My Dance Week: Pamela Vail

Photo: Tori Lawrence

From Blog Director Jill Randall:

In February 2014, I started this column/new feature on the blog to shed light on the “real picture” of what a week for a dancer looks like and all that it entails – commuting, various jobs, teaching, rehearsing, administrating, family time, down time, and much more. Exertion and recuperation.

The column has been well-received over the years, and today I am happy to share the 30th "Dance Week" post and Pamela Vail’s sketch for her recent week. Pamela teaches in my hometown of Lancaster, PA.

From Pamela:

This week represents the negotiation between my job as a full-time professor at Franklin & Marshall College (a small liberal arts school in Lancaster, PA) and as a professional dance artist still working in NYC (with a canary torsi)–and a field trip to Philadelphia squeezed in, for my students to see a world-class dance company (Rosas). While I certainly do not travel to NYC to perform and/or rehearse all the time, this is what it's like when I do. Intense, but worth it. (And now that the project in NYC is over, the schedule will be a little less crazy… until the next one picks up!)

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My dance week (a particularly intensive one) — a sketch…

Sunday, Sept. 17

Wake up in NYC after having performed the night before (and that Friday).

Have brunch with friends.

See the 3pm matinee of Pina Bausch Tanzteater Wuppertal at BAM (wow).

Drive home to Lancaster, arrive at 9pm.

Eat, read/write emails, collapse.

Monday, Sept. 18

Wake up, do morning stuff (feed cats, make coffee, scoop litter boxes, email, etc.).

Review reading for class.

Plan class.

Teach class 2-3:50pm.

Attend faculty meeting 4:30-6pm.

Run home for a snack.

Rehearse 7-9pm.

Home, late dinner (average dinner time this semester is 9 or 9:30pm), email, collapse.

Tuesday, Sept. 19

Wake up, do morning stuff.

Read for class.

Prepare for class.

Teach class 9:30-11:20am.

Dance Program meeting 11:30am-1pm.

Office hours 1-2:30pm (do email work, and other busy administrative work).

Home, deal with email for 2 hours.

Rehearse 6:45-8pm (supervising Duncan reconstruction).

Go home and make dinner, more email, collapse.

Wednesday, Sept. 20

Wake up, do morning stuff.

Plan class.

Grocery shopping (my only window of time to do this).

Do committee work (I’m on the Faculty Handbook Committee).

Meet w/student doing a senior project (I am advising) 11:30am-12:30pm.

Run to committee meeting/lunch 12:30-1:30pm.

Teach class 2-3:50pm.

Attend Company class 4:30-6pm.

Rehearse my other piece 6-7pm.

Home, dinner, email, bed.

Thursday, Sept. 21

Wake up, do morning stuff.

Prepare for class.

Teach class 9:30-11:20am.

Common Hour 11:30am-12:30pm.

Office hours 12:45-2:15pm.

Home to do laundry (leaving the next day).

More email.

Rehearsal for Duncan (5-6pm).

Rehearsal for my own piece (6:30-8pm).

Home, dinner, email, bed.

Friday, Sept. 22

Wake up, do morning stuff.

Pack (What? It’s going to be 90 degrees in NYC this weekend?).

Review a student paper, email it back with comments.

Committee work.

Other email stuff.

Leave (too late) for NYC.

Drive to NYC and get stuck in traffic in Manhattan because of a street fair.

Get to performance venue, find parking.

Get snack.

Warm-up, run through, perform.

Cast gathering after show.

Drive 2 people home in NYC so they don’t have to take the subway.

Arrive at friend’s apartment at 1am and find parking.

Sleep (on a couch).

Saturday, Sept. 23

Wake up.

Take friend out to brunch.

Sit on a bench and talk (What? Free time for conversation?).

Back to her apt. Figure out whether to drive or subway to venue.

Subway to performance venue.

Warm-up, run through, perform.

Out to dinner with friends who came to show.

Subway back to friend’s apt.

Sleep (on a couch).

Sunday, Sept. 24

Wake up, get coffee.

Get in car, drive to Philly.

Find a quiet café, grade journals.

Meet students from a class at venue to see Rosas perform “A Love Supreme” (my students are writing a response paper on the performance).

See the show. Put students back in van to school.

Get in my car and drive back home.

Email, collapse, bed.

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Sample email correspondences:

With chair about adjuncts for next year
Scheduling photo shoot for Fall Dance Concert poster
With videographer about Fall Dance Concert
With tech/design crew about cue-to-cue schedule for Fall Dance Concert
With adjunct for Spring semester
With colleagues (the Architects) about summer workshop next June
Budget issues
Problems with unauthorized dance studio usage
With guest artist about costumes and schedules
With colleagues about writing an “assessment reflection” of Dance Program requested by administration
Getting a quote for a new dance floor
… and oh so many other fascinating things.