An Anniversary

On January 30th, 2007, Brea Cali, Isadora Wolfe and I arrived in Germany.
At JFK Isadora repacked her over-the-weight-limit luggage while Chris reiterated "Priority Number One on Arrival" to a weepy Brea: secure internet connction. At Heathrow while trying to avoid the question "Are you coming into the EU for work?" - we didn't have permits yet - we missed our connecting flight. When we finally made it to Frankfurt, the "van" we had been told would pick us up turned out to be a 4 door compact car. Somehow we stuffed all the luggage in. Slumped over it in a daze, we were driven to Kassel. By the time we arrived at the Staatstheater and started meeting people, the news had already spread. "Nice to meet you...heard you had a lot of luggage" they said, shaking our hands.


Kassel was much bigger that we had expected. Freeways, a multiplex cinema and malls, who knew? And look at that theater!

After dropping Brea off at her knick-knack-and foliage-encrusted sublet, Isadora and I arrived at our new home. "Yia Yia will be so happy we live by a church!" she said. By morning we realized her grandmother was about to be disappointed: we were across the alley from a cemetary. We went to the Balletsaal for the first time. All of the dancers were making a phrase, and were spread evenly througout the room. We opened the door. They turned and stared.

We started to settle in. Isadora lost her glasses on the Strassenbahn. We couldn't believe how cheap things were. I broke into a cold sweat whenever I spoke German. Brea worked dilligently on "Priority Number One." The dancers in the company showed us the ropes. Isadora found her glasses at the city Lost and Found.


Carmen was our cigarette-smoking fairy godmother. Over and over she told us, "You guys, just relax..."


In February we appeared on the Staatstheater stage for the first time, dancing a section of Cabaret that Johannes choreographed for a theater event. I was so excited about my wig.


When I sprained my ankle 4 weeks before the premiere, Jens took me to the doctor, translated for me, and let me cry on his shoulder when i learned what "ganz gerissen" meant.


In April we premiered 'perspektive'. The stage had a huge ramp in the center of it. The piece was cinematic, non-linear, episodic, challenging. We busted our asses running up and down that ramp. Isadora jumped over tables. Brea seduced the audience and the Intendant with her rendition of "Un Ano de Amor." I was a puppet being manipulated while lip synching "Bei Mir Bist du Schoen."





At the end of the season we danced 'progressive coma' in Kassel before touring the piece to Poland.
This was the last piece we created in New York before our Germany adventure began.




By then, we had stopped rushing around like crazed New Yorkers, the cemetary had become our favorite Sunday afternoon walking spot, the tchotchkes had been stuffed in the closet, the German was still difficult, and the colleagues had become friends.