Yesterday, after my regular classes, I did a private lesson with Rina to work on the alegrias I’ll be doing in our student show next month. I’ve been frustrated with my progress and nervous about the show, but spending this extra time with her has helped calm me down.
I’d probably do privates every week if I could because I always come away with some bit of wisdom that makes me go, “Ohhhhhhhhh! Like THAT. I get it!” It’s often something she’s said a thousand times in class, but never clicked until that one-on-one moment, for whatever reason. I had a couple of those moments yesterday.
It’s amazing how the seemingly simplest modifications can make a difference in a performance. A misplaced foot or stray arm can throw everything off, especially if you’ve got long wild limbs like mine. Rina’s great at spotting the weird things I do and showing me how to fix them. So I brought everything I learned yesterday to my personal rehearsal time today and I felt much better about what I saw in the mirror. Perfect? Not even close. But much, much better.
I’ve got a couple of weeks to do as much clean-up as I can, so I’ll certainly be in the studio a lot. The biggest challenge will be keeping myself healthy — keeping stress to a minimum, getting enough sleep and keeping my body strong. Right now I’m stretched out on the couch, sore as heck. Thankfully I’ve got a date with the massage therapist tomorrow. I sure do need it.
I really wanted to get out, be sociable and see some flamenco this weekend, but my body wasn’t having any of it. I’m so tired, for lots of reasons. Probably the best thing I could do was stay in and rest. It was a good weekend, though. I made progress and because of that I’ll sleep well tonight.
Married to the Dance 