WSB Adult Showcase 2023

 This summer, I participated in my ballet studio's Adult Showcase. I chose to be in two pieces. The first was a version of the Peasant scene from Act 1 of Giselle, staged by James Ady. The second piece was a newly choreographed piece called Zenobia by Chasen Greenwood, music from the movie Avatar: Way of Water as well as original music by Taylor Briggs. It was an incredible experience, learning to dance with a large group of other dancers, getting to know people from class better, and performing in front of an amazing audience of friends and family.

The applause was overwhelming and the camaraderie and joy from the experience was incredible. A video has been compiled from the 2 performances by SMC student Cliff Chen.

Granada Cathedral & Flamenco

 I had a free day today so I decided to walk to the Cathedral and check it out. 

It took awhile to find it, not because it was small, but because it was huge and took up a significant amount of space in the square but I couldn't figure out where the front entrance was. The entry fee included an audio tour. 

The main church was impressive with two organs on either side of the main aisle. The tour went into a lot of detail about all of the side altars and icons and artwork in each.

Attached to the church is a royal chapel where Ferdinand and Isabela (of Columbus fame) is buried. Again the audio tour is quite detailed about the art and architecture. A small stair leads down to the coffins underneath the impressively carved tomb figures on top.

On my way back to the hotel, I wandered in the area behind the church through the old Arab market street, Alcaiceria. It was crowded with tourists. For lunch today, I remembered an empanada place and thought I'd check it out for a quick bite. I bought one with a barbecued meat and another with eggplant (berenjena again!) and parmesan to eat back at my hotel.

In the evening I had the flamenco show. I had arranged to have the show pick me up and also go for dinner. It was fairly inexpensive for the package. The shuttle van showed up exactly on time and was full so I sat in the front. The driver took us up the narrow streets of the Albaicin to the Sacromonte, traditional area of the gypsies and where flamenco lives. The buildings here are built into the hills. There is a spectacular view of the Alhambra from the restaurant/tablao. 

The dining tables were in the back of the long narrow room. The meal was fine, nothing too special but a full 3 courses with wine. As the show time approached, more people started to come into the room and I realized that the new people would be sitting in the front. I asked to be able to move to the front for a better view and was glad I did. Before the show, I made a pit stop to the bathroom and saw the male dancer practicing. 

The show was amazing. I don't have any experience watching flamenco but there was a singer and guitarist on stage with 3 dancers, two women and the man I had seen earlier. While each dancer performed, the others would be clapping, calling out and providing encouragement. When the first female dancer came on, I thought she must be the best. She was wearing a long red dress and she looked exactly like the flamenco dancer emoji. She was able to flip her long skirt, twirl around it, flip it into her hand and had so much fire and energy.

Then the other female dancer came on and I realized, wow, she was special! She also looked very young. I learned later through some internet research that she is only around 16 or so. Her feet, hands, face were all very intense. The male dancer then performed and he was also amazing. Slightly different style with a masculine flair. The singer and guitarist were both very good. Finally the three dancers all performed together for a final bow. The show was about an hour but thoroughly entertaining. Afterwards, we found our way out to waiting vans. I ended up back at the front again. The roads were so narrow that at one point, the side mirror scraped the building wall on one side and I had to help the driver push it back into place. 

This was a great way to end my last day in Southern Spain.

Easter Weekend

 I'm not religious however 3 different faiths were practicing important rituals this weekend. 

For me, the weekend covered a bunch of things that were small things on their own, but made it a particularly good weekend and reminded me of much to be grateful for.

On Saturday, we didn't have family Zoom because Mei was in Boston with Neve and Mason checking out colleges for Neve. During the week, I had gone to Home Depot to pick up some stuff for Christie to paint the hallway and while I was there asked at the blinds shop about their top down/bottom up customs. I returned on Friday to pick up one to replace the broken shade in the bedroom. First job is taking the old one down and patching the nail holes. When I tried to install the new ones, I found I was trying to drill into a metal piece. Luckily, Chris to the rescue, he provided metal drill bits. I also spent some time patching up paint dings around the place, almost had a paint spill mishap, cleaned up and ended up running late for my shift at Stray Cat.

After a few hours of playing with the cats (here's Wren)

I went home and decided to tackle the shade situation. Took a little more arm and shoulder muscle to get the screws in but they installed beautifully and the new shade clipped right in! I love being able to let some light in from the top while still maintaining privacy in this very large window.

I definitely felt a sense of accomplishment getting this taken care of. The old shade has been slowly deterioriating over time with the broken cord and getting this additional functionality is fantastic. This also makes me feel like I can manage the issue of running into metal again when I finally get around to installing a new curtain rod in the living room (with Chris' help, of course).

Sunday was a dance filled day. Since it was also Easter, a bunch of us had bunny ears (thanks to Kelly for getting me a pair) in class. It was a full class, really fun combos and ended with some fast pique turns which I love. 

