Paris, December Paris is like a second home to the company. We go there every year and our list of favorite places to visit has grown: La Duree dessert royalty , Per a Cheval cute lunch restaurant in the Marais , the Rodin Sculpture Garden, and many more.
But the best part about Paris is just the walks. On the first days off, I walked through the narrow streets of the Marais and hit up the Parisian boutiques for some Christmas shopping.
But there were many friends of the company on this last European excursion: ex-Cunningham dancers Tom Caley, Cheryl Therrien, Ashley Chen, Lisa Boudreau, Daniel Squire, Kristy Santimeyer-Melita and many other supporters, boyfriends, husbands, and family members who love the work as much as they love Paris.
A few of us partied at Silencio, a new club designed by David Lynch. And there were post-performance receptions and karaoke bar antics at Le Pub St. Michel and even a Secret Santa potluck party in the hotel Citadines with the dancers, production, administrative staff, physical therapists, board members, and special guests. The Citadines are apart-hotels with kitchens in each room.
My dressing room at the theater looked out on the Seine, a perfect view for contemplation of the eight years I spent dancing this work. I was pushed to my limit physically and at war with my body and the sticky, hard floor. But every night the audience erupted in typical French rhythmic applause, and it fueled me to start over again every day.
