That time I ended up at a Chinese movie studio, on a lot, doing a dance audition for a big Chinese movie, in front of a choreographer and dance team fro L.A.

Yeah, that happened. That time was yesterday.

So as I wrote yesterday, it was  a beautiful, blue skied morning, and I had grand plans to head into town and meet the ultimate players, watch some disc, and then head out this dance practice. It was supposed to go from 1-3:30 or so. I figured after that, since I was already in town, I might try to drop by the school/staff social that was being held at some fancy hotel downtown, and then maybe go out with the teachers, or go to the ultimate party I was invited to (if you know anything about Ultimate culture, or ultimate parties, you know that would have been a good time)....

.....But life had other plans.

                                                           Getting to Dance Practice

I got to dance practice late because I left the ultimate field a little late, and then my cab driver dropped me off somewhere near where I was trying to go, but it wasn't quite it....so I was randomly wandering around for a bit, trying to figure things out. I finally stopped in this little bistro/coffee shop type place because they had a sign saying "wifi" and figured maybe I could look it up, but when I walked in, it was totally dead, except for the two staff, who were eating lunch, and they quickly got up, and handed me a menu.....so I felt pretty bad not getting anything.

I ordered a smoothie, and then asked them if they might know where this address is.

As it turns out, I am, once again lucky, because this random building...blocks from where the cab dropped me off.....happened to be the right one, and the dance studio I was looking for was actually right upstairs! I don't know how my life works sometimes....maybe I have good intuition?

So I enjoyed my smoothie...(I ordered blueberry, and it came out yellow and was probably mango? but it was yummmy  none the less) and headed upstairs to dance practice.

                                                 Dance Practice

I walked in and they were hard at work on a routine....and as I tried to say hi, some of the leaders seemed engrossed in a slight argument about costumes?

I was not really sure why costumes mattered, since it was rehearsal....but that's cool, whatever.

Since the practice I wasn't able to make Friday night, they had choreographed a full song. They were follow heavy (5 leads, 7 follows plus me), so there wasn't really a partnered space for me, but they said I could jump in and learn the choreo anyway, because if they movie wanted them, they'd need more dancers and they could drum up more people. So I jumped in trying to learn as they rehearsed, and we had practice.

At some point in there, one of the leads, who was kind of running things, mentioned that they were all going to take a bus about an hour out of town to a north suburb to this movie studio to meet with the choreographer for this movie and kind of go over things, and he invited me to go.

I wasn't really sure what was going on at this point, but that sounded kind of cool, and I didn't really have any other solid plans for the day, so I figured, why not? Maybe spending some more time with the dancers would help me make friends and stuff.....so I said I'd go. He even mentioned that where they were going was closer to the burb where I live, so they might even be able to drop me off at home (which was the clincher, not having to take a taxi home sounded great.....taxis have become a slight source of anxiety for me)

Anyway, so rehearsal ends, they invited me to grab some food with them, and we go downstairs to the 7-11 to grab something quick. Most of us got sushi.....and it was not only cheap, it was REALLY GOOD.

Did you just heard that? 7-11 sushi in China......is good. Just in case you were wondering. Now you know.

                                              The Adventure Begins

So after sushi and some water, I find myself waiting on a corner, in the beating hot sun (which feels sooooo good, btw, after the crummy weather of the past week), apparently waiting for a bus.

The bus comes....it is about the size of a "short bus' in American, but thinner. It was like a mini-coach bus. And apparently the studio had hired it to pick us up and drive us out there.

So I get on a bus (really, when you step back and think about it, I'm getting on a random bus with people I don't really know, to someplace I'm not really sure about, to do a thing that I'm not really sure about......but it's all ok, because they're dancers....and that's how dancers are. It's all ok. If you are a dancer, you're taken care of by other dancers. That's just how this community works, that's just how it is. It's the same in the ultimate community....and probably most communities, I'd imagine.)

Anyway, the bus starts on its way out of the city and into what kind of seems like the Chinese country side. I can see the mountains, beautiful greenery, and it is all lovely. There are lovely conversations on the bus as I am given Chinese lessons, Chinese history lessons (because I was asking, and they could tell me!), and just getting to know people. After about an hour, we get there.

