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!!!
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