5:48pm

I have been in Beijing for about five days now, and have been so busy adjusting, rehearsing, sightseeing and sleeping, I have had trouble finding time to blog. Sorry for the long absence, there is much to catch up on.

Today is the day after China’s National Day, and though the celebrating will continue for another three days, the biggest spectacle has already happened. Yesterday the city basically shut down everywhere but Tian’anmen Square. To ensure that the parade and the fireworks were absolutely perfect, many precautions were taken. Most roads were closed, shops and restaurants were closed, airplanes shot rain-seeding pellets into the clouds to make it rain the night before, consequently ensuring a bright sunny day for the 1st. The airport was closed for three hours and our stage managers weren’t allowed to use radio communication. Most people weren’t allowed to see the parade in person; it is mostly for government officials and diplomats. Though it would have been amazing to see in person, what I did see of it on CCTV9 (China’s National News and Entertaiment broadcasting agency) was unlike anything I have witnessed before. There were hundreds of tanks rolling right next to the Forbidden City, thousands of people in perfect formations smiling, marching, and dancing their way down Dong Chang’an Avenue. The streets were empty around the hotel and theater, and it must have been because people were either in the parade or watching it at home on their TV’s.

We found this bus for an acrobatic company participating in the National Day celebrations. I think Ludmila would fit right in, don't you?

Last night was big not just for China. SF Ballet opened its run in Beijing!!! We performed our mixed-rep program for the last time in China. It was a fun show to do and the audience, many of them UN and Embassy workers, was very enthusiastic. It was nice to hear screaming and clapping again! I thought everyone danced beautifully and the only shame was the fact that we had to use a recording for the show.

Tonight we open with the first of our final two shows of Swan Lake in China. Yuan Yuan will dance tonight and Maria Kochetkova will dance tomorrow. This tour has been about flexibility and compromise, but the shows do go on and it has really been an experience to remember. I’m trying to look at the bright side and remember what a great opportunity this is, and it certainly reminds me of how great we have things back in San Francisco.

This is from when we were leaving Shanghai and waiting for instructions.

I have also been doing a little sightseeing, but I’ll be able to do more on Sunday and Monday (our free days). So far I have been to the OX Street Mosque and a Buddhist college down near the Summer Palace. It was a wonderful experience and totally devoid of tourists. In our three hours of exploring, we only saw one other tourist group, which was very friendly! I also had some of the best food I’ve had in China here in Beijing. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it was Russian food! I was at a really inexpensive Russian restaurant close to the hotel, and it was the most hearty and delicious food ever. A group of about 15 of us went, so I was able to try lots of different dishes. Who thought you’d have to go to China to get a perfect Piroshki?

We definitely make time for sightseeing. Ludmila and Kim look tiny next to this lion!

So far the coolest thing that has happened to me in China happened last Tuesday. There was a welcome reception thrown for the company at the St. Regis Hotel. It was just beautiful. The food was delicious; I finally got to try Peking Duck which was as mouthwatering as I hoped it would be. But even more exciting than the duck was getting to meet the newly appointed ambassador. I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Jon Huntsman Jr., who was appointed to his new position by President Obama just a month ago. He and his wife couldn’t have been nicer, or more interested in ballet! The second youngest of their seven children was with them and she was the picture of perfect grace and poise. Did I mention she was seven? My parents would have been ecstatic if I had been even remotely that well-behaved at seven.

SFB dancers make friends everywhere they go!

Well, I have to head back to the theater for the show, but more later! We go to the Great Wall on Monday, so I will have much to report on.

1:32pm

I’m currently mid-flight on my way to Beijing.  The Company checked out of the hotel early this morning, filed onto buses, and headed out to the airport. The flight is less than half-full (which I find a little surprising, considering the close proximity of National Day), and I think I might snag a seat in one of the empty rows behind me. The flight isn’t long and we shouldn’t be in the air more than two hours.

A final look at Shanghai (and the World Financial Center). I look forward to seeing more of "traditional" China in Beijing.

I am really excited to get to Beijing and see another side of China. I loved Shanghai, with its huge buildings, great food, fabulous shopping and uniquely international feel, but I’m ready for more. I am looking forward to getting lost in the hutongs, seeing Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City… the list goes on and on.

