Au revoir!

I can’t believe this is it…my final blog from Paris! It has been an absolutely fantastic experience and I am already ready to start planning my next trip! It’s amazing how at home I feel here after just four weeks. I’m comfortable with the metro, I know where I can go to take some great dance classes, and I’m familiar with lots of the shops and restaurants! I feel like I’ve been here forever!

But overall today was a pretty relaxed day. I spent the morning walking the Promenade Plantee, an elevated railway viaduct that has been transformed into a beautiful park. It was nice to just stroll along, enjoy the spring weather, and take in the beauty of the city one final time! I walked through the entire park, which is one of the few linear parks in the world, and then made my way back through some of the art galleries and craft shops. Then I returned to Notre Dame, which is definitely one of my favorite places in Paris, took one final tour. It didn’t go inside, but we traveled to a lot of different areas of the exterior and heard some very interesting stories and legends associated with the famous church.

Finally, it was time for our delicious farewell dinner at Refuge des Fondues! It is a tiny little restaurant in the Montmarte area, and we all had a great time! The only disappointing part was that there was no chocolate involved! But have no fear…Shiloh, Gianna, Paige and I had a remedy for that! After dinner, we went to a fantastic chocolate shop for a little treat, and brought it up to the hill by Sacre Couer, where we sat to watch our final Parisian sunset! It was a beautiful way to end a wonderful trip.

 

Tonight was definitely bittersweet (and Im not just talking about my dark chocolate!) I’m excited to head home to see my family, but I am still sad to leave Paris. I have been so lucky to share so many wonderful experiences with such a great group of people, and I know I will remember this trip for the rest of my life! I hope everyone has enjoyed keeping track of our adventures! Au revoir!

Dear Time, Please SLOW DOWN!

I love Paris!! Honestly, I don’t know what else there is to say! Yesterday was possibly one of my favorite days of the entire program! We started off at the Academie Americane de Danse de Paris for our final ballet class with Cristalle. After ballet, we moved on to a repertory class where we learned part of William Forsythe’s “In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated.” I have always loved Forsythe’s work (he is actually the first choreographer I ever wrote a dance history paper on!), so it was incredibly exciting to get to learn some of his choreography. His style definitely requires solid, classical technique, but it is distorted in a unique way that makes it fun and interesting to dance. The choreography was very challenging and physically demanding, which is exactly the kind of work I tend to enjoy! I feel like his style is definitely one that comes with repetition and rehearsal though, so I wish we had the opportunity to keep working on it. I guess my family will just have some interesting shows in the living room when I get home!

After class, we gathered for a quick discussion/lecture about Josephine Baker, and then headed out again for our walking tour of some of the areas she visited and performed. Along the way, we stopped at Le Paradis du Fruit, a lovely little café in the Montparnasse area, for an afternoon treat. I had an absolutely delicious strawberry sorbet, and we all enjoyed the opportunity to just sit outside in the beautiful spring weather! We finished our walking tour in a beautiful little garden. It is off the beaten path, so it is very quiet and peaceful. I could see myself sitting there for hours!

 

Later in the evening, I went to the Gaumont Parnasse Cinema for “Move to Move” – a filmed performance by Nederlands Dance Theater. It was unbelievable…it is almost twenty four hours later and I’m still speechless! It featured works by Ohad Naharin, and resident choreographers Sol Leon and Paul Lightfoot. The dancers were just fantastic! I wish I could say more, but it’s so difficult for me to type out a comprehensible description of the show (I don’t even know where to start!) But, if anyone would like to hear more about it, feel free to contact me!

Moving on to today…I can’t believe it was our last day of classes! We started off the morning with our final presentations, which were photo essays and slideshows documenting our time here in Paris. It was so interesting that even though we have all been here taking class together, each person’s presentation was incredibly unique. I am so lucky to be here with such a talented, creative, and inspiring group of people! Everyone had their own approach to the assignment, and it was exciting to relive these past four weeks from so many different perspectives.

Afterwards, we left for our tour of the Moulin Rouge! We got to see the performance hall as well as a little bit of the backstage area. The costumes were all so elaborate and extravagant! The headpieces were so large that some of them have to hang from the ceiling until they are ready to be used! The backstage area is pretty tiny anyway since most of the building is dedicated to the performance space, so apparently there is just as much choreography going on backstage to keep traffic running smoothly as there is on the stage itself!

Then we were free for the afternoon, so I made my way back down to the Opera area for my final Paris shopping spree! That was a dangerous idea! I spent a ton of time in the bookstore at the Opera House, gawking at all of the incredible dance books that I would love to add to my collection (most of which were far out of my price range!) Hopefully it isn’t too early to start a Christmas list! I also went back to the Galleries Lafayette to explore the seven stories worth of fantastic shops. Then, on my way back to the FIAP, there was an issue with the metro so I had to get off a few stops early. I didn’t mind though; I just took the opportunity to stroll back and check out some other little shops that aren’t quite as crowded and touristy! I found a lovely little Chinese Tea Shop and a few nice art collections.

