Tuesday, November 2, 2010

BALLET FOLK 5TH YEAR – JULY 4, 1977 TO SEPTEMBER 17, 1977

July 4th was a great day!  We had lunch at the Country Kitchen with Beruti and George.  George had been talking for some time about his friend and former dancer, Beruti, and the fact that he had persuaded her to come visit for a couple of weeks in Moscow.  She seemed very easy; I felt I knew her after a few words.  We had a lot of catching up to do with George and we got right to it.

George found Jed and Kathy in Chicago and Betsy in Salt Lake so we have our nine provided Jed gets his Visa extended.  He is from England.  We ate dinner at George’s with Carl—shish-ka-bob.  Jaye is in Ecuador on a “Sister City” exchange program and Carl was getting lonely.  I found out from George that Ross is working out-of-town and only comes home on weekends. 

We went to the fireworks later—Moscow’s first.  What duds!  Saw Joe (Becky’s old boyfriend) and Barb and Ben.  Joe is working odd jobs in Coeur d’Alene.  Poor Joe.  He told George the big secret is that Becky is working in a massage parlor in New York.   

On July 5th I started teaching bright and early and it went well.  After my class, Beruti taught Company class and she was great—so much positive criticism!  We spent $40 at the grocery; it is my resolution to save money by cooking more even if it kills me.  Chuck came over in the evening and we got high—what fun.

July 6th was a nice day.  I taught class, took class and cleaned house while Mike tested the TV tubes.  I am going crazy on the apartment—cleaning drawers that have never been touched.  Slowly but surely, we’ll get the place in shape; it has been neglected for a long time.  We ordered a new rug for the den.  It will come on Saturday so we had better start painting.  We had Pointe class again today—my poor feet.  It has to get better.  After dinner, we had many of the dancers over to watch Martha Graham on TV.  It was fantastic!

July 7th – We went with George and Beruti to see a performance of Cabaret done by the University of Idaho Musical Theatre students and directed by Carl.  We were all a little high but could still tell Carl had done a wonderful job.  Carl was fixing George up with the leading man at the cast party after the show, so we paid close attention to him and heartily approved.  We had met Peggy, the leading lady, at Ballet Folk & Friends because she was a friend of Ross’s.  She was OK in the show but she has an ugly body.  Doris, one of the Kit Kat girls, was so awful she was perfect.  Norma, Nan, Kathy and Vicki were all great—they’re all dancers from the school.

The party was so much fun.  We drank 40 bottles of champagne and two cases of beer.  It looked like George and Gary were hitting it off, but George and Terri were too; Beruti and I kept spying on them.  Carl was pretty wasted and kept flirting with Beruti and me.  I really like Carl without Jaye although he is going nuts because she’s been gone almost two months.  He really let his hair down that night.  We didn’t get home until 2:00 a.m.

July 8th – I went to the doctor but saw Dr. Hawkins because Dr. Adams wasn’t in.  My blood pressure was high so I have to go back in two weeks.  He said it might be because of the pill.  He also told me I should get off the pill for six months if I ever want children, but I can’t right now. 
We stopped in to see Norm after Pointe class and promised to meet him later at the “Plantation”.  We took Beruti with us after class and spent the rest of the evening at George’s with Carl, Terri and Gary.  Carl was hysterically funny—I loved it.  We kept joking about running away together.

July 9th – Ross came over to visit at lunchtime.  Since he is working out-of-town during the week, he has been pretty busy.  He is the boss of a surveying team in Northern Idaho.  Other than that it was a lazy day. 

July 10th – It was a gorgeous day for swimming.  A group of us went to the Spring Valley Reservoir.  We cooked hot dogs and had potato salad, chips and cherries.  We took Jon’s 2-man raft into the middle of the lake and let it drift back to shore.  Mike and I have to get some air mattresses before the weekend.  Mike went over to Kelly’s, and Beruti and I went to Chuck P.’s garage sale but there was nothing but junk.  In the evening, we went to see “Young Frankenstein” and had a few beers afterward with Jon and Nancy at the “Alley”. 

July 11th – We ordered paint, and curtains at Sears; they will come in on Thursday.  Kelly came over after class and after he and Mike picked up the new rug at Ward’s.  That rug will spruce up the den nicely.  It looks like an expensive tapestry—but, of course, it’s not.

July 12th – The Panov’s were on TV again.  (Valery and Galina Panov are a Russian couple who were finally allowed to leave Russia in 1974 after much discrimination because Valery is Jewish.  They were appearing as guest artists all over the world because, at that time, they were without a ballet company.)  George, Beruti, Barb (Ben was out hiking), Mike and I went out to dinner at Sea Swiper’s first.  George loved my Le De perfume and kept promising to attack me.

July 13th – Pretty dull and boring day today.  I can’t wait for rehearsals to start.  Jed and Kathy are positively not coming.  Jed yelled at Carl and blamed him for his papers not coming through.  Cal said he wouldn’t hire him now even if he could and I don’t blame him.

