Kathy gets her groove on.

So its been absolutely dreadful weather for a Monday, but I have grown to  really love this  neglected day of the week. After classes on Mondays we have been hanging out in the city a little longer, instead of rushing back off the Brooklyn.
Today, my friend Mary Kate and I went to our favorite deli in Bryant Park for dinner. Don't be fooled, its our favorite for a reason, like a deli on steroids really. For example, did you know they have the best baklava in NYC? They do, as well as an amazing hot and cold salad bar. Did I mention the sushi? It never fails that Mary Kate drops  at least 20 bucks. Money well spent.
We took our dinner to the park where numerous bizarre events took place this evening.

1. I had a pigeon take the pita bread out of my bare hands. Ballsy little creatures they are. I wasn't even finished with it. If you know me... Ashley does not let any carbohydrate go uneaten.
2. In an unexpected monsoon, we were forced to huddle under our Bryant Park umbrella for dear life. Kept my eye out for tornadoes. Hey, they have those here now, but maybe only in Brooklyn
3. We sat and listened to a drunk homeless man try to convince us to give him money so he can go buy socks and toenail clippers tomorrow. It took him a solid 5 minutes because he would start his story over every time he hiccuped, which was a lot. 

The reason for our Monday night outings is really so we can take Robyn Dunn's Hip Hop class at Steps. Its kinda late for us Brooklyn commuters, but completely worth it. Its been quite the learning experience for me though. I mean, as a former competition kiddo, I can fake hip hop fairly well. I even taught hip hop last year, but see this is a real hip hop class. Street hip hop. White girl can't fake anymore. It started off kinda rough last week, Robyn threw me in the middle to free style and misunderstood my name as "Kathy". There I was, surrounded by "Go Kathy, Go Kathy" and trying to get my groove on.  Comical doesn't even begin to cover it. I love the class though, stress free and freaking awesome. You WILL leave the classroom drenched in sweat. Who knows, maybe Kathy will find her swagger by the end of the year.

Long day. Good Day. Night.

All before the first plie.

Happy Friday everyone!  I want to make this very clear. I am loving, loving, loving New York City. I am trying to embrace every aspect of this experience, but I have come to this conclusion. I am not cut out for NYC mornings.  I hereby dedicate this post to our daily commute into the city each and every day.

Its starts just like every other morning of my life. Freakishly waking up before my alarm goes off and obsessively compulsively checking the time to make sure I don't sleep in. (Blame this on my obsession with being on time... its like dancer discipline to the extreme.) Do the hair, put on the dreaded pink tights, pack the spandex so I am not doomed to the pink tights for the rest of the day, and out the door.

There are five of us who tackle the subway together. Sometimes its better to have a support system, emotionally and to ensure you don't doze off and miss your stop.

The F train arrives at exactly 7:59 every day. We have timed this perfectly so we can swipe the cards and walk on.  Of course its 8 am on a weekday so half of Brooklyn is trying to get to Manhattan, so we all huddle around a single pole.

As more and more Brooklyn residents join us, the train gets very complicated, very quickly. It involves shuffling and maneuvering so everyone can fit, but be careful if you shuffle in the wrong direction and get too close. You may get a few choice words thrown in your face. I have only seen it once, but believe me, one F bomb on an early morning train is all it takes to make the entire commute a huge awkward silence.

14 stops later. Congratulations! You made it. Too bad the 4th Avenue F train stop is 3 levels underground. 6 flights of stairs later, you reach daylight. Relief! Then a firetruck zooms by you, a woman stops in the middle of the sidewalk to pick up her dog's poop, and that homeless guy is asking you for money again. Must keep going. Oh and don't get hit by that Taxi. They all honk, how are you supposed to know they are honking at you?

Finally Joffrey Ballet School! Like a beacon of hope is Hispanic Elvis. Yes, I said Hispanic Elvis. From what I can tell, he is in no way related to the school, but each and everyday he stands by the front door with his slicked back hair and awesome shades. Like a true gentleman, opens the door for every student. Its usually paired with some comment about how we are  beautiful like the sunshine. Some think he's a creep, but I think he's awesome.

Grand Finale, 5 flights of stairs. If your feeling lazy, you can take the elevator, but it only goes up to the 3rd floor so be prepared to walk up stairs anyways.

yep. I'm exhausted too.

Typical Weekend?

As soon as classes ended on Friday, I was curious to see how our first free weekend would pan out. Our Saturday classes were canceled because of the holiday, so this meant that my first weekend in NYC was completely free!

We didn't hesitate to kick off the weekend, with a trip to the 99 cent pizza place and Starbucks immediately after our last class on Friday. We took our "end of the week treats" to Washington Park were we quickly were hypnotized by this average looking dude tapping his life away. We lingered just long enough to look like "groupies"... but who cares. He was awesome.

