Day Five: Final performance

Partner Candace Bouchard and I at the end of RUSH after our final performance at the Kennedy Center.

After a day of tourism and rest, I was eager to get back in the theater for our final show. From Steven's blog, you saw Studio 4 in which all three companies partook in class. It was a blast to have all that energy in the studio, the energy of new dancers and new teachers. This morning Joffrey Artistic Director Ashley Wheater taught class. It was great to have all three bosses teach a class each performing day this week. It was nice to see the similarities in the way they teach, as they were all at one point dancers in the San Francisco Ballet.

After class we had our final performance at the Kennedy Center (for now). It was a great run, and with a few tempo changes from the orchestra, it was great to be back out there on the opera house stage. This was a special performance for Candace and I, as it was our last performance with OBT as members of the corps de ballet. We've both been promoted to soloist for the next season. So it was great to share that on the stage of the Kennedy Center.



These are some t-shirts that each company received.

After the show I had a celebratory dinner with my parents and a few DC-area friends. And post-dinner we walked around the Jefferson Memorial, a sight we didn't get to see on our touristic voyage yesterday. It was really beautiful to see it lit up at night. A great final imprint on our fantastic tour to DC.


I'm counting down the day that we get to perform at the Center again. It was a great experience for all of us. I'm excited to come back to Portland and share that energy with the rest of the city. I felt such a sense of pride dancing here, and I hope our audience back home feels the same.

Thanks for being along for the journey. I'll be back tomorrow with some travel pics when we hop from the east coast back to the west. It will be a long day.