– 3/26 to 3/30/2006
We got to Aspen after a five hour bus ride, (we flew into Denver’s airport). When we got to our hotel, which was located in Snowmass Village, about 5 miles from “downtown” Aspen, we had to have a police car come to escort us in… apparently they don’t allow any buses into the village without a police escort and a reason why. I guess it has something to do with security/foreign tour buses.
Snowmass Village is a pretty amazing little place. It consists of condos, hotels, houses and a retail/food complex that’s outdoors and multileveled and put together so it feels like a close little town rather than a really ingeniously constructed money-spending-pit. Everything in Aspen is expensive, which is why it’s a miracle I got away with spending very little money there. This was thanks in very large part to Jacques buying us food occasionally, the free hotel breakfast and the free meals we got before the shows.
The theater we performed in was the smallest house to date: it seated only about 500 people. We almost sold out both shows, and at first I was sad that so few people came out to see us, but then someone pointed out that Aspen has very, very few permanent residents, so in reality, we probably drew out a huge percentage of the local population, and that that was pretty great.
The theater was the home theater to the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, and the same presenter, Jean-Phillipe, who brought us to Aspen is also the presenter who would bring us to our next city, Santa Fe. This was great news to all of us, because it also meant that the Aspen house manager, Steve, and one of the crew guys, Luke (who is also a dancer for the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet,) were going to come to Santa Fe too. They are truly fun, awesome people to work with, so this made me happy.
Another thing that we found out would come with us to Santa Fe from Aspen: the elevation and consequential inability to breathe well. Apparently, I am a moron, because I had no idea that Santa Fe was about 7,000 ft. Aspen was at about 8,500 at the theater (I was told,) and I definitely needed the oxygen tanks they provided us on the side of the stage there to get through the show. One of the shows in Aspen I missed a jump I have to do to catch a bar on the side of Traj to enter onto it… I always, always stress about that jump because it is the highest jump ever for me, but I’ve never missed it (before Aspen) in a show. I’ve decided to blame the elevation. Just so you all know.
Other things about Aspen: they charge WAY TOO EFFING much for the internet. $30. Nope. I spent money I shouldn’t have on a really nice pair of sunglasses that I didn’t need. It’s all Leo’s fault. He had to go into this designer sunglass boutique and buy a pair of Prada sunglasses. Then he takes me in to meet the nice lady who runs the store. On subsequent days, I went in to visit the pair of glasses I liked before I ended up caving and just buying them. I got to meet the owner’s daughter too, who ended up coming to our show. Over the time we were in Aspen, Jacques bought three pairs of sunglasses there, and Leo, Crystal, David, Benji and myself all bought glasses from her. It was kind of ridiculous. But fun.
There’s a bar called Zeke’s in the Snowmass Village complex, and we went there a couple of nights in a row. On the first night, some of the girls (myself not included) somehow wound up getting into a foozball (another word I have no idea how to spell) face-off with Jacques, David and Ed. Beer and Liquor was bet, and the challenge spilled over into following days with a promise of double or nothing for the girls to win back their pride. When the story was retold the day after the initial games, Steve, in his infinite glory, out of nowhere, produced a foozball table backstage at the theater. All any of us did while we were at the theater (in between the tech of traj and the show, during load out, etc.) after that point was play foozball.
The night of our last show, we all went back to Zeke’s, and Jacques bought us all dinner. Some of us stayed, and enjoyed Tequila shots, and, I kid you not, five or so hours of foozball. I pretty much suck, but I am getting better. I guess I just don’t have the power in my wrists that the guys do. And, we’re not allowed to spin the players. Screw that. If we could, I would be a foozball god. So there.
We were at the bar that night until about three, and then we had to go home and pack, and then be back up to catch the bus to go back to denver to fly out at 5:15 in the morning. Needless to say, I slept on the bus that whole ride.
The dressing rooms we had in Aspen were actually classrooms. The girls dressing room was a children’s music classroom. It was a semi-creepy environment, with plenty of play things to have fun with: cowbells, scarves, bamboo sticks. I bring this up, lest ye all think we’re spoiled all the time. Sure, we got to stay in a crazy nice Aspen resort town, but our dressing rooms were in primary colors and learn-’em rhymes.
Also, about Aspen: the snow. When we first got there, it was obvious that it hadn’t snowed freshly in quite some time, and, while I am the world’s biggest snow loving freak, the sight of sad, old dirty snow piles made me depressed instead of warm and happy. This was confusing for me, since almost always the sight of snow makes me want to burst out in musical songs. This snow was great, it was, after all, snow… but there was something missing. This link didn’t come until a blizzard visited us on our next-to-last day, and coated the whole world in much, much white. All of the sudden there it was: I was missing the snow on the trees and the crystalline sheen of new snow. So now I know, I am a new-snow snob.
The new-snow afforded Garrett and I not only a two day straight giggle fest, but also the rare opportunity to ambush the company with snowballs. After the last show, we took a break from FoozFest 2006 and went outside to the top of the hill by the theater and made two piles of about 100 snowballs (as well as romped and played and made snow angels…) Then, when everyone was about to leave, we headed out early to took up our places behind our snow shields, and laid in wait. It was awesome. Johnny eventually charged the hill, and Jacques and David attacked us from behind after some keen strategizing, but it was all worth it. A special thank you to Jeribella, a child from the school whose mittens I borrowed from her cubby… without her, the snowballs could’ve never been made.
All in all, Aspen was pretty great. Being there actually made me want to learn how to ski. Interesting, since I’ve never had even an inkling to any other time in my life. Monica, Becca, Renee and I all walked around downtown Aspen one day too, just to see what it was like, and comparatively, I liked Snowmass better. So, there it is folks: go to Aspen to ski and do it Snowmass style. And only go if it’s actually snowing. Old snow sucks.