So not only is there the intellectual stimulation of being in grad school (I’m gettin’ me sum book larnin!), as exemplified by Bill’s visit today, there’s also the dancing side of things (a false dichotomy there between book larnin and dancing, but anyway…) As in, I really think I’m getting a little better at this thing. There are the incremental things, and then there have been two Moments. Just like Bill’s visit is in itself enough to make it worth my time to have gone to grad school, likewise with these two Moments.
The first was last quarter in Abby Yager’s modern class (she danced with Trisha Brown. Kinda nifty, don’t you think…) It was just a moment of standing, which sounds so anti-climactic, but it wasn’t! If you want details, let me know–I’ll give them in nauseating quantity–but suffice to say, it is a goal/hope of mine to have a moment of clarity like that again in my life. If I’ve done it once, that means I’m capable of it, and I might be able to do it again, right?
The second was today in 8:45AM ballet. (Yes, that’s right, 8:45AM ballet. And I chose to take this class–it’s not required. And I think that ballet before noon should be illegal. Anyone smell a whiff of masochism?) I’ve been taking class on pointe, because I like to be a spaz, which tends to make my pirouettes into a seeming petit allegro, as I hop my way out of them… And even worse, this combination asked for an en dehors turn finishing by extending the working leg into arabesque as the standing leg plie-d. Not my specialty. But I would swear that what happened was I did two pirouettes, came to my final facing, stopped turning to balance on pointe for a moment, then smoothly rolled down into arabesque. Now I know that physics says that’s not quite what happened, but it sure felt like it–and I have witnesses, too!
So two spectacular dance moments, Bill, and all my wonderful classes too. Yes, grad school has been worth it. But now, back to working on the midterm for the Postmodernism class. Ack!