 July 14th – Thursday, we dropped by Norm’s after class and had a little beer to get in the painting mood.  Everything was there at the apartment waiting for us.  We drank just enough to have no will power to resist an invitation to go to Tom’s and try some good Columbian pot.  It knocked me on my ass!  I have no idea how I made Sloppy Joes that night.  After dinner I took a nap to stop some of the side-effects I was having from the Columbian—like not being able to swallow, breathe or stand up.  That was some strong stuff.  The nap helped and I was up painting by about 9:00 p.m.  We got one coat completely finished.  Mike sawed off what he thought was the bottom of the closet door so we could open it over the shag rug, but in reality he sawed off the top!  The moral of the story, don’t smoke pot if you plan on doing home improvements.

July 15th – Friday, George came over after class for lunch and stayed to help us paint.  We worked almost solid until 10:00 that night.  We went to George’s to relax after all that hard work and Carl, Gary and Terri were there too.  We spent the next few hours talking, joking and smoking.  Beruti was over at Mark and Terryl’s.  They were back in Moscow taking their time moving to Milwaukee where Mark has a job with Milwaukee Ballet.

July 16th – Saturday, we went to the reservoir with George.  It was such a windy day that it took a lot of work to keep the rafts from floating back to shore.  We didn’t stay long as the wind was too annoying.  I invited Beruti for dinner at George’s request but she insisted she had to go with George and Carl.  We met her later and went to Moscow Mining Company.  Every time Mike danced with Beruti, some college kid would ask me to dance.  I am sure they thought I was third man out.  One freshman wanted to know what year I was.  I told him I had been out five years and he said, “I just paid you a compliment.”  Boy am I getting old!

July 17th – Sunday, we mostly did laundry and cleaned.  We dropped over to Barb and Ben’s in the late afternoon and promised to return after dinner and a movie.  We saw “The Front” with Woody Allen and really enjoyed it.  Back at Barb and Ben’s we met their friend, Greg, who is a real hick but awfully nice.  We found out that Ballet Folk told Chris she could have her job back, but she was upset they had hired Betsy first.  I think it’s silly; but if that’s the way she feels.

July 18th – Monday, we officially started back to work.  Everyone was a little depressed in class, probably because George’s teaching style is so different from Beruti’s.  He wasn’t negative; he just wasn’t positive and we had all become accustomed to encouragement.  We worked on Pas de Trois all afternoon.  Jan, Mike and I are understudies and there is a good chance we will be performing it—especially Mike and I.  Barb and Chuck are pretty tired of it after performing it for a whole year.

July 19th – Tuesday, we rehearsed Rainmaker for a few hours.  I conducted the rehearsal and really enjoyed it.  It was fun being the “big cheese” instead of the peon for a change.  Carl, Beruti and George came over for dinner.  The food was good especially the Sara Lee cake.  We all sat in the bedroom after dinner because it was cooler in there.  Carl talked about remodeling his bedroom to surprise Jaye.

July 20th – Wednesday, we watched the old video tapes of Rainmaker and Songs.  We watched Rainmaker for the new people to help them get an overview of the ballet.  We went to George’s after dinner as this was Beruti’s last night in town.  We listened to possible music for George’s new ballet.  Carl called but had to stay home waiting for Jaye’s call.

July 21st – Thursday, George had a migraine so Beruti taught; we rehearsed Rainmaker all afternoon and got a lot done.  We went with George and Beruti to the Hotel and had a few martinis while they ate.  We met Carl at George’s when picking up Beruti’s bags; he was hysterical because Jaye hadn’t called.  After we calmed him down, we drove to Spokane so Beruti could catch her train.  We talked constantly; I am really going to miss her.  She promised to call and write. 

July 22nd – Friday, lazy day today.  We just had class—no rehearsal.  I lay in the sun all afternoon while Kelly and Mike worked on George’s bike.  We walked to the doctor’s at about 3:30 and this time my blood pressure was fine, thank God.  We went to a “Crazy Days” street sale and went crazy.  I got three pair of pants for $12 and two halter tops for $14.  Mike bought a pair of pants for $6.  I took them all up in the evening while watching “The Omen.”  We were in bed by midnight.

July 23rd – Saturday, what a glorious day at Spring Valley; it was 95 degrees and no wind.  We drove out on the motorcycle and met George and Chuck in the middle of the lake.  They told us they had taken two hits of acid each and were looking a little strange.  We left early so I could go to Mass at 5:00 p.m.  We arranged to meet Ross at the Garden Lounge after the play.  “Tavern” wasn’t very good, but then it’s a dumb play to begin with.  We had fun with Ross mostly talking about surveying, geology and dance.

July 24th – Sunday, cleaning day again.  We cleaned all the silver and did laundry.  George came over for a few hours in the afternoon.  A critic, Kathy Trautner, was in town to see “Cabaret”, and Carl and George met her after the play for a drink.  According to Carl, the evening was a total disaster.

July 25th – Monday, Valerie from Chicago was supposed to audition; but at the last minute, she didn’t come because of financial problems.  Everyone was disappointed.  Class was just OK; rehearsal went fast.  We are almost finished with Rainmaker.  George starts choreographing his new ballet tomorrow and everyone is excited.

