Friday I Danced

Here's what I did yesterday.

In case you care, I'm the long-haired one in the black sports bra or bright green t-shirt (depending on how warm I was) and short black pants.

The workshop was brutally intense, ranging from deeply emotional to vigorously athletic. I wish I could train this way regularly.

And here is what some of Dave St. Pierre's stuff looks like on stage (warning: chock full of nekkid).

Dance Affordability

I wish I could have seen this show, but I could not afford it. Tickets for the show cost more than the workshop, and that's even before the reimbursement I get through CADA. At least I was able to take a workshop with two of the dancers. I learned a lot from it, including new ways to look at dance, movement, and interpretation.

I have noted that dance performances are often more expensive to attend than are dance workshops by the same artists. This, however, seems to be exactly the opposite when it comes to belly dance. I rarely attend belly dance workshops, as they are invariably prohibitively expensive when taught by "big name" dancers. Yet I can study some other dance style for much less money. Why is this the case?

Today I applied for admission to a certificate program at the Royal Conservatory in Artist-Educator Professional Training. "This 30-hour course offers artists a window into working in schools and in community settings through hands-on, activity-based exploration." If I get accepted, I have to catch the 6:25 AM bus into Toronto every morning, and then stay awake enough to retain all the information. Yikes. There's a course being offered in Kitchener, but it's only on days when I'll be in Toronto for dance training. Go figure.

If I get accepted, I wonder if I get a student ID. I can't help but wonder, because if I have a student ID, I can maybe afford to see dance shows like Dave St-Pierre's. Students receive a heavily-discounted rate.

In the meantime, I'm going through some of my music, trying to figure out what I want to dance to for Earth Day. It's an outdoor gig. In March. In Canada. Gah! I'm trying to think what sort of costuming I can wear, too, and thinking a giant tiered skirt and pantaloons, because I can wear long johns underneath and no one will know. But for the top? Hrm....