DINAH: Finding Her in Other People

For my observations, I chose to observe Erin Boettcher. I chose her mainly because she has the same element of clumsiness I find in Dinah.

I am with Erin throughout most of the day. Although we only share Theatre class, I often ride the bus with her, hang with her during break and lunch, as well as after school. However the time I most actively observed her was after she performed her I.P. and was discussing with the audience. Although she wasn't outwardly clumsy in this moment, she had the feeling of awkwardness mixed with an inner grace that I really want to portray as Dinah having.

One thing I noticed about Erin is her long strides. This is because of her long legs, and while I do not have long legs myself, Dinah does. She takes long strides that are graceful in themselves, but once interrupted become sharp and clumsy. For example should Erin drop a piece of paper from her purse or something, she is able to quickly pull the breaks on her advance. However, the movements that follow are equally as jagged and awkward.

Another habit Erin has that I imagine Dinah having would be her constant fiddling with something in her hands. As a hairdresser, her hands are her only source of income. She does a lot of working with them and hence, when she's NOT working, she is constantly picking up something and messing with it while she talks. Whether it be a piece of paper, a pen, or even just some random thing she found on the flooor, Dinah experiences the constant need to keep her fingers occupied.

With this being said, Erin also tends to fidget. I don't see Dinah as much of a fidgetor, except if she gets excited, in which case she gets a case of the wiggles and does not stop moving. Her husband finds this just adorable, however it has a been a blessing and a curse for her all her life. When she is about to do something important and exciting, like graduate, Dinah is the girl fidgeting in her seat or messing with her hair.