Copied from a letter, In August, 2004. -Ed.

So, all you lucky-ducks in Victoria, dancing around in your above Zero climate; How are the flowers doing? (Grumble!) For those of you who are realy confused right now, I'd better introduce myself: Hello, I'm Matthew Sly, I used to be a student here (there) at the studio, but now I'm not (Obviously!) Indeed, at this moment, 9:04 AM. Thursday, March 13, I am waiting in Jean-Talon Metro Station in Montreal, on my way to my Ballet classes at Ecole Superior de Danse du Quebec. (And writing very Messily!) That is who I am, for more information on the matter, refer to the students who were dancing at the studio in the years of "The scarlet Pimpernell","Wind in the Willows","Puss in Boots","Where is Alice?" (umm...) "Snow White", (Uhhh...) and every year (except the year of "The Jungle Book",) up to this one... Does that make any sence?

Now then, I'm at the school, and I don't know what to write. Oh yes. This Winter. That was unfair. I came here, all ready for a cold, snowy, Quebec winter. I got frost and slush. YOU ALL, back in Victoria, in Contrast, had a most singular adventure with your 6 Feet of snow. You guys got to be snowed in. We barely even got Icey sidewalks untill January, and even now, we've never had more than 2 and a half feet of snow on the ground. So you guys had your white Christmass, Your adventure in the snow, and now you're in the middle of spring while I'm here in the middle of a frozen city covered with 1 foot of dirty, grey, trampled snow. What ill luck I seem to have.

I hope that all the Kyra Peoples are Having lots of fun working on... whatever it is you're working on. It should be very interesting for me to be in the audience for once. The nearest I've come to Watching one of K's productions is... almost only being an understudy in Snow White. Almost. But then * Studd Muffin * was born. (tee hee.)

Well, I hope that you're all having fun there at the studio. Are you all enjoying floor Barre? (what is he suggesting?? that floor Barre is enjoyable?? What has happened there? Brain washing?)
YES!
I LOVE FLOOR BARRE. BURNING MUSCLES ARE GOOD. SIT-UPS ARE MY FRIEND. I'M GOING TO THROW UP. (in a good way.) GRAND ROND DE JAMBS AT 90 DEGREES ARE ENJOYABLE. LETS ALL DO SOME FOOT EXERCISES!
HA   HA   HA   HA HA!   HAHA HA! AAAAAHH!

I feel Much Better now, don't you? :)
There's lots of dancing here, (Big Surprise!) and lots of people with buns in their hair. There are also lots of point shoes that seem to migrate after the people with buns on their heads.
Q. why am I writting about this? A: I'm Not... (Anymore.)

Are there lots of bloody Toes at the studio? Lots of Toe-Tape, A lot of feet getting flushed down Toilets? (Smirk!) Oooh! How is the Ballet History going? (went?) Have all sorts of interesting things been learned? Like... ummm... Uhhhhhh...Hmmmmm... Let's see... Oh! About how legwarmers were first created from cut-off sweater sleeves by a Russian ballerena who was trying to sweat off weight she put on durring her time off? that's a usefull bit of Ballet history, don't you think so?

What are you doing in Variations class? ... (is there a variations class?) I have learned Pas de 4 from Remonda, Blue Bird, Floristan and Adage de la Rose from Sleeping Beauty, and the solo from Les Sylphedes. Also, in our Classical Pas de 2 classes, we've started learning the Grand Pas de Deux of Sleeping Beauty, (Aurora's wedding.) And do you know how hard it is to write while you're on a bus? I'm learning! (Right Now.)

I'm in a metro station again. Is that worth saying? Were (are) either of these questions worth asking? (Or answering?) Answer:       (none.) :)
I had a neeto time in contact Pas de 2 today (for those of you who know what that is.) We were supposed to be cleaning up some choreography with our partner, but mine was off in rehearsals, with two other people's partners. So us three left behind got to see what we could come up with in about an hour.

The other interesting thing which happened today is that I found out that I'd be the understudy OR Second Cast for a 3 person modern piece in the end-of-the-year show. Neet-Oh!

*The "Last Page"   {Read this side first.}
going home on Wen. March 19.

"r" red chips   "n" total chips = # of people   Probability of any 1 person drawing a red chip = r/n. Prove it!

