ZAP! BAM! POW! Hero or Anti-Hero?

I spent my entire weekend hanging out with my personal hero, Woody Allen, a man who inspires me endlessly. Don’t worry, I haven’t gone off the deep end. I simply connected with him in ways I didn’t know existed.

I discovered a fascinating tribute to his work, Woody Allen: A Documentary. It chronicles his life beautifully with compelling interviews and clips throughout. Even today, the man uses a typewriter he bought when he was 16, cutting and pasting with—wait for it—scissors and a stapler.

ZAP!  I think no matter who you are, whether you like him or not, whether you like his films or not, you have to respect him as one of the greatest innovators of our time.

As an aspiring writer, I look up to him, and I see a little bit of myself in him.

  • He uses his natural rhythm as a musician to his advantage, creating a sense of flow and timing in his writing. As a dancer, I aim to do the same.
  • Speaking of aim, he’s a Sagittarius, as am I.
  • He’s a tireless go-getter, and as such, is rarely satisfied.
  • He will do and say anything he wants.
  • He’s often misunderstood.

My hubby and I saw To Rome With Love Saturday night. This alone is a testament of my love for Allen’s work as I do not spend money on overpriced movie theater tickets for anyone else. The last time we went was a year ago for Midnight in Paris, a true gem.

I’m not going to review To Rome, because I’m not a critic and everyone has a right to their own opinion. All I’m going to say is that once again he delivered another ballsy, whimsical experience. I was not only entertained, I somehow felt different when I left.

BAM!  That equates artistic genius.

I’m part of a new generation of Woody enthusiasts. Before I saw any of his films, I thought he was a peculiar looking fellow with a Brooklyn accent. I found my rightful place as one of his quirky, adoring fans somewhere between Match Point and Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

These are two of my favorite stories of all time. Not flicks…stories.

POW!  To many, Woody Allen is an anti-hero, the guy people love to hate. But, I see him differently, as a genuine hero.

  • He doesn’t rely on a cape to get things done, he just does them.
  • He uses his intellectual superpowers for good.
  • He takes chances, and sometimes he fails.
  • He sacrifices in the name of passion.
  • He saves the world with his voice, reminding us that life is far from boring…it’s extraordinary.

My favorite Woody quotes…

“If you’re not failing every now and again, it’s a sign you’re not doing anything very innovative.”

“The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have, instead of what you don’t have.”

Dancers: Quirkier than you think

Playing the Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, my solitary duty was to entice the audience, whisking them out of the daily grind and into an ethereal world—graceful, beautiful, and effortless.

No stress, no blunders. Everything was simple and perfect.

And, here’s what the audience didn’t know…I couldn’t see anything!

Typically, it snows at the end of the “Waltz of the Snowflakes”. And, even though the stage is merely littered with bits of scrap paper, the cheap thrill is bizarrely breathtaking.

But the dancers have a different view altogether. Simply put, it’s a hazard.

During every performance I was blind, courtesy of snowflakes caught in my fake eyelashes. Every time I leaped off into the wings, I blew snow out of my mouth. It was comparable to dancing on an obstacle course, pointe shoes slipping and sliding on the messy floor like there was no tomorrow.

As a result, I muttered many choice words through gritted teeth.

Yet, the audience didn’t notice a thing, and exited the theater with dreamy expressions, Tchaikovsky and tutus forever embedded in their minds.

I fulfilled my duty as a performer. Sure it was dangerous and challenging, but I  cherished every last second.

Dancers are athletes, who know how to act. They make the impossible, attractively possible.

I often forget how enthralling the dancer species truly is, because I have always been one. So, I took a moment to step out of my dancing shoes to analyze quirky characteristics of the dancer, and share a few crazy things you may not know.

  • They’re shy  You probably don’t believe me, but I’m guilty as charged. I can dance for thousands, but I loathe speaking in front of people. I believe this is where the snobby misconception comes into play, others mistaking bashfulness for conceit.
  • Their posture is baffling  Due to my good posture, I almost failed my driving test when I was younger. The DMV tester guy made me pull over and instructed me to take deep breaths; he warned that he was about to fail me for being too tense, because of the way I was sitting. Uncomfortably, I slouched in order to pass.
  • They avoid pedicures  Dancers are hard on their feet, and probably need pedicures more than the average Joe. But, they don’t want to lose their calluses, which act as an important shield against bare floors and pointe shoes.
  • They create in teeny-tiny spaces  That masterful artistry you see on the stage was probably created in somebody’s shoebox apartment. Dancers don’t usually have the luxury of studio space, and make miracles happen in absurd amounts of square footage.
  • They’re always rehearsing  A dancer needs to remember and master, so they run through choreography constantly. They dance at work, the dinner table, the grocery store—you name it! Last week, I was dancing at the dentist.
  • They don’t know how to stop dancing  I’m not allowed to play sports, because I’m a distraction. Why? Because I point my toes when I sprint, I perform a high kick with the soccer ball, I pirouette to dodge something, and I do split leaps over the other players.

Dancers are some of the hardest working artists out there, juggling day jobs, rehearsal schedules, and teaching gigs.

They get paid the least and have the shortest careers, but dancers sacrifice for the greatest reason of all…they love what they do.