We have a lot to do when we get there though, so hopefully I will once again be able to find the time to see everything. We have class and rehearsal tomorrow, (in a studio 40 minutes away from the hotel, no less) for four and a half hours. We cannot use the stage until the day before we open.  There are three shows left, two more Swan Lake’s and another mixed-rep. I feel confident that the rehearsals will be pretty seamless, just the usual getting-used-to-a-new-environment weirdness, but (fingers crossed) that’s it. Not only do I have a new theater to look forward to, but there are a lot of receptions coming up also, including one at the St. Regis, and two extra days at the end of the tour that will include guided tours around the city.

I can’t wait to get there and will probably have more to report once we check into the hotel.

I’m sitting in my hotel room looking out at the spectacular view from my room on the 53rd floor. I am really in awe of this city. I love how alive and bustling it is. There is an incredible amount of construction going on for the 2010 World Expo, due to begin May 1st. Not only are they preparing the site itself, but the city is creating new metro lines, building a new high-speed train between Beijing and Shanghai, and has placed many Haibao’s all over the city. Haibao is the mascot for the Expo, it means “treasure of the sea” and is meant to be lucky.

Haibao, the 2010 World Expo mascot, can be found all over Shanghai!

The Expo sounds like it will be incredible, and seeing all of the preparation going on around me makes me wish I was coming back next year, too. Though it isn’t as though there is nothing going on right now. The government is planning and putting final touches on the celebrations for National Day in Beijing. The festivities not only sound unlike anything I have ever seen, but will be extremely chaotic as well.  The city will be jam packed, there will be parades and marches all over the city, namely Tia’namen Square, fireworks and much more.

Fireworks explode over Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Sep. 12 during rehearsals for massive National Day celebrations to be held Oct. 1.

I have heard it will basically be impossible to get around, and there are so many people in the city that catching a cab will be hopeless. We’ll have to see. For now, the Company has two more performances of Swan Lake then off to Beijing.

We opened on Tuesday with the Mixed-Rep program and Wednesday with Swan Lake. Yuan Yuan Tan danced the lead Odette/Odile role in a sort of homecoming performance for her. She was stunning and seemed to be even more in her element than usual. Just beautiful.

Yuan Yuan Tan in Swan Lake, 2006 (photo © Erik Tomasson)

The audiences here are a little different than we are used to back in the United States. The applause is more reserved. Audiences at our home theater (the War Memorial Opera House) are loud and enthusiastic, but here the clapping is more polite, and I know it’s not because they didn’t like it.  Though I wonder if the clapping was so soft because so many audience members were busy taking pictures during bows? That’s something else we don’t see too much of at home.

The stage at the Shanghai Grand Theatre is great, it’s expansive and feels a lot like home actually. Things were a bit chaotic at the beginning of the tour, which is to be expected, but now the shows and rehearsals are running more smoothly.

I have to head back to the theatre now for the second performance of Swan Lake, Vanessa Zahorian is dancing tonight. I will have more to report on later.

Bye.

6:45 am

I woke up early again today. I wonder how long I can keep this up? I’m heading down to the fitness center again and then hopefully back to the room for a short catnap before the massage I scheduled for myself today!!! I can’t wait!

The view from my room in the mornings.

10:14 pm

Long and rainy day today. This morning I woke to a a city covered with a huge layer of fog. The clouds above my head looked ominous and I couldn’t even see the park below. The rain soon followed; the day was a wet one. I was extremely glad that I had a day of indoor activity planned. The massage was amazing, and I followed it with a long soak in the jacuzzi. It was a good prep for class and rehearsal. I felt so spoiled today! We had our first stage rehearsal of Swan Lake tonight; it was pretty stop-and-go, but that is usually commonplace for any first rehearsal on stage, especially for a large-scale ballet like Swan Lake.

I usually feel a little weird in the first stage rehearsal. It may sound strange, but it’s almost like I can’t feel my body. Though I try, I can’t seem to feel my muscles, or the floor, the way I feel it in the studio or after a couple stage runs. I realize a dancer doesn’t always have the luxury of getting more than one stage run (in the case of an emergency, you may get none at all), so I’m probably being a little ridiculous, but I’m still learning. Well, I got this frustration out tonight, and hopefully the dress rehearsal and performance on Wednesday will go better.

We officially open our China Tour tomorrow night with the mixed-rep program and I’m looking forward to performing again! I will be dancing in On a Theme of Paganini and Within the Golden Hour, both in roles I have performed before, but a new theatre and a new audience is always exciting.

Feeling the residual effects of jetlag, I have to get some shut eye. Bye for now!

