There’s nothing quite like watching all of your coworkers writhe around together in a dance-orgy set to the score of Rimsky-Korsakov’s iconic Scheherazade on a Tuesday morning.  The ladies are twisting around, displaying themselves to their king with all the discretion of a pack of cats in heat.  The men play a perfect counter, transitioning between “slaves” and “soldiers” with an unabashed masculinity and lusty, wandering hands.  It’s mornings like these, when I’m sitting 5 feet away as my best friend is rhythmically humped by a “eunuch”- with pointed toes- that I realize how very strange and awesome my job is.

Tonight our very Valentine’s Day themed show opens, and it is unapologetically romantic, with, as you may have already guessed, a heaping side of steamy sensuality.  I will be dancing in our director, Misha Djuric’s, ballet Soledad, a tango-esque drama originally choreographed in 1995.  The piece sort of captures every corner of a bar scene, zooming in at times to reveal the young couple, the glowing lovers, the lonely soloist…it’s moody yet energetic, soulful and playful all at once.  There’s been a huge focus on the intention behind our movements throughout the rehearsal process, emphasizing the importance of our conviction rather than technical perfection.  It’s always a pleasure to work with Misha, especially on a ballet of his own design, because he is so very connected with the meaning behind each step.  It’s not enough to lower yourself down onto the chair; Your entire body must sink and crumble until seated.  The men should not just lift the women above their heads, but catch them breathless so the entire room freezes for that moment.  I’ve taken the liberty of naming each of the 6 movements, and with “Bar Scene”, “Party Scene”, and “Dramatic Reprise” among them, I’m sure you can imagine how much fun we have dancing this ballet.

Here’s a fun preview of Gianni Di Marco‘s Scheherazade.

If you are in the RI area, click for tickets– although we are almost sold out for this weekend, so hurry!