Curtain Call: 2005-2006 – The First Season

This week marks the end of my run here at Society for the Performing Arts. For many of you, working at SPA has been major part of my life. In fact, most of my current circle of friends have not known me outside this organization. I will be revisiting each of my five seasons here at SPA, and will close Friday with my thoughts on the SPA, and how it has become an integral part of my life.
My first performance as an employee of Society for the Performing Arts was the Merce Cunningham Dance Company on Friday, October 21. I must admit, I did not like it at all. I went so far as to think, “What have I gotten myself into?!” While I now have a more discerning taste for dance, I wasn’t very impressed with that particular performance. No, my tastes for dance yearns for a perfect mixture of dance and music. I love to see the body in movement to good music. When a choreographer drifts into the esoteric, like Merce, I quickly lose interest. A rather morbid thought came to me as I was putting my thoughts together for this series of posts. It is rather ironic Merce Cunningham passed away in the summer before what has become my last season with SPA. Funny how things work out that way.
My first interaction with an artist came a month later when I had the fortunate opportunity to meet the sisters (from L to R: Maria, Lucia and Angella) of the Ahn Trio. While I got the opportunity to interact with many of the artists throughout my time here at SPA, the Ahn Trio was definitely the most delightful. I spent most of my time with them talking with Angella, though Maria was definitely the firecracker of the group. We joked about me being their bodyguard during an event that was hosted by APAHA at Zake Lounge on Shepherd and West Alabama. This was also the first time  I got to meet an artist before seeing them perform. This, I came to find out, was a rare opportunity as most SPA artists are here today, gone tomorrow.
My Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater experience will be featuring in my post about the 2008-2009 Season, but it must be noted their performances during the ’05-’06 Season were my first experience with the electricity that comes with the anticipation of a great artist performing in Jones Hall. It’s those wonderful nights at Jones Hall that I will miss most from my time at SPA.

As will be the case with all of the Curtain Call posts, there is so much more I could regale you about this season. Like the time I ran to Sambuca to grab David Sedaris’ dinner while he finished up his autograph session following our final performance of the season. I have saved the brochures of all the seasons I have worked at Society for the Performing Arts. I look forward to flipping through them and these countless memories.