PIROUETTES AND PETALS: If you've ever had to urge to leap about while standing on a pretty stretch of grass, or twirl before a bed of begonias, you, dear friend, are in very good company. Many garden strollers feel that swell of springtime freshness, of clear air and lemon sunlight, and the ultimate desire to not simply stroll but gambol, click their heels, or cartwheel. This is understandable: Beautiful sights can give anyone sudden energy and oomph, and finding where to put that energy and oomph isn't always an easy errand. Sniff the flowers harder? Fan your face more with your handfan? The choices are limited. It is so nice, though, that some in the flower community recognize, and embrace, the eternal connection between a gorgeous garden and the desire to leap, twirl, and dance, when one is happily overcome. The Russian River Rose Company of Healdsburg will celebrate the nature-energy connection with a weekend of in-the-garden performances by UPside Dance Company, a NorCal troupe that stages a host of innovative and lively performances and classes. That's right: You'll get to stand among roses -- many, many exquisite roses at the end-of-May height of beauty -- and watch some sublime artists pirouette and raise their arms and raise the general vibration. The cost to watch?
IT'S FREE... though dancer donations will be accepted (and, yes, "appreciated"). It's a performance debut and the title is apt: "Everything is Rosey." And the keyword truly is "romp," which is so very refreshing, as romps are few these days and oh-so-suitable to the alfresco setting. It's the "summer send-off" for the rose company, and there shall be specials on pretty buds and other on-site accouterments. Will you buy a few plants, take them home, put them outside your kitchen window, and then stage your own dance-sweet romp? Well, why not? No one ever said performances need a traditional stage. If you want in on some of this ye olde springtime merriment, make for the rose-a-riffic spot on Saturday, May 30 or Sunday, May 31.