6:50 pm

This morning I woke at about 6am again, and feeling restless, went downstairs to work out again. Today was a work day for us and we were to take class and rehearse in the studios above the stage at the Shanghai Grand Theatre. I arrived at the backstage door a little more than an hour before class and was surprised to find our entire group waiting outside. No one from SF Ballet gained admittance until 9am on the dot… then began the half-hour-long wild goose chase. With not a single dancer from the Company having been to the theater before, everyone was in the dark on where the studios, dressing rooms, and even elevators were located.  We were walking in circles for what seemed like forever, in the labyrinth passages backstage.

Here we are, waiting patiently to go into the studio for class.

Once things were a little more settled, the day finally got under way.  Warm-up class began, dressing rooms were assigned, and theater cases were found and taken to our rooms.  Okay, so the piano was a little out of tune and the floor was VERY HARD, making it virtually impossible to jump, but we did our best under the circumstances, especially since we all knew this was a one-day thing. (We were feeling very fortunate that our crew brings our sprung floor wherever we go!)

After a few hours of rehearsals I headed back to the hotel, (conveniently located across the street), to wash my face and get ready for a half-day of sightseeing. I headed out with two friends and we ventured into the city. We walked over to the French Concession district; exploring back alleys, browsing independent boutiques, and sampling Chinese candies.

An example of the European-style architecture in the French Concession.

The French Concession is unique because of its striking 1930′s European architecture. Walking around there feels more like Europe than anywhere in Asia.  As we continued walking we found ourselves in Jing’an, a neighborhood filled with more huge skyscrapers, hotels, and office buildings. We then finally ran into Nanjing Road, which is Shanghai’s largest shopping street. It runs from the river all the way through the city and is full of huge malls, shops, restaurants, and anything else you could possibly need. If you want it, it’s probably on Nanjing Road.

Look, we even found a boutique called "Ballerina"!

Some Shanghai locals let me take their picture.

I just got back to the hotel and I feel like my legs were going to fall off after all the walking and dancing I did today. After dinner at M on the Bund tonight, I think I will take advantage of the huge soaking tub in my hotel room and relax! Bye!

11:43pm BST

I had trouble sleeping last night; I woke up about three times throughout the night,  then again at 6am and could not get back to sleep. I went downstairs to the fitness center in the hotel to start moving my muscles after the long flight. Everything felt stiff and it was hard to get my body to wake up. After the gym, I headed back upstairs to the lobby for a little breakfast with some other dancers. Today is a free day, but there is an optional class being offered at a studio about twenty minutes form the hotel. Most of the company opted to take the class and, though we were tired and groggy, most of us found it a huge help take class sooner than later. Even if it feels like it’s going horribly, you just have to get moving. I know I feel like a total mess after long flights, especially when I’m getting used to a new environment.

Jennifer Stahl, Clara Blanco, Alexandra McCullagh, and Ludmila Campos are off to class on the first day.

After class, the bus headed back to the hotel and the dancers mulled over what to do with the rest of our free day; many wanted to walk around, exploring different neighborhoods and drinking in the culture.  Shanghai is actually far less of a culture shock than I thought it would be. I have found it an easy enough city to navigate for a newcomer and thoroughly walkable, with roman characters on most of the street signs. As everyone went their separate ways, we were told to keep in mind the departure time for the bus to the American Consulate, where there would be a reception held in our honor.

A back alley in Shanghai

The reception was beautiful and was held out on the lawn under, what I was told, uncharacteristically beautiful Shanghai weather. San Francisco Ballet was there not only as an honored guest but, to help celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the inception of San Francisco and Shanghai becoming sister cities. This partnership was instituted by then-mayor Dianne Feinstein in 1979, and was intended to promote cultural and commercial ties. After a toast, followed by some American and traditional Chinese food, the dancers headed back to the hotel. Feeling terribly tired, I fell right into bed.

]]> http://www.sfballetblog.org/2009/09/getting-adjusted-in-shanghai/feed/ 1 http://www.sfballetblog.org/2009/09/update-from-the-air/ http://www.sfballetblog.org/2009/09/update-from-the-air/#comments Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:47:41 +0000 Lily Rogers http://www.sfballetblog.org/?p=1195 Thursday, September 15th – SFO to PVG

6:58 PST

We left for China today! I’m sitting on the plane right now somewhere over the Pacific Ocean speeding towards Shanghai. Though it doesn’t feel like we are speeding, while I write this I believe there are another five hours left of our 13-hour flight. I will probably try to get some sleep after I write this entry.

