Cuba

Today was far smoother than yesterday’s trip to the amusement park😌Because several of our board members and the tourist group that traveled with the company to Cuba were slated to see last night’s show, Friday night’s program was especially heavy for the Verb dancers. Tonight’s mixed bill was programmed a bit more instense for the ProDanza dancers. A little reprieve for the Americans as our tour draws to a close!

I started off the morning walking to a gallery/cafe to get a ginger coffee and work on the blog😉 They had a loft with cozy cushions for me to cuddle up and write in, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Nooks are the best!

Lexy, Lieneke and I then took advantage of our morning off by going to a neighborhood covered in public art called “Fusterlandia”. The Cuba lonely planet said that Jose Fuster makes Gaudí and his Spanish “Park Guell” look tame. I would definitely agree! I felt like I had stepped into a life sized version of Dr. Seuss’ “Oh the Places You’ll Go”. We had a blast climbing the winding staircases, traversing across tiled rooftops and wandering into hidden art-crammed rooms. Every message sung with bright colors and positivity. We had several conversations with local artists about their personal work and also about our work as dancers. Like most Cubans, they were very knowledgeable and supportive of ballet, and wanted to learn more about our tour. It’s refreshing to be in a country that has such a high regard for your profession!

We made it back in time to take a nap before lunch. Unfortunately for me, I am terrible at napping so I used that time to slow down and recharge physically. From rehearsing at Verb all day and teaching all night, I am used to spending most of my waking hours being active, but I figured it was responsible to try to rest some before the show.

Saturday night’s show also went well. Since I actually had time to prepare beforehand, I was in a much calmer mental state and felt more focused on the two pieces I had to dance. “Rita” and “Bolero” were both a blast to perform and went over well with the audience. I will miss dancing the saucy “Rita”! Kelly and Antonio looked passionate in “3am”, Michael and Lieneke were heartbreaking in “Ne Me Quitte Pas”, and all of the ProDanza rep (excerpts from Giselle, Coppelia, Le Corsaire, and Raymonda) was virtuosic and well-executed. We celebrated our success by walking to dinner at a delicious restaurant with a spunky band. I ate pesto mashed sweet potatoes while listening to bluesy vocals over Cuban rhythms—so many dynamic fusions in this country!

Photos: Xavier Glez Pinillo

Although I can hardly keep my eyes open, I am the best kind of tired, the tired that comes from being filled with great food and fulfilled with a sense of accomplishment. The hardest is behind me now. Time to take a sigh of relief!

💋Kate

Ohmygoodnessohmygoodnessohmygoodness. Today was a day! Or at least tonight was a night—by far my craziest on the trip. Here’s how the cookie crumbled:

The day started out with a classic Verb family breakfast at Yunia’s. I never usually eat breakfast in the states, but I enjoy it so much here I might have to add it to my repertoire😛 I then took a really long Kate walk meandering the streets of “El Vedado”, the region of Cuba that we are staying in. Along the way, I bought some traditional Cuban snacks (peanuts in a paper cone, nut brittle, caramel bar), and some Cuban clothes off of some lady’s front porch. Clothing stores are a lot harder to find here, so I was happy to find some Cuban garb to be able to take back to the states💃

I stumbled across the National Hotel during my walk and decided to use it as a mini destination before I turned around. Not only did I use their bathrooms (hotel bathrooms are the best in Cuba because they actually have toilet paper, soap, and a toilet seat!) but I also got a cappuccino and pretended I was on vacation for 20 minutes. Lounging on the back terrace overlooking the Malecón, I couldn’t help but pinch myself about how lovely the moment was. I am in an incredible country experiencing new culture and finding new limits on how I far can push myself, while still having a sweet second to enjoy the ultimate coffee break. I got a little sad thinking about how I wanted to share that perfect moment with loved ones back home (shout out my boyfriend and parents) but I made sure to soak up the feeling as much as possible so I could share it with them upon my return. I miss you guys!

After a delicious lunch back at the house (I had sushi in Cuba!) team Verb had a rehearsal on our front porch lead by Richard to mentally prepare for opening night. We have been moving so quickly that we’ve been forced to throw things together without much rehearsal. I appreciate that Richard tried to carve out extra rehearsal time even if it wasn’t in an ideal space. Maggi said she thoroughly enjoyed supervising the rehearsal in her sunglasses on the rocking chair😎

I was fighting to keep myself together and professional. When I was finally dismissed from my embarrassing pop coaching session, I went directly to the corner of the stage and started to cry. The intensity of the trip caught up with me at that moment—all of the uncertainty, the constant pressure to perform at maximum capacity despite very limited time to perfect the work, the learning curve we’ve had as Americans trying to fit into the Cuban dance culture…thank goodness Lieneke and Lexy were both there to console me and give me extra tissues (I exhausted the tissues I had packed to serve as toilet paper within the first few sobs). It’s times like those where I really do feel so fortunate to be a dancer with Verb. There is always someone in your corner when you’re hurting.

