Yow Dance Gala

The third annual Yow Dance Gala was held at Tim’s Wine Market (1223 North Orange Avenue on Lake Ivanhoe). I agreed to donate a print for the silent auction so I had to get to the event early to drop it off. After dropping off the print, Terry and I went to Ethos which is a vegan restaurant. I had never been here before so I was excited to try it out.I ordered Brochette which had tomato’s and I am assuming tofu in place of cheese. It was delicious. Terry was adventurous and got a vegan burger which must have been made from a compressed been mixture. I tried a taste and it was also great. When we returned to Tim’s, the place was packed. I got a taste of white wine and wandered around. Tyler Reed who greeted us at the door made me feel like a million bucks since she follows the blog and is a fan.
Erik Yow then invited guests across the street to watch a dance performance . David Mooney explained to me that cement floors are not conducive to the classic dances that the company performs. It was decided therefore to dance in the grass at Lake Ivanhoe . The crowd gathered in a line in the grass and I immediately started sketching . Eric then encouraged everyone to push forward which meant I had to moue as well since I was sketching the audience. As the sun set behind them over the lake, the dance began. There is something lyrical and poetic seeing them perform in such a beautiful setting. A family that I had noticed eating at Ethos wandered over to see the performance. As guests wandered back to the Wine Market, I told the family about the Gala and dance company. I then sat alone for a half hour or s0 adding color t0 my sketch and enjoying the sunset. The clouds lit up a bright orange and the sky faded to violet. I watched the street light flicker on and added these warm tones to the sketch. For me the poetry of the dance lingered as the night crept in. I returned to Tim’s Wine Market and viewing it from across the street , the large bay windows were filled with the warmth of the crowd bathed in orange light get against the darkened street. Instead of sketching, I went inside.