I’m in a New York state of mind….and that’s a good thing, because I also happen to be in New York. Sitting comfortably out of the drizzly cold in our lovely Hilton hotel room with a view of more windows, I will recap our first…and my very very first…day in the big city. The K-girls (Kendall and myself, Katie), Mary Claire and Toni have jet-setted to NYC for business, or we’ll call it that, wink nudge. We are participating in the Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference that is held here every year. It is a chance to go to workshops to learn more about our field and our specific roles in our field, network with amazing people who do just what we do and view a variety of showcases that range from dance to musical theater to comedy and beyond. And hello! It’s in New York!

An interesting thing happened though last night. We were checking out one of the neat little hangouts following an incredible dinner at Rosa Mexicano, where a man was getting down on the piano. He was playing such good music that the dancer in me began to stir. My fellow K-girl felt the same, so we let the power of the groove overtake us. No sooner did we begin to move, we heard the strangest thing. “We don’t allow dancing.” What? Don’t allow dancing? That’s crazy—this is New York for Pete’s sake. Did we enter some weird Footloose twilight zone? As off as that was, we abided by their outlandish rule and sat back down to respectfully jive in our seats.

Although our dancing itch wasn’t scratched last night, it certainly will be soothed tonight. We are about to cab it to The Works studio for an open house reception for Jennifer Muller’s newest dance piece, Aria. What a pleasure it will be to be in the company of dance enthusiasts. And if you’re feeling a little jealous, I’ve got the remedy. Jennifer Muller and The Works company will be making a trip down to Jacksonville February 8 to perform right on our stage with the help of local college and high school dance students. You must make it out.

As for us, we better get going. I hear it’s tough to get a cab on Friday this close to Times Square. I know I know…what a thing to complain about! Geeze, if this is work, I never want to retire. More to come!