Monday, March 18, 2013

Hi, My Name is Kate, and I'm a Ballerina

I went to a concert with some friends Saturday night. It was kind of last-minute, and it was kind of late in the evening - the main act went on stage at about 10:30pm! It was also the night before St. Patrick's Day/St. Patrick's weekend. Just for reference. Luckily, by the time I got there, the first opening act was over (though I hear they were great), and the second opener was really good, so it was worth the late start.

The venue was called the 9:30 club, and it's a little club with standing room on the ground level, and a few bleachers in the rafters. I've been there for a few shows, and I like it a lot, actually. It's a more intimate venue, and you can't really be too far from the band, which I think is great. I feel much more connected when I can actually see their faces, you know?

We ended up standing near the front, on the right side of the place, which was really great because the main act, Jukebox the Ghost, set up their awesome keyboardist on that side of the stage, so I got to watch him the whole time - and I was impressed. I kind of fell in love with him. But that's neither here nor there.

The best part of the night actually came during the 2nd opener, as my little group of friends and I were dancing to the band, Matt Pond. One guy in our group was really going at it - he likes to dance and he had a lot of energy - and this woman and man were right behind us. They were probably about 45 years old or so, and the guy was standing there, kind of swaying, but the woman was getting into the music a little more. At one point, she tapped my friend on the shoulder to say that she liked our other friend's dancing - and she made an immediate best friend, because he just ate that up. As did she - as he got more bouncy and into it, so did she just behind us (I could tell her energy by how often her purse bounced off me - it was a good gauge of how into the song she was. She liked most of the songs).

Then at one point, the woman tapped on my shoulder. I turned around to see if she wanted to tell us more about how she loved our friend's dancing, but instead she came close to yell into my ear, "ARE YOU A BALLERINA??"

Slightly bewildered, I responded, "I was when I was little!" By little, I was referring to when I was 6 years old. Though I like to think, once a ballerina, always a ballerina. However, at the time, I probably wouldn't have legitimately claimed ballet as a talent.

The woman's eyes got really big and she smiled and said, "OH MY GOSH, HOW DID I KNOW THAT?!" Which left me unsure how to respond. Because I had no idea. But I'm guessing my hair pulled back in bun, albeit a messy one, had something to do with it.

Then she commented that I "have the aura of a ballerina, and that is so cool!!!!!" She sent a wish into the air that she could have that, and at this point, I had no idea how to respond other than with a couple very sincere thank-yous and bewildered looks about whether I should be taking her seriously right then or not (I decided I would, because I might as well).

Then she said I could (we could?) teach these boys a thing or two about dancing, and I laughed and said I working on it, and then I awkwardly turned back to the concert and tried not to feel too awkward and watched as I attempted to keep swaying to the music like I had been before.

But with more pointed toes, straighter posture, and feet in the 3rd position, of course.

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