rehearsing-3

On the home stretch (an old but always serviceable phrase!). 
Last night, again, the dancers rehearsed from mid-afternoon to late evening. 
The tech crew had been going for multiple hours. 
A long day, but a lot got done. A lot was going on too, 3:30—10:30:
•Refinement of the choreography and the particulars of its execution—sometimes 3 or 4 different bits being gone over at once by small groups of dancers, soloists, Olivier...

•Tech rehearsal, including runthroughs of sections with Michael Mazzola's dazzling lighting 

•Practice for the first time with certain props, including a large garbage can, which plays a surprising role in 'Winter'
•Arrival of Olivier's parents and his teacher from Belgium, straight from the airport     
•Costume tryouts to see how they work in action—modifications for safety or aesthetics

•Lighting cues for the new music

Last night Olivier said he was feeling  less stretched and stressed out than the day before. 
As when you are cleaning out a room or office, I thought, and are at the stage where everything is strewn all over the place with no apparent order—you doubt your sanity in ever having undertaken this project and despair of finishing. 
Then suddenly, it starts to come together. 
You can see the shape of what it will be, and, though there's still a lot to do, bunches of things will no doubt go wrong, you know it's going to happen.

That's the stage of WhimW'Him now. 
Tonight is dress rehearsal, before a bit of an audience.
Coming down to the wire, and excitement is in the air!