No. 4

This one is a little late. I usually post on Sundays, but last Thursday was my first full day back as the sole Stage Manager for Hamburg Ballet. The days since have been full and fast, but also really good. It feels right to be busy again, especially with a team that makes the pace feel worthwhile.

Over the summer, I had more time to shape No Snow in May. I could play with ideas, test directions, and let things unfold without pressure. Now, with full-time work in motion again, I feel the shift. There is less time, less space, but just as much intention. My job asks a lot of me, planning, coordination, reading scores, timing transitions, guiding the flow before anything reaches the stage. And most of that happens quietly, away from view.

What people do not see is everything that builds the show before the curtain rises. The hours at home with music. The pacing, the prep, the questions. It is my first year doing this role alone, and I did not get much of a handover. The person before me held onto a lot. So I have had to find my own way, bit by bit. Some days it feels like guesswork, but more often now it feels like something steady forming beneath me. The feedback has been kind, and I think it is going well.

All of that said, No Snow in May is still here. The idea of it stays with me. I made myself a promise to keep it moving, even if slowly, even if quietly. That is what these blogs are for. To keep a trace of things, even when the site itself feels still. I never set out to grow fast, but I do want to keep growing.

So if the pace seems slow, or the gaps between things stretch a little, just know that the work is still happening. I am still here, doing both: building a life in ballet, and building this space for reflection and connection. Both matter. Both are real. And maybe writing them down helps me remember that they can both exist at once.

I will post a new print tomorrow. Hopefully some of you will come and check it out.

Thanks for stepping in.

Song of the week:

I Don't Wanna Be Without You

by The James Hunter Six