Malta 2018- week twentyone

Monday

First day back at university for semester two was refreshing. We have two new faces in the second hear, from the UK, and was nice to speak about familiar territory and tell them about Malta. We started class with release which was so weird on the body to flip the order of classes. We spent the lesson on two phrases, but I still found it difficult to pick up everything. I’m used to learning choreography fast, and when we came to perform quick it was no worry for me, yet the way it was taught by the teacher doing and use having to do to I never found a word pattern to follow in my head and missed out on details trying to do when demonstrated. We ended first class with a little stretch which was SO needed. I have defiantly tightened up over the last two weeks.

Our second class was ballet with our regular teacher Dorian. It felt more normal to dance ballet after this break than it did Christmas, but really hard to maintain a good turn out and not fall into old habits. I know after a week I will be back where i was last semester. This time the class seems more intense, with shifts of directions and changing of the feet more and longer phrasing. Today I enjoyed it and didn’t feel like a fish out of water even though I struggled. I know I made progress.

Tonight I am going to start Spanish classes, as if my body hasn’t had a tough enough first day back after body conditioning. Unfortunately class was cancelled so I’ll look to do my first Spanish training the day before my birthday.

Tuesday

I am so sore!! More than I have ever remembered with dance. When I woke up, my first though was the pain in my legs before I even moved them.

Somehow we all got through release and ballet, plus we had a new ballet teacher. She is so lovely and regardless of the fact her leg could wrap around her neck a million times, she reassures its not about height but pull and sensation. I am really enjoying her class and have seen how I can pick up about 85-90% of new material after one demonstration. I have come a long way from how I started.

After body conditioning (going into squats was horrible) the second years headed to campus for my first theory module. It was dance and performance theory, and we were asked if there was anything in particular we wanted to focus on- like choreographers or companies. We watched Korper by Sasha Waltz and at first I was taken back by the absurdity and distortions of the human body. As the footage continued, this became a normal feature of a performance. I want to take the structure and contrast of scenes and ideas into my own work, and start digging deeper in to a new dissertation theme.

Having collective performance on a Tuesday was very disorienting and meant I didn’t get back home til 8:45. After a quick shower and food I just passed out.

Wednesday

Aching muscles upon already aching muscles it was a relief to have a few less dancing hours. After release (which feels like has been going on for weeks) we had partnering. We went through a basic sequence of lifts and bodyweight-sharing to learn how to gel and listen to one another (something we will expand on on Friday).

I had to miss my first degree plus Italian course as I had an ERASMUS meeting. I should never have gone. I trekked to the university from the studios for a 20 minute talk about two deadlines I have on email- one how to add or drop modules and two how to resit. Once that was done I headed home.

After lunch, myself and Lee headed into Valletta to hunt for a jumper i fell in love with for part of my birthday present. We were going delirious trying to find the store, walking up and down the streets for 2 hours. When we did find it I barely recognised the jumper and so we went for a coffee before going back to get it. I needed sugar.

We went to my favourite store, thinking it would close before the jumper one, where I got 2 pairs of jeans worth €65’ for €16 in the sales. HAPPY DAYS. Going back to the shop for my jumper, they shut earlier than the staff said and our goal of the trip was for nothing. We couldn’t help but laugh about it later but another late night in my body-mind was exhausted.

Thursday

My body has adjusted to dancing every day again, and I aka me to explore more. I am getting a !of more information on how I dance and what I’m supposed to do in release than I ever have before. I come from a background that you learn where you imitate each move from and adjust to your body, but now we are all being told to do the exact same thing which can be difficult with each ones limitations. This is going to take some getting used to. Also that we spend a lot longer on the same phrase (plus side I am picking up this choreography quicker).

I love our new ballet teacher, where I am singing throughout the class with throwback music playlists. I am finding my strengths and we are also practising turns from the corner (like I initially imagined) and I can feel my pirouettes back to being a strong double both sides. My confidence right now is strong.

The healthier performer module was very interesting where we discussed what well being and healthy meant before being prepped on our assignment task. I am so excited to start this module and create my own personal fitness plan.

Collective performance is a module I can’t wait to be over as it is taking longer to do a task with all of us that I think is necessary. Working with such a range of arts and abilities within that is definitely a challenge to keep everyone occupied and happy. We have less than a month til the show and still! Don’t have a structure, which is the bit I stress most about.

Friday

The morning lessons flew by this morning and before I knew it I was at home eating and having a nap. Tonight I have my trial shift, starting at 5, so I made sure I triple checked the bus routs and times. By the time I was on the bus it started raining (nothing like England but the drainage system here isn’t very good) so the streets were like mini rivers. Luckily the stop was opposite the cafe. When I got there, the manager confused the days and didn’t think I was in til Sunday but with a quick check of our messages- I came on the right day. I didn’t have much training buy was straight onto making coffees taking orders and dealing with the till alone. It felt so nice to be working again and the environment was so friendly and welcoming I felt like me straight away. I left about 9:30 where it was raining more than before, my bus to Valletta arrived quickly but took a different route

than the one I came on. I didn’t panic (for once) and found a connecting bus at Valletta. I now just have to wait for the manager to let me know my upcoming shifts.

Saturday

Today is carnival day- yesterdays was cancelled due to the rain and it was rumoured today’s would be too.

I’m turning 22 in 3 days and this morning was my “oh my gosh I’m so old and don’t know what I’m doing and it doesn’t feel like my birthday” mode which can only be fixed by one thing. SNACKS.

Me and Lee began pre-drinking early and opted to skip on the business of Valletta and find a local bar with a pool table. We never found the table but were greeted by two of the largest pubs we had seen here, with very cheap drinks and giving out free breads and chips. Lee was especially happy to find a good local.

Sunday

We have tried to book a jump at Malta’s trampoline park, without a reply we will turn up and book there. After, a little stroll around an unexplored Tarxien for us sounds perfect.

I cannot forget to prepare for the week ahead, with my family coming and balancing trips and university. This is the first time my birthday hasn’t fallen on a half term\ reading week break.