Day 41: December 6, 2010.

I'm sorry this is a day late! Unfortunately I had no access to any computers yesterday due to the hectic schedule of the events of the day, but here's why it was a fabulous day :)

First of all, my dance history final paper is turned in and out of my hands!  That's always SUCH a happy time :)

Secondly, and probably one of the more exciting experiences I've had in my dance "career" thus far was performing at the Tisch Gala.

Click here for an article :)

It truly was a spectacular event, and we knew it really was real when the first dressing room we came upon was Robin Williams' (the second being Whoopi Goldberg's), after having to enter through the theater's stage door.  We were given real tags on real lanyards with a card labeling us as part of the "Tisch Gala-Cast."  We had hair and makeup stylists doing our, you guessed it, hair and makeup, making me feel very professional in my 1950's-inspired look.  The red carpet outside the theater welcomed the night's celebrity appearances, financial contributers and all other ticket holders.  Marsha Gay Harden chatted with us backstage as she and Jesse L. Martin (for you musical people, the original Collins in Rent on Broadway and in the feature film, for you TV fans, a Law and Order regular--whether that's past or current I'm not sure) waited for their cue to go on stage to give the opening words for the night's performance.  We danced on stage with some members of one of the notable jazz bands that performed at 111 Second Avenue (the current home of Tisch's dance department, a.k.a. where I spend many waking hours of every day) who performed there in the '50s when it was a public dance hall during the jazz sessions that Billy Crystal's dad ran.  In between his short spiel and our closing number, during Billy's acceptance speech after he'd received his award, Robin Williams chatted with us backstage for a bit.  Tony Bennett and Dustin Hoffman were spotted during the dinner reception afterwards.

I'm feeling like saying I was "star struck" is a bit of an understatement :)

Today--well, yesterday--the ability to share the stage with and be inspired by such great talent, and the great blessing it was to share in the whole experience with the people that I did makes me happy :)

(Tisch dancers for the 2010 Gala :))