Mickey Mouse Our Shining Star

Psalm 30:2

O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.

Praise the Lord! Whatever was going on in my stomach/pancreas/liver/gallbladder/who-knows-what is gone!!! Almost a full week of crippling discomfort really makes me appreciate feeling healthy and normal again. Also, not exercising for that long made me feel so sluggish and unproductive! It is incredible to  dance again!

So I haven't written about the show in quite a while. Well guess what? We're almost done learning everything!!! Only 1 month left until we debut!!!  We've been having lots of late night rehearsals and my sleep pattern is wayyy off: rehearsal 7pm-1am, go to bed at 4am, sleep in until noon. Not good.

"One Man's Dream" is more of an acting show than a dancing show. I love that. There are tons of dance numbers, but portraying your particular character in each scene is SO important to the overall feel of the show. Dance is my first passion, but theatre is my second and my favorite thing about working for Disney, is that their shows always have many different genres and characters portrayed by the ensemble. Disney has definitely helped my versatility!

It's cool to see the show coming together. A few weeks ago we did a run-through of the first half of the show and it was so much fun to see each scene consecutively. It was also a rude awakening to how much I need to get my stamina back up...

Yesterday was my favorite rehearsal yet. No blocking, waiting, or sitting, ALL dancing. The song is called "Mickey Mouse Our Shining Star." All of the original songs in this show are brilliantly composed in a way that makes me feel all sorts of emotions. The opening is light-hearted and makes you smile, the jungle scene has a jazzy beat that makes you tap your toes, and the evil scene gets your blood pumping with its powerful chorus; but my favorite number, "Shining Star," builds and builds and builds until you're just overcome with happiness and your eyes swell with tears of joy (or at least mine do.) It's hard to put into words exactly how I feel when I perform this number. It feels like my soul is coming to life. I guess it's similar to the satisfaction and fulfillment I experience when a prayer has been answered or God gives me a profound word. It's as if I can feel the Holy Spirit in my bloodstream as I dance.

Here is a clip of the show with "Shining Star," Finale, and Bows! It's just not the same on video though...

Needless to say, it was a wonderful rehearsal. We also only had rehearsal from 3-7 so I got home at a decent hour and was finally able to do a little grocery shopping. After last week, I'm pretty determined to start closely watching what I eat. As I rode the bus home, I had that overwhelming feeling of thankfulness that I've been experiencing a lot lately. I'm thankful to be healthy, I'm thankful to be able to pursue and live out my passion for performing, I'm thankful for this opportunity to live in a whole new country and culture, and I'm thankful to have such a close relationship with a God that reminds me of His love and His  plans for me!