24 April
Disco should be short for discombobulated. Discotheque is stupid.
Yesterday I attempted tap with my five regularly attending sixth period kiddos.
They are: A Cheerleader, A Football player, an ROTC kid, Band Kid and Landon. So pretty much The Breakfast Club. They are goofy, using any reason to get off task but not rude, or refusing to participate. Just loosey goosey and while they're not much interested in theatre, they like learning most of The Things. ROTC and Band love tech. Cheerleader is afraid of heights. Football and Landon are always partners, and usually one will be the girl in the scene.
Landon was only willing to learn tap after he and Football created every letter of the alphabet with their bodies, assisted by a bit of coaching from the Cheerleader and Band Kid laughing and making suggestions. That's pretty much how that class runs. ROTC had to leave early for testing.
So tap was a stretch. Landon is well over six feet tall and has boat sized feet, so no tap shoes could be found to fit him. I made him tap in his socks as his thick rubber soled shoes would be useless. But he did it -ish, and broke into noodle dancing only twice. He literally looks like the inflatable tube dancer outside the new European Market and Deli on Alameda and Kipling.
So while searching for tap shoes, Cheerleader found a pair, but one was missing laces. I told her she had to cannibalize a different shoe. She did not know how to unlace the ties. So I did it. Then she stared at the shoelace in her one hand and the empty eyed shoe in the other, paused and said "I don't know how to do this". While I quizzed her on other weird things she cannot do, Football started reading the quotes stenciled on the fitting room wall, out loud. As one does. He asked me who the quotes were from. I pointed out each one was cited: Shakespeare, play titles, student quotes and David Bowie.
"Who is David Bowie?" he asked loudly.
I did not answer. We are used to each other now, and communicate telepathically.
"Wait, Miss, I know I know hold on hold on...he's the guy who paints himself, right?"
I shrug "Sure, sometimes."
"I know WAIT I got it, hold on...he's the guy with the ...the -" he starts waving one hand across his face " the lightning bolt on his face! YES! Yes, that's it right?" His excitement is not unlike spiking a football after a touch down.
Once they very -ish learned a time step and shuffle off to Buffalo, Band Kid chose Metallica as their choreography music. Specifically, bass boosted "Orion".
So I have that to look forward to on Friday.
Discombobulated. Distracted. Dismount
It's almost over.
I have worked in three schools in two districts this year, and managed to miss conferences in every building.
I also did not direct a musical this year, for the first time in 21 years.
Discombobulated and ready to dismount. It's almost over.
Brain fog frog dog slog log smog schlog CITYONFIRE I hear the singing of the Beggar Woman who's actually Sweeney's wife screaming and nobody hears, every time I click on Facebook. How Is This Happening?! What Can I Do?
Too much. Discombobulated one thing at a time. Do one thing.
Teach tap to the Breakfast Club. Check.
I also led 17 Special Ed students through their performance of a short play. First time on stage for all of them. Six are completely non verbal. Two in wheelchairs, one in a walker. No special ed teacher, just me and five paras and the nurse for the kid with CP. Which is not a concern of RFK's, many of them will never write poetry, or pay taxes, either, due to a tragically short life span but it's the autistic kids he's mad about. But Elon is self diagnosed as autistic, aren't they all on the same team? WAIT-WAIT Elon does NOT PAY TAXES!!! I SEE THE CONNECTION I GET IT I GET. I feel like Football finally connecting David Bowie to a lighting bolt, jolt of lighting AH HA!!!
Discotheque should be discoteck. Why is it spelled with a British "que"? Because they dance in lines? Do The Hustle!
It's all good. I'm fine.
Almost time to dismount.
Disembark.
Titanic.
Scene
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