Learning ballets is always fun, but there’s something special about learning choreography that no one has done before. Knowing that what you are doing is entirely new and that you will be the first to show it to the world is a little exhilarating. Of course, it also comes with its own challenges. One of these challenges is that you can never really tell what’s in store for you when you walk into rehearsal and thus have to be prepared for anything.

One of the ballets that we are working on for the spring is Firebird, which is based on an old Russian folktale. The original choreography is “really boring,” according to our director, so he decided to come up with his own. The story traditionally contains evil monsters, which is the part that I have been learning for the past three weeks. However, when the rest of the monsters and I walked into rehearsal the other night, we were in for a surprise.

“Alright,” our director said. “Learn these steps. We’re changing everything. You are not Monsters anymore- you’re Shadows.”

Having to go back and change choreography is something that happens more frequently than one may think. Since our director is often very experimental in his movements, we usually have to try several different things before something sticks. Even then, he occasionally becomes dissatisfied and wants to adjust something. However, given the amount of choreography we have set, it’s a little shocking that we’re changing as much as we are. However, the show isn’t until May, so at least we have plenty of time to learn it.