Saturday, a friend took me to Steps on Broadway for the first time. I know what you are thinking ... "Taking class on your day off?" Well, I understand that I am crazy and I simply don't care. We took Milton Meyer's Horton modern class. He is a legend thus his class was a huge treat. I got all giddy inside when he complimented my side falls.. yesssssssssssss! But of course it's NYC.. got to play it cool. So yeah, his class was whatever.

Today we ventured passed the F train stop in Brooklyn. Something we have yet to do. We went to Prospect Park, and enjoyed the 80 degree weather. It was comforting to know there is a quiet, beautiful place only two stops away from our place. I may be using this park as a refuge when the city gets to be too much, which it usually is.. all the time.

Now for the best part. I know this is a long post but you must keep reading! Bank of America was hosting a festival at Bryant Park. Tonight's Performance: Parsons Dance. Needless to say. We were all over this. Did I mention it was free? The first piece was "Remember Me". It was one hour and ten minute long piece. It felt about 20 to be honest. The story line, live singers, incredible dancers and Parson's sheer brilliant choreography had me teary eyed during the bows. It was one of those ballets you could bring Joe Schmo who knows nothing about dance and even he would love it. Completely transcends all walks of life and is just powerful.

After that I didn't think they could top it. Well they announced that my favorite dancer from the previous piece is going to be performing "Caught" in three minutes. They pulled down the black curtains to cover the booms and side lights. We were left  with this beast of a dancer, standing in the middle of the dark stage with a simple spotlight. I have no idea how he survived his 5 minute solo. There was a section with a strobe light where every time the light was on, he was in the air, mid-leap. To the audience, he never touched the ground, for five minutes. Did I mention he just danced a 70 minute ballet? Ok, just checking.

After the concert, Bank of America handed our surveys. One of the questions was: Does this concert change your opinion of BOFA? - My answer was an emphatic YES. I will allow your unreasonable overdraft fees slide as long as you bribe me with concerts like that.

To round out our evening we went and had a final weekend treat at Magnolia Bakery. I know all weekends can't be like this.. but this one was incredible.

Tomorrow is back to class. Newly inspired. Thank you NYC.

Diving In

Well I officially survived my first week in the city. Tuesday morning we made the commute into Greenwich Village for orientation. We quickly realized that "Rush Hour Traffic" translates in New York into squeezing an ungodly number of people into a car as possibe.

 (Scratch that idea I had about putting my hair up for ballet on the train)

Day One was not one of those "ease into it days". We had our full schedule of classes, but in the closet sized studio with no air. Did I mention that are 35 in our program? Ick... On the train back, I joined the European Tourist Body Odor Club. shamefully.

The rest of the weeks classes were a beautiful reminder of how much I love to dance, and how much of myself is invested in this. It was a huge sigh of relief to just get my body moving again, Ashley's back everybody. get ready.

Too bad my body wasn't quite ready to dive into 5 classes a day... My greatest challenge this week was the 6 flights of stairs I have to defeat to get to class everyday.

On a random note, the So You Think You Can Dance auditions were announced, November 15th in Brooklyn. A group of us are going to shamelessly skip classes and audition. When in Rome right?

First Impressions

I guess moving to a new city is kind of like meeting a stranger. You may have heard about this person beforehand, but you never know until you actually sit down and spend some time with them. This weekend, I met New York City.

Back in Missouri, everyone has some word of advice when it comes to tackling a city like the Big Apple. Everything from "walk on the left, stand to the right" to "don't go to the movie theater... they have bed bugs". I, on the other hand, have absolutely zero NYC experience. But for my first post, I thought it would be fun to list my first impressions of my new friend NYC. Well, at least I hope its my new friend. I still need to get to know her a little better.

• Buying a fake handbag has to be as close to a drug deal I will ever experience
• The subway system is the mecca of people watching locations
• If you are a fashionable New Yorker, you must wear your shades on the train
• If everyone in Manhattan had a car, I am convinced they would not all fit
• The only quiet places in Manhattan are St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Top of the Rock
• Times Square= Sensory Overload
• The best tour guide for the Statue of Liberty is a three year old who will tell anyone about the "Statude of Lizerdy" on the Staten Island Ferry
• The residents of Brooklyn deserve every ounce of "street cred" they are given
• European tourists usually have the worst body odor, so sitting near by to listen to their accents is generally not a good idea
• Just like the South has their hospitality and the Midwest their work ethic, New Yorker are just rude. Its not personal, its just their thing.
• Visiting the ground zero memorial on the evening of 9/11 will prove to anyone how united this cultural melting pot really is
• Things in this city are older than America.. think about it.. You don't find things that old in the Midwest
• And finally, there are people everywhere, all the time, always.

-ashley