July 26th – Tuesday, We absolutely love George’s new ballet.  He choreographed the whole first movement to Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle.”  I always feel so sad when I hear that song knowing the singer is dead. . . there never was enough time for him.  The Baryshnikov show was on again and the whole gang stopped by to watch it.  Barb and Ben brought a cheesecake which was a nice treat.  Chuck and Stan were moving into George’s house that night so they didn’t come—they weren’t invited anyway.  Chuck has been getting on my nerves lately—bad start; it’s a good thing we are not partners much.  It was so hot in our apartment that, after the show, we all moved into the bedroom where we have a small air conditioner and listened to more songs that George is thinking of using in his new ballet.  It wasn’t very comfortable as our apartment isn’t equipped to hold that many guests—especially on such a hot night.

July 27th – Wednesday, we had class and rehearsal as usual.  Jonny and Nancy came over at 6:00 with a joint and Jon, Nancy, Barb, Ben, Jan and JoAnn all trouped down with us to the theatre to watch “Star Wars” most of us for the second time.  It was fun—I made pizza for everyone afterward and, once again, we all nearly roasted from the heat.

July 28th – Thursday – George is really getting into his superiority act and making everyone feel like less-than-morons.  Mike got thrown out of rehearsal for having such a big ego.  I don’t think anyone understood it but George.  Bill, the tech guy, started learning Hoe Down.  It is going to take a lot of patience from everyone, but he’ll do OK.

July 29th – Friday, rehearsal with George from 1:00 – 3:00 was endless—the longest two hours of my life.  We learned the third section of George’s new ballet which now has a name, Watercolors.  Mike and I were supposed to start the pas de deux section at 3:00 but everyone was too exhausted.  Ben was in Spokane so Barb came over and we had a good talk and lots of cold beer.  We went home with her to wait for Ben to go out to dinner.  Ben arrived with Bill, Jon and Nancy so we all went to the Moscow Hotel.  We are really getting to like Bill; he bought a drink for everyone!  I was dead-to-the-world by 10:00 p.m.

July 30th – Saturday, was a beautiful day at the reservoir.  It was so peaceful I even fell asleep on my raft.  Mike and I both paid for it later as we ended up severely sunburned and with lots of bug bites.  We saw Carl’s, “The Man Who Came to Dinner” and adored Forest Sears.  He was fabulous.  Gary was also exceptional as the Noel Coward figure.  Jan had a party at her house after the performance.  She had lots of snacks and “pink ballerinas” which taste a lot like strawberry daiquiris except they are made with bourbon instead of rum.  It was a quiet party but nice and friendly.  The members of the Company are hitting it off marvelously this year.  I hope the two new people fit in—when we find them.  We stopped over at Ross’s after the party but we didn’t stay long because he was really tired.

July 31st – Sunday, I was feeling a little depressed today; and what do you do when you’re depressed—shop.  I bought three pair of jeans for only $4.85/pair which, of course, I just couldn’t pass up.  I hemmed until my needle broke.  I walked over to George’s to borrow one from him and Gary was there.  I like him more everyday; he seems good for George.  George says he is nuts but I am thinking maybe George is the one that’s nuts—or maybe they’re both nuts.  We smoked a little and it helped my mood considerably—I had a terrible time making decisions, but I felt great.  I couldn’t pick out tomatoes, avocados, corn, or steak; and on the “Gong Show”, the ones that got gonged, I thought were great.  I got terribly upset watching the news though, something I hardly ever do (the getting upset part not the watching part). 

It got so hot in our apartment that we went outside to read.  Our new downstairs neighbor, Astley, came by and we played cards with him until 10:30.  Wendy came home while we were playing and talked about seeing Nureyev and Baryshnikov in London.  We watched Cocteau’s “Orpheus” until midnight and I fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.

August 1 – Monday, was a boring day; it was hot and I was feeling really bad.  I started my period and my back was killing me.  We rehearsed until after 5:00.    Bill was doing better; he will have it in another day.  We dropped by Betsy’s in the evening to give her a house-warming plant.  Michael insisted it was a ruby begonia even though the flowers were pink.  According to him, they only turned pink recently.  We watched tennis for awhile, but it got boring when it was obvious who was going to win.  Thank God, tomorrow is another, different day.

August 2 – Tuesday, there still isn’t a lot of action in this town.  We had class and rehearsal as usual.  After dinner we walked over to George’s but he was at a play, so we went to Barb and Ben’s.  It was so hot we just had to get out of our apartment.  We only stayed about half hour because they were going to Jan’s to watch “Goodbye Columbus.”  I can’t stand Ali McGraw so we hiked on home.

August 3rd – Wednesday, we rehearsed at the new auditorium in the afternoon showing Rainmaker to George.  He seemed pleased which doesn’t happen often.  We also did Property and it went really well.  We stopped by Norm’s after work and drank ourselves silly.  We went to dinner at “The Studio” and ate a ton but it felt good.  I was glad Mike moved quickly enough to pick-up the tab.  It was nice to take Norm out for a change.

