Saturday, November 28, 2009

Now you're my ex girl and I'm out with the next girl

When Fred said yesterday it's been raining a lot in the past month in Kassel and I disagreed, I realized how little I've been outside in the past month.  Been spending the days in darkness, on stages, where it's always dry.  



Danced three pieces in four theaters this month, most recently in Bielefeld on Tuesday.  RM and I flashed back for a sec, performing an excerpt of ...raus bist du! in a gala. We were one of a handful of companies from around Germany to perform that evening in a beautiful old theater, and the only ones with pink feathers.  While jw and thorsten packed the pillow, michael made the lighting magic happen, and then it was showtime. RM did some back-flips and I rocked the bow one more time.







But now, as Gang Starr famously rapped, it's on to the next girl.  Reinhardswald, our new piece, premieres in one week.   Here's a glimpse of the paper room as it looks after the piece is finished.  Look closely and you'll see the forest revealed in the back corner, the idea for which we dreamed up in the back seat of a van driving through Poland at 11 at night a few weeks ago.



Tuesday, November 24, 2009

if there's a skeleton in your closet...



it looks like these...

when I last left you, Lily had arrived in Berlin to take us out to dinner...



Jose & Meri kept it lively, as always...





We went to check out "Africa's... er... The World's best new band" - who I've been waiting to see since KR emailed me a demo a couple years ago... File under: "I celebrate their entire catalog."



Of course they KILLED IT. They're really good live...

Post-show, Lily charmed her way backstage and told the guys to meet us out front. Lindani brought the modified Southafrican gas face to Berlin...



Jose copped a CD from Molefi. I was salty, knowing these aren't for turntables...



Hours of hi-jinks, including a broken bottle of whiskey in the lobby of the theater, an appearance by Madeline and Roland, and other delights, ensued.

We had an excuse... it was Tshepang's birthday! Line up, ladies! (Tshepang somehow escaped the camera all night... or he's a vampire... hmmm... I don't think anyone's ever seen him in daylight...)



You've been warned... next time these guys are in your area, you'd better be there...



"you're gonna know Blk Jks... You're gonna know South Africa..."

Monday, November 23, 2009

Gimme your jewels

Ten days till premiere in Kassel: two pieces, one by jw and one by Israeli choreographers Y and O.

You've already seen a glimpse of the paper room for Johannes's piece. Here's a sneak preview from the other one, in which we wear - oh, yes - full body unitards. It's actually quite fun, aside from the breathing part.

Here Ryan and Farley pretend, at my request, to be jewel theives. Suffice it to say I was inspired by the dramatic final scene in the Chabon novel I just finished. And the unitards.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

More trains,





more train stations, 


more churches out the window, 


more theaters, 

more costume fittings,



more getting ready to dance, and then


more dancing. 

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Pictures I took in Poland when I wasn't

dancing or learning text or memorizing stage directions or being taller than everyone in stilettos or sitting in a van or listening to Celine Dion at the hotel breakfast buffet or being grateful for amazing colleagues or trying to find something to eat that wasn't cooked or refining my polish accent in preparation to say Jestem barzo barzo schtuschleva, which means I'm very very happy.  I was told have a Russian accent in Polish, and when I said it, I meant it.





The theater was beautiful, in that communist architecture kind of way.






Magdalena was there as stage manager and Polish ambassador,



And so were 25 redheaded extras, 



Giggling.




Saturday, November 14, 2009

Shelter

Home from Poland - via 12 crazy hours in Berlin. Made this on the days-long journey.
More news on the dancing part of the tour later.



I found shelter
in some thoughts turning wheels around.
I said 39 times that I love you
to the beauty I had found

White Stripes, Hotel Yorba lyrics

Friday, November 13, 2009

Just got paid

I'm in Berlin... came up yesterday to catch BLK JKS at the Volksbühne tonight with Jose & Meri... when, during a 12-hour train trip from poland back to Kassel, Lily jumped the train at Ostbahnhof, I met her at the S-Bahn stop, and here she is in B-Town for the night...



She just got paid, so she's taking us all out to dinner. Hot-cha-cha.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Today is the Day


Let's give it up for Deutschland, celebrating 20 years of unity today.   What an amazing country. And how fitting that tonight the first domino of the replica wall created by German youth and built in the wall's original path was knocked down by Lech Walesa, leader of the Polish solidarity movement.  

And now: off to Poland.  We dance on Friday in Lublin.  

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

It works....

...the new iPod makes videos!  

Tested it out on the road and back home in Kassel.  Treasure hunting included: spotting the new Very Best album at a Hamburg record store (art direction by KR).... a glimpse of my favorite bunker (Berghain flashbacks)...a sneak preview of the set for the new piece.... Sho tickling the ivories... and a moment out of my lunchtime stroll.  Schatz all over the place.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Hamburg in twenty-five hours or less...


Lily and I spent our 11th wedding anniversary apart, with me in Hartford, CT and Lily around Kassel. Now that I'm back, and we had a little window without work, we took a quick jaunt up to Hamburg. 



We landed around noon, dropped our bags and headed out to their most blazing flea market...

I didn't come up on anything, but lily scored BIG-TIME. A couple vintage dresses, a floppy hat, and this...


Halloween? more like... 
The hunt for Red October... Cold War-era James Bond girl status like crazy...



Definitely communists...

After a nap, we took a twilight stroll above the Elbe... 





startling to the sight of a few ghosts out trick-or-treating...




Eventually making our way to Das Weiße Haus to get our food game on... (chef pron to follow).
 

There were like nine things going on at once here...



Lily tried to muscle me out of my second course... She kept telling me that I didn't like beets... I almost had to growl...


I had no trouble with the foamy herb-stuffed halibut...
 


Lily went for the Osso Bucco... wow. it was like a meat spaceship landing on Planet Whitebean.




Back at the hotel, I read their restaurant's menu and chuckled quietly to myself...


Sunday morning, we woke late, thought about going for a run around the lake, decided instead to walk, and to make a stop at Literaturhaus for a little coffee (or, if you're lily, a post-breakfast glass of Rosé) and a view of their gorgeous staircase. 









Good to get away for a minute and spoil ourselves...