Now I’m back here at the FIAP. I’m not quite sure what I’ll be doing for the rest of the evening, but I definitely want to make sure I rest up tonight so I can enjoy my last day in Paris tomorrow! I can’t believe this adventure is ending so quickly! I need to slow time down!!!

Here's what's new here in Paris...

This week has certainly been off to a busy start! I can’t believe it is already Wednesday evening! I have taken five fantastic technique classes at the Studio Harmonic – two contemporary classes with Nathalie Pubellier and three ballet classes with Wayne Byars. I’m pretty sure Wayne is my favorite teacher I have had here in Paris, so it was nice to get to take his class for three consecutive days. As much as I love having variety in my training and trying different things, I enjoyed having the consistency of these classes because it allowed me to apply corrections from previous classes and develop a stronger understanding of his ideas. It is truly amazing to watch him demonstrate…he claims that he’s old and can’t move any more, but he just flies effortlessly across the floor and has unbelievable balance! Some of the corrections and analogies he gave really made sense to me, so I hope I can keep trying to incorporate them into my classes. It has been wonderful to have some different voices giving us feedback throughout these four weeks – I feel like I will be coming home with a lot of new and valuable information!

After our technique classes, we’ve had some busy evenings as well, particularly Tuesday! We went straight from class to Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise, where we divided into small groups and saw the graves of some really interesting people. We were all responsible for researching some information about a few of the people buried there, so I actually learned a lot as we walked around. Plus, we found the memorials for Isadora Duncan and Alwin Nikolais – two very significant figures in the dance world. I was particularly excited about Nikolais – I love his technique, ideas, and philosophies about dance!

After the cemetery, we went straight to a special French dinner hosted for a few of the American groups staying at the FIAP. We had the opportunity to meet some students from other universities and were served a three course dinner that took about two and a half hours! Overall, it was definitely a fun experience…I could have done without a few of the games though.

Later, Paige and I finally did the one thing that we have been waiting for since we got here almost four weeks ago…we went to the top of the Eifel Tower! We climbed the stairs to the second level (which drastically decreased our wait time), and then took the elevator all the way up to the top! It was such a beautiful view, especially at night when the city is all lit up! It was a lot of fun for us to look out, see some of the big landmarks, and know that we have actually been there! It was definitely a wonderful way to spend the evening! Our way home was interesting too…we caught the very last metro back to the FIAP. As we were walking out of the station, they were closing the doors and locking up for the night. If we had stayed at the tower for another two minutes, who knows how we would have gotten home!

This afternoon was lovely as well! After my last ballet class with Wayne, Gianna and I took the metro down to Madeleine Square and explored some of the amazing shops in the area. We wandered down to the Opera area too and I finally tried my first macaron at the famous “Pierre Herme”. I must say, it was absolutely delicious! At around 5:30, we met up with the rest of the group at the Musee Rodin. The museum showcases the work of Auguste Rodin in an eighteenth century mansion and it’s beautiful gardens. Some of the most famous works there are his “The Thinker” and “The Gate of Hell,” which were both fantastic to see!

So after a long and busy day, I’m finally home for the evening to catch up on some rest before tomorrow. We have a ballet/repertory class in the morning, a walking tour in the afternoon, and then a few of us will be going to the Netherlands Dance Theater “Move to Move” live cinema screening in the evening!

Another Wonderful Weekend...

It has been a busy weekend here in Paris! I have definitely enjoyed the opportunity to do some exploring on my own. For the past few weeks, we have been doing so many structured group activities, so it has been nice to break away from that a little bit. Yesterday I took advantage of a few of the wonderful FREE things to do in Paris…remember, I am working on a college student’s budget! I started off at the Petit Palais, a museum featuring all different forms of art. It includes portraits, landscape paintings, jewelry and metal work from the Renaissance, mosaics, works from ancient Greece and Rome, pottery, and much more! The name of the museum is quite misleading if you ask me…there is nothing “petite” about it! The building itself is stunning too. It was designed by Charles Girault and built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition. It features decorative murals, vaulted ceilings, wrought iron work, and stained glass. 

 

Afterwards, I went back to Montmarte for another free walking tour, compliments of “Discover Walks.” I absolutely loved my guide and was shocked to learn that he used to be a dancer for the Paris Opera Ballet! How perfect! The tour started at the Moulin Rouge (I finally saw the famous red windmill!) and finished up at the Basilica. Along the way, he gave some great information about the artists who used to inhabit the area, as well as recommendations of the best stores and restaurants. He even showed us the boulangerie that won the Baguette Contest in 2010! I never knew there was a baguette contest, but apparently it’s a pretty big event! 

