Le Grand Continental: Rehearsal 17

Last night we said goodbye to the Ukrainian Centre; following Saturday's final movement clinic at the Dance Centre, our remaining indoor rehearsals will now take place at the Roundhouse. There's only four more of them--plus two run-throughs on the Queen Elizabeth Plaza itself. Yikes! This is starting to feel real.

One consequence of moving to the Roundhouse will be an increase in space. Where our lines get most out of whack at the moment, and the two sections Lara drilled us on the hardest last night--the bit in "India" leading from the big arms into the ballet step and the waltz, and the part in "Cumbia" where we do the three cool walks, followed by the soldier steps--are largely a consequence of there not being enough space on either side of the UC. Hopefully that issue will be resolved next week.

One issue Jane and I resolved on our own in the free practice time before rehearsal began was which way to turn into the leprechaun steps from the skipping forward in "Stockfunk." I continue to be amazed at how well we have all been working together as resources for one another on this project, and our commitment to getting things right, now matter how long it takes. Of course, sometimes we trick ourselves into the wrong answer, as Jane and I discovered again in trying to sort out the puzzle of how many crocodile arms each side during "Gogoprado."

We also rehearsed for the first time the introduction to Le Grand Continental, including our entrances. It involved a lot of math to begin with, but eventually we were able to see how the desired effect all came together--and, I have to say, it was pretty cool.

An added bonus last night was that I was dancing beside Caroline for most of the evening, as she was temporarily filling in a blank spot on the grid. We were able to tap her for many of our more immediate questions following each run-through and her overall energy and virtuoso movement were a spur for me to step up my game. Plus it was fun to give her a hard time when something went awry--rare in her case, but also a nice reminder that we're all in this together, regardless of our levels of dance training.

I will say that I am starting to feel the pressure of putting together my costumes. Several people have been trying out different outfits, including Jane and Hilary last night. Me, I'm so far drawing a blank. I think I'm partly stumped by trying to second guess the weather. That and the fact that everything in my closet that looks good is also decidedly unconducive to vigorous movement. I may have to visit the thrift shops this weekend.

Next Monday Sylvain returns--gulp! And the children join us. It just gets better and better.

P.