Dash out of class and home for a quick shower and change so we can carpool to Orange County to see Ballet de Monte Carlo. Kelly, Hiromi and I were supposed to meet Joyce and Donna at Donna's house, but Hiromi was running late so we just met them in OC .

The theatre was very sparsely attended (sadly for the dancers) but this was a stunning performance! They did their version of Romeo & Juliet from the late 90s. The sets were very sparse, consisting mainly of a ramp and large white panels, some of which were curved and moved around. The Capulets and Montagues were distinguished mainly by dark or light clothing. The Friar is the character who carries us through the story, almost as if what we're seeing is him remembering the tragedy that he set in motion with his ill-advised actions. This was a piece that felt very much like theatre without words. The traditional Prokofiev score is still in place (one of my all time favourite pieces of music) and the choreography is contemporary but rooted in traditional ballet technique. The dancers all were required to convey much more with their faces than traditional ballet and they were spectacular. This was such a moving interpretation of this well-trod story that I got all verklempt at the death scene, despite no sign of poison, daggers or other means of taking one's life.

 

 My seat neighbours were there to see one of the performers, Benjamin Stone/Benvolio, who had danced with their brother/son. They were so enthusiastic and it was fun to sit next to them.

After the performance, we all went to Silver Trumpet for dinner. We had a fantastic meal, served by a wonderfully attentive server and we had time to talk and eat in a relaxed fashion without feeling the need to hurry along so we could get to the theatre. We were home before 7 for a relaxing evening, culminating in some home made chocolate chip cookies delivered by Christie (Elyana went on a baking binge). 

Before the pandemic, it may not have occurred to me that a weekend like this was so special, but I'm feeling it now and thought that through every accomplishment and event.

Ballet day

This past Sunday was non-stop ballet! 

Started the morning with my usual 9a class with James. The usual gang in class included Yuki, Yuri, Aileen, Michael & Hiromi, Callan, Evan (Yi-Wen), Jenny, Joyce, Kelly. Suzanne came up from OC.

After class, 6 of us went to Le Petit Mimi Cafe up the street for a bite, then we headed home to freshen up before carpooling our way to the Music Center to watch Hamburg Ballet.

Suzanne, Joyce, Kelly and I along with Donna S has seats in the loge while Michael, Hiromi, Yuki, Yuri and Aileen were in the Orchestra. 

Before starting their program, the orchestra performed the Ukrainian anthem. It was extremely moving. The company performed Bernstein Dances, a full length ballet to Leonard Bernstein's music choreographed by John Neumeier. There were some brilliant parts, some kind of slow but overall I enjoyed the performance. The section to Wesr Side Story was particularly moving with the dancers ending the section by surrounding the piano on stage. For the bows, the company came out and reprieved sections of the ballet. It kind of reminded me of musical theatre. It was an exuberant way to conclude a dance performance. 

To be able to take class and then watch a wonderful performance all on the same day is truly a gift.

Joan Bayley

One of my first ballet teachers, Joan Bayley Weamer, passed away on January 6th at age 101. 

She lived an amazing long life, spanning the early years of ballet in America to the golden age of Hollywood. She worked with Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye (on White Christmas), Marilyn Monroe and many more. She lived to see her great grandchildren grow to be teens and became friends with and bound her adult students together.

I started taking her classes when she was already in her late 70s.She taught until her physical health deteriorated in her late 90s.

Last year we were able to celebrate her 101st birthday with two parties. There was a small tea party for the people who helped carpool her to class in the last 14 years. I found a place that did a take away tea set which turned out to be terrific. There followed a larger garden party in her yard bringing in her local family plus a larger circle of her dance students. 

I also know a few of my non-dance friends enjoyed meeting and talking to her at my holiday parties over the years. 

While those of us who knew her will miss her, we have great memories.

Holiday season

The year that started moving at a snail's pace now seems to be rushing headlong into 2022. 

It was a very strange year, starting with continuing fear of COVID, which eventually morphed into little bits of hope with the vaccine. I started off wary of the new mRNA technology then couldn't wait until I was eligible.

As the weather warmed, it started to seem like things could slowly open up, and we could slowly all start getting together again. Ballet classes continued with masks, first in small groups and only outside or in the large back studio. Eventually, classes all moved indoors, got bigger and expanded into all of the studios. 

I found myself talking to my fellow students more, including people I'd been in classes with for years and never bothered to say hi. A few of us started going to coffee after class, first at Blueys and then when they became too busy, at Cafe Ruisseau. 

It started to feel safer to meet people for meals, first outside, then slowly indoors. I am so grateful for the creativity it took for my neighbourhood restaurants to stay open. 

I got back on a plane in May to spend the weekend with Mei. We didn't do much but it was mostly about spending time together after over a year of Zoom only. June brought a welcome invitation from Mei to join them on Maui. Again, not a trip full of ticking off things to do, but we were all grateful for time together, eating good food (although super early) and basking in the HI sun. The stress of testing to go there was totally worth it.

