surprise!

We have a performance this Friday night at the Crucible, and I'm our stage manager. So last night during rehearsal I stood in (danced in?) for a woman who was home recovering from having her wisdom teeth pulled, and it was great fun. I got to balance a big water bottle on my head and pretend it was full of fire while two women circled around pointing at me with their swords. Doesn't that sound like fun to you?

Anyway, part of what's amusing me here is that I don't think anyone in the troupe realized that I can balance things on my head. I've been struggling along so much for so long; I fantasize that behind my back they're shaking their heads at how hopeless I am at things like lead-and-follow (I can follow, but my leading is still weak). So when they asked me to stand in for A, that's pretty much what I think they thought I was going to do: stand. Be a placeholder. But I danced her part, even though I never had before, and while I wasn't great, I was on beat. And balancing--they were very surprised when I came back with that bottle on my head, let me tell you. ha HA!

Of course, it was the night Jill wasn't there to see it. Ah well.