I was finally starting to feel better when we finished “Bolero” rehearsal, but at that point we only had 40 minutes until the show, so I was also feeling anxious to get ready. I sped walked up the 3 flights of stairs to my dressing room to try to clean up my now sweaty makeup. I was taking deep breaths and refocusing for show mode when the same rehearsal director called my name from the hall to go to the sound booth.  I ran down the 3 flights of stairs, around the crossover, through the house and up the stairs to the 3rd balcony tech booth to meet the sound man. The opening counts were slightly different from the CD Verb practiced with, so they wanted me to familiarize myself. I marked through the opening steps several times then sprinted all the way back to my noisy dressing room. I felt like I was on a roller coaster drop that was accelerating with greater and greater velocity.

Just as I was starting to refocus again, I heard my name called once more from the hall. Apparently there was a lighting discrepancy with the “Rita” solo, but Lexy jumped in for me. Lexy, I can’t tell you how much I appreciated your generosity in that moment! My head was buzzing and my stomach was in knots from trying to keep cool while pre-setting all of my quick changes, getting into costume, and mentally cramming for the four pieces I had to dance.

After having to run back up and down the 3 flights of stairs yet again to retrieve a missing pair of toe pads, I was finally ready. If I had been a minute later, I would have missed my entrance (I am first onstage, so that leaves zero wiggle room to get ready). And with no time to really feel anything but “Read or not, here we go!” we were off.

“Appropriated Memories” felt like pensive and reflective, “Rita” felt zingy and crisp, “3am” felt sultry and steamy, and “Bolero” felt like a powerful group tsunami wave. Every piece was a thrill to perform in its own way. Of course there were little moments here and there that I wish had been slightly more one way or another, but overall I was pleased with how the show went, especially given the G-forces that came with it. All of the other Verb and ProDanza works I saw in passing when I wasn’t quick changing also looked very strong. Despite all of the insanity leading up to opening night, we actually pulled it off!

How is it that roller coasters cause you to feel anxious, terrified, and disoriented, but somehow leave you breathlessly wanting to do it all again? Ballet is a weird drug, I tell you. But I love it🤪💕

Opening Night✅

Kate

Oof. Today’s double tech/dress rehearsal was a bit of a stressful one. It was pretty much perpetual not knowing what was going on combined with constant pressure to perform our best. Those pressures add up a lot more noticeably when you haven’t had a day off for nearly 3 weeks, and although everyone is doing their best I think a little down time when we get back to the states will be greatly appreciated.

The best way I can describe today is being “on deck”. Did you ever do swim team? Then you might have a clue as to the feeling I am talking about. When you’re on deck, you have to be present and ready to perform your best at any time. But sometimes thunder grumbles and you are stuck waiting longer than expected. Should you try to keep warmed up? Or is that going to be a waste of energy and tire you out for the real race if another thunder rumble comes around? Perhaps eat a snack to prepare for a lengthened meet? Or is a heavy stomach going to negatively impact your race if you have to swim sooner than expected? Do you remember your events and have the correct order? AKA has your casting changed and do you know which program you are performing (Friday’s program, Saturday’s, program, and Sunday’s program are all different and require different costumes, shoes, hair, and undergarments)? Was that whistle blowing something I need to pay attention to? Or was that for someone running when they should be walking? AKA is that Laura Alonso shouting “Kate” over the microphone at me? Or is that her saying “que” in Spanish? It is a long period of over stimulation that is pretty wearing😣

I don’t want to spend too much time attempting to explain the specific stresses that pertain to our current situation (that might be a long, whiney post) so I will switch to a bigger picture. At least we all still have out health. And for that we are incredibly lucky. One of the ProDanza dancers tumbled to the floor today coming out of a jump and couldn’t even walk offstage…

We have all been responsible for so many parts for this tour that I have had very minimal time to rehearse “Rita” (or an opportunity on to space the solo onstage without slipping on the packing tape that they use to hold the floor together…gaft tape is harder to come by in Cuba).