My ballet friends and I went to Napa for a Roberto Bolle & Friends performance thanks to Kelly's initiative, driving up together. Another dance focused trip followed to Vail in August. These opportunities to see live dance really felt so special. While the weather in Vail was not great, we rejoiced in being back in a place we all love. 

We were supposed to be going back into the office in September, but Delta put a stop to that. We could choose to go back if we want but we had to be vaccinated to do so. I went back a few times but it was rarely worth the commute and only to see colleagues.

Thanksgiving was a return to the Bay area but without the large family gathering due to a non-vaccinated family member. Most of us got together for an easy outdoor hike followed by tacos, which was a great way to see everyone safely. 

Just when we thought this would be the first 'normal-ish' holiday, along comes Omicron. With all of the stress of worrying about what's happening, I am looking forward to finally seeing Ma and D's family in person. 

I also did some holiday baking for gifts. Since one of my ballet teachers is vegan, I set a challenge to find recipes with those limitations but which were just as tasty. The first one I tried was from LA Times recipe writer Ben Mims. His cherry-walnut fudge looked really good. However I used an old candy thermometer which caused the fudge to not set. After an informative Insta message exchange, I redid it and it worked like a charm! Super delicious, too! Definitely worth doing again, although expensive with Luxardo cherries. The second recipe I found was for lemon sugar cookies. I had a bunch of lemons left from various HelloFresh meals so wanted to use them up. The recipe called for vegan butter and silken tofu, which didn't feel like too much of a stretch (since I love tofu). These turned out so delicious! The texture is light but flavourful and definitely better than regular sugar cookies. I love that these experiments led to two new recipes to add to my collection.

International Nights

Friday and Saturday are the International Nights performances. This year, on Saturday they scheduled two shows and we are going to the early show. Originally this was designed to allow a bigger audience assuming the need for spacing due to COVID. They didn't end up needing to do that as the local authorities allowed for full capacity and no masks. In fact, despite all the talk of the delta variant in the news, there was not much evidence of people taking precautions at all. We saw handfuls of people in mask, sometimes families with kids masked but the adults not. Public transport was fully masked but that was due to federal orders. Luckily Vail is a very outdoors oriented town, but it's confusing trying to figure out what is the right thing to do for yourself.

On Friday morning, I joined Suzanne and Ben for a hike up the mountain and over to Lionshead. I got off to a bad start by forgetting my water. They had mapped out a hike with the help of the local maps and guides starting at the gondola in Vail Village. Luckily the trail was dry after all the rain we had. I went about 20 minutes with them and decided I wouldn't do well the whole way so turned back while they kept going. Once I got back to the village, I joined Joel and Joyce at the pool. For lunch we checked out Joe's Deli for sandwiches and ice cream. Their sandwiches were huge and delicious and they had some great ice cream flavours.

Dinner tonight is at El Segundo. They have a variety of tacos, bowls and burritos. My boss hog taco was delicious along with a side of black beans. Dessert was strawberries with a cream/yogurt mix and their churro donuts were perfect.

This year's International Nights are a little less star-filled, a little less action packed than before. I'm sure the planning and programming must have been a challenge, trying to book dancers and repertoire in ever changing circumstances. The highlight of the first night was the performance of Who Cares, dedicated to Jacque d'Amboise. Many dancers from both ABT and NYCB performed in the roles and many of them were debuts. This was a fun way to end the evening.

On Saturday, we started with breakfast at Ludwig's in the Sonnenalp. Joyce, Joel and I had gone their our first year and we loved the glass dining room. This time, there is no buffet and our bigger table was inside but the food was just as good as we remembered. After breakfast, Suzanne and I walked to the amphitheatre to watch rehearsal. This was definitely a highlight of the trip-the dancers did a combination of marking and dancing full out for their pieces, some in parts of their costumes, so in their regular dance clothes. 

The Int'l Night performance was at 5p so we went early to grab a bite at the amphitheatre. We saw several pieces that were created for the dance festival in previous years, some previews of pieces that will be performed on Monday and Calvin & Unity performed the pas de deux from After The Rain, one of my all time favourites. 

While the festival may not have been able to be as full programmed as in past years, we were all very grateful for the fact that we had live dance, new partnerships and new pieces. The audience was super appreciative, as almost every piece got standing ovations from a good chunk of the crowd.

Vail Dance Festival

A week after returning from Napa for our first live dance performance in 1.5 yrs, Joyce, Suzanne and I, along with their partners Joel and Ben, headed to LAX very early for our flight to Denver and a shuttle to Vail in pouring rain. 

By the time we got to Vail the rain was reduced to light sprinkles. The others are staying at Austria Haus Hotel, but because I joined them late, I am at a different lodging- Hotel Gasthof-Gramshammer. It's quite a complex with a sporting goods store and restaurant attached. The room is comfortable and quaint although a little noisier than Austria Haus due to the location.

