DAE News: July 8, 2003
Contents:
If you are either a new donor to the company or you haven't donated since 2001, there's no better time than now. Grace Judson, a great friend of the company, will match those donations from now until August 31. We've so far raised $675 in matching funds, thank you so much! Won't you help us to reach our goal of $2,000? It's easy to donate - all the information you need is at www.danceasever.org/DAEgetin.htm#donate
Thanks you so much for any contribution you care to make. We really can't do it without you.
All the inchoate plans for the concert are galvanizing into place. It's a little daunting, but it's also business as usual - on this sort of budget things only happen at the last minute; people can't commit until they know they don't have other offers. I'm arranging for studio space and hiring the last few dancers. Then I get to think about what I'm actually going to DO.
Alexandra and I met face to face for the first time a few weekends ago at a photo shoot with Josef Astor, who has done all the pictures of Peter Boal in the past. She's a fascinating contrast from Peter's reserve; operatic in emotional scale. Everything matters. That intensity makes her so vivid on stage. Lest I make her sound like a diva, well, she is, but not about professional details. She's a diva about the quality of the product, and that's the right sort of diva. It's a great challenge for me; I'm used to tailoring for Peter, now my brain is working through the possibilities of creating choreography that fits Alexandra like couture. Who is she? What are her best qualities? How does that intersect with the piece we have planned?
The photo shoot was about couture as well. We start working on the solo itself in August, so there was no point in trying to make a photograph representing it. We went for a studio portrait with all-out glamour. Matt Mohr, who has styled most of the shoots, opted for a late 1940's Vogue look with a little of Singer Sargent's Madame X thrown in. Our budget was about $4.37. We had no money for gowns, so David Quinn, our costumer who's done a good deal of to-order couture himself, brought in a few bolts of fabric, rhinestone jewelry and a bag of feathers. He draped two gowns on her then and there. Someone timed him; he made a low-cut evening gown out of a single bolt of velvet and a safety pin in four minutes. These are professionals; don't try this at home, kids. It looked stunning, at least from the front!
Alexandra had a great time and I think she relished the chance to have a more sophisticated image than usual. And what sensible woman doesn't want 5 gay men doing her hair, makeup, and dress, taking her picture and generally waiting on her hand and foot and telling her how fabulous she is?
Tons of stuff has come in for Dance as Ever's auction. The tragic part is, I've seen almost none of it yet! To streamline things this year, all items are going directly to Mary LoSardo, our fabulous auction coordinator and web mistress. She takes the photos and stores the items, so I don't lose them. But it means they're across the river in New Jersey, so I never get to see them! I'll report more on them after I see them, and I'm salivating at the chance.
I just finished my own contribution, a "Head Hugger" cap. Danny Ouellette designed the pattern and donated one to our 2002 auction; you can see it at http://www.danceasever.org/images/dannyhat.jpg . I had been dying to try the pattern ever since and had an orphan skein of a beautiful mohair/silk blend; this was the perfect way to put it to use. We're assembling our auction and raffle donations and I promise to write a good deal more about them next newsletter. Bidding will start next month!
This is my last chance to maintain a semblance of normality before all hell breaks loose. I'm trying to take care of stuff now. My super is in my apartment right now fixing leaky faucets and recalcitrant toilets. I'm just hoping he isn't painting the cat. I'm even knitting a bit. I'm going to try knitting up some mindless hat patterns so I can grab them for rehearsal days; I made one hat to be felted and have a tote bag to be felted on the needles as well as a simple hat made out of handspun that was a gift from a member of DAE's board! I have one elaborate sweater in intarsia, which I detest, no less, that is almost completed - except for the 85,473 ends I still need to darn in. I wouldn't dare compare it to pregnancy, but it's similar in that the wonderful results make you forget the loathsome process just long enough for it to be too late . . .
More as it happens!
As ever,
LAW
Leigh Witchel [dae@panix.com]
Alexandra Ansanelli and Peter Boal perform with Dance as Ever 9/18-21, 2003 at the Theatre of the Riverside Church, New York, NY. For more information visit http://www.danceasever.org.
Copyright 2003 Dance As Ever. All rights reserved. Dance as Ever and the Dance as Ever logo are trademarks of Dance as Ever, Inc.