But, I have given myself mental rehearsal tonight and plan to do my best and have fun performing it tomorrow regardless of the quick turnaround has been. Nothing like a touch of nerves and a decent amount of excitement to keep you feeling alive!

We are finally about to plunge into the pool of performance after anxiously waiting on deck. Send Verb Ballets and ProDanza some luck!

Gracias🙃
Kate

After doing some classic Richard across-the-floor combinations (boy it feels so good to move and travel in his classes) we got busy with spacing and rehearsal. “Bolero” is going to be extra dynamic in this theater because we have so much room to dance and swirl our capes. I helped Lexy to teach some of the ProDanza dancers part of the choreography.

Once we wrapped up rehearsal, everyone climbed back on the bus so we could head to the ProDanza studios for Laura’s birthday party. I don’t know if I have ever witnessed so much pomp and circumstance in my life🤣The pictures below won’t do it justice, but they’re worth a peak. A full sized theater backdrop of a garden was hung by the balcony to create a mini performance stage, which was then occupied by the Cuban singer who milked every note with an ultravibrato flair, followed by a melodramatic performer of epic poetry, and finally a mariachi band. Havana Club rum was flowing freely, and plates filled with sweets covered the tables🍹 And through all of the shenanigans, Maestra Laura Alonso sat stoicly surrounded by gifts, flowers, and cards. She is one well respected woman!

The ladies of Verb ballets hit the leftovers hard when we got home…the rum is very effective in Cuba and those sweet treats could’t quite cut it as dinner🤪 It was fun to sit around and eat cold beans and rice…

Today reflecting on a major lesson that a tour to a foreign country teaches you: going with the flow. On a regular basis, I am fairly “type A”, but after lots of travels I have found that it’s best to blissfully surrender to outside forces when operating in a foreign land. Why paddle upstream when downstream there’s a lot of delicious black beans? Maybe I wouldn’t usually opt to have black beans at every meal in the U.S., but when I am Cuba you better bet I am going to maintain my membership in the clean plate club and enjoy every bite. And I haven’t gotten sick of them yet!😋

Birthday dinner celebration at National Hotel for Christina Lindhout! Happy Birthday Christina!

Going with the flow also has to do with recognizing intentions. Is the river flowing you downstream because it is angry with you and wants to sweep you to potentially dangerous territory? Or is the river old and wise, taking you along for a ride that will show you knew vistas and possibilities that you hadn’t imagined? Or maybe, and perhaps most likely, the river is so …

Growing up, I took a lot of walks with my family to the river. This was my greatest source of perspective and reminder to “flow”. Tonight, we ate dinner by the Malecón, a wall that lines the ocean on the northern coast of Cuba. Because of a cold front coming in, the waves were massive and crashed over the wall creating a spectacle of H2O fireworks. I found wisdom from that powerful water tonight, just as I did in the river growing up. How lucky am I to be a part of this Cuban current? Keep sweeping me away!🌊

On a completely different note, it was Christina’s birthday today, so Happy Birthday Big Tina! I loved celebrating with you and look forward to continued merriment in the CLE.

☯Kate

Going to the Cuban bathroom flow (there is no flushing, you fill a bucket with water and the waste flows down the drain). Don’t forget your tissues and hand sanitizers!

My delicious lunch thanks to Yunia! P.S. if you ever want to come to Cuba, you should totally stay with her. Search “Casa de Renta Yunia Lao” on FB to find her—she’s an amazing chef and an even better host!

After rehearsal, we had a little break (where I had the best cafe con leche of my life) and then it was back to the theater. Most of us performed last night, but not our principal roles. I was in the “Burguesía” scene, dancing as a wealthy lady with Antonio as my parter. Right before this scene, there was a massive set change with lots of changing backdrops. Just before lights were about to come up, a heavy rod that was part of a backdrop fell and landed on one of the ProDanza dancer’s head. It was horrifying. He was bleeding severely and was escorted offstage to go to a hospital.

Everyone onstage was super shaken, but once he was taken offstage everyone switched into problem solving mode. We had about 15 more seconds of darkness to communicate amongst ourselves about how we were going to adjust the dance to fit 5 couples as opposed to 6. Of course all of this panicked whispering was in Spanish, so Antonio and I had no hope of being able to keep up, but we stayed as professional and calm as possible and did our best to readjust as the piece was happening. Everything went as well as it could have given the last minute craziness. You never know what is going to happen with live theater…

All of the Verb Dancers felt terrible for our fellow dancer and are sending him our best. Luckily we found out he was released from the hospital last night, and is beginning to recover.