Handel is, like, so wacky

Hi! I have a few moments tonight while the singers slave away at their sitzprobe (literally "seated rehearsal"- and that's what it's called in America, too!). That's when the singers and the orchestra get together and just do the music without the staging.

So a bit of a reprieve. Which is good because yesterday and this morning I really felt like I was coming down with something. I think it must be a combination of the crazy dusty theater, the mold in this apartment, the pollen, and not sleeping so well. (The other night I woke up at 4am to finish a scene-by-scene description of the opera for the dancers, tech people, and costume people. I have to say that I rather enjoyed that, though. It made me feel like super girl. "I can do anything!" But probably not so healthy.)

Anyway, the fun part is coming up. We have our first dress rehearsal tomorrow. We meet the falcon on Monday. Jeremy is coming on Tuesday, and he'll stay to see the public dress and hang out with me on our day off.

My two favorite parts out of the opera that I perform are this little 16 measure dance at the top of Act II with a bird on my hand (my little puppet!), and my pantomime of Persephone in Orlando's mad scene. I'm behind a scrim, and start out nice, but then become menacing. What a mad scene!! Handel really pulled out all the stops-- there is no other piece of baroque music like it (I think). Time signature changes and schitzophrenic singing.

The flying chariot is totally awesome.

Hi from Göttingen!

Sorry folks, that I have been such a bad blogger. On April 6th, I took the train up to the mid-sized town of Göttingen to work at the Handel festival. Catherine Turocy, of the world-famous New York baroque Dance Company, is directing the opera Orlando (remember that crazy poem I told you about?), and I am her assistant. It has been quite an experience so far (I go back home May 13th) seeing how the opera is put together; keeping track of all the singers' movements, gestures, and entrances and exits; thinking about complicated sets and lighting-- basically all of the stuff that can make opera a big, delicious, mind-expanding experience.

I can't wait to see how the special effects we are planning will really work-- there will be a chariot with fireworks on the wheels that flies across the stage at the end of Act II (with 2 people inside! but not me :( ), a magical fountain that appears to hide one of the characters (make out of ribbon, I think), and a real-live falcon the swoops from the balcony to the stage and lands on the arm of Zoroaster. That's right, Zoroaster. Trippy.

More later!!

Sad News

Aunt Colleen passed away on Wednesday. I will miss her terribly; however, I will always cherish the wonderful memories I have of our times together.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

Aunt Colleen

This feels a little weird to be writing about in a blog, but my Aunt Colleen is in a critical condition in the hospital. I love her so much, and it is almost unbearably painful to be so far away from her right now.
She is a brilliant teacher, a truly patient person, and was still teaching before she went into the hospital. My brother and I were very close to her and our Uncle Nelson when we were growing up. We would stay at their house and play games, and they even came to a few of my dance recitals (this is a proof of extreme love because there are few things more boring than a 5 hour long dance recital-- full of awkward teenagers with a few adorable groups of small children dressed as bunnies or flowers thrown in for relief). If you are a person who normally prays, please include her in your prayers.