Thunder and Lightening

It happened. It really happened.

And not just once.

Four times. Four!

If it was possible to evaporate into the air, I would have done it right then. Unfortunately, I am human not an X-man (woman) nor a scientist from the year 2066, at which time I am sure humans and animals will be teleporting and tele-flying and tele-everything. Therefore, I sat in front of my boyfriend, facing my shame, while he laughed his bearded face off.

“You farted,” he accused. “You’re a farty girl.”

“No, I’m not!” I cried.

“Don’t deny it, you farted.”

“I’m not denying it. I’m just saying–”

Then he grabbed my ankles and lifted my legs in the air, high above my head and sniffed my behind. That happened. That really happened.

“You farted, ma belle. It’s confirmed.”

By then I was dying more of laughter than of shame. Eventually it became a big joke.

“Ma peteuse,” The Rock lovingly nicknamed me. It’s only been two days since this last incident but my first transgression was approximately four months ago. I was opening the fridge door, which requires some exertion as it is quite heavy, and a slip of gas escaped. A tiny little wisp. Mortification immediately ensued but The Rock just laughed. And laughed and laughed and laughed some more. He later told me it was cute. I told him he must really be in love to think my fart is cute.

We have been in Manic 5 for nearly two weeks now while The Rock completes his last shift as a paramedic. Then it’s The Firman Academy for him. Me, I’m on vacation. Sleeping in every morning, working out at the gym, biking to the lookout at the edge of a cliff, making love in the afternoons, reading and writing to my heart’s delight, cooking delicious meals together…if that’s not vacation, what is? The only downside is that every few days, someone calls 9-1-1 which happens to be The Rock’s work number. Not that I mind seeing him dress in uniform and respond to the emergency. He talks into the radio and zooms off in the ambulance. It’s thrilling.

This vacation is exactly what I needed after these last couple of months. I went on tour with Publiqué (the dance company The Rock worked for up until his retirement this month), I did the Transformation stage, then Springboard, and then two weeks of shows with Breez.

After Springboard, I took class with XYZ Danse every day. The director saw me in ballet class at Springboard and invited me to take ballet with his company. Benoit had also been invited so the two of us showed up every morning for two weeks. The two of us joked and stretched and rolled around to warm up before class. At the barre, we each lost approximately 2 litres of fluids due to the heat and our hard work. When it came time to do pirouettes in the centre, we both freaked out liked non-thoroughbreds before a pony show. But we danced well and had fun. And that’s what counts.

Some days we stayed to watch XYZ rehearse their newest piece. The guest choreographer, Thunder from Israel, had seen me in the Springboard show and invited me personally to watch the rehearsals.

Wow. What a piece! I was in love. I needed to dance this style. I needed to work with Thunder!

Thunder recommended me to a dance company in LA that performs his repertory so we’ll see what happens.

Benoit was inspired too. It was all we could do not to drool all over the dance floor. Our excitement about dance was evident during our performances over the next two weeks. Breez had been offered three evenings of shows in Galerie IQ’s art festival “Rope+Thread=ism” at the St-Brigid de Kildare Church. The seven dancers and Breez had worked evenings and some weekends to remount the show and all our hard work paid off. The live opera singer’s voice sounded heavenly in the church acoustics and we danced our tight little bottoms off for our friends, colleagues, and other members of the arts community who comprised the audience.

There were some speed bumps along the way:

1. The church stage was a cement block, which is very hard on the joints, especially when you are spinning on your knees and jumping to The Cumbia.
2. The heat was so intense that we left puddles on our rented marly floor.
3. The circus act that performed before us was juggling clay. Thankfully they cleaned up before it was our turn. Otherwise there would have been many muddy face plants.

Other than that, the shows went as smoothly as a newly oiled sports car. After the second evening, I was approached by the director of my favourite Toronto dance company.

“What are you doing these days, besides this show of course,” he asked after introducing himself.

I gave him a quick run down of my upcoming projects and asked, “why?”

“I would love to work with you.”

Gasp. This has never happened to me before.

“Your solo at the end was beautiful. So musical. I think my partner would really like working with you too. You would fit in well with our style.”

Oh my god…..

I promised to send him my availabilities for the year and skipped out of the church like a kid with an ice cream cone.

“What are you so excited about?” The Rock wanted to know.

“My favourite company in Toronto might hire me for a project!”

I couldn’t control my excitement so I jumped all over him. Being as strong as he is, The Rock was able to catch me mid-jump. He pulled me to his chest and wrapped my legs around his waist. In that position, I told The Rock about the conversation.

“I am very happy for you, ma belle. Very very happy.”

Things are looking good. It’s been a busy summer of dance and Breez has another project coming up in September: a Mexican Cabaret! Maybe I’ll get to dance in Toronto and LA this year, or maybe not. Either way, it makes me dream.

Right now, I’m happier than I’ve ever been. With The Rock by my side, I know I’ll always have a smile on my face, laughter in the air and love in my heart. That’s a foundation upon which I can build any dream. In fact, it’s already happening.

List of #’s:

Days left in Manic 5: 2

Times I have laughed today: enough that I have cramps in my cheeks

Projects and dreams I am building with The Rock: 1 big one and a few smaller ones

Days until The Rock starts school: 11

Days until I start school again: over 30

Times I have passed gas in front of my boyfriend: #4 was hopefully the last.

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Review Me

It’s been a week since the big show and I still feel like I’ve been run over by a truck. A cement truck, to be exact. With lots of sharp bits that poke out of the wheels.

