Da-na-na-naaaa! Da-na-na-na-naaaaaa! Da-na-na—

Oh.

Hi.

So!

In only nine days, we’ll be leavin’ on a jet plane for the desert, where we’ll remember our names, ’cause there ain’t no one for to give us no pain (unless we ask really nicely, I guess?). What a nice surprise for our alibis!

Or something like that (you can thank my step-Dad for innoculating me with a healthy appreciation for Classic Rock, though at the time I rolled my eyes about it).

This morning, we ferried the Community Cargo stuff down to Nashville. It will ride from there with a group of Burners who had some large art projects going but had room in their convoy, so that will be cool.

The cool part is that the Community Cargo stuff is set to arrive the day after we do, which will let us get our camp and staging area set up before everything arrives. The even cooler part, of course, is connecting with local Burners (one of whom has already seen me on some of my best and worst days in ballet class).

Predictably, we listened to show tunes all the way down to Nashville. On the way back, we chatted for a while, then Denis napped while I listened to the André Previn recording of Swan Lake that’s available on Amazon Prime (note to self: it is better to listen to show tunes while driving). We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day for a long drive, either.

About an hour ago, the Costume Department informed us that our bolero jackets are done and apparently so cool that the Momma is thinking about making one for herself (she was going to go with a different design).

I am busily finalizing other wardrobe stuff for That Thing In The Desert, including a corsety thing I have never really been brave enough to wear in the past. I think I’ll give it a test run at tomorrow’s party. If I can survive several hours in it, I will probably feel comfortable wearing it on the Playa.

I should note that physical discomfort isn’t the problem (mine isn’t a serious corset — it’s more or less decorative). It’s more that I continue to be shy about my moobs. I figure that if there’s anywhere on earth you can be an androgynous corseted dancing boy with moobs, Burning Man is that somewhere. Besides, if I’m going to wear the skin-tight bodice of my tutu costume thingy, it’s just silly to get all shy about wearing some other skin-tight costume thingy.

Nonetheless, I hope to return next year sans moobs. Really, I don’t really relish the idea of going to Sun King with moobs, mostly because partnering class, and Sun King happens before Burning Man (which happens before Grad School, which is another thing I’d like to do sans moobs).

Oh! Speaking of summer intensives for adult dancers!

I didn’t realize this ’til a few days after the registration deadline (at which point I wasn’t sure we could swing the $900-ish tuition), but Lexington Ballet has an adult intensive. The website notes that it’s geared towards adult beginners, so it sounds like a great option for many of us out there in the Ballet Blog-O-Sphere (even those of us who have progressed beyond the beginner realm can always use some back-to-basics work to tune things up!).

LexBallet’s intensive takes place over the course of five evenings (3.5 hours per night) and one Saturday, which means that out-of-town students would also be able to explore the area a bit. Lexington has been making an effort in recent years to turn into a real college town, with arts and museums and cool bike trails and stuff, and it’s a nice place to visit.

Obviously, it’s a no-go for this year (since it’s already over, and all), but it’s worth looking into for next year.

I’ve dropped them a line to see if they’re planning on doing it again. If they are, I’ll let you know!

Meanwhile, I will try to keep my head together. My energy level is definitely much, much higher than it has been, but my emotional state has been a bit touch-and-go, so I’m trying not to tip myself over into a mixed state. Fortunately, I will be dancing my butt off for the next several weeks, which should help with damage control.