Sacramento-native Linda also indicated she wants to come up to northern California next February, and spend a few days reading books while huddled in a cabin near the coast. This struck me as dubious. It can get cold along the coast that time of year! The important thing, though, is that it's not Tucson, and since arts people rarely get holidays, she should feel free to spend hers exactly how she pleases, and if the coast in February makes her happy, so be it.
But the most important thing is that TRB is creating a historical museum! The school began in 1983. I started there, I think, in 1984. Since I was there in the early days, I am a pioneer! I will be in the museum!
I remember those days well. We were alone on the ballet prairie. The French had only just invented the grand plié. We were attacked by Indians (true, the Saturday-morning kids' class had been snowflakes the previous December, but it was already spring). We saved the day by doing pirouettes à la seconde, grande, clearing a space just large enough to escape. We were lucky to survive!
I'm going to see if I can alter my schedule so I can visit Tucson next month. I'll miss the TRB celebration, but it will be fun to see what they plan to do.
I'd like to be a wax figure in the museum, or, even better, an animatronic robot in the foyer, whose eerie verisimilitude to real life gives people the willies (or Wilis, as the ballet people know them)! Or, even better, I'd like to be like that 50 foot tall robot a Dutch inventor planned for Michael Jackson back in 2007. The robot was supposed to wander the desert near Las Vegas and fire laser beams into the sky, and attract attention from visitors jetting in from all over the world. But instead of wandering the desert, I'd like to periodically lumber over from the ballet studio to the intersection of Wilmot and Speedway, fire laser beams in all directions, and bring traffic to a halt.
Barring that, what would make me happy is whatever would make the girls in the corps de ballet roll their eyes, shake their heads, and wonder about the stability of their elders.
Annette Paul (Madam) and Marc Valdez (Gambler) in a Gay-90's-themed Act I of "Round and Round", a recital presented by Tucson School of Ballet (Tucson Community Ballet; now Tucson Regional Ballet) at Rincon High School on May 19, 1985.Annette Paul was my first ballet dance partner. I understand she lives in Alaska now.
I started taking ballet at the University of Arizona in 1982 after deciding that I couldn't wait any longer to start strengthening my feet (after injuring myself just stepping off a curb). George Zoritch, danseur noble with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and Hollywood instructor earlier in his career, was an inspiring teacher at the University of Arizona. There were no classes in summer, however, so I needed to reach out to find some. I started driving clear across town to the little storefront on Speedway Blvd. and started participating in community ballet with Tucson Community Ballet (TCB). TCB evolved into the large and impressive TRB, but these were the smaller, earlier days.
My appearance at the studio was greeted enthusiastically by Director Linda Walker - look, a dancing male! - but caused a bit of a crisis with the teenage girls who dominated the social scene. What were they going with this strange fellow? I didn't help matters with an accident just a week before the recital. I fumbled a step (what was it called? A Gorgonzola? Something like that.) and drove my right foot into the floor, cracking my small metatarsal and giving me a limp. But the show had to go on!
"Round and Round" was really my first time on-stage performing ballet. Some memories remain very vivid: even though I couldn't see the audience in the dark, I could hear the audience breathing. Like a predatory feline crouched in the darkness of an African night. Quite distracting!
And these performing habits, once established, are hard to forgo. Forget 12-step programs - no trips to Rehab for me!
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