August 4th – Thursday, everyone was pooped all day just thinking about the evening run-through.  It went exceptionally well and we all felt great when it was over.

August 5th – Friday, today was the beginning of a down period for George.  He got so mad in class because we were all making mistakes that he told us to go home.  We really didn’t mind.  It was a gorgeous day for swimming so Chuck, Mike and I went to the reservoir.  When George found out, he was furious.  Later we went with Barb and Ben to see “School for Wives” at the University of Idaho Summer Theatre.  It was really well done.  I don’t care what Carl says about Roy; he may be an asshole, but he is a talented one.  We went to the Garden for drinks afterward.  We saw Ross outside and invited him to have a drink with us, but he had to go meet a friend.  We all got a little drunk; and, fortified by the drink and the fact that there were so many of us, decided to stop by George’s.  He had had a few drinks too and his anger had completely dissipated.  We didn’t stay long as we had a big day coming up.

August 6th – Saturday, we left for Coeur d’Alene at noon.  Just outside Moscow, our retread started flapping so we went back to Princeton and had it changed.  It was only a slight delay.  We arrived at about 3:15.  We ate, set-up outside in the park and ran through “Hoe Down”.  We ended up doing it three times because Bill kept screwing up; he was nervous because George was watching.  He feels the same way about George as we do.  We put on make-up and had our class with an audience—no doors or curtains outside.  A little boy about 5 years old came up to me as I was making up and said, “You sure have a little head.”  I knew I did but didn’t know it was that noticeable.  Joe came to watch—he is looking good.  I think he’s going to New York to visit his uncle, and probably to try to see Becky.  I don’t think that’s such a good idea.

The performance went pretty smoothly.  There were about 300 in the audience.  We drove right home afterward; I slept most of the way.  Chuck insisted we take him home before stopping for dinner so he could take his make-up off—and then he wanted to get out-of-the-car if we went to Country Kitchen.  He has to have his own way, and he takes advantage of everyone else to get it.  I was pissed but the food helped me forget about it.  We didn’t get home until 1:45 a.m.

August 7th – Sunday, I got up early to go to Mass and clean house so we could take George and Chuck to the reservoir.  When George called, Mike let him know we were going directly out there.  We are getting fed-up with Chuck asking us to stop every time we take him some place.  Sure enough, Chuck wanted to stop for Coke.  I said I was getting tired of it, so George stormed into the house saying, “forget it”.  I felt bad because I wouldn’t have minded stopping for George, but I knew Chuck was the one who wanted the Coke.  We went but felt bad all day. 
We played Rummy Royal with Astley on the front porch all evening.  Chuck and George walked by and waved so I guess they weren’t mad anymore.  It really was a foolish incident.

August 8th – Monday, class and rehearsal went badly for me.  It seemed I was constantly getting yelled at.  I think George was still upset with me for what had happened yesterday.  We did nothing during the evening except watch TV.  There was a good movie on, “The Family Way.”

August 9th – Tuesday, Jaye is back but we haven’t seen her yet.  She hired Leslie Norton, a little 5-foot bullet.  She arrives tomorrow.  A guy named, Kevin, couldn’t make the audition because he couldn’t borrow a car.  They are trying to decide whether to hire him sight-unseen.  They really don’t have any other prospects.  Pam Griener from Toledo finally wrote—now that it’s too late.  That’s too bad.  I got yelled at a lot again today so I guess I’m not forgiven yet.  We went over to George’s after dinner and Jaye and Carl dropped in.  We were all pretty high but it didn’t matter.  We fit right in with Jaye’s mood.  She talked a lot about Ecuador and the people.  It sounded wonderful and awful at the same time.  She looked great but Carl looked a little down.  Back to being good for him—I think he was wishing he could get high with us.

August 10th – Wednesday, Leslie arrived and I know I am going to like her.  She is a regular girl, like me—down-home folk, as we say out West.  She is very short though—just 5-foot even—and with bright red hair.  We all look like giants next to her.  It’s true what Jaye said; she has feet like mine—poor kid.  We rehearsed with George all afternoon.  Jaye watched class and then watched Pas de Trois rehearsal.  It was kind of fun having her back.  I wish I could have done Pas de Trois because I think Jaye would have been surprised.

August 11th – Thursday, Jaye watched us do what we know of Watercolors, and we had the rest of the day off.  She said it would be our last so we had better enjoy it.  We went out to the reservoir just me and Mike but we met Jonny, Nancy and Bill there.  It was really hot.  George and Carl took off for Seattle to find a man.  It turned out that Kevin went back to Phoenix because they found some grant money for him.  He already signed the contract.  We went over to Jaye’s in the evening and just sat around and talked; Carl asked us to watch after her.

