Keanu Joos.

There is something about sleeping in hotels that always gives me strange dreams. Even when my brain is fatigued (or perhaps because of that) I am able to create the most bizarre events imaginable when I lay my head down on the pillow. Bits of choreography will fly by at times, music from whatever ballet I am doing, events from my past, or complete random creations all inhabit my thinking as I’m sleeping.

Over the past month on tour I have had relatively fewer dreams than usual and when I do dream I tend to forget them. Waking up the other morning to a knock on my door interrupted what was one of my most bizarre dreams ever but even the little bit I experienced was too foolish not to write about.

It all began with me roaming the halls of some unknown theater filled with the familiar faces of ABT. Going about my normal routine, signing in, checking the casting and the schedule, etc., I was approached by Victor Barbee (associate director.) He quickly grabbed me and told me that I was needed that night to perform the role of “Death” in the Green Table. Aside from this being a part that I knew I had never learned, I agreed and thought I would be able to pull it off because I have watched it so many times how could I not? The moments progressed and suddenly I was begging people for help remembering all of the individual parts that death has to do. Before I knew it I was standing on the stage and the curtain was about to rise. Fortunately, David was standing in the wings prepared to mark the ballet for me as a sort of guide. Darkness overwhelmed me as the opening chords of Death’s solo rang in my ears and the lights came up to me having no clue what I was doing. On top of that, I wasn’t myself but instead was Keanu Reeves playing Death. Oddly enough with his dead(pan) acting “skill” perhaps this would be a suitable role for him but dancing was not his strong suit in my dream. Fumbling about the stage, I (Keanu) improvised my way through a rolly-polly version of the solo while the rest of the cast stood in the wings attempting to get me back on track. The audience slowly became restless and started shouting things at the stage. Chief among those voices was (for some reason) Evan Rachel Wood (star of the film “Thirteen”) harassing me from the audience. Knock, knock, knock at my door and my eyes opened to a world that was a much calmer place than the frantic stage of my dreams.

Part rock concert, part classical ballet, all chaos, what did this world mean? Any dream detectives out there?

(This....)

(+this=MASTERPIECE.)

Comments

[May]

You really made me laugh so hard… Keanu! While I was reading your blog, I have already imagined Keanu dancing Death. It does not matter what kind of roles he plays in the movie, he is always stiff and little awkward (still cute). I think that your subconscious impression about him showed up perfectly in your dream. Hope you can rest.

[tonya]

I think everyone has a version of this dream that relates to their own life. Mine is that I'm taking a final exam in a class that I completely forgot to attend all semester long. I guess I'm never a famous person, but sometimes I'm not myself. This is funny to me though, cuz it's the dancer version!! I think it has to do with our anxieties about something we fear that is maybe career-related... maybe it's another version of the naked in public dream too... weird though that you turn into someone else!

Also, I think you always have dreams because that's part of REM sleep; if you didn't pass through that stage of sleep each night you wouldn't be able to function at all during the day. Sometimes though you go through periods where you remember more of them. But Chimene would probably know more about that than me... Anyway, thanks for sharing your dreams!

[Larry]

Tonya is right; everyone dreams, but not everyone remembers their dreams at all times. A dream is the mind's way of dealing with whatever is most important to it that day. And dreams don't always express what concerns the psyche literally; they may be symbolic dramas in which one thing represents another. Well, what could be happening that could be important to you lately? you're playing a substantial dancing/acting role for the first time, with relatively little preparation - not playing Death, but Mercutio (whose death scene is the key part of his role); not at ABT, but Boca Raton - and you're understandably concerned about your acting abilities as well as how the dancing will come out. Will you be successful or will it be the "death" of you to go on stage if your dancing/acting abilities aren't any stronger than Keanu Reeves's? (I'm sure you were fine.)

[Chi girl in Chi town....]

Hey,

I seriously love Keanu Reeves. Am I the only one who sees the beauty of his work; for the record, I loved "The Lake House and "Somethings Gotta Give". In fact, the only movies I haven't liked of his are the "Bill & Ted" series. But it is okay, I blame your ignorance on youth so I forgive you.

Back to the dream. I think it means you have some unconscious fear about either the current role you are dancing or choreography you are planning. You should ask yourself, why if any, you are having doubts about your abilities to succeed in those areas.

[tonya]

I like Keanu too. I honestly thought he was great in River's Edge -- but I am probably the only one who saw that. He was also very good in a movie a couple of years ago; can't think of what it was called but it was a small indie film and he played a psychiatrist and he rode a bike in a race at one point -- does anyone know what I am talking about? I also liked him in Speed.

[tonya]

Thumbsucker. Crispin Glover was also good in River's Edge ... I'm gonna have to rent that movie again...