                                                At the Studio

To a Chinese movie studio. It had multiple lots and buildings, and we were bussed to one further back on the premises. We got off the bus and walked in, and it was pretty fancy.

We were greeted by a cheerful black man, who actually reminded me a Frankie Manning. Apparently, he was the choreographer.

He showed us where to change (here's where that earlier argument about costumes comes in) and get ready. I followed the other girls to the bathroom (and they were the Chinese ones.....but I had to pee, so there was my second time using a Chinese toilet...more on that another time) and they started doing make up and suddenly had black skirts and white tops, and looked rather fancy. And the "star" dancer had this fancy, sequin-y flapper-esque silver and white dress and dance heels....she even wore a wig! And here I am, wearing a teal athletic skirt and an white ultimate jersey......

Apparently they were actually performing this routine in front of the choreographer to show them what kind of choreo they had and what kind of dancers. People were kind of confused by this, which is what prompted the argument....no one really knew what to expect this afternooon, if appeared.

I happened to have another shirt, since, earlier in the day, I thought I might be going out, so I brought a change of clothes. It was not the shirt I thought it was (grabbed the wrong yellow shirt) but it was better than an ultimate jersey with the number 21 and the nickname Bonzai on the back....so I changed shirts.

Then we walked out of the bathroom, girls all fancy, and walked into a HUGE rehearsal type room....maybe it was a soundstage? I'm fuzzy on the details. But it had beautiful hardwood floors, that were a bit slick for my sueded dance shoes, but really lovely. In the back of the room, all pushed into a pile, were a bunch of chairs, music stands, and what looked like recording equipment. They all sort of piled underneath of pull down screen that was movie-theater sized.

In the front of the room, sitting in a line of chair, sat the choreographer and his crew, which included a bunch of young, hot, thin and trim people of various races who could have come straight off of a show like "So you think you can dance" or from the movie "Black Swan" or some other dance movie such. They were all clearly from L.A.. Clearly.

The leads of the group were all in suits with bow ties. The ladies were in black skirts with white shirts, flowers in their hair or pinned to their white blouses.......and I was wearing a bright teal athletic skirt and a bright yellow flow-y shirt. And I was tall, lanky, not Chinese or Russian, and full of psoriasis spots. Talk about NOT fitting in. haha.

               The performance.....which turned out to be an audition.....which I was 
                              accidentally and unexpectedly a part of.....

Anyway.....they did a quick "staging" kind of run through of their routine to get a feel for the space.....and then they performed.

For only knowing the choreo for like 24 hours, and being nervous, I'm sure, I think they did really well. I enjoyed getting to watch it. And it was exciting being in a movie studio!

And then, the Chinese woman who was kind of helping run things?, started talking to the group, and apparently, they now wanted to see some lindy hop.....straight up social dancing. At this point...I was paired with one of the taller leads (before we left, I was told it would be good for me to come, because they might need to demo some lindy hop and I could do that), and we started discussing what we were going to do.

I was going to dance! In front of all of these professional dancers, in a movie studio! Whoa.

After some discussion of the Shim Sham, the California routine, etc...they decided on 3 swingouts and a circle in unison, and then forming a semi-circle and doing a jam, with each couple getting 8 8's. If you're not a dancer.....that means nothing to you, so don't worry about it. We were just going to social dance (ie, no routines or choreo, just dancing) in front of the little panel of dancers and such.

So they put on.....Chicago dancers, get ready for this....."Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho" (what! That just happens to be the song my dance team in Chicago was choreographing a routine to when I left.....craziness....) and we started dancing. It was pretty terrifying, because I'd never really danced with this lead before (except for like 4 warm-up swingouts to try to feel each other out) and I was not planning on doing any performing or auditioning when I woke up this morning.....

....and then all of the other couples got to do fancy things, and mini-aerials during their "spotlight" (when each couple dances in the middle while everyone else just claps), and my lead and I basically just did swingouts, because I'm not throwing an aerial with anyone I've never danced with before. Also, the floor was pretty slick.

Anyway, it was REALLY fun.....but I def. don't feel like I put my best foot forward...so I feel kind of bad for my lead, and the rest of the dancers, for not showing my best dancing (which isn't even that fancy, so less than my best is really underwhelming).