 

Later in the evening, a few of us went down to the Eifel tower to celebrate Shiloh’s birthday! We watched the sun set on the tower and just lay in the grass talking enjoying the view! It was a lovely way to end the evening…and hopefully a fun way for Shiloh to spend her nineteenth birthday! 

 

This morning, I started out pretty early. I attended mass at The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, also known as the American Cathedral. It is a beautiful example of English Gothic Revival Architecture, and it was really nice to be able to attend a service in English. It was very intimate and welcoming…definitely work waking up for!

Then I went to Choco-Story, the chocolate museum! I absolutely loved it! I actually learned a lot of really interesting facts; for example, chocolate was not produced in a solid form until the nineteenth century! The museum traced chocolate’s 4000 year history and had a lot of interesting tools and artifacts. Still, my favorite part had to be the demonstration! Since the museum was fairly empty, I got my own private show with a chocolatier who showed me how to make molded chocolates with a filling. It was fun to watch and I got to taste LOTS of samples, which were all absolutely delicious!

After the museum, I made my long-awaited trip to Luxembourg Gardens. I took some time to just walk around and look at all of the beautiful plants, statues, and fountains. It has been a lovely, warm, and sunny day, so it was perfect for an afternoon walk in the park. After exploring for a bit, I settled down in the shade to listen to the jazz band that was playing. It was very relaxing after a busy weekend. 

 

Now I’m back at the FIAP for the evening and getting ready for Week 4 of class. I can’t believe how quickly time is flying by! Hopefully I can make this final week last!

It's the Weekend!

It’s amazing how quickly time flies when you’re busy exploring a fantastic city! Yesterday was a long, but exciting day. We started off with a conditioning class and then took a master class with Barbara Kane from the Isadora Duncan Foundation. This class was really interesting for me because I’ve studied Duncan’s work so many times throughout various dance history courses, but I have never actually taken a class in her style before. It was certainly different from anything I’m used to, but it was fun to shift gears a little. Plus we got to dance with scarves!

Afterward, we made a trip to the Musee Bourdelle, a small museum in the Montparnasse area. It features the work of Antoine Bourdelle, as well as his apartment, studio, and some beautiful gardens. It’s a very small museum, but I definitely enjoyed the visit. From there, we went to meet our tour guide for our Paris Fashion Walk! We got a chance to visit some of the most prominent fashion houses in Paris (in other words, places I would probably never walk into otherwise). We all felt a little under-dressed, but it was a very fun experience for me…I just avoided looking at any price tags!

After dinner, a small group of us made our way down to the Eifel Tower for a boat cruise along the Seine River! It was absolutely beautiful – the weather was perfect and the sites were magnificent! Our boat didn’t leave until 9:30, so throughout the ride we got to watch the sky darken and the city light up! After the cruise, we stayed by the Eifel Tower to watch it “twinkle” (On the hour, the Tower lights up with sparkling lights for five minutes). It was one of the most magical things I have ever seen and a perfect way to wrap up Week 3!

 

Today was a free day for us, so I took the opportunity to do some exploring of my own. I wandered through a flower market and then took a free walking tour of the Latin Quarter that was a ton of fun! The guide was full of great stories and information about the area, so I might be going on a few more of the company’s tours in some other areas before I leave! One of my favorite sites was the Shakespeare and Company book shop, which is not only a fantastic English bookstore (the first in Paris actually!), but also a studio for writers to read and work. I did take a few minutes to look around inside and it was fantastic…there are books lining the walls and there are even ladders and step stools to reach the top shelves! A few other exciting sites on the tour were Sorbonne University and the Pantheon.

 

After coming back to the FIAP for a quick lunch, I made my way back to the Marais area, determined to find the amazing tea shop that I have heard so much about. After a bunch of wrong turns and a few distractions, I finally found it. It may have taken me hours, but it was certainly worth it! I wanted to buy the entire store! It is called “Mariage Freres: Maison de Thé à Paris” and it was established in 1854. They sell over 500 varieties of high quality tea, grown in 35 countries! As you can imagine, the aroma of the shop is absolutely lovely and much of the old décor remains intact, giving the store a very unique atmosphere! It was definitely my most expensive shopping excursion yet…I have no will power when it comes to tea! Once I finished my shopping, I was pretty exhausted from all of the walking so I sat outside of a café for a bit to enjoy the weather before heading home for dinner. Now I’m back for the evening and getting ready to plan out tomorrow’s adventures!