August 12th – Friday, Mom’s birthday.  I taught and had fun doing it.  We listened to music in the afternoon for Jaye’s new ballet while she explained what would be happening during it.  The music is by Emerson, Lake and Palmer and it is to be the Ballet Company version of a Chorus Line.  It sounds like a wonderful idea and the music is phenomenal.  It was payday so we walked to the bank and then over to Leslie’s.  She lives in the little house that Jaye and Carl and then Jonny lived in at one time.  We invited Leslie over after we ate dinner at the Moscow Hotel.  We ran into Dave Johnson and he gave me back my copy of Gail Grant’s book.  I wish we would have thought to fix him up with Beruti when she was here.  We had a quiet, hot evening at our place with Leslie, mostly just watching TV and looking at pictures.  I’m so glad she smokes as I’ll have someone to bum them from in the dressing room.

August 13th – Saturday, we started working on ELP at 9:30 this morning.  It was a heated rehearsal because Chuck was in one of his moods and I was in no mood for it.  We are partnered in most of the ELP ballet so far, but nothing is set yet.  We went to the reservoir with Chuck, Jan and Betsy.  It was a hot, claustrophobic ride out there but well worth it.  We went to Barb and Ben’s later to watch for shooting stars and play Scrabble.

August 14th – Sunday, crummy, awful day.  Mike took Jan up on Moscow Mountain on the bike while I did laundry and sewed toe shoes.  It took me 5 hours to sew 6 pair and I was throwing them after the first 3 hours.  I hate sewing machines!

August 15th – Monday, a guy from Salt Lake, Doug, auditioned today.  He reminded both Mike and me of Dale—a bad omen.  George started working on the pas de deux that Mike and I will do in Watercolors to a song called Watercolors by Janis Ian.   So far so good.  We worked on ELP the rest of the afternoon.  We had a warm-up in the evening so Jaye could see Doug one more time and then we rehearsed until almost 10:00.  They didn’t hire Doug but he didn’t want to be hired anyway.  “Too much touring”, he said.  Mike and I were right again—just like Dale.

August 16th – Tuesday, not much to write about.  All work and no play.  We worked with George from 1:00 to 3:00 on Watercolors—I love it!  Later we rehearsed with Jaye from 3:00 to 5:00 and again from 8:00 until 10:00.  Mike and I do a short, strange pas de deux in ELP.  Jaye had me jumping on his shoulders, under his armpits, and other scary moves but luckily nothing worked.

August 17th – Wednesday, George had a migraine so Chuck taught—what can I say but argh!  He just doesn’t have the knack.  We worked on ELP all afternoon and then again in the evening.  Carl flew back from Seattle because his car still wasn’t fixed.  (I neglected to say Carl’s car broke down while he and George were in Seattle.  George flew back Sunday night to be here in time to see Doug.)  We figured Jaye wouldn’t have rehearsal that evening because she would want to be with Carl, but no such luck.  We dropped by George’s after rehearsal and he was feeling better.

August 18th – Thursday, a woman named Cassandra arrived today to audition for Assistant Ballet Mistress.  I disliked her immediately; she reminded me of Mary Lynne.  She took class today and she teaches tomorrow.  We rehearsed all afternoon again with Jaye and she had me hopping on Pointe all over the stage.  My poor little tootsies.  Jay didn’t need Mike or me in the evening so we finally had a little time off.  We went to Sea Swipers with Leslie and then over to Chuck’s.  Leslie told us how she heard from a friend at Butler that Cassandra was supposed to choreograph a full-length program for her Master’s Thesis using dancers from the department.  She decided no one was good enough to do her choreography so she did an evening of solos.  What an ego!

August 19th – Friday, Cassandra taught today and was Mary Lynne to a T.  She doesn’t like using records so she counted until George couldn’t stand it anymore and offered to play piano.  It would have been “death by boredom” if it hadn’t been for George.  She didn’t say anything either.  We want someone who can help us not just give us combinations; Chuck Pizarro can almost do that. 

George finished our pas de deux today and everyone was in tears by the time it was over—it really does work.  George started his final section.  Jaye finished the first section of ELP and we ran it.  I nearly passed out it was so strenuous!  I will have to build up my stamina.

Carl and Jaye invited us all to their champagne party for three friends—Thelma, Jay and Anne, who just got back from Paris.  I got awfully drunk and then smoked in the bushes with Chuck.  I was pretty high but had a great time.  I even sat on Carl’s lap right in front of Jaye.  I told him to loosen up and flirt more because Jaye sure was.  Carl’s car arrived from Seattle driven by a friend of George’s who seemed interested in Carl.  It was all a bit bizarre but maybe I was imagining a lot of it.

August 20th – Saturday, we stayed up to watch Gene Kelly’s “Invitation to the Dance” this morning from 1:00 to 3:00.  We were both a little hung over and groggy when we got up.  We cleaned, shopped and started the laundry—all before 2:00 p.m.  Two men auditioned—Antonio and Billy.  Antonio had astounding technique but a girl’s body and Billy had a fantastic body but no technique.  They didn’t hire either of them.  We relaxed the rest of the day—we needed it.