Our first dinner was at La Bottega. I had prosciutto and melon and lobster ravioli. We all shared two wonderful desserts (of course one of them was tiramisu).

Our very first performance was the same day we arrived. NYCB Moves is the touring arm of the company. They performed 3 pieces, all of which were new to me:

In the Night (Robbins)

Sonatine (Sonatine)

Pictures at an Exhibition (Ratmansky)

I loved all of the pieces and I thought the dancers (combination of principals, soloists and corps) performed better than I've seen them in awhile. There was a feeling of joy that really made the night special.

After a good night's sleep, I picked up some breakfast from my hotel (hard boiled egg and some pastries with mediocre coffee), then met the others at theirs. Today is a large farmer's market so we spent the mornings checking out the stalls. I picked up a beautiful banana leaf hat.

Tonight's performance is early so we had a late lunch/early dinner at Sweet Basil, recommended by the Austria Haus concierge. It was so good! I had an amazing snow crab pasta but everyone raved about their food. After, we had ice cream at a new place called Sundae. Their chocolate orange tasted exactly like the treats that Mei and Stephen put into Xmas stockings every year.

The performance tonight is an UpClose highlighting Calvin Royal III who is the Artist-In-Residence this year. They discuss different aspects of his career and his experiences at Vail. He performed pieces with Isabella Boylston, Mira Mason, Unity Phelan, and worked on new pieces with Tyler Peck and Jamar Roberts. This series is such a special part of the Vail program and even more so with such a special dancer as Calvin is. We also ran into Boise, who used to take Joan's ballet class! He now lives in NYC and was there with his partner and his mom. 

Adult ballet intensive

My ballet studio did an afternoon intensive for adults this past week. It was about 3 hours in the afternoon Monday through Friday, a different teacher each day. The schedule was supposed to be technique class first followed by a specialty workshop (petit allegro, grand allegro, adagio, etc) and then closing with a stretch/cool down. The teachers all sort of interpreted the schedule differently each day. James followed the plan most closely as well as giving us 15 minute breaks. Charlie talked a lot but did focus on pirouettes (he gives great imagery and explanations) and minimal stretch. Chasen basically did his regular class but longer (so everything from petit allegro, grand allegro and adagio). He ended with some of his own choreography but did an amazing stretch/cool down. Johnny focused on turns of all kinds, including traveling, ending with a variation from Giselle but no cool down. Mark, thankfully, took it easy on us by talking a bit at the beginning about a day in the life of a dancer. His technique class included a lot of routines that were taught to him by his own teachers (many of whom were illustrious dancers in their own right). His center work was simpler but very focused and added some character at the end. Finally he showed us his portfolio of his own career photos. 

Allegra and Martine gave us all a t-shirt with 'Adult Intensive 2021' on the back and a goody bag. 

My body was so sore by the end. I'm glad to have done this, because it's likely the last time I will be able to. I learned a lot from each teacher and was able to take class from some who I'm not able to take regularly. 

So grateful for this studio.

Joan's 101st birthday

We managed a year of this crazy pandemic. Several of my fellow ballet peeps are vaccinated now and it's time again to celebrate Joan's birthday. She looked amazing, her hair done up, beautiful outfit, jewelry. 

Margie made her a crane lei which ended up going beautifully with her outfit.

I've seen Reenie, Peggy and Margie around the studio. Kay, Sandy and Ye Rin I haven't seen in over a year.

I found a place where we could order a to-go tea service, Sugarbird Sweets. The food ended up being really good and plentiful! It was such a delight to be with everyone around a table, safely outside unmasked and to be able to celebrate Joan and all of us getting through this past year. 

Last weekend's Joan celebration was limited to those of us helped chauffeur her to the studio and back in the last few years of her teaching. 

This weekend a larger crowd, including her family (daughter, two grandsons and their wives and children) gathered again in her backyard for appetizers and a toast to Joan. We were able to be unmasked with permission from her family. There were many people I hadn't seen since last March and we have more time to catch up. Again, Joan looked terrific.

Almost normal

There was a lot going on this weekend, after a rather exhausting week of work. It started with learning of the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She made my life as a single woman possible. This is a huge loss and many of my friends and acquaintances are feeling it. 

And yet, so many almost normal things happened this weekend. My friend Amy had returned from summering in Minnesota and we planned a 'spontaneous' safely distanced afternoon meet up at Superba. I haven't seen her in real life since March and it felt so good to catch up and not have a screen between us.

I also figured out how to change out my air filters. Just one of those home maintenance chores that I had no understanding of and took forever to Google what to do. But with the poor air quality from fire smoke and the amount of time I have on the weekend to figure stuff like this out, no better time.

I almost messed up my Sunday morning ballet class booking but learned last minute that I got in, but even more special was that Gigi was coming to class for the first time and Yuki would be there as well! We haven't all been in class together in ages. Prior to the pandemic, our class schedules were just not the same. All three of us promised to have Chiyako in our thoughts during class. Ballet is the one thing that gives us a sense of our full selves. Aside from the masks, we have to work just as hard in class and focus just as much. It's such a gift. I think we all appreciate it more now than ever before.

