Pdt: What was your greatest experience on stage?
If you don’t know it already, check out David, Catherine and mine’s project, the Pas de Trois on dancing3.com. Here, we try to create a dialogue on anything related to dance between professionals, audience and all others.
To point out one single experience on stage to be my favorite, is as hard as to pick one favorite dancer. I simply cannot. I’ve been lucky to have a couple of great times on stage, but to single out one… I think I’ll mention a few;
The first time I ever stood on a stage as a professional dancer in a “real” company was a unique experience. I was the last guy in the corps, on a huge ukrainian stage, I think you wouldn’t have noticed me at all unless you were looking, still for me, it was a great feeling. I was there, in costume, doing what I had been training for for so long, as my job. Afterwards in the changing-room, my colleagues gave me vodka and cheered to my achievement, “Prem’era”, I was in ecstasy!
Another mentionable moment was my graduation performance from school. The possibility to dance outstanding solo’s on the stage of a packed Hungarian Operahouse was something I will never forget. I got a small injury in my ankle just two days before, and had to force myself through the show. Afterwards, my ankle was huge, swollen and purple, but I was happy as ever.
I like to think that my greatest experiences on stage is something I keep with me in a little box inside me. They don’t mean anything to anyone else, but they are reminders of how great this job can be when times are hard, and keep me going when I want to stop. The knowledge that there are several more, great experiences ahead is a motivating and positive thing to think about when your body is hurting, your salary sucks or your pirouettes are off.
So cheers to great experiences! What’s yours? On stage, or off, share them with us