I’m having a serious case of writer’s block right now, which is unfortunate because I’m supposed to be writing a review of a performance I saw last night and even though I enjoyed it, I’ve been staring at my computer for the past ten minutes wondering what the hell to say.

The problem is that I haven’t been writing enough lately, and writing, like all crafts, must be practiced.  I’ve been writing exams, and lectures, and emails to my students to let them know that they’re really not going to pass my course unless they actually complete their assignments… but not real writing.

Not interesting writing.

Not fun writing.

Not good writing.

I do, however, have a fairly plausible excuse.  My tap company, The Lady Hoofers, gave four performances last week, including three on Broad St. at The Wilma Theater and one at the Performance Garage as part of DanceUSA/Philadelphia’s Presenter’s Showcase.

Having never taken part in a presenter’s showcase before, I’ve spent the better part of the past month not sleeping, freaking out about costumes, stressing about press kits and generally driving myself (and everyone around me) crazy. One evening, I dreamt that I forgot how to do a time step—a freakin’ time step!—and that we got kicked out of the showcase because we weren’t good enough.

Fortunately, none of this came to pass.  In fact, people loved us.  And I only forgot one tiny little section of my own choreography (not bad when you consider the fact that I’ve got 17 different tap pieces in my head right now…).

I’m now buried beneath emails and deadlines and costumes—so many freaking costumes!—but we had a great week and now that I’ve finally gotten a decent night’s sleep, I just might return to the world of the living and write that review.

Here’s a photo from the Showcase. (Would you believe it, these dresses actually came from Burlington Coat Factory???)  For more behinds-the-scenes photos, like The Lady Hoofers on Facebook!

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