Dancing Perfectly Free

Matt recently shared seven fun facts about himself and then tagged me and six other bloggers to participate. Dancing Perfectly Free usually sticks to the arts, but I suppose this is the blogosphere’s version of icebreakers. Since I’ll be posting several dance reviews and previews for upcoming performances over the next few weeks, thinking of seven interesting facts was actually a fun change of pace. Thanks, Matt! So, without further ado, seven facts for fall:

1. When I was seven I dressed up as Charlie Chaplin for Halloween. Most of my friends were ballerinas or Disney princesses, but at the time, I was more entertained by Chaplin’s silent films than Aladdin. I owe thanks to my dad for introducing me to his work. Seriously, Chaplin is brilliant.

2. I’m addicted to Burt’s Bees lip balm.  I keep one on my desk at work, one in my purse, one on my night stand, and one in my coat pocket.  Really.  I’m lost without Burt.

3. I had a concussion in 6^th grade gym class when a boy three times my size was running around and slammed into me, causing me to crash into a wall and then fall and hit my head on the wooden gym floor. The next thing I remember is being examined by the school nurse, who decided that I needed to be taken right to a neurologist. I argued that I was fine and could just walk home after school, which is pretty funny considering that my left eye was fluttering uncontrollably and I couldn’t even walk in a straight line. Luckily there was no neurological damage, but my eye continued twitching uncontrollably for about two weeks.  P.S. I’m still friendly with the boy who knocked me over.

4. My undergraduate thesis investigated the connection between the development of Cuban ballet and the cultural policies of Fidel Castro after the 1959 revolution. I focused on the support that the Ballet Nacional de Cuba received from the revolutionary government due to Alicia Alonso’s (director of the BNC) alliance with Castro and revolutionary ideology. Honestly, my thesis and I had a serious love/hate relationship.  I spent months watching video clips and poring over old Cuban newspapers on microfilm in a windowless room in the back of one of Columbia’s libraries. Needless to say, I was elated when I completed the project and turned in my paper – all 40 pages of it, in Spanish. Maybe one of these days I’ll get around to translating it into English since my parents tell me they want to read it…

5. My most memorable performance was George Balanchine’s Serenade at The Jillana School summer program in New Mexico, 2002. We performed at an outdoor theater, and just as the piece began, the skies opened up and there was a massive rainstorm. I could barely hear the live accompaniment over the booming thunder, but it was such a thrill. Serenade has never felt so dramatic.

6. I ended up on the boys’ recreational soccer team almost every year as a kid. No matter how clearly my parents checked the “female” box on the registration form and wrote “Evan is a girl” in bold letters at the top of the page, I still ended up on the boys’ team.  Mix-up’s due to my gender-neutral name will probably never end…Last week I approached a press agent to pick up my tickets and she asked, “Are you here in place of Evan or will he be joining you?”  Grrr.

7. I’ve been a vegetarian since 16 and I love to cook. I rarely follow recipes, preferring to just improvise and throw in what I think will taste good (cumin and ginger make frequent appearances in my dishes). Since I work near Union Square, I usually stop by the farmers’ market after work. If you haven’t been, go! Right now the market is overflowing with apples, pumpkins, leafy greens, and tons of winter squash. And hey, you might just see the carrot man. Also, this New Yorker cartoon by Alex Gregory mocking vegetarians makes me laugh.

So, now I get to tag seven bloggers to participate. You’re it!

Emily

Deborah

Counter critic

Evan

Aubrey

Jill

Dara