I am really looking forward to this tour. I have never been to China, or anywhere in Asia for that matter, so I have been eagerly anticipating this trip for some time. I think it will be a very unique adventure with fabulous performing opportunities and culturally broadening life experiences. The Company has pretty much taken over the plane at this point and about 90% of the people I see walking up and down the aisles are dancers. It’s fun being on a plane with lots of people you know; it certainly makes the time pass by faster.

There was a phenomenal amount of planning that went into getting us here today. SF Ballet has been trying to tour to Asia for a while now, and this time the stars seemed to align and, through a huge amount of work, there are 65 ballet dancers on a plane hurtling towards China! We will be performing a mixed-repertory program and Helgi Tomasson’s full-length Swan Lake in Shanghai and Beijing. The mixed-rep will consist of Helgi Tomasson’s On a Theme of Paganini, Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour, and Balanchine’s Stravinsky Violin Concerto. I am in Paganini and Golden Hour. I will also be performing as a Swan Maiden and the Spanish Princess in Swan Lake. I will have a pretty heavy schedule while in China, but hope I can find time to see the cities, because I promised myself I would make a concerted effort to do so!  I have to!

We will be landing in Shanghai at about 5pm China time, which will feel like 2am to me, so I will look forward to checking into our hotel and climbing into bed almost right away.  I think I will try to force myself to stay up a few extra hours though, to try to adapt to the time change as quickly as possible.  We have optional ballet class the next day!

Going to try to get some shut-eye now, more from Shanghai later!

Lily Rogers in Company Class onstage in Washington, DC (© Erik Tomasson)

As I write this, I have only two performances left.  Woohoo!  Both shows are Program 7: the full-length, yet abstract, Jewels.  I will be doing a Demi-Soloist role in “Diamonds” for both performances and the “Tall Girl” in “Rubies” for the last show.  I absolutely love doing “Rubies”; it is fast, free, and fun.  The ballet is the most American-feeling of the three, with a Stravinsky score and short, bright red costumes.  The lead girl opens the ballet crab-walking on pointe down the center of the stage.  She then stops mid-walk, facing the audience, and pushes her arms into a clean second position, almost as if she’s challenging the audience.  She is clearly playing leader of the pack for most of the ballet, but steps down from her role at one point and allows herself to be manipulated by the four men in the ballet.  They lunge for her feet and arms and slowly move her body into different shapes.  This is the only point at which she is not in complete control.  I feel very lucky to dance something I like so much on the very last day of the season. 

Lily Rogers, Ruben Martin, and Maria Kochetkova in Double Evil (© Erik Tomasson)

Last week I performed Double Evil again, which was simultaneously a total blast and completely exhausting.  Every time I perform that role I have more fun with it.  Here’s a secret: I was really, really nervous the first time I performed that part.  I’m so glad I was able to grow into the role and really have fun with it this year.  The music is so fantastic, how could I not be inspired?  The ballet is comprised of two totally different scores, by two very different sounding composers.  I open the first movement, which is slow and simple, to music composed by Vladimir Martynov.  Then, when the entire ensemble is onstage, there is an explosion of light, music, and sound.  The piece breaks into loud, fast paced Philip Glass.  It is very percussion-heavy, with 16 drums in the orchestra pit.  It’s a really fun rollercoaster of a performance, though very physically challenging.  I did both of my shows in the same day, and had to do “Rubies” again the next day. Suffice it to say, I was more than thankful to have a massage that Monday. 

Now, I would like to take this opportunity to mention that Tina LeBlanc is retiring this Saturday night.  After 17 wonderful years with the company she is ready to move on with the next chapter of her life.  She has given herself to the profession and is an inspiration and light onstage and off.  Her Farewell Performance is this Saturday, which will undoubtedly be a memorable evening.  She will be performing some of her signature roles with film clips and speeches interspersed throughout the show.  She will be dearly missed. 

I would like to wrap up by saying that it’s been a wonderful season and I have thoroughly enjoyed (almost!) every single moment.  From the beginning with the American Tour, to Nutcracker, to Gala and finally the home season. I feel I learned a lot, grew as a dancer and am so happy to dance for a company that performs such a wide array of works in its repertory.   
 
Happy Summer, be back in July!

