Traditionally, I don't go to watch dance.

A mix of longing and unavoidable regret laces every performance I witness as a reminder of my disability.

You always want something you can never have.

Right?

Last night was the exception. Escorted by my friend Parul, her girlfriend, Melissa and her roommate David, I bravely walked into the Distillery District's Young Centre for the Performing Arts.

The chosen performance? Double Dora Award winning Susie Burpee's first full-length evening of dance The Spinster's Almanac.

Once the show began, I settled into my front row seat and allowed myself to get sucked into the world of the Spinster. One defined by themes of loneliness, abandonment, joy, reflection, regret and passion.

The moment the first tear rolled down my cheek I was in love.

A woman so consumed by the parameters of her life, she begins to embody the characteristics of those items she cherishes and subsequently developes a ritualistic attachment to. The Spinsters eccentricities makes her both relateable and an imaginative caricature in this tragi-comic retelling of loneliness and survival.

Ever intriguing is Burpee's ability to spin the tale of the Spinster deftly with gentle actions universal to the aged while contrasting said movements with moments of violent torment and reprises of joy.

Yes, I can say without a doubt, the performance haunts me.

Burpee's mastery of movement is great and while it is obvious that Spinster's Almanac is a labour of love, I feel that it is but the tip of the iceberg and even greater full-length performances are left to come from the depths of her creative spirit.

While I should bring this post to a close, a word of praise is to be said for the original song cycle composed by Christine Fellows. Without it, the Spinter's tale would have only been seen in black and white and not colour.

Following uproarious applause a reception next door took place with the usual assortment of cheese, crackers and smoked salmon canapes. But, I gorged on strawberries dipped in sourcream then rolled in brown sugar, bite size caprese salad on skewers and brie (or swiss) cheese layered onto wafer thin oatmeal raisin cookies.

Of course, I have to mention the food!

So what's my verdict on The Spinster's Almanac for the ticket price $18-$22 you really can't go wrong. The show is entertaining and would most definitely be appreciated by the rare, the occasional and the seasoned art lover.

Trust TheCake, when have I ever led you astray?

I cried kids.
I cried.

You can get tickets through TOTix (You know the half price ticket booth at Yonge/Dundas Square)