Travelation = Travel + Revelation
April and May abounded with amazing adventures.
Vienna (Early April)
I _ _ _ (Yes! I did go there! Early April)
Orlando (Third Weekend of May)
New York City (Memorial Day Weekend)
The Performance
It was a strange sensation rehearsing the day before and being elated about the acoustics, while worrying that everyone could hear my voice (and especially, my mess-ups). On the day of the performance, I dressed in a crisp white collared shirt and black tuxedo pants. One after another, our group filed onto the stands with black music folder in one hand. I watched the conductor and followed his lead...like never before (I usually buried my face in the music as if it were an enchanting read). It was pure concentration as I sang through all the mixed chorus pieces.
While the chorus was resting during the solos, I counted the people in the audience. I estimated 700+ people, but I noted that about 85% of the seats were indeed filled...too much work to count the rest, though. Bummer that the staff asked us not to take pictures during our dress rehearsal, only for us to see that the audience was snapping pictures paparazzi-style during intermission...
The differences between the actual performance and my rehearsals were that I felt so much more confident AND I had a lot of fun performing up there (the slight adrenaline rush of knowing your piece and putting everything you've got into your performance).
This is why I love performance art. You know that it's a short, fleeting moment for you to make an impression on the audience, while on your side, you know that this beautiful moment will never be replicated with the same variables again. That's one of the lessons I learned in drumline, that no matter how similar your individual performance may be, the audience you're performing for and the ensemble you're performing with is never exactly the same one as before. It's a combination of knowing it's a unique moment, feeling the high from presenting the performance to an audience, and experiencing an everlasting memory that cannot be captured succinctly in a photograph or video, that makes me cherish it even more.
Vienna (Early April)
- Sauntered around with my new buddy
- Walked 75% of the Opera House perimeter
- Explored the outside of the Schönbrunn Palace
I _ _ _ (Yes! I did go there! Early April)
- Fingerprinted at the airport (most nerve-wracking moment, actually)
- Visited ancient epic cities and tombs
- Inhaled scrumptious kabobs and dishes
- Surprised myself with the strange deliciousness that is their ice cream
- Wandered around the city with the guys
- Spoke to random soldier and asked him for a picture, then was rejected
- Asked for a picture by a random guy, who posed quite sexily
- Approached by a random youth gal who ended up rowing boats with us around the lake
- Learned about the history of tribal-styled rugs
- Feasted on a home-cooked meal with new friends
- Fell in love with a moment
Orlando (Third Weekend of May)
- Thursday: Thai food, Wonderworks Hands-on Museum, Medieval Times, Downtown Disney
- Friday: Kennedy Space Center (facility tour, space shuttle simulation, meeting a REAL astronaut - the real Indy Jones of our time!), Wonderworks Comedy Magic Show
- Saturday: Wonderworks Laser Tag and Ropes Course (rock'n), Japanese Restaurant, Outlets
New York City (Memorial Day Weekend)
- Thursday: Red-eye flight, rainy trip to 9/11 Memorial, Wall Street, Times Square, Hooter's for Justin's birthday, random hanging out
- Friday: Morning rehearsal, New York Public Library, Bryant Park, MOMA (kinda, but not really), met with Tina, Phantom of the Opera on Broadway (amazing special effects, sets, costumes, and unforgettable music)
- Saturday: First 9-hour sleep in a long time, dress rehearsal, The Halal Guys, Highline, Sonny hangout (Japanese dinner, ginger ice cream, Brooklyn Bridge)
- Sunday: $39 serendipity/scalpery, lunch at Shake Shack with Diana, Spiderman musical, New York pizza snack, concert of a lifetime, nighttime cruise around New York
- Monday: Packing, flying back
The Performance
It was a strange sensation rehearsing the day before and being elated about the acoustics, while worrying that everyone could hear my voice (and especially, my mess-ups). On the day of the performance, I dressed in a crisp white collared shirt and black tuxedo pants. One after another, our group filed onto the stands with black music folder in one hand. I watched the conductor and followed his lead...like never before (I usually buried my face in the music as if it were an enchanting read). It was pure concentration as I sang through all the mixed chorus pieces.
While the chorus was resting during the solos, I counted the people in the audience. I estimated 700+ people, but I noted that about 85% of the seats were indeed filled...too much work to count the rest, though. Bummer that the staff asked us not to take pictures during our dress rehearsal, only for us to see that the audience was snapping pictures paparazzi-style during intermission...
The differences between the actual performance and my rehearsals were that I felt so much more confident AND I had a lot of fun performing up there (the slight adrenaline rush of knowing your piece and putting everything you've got into your performance).
This is why I love performance art. You know that it's a short, fleeting moment for you to make an impression on the audience, while on your side, you know that this beautiful moment will never be replicated with the same variables again. That's one of the lessons I learned in drumline, that no matter how similar your individual performance may be, the audience you're performing for and the ensemble you're performing with is never exactly the same one as before. It's a combination of knowing it's a unique moment, feeling the high from presenting the performance to an audience, and experiencing an everlasting memory that cannot be captured succinctly in a photograph or video, that makes me cherish it even more.
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