Marcelo Gomes = the Consummate Sinatra

Marcelo Marcelo Marcelo! Marcelo Gomes was soooooo amazingly wonderful last night in Tharp’s “Sinatra Suite” (performed by ABT, whose City Center season I have now been to four times in only … a little over a week now?…) He was the best Sinatra yet — and I’ve NEVER liked ANYONE better in any role than Jose Carreno. I think Marcelo excels in parts where he can really ACT as well as dance his big huge heart out! He really got into the role, and it showed, and not just to me, little Miss Mad Crazed Crush-Ridden Marcelo Fan; the whole audience — at least in orchestra — was ooohing and aaahing throughout, so he OBJECTIVELY rocked! And he knew it: during curtain call, he emerged from the stage with a leap (albeit a tiny one) — the first dancer I’ve seen to do that during this relatively low-key season. I guess dancers know when they’re on and when the crowd is really into them and when they can get away with hamming it up 🙂 Interestingly, he danced with the same ballerina as Jose did, Luciana Paris, and Marcelo worked so much better with her. So weird how two dancers sometimes do not form a good partnership even if both are excellent separately…

AND, I sat next to a fun gay man. Great night for that since the evenings’ works consisted of: 1) cute shirtless guy (David Hallberg), cute shirtless guy (Max Belotserkovsky), cute shirtless guy (Angel Corella), in ‘Clear’; 2) cute shirtless guy (Jose), in ‘Afternoon of a Faun’; 3) gorgeous dapper gentleman / sleek sexy bastard Marcelo, doing Sinatra; and 4) three cute macho-shithead sailor-guys (Jose again, Sascha Radestsky, and Isaac Stappas — I think?), in ‘Fancy Free’… Gay guy and I were moaning and groaning and sighing and giggling in ALL THE SAME places 🙂 He he he he; silly fun!

I did realize with all the shirtlessness, however, that David and Jose seem to be more built than the others — perhaps a reason why they seem to have an easier time with the lifts…

Speaking of which … In other news (ie: my own life), on Wednesday night, I did my first real overhead lift! 🙂 ! With Jacob! He he he he he… Fun, and scary, but not really as frightening as I would have thought. Of course, he didn’t really tell me he was going to hoist me up high and lock his elbows once I was sitting on his shoulder — I thought his shoulder was as far up as I was going, but maybe it was better that way, so I couldn’t prepare to freak out. And I felt totally secure in his hands! But, seriously, I really really really need to get rid of the spaghetti factor. You have to make your own line up there; his hands are only holding you in two small places, and if you’re a spaghetti and can’t hold your own form, you’re, at best, not going to look very good, and, at worst, are going to fall. So, it is high time to get some real strength in my little piddly body! I do miss Luis (miss his sneaking up behind me in the deli adjacent to the studio making me check out some guy he thought was hot, miss his exposing me to all manner of new things with his unique names for some of our mishaps — ie: teabagging, and I miss our mad fun butt-smacking, boob-shaking, body-rolling, ball-busting routine…). But I think Jacob and I will work really well together, and I’m excited to get started on my next theater arts showcase, which we can possibly turn in to a competition show piece (if I have any money left to pay comp fees, that is…). He has a background in ballet and jazz, and was a former national cheerleader, so definitely knows lifts (obviously; he can lift a spaghetti after all 🙂 ) Now, I just have to decide what style of dance to do?….

One final thought: I found Jerry Springer’s reaction upon being booted off ‘Dancing With the Stars’ very interesting. He was expecting to get kicked off, but he actually cried when asked to give his little going-away speech. As did Rachel Hunter. And Stacy Keibler gave a sweet farewell speech about fulfilling her dance dreams “like every little girl who’s ever put on a pair of ballet slippers or tap shoes”… It’s remarkable to me how everyone takes this kind of dancing so seriously — I mean, it’s not at all like anyone’s trying to be a drama queen; it all seems completely honest and heart-felt. And I totally understand, as do all of my ballroom friends, I’m sure. It’s inexplicable, but for some inscrutable reason, it’s a genuinely big deal to learn to dance, and to dance well, as an adult…