After class, I hopped on an IG Live sale of crystals for a designer who I was introduced to via a work friend. I started out just wanting to lurk but it turned out to be super fun. By the end, some of us were chatting over the live comments and joking about doing a WLA meet up. 

Finally, the pandemic Emmys was Sunday night. It was a strange broadcast with everyone at home and some random bits happening in the studios. (Alpacas are cute with their moptop hair, but that was a lot of work for an Al Pacino joke.) I'm thrilled for Schitt's Creek winning so many and landing all 4 acting Emmys, and for the Watchmen wins. Schitt's Creek helped get me through pandemic spring and I'm so thrilled for this talented group of Canadians.

Abundance within a restricted life

Monday was my chance to go to the office to pick up some stuff from my desk since we will not be working at the office for the balance of the year at least. They had some strict protocols in place to check we were healthy and had approvals. While I was there, I took a video of my walk to my desk and also a picture of the Second Century construction site. The giant cranes were put up and they are quite impressive.

This weekend was my 3rd Hello Fresh box and I've definitely been enjoying my meals. This weekend's delivery came on time (although the driver left it outside of our lobby door-luckily they text you and I could run down and get it 🙄). I've made the barramundi, and the zucchini tagine. Both were really delicious. The recipes tend to use a lot of butter and salt. I tend to reduce those ingredients. The fish was the first time I've ever cooked it at home and it was super easy and I really enjoyed it. There has been a commonality in a lot of the recipes: liberal use of lemon, garlic, onion. It was a good decision to start one of these services while our lives are so reduced. I really needed the inspiration.

The other main thing bringing me joy these days is taking ballet in the studio. Since studio 6 has the giant garage door, they are able to continue holding class there. It makes such a difference, gets me out of the house and out of my head, makes me work harder than when I'm at home, and usually Kelly and Joyce are in the Sunday class so I get to see them if only briefly. 

Friday was Ma's birthday this year and Mei arranged to have a special call with some of the extended family dialing in. Shen Shen, Shu shu, Gugu and Da Bo Mu all joined us. Al did a cameo, and Ching joined us late. It was great to see everyone and here how they are all coping. 

My latest pandemic TV is Schitt's Creek. I didn't think I would like it for quite a few episodes but now I'm a fan and I'm watching all the old videos on YouTube of the cast doing talk shows. 

Balancing risks

As the city and state have started to allow places to open (hair salons, gyms, restaurants etc), we're also hearing that the number of COVID cases has risen sharply. I've been wearing a mask everywhere, and limiting the indoor places I'm going to, but it's hard to know where it's worth engaging again and where it's not. 

As the ballet studio has been starting in-person classes, I've been realizing how much I hate taking class at home. It has rarely felt like I'm getting any kind of work out or maintaining any kind of technique. This week I took Veronica's class, which like Chasen's also was online. Again, only 3 people (one of them was Allegra) and I didn't mind the slower pace required for the teacher to manage the online group. James' Thursday class was the first in-person only and full 90 minutes. My balance needs to be strengthened again among other things, but it has felt so good taking these classes that I can't bring myself to take online classes right now. It's not easy wearing a mask the whole time but it's something you get used to.

This weekend I checked out an AR performance by Heidi Duckler Dance at LA State Historic Park. This is a park located north of Chinatown that I've never been to. I was required to install an app that will allow me to interact with the on-site material. There were a decent but well scattered population of people using the park. Seemed like most of them had no idea what the various art posters were about. I had a hard time initially figuring out how to work the AR app. Eventually, an email to the company led to instructions and it turned out to be really cool. The company had scattered random plastic things sitting or hanging on the lawn or plantings in the park. In two locations there were small posters stuck in the ground. When the app was used to capture the image, a video played. In one location, the videos were of dancers performing in different locations. In the second location, they were of reef and other sealife. Not only was this a great way to present dance, but I also explored a new park for the first time 

On Sunday, I took a class with more than 3 people! It still felt safe and everyone kept their distance properly. After, Joyce and I met Kelly and Margie at Rustic Kitchen's outdoor patio. It was so enjoyable to catch up in person, share a meal, and feel a little more normal. We kept our masks on while speaking, only taking them off for eating and drinking. We all put our masks back on after eating without even having discussed it. 

It still makes me anxious to dip my toe into the world like this, but the rewards are so huge right now. 

Life both in person and online

Working online makes the week seem very long and the weekends very short. However some things are starting to open up, the most exciting for me is the return to in-studio classes at Westside School of Ballet. 

I wasn't sure how I'd feel but for my first class, there were only two other students. Chasen was teaching online at the same time so his attention was often focused on the computer but I didn't mind as it was just such a pleasure to have a proper barre, good Marley sprung floor, and space! Since the class was sparsely attended, it felt safe. It's not easy taking class with a mask, but it's a small price to pay. 