When we got back from Washington, DC, we prepared Nutcracker in less than two weeks.  Luckily the majority of the dancers know Nutcracker inside and out and we didn’t have much trouble putting the whole thing together.  We performed to very full houses almost every night and I think, especially this particular winter, the performances provided a lot of extra holiday cheer to everyone, young and old.  After thirty-one performances we were very ready for our one-week break, but we knew that we would really be getting into the swing of things by the time January came to a close.

Lily Rogers and Daniel Deivison-Oliveira in Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments (Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust; photo © Erik Tomasson)

We got things rolling with Gala on January 21st and opened Programs 1 and 2 just a week and a half later.  I was lucky enough to not only revive my original part as 1st Theme in The Four Temperaments, but I had the opportunity to do Choleric as well.  Choleric is the fourth and final theme of the ballet. Right when you think the ballet’s over, Choleric comes flying out of the wings in a blaze of fury.  It is clear that this role must express anger and shows it by the sheer force and expansiveness of the steps Balanchine created for the part.  It was amazing to do and I relished in the opportunity to sink my teeth into a new part of a ballet we had performed so many times already.

After closing our first two mixed-rep programs, we began preparations for Helgi Tomasson’s brand new Swan Lake, which was an undoubted success!  It was unbelievably exciting to see it take shape.  Watching the sets come together for the first time, trying on our brand new tutus and hand-made feather head caps, and seeing the long awaited vision become a reality was very exciting.  We put in a lot of work to make it happen and there were definitely a few kinks that we had to work out, like with any new work.  It went off without a hitch, by the way.  I felt so fortunate to be a part of the process and had a wonderful time as a Swan Maiden with Elana Altman. Helgi made a few choreographic changes from his original version, including cutting down the number of Swan Maidens from four to two.  I also had fun playing the part of the Spanish Princess in the third act.  It was a nice reprieve from the sometimes stressful, precise accuracy that is demanded of you when being a swan.  Swan Lake was a challenge for me, in that I really had to focus on my classical technique, especially my classical port de bras.  I think I got a lot out of the experience and I feel very blessed to have played a part in the premiere.

Lily Rogers rehearses Tomasson's Swan Lake (© Erik Tomasson)

We were so happy to hear about the success of the production, especially during this difficult economic time. I’m so happy to see that it became such a success and look forward to doing it again next season.  I recommend you get your tickets ASAP!!

After Swan Lake closed we opened up with an all Mark Morris Program and another mixed-rep program consisting of Helgi’s On a Theme of Paganini, our premiere of Lilac Garden, and The Concert.  I had a full plate learning two Morris ballets and performing Paganini every night, but I have to say, it almost felt like a break after the intensity of the previous full-length.

I really loved Program 6 and every single ballet in it. I thought it was a wonderful mix and the way each ballet was juxtaposed against the other intensified their individual strengths all the more.  The evening opened with Balanchine’s Stravinsky Violin Concerto.  It is one of his more abstract pieces with some of my favorite music of all time.  True to form, the costumes are minimal, girls in black leotards and boys in white t-shirts and tights so the audience can clearly see the unique shapes we are creating with our bodies.  In one of the principal pas de deux’s the girl goes into a bridge and rolls her body over and over again until she has crossed the stage, outlining the shape of a sliver of moon.  I was one of the tall corps de ballet ladies. Though there isn’t a ton of dancing for us, the ballet was still fun to perform and there was a real sense of camaraderie during each performance because the music is so mindblowing in its complexity.  We were constantly looking across at each other to make sure we were together, on the right count, in the right formation and even if we lost the music we knew that, as a whole, we could stay together.  In a Stravinsky ballet, that’s what’s important.  The music can be so erratic that it’s easy to get lost at least once or twice.

San Francisco Balllet in Wheeldon's Within the Golden Hour (© Erik Tomasson)

Within the Golden Hour was sandwiched deliciously in between Violin Concerto and West Side Story Suite.  I performed the corps role I helped create for the New Works Festival last year and had the opportunity to perform a lead pas de deux, as well.  I had a lot of fun with both parts this time, mostly because we had preformed this ballet so much by that point that I was able to relax in to them a bit more.  I found time to explore new movements and feeling onstage, which is always fun.  I feel like I was able to expand on both roles and really see how far I could take them.  Finally, there was West Side Story Suite which is just fun.  There are no pointe shoes and no stressful balances or pirouettes; the scariest part for me was the singing.  I had a ball getting to play a mean-tempered Jet girl in “Cool”, crouching down low to the floor, looking spiteful and screaming at the top of my lungs in the opera house (which by the way, is something I thought I would never do).

We are performing our final two programs of the season right now.

