reporting to you live from Heathrow airport ((O;

After my last blog was lost in the vast universe of the internet (screw Blogger...thank you very much!!), it has taken some time for me to pluck up enough courage to trust in this programme again.
With the first third of the module drawing to an end, I must admit that I needed the time I have lately taken to get back on track and focused, as I was rather feeling, like I was standing at the wrong suitcase-returns belt at Heathrow airport...waiting for my assignment ideas to come out at belt 3a, whilst my suitcase of plausible ideas was going round in circles on belt 2a.....
That´s ok...some talks to Paula and people around me, have made me turn my head and run towards my suitcase with gaping arms ((O;
I have just gotten off the phone with Maja Langsdorff, a very respectable lady, who herself was a dancer and was abruptly forced to stop due to a road- accident. In 2005 she published a book called "Ballet- and then?" (in German) that is having quite an influence on my assignment.
Now in her 50s her transition lies many years behind and it is refreshing to be able to talk to someone who has safely landed in a "non dancer life"many years ago and has the calm and the virtue to openly discuss, the problems dancers face in many different ways.
I have also had some vital conversations with a friend and former colleague of mine, who has just stopped dancing due to a neck injury and his girlfriend, who is at times finding it hard to cope with the situation of her partner´s adjusting and search of a new life.
This has also made me realise, who I am really writing the artefact for. Not only do I want to cater for dancers (who tend to disclose information they have found), but also for their close friends and relatives, who want to support them in their transition process. I think I will find another form of audience in the public, that comes into the theatre. Recently we have had a fair amount of audience come watch rehearsals in the studio. One question I have always observed is, that people are actually interested, how long dancers can dance and what they do afterwards and how! I think if I create a comprehensive artefact in form of a booklet, I can get a dialogue going between the consumer and the producer of this art form.
In all my thoughts I have also re-avaluated the necessity and thus justice that needs to be given to dance. Dance in Germany is part of our cultural heritage. It is a heritage, that is frequently being cut and admonished, because people cannot be bothered to challenge themselves to try to understand, what a primal form of their communication could mean to them? Because people do not want to search for the aspects of their emotions, that can be touched by dance?
I think it is important for me to take this into consideration, as it demands a fair amount of tax money for dancers to be educated, theatres to be kept up and dancers to be supported in transition at the end of their career (my topic), as I am rooting for the upkeep and support of dance and its practitioners.

As far as other organisational things are concerned- as I wrote about in my last blog (the one that evaporated) I have been getting up at 7am in order to get some work done before heading out to work myself- mainly reading and thus don´t have to worry about that during the day or can relax a bit more in the evening.

Here´s an impression of how lovely those mornings can be!!...followed by an impression of my desk- work in progress, a quiet moment I found to read in the park between rehearsals and an excellent view of the place I work at...!

Last week however I needed to give way to irregular working hours due to the upcoming premiere, so I was forced to do less work towards the final assignment.

As for the social media issue- I have been in touch with Katharina over Facebook. Right now we are looking for a way to meet each other, as we don´t live to far away from each other in order to liven things up a little. I am also noticing, that I am not cut- out for long term long distance study, as I need people around me, that I can have an active exchange with in order to enhance my learning process.
Although I´ve only been commenting on the odd blog I must at this point say, that I am always really inspired by Adesola´s blog entries. Not only do they challenge me to go that extra bit, but they also talk about dance from a metaphysical point of view, which is something I find very appealing.
In her last entry she comments on blogging as a form of communication- not only with the people on the BAPP programme, but also with the rest of the world! And it is true- especially now, as I am inviting people to interviews I quite frequently refer them to my blog, so they can get a quick idea on what I am thinking about.

So just to briefly review my learning experience on this module so far- I started off extremely motivated and charged right in. As I started thinking more and more about my assignment I got caught up with the "centipede problem"- by thinking too much about which leg to put forward first I could no longer decide, which one of the 100 to use first and was therefore stuck. Taking a deep breath and a short pause has provided me with the ability to see the right suitcase and I am now fully immersed in my assignment topic.

What more is there to say right now?? I hope no one is too cold out there...good journey y´all!! ((O;
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