On Saturday, I met two business friends at the LA Arboretum. It's in Arcadia, so normally quite far to get to, but with reduced traffic, it was worth taking the time to spend in a beautiful garden and seeing people I hadn't seen in a long time, talking like old times. It's peafowl mating season so the resident peacocks were in fine form, displaying at the least provocation. The peahens seemed not to be taken in by the ostentatious displays. 

The garden is quite large with a lot of unusual plants, water features, and paths. We ended up spending two hours walking around without even realizing the time. It was a little more crowded than I would've preferred however outdoor activities seem to be the safest at the moment.

I had to rush home to get online to watch my neighbours youngest daughter become a bat mitzvah. They were online from grandma's house with the guests logging in from all over. Mattea did an amazing job, the whole family looked so proud and happy and it was very special to be able to participate.

The other milestone of sorts this weekend was my first fill up at the gas station since mid March. 

After such a busy day, Sunday was definitely a day for rest. 

Celebrating and remembering in a pandemic

It's been a couple of weeks and I can't believe May is closing out shortly. Today is Memorial Day. Usually I don't do much aside from have the day off. I don't know anyone who would invite me to their picnic but in a typical year, the rest of my weekend would probably be more packed with activity so I'd enjoy the downtime.

This year, obviously, it's all downtime. However this past weekend was cause for some celebration. My ballet teacher, Joan Bayley, turned 100 on Saturday. We haven't seen her in person for awhile as she had to stop teaching about a year ago due to balance and strength issues. Her daughter and one of her grandsons lives on the same street as she does and they organized a Zoom party online with our studio, Westside School of Ballet and a separate car drive by party. This also gave the studio a chance to highlight their fundraising campaign to get them through the pandemic closure. 

Joan looked great in the Friday video call and we all got a chance to say some words to her. Quite a few people were getting a little mopey and it started to feel less positive so I stuck to remembering our good times and anticipating when we would all get together again in the studio. 

On Saturday, we met before 2p to do the drive by. I had arranged for balloons and some decor for my car at Party City (thanks to curbside pickup) and was leading the southbound side while Margie planned to lead the north side. The family had decorated her lawn and set up a beautiful backdrop for her chair on her patio. The LA times sent a photographer and reporter to cover the event and they put out a lovely piece. 

The other great thing about this event was for a lot of us to be able to see each other in person for the first time in ages. Many of us stayed after (I wanted to leave my balloons for Joan) and it felt good, even with our face masks. We may have not kept 6' consistently but we were outdoors, didn't touch each other and yet got a chance to hang out and honour a woman who has meant to much to so many people. Here's some pictures from me and friend Mark Stone. 

Today is Memorial Day. I still have no BBQ plans but the Inland Empire Commemorative Air Force decided to honour the fallen of past wars as well as current frontline COVID fighters with an 18 plane flyover of Southern California. Several of us from the building got on our roof to watch. These WWII era planes are much slower than the Air Force Thunderbirds from a few weeks ago but no less thrilling. Here's a video I took. 

Keukenhoff

Our last day of the trip (my how time flies) was an afternoon trip to Keukenhof gardens to view the tulips. Since we had the morning free, I decided to take a relaxing morning stroll to the Amsterdam Flower Market. Many stalls were set up with various flowers, and a lot of bulbs and other strange looking seeds. There were also a lot of cheese shops where I finally found some delicious Dutch cheese in a decent manageable size to take home.
The bus trip to Keukenhoff took a couple of hours. We had been worried about potential rain in the forecast. The day ended up being sunny and beautiful. The first thing you see when approaching Keukenhoff is the fields of flowers that are grown for the bulb sales market. This year their spring had been quite cold, so the fields were not all in bloom but the ones we did see were magnificent. At the garden, we had an hour tour with a guide before some free time. She explained about how the garden is redesigned every year. There is a historical plot where the tulips are very short and close to the ground (and retain their scent). Everywhere we went was another spectacular display of beautiful bulb flowers. One area is called the Walk of Fame, where the tulips are all named after famous people. In one building is the displays of modern tulips. Here, all the flowers have really long stems, most of them are extremely uniform in colour and pattern. Some of them almost look like silk flowers, they were so perfect. There are also artistic displays in the center of the building. The far end of the garden is a mill where you can get a good view of the flower fields. On the way back to the main entrance, I passed the Inspiration garden, where they had set up many little vignettes, Delft pottery, sculptures, "Golden Age Amsterdam', beach and surfing, all surrounded by beautiful flowers. At one point, I just stopped taking pictures because there was just too much and I couldn't begin to capture it all.
In the evening, we were heading to Zwolle to see the DNB perform in an all Hans van Manen program. He is a choreographer better known to work with Nederlands Dance Theatre, one of my favourite companies. We had dinner at the theatre, our final wonderful meal of the trip. In this theatre, as at the Concertgebouw, the ticket cost includes a beverage at intermission. They served wine as well as soft drinks and juice. So civilized. We were thrilled to see our new friend Martin performing in Adagio Hammerklavier and again to see Michaela in the final piece.
Tomorrow, everyone heads off in different directions. A small group are going with Katherine to Berlin and Dresden, one person was heading to Provence, the rest of us going home. I definitely will be looking forward to joining Katherine on another of her trips soon.

