notes from a time traveller

Saturday morning- it´s sunny out- plenty of space in the library- let´s get cracking!
I must admit, that I am going through an interesting period of my life at the moment. There is a lot of thinking, reorganising, a lot of nostalgia. Maybe it´s the fact that spring has sprung, maybe it´s what lies ahead of me, but as always I stand there with my suitcase packed by my side to continue my journey through life.
I have always liked to produce slightly philosophical blog entries, also in the hope, that they are readable for a wider public as I frequently embed the link to my blog in various places. (Facebook, e-mails to friends...etc.)
As this blog is about looking back, before going forward- I would like to share this video with you- an all time classic, many of you will know it already- but to me it is always worth taking the 6 minutes out to watch this....it makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside... ((O;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJ7AzBIJoI

When I first started on BAPP, I remember being overwhelmed even by the thought of continuously using web 2.0 tools. Making an account with one of the largest internet companies was something that scared me- and is something I still regard with respect. Opening myself up to a wide, even unknown audience was something my brain could not grasp. Having even been on the verge of leaving Facebook (due to all the negative press about it at the time concerning personal data)- I took on the challenge- maybe much like a toddler being fed spinach, one small bite at the time and soon came to realise, that when playing the game of the internet you want to be very clear about what picture of your identity you want to leave out there. So I started inventing, who I am. What parts of my identity I want to expose. Sometimes to the bewilderment of people I know in "real" life...("Since when do you live there??") and probably exposing much more of myself than I want (I do however smile to myself, when I get dieting adds from Canada), but I am step by step starting to discover the chances and possibilities that lie out there, if only you respect the tiger that you are embracing.
Here´s my first ever blog entry...http://fionerettenberger.blogspot.de/2011/10/no-title-for-now.html
Of late I have come to think more and more about, what the internet and modern forms of communication, that Eric Schmidt so casually called "...the largest experiment in anarchy...", are doing to our brains and our sense of self. Are we becoming digitally illiterate? Are we forgetting more and more, because we can always have the internet at hand? Are we even becoming slaves in our dependency on the internet and our smartphones? Are the amounts of information we are unwillingly or not confronted by every day making us addled strangers to ourselves?

As I continue my journey I would like to share some of my thoughts on time. Time is probably the most valuable asset anyone can own- especially in modern times.
Working full time and also being quite ambitious about many things that interest me, has made time my favourite enemy. Especially regarding BAPP. I have not been able to produce the amount of work I would like to towards the programme lately, because we have been working on a premiere (long hours in the theatre) and went on a crazy tour to Spain (Northern Spain- in the snow- flights cancelled, luggage lost...´nuff said). However my mediations on time are bearing some fruit, that I can quite calmly plan the upcoming array of free days towards BAPP. I have started adding the value of time to my frequently updated BAPP "to do list" (i.e. "Write Blog- 1hr.", "read book XYZ- 1hr".....) and I have also left a small pocketwatch on my desk- not to observe time in a militant manner, but just as a subtle reminder to me, when I get lost reading something- or stuck on Facebook....(grr...).

So now as I am one hour over my intended time spent on pondering about the values of the internet and a short reflection on time, I bid you, dear reader, farewell and thank you for bearing with me this far!

analysing the analysis

The questions I have been surrounding myself with are concerning the issues of career transition and retirement of dancers in Germany.

The two most important aspects I am looking at are the historical background of transition and the present situation as it stands today.

The historical background goes back as far as August Bournonville in the 18^th century- as he has gone down in dance history as the first employer of dancers, who also took care of the social standing of dancers, especially at the end of their careers and if the education of a young dancer failed. I then leap forward a couple of years to give a short insight into the transition centres in the USA, Canada, the UK, the Netherlands and finally the IOTPD (International Organisation for the Transition of Professional Dancers), before closing with how it came to the founding and funding of a similar foundation in Germany. To have such a foundation in Germany sprung from a political inquiry and the work of many dedicated people in the dance scene- former dancers, choreographers and company directors alike. Basing all of the above knowledge on literature and web researches, this is where the first interviews come in- one with a long term manager of dance companies and another with the lady, who is now in charge of the transition centre in Germany, thus adding to the personal and human aspect.

In the second part I will focus on the present day situation- what does transition look like in Germany today? What is being done in dance education to evtl. facilitate a simpler retirement? Are dancers being helped in the theatre? What do dancers themselves think about the topic? And how well is the audience aware of the nature of the subject? Another question I have confronted myself with is the nature of funding and the justification of aid for dancers in a world, where dance tends to be the first thing to be cut.

In this part, my survey of dancers will play a role, but I would also like to illuminate the chances and dangers that lie within the end of a dancers´ career by looking at social factors and potential loss of human capital. Again most of my research is based on literature and web-content, but also on my own careful observations.

I hope this assignment will be beneficial not only to interested dancers and the transition centre in Germany itself, but also to the dance audience, theatres and the ministry of culture in Germany.

I am of course the one, who benefits most from this little excursion- I hope I can present my ideas without adding too much personal value and give justified advice based on my own experience as well as my researched findings.