Just can’t seem to “Let it Go”
Julia Wiegand
“Breathe in while you lift your arms up. And in…and out…in…out…”
I think everything you end up warming up for has similar exercises and techniques, like sports and singing. Prepare your breathing. Warm up your voice. Stretch, stretch, stretch!
It’s 8:15AM at Stewart Hall and I’m spending my Saturday morning as Belle. Children’s Theatre gave me the opportunity to preach my nine lines to seven year olds and wear more disgusting amounts of yellow than I’d wear in two lifetimes. Ana and Elsa are pledging the Disney princess sorority…probably the only Greek life I’d ever be a part of. Hey, at least I don’t have to wear a wig.
“Now, slowly reach down and touch your toes. Feel the stretch in your lower back. Just hang your arms there.”
This is my favorite.
“Slowly roll up. Feel the stretch in each of your vertebrae.”
I tune out my professor’s voice easily now-a-days. Not being a lead character has been a blessing in disguise so far. I continue to carry out morning conversation with the two casts (the other play being based on A Christmas Story) gathered around me.
“How was your night last night?”
“Did you see the cupcakes in there?”
“What’re you doing after this?”
“Now,” as the professor’s voice starts to stand out again, “take your right leg and lunge to the side. You should feel it in your hamstrings.”
Duh. I start to think about how the rest of my night’s going to go. I’ve never been to a date party before. Calendar themed…I think that’s what it’s called. I’ll probably wear my cobalt blue dress with the slits on the side. Yeah…and my red heels. Sounds enough like 4th of July to me.
“Take it to the other side now and really feel the stretch.”
Since my hair’s already down for the play, I’ll just take out this weird sock bun. I hate how this half-up-half-down style looks on me. At least I have this huge crown. Wait…does Belle even wear a crown? I swear if this thing slides off my head again—
*POP*
I freeze. Woah…was that my knee? I can’t move…my knee’s locked. I look around. Nobody else heard that? I take a deep breath and quickly snap my knee back in the opposite direction with a suddle motion.
*POP*
I slowly straighten my leg out to stand up straight.
“Alright, alright. Now everybody start some jumping jacks to wake up!”
You’ve got to be kidding me. At this point I can’t bend my knee. At all. I played three sports all throughout my life and go to the gym regularly…HOW did I just dislocate my kneecap? I slip my six-inch sparkling gold heels on, proceed to walk out on stage and turn my body around to face the hundreds of little eyes patiently waiting on Belle to speak.
I made it through the whole play and the meet-and-greets afterwards in those heels. A little while after I was able to take them off, my knee was bent into a balloon. I went to that date party in a knee brace, and currently still wear a knee brace that was given to me by Geisinger to work out and play sports. Moral of the story…take warmups seriously, things happen when you least expect them to. Even during Children’s Theatre.