DNB class

Yesterday started with a visit back to the Opera & Ballet house to watch a class and tour backstage. A volunteer led the way. We started with cookies and coffee or tea. The class started at 11a and was a small group because most of the dancers had the day off. The ones who were there were performing that night in the new Opera + Ballet commission of Romeo & Juliet. We were lucky to see Vito Mazzeo formerly of SFB, recently relocated here. James Stout and Erica Horwood are two Canadians with the company and they were both in class. We sat at the very front of the room, so close we could touch them. When they were doing their grand allegro, the dancers ended their runs at our feet! After the tour, we went to the wig shop where the head of the department explained about how they make wigs (mostly for the Opera). Apparently long grey hair is the most expensive to buy. We also walked through the costume department, and back stage where they were setting up for the evening's show. After the tour, I went to visit Rembrandt House, an interesting look at home life during his time, with a wonderful exhibit of his nude drawings and etchings. I decided to take a different route back to the hotel via Rembrandtsplein. There is a large statue of the artist with smaller life size statues of the figures in the Night Watch painting. I rested for the remainder of the afternoon. We had a group dinner planned for the evening. Katherine surprised us with a guest-Martin ten Kortenaar, a young Canadian dancer who we had seen at the Saturday performance (and who Katherine had pointed out to me. He was delightful, well spoken and regaled us with stories of how he got into dance and life as a dancer. The food was excellent as well!

Food tour & back stage at the Opera Garnier

This morning I had a leisurely start with a food tour of the Marais starting about 10 min walk from the hotel. I didn't quite know what to expect but found my fellow tour mates to be a couple in their late 50s/early 60s and a grandma with her 8th grader grandson. It ended up being a great group with the various ages really contributing to a lively atmosphere. The 8th grader definitely kept up with the adults! We started at an award winning bakery with fresh baguette, croissant traditionel and sweet gougere. Our guide, Claire, is originally from Ireland but has been in Paris for several years and works in pastry and other aspects of the food biz. She turned out to be charming and wonderfully knowledgeable about the history, processes and backgrounds of the foods we ate. From the bakery we stopped at a spice shop with a sniffing bar, a charcuterie, a tiny jambon maker, cheese shop, and a wine bar where we had a table to try some of the wares she'd picked up. Claire carried all kinds of things in her bag to help us on our tour, like trays and knives. We drank 3 wines with our cheeses, terrines, and pates. After a nice lunch, we walked back towards the bakery to find a small artisan chocolate shop across the street from our initial bakery! We tried chocolates of course, but also jellied fruit and caramels and each item was better than I thought it was possible to be. If I'd known how ridiculously good French fruit jellies were, I'd have bought some at Patrick Roger. There not even the same universe as the lousy versions we have here. And the caramels just melt smoothly in your mouth, no sticking to teeth.
After a brief stop at the hotel, I headed towards the Opera, making a stop to check out an old covered market called Galerie Vivienne. The place is a wee bit run down but the shops are wonderful, very artistic, very French, beautiful displays. From the market, it took about 15 minutes to walk to the Opera. After taking some pics, I strolled the area, stopping at a clothing store with a sale (bought some stuff) and Galerie Lafayette to check out the beautiful dome. Unfortunately, the booths inside were all traditional multi-national brands and no longer so special. They have a new food court where I bought a mascarpone eclair. I had heard that these were the recent 'new' thing in Paris pastry. This food hall is a great place to go if you want to try out a bunch of patisseries and chocolatiers all at once.
Before our tour, I went to the Opera gift shop where I ran into several of my fellow tour mates.
The tour started downstairs at the back of the Opera. We went through the back up to the main entry and to the main level. Our guide explained all about the way the building was designed to showcase the new bourgeoisie before they even got to their seats to create an experience of going to the theatre. He identified the source of each of the many types of marble. We saw the different foyers where patrons would kill time during the hour long intermissions of the time (because it took ages for men to manually raise and lower the sets). We saw the theatre interior with its beautiful Chagall dome. From there, backstage in the wings, the stage large enough to hold the Arc de Triomphe, behind the fire curtain to the beautiful Foyer de Danse where dancers used to 'entertain' wealthy patrons, downstairs to see the pool under the building (where the Phantom may lurk?), and way down to the original giant wooden spools used to lift and lower the sets manually. On our way out, we passed several dancers heading in to get ready for the evening's performance.
Dinner was a small group of 4 of us at a neighbourhood place.

