Week 5 of the Cyborg Dance Projekt: Triple threat!

Devil duckie plus my first pair of real zills from FCBD

The photo to the left shows a green rubber duck with devil horns and four brass zills (finger cymbals) circling it on a black table.

This has been a weird dance week.  I spent the weekend trying to figure out how to set up the online tech rehearsal for the Arabian Spices online show and sent several semi-frantic emails to the coordinator of that show....with no avail, no response, and no way to get anything in motion.  So unfortunately, this end of the performance isn't happening, and I'm really bummed.  It was going to be my first time performing with Xavier Shadowdancer!  And my first performance in a good several years.

I suppose it was probably a blessing in disguise.  When I was running through the choreography dvd to make written choreography notes, my spine was giving me distinct "don't keep doing this" and "please stop" signals.  I was figuring out ways to modify movements for the performance (and for my dancing in general), but I had already opened the Pandora's Box that is my spine issues.

On Monday my back had recovered from the mild abuse so I was thinking about taking a level one American Tribal Style (ATS) class that is also on Tuesday night (before the class I've been taking with Melissa).  It's been in my mind for a while since I took some classes with Fat Chance Belly Dance in 2005-2006 when I was in San Francisco (even made it to a few level three classes!).

Tuesday came (and still no response about the online performance) and I had such a bad day at work that I had a meltdown when I got home.  My lovely partner told me that I should go to the class and just see how it went.  If I felt like doing the level one ATS class plus my usual class, or even toss in the level two class (for a total of three classes, back to back), then I would.

Amazingly, I made it through all three classes, albeit partially due to just needing to keep my mind off everything that made me angry.  Some of the ATS moves were still in my muscle memory, some of them made awful crunchy sounds & feelings that caused me to have to modify or cheat the move, and I vehemently avoided leading (ATS is a group improv style where someone has to lead and cue the movements....there is no choreography). 

The last class (my usual intermediate non-ATS class) was probably not in my best interest, but I wanted to take Melissa's class and I really didn't want to leave dancespace.  I didn't end up hurting myself, although I was having trouble walking afterward....and I did fall in my apartment later that evening while cleaning (not a bad one, but my leg just stopped working while I was crouched).

The aftermath?  I've actually been good sore the past couple days in my quads and hips....something that I always love because it means that I actually was able to exercise with enough intensity to feel like I worked out (instead of just feeling like I hurt myself with my spine).  My spine pain hasn't been reduced at all, but it didn't get irritated either.

Since it's the day before the Arabian Spices online performance, I'm still miffed that I didn't get a response to still be able to be a part of that neat show with Xavier.  I guess I'll just have to make him dance with me some other time (up for some fab cab one of these days hun?).

Now I just have to figure out how to pay for more dance classes (and new zills, and other dance goodies)!!