Well this is kind of fun… a little late night blog posting for you on this Thursday nights. It’s like the Late Night Show of blog posting… only I have limited funny one liners and no famous celebrity guests to surprise you with…. Yet. However, this Thursday update is intentionally late because I wanted to talk about today and, more specifically, the grind that took place today.
As most of you know, I have now been located in Chicago, IL for four months now (If you are just now being informed of this, please click here), and since day one I have been on, what I call, the grind. Basically, the grind is my day in/day out activities that I feel are furthering my career in the dance industry and/or making that check so I can actually afford food and shelter. For the most part, I work 7 days a week dancing, teaching, choreographing, and (for the time being) slinging pizza. This has been my “new post grad life” since August and this week I realized how stellar it all is.
This morning, I had a private session with one of the dancers at Visceral. We got to talk about performance quality, injury prevention, and the difference between risk and control. Few things are more satisfying than seeing a young dancer grow and understand.
From there I hit up a ballet class at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. Nothing like a solid ballet class to make you realize you should be taking more ballet classes. If you’re ever looking for a challenging ballet class in Chi-town, Ms. Birute is your teacher. That woman is in her 80’s and still teaching classes that leaves a room full of professional dancers breathing heavy.
After class I made it Dimo’s where I worked until 10 and headed home. I know Dimo’s is supposed to be my “just to get that check” job, but I’ve found more value in it lately. Because the company is so small and has so many opportunities for their employees to grow, I’m learning a lot about how a business functions through financing, marketing, and managing. Not to mention, I can sling a slice of pizza in under 15 seconds…. Maybe a cool party trick?
Anyway, the point of all this is to reflect on the grind. Some mornings may start too early, some classes might kick my ass, and some days I might burn myself while a drunk girl cries about a slice of mac n cheese pizza. At the end of the day, I can find beauty in two things: 1) I get to do what makes me happy everyday and 2) I’ve never cried about a slice of pizza.
My supervisor Shannon: "Brandon, you fill those cups while Nick tosses a pizza and Ill take a picture!" Me: "Because these are equally cool tasks....
Quick Updates that may/may not strike your interest....: I will be wearing a mouse, Russian, and Spanish costume very soon..... I may have an opportunity to run a flag across a stage....I own forks, plates, pots, and pans....I could be visiting a city near you very soon.....stay tuned.
