My Son Can Dance

In case you were wondering, I haven’t abandoned this blog. I’ve been a bit busy…first with the Jewish High Holy Days and then with my second ACL surgery in 14 years. Yes…that fall down the stairs in New York ended me up under the orthopedic surgeon’s knife on September 29th (after a preliminary visit to Julian’s sports specialist and an MRI). I’ve been slowly recovering…more slowly than most ACL surgery patients since I had to have both the previous screws that were placed into my knee before (and the previous graft) removed before they could put in the new ones.

Anyway, life goes on in the “dance lane.” I’ve been home nursing myself back to health. I took a week off and then began doing a bit of work here and there. Then this week a big storm his Northern CA, our first of the season (a bit early), and that knocked our power out for three days. Oops. Time off for me…nice especially since I was coming down with whatever virus or flu my daughter was spreading around with her cough.

As for Julian, he’s, of course, dancing up a storm. Things are going well at TDC. He’s working really hard–still drawing on that NYC energy. He’s in all the pieces of choreography this year so far, although one choreographer probably won’t use him since he has to miss one of her sessions for a Nutcracker performance. Nutcracker is going really well. He’s very excited that he chose to once again do the San Jose Dance Theater production, since as the prince he is getting to do some great partnering. This is something really missing in his normal year-r0und training. He is also getting a few solos with some “guy” stuff thrown in. Additionally, quite a number of Sunday rehearsals are attended by a male dancer from Ballet San Jose, which means Julian gets somewhat of a private lesson with a man. He’s worked on an awesome lift last weekend, but the guywasn’t there to help; Julian hopes he’ll be there this weekend. Choreographer Marcie Ryken saw the lift in a Ballet San Jose production recently.

Julian is really enjoying the choreography track at TDC this year. It’s the first time he’s tried choreographing for others…or for himself really. I think the girls are really working hard doing very physical choreography–things Julian would choose to do himself. So far, however, his teachers have been happy with the progress he’s made and with the piece itself. I’ll write more about the process another time.

Other than that, Julian is doing better in school. He started out with a bang and recently lost his focus. I think a bit of being grounded has helped him regain that! He has a girlfriend now, and he has become somewhat “popular,” even hanging out with some popular jocks at the school. So, he feels he has turned a corner when it comes to his social life. However, he was sad to discover that his little group (just two girls really) ditched him at the beginning of the year. I think that propelled him into some other groups, though, and even some kids who really disliked him before are beginning to like him.

I chalk all of this up to this past summer in NYC and at American Ballet Theatre (and at Broadway Dance  Center). I think the level of confidence he developed and the degree of determination with which he returned made a huge difference in how he saw himself and how others saw him. When he was clear (or clearer) about who he was and where he was going, I think his energy changed and people started treating him differently. Not that he didn’t know this before, but his commitment was different. And they felt that.

So, all in all…things are going well in the dance lane, I’d say. I promise I’ll try to get another guest blog post up soon. I still have to transcribe my interview with Denise Wall…but I will, I promise!