Dancing and Teaching and Acting, Oh My!

Here we are at the one week point already.

We started these wonderful rehearsals the day after we gave thanks and it is hard to believe a week has gone by. It feels like we have done so much, and yet so little.

I have the interesting, exciting, and humbling job of being on both sides of this project. I blur the lines as I transition from being choreographer to actress in rehearsals. I can't say which part I enjoy more, but I can say that I am very lucky to be given the chance to do both.

Yesterday's rehearsal was a challenge, I admit. For me that is. We staged Pattapan and Wassail - two huge numbers. Both difficult to sing with lyrics that repeat and spiral and harmonies that, at least for me as an alto, feel like a wave I have to jump on and ride and if I lose my balance I'm under water. Then we layer in character. Troy gave us the blocking for the scenes going into, out of and through the numbers and it was beautiful to see these people come alive. Then... the dance. At some point or another in each of these numbers, someone is going to be dancing against the rhythm of the part they are singing. Even me.

So - four hours, two large numbers and the scenes that shape them. By the end we were all hot, sweaty and tired... and it looked pretty good. But I am wiped out today. I forgot how hard it is to shout over piano, violin and voices. I forgot how hard it was to jump in and out of a number - to watch, return, act, teach. My feet hurt and my voice is tired and I am so happy. It is a gift to be given a job that you love. It is a miracle to be given two.