Does this not remind you of ...

... a certain lady who graces the boxes of a certain brand of butter?

That's right, Land O' Lakes!

This is a costume for an Uighur dance from Xinjiang (western China) celebrating the harvest of grapes in Autumn. I felt vaguely like a Vegas showgirl because of the ostentatious adornments and feathers. To be honest, I am not overly fond of this dance precisely because it's rather showy. I prefer dances that are more understated but have great depth, or are simply lively and fun! But this one was, to me at least, neither ... Still, as a dancer you can't bring this to rehearsal or the stage - you just keep your opinions to yourself. So, for certain time periods I just love my grapes when required! (At least I'm not holding a stick of butter.)

The Good Pain ... The Bad Pain

Every athlete knows what I'm talking about. There's the good pain that comes from pushing one's body beyond the limit; it's the only way to get stronger. And then there's the bad pain, from injury. I've certainly had both, but I definitely prefer the former although it's difficult right now to think about it because I hurt all over, quite a lot!

I'm rehearsing a dance where I have to do a backbend on a tall Chinese war drum and kick off of it backwards until I land on the floor. Funny how the floor seems so far away from atop the drum. After some rough landings I was too scared to kick full out and basically ended up standing on my hands on the edge of the drum with my legs in a split in the air, upside-down. Many times. Needless to say, my triceps hurt. And so does everything else. Hopefully my muscles will learn and I'll get over my fear quickly.

I also have to learn how to flip off the drum without hands ... I swear I'll be brave enough soon.

Time to Rest ... But Not Really

There's been a bit of a lull lately besides some commercial shoots, which is nice because it's given me time to 1) recover from my mysteriously sprained right ankle from a month ago; still don't know what happened, and 2) concentrate on rehearsing the dances for upcoming shows.

Since I leave for Shanghai to dance in less than two weeks(!) I really hope I don't get sick or injured because I'd like to be able to perform at my best. I feel that the pressure's on, but at the same time I hope I can simply enjoy working with some of the best dancers and directors that China has. This is an opportunity I hadn't even imagined I would have, so I'll give it my best!