I'm sorry about this funny heading, but I grabbed the first piece of paper I saw this morning & it happened to be one with the declerations of the variables to a statistics problem I was arguing with a McGill Proff. I mannaged to prove that the first 5 people who draw a random chip out of the bag will have a (r/n) chance of drawing a red chip, but I haven't been able to prove that everyone would have that chance. (Enough of that topic?)

I don't know what to write now, so I'll just ramble on untill some inspirational Power has pitty on you and gives me something to write about. So, durring my hour break today, I went and bought some cheese, some marbled chedder, and some plain orange chedder, and 5 x 175g Yoghurt cups, (Vanilla); and some Italian Pepperoni on special for 7.00/kg. While eating one of the Yoghurts, I came up with the Proverb "Life is like a Cup of Yoghurt; Unless you stir it up, it's realy bland most of the way through." Realy deep, huh? Well, you get a break now, because I'm almost home, and I have to make dinner, and tomorrow's sandwiches, (with the marbled cheese,) so I won't be writing more tonight. Anyways, I get a break from writting this pointless Drivle, so it's only fair to allow you to take a 12 hour + break from reading it! Good Night. Wait!
I missed my bus stop because I was writting that last sentence & now I'm walking back 3 blocks. So, as it's sort of your fault that I missid it, I figgured that I'd share my misery with you. Aren't I thoughtfull? O.K. I'm on my block now, so I'll let you go. Good Night!

Good Morning! I slept well and read Discovery Magazine this morning while eating my oatmeal. Unfortunately, I don't know of anything interesting I could say yet. Hmmm...
Well, Yesterday we tried on the costumes for Rose Adage, well, I think that they were actually costumes from many ballets, and we settled on 4 from Gisselle. I'm not sure. But the first one I tried on was one that looked like it was fresh out of the wardrobe of Louis the XIV. It was Hillarius. And when I took the classic sort of pose on quarter point with my leg half way between second & Arabesque and my arms in that limp a la second, It was all just too real!

You may now turn over the page. You are instructed to read the writting on the other side, the "Wrong Side."

*** The Wrong Side of the Last Page.
Look at the other side until instructed to do othewise!
March 20 ?

Now I'm in Coté de Neiges Metro station. I still don't know what to write about. We learned more of the Grand Pas de Deux in class on Tue. & Wen. It Looks sort of hard, for the girls to do the section... after the 2nd "kissy" Panché; It's realy fast and it's panché 1, fwetté 2, Glissade 3, 3 times and then a tripple Pirrowette. Then you repeat all that. I think that I'd get a little dizzy. Oh well, I don't have to do it! All I do is hold her, turn her, Glissade, x3 and then keep her from falling over in the Pirrowette. Easy! The section after that is realy fast too. And I actually get to do a double lame-duck turn, extend front & into a lunge. (arms 3rd it turn.)

Now then, what else can I say that involves the studio or it's surroundings. I know! Look Up! I helped staple that piece of cealing!! Isn't that neat? They used to have these brown floors here, ask Zoë or Heather or Judith about them. And everyone used Rosin. But now we have grey Dance floors just like the one you're standing on. The only difference is, instead of being connected with Gaffer tape, (Which Lisa taught me how to use,) they're glued together! so there's just a tiney little seam between them. I don't know what they're going to do if they need to pick it up.     Ummm... the studio? ... Yes. Did you have a christmass tree this year? Oh!! How did Tesser-Baggy-Boo do in the show? Did she captivate the audience? Did she steal the show?     Ummm... Myself? ... I Know! You can all stop asking my family how I'm doing, and ASK ME!! I never get Mail. All I've got is 1 Wierd little parcel through the mail. No Letters. (Except for things from my family, but they don't count; they're obliged to write me.) The only bit of mail I got (other than that Parcel & Family Mail) is a postcard which Dean wrote... In the summer, to Heather and I. So there! Now I'm 3 pages ahead of all of you! (Neener Neener) Hee Hee. I guess that before, I didn't write to you, so you had some Right to not Write me. But now you dan't. Ha Ha! So get out those pens and Pencils Kiddoes. We're none of us getting any younger, (except Kristine!) (Hee hee hee hee Haaah.)
Keep dancing (And therefor hurting & stretching & more hurting.) I know that's what I'll be doing!

Bye! Bye! Matthew Sly { *Stud Muffin* Bernie G. }