Functional post here, advertising the XWorks dance concert in Pao Hall this Fri/Sat (3/1-3/2) at 5 and 7pm both nights, $5/ticket. Pieces I'm involved with:

2x+y=4: Spaceship-engine sounds, gongs, black costumes striped with neon duct tape... Amy's modern choreography has me doing inversions, rolls, and a small solo in the back corner. Rehearsal conversations became increasingly Dadaist as the semester went along: "Backpack, paddle-turn, toothbrush -- back step... microwave!"

In The Stacks is a quintet with four dancers and a book in a library. Hey, what else did you expect me to do my first time choreographing? Peggy Lee's cover of "Fever" is now about flaming intellectual obsession; Kristen, Onyx, Ruchika, and I throw jackets, fight over the book, and briefly re-stage the evolution of man while doing bluesy jazz. (And I will do my first solo some other show.) Many thanks to Kyler for his early help setting the piece... then leaving for a dance apprenticeship in New Mexico before we could do a duet. Which I will track him down for someday, mark my words.

Five Merry Murderesses is Emily's take on "All That Jazz" and my first time dancing with jazz shoes on. And fishnet stockings, booty shorts, a bright red garter, and choreography directions like "...now hit your favorite burlesque pose!" After some blank stares, I learned that "burlesque" means "now we will move our hips independently of the rest of us!" and "let us do our leg extensions and plies veeerrrry sloooowwwly!" and "we will never have our weight evenly distributed over both feet!" Pushing waaaaaaay outside my comfort zone here. (Also, who the hell invented fishnet stockings, booty shorts, and garters? Can I slap them?)

I'll also be providing one of the voiceovers for Nina's piece To Have And To Hold, thus checking off another bucket-list item (have speaking part in stage production -- a sentence is a speaking part.) I need a lot of studio and dancing time to center myself this week, and am thankful that I have it.