St Germain and more POB

This morning I took the Metro to Ste Chappelle. I had tried to visit this church on Ile de la Cite last time I visited Paris, but there was an international summit of some kind and it was closed. There was no line this morning, although the church was already pretty packed when I got there. This place is famous for the quantity of stained glass. It had just been cleaned last year and the glass really glowed! The pieces tell the story of the Bible from Genesis through the Resurrection. Truly a remarkable artistic achievement for the time (12th c).
After checking out Notre Dame (from the outside) I walked to the other side of the river to search for a couple of chocolate shops and patisserie. The first one I came to is Patrick Roger. There is a giant carved chocolate gorilla in the window! Inside, the overwhelming scent of chocolate hits you. The shop has pre set boxes as well as loose pieces. I asked the shop girl to select some loose chocolates for me. The next stop was Gerard Mulot for macarons, although they have all kinds of baked goods. I selected 6 to go (although I shouldn't have bought so many, they don't stay fresh long). From there I headed for Le Comptoir du Relais, which is a hotel and bistro run by a well-known (in Paris) chef Yves Chamdebord. The place opens at noon for lunch and I was early. By the time they started seating us, there was a small line. I chose the Coquilles St Jacques appetizer and a beef stew (daube de boeuf) with carrots for a main. Both were simply prepared but ridiculously flavourful. The chef kept popping in and out of the place. After lunch I headed for Jardin du Luxembourg to find a seat to have a macaron. The weather was sunny but slightly chilly, forsythia were blooming along with other early spring flowers and the citizens were out taking in some sun. From the garden I strolled back to the river via some random streets, window shopping along the way. I stopped at the Rochoux chocolate shop but the shop girl was too busy chatting with another customer so I did not add to my chocolate horde (thank goodness). I ended up across the river from the Louvre so I decided to stroll into the courtyard and check out the pyramid. There is a lot of construction going on in here! From the Louvre, a quick Metro ride took me back to our hotel. After a quick pit stop to drop off my tote, I went to check out the Merci shop. It's a rather peculiar collection of gardening &plant  gear, hipster clothing, miscellaneous home goods and a small skin care boutique. One thing I find in the Paris clothing stores-none of the clothes look like any thing I would wear in LA, although some are quite stylish. Also pricey.
Tonight the group is heading to the Palais Garnier to see POB in a mixed rep with dinner at the onsite restaurant before. The food is quite decent although the chicken is over cooked. We have fantastic seats about 10 rows back and just right of center. We're close enough to see the performers faces! The program includes a Ratmansky, Robbins, Balanchine and Peck. All are done to piano music (one with a violin, another with two pianos). I particularly enjoyed the Robbins and Peck although each piece serves to highlight the beauty of the POB dancers in a more pure unadorned way that isn't possible in a fancy story ballet.

R&J at POB

Today was our intro to the hotel breakfast buffet. Excellent! They had something for everyone - yogurt and fruit, cereal, cold cuts and cheese, hot foods, even rice for Asian guests.
Today the morning is free. I decided to stick to the neighbourhood and headed to the Musee Picasso. Turns out it's free first Sunday for all museums! The museum is featuring sculptures and has been recently renovated. The house is as much reason to visit as the art, truly a beautiful place which showcases Picasso's art surprisingly well. I enjoy his sculptures more than his paintings so this show was a treat. I figured I'd take advantage of free day to check out two other local museums both located in houses. Musee Cognac-Jay is the personal collection of 18th c art by M Cognac. This house is small and cramped but the collection is well organized by theme. The Musee Carnavalet is located in one of the most spectacular homes. The courtyard itself is worth a visit! The collection represents the history of art in Paris although many rooms were closed so I got only a selection of eras. The sign galleries were fantastic, with many signs geared towards illiterate customers so were visually inventive. There is a breathtaking art deco room (about to close for renovation), as well as some beautiful portraits of people who look like could be your neighbour (aside from the wigs and fancy clothes). For lunch I hunted down a Breton cafe Steven recommended called Breizh cafe. After a little confusion over the reservation only dining room vs the vent à porter room with some crates serving as counter seats, I had a delicious buckwheat galette (what we would call a crepe) with cheese, ham, mushrooms washed down with a glass of hard cider. Very refreshing.
After lunch, the group is meeting for our first official outing, a performance of R & J by Paris Opera Ballet at Opera Bastille. The leads are Dorothee Gilbert (long time etoile) and newcomer Hugo Marchand (his debut). The choreography is by Nureyev and rarely seen outside this company. The dancing is quite extensive, the balcony scene did not include a balcony and there were sly touches of humour scattered among the senseless tragedy of this timeless story. Marchand did a great job, although stumbled a bit in his partnering. Gilbert was brilliant. The death scene was incredibly moving, almost brought me to tears. The theatre was completely packed and a little chaotic.
Dinner tonight is at Brasserie Bofinger, a well known Alsatian restaurant with beautiful marquetry panels and a stained glass dome in the main room. We had a delicious meal of seafood soup, salmon and a chocolate lava cake.