This weekend, I was looking forward to getting out of the house and doing something special. One of my ideas was to see a dance show in Atlanta at the Ferst center on the Georgia Tech Campus. The Bill T Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company was performing on Saturday. It was what I was looking for, an opportunity to have a shared experience of live performance. I could have a date with my wife. I eagerly looked online to get information about the show. I was concerned that I might not get good tickets. I wonder how much these tickets would cost. However, once I looked at the website, I saw the word "postponed." The show is not going to happen. There would be no live dance show. The website didn't give a reason. I assume that the show was postponed for some reason related to COVID. I have no evidence of that; that's my guess.

I started 2022 with a lot of optimism that it would be a fresh start. However, I was quickly reminded that we are still amid a pandemic. The first two gigs I had on my calendar this year were scheduled to be in person. I was looking forward to an in-person rehearsal for a spring project. I also organized a day to teach my workshop. Omicron put both of those on hold. The rehearsal went from being in-person to online. The workshop was postponed for several weeks. So much for my fresh new start in 2022.

A few days ago, I saw a post that said the 2022 new year would begin in February 2022 rather than January because January didn't feel like a fresh start. That is how I feel. I know that the beginning of the new year is a somewhat arbitrary designation. However, I want to turn a corner on Omicron and COVID.

That's why I especially enjoyed the online show performance I did with the Open Podium recently. The show was hosted by Patrick van den Boom and Luciana Abel Arcuri.

This show was the second online Open Podium performance I've done. I'm grateful to Patrick and Luciana for the opportunity to perform. I like the variety of performers in the show, some from Europe, others from South and North America. It's ironic that amid COVID, a community has developed despite the pandemic.

My favorite part of the experience is the after-show talk. Most of the performers stay on Zoom after the performance is over. It's an opportunity for the performers to hang out, chat, get acquainted with each other. One of the performers in the most recent show was Ella the Great. As I watched Ella's performance, I thought about how I came to know and work with Ella. I met Ella when we took the same class online over a year ago. Later, Ella took my class "Why Stop The Music.? ". It was great fun having her in the class and working with Ella. Ella and I performed in a clown show with other BIPOC clowns called BIPOCCALYPSE- A CLOWN SHOW BY THE GLOBAL MAJORITY. Michelle Matlock produced the show. (You can get more about Michelle and her work here). Ironically, I've never been in the same room with Ella. Yet, as I watched Ella in the Open Podium, it was like seeing an old friend again.

I enjoy these virtual shows because of these types of connection

This blog is included as one of the Top Clown Blogs and Websites To Follow in 2022. This site covers a wide variety of issues in clowning. You can check out the top clown blogs here.

An Experience Shared