Hi there. This month has been wild, and it’s about to get even wilder in July! It’s no secret that I’ve thrown myself into ballet dance for the past year, working towards the intermediate foundation RAD exam. This time, I’ve been working towards the grade 5.
Now for the first bit of exciting news: I was part of a small group who did a ballet performance for the studio I go to. But not just any ballet. Ballet… En pointe. A HUUUUUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT. Not to mention, we were the only adult group in the entire show. Hope we lived up to everyone’s expectations! I’ve never actually performed a dance in pointe shoes; it was both exciting and nerve-racking, and completely awesome to be on stage. And none of us had even thought that we’d end up performing it one day! Now we are hoping to do it again at the next showcase. I’m really pleased to finally have worked my way up to the intermediate level of pointe work, but of course, there’s still a lot I need to work on. It inevitably will be a pain, but never the less it’s something I’d always hope to do one day.
Another pair off to join their predecessors in my pointe shoe graveyard. RIP.
Now the other crazy news I have to share: I’m heading to Australia, y’all! Leaving towards the end of July, and won’t be back on Canadian soil til November. That’s really weird to think about, but it will be a relief to get a change of scenery. In the time I’ll be away, I will have missed four months of Canada and its politics… Which, for the record, will be at its most interesting, since there’s going to be a federal election this October! The thought of this makes me somewhat anxious. Who will it be????? Who??? In the meantime, I will have to immerse myself in Australia’s politics instead. And if I don’t like the PM of choice, I’ll say, ‘see you in four years, Canada!’ Just kidding. Or am I?
From this day until the day I’m set to leave, I will be thinking about what to pack. What, indeed? What does one pack in a single suitcase when she is away for four months? Items on my list include some running shoes, new pyjamas, a hat…
Lastly, I learned today via Twitter that it has been six years since our King of Pop, Michael Jackson, died. Isn’t that crazy? I was out at dinner when I first heard the news. Then for months afterwards, radio stations were playing and replaying his hits. The massive influence he had on music and dance is so remarkable to think of. He was one of a kind, and there will never be another like him.
I love this video, because it highlights how MJ himself found a big influence in the work of Fred Astaire.
Writing my way Forward 