On Hanlan's Island, a Short Ferry Ride from the City

Yesterday afternoon, I headed out to the Toronto Islands with five colleagues and friends from Perpeual Motion Theatre Company. (They're a brilliant young troupe from Minneapolis; I'm stage managing their show at the Toronto Fringe Festival, and I'd like to encourage anyone reading this to please see it -- and to write a review on the bulletin board at eye weekly...)





While waiting for the ferry, Derek pulled out a pocketknife and began whittling...




And Mark pulled out his notebook, showing me the pages for the virtual rock / paper / scissors tournament that he recently hosted on his blog, Enriched White Bread...




I watched the boat's wake through a small porthole...




... watched small sailboats through tree branches...




... and smiled as I saw the CN Tower through the trees and summer smog.



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(The first photograph -- the gorgeous underwater shot -- was taken by Avye Alexandres, who documented an earlier production of "The Depth of the Ocean" in her fantastic photo blog.)

On the Beach with Colleagues and New Friends

(Thanks to Terry for taking these photographs -- and for amusing us with some of the funniest stories I've heard in years...)

Thoughts of New York "Downtown Dancer(s)"

This morning, I stumbled across the "Downtown Dancer" blog, written by a NY-based dancer who appears to be as articute with her words as she must be with her physicality.

In a recent post titled Is that the Ghost of Bloggers Past?, she writes so clearly what most of us have felt at one time or another: "How many more years can an intelligent person with a solid education struggle with money, health insurance, and the vagaries of a dance career?"

I've been writing a dirge of my own -- a "call to arms" in honour of DeeAnn Nelson, the young NY dancer who was seriously injured in performance about a week ago. I didn't know her personally, though I respect the company with which she was dancing. And I am always feel empathy for dancers who are suffering like this young woman -- who will continue to suffer as she undergoes multiple surgeries and rehabilitation to repair her fractured spine...