Boston Ballet : Spain Tour 2007

BOSTON BALLET
SPAIN TOUR 2007

Diary of the Tour
by Sarah Wroth, Boston Ballet corps de ballet member

August 13, 2007

00:30am – a bus driving across the Spanish countryside is dimly lit and echoes with the cackles of hungry ballerinas. This is such a special company of personalities and passions. Any lost soul finds, in Boston Ballet company, a personality they need at any given moment in their life. There are the entertainers, who allow you to just sit quietly and listen to them yak about funny nothings. There are the people who always have something deep and insightful to say. Some dancers are quiet enigmas and you are drawn to speak with them to find out more. There are guys and girls alike that want to entice and allure all the right people with every breath. So many folks that you can be around for 24 hours a day with no problem. They are the cool listeners, generous and sweet. Tour really give you an appreciation for the rainbow of personalities you work with. I have a new appreciation for everyone.

The best opportunity for people to explore new personalities is on a free day. On this tour, free days come after every travel day for the dancers. And twice in six weeks for the crew. We began our stay in Girona with a free day, and the company fled apart in several different directions. A large contingent took advantage of the sunshine and the free Sunday bus to Playa di Aro. The Yanowskys joined John, James, Lorin, Joel, Kelley and Krista on a banana boat ride. Dancers played in sand and surf ‘til days end. And retuned to the hotel with pink cheeks and great stories of buses an bumper cars.

An exploration of the medieval Girona city center was ideal for some people. A huge contingent climbed around the cathedral and “great wall of Girona” surrounding the old city. It is not everyday you get the opportunity to climb steps that are 359 years old and fell like a kid on a jungle gym. The boutique shopping has jewelry and gifts that are one of a kind and mighty hard to pass up. I explored a somewhat new group of personalities and blazed a trail to Barcelona. I had a plan to meet Heather and Melissa in the hotel lobby at 10:45 am. A late gathering was made even later by Misa and Tempe who decided at the last minute to join the party. I knew there was an 11:18 train and the five of us with two Caitlins and a Brittany, speed walked Oprah style to the train station.

We ran up the track stairs at 11:15am and I used my limited Spanish skills to ask if we needed to buy tickets ahead of time or if we could purchase the ticket on the train. A very nice purple haired lady told me I needed tickets ahead of time. I turned tail, no words, Melissa followed and I ran through the terminal and straight up to the ticket counter. Eight tickets and another sprint later, Melissa and I and the Boston Ballet contingent were bouncing in a boxcar to Bar”the”lona. It was such a good day. We were all wide eyed and happy. We shopped at open air markets with Spanish leather waiting for us. Gaudi kept us guessing about dripping architecture and a trip through the Picasso museum put such a nice cap on our learning. It was such a nice day with four truly wonderful women.

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