But it was fine, and fun. Awesome. What a great experience.

And then.....

                                          ....Then, they wanted to see us solo dance.

WHAT!??!

Then the choreographer said: "Ok, now we're going to put on a song, and we want to see each of you do some solo dancing. We want to see how each of you move, your personalities, all of that. So just dance across the floor, stop in the middle and do a little something, and then do a little something into the camera as you dance off. We're going to put on "Sing, Sing, Sing". "

Uh......

At this point, I feel I should say: I'm a TERRIBLE solo dancer. TERRIBLE. I am awkward and gangly, and I don't know how to move my body or control my long limbs. AND, I can never think of anything to do. It's like improvisation as an instrumentalist.....if you couldn't think of any musical lines or licks. I just don't have the solo dance vocabulary solidly enough. This is definitely the place in my dancing where I need to put THE MOST work in......like, so much work. I'm a pretty good follow, and if you, as the lead, give me ideas, I can follow them, play with them, have some fun.....but on my own, I'm useless. What is it someone said once......they were a good follow, but a bad dancer? Yeah, that's me.

So imagine my.....uh....surprise and chagrin when I was told I was supposed to do a solo spotlight across a giant dance floor, in front of PROFESSIONAL DANCERS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS who want to see what I've got, to see if they can use me in a movie.

Again, I say, WHAT?

Well, I did it. I did soemthing. I'm pretty sure it was really dumb, but I did it.

And then, the "star"...who is a beautiful and amazing dancer, went last, and did an amazing solo spotlight, for a good half to 3/4 of the song. If you've ever heard "Sing, Sing, Sing"....it's a freaking long song. She was amazing. They were definitely interested in her, for sure.

And at the end, the other dancers from L.A. came up to the group and congratulated us on a bangin' audition......which was the first time I really realized it was an audition......in fact, the first time most of the group, including the "star" dancer (I don't want to use her name, in case she doesn't want to be on the internet) really realized it was an audition.

So, I guess the team/dancers will be contacted if they want to use our expertise in traditional jazz dance, by way of choreo ideas, routines, or any of our dancers. I have a feeling they will definitely use the "star", and I'm kind of think they were underwhelmed by many of the rest of us.....but who knows.

Regardless of if I get to be in a Chinese movie or not, it was quite the experience.

                                                   Fancy Free Dinner

So then, after the dancing, the studio head person (I think, I'm not really sure who anyone was) told us we got dinner. So we loaded back on the bus, and were driven to another part of the lot......that was this very fancy building......almost like a banquet/conference center? And were led to the back, to a fancy restaurant.

And fed a huge, traditional Chinese meal. You sit around a round table, that has a huge glass lazy susan in the center, and the bring out course after course of food, and put it in the center, and you rotate the center to you, put some food on your plate, and rotate it to the next person. We were given probably 10 different dishes, not all my favorites, but most very yummy. Also given free beer. It was really lovely. And unexpected.

Somewhere around 8pm, we finished dinner and boarded the bus back to the city. On the way home, we were able to open the bus windows and enjoy the cool evening breeze....and as one of the dancers (he is from upstate new york, but has been in Beijing for 12 years) mentioned....it smelled like home. And that was wonderful. Really, really wonderful.

As it turns out, they weren't able to drop me off in Shunyi, but they did help me get a cab when we got back to the city, and I got home about 9:45 or so, and got to enjoy the beautiful breeze and fresh air the whole cab ride home as well. It felt like cruising in my convertible back home. Guys, don't take fresh air for granted. It is amazing. Cherish it.

Oh- and I could even see the starts last night! STARS! :) Don't take those for granted either.

                                                   Conclusion

So, I left my house in the morning expecting a normal day at dance practice.....and ended up doing a solo dance audition for an L.A. dance choreographer and dance troupe at a Chinese movie studio.

Ranks up there as one of the most random Saturdays in my life. And it was a really awesome experience. AND, it was really fun to get to know some of the Beijing dancers better.....really exciting.

Phew- that was a lot.

Now, off to do some shopping, and try to get my water turned back on.....

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