Bye for now, more later.

I’ve found the time to write again!  It’s been a while since my last entry, I know, and I apologize. New York was such a whirlwind tour that I barely found the time to breathe. We were there for ten days and performed seven of them, and I was in every show save one. When the tour ended and I got home, I cannot express in words how wonderful it was to see my own bed after that grueling week. The City Center stage is very small and intimate; The audience was so close, I could have told you what each person was wearing in the first five rows. It’s an old theater, but rich in history. It was New York’s first performing arts center and was home to New York City Ballet before it moved to Lincoln Center. It has survived two threats to demolish it and has become somewhat of a legendary theater for New Yorkers. That said, it’s still small and the dressing rooms could use a little sprucing up. Just my opinion!

New York City Center

We danced three programs there, including two Balanchine works: The Four Temperaments and Divertimento #15. I was lucky enough to dance in both. I have a corps de ballet spot in Divertimento, and I did the opening pas de deux in 4T’s. It was my first time performing the pas de deux and dancing it in New York was thrilling. It is important to note that there was a lot of pressure surrounding these two ballets particularly The Four Temperaments. To my knowledge we are one of only a few companies to perform it in New York City other than New York City Ballet. We were aware that we were dancing under watchful and seasoned eye, and I am proud to report that we were very well received. New York audiences have seen Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments many times. They see it done by the company that premiered it and now teaches it to the next generation of dancers. I don’t mean to imply our company didn’t have some of the best coaching around. The ballet was set by Elyse Borne, a ballet mistress who’s a part of the Balanchine Trust, Ricardo Bustamante, and of course Helgi Tomasson–who was a principal dancer under Balanchine for many years. They have all danced various roles in the ballet numerous times and offered us wonderful insight into the best ways to approach our respective roles. Lew Christensen, one of the founders of San Francisco Ballet, was one of the dancers in the 1946 premiere.

Lily Rogers and Daniel Deivison-Oliveira in Balanchine's The Four Temperaments. © Erik Tomasson

The New York closing marked the halfway point of our tour!  We had a little time at home to put together Giselle, which is going to Washington, DC in two weeks. Not to mention to keep all of the ballets we did in New York fresh for Orange County. The weeks flew by. I was happy to be home, welcomed the lighter work schedule, and I felt ready for the next city.

We flew into John Wayne Airport last night, with no problems. Our flight arrived 30 minutes early in fact. I then headed over to the hotel in a rental car, because honestly, how on earth does one get around in Southern California without a car? Really, it is the land of the strip mall and the widest and most uninviting sidewalks known to man. I don’t mean to say it isn’t beautiful here, because it is. I woke up to the most spectacular sunrise this morning, and I’m looking forward to driving over to Newport Beach later in the week. It’s just…really, really spread out, so a rental car seemed like the right choice. Three dancers chipped in to share the cost, responsibilities, and benefits of driving down here.

I woke up before my alarm this morning, partially because I was anxious to get to the theater, set up my spot in the dressing room, and prepare for class. Today is an optional day; we have an hour and fifteen minute class followed by request-only rehearsals.

After some wrong turns and a little bit of a parking fiasco, we found the theater and entered through the backstage door. Well, actually the loading dock, because we were totally lost. Everything about the theater is huge: the backstage, the stage, the dressing rooms, and the audience. It is so refreshing to feel like I have space to work. I am really looking forward to dancing on a big stage again; the stage here is about the same size as the one at the Opera House.

The Orange County Performing Arts Center

Class started about an hour after our arrival at the theater and was taught by Ricardo Bustamante. He walked into the studio in a good mood, singing something under his breath. I of course strained my ear in his direction to hear what he was singing. I heard him say, “memories, memories,” and he then announced that the last time he was in this studio he was still dancing and was rehearsing The Sleeping Beauty with Mikhail Baryshnikov. Some of the best companies perform here at The Orange County Performing Arts Center, including American Ballet Theater, New York City Ballet, The Kirov, Alvin Ailey and, of course, San Francisco Ballet. It really is a stunning building. It was designed by Charles Lawrence in 1986 and commissioned by the local Segerstrom family.

After class, two other dancers and I went to a nearby Whole Foods to get a few things for the week. Back at the hotel, I headed to my room with plans to relax, read, work out, and of course write. We open with Program A tomorrow night, and to be honest I haven’t felt more ready for a show in a long time. I know it’s not always safe to say that, so I will have to let you guys know how it goes tomorrow.