THAT Masquerade

"Now be taller... now shorter..."

Paul and I go through being "many", being "the sides", being "the middle", before finally being declared "finished".  Ah, the life of a model.  We were helping Jamie (one of the official photographers for the night) do some light testing.  And it was light work for some really nice photos. 

(Below: photos by Jamie / Further below: The man himself).

It was a good solid start to the evening after an afternoon of mini last minute rushes to get ready for the event.  (E.g. Paul stuffing onion bag tags into the top hat to make it fit better, me adding embellishments to my mask...) 

There was a small scramble too to figure out who would be at our table (Maria had to cancel last minute...)  When the dust cleared, I was pleasantly surprised to see Ryan H.  Darren named him our resident (don't call him a foodie) "culinary guru" and "ettiquette master" and he playfully gave us pointers on the meal. 

Amanda shared that her and Darren's last private lesson concentrated on changing facial expressions during a routine in order to further enhance and emote during particular moves. She quickly switched between coyness, delight, contentment... Darren, not missing a beat, showed that he was not only Master of Ceremonies for the night, but also was "Master of Expressions" - a look of surprise, a look of horror...

And someone asked if a turkey was really just a Grade B chicken...

The TA first dance was called.  I'm usually a bundle a nerves at this point, and eventhough I was dancing with Tony (and with all these pointers from Benoit), I was the same.  Why the heck were we fumbling with masks?!  Did we really need another item of complication (as if floor length gowns, slippery and uneven tile floors weren't enough)?!  I forewent mine, but Tony kept his. 

And then after - yes!  Time to dance for fun!

After some (more) pictures (of course). 

"Evil John" (regular John with a goatee) missed out on phoots with the girls.  But didn't miss at all on his ingenious plan: Using a tent of programs to hide the water jug, the catering staff were foiled, and it wasn't cleared away.  We managed to have easy access to water for the rest of the evening.

I was delighted Darren still danced with me, making up social moves (since I wasn't up on all his competition stuff). And I got a dance too with Shane (who dressed up as a pirate and wore a really cute little mask pin).

Performances came next mid-dance.  We cleared the floors and settled down excitedly for the exhibition. 

Don and Angeline glided across the floor, so graceful and elegant. 

Sheena and Kevin's tango was powerfully intense, set to more Gotan Project.

Christiana sat in a chair in the middle of the dance floor and for a moment we asked, "Um, where's Ryan?"  And then we saw him walk purposefully to her.  They danced a rumba to Duffy's Warwick Avenue. 

To cap it all off, Jim and Elena, blew in with a Samba that was too fast for any of my pictures to turn out.  (I should really know by now when they appear, to just put the camera down.)

It was all so gorgeous I clapped until my hands vibrated. 

And then we clapped some more for TA and volunteer awards.  And guess what?  They remembered!  I was called up for my 5 years of TA service. 

It was a pretty spectacular night. 

All THAT and Then Some

plus _Feathers, Fringe, and a Hint of Lace_

A little while back, Paul played for me an episode of "The Unbelievable Truth" where one contestant claimed:

... Passersby panicked at the sight and ran in terror. Several women fainted, children screamed, dogs yelped, and an errand boy’s arm was broken when he was trampled by the mob...  Hetherington was hauled into court for wearing "a tall structure having a shining luster calculated to frighten timid people." 

What were they talking about?  Well of course: The top hat!  While apocryphal, it certainly is fun to repeat. (Exact quote taken from http://strix.org.uk/posts/top-hats-frightening-to-timid-people) 

Paul was extremely dapper in his borrowed top hat.  No one was hurt or frightened as I could tell - though I certainly looked extra short next to him! 

Darren, Beth, Ken, and Giselle were at our table along with a few other familiar faces (but I couldn't remember their names). 

Dinner was delicious, and I probably could have eaten more, except for nerves.  Paul helped with what I couldn't finish and dutifully shared desserts. 

(Left: Creme brulee)

(Right: Chocolate cherry cheesecake)

After the first waltz, the Formation team rushed to the dressing rooms to get ready. 

Meanwhile, people danced. 

And then, we performed! 
(Video from Olena's camera - Perfomance for the first 3:28 minutes - far from flawless [ack! the jive portion], but fabulously fun.) 

Roses and speeches followed with TA awards. Don picked up "Most Congenial", while Dan B ("Medium Dan") won "Most Improved".  Neither of which were surprises.  

After many photos - it was finally time to relax.  To dance! 

It was a really fun night, I was both keyed up but also exausted.  Now that it's the morning after, I certainly feel relieved to have the performance completed.  Lots of good responses - even from Monica and Na (who I didn't know would be there). 

Now that it's no longer a surprise, I can finally post the "Behind the Scenes" for all the work that went into the performance.  Here it is: Charleston Butterfly. 

Oh, for those who loved the song, it's Parov Stelar's Charleston Butterfly. 

La Vie Boheme

The past week... really?

Top Hat and Tails - Formal Masquerade

With the centre pieces barely half done, and TAs busy going through a last-minute rehearsal, I was having a very big moment of "What the heck am I doing here instead of hiding in a hole?!" The moment passed, people came and went with their tickets and masks, and finally Anne and I settled down in the quiet area (just outside the doors) to enjoy the meal. A lot of food later, with mixed reviews on the wasabi potatoes, we were off again. TAs to the first waltz, and then to the dressing room for make-up. After what seemed like forever of tanning, stretching, and nervous giggles, we were finally going to do it! A big group cheer and on to the floor. The performance went well! Or so they say. Everything was a blur of lights and sound and I find it hard to remember any of the details. What I do remember were the hugs off stage and all the pictures that came after. Thanks guys for all your support and putting up with the crabby behaviour.

The Team in the end pose. From Betty's Camera.

So what happened next? It was time to enjoy the night - and that meant letting my jell-o body (finally free of tension) do what it wanted, namely sit down. And then back to ballroom dancing! With a good bit of bar dancing too :D The last waltz came too soon. It was such a fun night.

As expected the next 2 days were blue days. So much excitement and then, so quiet. But the weather was great and there were still lots of time before Monday.

Stephanie and I went to the library booksale on Sunday. Filling fill our bags with mostly junk (the best kind of course), we were pretty content. And then a surreal moment... Neil Gaiman describes in Anansi Boys a theory on how small the world is: there are "thousands upon thousands of groups of about five hundred people, all of whom will spend their lives bumping into each other, trying to avoid each other, and discovering each other in the same unlikely teashop in Vancouver." In our case, make that Edmonton. We had put down our bags at the Second Cup attached to the library, started sipping our hot drinks when Stephanie looks out the window and exclaims "Ben!" She runs out and brings him in. Not 10 minutes later, Stephanie is looking out the window again and, "Malcolm!" We had a little party at Second Cup.

And then it was off to Catherine's, and together with Clara we finally, finally watched Rent. Very cool tango scene. I think we all liked the alternate ending better.

So far the work week has been kind of stressful. Meetings, and much too many email requests. I had to escape today because things were just not working out. South Lab has been turned into a installation art gallery (until the end of week), so I went over to try and find Malcolm and Rem at their new office. Thanks guys for cheering me up again - math is great!

Anyway - should head home for dinner like a good girl. More adventures to come with the long weekend ;)