If you had seen me during the three weeks of Springboard Danse Montréal, you would have believed the truck story. There were bruises and welts on my thighs, hips, lower back, upper back, shins, knees, and an oozing bloody gash on my left elbow. The latter tried to heal each night only to re-open and re-ooze each day during rehearsal while I used that poor little elbow as a pivot point for the floor work. Not by choice, of course.

But now my bruises have faded to yellow, the welts are less angry-looking, and my left elbow gash has closed into a lovely pink patch of rippled skin, like a Ruffle’s chip, where no arm hair will ever grow again*. So, if the damage is no longer visible, shouldn’t my body feel back to normal?

*useful trick for hair removal: become professional dancer.

I’ve spoken with numerous other Springboard participants and they are in accord. We are tired. Spent. Depleted. Done. It’s done, Sheila.

Jet and I took ballet class with one of Montreal’s leading contemporary dance companies last week.

“Why am I so tired?” She asked me. “I’m not doing anything. I just take class.”

“I feel the same way! I’m pooped. It must be the come-down after Springboard.”

“Must be.”

Benoit phrased it a bit differently.

We were on our way to rehearsal with Breez, both of us groaning and moaning, when Benoit stopped walking, cocked a hip, and said, “I don’t know about you, but this bitch needs a break.”

He looked at my confused expression and explained, “I’m bitch.”

I laughed for at least five minutes and entered rehearsal with a big smile on my face.

Three of us from the Springboard project are working on Breez’s next show: Benoit, Canine, and me. I’ve been working for Breez for two years and performed this piece last year so it wasn’t too difficult, mentally. Physically, however… oy vei.

An ordinary Springboard day looks like this:

10h-11h30 ballet training

12h30-16h30 rehearsal with established choreographer

17h-19h rehearsal with emerging choreographer

Add to that:

19h30-21h30 rehearsal with Breez

And that was my daily schedule, Monday to Friday.

I would get home close to 23h and eat a plate of cheese, bread, vegetables, maybe some meat, and a monstrous chocolate something. Then I would talk to The Rock on Facetime until I fell asleep with the iPad on my face.

“Don’t worry, ma belle. I will be home next week to take care of you,” he said each night. “You will be less tired because I will make you lunch and dinner; I will do the laundry; I will ice your ankles. And you just have to do dance. Ça te va?”

“Oui, ça me va, mon amour. That would be perfect.”

I couldn’t wait for my wonderful man to return from Manic 5 (his paramedic post in northern Québec). Not because he promised to do the household chores, but because I needed his love and support and his humour to get me through the long days. Even from 9 hours away, he was making me laugh and smile.

One ordinary Wednesday morning I walked into Les Grands Ballets studios and flashed my ID card as usual.

“Emily Finkelstein?” the receptionist asked.

“Yes.”

“Oh!” She looked at me as if she had been waiting all morning to meet me. “J’ai quelque chose pour toi.”

Slightly confused, I waited at the desk while she rummaged through the pile of boxes and papers behind.

“Voila!” She turned around and presented me with an enormous bouquet of flowers including two pie-sized sunflowers looking at me expectantly.

“Sunflowers! My favourite!”

“Open the card! Open the card!” the receptionist demanded when she saw that my enthusiasm matched or exceeded her own. “C’est de qui?”

“I already know who it’s from. There’s only one person who would do this for me. He’s crazy!” I laughed.

“C’est ton anniversaire, non?”

“No, not at all. He just wanted to make me smile.”

“Wow, t’es chanceuse. Gardes le.”

“Yes, I know I’m lucky. And don’t worry, I plan to keep him.”

A couple days later The Rock sent me a video. A homemade music video about wearing sunscreen. This accomplished two goals:

1. He proved that he listens when I tell him to wear sunscreen
2. He made me laugh until my abs burned.
3. (He looks really good shirtless)

The Rock got home in time to help me through my last week of Springboard and see the big show. His opinion as a well-known Montreal (and Canadian) dancer was very important to me. To be honest, I was more nervous to hear his critique than that of the company directors and important choreographers who would comprise the audience. My parents were also in the audience that night, having flown in specifically for the show and to spend the weekend with The Rock and me.

At the end of the show, I found my parents and my man chatting in the lobby.

“Great show!” my Dad said. “But there was this one girl that I couldn’t take my eyes off of. She stole the show.”

“Oh, daddy.” I knew he was talking about me because I’m his daughter.

“What? I’m serious. She was the best one. But maybe next time they could let you get up off the floor.”

I laughed. It was true. There was a lot of floor work in the two pieces where I was cast.

Mum agreed with my Dad’s compliments and then I looked expectantly at The Rock.

“T’as très bien fait, ma belle.”

Okay, positive result. But I needed more.

I mingled with the dancers, directors, and choreographers at the reception but I was distracted by my need to know exactly what The Rock thought of my performance.

Around midnight, the two of us were alone eating burgers at Frites Alors. I looked at him across my spicy mayo fries and waited patiently.

“To be honest, ma belle, I agree with your father. You were great tonight. Really really great. To be honest, you impressed me a lot. In this style, moving the way you did tonight…I couldn’t do that. You’re so musical and precise. I love it. I’m really impressed.”

Yes!! Weehooo!!! Yahooooooo!

I was elated.

Now that my boyfriend is impressed by my dancing, it’s time to impress some directors and choreographers. Springboard is over but I have amassed a lot of knowledge, made some good contacts, and I had a valuable experience. En plus, I have three shows coming up with Breez.

Yes, I’m tired.

And yes, I need a break.

But this bitch has work to do.

List of #’s:

Days until The Rock and I return to Manic 5 together: 4

Days we spent with my parents: 3.5

Days spent with Rocky’s family who visited Montreal: 4

Jobs received from Springboard: to be determined.

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