Who needs knees??

I went to my first official dance call for the Hairspray Nat'l Tour this week and felt like the only one who did not already know the entire combination. Apparently, they re-use the same dance combo (as seen in the Broadway production) every audition, so they don't see the need to actually "teach" the combination.... So I didn't get a callback, but I will be the expert next time around.

Then a couple days ago I went to a dance call for The Producers. Do not continue reading if you have a weak stomach or a low threshold for pain...

Still sore from a leaps and turns class I took the previous day (in a class of 4 people guess who was standing right next to me..... S!! You can guess how awesome the rest of the class was for me), my flexibility was not at all what it should have been and these girls have clearly been dancing since they were able to walk. The choreographer flashed through the dance combo because she wanted to see if we could pick it up quickly. It was all good until they split us up into our small groups and covered the mirror.

It seemed like the combination immediately escaped from my head. I kicked when I should have turned. I shuffled when I should have kicked. I was a mess, and all I could do was paste a big huge smile on my face and show them what a trooper I am! We were near the end of the combination and went down into the splits... not ordinarily a problem for me on my right side. About half-way down I hear a huge crack-pop sound and feel a very sharp sensation in my left knee. Needless to say I sat out the rest of the dance call and did not get a callback. I've missed about 7 auditions in the past 2 days because of my sad bum knee- mostly because I don't really want to hobble around New York City alone.

Lesson Learned: Avoid dance calls. I am now officially catagorized as an actor, singer, dancer. C’est la vie!!

~B