Gotta Dance!

Right to Left: Shara Switala, Doree Clark, Virginia Simpson-Magruder (Yours Truly)
I am attempting to catch up with my blog posts, they have been sadly (or rudely?) neglected. For the past week I have been in a beautiful dance performance with the troupe I belong to -- The Don't Quit Your Day Job Dancers -- a wonderful retelling of the Romeo and Juliet story (a happy ending -- yeah!) I love dancing, for to me it is creation in motion. Even if I am performing established choreography, each moment is different because of the feeling I bring to the moves, the total experience I am having changes from moment to moment. I am also a died-in-the-wall hoofer, I love "the smell of the greasepaint, the roar of the crowd. I love to perform, I love seeing the audience smile and laugh and clap. It is a wonderful feeling. I love sitting in the dressing room, putting on makeup, and watching the other performers do the same. The hours off the stage, behind the scenes, is as satisfying to me as the actual performance. I have always been like this, since I was a little girl, but around the age of 10, I fell on stage and did not take up performing again until I was in my late 20's when I met the magnificent Doree Clark. She gave me the confidence and structure to express the joy I feel when I dance, and the means to overcome my fear of performing. So for the past 19 years I have been performing at least once a year in her productions. Don't see any reason to stop!