Hurricane Irene affects Dance

Hurricane Irene

When last I wrote, we were on the "final road" to our performance of our West Coast Swing & Hustle showcase at the Ailey Citigroup Theater. However on Friday afternoon, I received a call from Kat Wildish (the producer) indicating that, because of Hurricane Irene, our Sunday double performances would be canceled and our Saturday evening performance would run an hour early.

Of course, I was disappointed but I was also relieved that I could avoid having my Connecticut cast drive into New York City on Sunday - the supposed worst day of the storm. I immediately started calling the cast starting with the two dance captains, Kim Brolet and Josh MacDonald. I had just finished reaching everyone and getting everyone ready to perform on Saturday night when my phone rang again…it was Kat.

The Second Call from Kat

This second call from Kat could be nothing but bad news. When I answered, I could tell that Kat was in crisis / damage control mode. All she said was that Ailey shut the whole show down for the weekend. She indicated the tentative plan to mount the show back up on Wednesday (and Thursday).

When I got off the phone, I was in a state of shock. I put my head in both my hands and just tried to collect myself. I had re-call everyone in the cast with disappointing news. Even worse, I was supposed to be out of town for the new dates of the performance. Personally, I felt strange even asking my cast if they'd be willing to do the show on Wednesday night - they really had given everything they could and had committed to this Sunday. I had wanted their lives to return to normal after their final performance on Sun, Aug 28.

When I started making calls to each cast member, I was surprised to hear that almost everyone in the cast was willing to do a Wed, Aug 31 performance. Honestly, I couldn't believe when our two dancers who live the farthest said, "yes" (thank you, Patty & Greg). I am still hoping that two of our hustle dancers will be able to participate even though they have long standing Wednesday night plans.

Sunday

As I write this, it is early Sunday afternoon. The rains have passed for both New York City and southern Connecticut. What before was the anxiety of an approaching hurricane is now the windy aftermath of good-solid down rain storm. Honestly, I think New York City and Alvin Ailey did the right thing by taking every precaution. By taking those precautions, no one was injured and fewer people were put at risk. After seeing the rain and wind from last night, I feel that all of our 22 Connecticut West Coast Swing and Hustle dancers would have been at risk from small debris (such as small branches) during their drive to the theater and especially during their drive home after 8pm.

By taking such precautions as closing down the NYC transit system early, it will allow New York City to resume normal activities sooner than later. It also gives New Yorkers (such as me) an opportunity to tell people how tough they really are.

Wednesday

I now have to move past the disappointment of not performing three times at the Ailey Citigroup Theater this weekend and focus on creating a great experience for my cast on their first and only performance in New York City this Wednesday, August 31, 2011. However anyone slices it, it's still momentous and still the first time that any student West Coast Swing or Hustle group has performed on a professional New York City stage.

Thankful

There is much to be thankful for. All things considered, this storm was not nearly as bad as it could have been for this area. Had New York City or Connecticut been hit by the brunt of a full category 3 hurricane, we'd be lucky to get back to any sense of normalcy by this Wednesday. So far, all of our dancers seem to have made it through Hurricane Irene unscathed. My family and friends are ok. And, we still get to perform at the Ailey Citigroup Theater. For all this, I am thankful.