Talk about a long week.... - October 23, 2006

I have a good excuse for my lack of blogging.

I really do.

I'm going crazy.

Ok, we all already knew that, but really, it's finally happening.

I've been working for the past 11 days. Straight.

Insane, right?

No.

It's called poor.

haha.

But my student loan is shrinking as my insanity grows, if that's any consolation.

(You're right, it's not)

It's made me a bad friend (please excuse my lack of calls) and a bad blogger.

And for that.... *sob* I'm sorry.

(And over dramatic, as usual....)

~ ~ ~

Speaking of being over dramatic, Levi is in Iceland.

Therefore, another reason my life is at an absolute standstill.

*whimper*

Yes, he's been gone for about five days now and I have no idea what to do with my minuscule amount of free time.

You see, when he's in town, I spend every free moment with him, naturally.

Now that's he's been gone, I've been seeing a lot more of my kitty, Ocean. (Who is really appreciating Levi's absence for that reason, I'm sure.)

*sigh*

Somebody send me a day off.....

Now appearing at the Magic Kingdom... ME!

Ok.

It's official.

I have the BEST job on the planet.

My opening day on Thursday was AMAZING!!!!!!

I love my cast.
I love my stage.
I love my crew.
I love my costume.
I love my wig... on certain days.
And I LOVE Dreaming Along with Mickey. (Otherwise known as my show.)

Ok, cheesy enough for ya? Well get ready for some more.

We were all really nervous and excited for our first day. Amazingly, I got through the first shows without much incident.

(Different story for the other days though... goodness. We have to learn two tracks in the show that have two sets of different blocking and patterns to follow on stage. It's like a big choreographed train wreck for me sometimes...)

But nothing could stop me that first day. I swear I must have glowed on that stage, I was so happy. So many thoughts ran through my head.

I thought about my sister dancing on the same stage so many years ago. (I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate my disclosure of how many exactly...)

I thought about the big-wig execs and bosses that came to our shows. (and got even more nervous...)

I thought about the cast members throughout the park that would swing by on their breaks to watch us.

And I thought about the guests. A lot.

It's really an amazing feeling to run out on that stage and dance to a sea of smiling faces. It's such an amazing place, Disney. A place where people come to be completely happy and escape all reality. Watching us up there, I swear none of them are thinking about bills or rush hour or anything. There is no way they would be smiling that big if they just thought about how much they just spent on that park hopper ticket or that ice cream in their hand melting on its stick. No way.

And as predicted, I cried the first day. Well, almost.

It really hit me when, during our first day, I was looking down into the audience to ask them what their dreams were, and I saw this little Asian girl standing alone, looking shy.

(Why is the Asian part important? Well, it's not. But Levi and I talked about why the entertainment industry casts the way they do, and how someday, some little girl might look on stage and identify with me, and say "Hey! She looks like me!" and really feel like she could do what I do up there someday.)

At any rate, this cute little girl was a few feet away from her parents and not smiling. Then, I looked down at her and asked if she wanted to be a princess.
Her face lit up like the sun.
I felt like I had never seen such a sweet and genuine smile in the world.

It was so amazing that something so small as that would make me tear up. But it did. I, and our show, affected her in a positive way. Made her believe in something bigger than herself. That she could do anything. Be anything.

Or, BUY anything, for $29.99 and up in our stores....

But seriously, it's so great to see how much people love our show. On Saturday there was the boy who came to every single show. And a couple of shows the day before too. He came so much that by the end of the day, he was doing choreography with us. (And spurring yet another tear in my eye... so cute!)

Hey, the dance world always needs more boys...

~ ~ ~

At any rate, the bottom line is, I love what I do, I love where I do it, and I love who I do it with.

Hmmm... I think that came out wrong....

Almost Showtime... - October 4, 2006

Well, in less than 10 hours I start my career on stage as an official "Disney Cast Member."

And I can't wait.

~ ~ ~

Oh, and ps-by-the-way, I think I got approved, 'cause I'm on the schedule for tomorrow, so thanks for all of your good thoughts and wishes. I'm so excited about it all!

~ ~ ~

This morning we had rehearsal at 5 am at the Kingdom and there were bunches of people there for the first "Dream" that was coming true. One family won an online drawing to be the first VIP family in the park for our year long campaign, and as part of the presentation, they hid something like 2,000-6,000 employees on Main Street and had them all jump out at once. (Can anyone say heart attack?)

Anyway, I met a really nice guy on the bus to the Kingdom who was from MGM. (Well, everyone is nice at Disney, for the most part. I heard from another dancer at rehearsal that there was some woman on her bus saying a VERY cheery "Well, Good MORNING!" to everyone on the bus. Yikes.)

Anywho, he was really sweet and very excited when he found out I was a dancer in the new Castle Show. We talked for a little bit about how his daughter loved the princesses in the shows and such, and when we got to the Tunnel he got kinda quiet.

"Do you mind if I tell you something?" He asked shyly.

Of course, I didn't.

"You know how that guy went into the school house last week and shot those girls, and all those terrible things that are happening all around the world right now? Well, seeing dancers really makes me feel like there's hope the for humanity. Like what you're doing up there is really what the human spirit is all about. It's really great, what you do."

Or something to that effect.

Whatever he said, it definately made me tear up.

(Either that, or the fact that it was 4:30 am and I had only had about an hour of sleep...)

At any rate, tomorrow I'll be on that stage, in the sweltering heat, dancing my little butt off...

and having the time of my life.