Although I managed to make it to and from CTC by bike on Tuesday, it's been rainy in Minneapolis the past couple of days, so I've been spending a lot of time on the bus. On my way back from work on Tuesday, though, I discovered the Midtown Greenway, what can only be described as a bike highway through the city. It's an old railroad corridor that was transformed into a bike and walking path entirely removed from busy roads (with the exception of an incredible bike bridge that goes over the highway) and complete with a bike center and coffee shops offering 10% off with a helmet! Since I'm still not quite used to biking in traffic, it was a welcome discovery, and I plan on riding at least one way every day on the Greenway - that is if it ever stops raining.
The Lottery is in incredible shape. We've spent the past couple of days staging it and doing lots of character work with the kids. Nancy, the teaching artist, continues to be both incredibly efficient and collaborative, and she's given me and the rest of our team - another intern and a teaching assistant - a great deal of leeway in working with the actors. Because this group is (usually) so mature and excited about being there, being in the room with them feels less like teaching and more like assistant directing for a really short rehearsal process.
More than anything else, it's been incredible watching the way Nancy works with the kids. She has a really amazing way of reading the group's energy and countering it: if they're too hyper, she's quiet and focused, but if they need energy, she has no trouble at all modeling it for them. It's hard to put into words how it works, but seeing the room's energy level go from a ten to a four with just a couple minutes of guided imagery or a more focused warm-up is really inspiring.
Today we had the privilege of seeing some of the younger classes' performances. Walking into the K-3 class to a bunch of children wearing colorful tissue paper hats held together with far too many staples and pieces of Scotch tape got me so excited to start working with the younger kids. Their performance of their made-up myth involved rain children descending from the sky in raindrop elevators and the "Flame Brothers" stealing the sun and breaking it up into four pieces, among other things that I may have missed between the sudden nosebleed and frantic running back and forth of one particularly confused five-year-old. The unrestrained creativity (though you might be more inclined to call it chaos) was jarring coming from a room of self-conscious teenagers, but the high schoolers appreciated it and now I'm dying to work with the little ones.
The rain kept me from yoga tonight but I tried my best to replicate the advanced class I attended last night on my mat in our basement. Needless to say, it wasn't nearly as successful, but music and a candle made it worthwhile. I still have a lot of strength to build up in my shoulders, but reverse warrior binds are getting easier and easier, and being able to keep up with the advanced class the other night was a great feeling.
Here's hoping the weather clears up so I can get back to biking around. If not, I may just have to show up to work a little damp.
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