August 21st – We have mostly been rehearsing day and night.  Today was the first cool, cloudy day in about a month.  It was too bad because we had planned to go to the reservoir.  Instead Leslie, Mike and I went hiking at Elk Creek.  It was fun and we even took a little dip.  The only pair of shoes Leslie owns have 3-inch heels and it was hysterical watching her hike through the woods.  We didn’t get home until 6:00.  Mike and I went to McDonald’s and then to the movie, “Fantastic Planet”, a weird little cartoon.   After the movie, we got a sundae at Minsky’s. 

August 22nd – Dee Dee from Salt Lake taught today, auditioning for Assistant Ballet Mistress.  She was only 21 and had just graduated from college.  Jaye loved her personality but didn’t even watch class.  Dee Dee couldn’t even count—I can’t understand that.  She was nervous; she talked too fast, and she couldn’t give anyone a decent comment.  If they hire her, we quit!  I got yelled at by George today in Watercolors.  He was really grumpy and sarcastic.

August 23rd – We rehearsed day and night.  Dee Dee took class today.  We worked on the finale to Watercolors and George finished it.  Dee Dee took notes which could be an ominous sign.  We worked on ELP the rest of the day.

August 24th – George had the flu today but taught anyway.  He was vomiting the night before.  He was so nice that we all commented under our breath he should get sick more often.  Jaye finished ELP in the afternoon and we had the rest of the day off.  We went for pizza at Karl Mark’s, picked up Leslie and went over to George’s.  I think George and Leslie are going to be great friends.

August 25th – George was sick again today so I taught.  It went OK but I was nervous because I didn’t have time to prepare.  We didn’t have rehearsal in the evening.  Jan came over for a little while because Betsy was driving her crazy with her depression.  Jan just wanted to be around some happy people. 

August 26th – Still working on ELP to tighten it up.  I am hired as Temporary Assistant Ballet Mistress.  I started Property late in the afternoon and it was a disaster.  Everyone kept contradicting me and I lost it.  I was mostly mad at Mike because I thought he should have been on my side.  I was having enough trouble.

We went to the movie, “Silver Streak” in the evening and the whole gang was there.  Betsy, Jan and Leslie came over for a little while afterward.  We mostly looked at old pictures of me and Mike.  George and Chuck came over right after the girls left.  I had just gotten in the bath tub.  George hadn’t taught that morning (Barb did) so I was surprised to see George up and around.  He asked us what we thought about Leslie understudying the Sleeping Beauty pas de deux.  I almost lost my teeth; I was stunned.  Leslie is Jaye’s dancer—all tits, teeth and no technique.  George never ceases to amaze me.

August 27th – Jaye started choreographing Debussy at 9:30 this morning.  It was one of those awful first rehearsals.  Naturally Chuck and I are together again.  I rehearsed everyone in Property after that and got in a bad mood.  Two days of abuse in a row was too much for me.  We cleaned and did laundry the rest of the day and then went over to George’s with Leslie in the evening.  George confessed that most of his sickness was made-up.  He was mad at Jaye.  He also confided that he was going to be nice from now on.  He said, “Being mean just isn’t worth it.”  We got a real chuckle out of that later in the week.

August 28th – At last, we had a real day off.  We went to Biscuitroot for dinner and saw a movie at the Micro in the evening.  The movie was dumb but it was still better than rehearsing.

August 29th – All rehearsals from now until opening are in the new auditorium.  We started cleaning up Watercolors.  We also did ELP and a little Debussy.  Leslie is the solo girl in Debussy and all she does is run around on her toes—poor kid.  We had the evening off because Jaye had a tech meeting.  It was payday and, to my surprise, I got a $75 bonus.  How nice!!

August 30th and 31st – We rehearsed day-and-night.  I’m getting skinny—down to 106 pounds.

September 1st – We rehearsed all afternoon and had a run-through in the evening.  Lenore took pictures.  During ELP in the afternoon, I accidentally kicked myself in the left calf and was it ever sore.  The run through went better than I thought it would.  I am starting to feel really run down.

September 2nd – Friday, we set-up in the morning at 10:00 and came back at 1:00 for class.  We only rehearsed until about 4:00 because we had a dress rehearsal in the evening.  The night before, we had tried on our Watercolors costumes.  I was first to get fitted, so I put my costume on the chair right in front of Bonnie’s nose when I took it off.  For some reason she didn’t see it and left it there.  George bit my head off because he thought I had left it downstairs.  I think he was still mad at me today, because he was on me for every little thing.  He also had a fight with Jaye and wasn’t speaking to her.  How childish!  The run-through went fine (in Property I now have dirt all over my face and tights); we struck and didn’t get home until 11:00.  I still had to pack and wash my hair.

September 3rd – Saturday, performance in McCall with Madame Petrick accompanying us.  We arrived, set-up, ate, made-up, warmed-up and performed.  I thought it went excellently.  I was no-where near as nervous as I usually am for a first performance.  George even said I looked “gorgeous” in ELP.  We went to the Yacht Club for steaks later with Leslie and Bill.  I was happy but exhausted.

