47 days... The Art of Performance

This weekend I had the opportunity to witness three separate accounts of performance art.

The First was my very first Cirque Des Soleil show! My parents surprised my fiance and I with tickets to Dralion at the UCF Arena. It was wonderful! The whole time I'm sitting there thinking, all these people wanted to do from a young age was perform and showcase their talents.

What courage it must take to display yourself in front of hundred, thousands, and ultimately millions of people! You are opening yourself up to so much judgement, I mean people are REALLY, REALLY judging you. We left the performance in awe and thoroughly entertained.

The Second was my Fiance's friend's going away party. We 'surprised' him with our presence driving up to Jacksonville to celebrate the weekend before he is to be shipped off to Kuwait for an 8 month service. I assumed it would be just a nice dinner party with food and drinks and reminiscing. And sure, it was all those things... plus flying napkins, table dancing, and a belly dancer!

After a drink, or so, I was able to join the rest in dancing on top of tables learning how to belly dance and 'kongo line' -ing it around the restaurant.

The Third act of performance was done by one of my bridesmaids and the dance studio she is a part of.

The style of dance showcased the other evening was that of modern and interpretive. While I appreciated the talents of many of the young dancers (and of course my fabulous bridesmaid), the performance took place in a studio, seating up close, and ground level; NOT a stage auditorium. Very different perspective. You could read the emotions on each individual dancer's face and hear the impact of the persons weight on the ground. And most of these girls were not size 2's.

Afterwards, we congratulated my dear friend on her performance and I treated my fiance to a milk shake. He's a wonderful man for putting up with my occasional need for culture and obsession with supporting friends in whatever 'art' they pursue. 



This weekend was exhausting and fun, something different from all the planning that has been taking place in the last several months but in the end it left me feeling a little less frazzled. I realized that so many people pour their hearts and souls in front of others and look past their own imperfections. If they can do it, why can't I? I'll have hundreds (yes, hundreds. because 200+ is more than 100) of people showing up to support me, not judge me, on the most important day of my young life.

This weekend also taught me that I'm much more fun once I have a drink in me.

Oh LORDY is this going to be an interesting wedding...