Day One

Tonight marks the end of my first day with Bossov Ballet Theatre in Pittsfield, Maine. I woke up before my alarm was scheduled to sound (6:30 am), but stayed in bed and listened. Outside I heard the train, which is only about an eighth of mile from my dorm room. The sun was already almost up. At 7:25 Abby and I walked to the cafeteria for breakfast, which consisted of fresh pineapple, watermelon, strawberries, and grapenuts.

From there we walked across campus to our first class of the day, a placement class, and a stressful one. This class was a version of an elimination round. First, Mr. Bossov watched the whole group, and from there he told those to be placed in level one (of four) to stand in a corner. He did this again for level two, and Abby and I were still center, waiting for a verdict. After a long combination Mr. Bossov directed us to a corner; I was a little down, but also a little relieved. To be placed in the highest level of anything means more pressure.

Our next class was a technique class. I can just say that I was absolutely wrong to think that I knew anything about classic Vaganova technique. Ms. Natalya Getman yelled- only proof that none of us had it down. I think it could potentially take all six weeks to dance an acceptable Vaganova, but I'm up for it.. I think.

After a lunch of salad and wonderful hummus, we headed to Mr. Vlademir Karpov's pointe class. I left with a good impression: intimidating, but funny. He speaks extremely broken English, so to communicate he uses a lot of body language. A think by the end of the class he had crossed his eyes, jumped up and down, and impersonated a moose.

The last portion of our time in the studio was a rehearsal with Mr. Bossov for a showcase on Friday. Our piece is short and sweet. I do mean sweet, because we are dolls. Imagine the scene from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.. exactly. From my experience with him, I like Mr. Bossov. He seems to know exactly what he is doing, not to mention his talent for choreography.

At 7:00 pm Col. Wylie met with us in a studio and informed us of a 10:00 pm fire drill. "AaaaaaaaaaHH!!" So, until then my day isn't over.

- I have posted a link to pictures of the gorgeous campus; take a look!!