September 4th – Sunday, bus ride back; we arrived about 2:00 p.m.  George invited us over for lasagna so I didn’t have to cook.  I relaxed and enjoyed myself once we had shopped and started the laundry.  We had a good time at George’s watching July Collins sing with the Boston Pops and watching “The Getaway”.  There was a huge thunderstorm and all the lights went out for about 15 minutes.  I decided I really like Chuck P.’s boyfriend, Stan, but it was very obvious that night that he was driving George crazy.

September 5th – Labor Day, no rest for the weary.  I had a list of things to do a mile long.  We rehearsed Debussy at 7:30 p.m.

September 6th – Tuesday, Brett Rafael was here auditioning for the Assistant Ballet Master position.  He took class today and is really some fine dancer.  Just the way he works in class makes me think he is a good teacher.  He did everything to the fullest technically but seemed to be a little weak as far as movement.  He would compliment George well.  He is only 25 though which could have its drawbacks as that is the same age as most of us.  He came to rehearsal in the afternoon but I didn’t talk to him.  We did Debussy until 3:00 and then George started Sleeping Beauty pas de deux with Barb and Chuck as first cast and Leslie and Mike as second.  I think putting Barb and Chuck together is a grave error.  Chuck is the weakest partner in the Company and Barb is the heaviest woman because she is so tall. 

We rehearsed Debussy in the evening.  Jaye is working on the girl’s dance—2nd Movement.  I had a hard time, as usual, because it was a first rehearsal.  It is really frustrating learning something new when Barb is involved because she is incredibly quick.  It is infuriating but I can’t hold it against Barb; I just wish I could be more like her.  Unless I know the arms, head, what’s on Pointe and off, and, of course, the feet, I can’t do the step.  I took Jaye home and she wanted to know how I felt about Brett.  So far, she loves him.  She thinks he’s a genius just from talking to him; I hope she’s right.

September 7th – Wednesday, Brett taught today and, it’s too bad, he’s not very good.  He was imprecise and did everything either in five-eighths or three-eighths.  George was playing and so everything came out all right but any other pianist would be lost.  But we could put up with anything if he had just given some constructive criticism; we’re starved for it.  But alas, he gave not one intelligent remark.

Jaye worked on the girl’s dance in Debussy again in the afternoon and choreographed 32 hops on Pointe on the left foot for me.  I hope they don’t kill me.  We did Debussy again in the evening because Jaye has yet to finish the 2nd Movement and it has to be polished enough to perform Friday night at the champagne benefit at the Elk’s Club.  The bosses are having a conference with Brett tonight so we will know the outcome tomorrow.

September 8th – Thursday, George is getting his mean streak back.  He keeps yelling at us for acting tired.  We are tired, and paranoid and frightened.  There’s a lot coming up in the next week mentally and physically; and I think we’re all wondering if we’ll make it.  We rehearsed the parts of the show we are doing for the benefit in the afternoon.  George was disappointed with Watercolors and he took it out on us.  My calves are killing me from all the hops and releves in Debussy.  Life is supposed to be fun; I’m losing it again.  Not a word about Brett.

September 9th – Friday, What a day!  My biorhythms must have been at their lowest point.  George started in on us in class about how bored we all looked and I felt like crying.  No one ever says a kind word to us; I felt beaten-down. My calves were in knots so I kept stretching them between exercises.  For some reason this set George off and he told me to leave.  I cried all through lunch in the dressing room.  Mike was wonderful and so was everyone else. 

We had rehearsal at the Elk’s in the afternoon and I was fine by then.  Carl clapped for my hops and I could have kissed him.  He is the only one in management who ever tells us how good we look.  I was exhausted when we finished and my feet were killing me.  That is an awful feeling to have right before a performance.  It went just OK—for me, that is.  Watercolors pas de deux was a little shaky and so was Mike’s and my pas de deux in ELP.  The ballet I worried about the most, Debussy, was the best.  Ballet Folk made $2,800 on the fundraiser, so financially it was overwhelmingly successful.  We even got a new tape recorder to replace the one stolen from the bus.  Later Jaye told us we charmed the money right out-of-them.  I felt such relief when it was over.  I drank champagne until it was coming out my eyes.  Fred Chapman, head of the Theatre Department at the University of Toledo, was there and we talked about Carla, Toledo and Moscow.  He was very impressed with us. 

We had a heavy conference with Jaye about George.  Mike did most of the talking.  I was feeling a little woozy by then so was glad when all the lights came on signaling the party was over.  I drove home alone because Mike stayed to help strike. 

September 10th – Saturday, Mike had rehearsal with Leslie all day for their pas de deux in Debussy.  I cleaned, finished the laundry and went shopping for Mike’s birthday present.  We went to the Hotel for dinner and then met Jon, Nancy, Jan, Betsy and Leslie at the Micro to see “Casablanca.”  Yep, it’s true—they just don’t make movies like that anymore.  We went over to Jan’s after the movie.  For no reason I was really depressed, but I started feeling better after a few pink ballerinas.

September 11th – Sunday, we rehearsed Debussy all afternoon.  We also tried on our costumes.  They’re a little obscene—nude-colored body stockings with a little chiffon covering, but we wear pink tights underneath.  The body stockings go over the Pointe shoes, and we’re all sure someone will eventually break their neck and Jaye will be sorry.

