Malta 2018- week eighteen

Monday

Today’s run through of ballet was not as strong as on Melissa’s exam. I need to find out how I of the idea of lift and extension into my body that allowed me to maintain certain poses. I’m glad it went worse on a trial-run than the next time being the real exam.

I am getting back to loving Cunningham and now find the hardest endurance aspect of my injury and not the rep. Dancing by chance is still my favourite element and we began adding chance facings again which made it more exciting for Mr as it works to my strong my suit. We were told today about how technique can dampen performance qualities in dancers, and how we can often be seen as better being performers than dead technical dancers. This was something I can to uni with and had been told gave me my edge by many teachers, yet I got lost here. Now I have been reminded and confirmed my ideology is true, I can re-discover who I was when dancing technique.

Tuesday

Though I got through yesterday without ankle issues, today was a struggle taking gaps in class. Our first class was cancelled, so after killing 90 minutes, we had our Cunningham class to go through. I am now playing with different dynamics and enjoying dancing each exercise. I’m hoping that tomorrow will be a mark through to give our bodies rest- but I’m doubting that’ll happen.

Wednesday

Last day of training before exams and ballet went well. I didn’t ant to push to hard but had a feel of what it would be like being watched tomorrow.

Today has been interesting in the sense we are looking for somewhere new to live, with issues with the landlord. We spent the remaining parts of the day searching for and arranging flat viewings, after discussing legal aspects with out estate agents. Its been a little stressful, and reminded me of other jobs I had to do- but after an hour or so I was back to 2018 relaxed tam.

Thursday

We had our first flat viewing after my exam- it wasn’t for us even though it was on principessa (princess) street. I am having good vibes for our viewing g tomorrow, which is in another area if Malta to discover some place new and more ‘Maltese feel'.

Today was our ballet exam. Even though I had a few mistakes (forgetting which way to pirouette in the grande battement sequence which i have never got wrong before) I am so relieved it is over. The centre exercises went well- similar to my last ‘best' day, and the Spanish variation at the end was so much fun. We had previously ran class more or less straight, on exam day it was so much tougher. Something about adrenaline and missing a minute of talking between really makes a difference. I am so happy of how it went and proud of my progress in ballet in only three months.

Friday

Of everything I expected to ache today, it was my back the most stiff and sore. J had to pay extra attention to this in my warm up, especially with a Cunningham exam today. I am less nervous for today, even though neither are my preferred practiced techniques, Cunningham was an easier version in terms of ballet technique and terminology and allowed me to express myself more in variations (the opposite to what you would naturally think I know).

I was more confident in the phrases than in ballet, and as a result felt the majority went really well- I even got the hinge from the most uncomfortable starting place, which was one of the only times I hinged that way. What I was good at amplified, yet so did the two exercises that were not so good. For some reason grande battement in centre HATES me as in this relevee version I can never hold my balance the best but today was even worse.

All in all though, I’m glad of how my exams went, and after turning in 3\4 of my papers I am ready to have two weeks off to travel, hopefully move and get better as once again the Maltese timetable of university has got me under the weather. I used to have such a good immune system.

WE FOUND OUR NEW FLAT. The good feeling worked and we are set to move tomorrow into a nicer, more modern yet in a more authentic-Maltese looking area, that’s healer and so much closer to the studios. Instead of a 40 min walk I will be doing a 10 minute walk, so the relaxing morning I had before exams of having time spare to make a good breakfast and walk in can NOW happen every day in second semester.

We planned going out tonight for Toms leaving drinks, and it ended up being g ours too. We went to a new place for us, a bar in paceville called ‘hot ice bar' where we got 2 hours all you can drink for €15. The staff were lovely and chatty, it bring SO much smaller and emptier than I thought. Our bartended bobby taught me how to say ‘bitch’ and ‘thank you' in Serbian to my ever expanding language choices. We then headed to club 22, which is the top floor of a tower in Malta where the smoking area apparently sports the best aerial views- oh and its where the millionaires hangout. For me it was nothing special, it was just one floor\space that was more like a lounge and less about dancing where you could smell the females searching for a sugar daddy for a mile off. After about an hour we gave up and headed to our usual familiar home of club native and the gay bar.

Saturday

Moving out day! Its so weird that on Thursday I was thinking I need to get up early to print my boarding pass in the limited library hours and instead I’ve moved flat. We were up early-ish considering to move by midday. We were pretty much packed prior but just made a general bag and a food box. We ordered a cab-van and said goodbye to the flat.

We were welcomed in to our new place by the owner, and then had the place to ourselves until the evening. We weren’t great at unpacking, but just got out essentials and bits as we went, and spent most the day catching up on sleep.

Round the corner from us is the smart market, which is AMAZING. I knew what it was from conversation, being a cheaper supermarket (not quite Lidl) but it is unbelievably big- like four supermarkets put together big. After getting some basic essentials we got our contract and paid our first months rent.

Sunday

Fully unpacked, we spent the day watching series and getting junk food. There is a quirky modern art building, which I assume has a few exhibits inside, a short walk away in this ancient built box type building with random sculptures hanging on the outside walls. Monday we are going to check it out in opening hours, and also the local San Anton gardens.

This week didn’t go at all how I would have predicted and I LOVE that.