next season's plans

In just about three months, the current season will end. And something new will begin. Things have not turned out as I have expected them to, and probably just as well.

Since my last post, I have done 3 auditions:

Theater Ulm (22.02.17)

Although the auditions were going well, the outcomes have been less than positive. I decided to contact an ex-colleague of mine who now dances and choreographs in Ulm. The director, Roberto Scafati, has been there since my arrival in Germany, and I have seen his company perform at several galas over the years. The standard was always pretty high, and his choreography has developed and changed constantly, which I think is very positive, especially for a house choreographer. As it turned out, he was looking for a dancer and there was going to be a private audition. He replied to me straight away and told me I could come, even if it was last minute, so I booked my train to Ulm. It was quite relaxed, as private auditions usually are. We did class with the company, which was very classical. I was very impressed with the level of the company dancers, and I felt like I could possibly fit in.

We watched a bit of the rehearsal, then joined in in learning some new choreography for his new piece. It wasn't very much, so I couldn't really judge how the final product would be. The dancers left and he stayed with us (4 boys and 2 girls) to learn some repertoire from his latest (and very successful) work. It was very clear, very musical, technical and quite physical. I enjoyed dancing it. Then we did some improvisation in couples, where one person had to be the bearer of bad news and the other was the oblivious one. I was partnered with a lovely Italian woman, and we had a great time together. Our duets were probably a little dramatic, but I didn't mind. 

In our talk, Roberto said he really liked me, but he wanted to see two other guys before making a decision. I really liked him, his support of his dancers is very admirable, and I appreciated his honesty and kindness, but what I really liked was that he was human. I felt good as I left Ulm, and hoped for some good news. The only thing was that it seemed too easy, I think I missed the cut-throat atmosphere of open auditions. What have I become?

Danish Dance Theater (28.02.17)

This is the only company I've been back to audition for. You can read about my last experience here.

I couldn't make it to the first day of the audition because of a performance, but luckily they said I could come on the second day. The weather was pretty gloomy the whole time I was there, but it was actually a really nice feeling to be out of Germany. 

The audition was held in the Dansehallerne, which was an old brewery. It was massive and kind of scary. Luckily, I met one of the guys who made it through the first day on the bus, so I didn't get lost. As I was warming up in the studio (with 3 other people), I wondered where all the people were. At around 09:55, there were 11 of us in the studio. There were three of us who were there for the second day, and the others were the lucky ones who survived the first day. Apparently, they cut over 90 people. I didn't know if this was a good sign for me or not. 

The class was wonderful. The teacher and assistant, Hilary, gave a really simple but enjoyable class, and the music was just a joy to dance to. One of the choreographers for the project was also there doing barre with us. She was really friendly and came to greet each one of us individually, which put me at ease for the rest of the time there. We worked with her after class, and it felt like a company rehearsal rather than an audition. She created a group piece with us, so it wasn't just learning material and showing it. The director, Tim Rushton, came in to watch our finished group piece and said it was already like a company.

We then had to show the solos we had prepared (I had done mine on the day of my flight). We were all very different, but everyone good in his/her own way. I felt really good to be part of this group, even though it was only for a short time. They told us they would make a decision in a week. I really wasn't sure what my chances were; there was another Asian guy from Hong Kong there (named Kenneth), and we were similar in build and he was a really nice mover. I had a really good time, so it didn't really matter what the outcome was, even though I hoped it would be a good one. 

Christiania

 I spent the rest of the day in the city, exploring Christiania for the first time, and just strolling around in the rain. I was so full of positive energy from the audition, that nothing could bring me down that day apart from the thought that I would have to leave Copenhagen again so soon. 

* * *

Fast forward exactly one week. I still had no reply from Roberto, and I wasn't expecting something from Denmark at that point. Sven and I were washing the dishes after dinner, and I got an e-mail saying they would like to offer me a contract for the four months (December-March). I was a bit in shock, but definitely extremely happy. I spent the next couple of days checking with the Arbeitsamt and the Ausländerbehörde to make sure it was okay, and then accepted the contract. I signed it about a week later. There are still a few hurdles (working visas, accommodation, money etc.) to overcome before it begins, but I will take this one day at a time.

So the plan is to move back to Gießen with Sven (we already found an apartment). In the meantime, I will take a break from full-time work and try to find some projects and keep doing classes and auditions. It's going to be a big change for me, but I'm really looking forward to it. Perhaps I will need to keep updating this blog. Haha. 

Theater Hagen (19.03.17)

The current director of Hagen is leaving after the season, so I was curious how the new director was. I was sceptical when I saw that the girls needed pointe shoes, but I decided to go anyway, because you never know what will happen. I had no idea what was going to happen in Denmark, and look how it turned out. 😊 

Turns out, I felt completely out of place there. They put everyone together to do class, which took almost 3 hours. I wasn't comfortable around all the Yumiko and the pointe shoes and the ballet smiles. It was another world, and I wasn't sure why I was invited at all. They kept all the boys for repertoire, which was also not really my thing. I wasn't really surprised when my name wasn't called for the interview, but I probably wouldn't even know what to say if it was. There is a place for everyone, and this certainly is not for me, and that is completely fine. 

As of now, there are no more auditions I want to do, but things always come up and I will try to be ready for it. If not, I'm just going to enjoy being a housewife for a few months before moving to a new country. I'm ready for a real holiday (that's booked too).