Part 2: at the theater

Day 2 of being at the theater was scheduled to bring dress rehearsal and then the performance in the evening.  We actually were starting morning classes later in the morning than usual, which was nice.  I got up a little after 7 and was at the studio by 8:30.  Core was supposed to start at 9:30, so I began to warm up accordingly, chatting with classmates as they came in.  The morning was going smoothly, and around 9 I left the studio to fill my water bottle.  A classmate stopped me as I was going back and said they wanted me for costuming.  I literally put my water bottle inside the door and went to studio 2, full of costumes and sewing supplies!  Our Hungarian costumes for our character piece had arrived after much delay from Texas.  They were gorgeous - lovely bodices, full pale green skirts, and attractive puffy white sleeves - quite "noble".  The only drawback was that they really were not finished.  And unfortunately too, many costumes had been made to the wrong size despite our being fitted meticulously a few weeks previously.

After I tried my costume on and had needed alterations marked by pins (while watching my warm-up time slip away - a good half hour of it!), I was able to hurriedly slip away and go back to my classroom.  Core had already started, of course.  I told another classmate that she was needed for her fitting and then guiltily joined in with the others.  Not even 5 minutes went by before the directors came in and announced due to the costume fitting/alterations they would have to cancel our warm up we were presently doing.  We all filed into studio 2 and began working on our very much unfinished costumes.  Commence the feverish pinning and switching of costumes to see what would better fit who!  We were very blessed to have an amazing seamstress, Judy Kahn from NJ, who directed the alterations and had been up the entire night sewing the costumes that had been received by mail.  She was the result of an all-out search for a seamstress the day before when the pieces had finally arrived, and from the time she had received the costumes in the afternoon the day before until when she got the costumes to the studio she had been sewing them.  She told us she had had a team sewing at her house until midnight, and afterward she had taken over from there. 

We began to help as we could, even missing our technique class to do so.  I helped to finish headpieces, and then began to work on sewing hooks and snaps on the skirts.  By the time most of us were finished, nearly everyone had left for the theater, where we needed to be by 1.  In my fuzzy memory, the time was probably around 11:30 and noon or so.  I gathered my stuff quickly and took the train uptown to the theater with 2 of my classmates.  Upon arriving, we dumped stuff quickly in our green room and hurried onstage to take the warm up class we were unable to have back at the studios with our scheduled teacher.  It was a nice small barre and helped me to feel not so stiff after a morning of really doing nothing except stressing and sewing!

More to come about dress rehearsal and the show! 
For now, check out the photos below...

Backstage in the crowded green room!

"Girlfriends" from Sleeping Beauty

My friend Eve and I, during 2nd act of dress rehearsal

Foreground: sewing operations at the theater; background: dancers eating, chatting, & warming up

The Hungarian costume!!

Yours truly...