“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 775 (Saturday) – dance day

Makeup staging.

Somehow, I managed to oversleep on performance day, but the extra hour beyond the normal wake-up time felt good. Once up, the plan was to apply the performance makeup before drinking too much coffee and having an overly caffeinated shaky hand when applying eye liner and false lashes. This lesson was learned the hard way. It took more than once, but it finally sunk in. Cosmetics appeared on the bathroom counter along with coffee for multi-task sipping.

There should have been makeup practice worked into the preparation timeline. The eyeliner came out great on the first eye, but despite the delayed coffee (or maybe because of it), the hand was shaky anyway and the line on the second eye was bumpy and required smoothing, then the first needed to be made wider to match.

The eyelashes were tricky from the start when too much glue squeezed out and ran down my finger and into the sink. By the time I was done, despite frequent washing, two fingers on my left hand were covered in eyelash adhesive. I couldn't even tell that I had applied eyelashes, which was disappointing.

Drive time with giant flower.

Soon, it was time to leave. Panic ensued when sunglasses couldn't be found for the ride and deep, calming breaths were taken. Feeling slightly self-conscious leaving the house in a massive skirt and with a giant flower in my hair, I headed out. It always feels weird being in a non-performance space decked out in a costume. 

Twenty minutes after the event started, the venue parking lot was full with no legal spaces available and a semi-frantic text to the other dancers. We parked across the street to congregate and finish “blinging out” with our paillette festooned tops and dance belts over our 25-yard skirts. Yes, 25 yards of cotton fabric in each skirt. 

At the appointed time, we made our entrance to the performance space, walking in a line of flouncy skirts, spangles, hair flowers, general fabulousness, and playing a triplet pattern with the zills. The dancing went well. It wasn’t as windy as yesterday or in 2019 when we danced in the same outdoor fair and one of our troupe members caught a pizza box in the leg thanks to a wind gust during a dance. 

Dancing!

Many of us had family and friends in the audience and it was fun seeing them while dancing and chatting with them before and after. Did I think to get a photo with any of them? Ummm…. nope. DUH. Some things never change.

After the performance and changing into civilian clothes, time was spent browsing the vendor tents. Aviator sunglasses strategically hid the eyeliner and false eyelash stage makeup. With no breakfast, the “hangry” side of the appetite spectrum was fast approaching and a visit made to the lone food vendor before heading home. 

A hot dog was handed to me wrapped in foil which was unwrapped at the attached condiments table. My purse and a paper bag holding a couple small artworks were set on the ground under the table. The purse tipped over, spilling the car key fob further under the table about the same time that the misdirected ketchup in my hand shot a stream all over the outside of the bun and the hand holding it.

About twenty paces and two small bites away, the hot dog holding hand tipped and the hot dog rolled out of the bun and landed on the pavement. The bun followed immediately. So much for lunch. The mess was picked up and wadded in the foil from whence it came and the walk to the exit was spent looking for a trash barrel. None was found, and for lack of a better option, the asphalt seared hot dog and gritty bun came home with me.

Tiny mishaps aside – shaky eyeliner, undetectable lashes, no breakfast, insufficient coffee, no parking at the event, lunch dropped on the ground – it was a really great day. The sun was shining, the temperature was comfortable, and our dancing felt good. Sometimes everything clicks.