Monthly Archives: March 2011

Eating My Fudge (Brown Sugar)

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Dianne Vapnek

“What is the matter with you?” asked my husband as I handed him a Martha Stewart recipe for penuche (brown sugar fudge), trying to entice him to whip me up a batch in his spare time. Penuche is impossible to find outside New England.  It was a childhood favorite.  In a stroke of genius I googled it and lo and behold… Danny’s  question caused me to reflect.  What is the matter with me?  I need a baking pan full of fudge in my kitchen like Obama needs more tea parties. Then, my craving made sense.  In classic Overeater’s Anonymous fashion, I was attempting to fill a now vacant spot in my daily life.  It was the sweet spot in my … Continue reading →

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How are Ticket Sales?

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Dianne Vapnek

At rehearsal today, Doug’s dancers and I exchange warm smiles when we meet.  We’ve become friends now, each grateful and deeply appreciative of the work we each do.   After pleasantries,  they eagerly ask the question I wish they wouldn’t. ” “How are ticket sales?”  ”I’m not sure,” I answer, with as much  nonchalance as I can muster.  I didn’t add that I’m too cowardly to ask the box office. I’m not ready to hear the answer.   So the truth, is, I do not know. I operate at this point in the residency under the rubric that Ignorance is Bliss.   I don’t want to know, because I’ve done everything in my power to play the role of cheerleader, … Continue reading →

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Friendship

Posted on March 13, 2011 by Dianne Vapnek

It’s so nice to have good friends you can count on who will surprise you with their generosity.  My friends in the dance world are particularly close to me.  And cherished. We turn to each other to share the passion and the precariousness, the thrills and the angst of the dance world.  We cheer each other’s successes and try to cheer up the recipient of a less than generous review.  Before an important performance, we know to say “merde!” to each other instead of “break a leg.”  We don’t all share the same taste in dance, but we generally all share wide-eyed admiration for the go-for-broke spirit and the talent of great dancers. My dance friends and I celebrate the … Continue reading →

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Moved to Tears

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Dianne Vapnek

Tears of joy don’t come often in life.  When they do arrive, they catch me by surprise.  It’s a deep experience.  Spiritual too.  The ego is lost for a moment in the miraculousness of the present moment. So it was this morning, as I sat in the Lobero Theatre watching the Elkins dancers rehearse and create their new work, Mo(or)town Redux. Doug was as focused as a laser beam, asking the dancers to repeat various sections of the work, so that he could judge what was right or wrong. He sat intently watching in the audience as well,  hopping back on stage to give quiet points and suggestions to the dancers.  They would try again.  In between long takes, the … Continue reading →

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