September 12th – Monday, we started rehearsing at the U of I Performing Arts Center and we will be there the rest of the week.  George was certainly in a foul mood.  He yelled at us that we work our asses off for Jaye and don’t give him anything; that’s paranoia for you.  We had a run-through in practice clothes that evening.

September 13th – Tuesday, after last night’s run-through, Jaye was a nervous wreck.  We did Debussy almost constantly for four hours.  Naturally, it kept getting worse the more tired we got.  This was the day my feet were ruined.  The pain was worse than I ever remember.  My two big toe nails were too sensitive to even touch let alone hop on.  I was in tears most of the afternoon and evening.  The evening’s dress rehearsal was a disaster.  I can’t remember feeling worse about any other show.

September 14th – Wednesday, it was Mike’s 27th birthday.  At least George isn’t yelling anymore.  We have been having class at the PAC at noon.  I have been following Mike’s advice and concentrating on George’s feet.   When I look at him, my emotions appear on my face and I upset him.  I guess it’s working because George hasn’t said a word to me in three days.  Better no words at all than unkind words.  I cried off-and-on all evening because I was in such pain.  Every time I came offstage, I collapsed in pain.  Luckily I danced better in the dress rehearsal than I did the night before so now I know I can make it through the performance no matter what.  Jan had a birthday party for me and Mike after rehearsal.  It is nice to have such a good friend.  Jan gave me some decorative combs and Leslie gave us a vibrating foot bath; I had my feet in it the rest of the evening.  Mike seemed to like his sweater from me and the book about plants from Jan.  The ice cream and cake were soothing.

September 15th – Thursday was Opening Night in Moscow.  We had class at noon and George asked to talk to me afterward.  We went into the Green Room and he demanded to know what was wrong with me.  At first I said I was just tired, but he wouldn’t buy that.  I finally told him I just don’t know how to act in class or rehearsal because, no matter what I do, he gets upset.  He asked why I never look at him and I told him the truth that he always misinterprets my faces.  I also told him that half-the-class is scared-to-death of him because he blows up so often.  He seemed dumbfounded, and I think it was genuine.  He really doesn’t realize how he affects us.  He says no one gives him anything in rehearsal except Barbara.  I told him it was because he never yells at her so she’s not petrified.  He came back with she doesn’t give me any reason to yell and her, and I explained how everyone can’t be as fast to learn choreography.  I told him he doesn’t want dancers, he wants quick studies.  I went on to say I had even thought about getting pregnant so I could leave.  He said, “That does it.  If everyone feels that way about me, I’m leaving.”  I was proud of myself that I had told him how I felt, but I was afraid Jaye would blame me if he left.  I just stayed and cried until Mike and Jaye came in and reassured me of my worth and bolstered my confidence enough that I could leave.  It was painful for awhile; but getting everything off my chest like that, did me a world of good. 

George was his usual, stoned self when we picked him up that evening so everything seemed fine.  The performance was a smashing success.  Our pas de deux in Watercolors was off somewhat but Debussy (which on the program is called Intimations of Immortality) and ELP (called Viva La Company) were great.  I don’t think any of us really understood Debussy until that night.  Finally with costumes and an audience, it came alive.  We realized how we were supposed to act, and people loved it.  It is really a wonderful, charming, fairy-tale-kind-of ballet.  

Opening nights shorten my life considerably, I am sure.  After it was over, we all went to the hotel for drinks.  We kept congratulating and complimenting each other over and over.  I am sure it was as great a relief to most of the other dancers as it was to me—to know we had done it well.  I think a lot of us weren’t sure we could pull it off, probably because we felt Jaye and George had doubts too.  We saw Ross that night at the hotel and he promised to come to the performance the next day.  Mike and I went home tipsy, tired and relieved.

September 16th – Friday, the second night was often more nerve-wracking than the first.  You have given your all, it went well, and then you realize you have to do it all again!  You tend to try too hard and you rarely get the satisfaction from the second night that you got from the first.  Tonight went OK; but when all three nights were evaluated, it came in third.  I was pleased, but I slipped once in Watercolors pas de deux and stepped on the crack in the trap-door during ELP so I wasn’t at my most elegant.  Ross loved it though and invited everyone to the hotel for drinks on him—he was a good fan.  Pam and Mike were in from the Tri-Cities and liked ELP but hated Debussy probably because Pam couldn’t imagine doing it herself.  I forgot to mention that Mike and I went shopping for my birthday gift in the afternoon.  I got a cuddly, soft, brown jumpsuit—size three.  I am really feeling skinny.

After we went to the hotel, Ross and I had an evening-long private conversation surprisingly enough about ballet.  He was really bothered by Chuck in Sleeping Beauty.  He is going to tell George when he sees him how nervous it made him feel.  I absolutely don’t want to be there when he does that. 

September 17th – Saturday, finally the last night and it was the best by far.  George had a party after the performance and we were all one, big, happy family.  We ate and drank to our heart’s content.  At that time, all the pain and effort seemed worthwhile.