Notes from PT/UCD

Here's a bit of what's been happening out here in NoCal:

- Last Friday we did a repertory showing in the Wright Theater. Our group performed "The Exercises," which is the last movement of Taylor's 'Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rehearsal).' "Exercises" was severely fun (and tiring) and oh, do I love that music. Michael Trusnovec was our rep teacher, and we all loved working with him. He left after week one, unfortunately; but I was glad to have had the chance to work with him.
The other group performed a section from 'Junction;' it's a pretty piece and the music brought back some different memories for me (it was the very same music used in the solo from PDC's 'Mazagines and Beat Selts;' aka the famous "Mattress Dance.").

- On Saturday M came out from Houston and rescued me from campus. We climbed into the rented convertible and cruised out to Napa Valley. Lunch at the Culinary Institue of America, tours of many wineries, and lots of great photo ops. I joined the Domaine Carneros Chateau Society, so hopefully we'll use that as an excuse to make many return visits to the Valley.

- We have different teachers for the second week. I now have Stuart Carroll for ballet (he's delightful; I love his class. Why do Stuart&Sharon have to not be based in Houston?) and Joao for our modern technique.
Mr. Grenke is teaching our rep this week; we're learning the opening section of 'Danbury Mix' (1987). It's very...dark, though not in that God-awful way that some choreographers try to be "dark" with zombies and blood and people graphically fake-disemboweling each other onstage (Yes, unfortunately, this does happen; even worse it happens in Houston quite a bit). It's more conceptual-- the music is by C. Ives and is very ambient; there's a tall woman representing the Statue of Liberty (danced by C, who is magnificent at it) and a Greek chorus of dancers who are constantly morphing in and our of formations; dissolving just in time to re- form.

There are two days left, and then it's back to Houston.....