Understudying.

I have been enjoying working on one of the ballets for the Spring show, even though I'm only an understudy. I usually hate this (necessary) task when it comes to my job, but in this situation I'm getting to do something that I haven't gotten to do in a while-work on my partnering. There is also a piece that we are all learning that is a pas de deux (dance for two,) and I'm having a good time working on the technical elements in that piece. Who knows? I may not get to partner again in this traditional framework.

Partnering was something that took me a long time to grasp. It has remained a challenge on some levels for my whole career, but I love it and consider myself to be a good partner. Like many things, it's a "use it or lose it" skill, and getting to work on some very basic but challenging elements here at the end of my road (so to speak) is quite refreshing. Considering the fact that I cried and ran out of my first partnering class, I've come a long way.

I can't help but send up yet another shout of thanks to my teacher Duncan Noble for always pushing me and promising that I would "eventually get it." I guess he was right. Thank goodness.