I actually started having homework that I had to keep up with for at least the first week. I got cabin fever because of all the snow and went a little crazy. Okay, a lot crazy. I was off living in a colony of gnomes, until they realized I am too big to be part of their clan. I was temporarily frozen solid in the dance studio. I thought that because I wasn't leaving the villa I didn't have much to say. Boy, was I wrong. I have been eating life changing pasta and gelato non stop for the past week, and couldn't stop eating long enough to get on my computer.
So, here is what you have missed: I have fallen in love. His name is Giorgio Rossi and he's part dance teacher part alien. This is a special kind of love because I think his brain is so far away on another planet that I'm not sure that 21 hours together were enough to remind him I exist. Still, his multi-colored pants and tendency to start every class by having us massage each other and roll around on the floor get me every time. The weird Italian analogies that often end in his own confusion don't hurt either. After three 3 1/2 classes with him last week I thought I was burnt out. I thought I could only watch his Joe Demaggio impression so many times. That was the lack of fresh air talking. After a lovely weekend of wandering around in the cold under, I kid you not, 5 layers, I was refreshed and ready to start again.
Giorgio focuses entirely on natural, organic movement. This concept has become foreign for the class of trained dancers, so we actually had to re-learn how to hold our posture, stand and sit, and just love our natural tendencies. He constantly tells us to stop thinking, do less, and throw our brains in the garden. His motto is "don't do the movement. let it happen." It took me a solid 21 hours of class to understand what the words mean. Now hopefully I can actually find the ideas in my body.
Giorgio's exercises are all flowy, with an emphasis on continual, sustained movement. Under his tutelage we learned to give into gravity, moving our bones, not our muscles. One class, we spent about 20 minutes running around pretending to shoot arrows at each other (sound effects and all) so that we could learn to focus our gaze and body. My favorite activity was when we had to roll along the wall, giving the weight of different body parts to the immovable surface. Watching everyone turn and crawl at their own time and in their own style was stunning. Today, before leaving us for a whole month, he reminded us that each of us is the center of the world. And with that, I was ready for the rest of my day.
The snow and resulting Italian confusion cancelled a lot of our classes last week. That just meant more time with Ash. We learned more Tarantella and Tarantismo, though my back was sore after her first class that I wasn't at my best. I must say, her energy astounds me. Through all our pain, she got us up and jumping for hours and I loved every minute of it. We worked on movement, improvisation, choreography, and performance throughout the week. She taught us more traditional phrases, which we pieced together for two amazing combinations. Also, after she taught us her movement that was inspired by images and stories, we came up with our own phrases based on our personal experiences. She left us with an assignment to choreograph to an assigned piece of music, which we will continue very soon. Working with her taught me about confident, powerful movement and showing the resulting emotions in my body and face. I certainly have a lot left to learn, but it was a nice first taste. And about all my body could handle for the week.
We are finally back in ballet, now that the buses are running again, and we start modern again tomorrow. It is nice that while we are exposed to new ideas and forms we can maintain our training in familiar, more traditional dance styles.
Also, I think I had life changing pasta this past weekend. I know this is a big claim to make, so I'm holding off on reviewing the restaurant until after I return. Don't worry, I will be back there soon. I also saw the famous crucifix of Arezzo. In the church San Domenico is a crucifix by Cimabue, who was one fo the first Italian artists to move away from the Italian-Byzantine style in the 13th century. Oh, and I started learning some break dancing. Apparently I have to bounce on my head enough that I dull the nerves before I can be really good. And Gnoam found a friend:
I guess being stranded in Arezzo isn't so bad.
No comments:
Post a Comment