Just after the first rehearsal for Oklahoma ended, the director asked if he could speak with me. Out in the hall, he told me he was considering asking me to dance the part of Dream Laurey. (In part of Oklahoma, the lead girl Laurey has a dream about the two guys who are vying for her attention, which later turns into a nightmare. It's a fairly well-known dance piece and is usually pretty ballet-heavy.)
He wanted to make sure it was okay with me, because some of the nightmare scenes/lifts can be a little rough, and he wanted to make sure I didn't get hurt. I had to laugh on the inside as I remembered all the random dangerous things I had lived through in the past decade-- being swung like a pendulum on a pickaxe, hurling razor-edged hubcaps through the air, ducking under real ropes being lassoed in the air, death drops in lifts... and then everything I'd done in jujitsu (martial arts) beyond that (arm bars, pain holds, distance landing, sparring, full-body throws....)
I assured Zach that I was totally fine with rough lifts (and even looking forward to it) and that I would be delighted to dance the dream sequence.
He looked quite happy. He explained his reasons for asking me-- that I was so comfortable with doing the lifts at auditions, that I looked a lot like the lead Laurey anyway [we even have the exact same haircut], that I was smaller [being short finally came in handy!] and thus easier to lift, and that I had done such a good job at BS-ing the ballet in auditions that I looked like a ballerina anyway. I thanked my lucky stars for having been on Paul Winkelman's ballroom team. I learned so much there, especially about lifts, holding your weight, and trusting your partner. Hallelujah!
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A couple days later, at the end of a different rehearsal, we were all idly waiting for the next rehearsal segment to start, and Zach said, "Hey, MJ, c'mere. I want to try out a lift." (I've started going by "MJ" here in California-- it's sooo marvelous! Everyone remembers my name so much better, and I don't get confused with other people. Try taking a nickname sometime when you hit a new setting, it's thoroughly refreshing.)
Zach is an awesome dancer himself, so along with directing, he'll also be choreographing the show. He had me jump into an overhead lift, and I can't tell you what a thrill it was to be doing lifts again. I haven't done them for performance since..... man.... since Stadium of Fire in.... 2007? Long time-- and it felt so good! Zach informed me that it would be the ending lift that "Jud" would carry me off with. It's gonna be cool. Apparently, we're going to be using a lot of the same lifts that Agnes deMille used in the original Oklahoma, and he's planning some really awesome ones. Now all we've gotta do is find a guy who can dance the part for Dream Curly......
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Knowing that I'll be doing some intense dance work has really helped me focus on exercise more. I realize I do things better when I have a purpose behind them, so I've started swimming to increase my breath support (for singing), aerobic exercise (for endurance, in dancing & singing), flexibility and splits for the lifts, and weight training (also for the lifts). I do a little bit every day, or while I'm reading or watching a movie. I feel great, and have a lot more energy than before. It's wonderful how something so seemingly benign can inspire to do more.
I was reading over the other blog I posted about theater, and realized something. I had been secretly hoping for the part of Laurey-- and in an unusual way, I kind of did get it. I'm dancing Laurey. Funny how things don't always turn out like we think they should, but they still turn out.
Oh! I totally forgot! During the last rehearsal, I acquired the parts of Kate and Ellen (the stage is very small, so they're keeping the cast likewise small, combining roles and being creative). That being done, I now have some bit parts in singing and some lines. I wasn't expecting that, so that's been really cool :D
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Oh! I totally forgot! During the last rehearsal, I acquired the parts of Kate and Ellen (the stage is very small, so they're keeping the cast likewise small, combining roles and being creative). That being done, I now have some bit parts in singing and some lines. I wasn't expecting that, so that's been really cool :D
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