Katja and Francois

Katja is a gypsy at heart (albeit one with an unfortunate fear of flying), always looking for an excuse to pack her bags and set off somewhere. It thus didn’t take much convincing when Francois, her number one partner in crime, asked her to join him on his work trip to Las Vegas. While it wasn’t a place Katja had ever considered visiting, she’s not the type of girl to turn down the opportunity to discover somewhere new. And, while she prefers travel that requires the use of her passport, she figured that even though she wasn’t leaving the country, she was certainly headed to an alternate universe.

Not surprisingly, Katja found Vegas rather disturbing, and the slow moving masses stressed out her quick-paced New York self. Still, she had a fabulous time discovering the city in all its tacky glory. Unfortunately for Francois it was his fourth time in Vegas, so the novelty had long worn off. But then again, he hadn’t had the pleasure of Katja’s company (i.e. a drinking partner) on prior visits, so this trip was certainly an improvement.

Neither Katja nor Francois had any interest in gambling, so instead they wandered the strip, people watching and checking out the over the top décor at the many massive hotels. The Flamingo hotel’s flamingos (among the few real things in the city) were the highlight for Katja,

although she did find the numerous faux sculptures at Caesar’s Palace

and the over the top everything at The Venetian to be most amusing. She had hoped Francois would take her for a romantic gondola ride at the latter, but no such luck. Apparently he didn’t want to give her the wrong idea with so many wedding chapels around.

He did, at least, whisk her away from the madness and riffraff (they’re a bit snobby about the company they keep), by taking her to the Mandarin Oriental’s bar for some rather tasty cocktails and a great view of the city. It wasn’t all sophistication, however, and Katja and Francois admit to having spent the previous evening wandering the strip, jumbo frozen margaritas (with an extra shot – how could they refuse?) in hand. Thankfully the Bellagio has a nice gym, so they were able to work off some of those cocktail calories, as they certainly had no desire to come back to New York Vegas-sized.

The two continued the festivities and cocktail drinking upon their return, with Francois throwing a fabulous tropical themed fete to celebrate his birthday. As usual, there was dancing, drinking and merriment until the early hours. Kata would like to say that one day she’ll realize that late nights and liquid dinners aren’t the wisest of decisions, but at this point she’s come to terms with the fact that she probably never will.

Katja

Katja is a passionate creature, known for throwing herself 110% into things. Some might call her obsessive, maybe even crazy. She prefers to think of herself as dedicated. That said, she readily admits to being a little crazy, which makes her new(ish) city of residence, New York, a perfect fit for her.

It’s Katja’s latest obsession, ballet, that is largely to blame for her recent silence. Although Katja has always been a fan of dance and a regular performance-goer, it was during her last few years in DC that she found her free time largely taken over by all things dance (well, mostly late nights out with her Washington Ballet friends). So, upon moving to New York, Katja decided to check out New York’s substantial adult ballet scene. She had grown rather bored of her seemingly endless daily cardio sessions, and figured that if she enjoyed the company of dancers maybe she should give ballet a try herself.

Katja thus found her way to the Joffrey Ballet School and braved her first ballet class. She was relieved to find that she was far from the oldest (or most awkward) student. And despite the fact that she had no idea what she was doing, she loved it, and made her way back to the studio the following week. It wasn’t long before she was hooked, and soon she was spending much of her time at Ballet Arts, BAE and the Joffrey, trying to figure out how to squeeze in a few hours of work between classes (it’s all about priorities…).

Of course Katja should have known that any activity where she gets to sweat while wearing skirts and tights, her two wardrobe staples, would be ideal for her. That said, it’s legwarmers with which she’s developed an obsession, and she’s amassed quite a collection…she likes to think of herself as the reigning adult beginner ballet fashionista. Katja knows she may never be the most graceful of dancers, but she loves her classes and looks forward to them each day (always hoping there'll be more jumping than turning). She’s also met a lot of great people, along with some rather crazy and bizarre characters, even by New York standards. But then those do make for the best stories…

P. S. Lest you think she’s become too focused on ballet and turned rather dull, Katja assures you she’s still her old party-girl self. Although she works consistently to improve her technique, and certainly has no desire to bulge out of her leotard, she knows a life without treats is not a life well lived. So when she’s not working hard, hoping one day she’ll actually manage a decent pirouette (or proper chaine turns for that matter), she can be found sharing treats and/or drinks (usually too many) with her friends.