Saving Eliza

In 1967, I was a sophomore at a large suburban high school, North Syracuse. We had an annual musical production. This year it was ‘The King and I’ starring senior student, Richard Gere (true). I was cast as Angel George. It was my task to fly in and save Eliza from Wicked Simon of LaGree. Two strong guys held me up to make my entrance. Onstage, my duet was with Peggy (Eliza), who also choreographed the sequence. Peggy’s dance teacher came to see the show and offered me a scholarship. Great! My parents had dismissed dance lessons for me because my sister had dropped out and they assumed my interest would be similarly short lived – a lost investment. This new opportunity expanded doors that were opening.

Backtracking, I already had convinced my parents at age 13 to allow me to study bagpipes. The caveat there was learning Highland Dancing as well. Of course, anything. Highland Dancing is close to polar opposite of Modern Dance. In the former, one never sets their heels down, hopping vertically. With Modern, you have a larger, more expansive range.

Speeding through the story, I went to the U.of Iowa because of their all female pipe band, I was enlisted as soloist. The band toured – first European trip! Transferred back to SUNY when I decided to major in Dance, which is where I received my B.A. in Dance. Later, grad work at the U. Of Paris, but that gets into the French connection.