Curtain Twitcher

Introducing our exciting new regular : a behind-the-scenes, off-stage peek into the life of a performer, written in their own words. This month, award -winning dancer and choreographer Rosie Kay.

Tuesday , 9.35am
Sitting on the tube on my way to Laban Dance Centre I feel a bit groggy and sleepy.  I’m about to doze off when I remember this diary, and pull out some postcards to write on. (Rather lovely Francis Bacon ones actually!) 
Arrived in London from Birmingham yesterday, to do the technical rehearsal at Laban Dance Centre. For the piece we're performing, Asylum, I like to strip away the curtains and the wings, leaving a really stark space of a fabulous concrete back wall and incredible weight pulley systems on the wings (not sure of their technical term!). 
It’s the last week of my mini-tour, and the tiny team is already reducing.  The first to go was John the technician who did our last shows in Dorset and now because it’s only one show of a triple bill, I am the technician as well as performer, choreographer, props manager, costume lady etc etc. 
This morning breakfast was white tea, Greek yoghurt, blueberries and honey- I had planned this out to start the day very healthily and make myself feel special.  I always wake up with a feeling of both excitement and dread on performance days.  It doesn’t seem to get easier as you get more experienced- in fact it almost gets worse, because you know how much you have to put into things. 

11am
At Laban now, having a coffee before starting to warm up with Andreas, my dancing partner. This will be our last show together.  He has been the best touring partner- very calm, focussed and full of  good advice. And having trained as an economist before taking up professional dancing he has a very good business mind.
Laban is an amazing place- like an oasis amongst the chaos of London.  All the offices, studios and rooms have glass doors and walls, so I guess you need to get used to the lack of privacy.  In some ways it’s a bit distracting, as you always know when someone is watching you.

"My dress is small, thin and delicate. I , however, am not feeling any of those things."

1.00pm
Andreas and I do yoga and ballet in a lime green studio and then rehearse Asylum.  The final duet is the highlight of the piece for me, but by the time we get there we are often very tired, so it always needs to be rehearsed and rehearsed every day to keep it tight and technical.  Someone was watching us through the glass, so we put in a bit more effort! We wandered around the building watching classes for a bit, and I found a wonderful teacher I had had at London Contemporary Dance School, Rosemary Brandt, who taught me choreology (the science of dance and kinaesthetics I think…) She remembered me, even after eight years, which was very nice.

5.30pm
I’m really bored now.  We had our dress rehearsal and it was exhausting.  Recently we’ve been performing in rural Dorset, and I think we had adapted to small stages.  Asylum is such a killer- but OK if you really feel it and believe in it.  If you just do it, or mark it with less than 100% it can hurt.  My style of work is demanding and physical, and in Asylum the style ranges from quite violent dueting, to a sustained ‘drop drop’ section, where we repeatedly drop to the floor and then weave our way back to standing before dropping to the floor again.  The final section is a technical pas de deux with complex double work including lifts and a lot of running together.  My knees are hurting badly now and so I’m in the dressing room in the dressing room sitting with my legs up.
In the rehearsal Andreas and I were all over the place spatially so we're going to have another half hour on the stage to get it right.
I need more food, but it’s always a nightmare to know what to eat, how much to eat, when to eat just before a performance. You need to get your body sugar levels right so that you don’t get tired before the show, but not eat so much that you feel heavy or bloated on stage.  I might try an interesting sounding potato, spinach and rocket soup.

6.30pm
Having a fat moment.  My dress is very small, thin and delicate.  I however, am not feeling any of those things.  Knees are still dodgy.  Still got an hour and a half before we are on.  I want to sleep, but not sure it’s a good idea…

7.00pm
I fell asleep!  Went to the studio to warm up, but dropped off on the floor.  When I woke up I had no idea where I was, what time it was or what I was doing there. Andreas found me and we’re about to warm up again for the third time today. 

Beginners Call
Half an hour to wait before we are on.  Bit nervous, but feeling good.  We had a good 10 minutes on the stage before they opened the house, so Andreas and I did half of our other duet ‘Honey You’re a Pig’ which got us in the mood.  Make up is on, and I hope all my friends have found their way to Laban.

8.30pm
We did it!  It felt good.  The audience actually laughed quite a bit, which is fine, but it’s not really a comedy!  I thought Andreas and I danced well together, and the final duet was tight. I enjoyed it a lot and really went on a journey through it.  Its incredibly demanding but enormously satisfying afterwards- a bit like a total mental and physical cleansing. I’ve packed away all of our 20 bags that we use as props and had a shower.  Just need to do a bit of stretching before going out to meet people.

1am
Missed the last tube home!  Lots of my friends came, and after chatting to people at the Laban bar we all went to a Tapas bar in Greenwich.  It was still serving so for once I was able to eat after a show.  We all got carried away, and by the time we got to Canary Wharf the last Jubilee line had left.  Got a taxi to Trafalgar Square, then a bus home.  Feeling quite high and a bit tired.  My body feels fine- the knees are bearing up.  Cannot wait to get to bed though.

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