Today we began rehearsing at Kaatsbaan International Dance Center. Flamenco Vivo is lucky to be one of the resident companies here. It’s a beautiful campus complete with a performance space and several dance studios along with dormitories for the company.

A view of the meadow and rehearsal building.

There are no distractions as there would be in NYC, and we are able to focus entirely on the process of putting the show together. Some highlights of being in Tivoli are being able to see the stars at night, peace and quiet, the smell of the forest, and seeing deer out on the meadow. Some downfalls are the company van getting stuck in the snow and having to wait for a tractor to pull it out before we can leave for dinner. You definitely have to be prepared for anything out here…
As for rehearsals, the motto of my day also seems to be expect the unexpected. I am under-studying a vidalita that is danced as a trio. It includes lots of patnering and several lifts, which I have never done before. Partnering is not easy, and don’t think it’s all up to the man to lift the woman, what I learned is it’s as much about the woman jumping high enough and supporting herself with her arms or legs so the man isn’t holding all her weight. And relaxing and making it look easy. All that, not to mention getting the timing just right so that the inertia isn’t lost–dance is a lot of physics! And math too, since I’m under-studying, I have to figure out as much as I can of the choreography on my own and recognizing patterns is key for that.

Tomorrow will surely bring new challenges and excitement…stay tuned!