a little more substantial as the piece became more and more solidified.

The biggest issue wasn't the tiny quarters, actually. We were plagued by tap dancers in a class next door. I haven't been around tap classes in years and forgot what a cacophony of sound they produce when they are all hoofing together. At one point we were working on a quiet bit in the piece and, not only was the entire class slapping their feet against the floor with abandon, but they were all tapping to the blaring sounds of a gospel choir belting out their hand-slapping best. The walls are thin in that studio. We started laughing so hard that we couldn't concentrate on the piece and had to start over.

Despite, I liked what we accomplished and think that we will be able to forge something worth doing by the time the festival rolls around in August.

So many things are starting all at once. This rehearsal tonight was just the first horse out of the gate - everything else is immediately following. Tomorrow is entirely about putting syllabi together for summer schools and continuing to work on my upcoming shows. I love being busy . . . but I can see myself needing a break in a couple of months.

Oh...and I am officially thirty years old. It was a realization I made tonight on the way to my car. The three of us were walking out and one of my dancers mentioned how she was almost thirty and I thought, "Wow, I'm the oldest one of the three...I AM thirty." It wasn't an earth-shattering thought, but it did give me a moment's pause. I got into my Hyundai and sat in the dark for a minute before driving off; took stock of what was happening in my life. I told myself that thirty was going to be a good year and I have to keep thinking that..

Life goes by so quickly, even when it seems like it's dragging ass.