Dance for the Earth

While in the french countryside for Easter break (near Clelles, in the Alps), I stumbled upon a "Danse Pour La Terre", in which villagers came together to be thankful on Earth Day.  

It starts off with a hushed chanting, which gets progressively more loud and complicated.

People shout out their thankfulness before joining the circle.  Cute!  

Sitting on the grass with beautiful mountains on all sides, children drawing with markers, flowers blooming, the air crisp...there is no better place to spend Earth Day.

I'm (STILL) in a show!

Here are a few more lovely pictures (some of which I am in!) from our Mime/Dance show at le Palais de le Porte Dorée.

Eunil Ko at the very beginning.  She is a real pro at mime sewing!

The girls, being Polish immigrants, and Eric being a captain.

Me, a gossipy Polish immigrant, waiting for her entrance.

My bottom half.  This is for a children's show on Sunday, at the end of which we gave all of the children invisible presents! Aha!

The Palais where all of this happened...not bad, eh?

I am in a show!

It is Springtime in Paris.  When you get out of Metro Porte Dorée, you see this.  Walk a little farther and you are at le Palais, where we perform this weekend.

Studio Magenia is performing at the Cite Nationale de L'Histoire de L'Immigration (CNHI for short).  This spring, or printemps, the CNHI is focusing on polish immigration.  Since Ella, our instructor and the owner/founder of Magenia, is from Poland, this story is close to her heart.
We are basically doing a symbolic dance, with some mime movements.

Here les garcons are rehearsing their opening section, in which they are working hard on ships, and on land in a new country.  You can also see (and especially hear) Ella. 

And this is some romantic dancing, much of it improvisational, in a different room of the building Palais de Porte Dorée.
Obviously you don't see me in these sections, since I do not have the super power of Filming Myself While Performing.

Les Affaires Sont Les Affaires

The second Comedie Francaise show I went to was Les Affares Sont Les Affaires, a comedy by Octab Mirbeau.
I use 'comedy' losely...it's meant to be a comedy, and although it has its funny moments, I found it to be more dramatic and disturbing.
This was the story of Isidore Lechat, a corrupt and possibly entirely insane (and evil) man.  He has acquired wealth by exploiting the poor, and in this play, he loses everything in one day - his son and daughter, and his lands.
I found it very dark, and moving, especially in the second act.
Listen to a heated Act II argument between Lechat, his employee Lucien, and his daughter Germaine.

les Jardins de Seville

Early April in Seville can feel like a California summer.
I was lucky on this trip, for many reasons: 1) Seeing my dear friend Naomi. 2) The orange trees were in bloom, so I was surrounded by the most perfect scent. 3) My eyes were more than constantly satisfied by the bright colors and numerous palace gardens.
See for yourself (and wish you were there)

Close your eyes, and smell the oranges.

The mistress' bath house.

Limon!

Bridges, mosaics, agua...All is well.