Sunday, July 29, 2007

My eyebrows and other dramatic things...

About two weeks ago, my dance company had a visiting choreographer spend a week setting a piece on us. (For those of you scratching your heads, setting a piece on us means teaching us a dance that usually has already been choreographed). I had just injured my leg in a tragic cirque-du-soleil-style rope incident and was limping around with a large bandage covering the 4-inch long rope burn on the back of my right calf. Great timing, huh? So, we got the rehearsal schedule and to my great surprise I had been given a solo and would have the first rehearsl with Danika. Now, don't get me wrong...it's great to be given a solo and I was pretty excited. But Danika knew I was injured and had even seen me limping around. So I was a little confused as to why she had chosen me as the soloist.

We met for rehearsal that Friday and began the evening discussing the intent of the solo. I learned that I'm supposed to be a sort of 40's Bela Lugosi-type female character. A bit freaky, a bit over the top. "Jan told me that you learn quickly and have a great eye for detail," Danika shared. "But when I met you and saw your eyebrows I knew you'd be perfect for the part. You have very dramatic, expressive eyebrows." !!!! Who knew that I would one day have my eyebrows to thank for a solo? So, in closing I'd like to thank my grandpa, whose thick, arched eyebrows I inherited, and my mom for teaching me how to pluck them into sophisticated, dramatic submission. I wouldn't be where I am today without you both. Thank you.

***

In other unusual news, Colorado was humid on Friday. I was not at all pleased with this turn of events. Nor was my hair. But a light brown bucket hat sprinkled with skull-and-crossbones and a teal cotton batik tie made in Malaysia (like me!) redeemed the evening at Alli D's hat and tie bday party! Very dramatic if you ask me...

4 comments:

Unknown said...

The way of the eyebrow is an esoteric path known only to the cognoscenti. It is satisfying to discover that it has been handed down to you, O my daughter.

Love your ever batty Mama

Q said...

know how i know we're twins? cause we both have thick eyebrows. yay for expressive eyebrows!

Madeleine said...

So the just-like-Gwen-ness strikes again! While we were in Montreal a few weeks ago, it was discovered that I had what my friends and I termed "active eyebrows" because they are dramatic, expressive, and can do things and make my forehead wrinkle in ways that other people never dreamed of! We're alike in ways that we never knew, Gwen...

Charlie said...

Cirque de Suck, you mean.