Malta 2018- week twentyfour

Monday

Ready and eager for the week, I felt in flow. This was the first day I could pick up the style of teaching in release and start exploring. Our teacher seemed more positive and open that I felt I could fail (that you need to do) and that it was good and expected. We have started doing leg and arm workouts that KILL. One is 4 sets of plie roll downs in parallel, turn out of 8,4,2,1 counts in each motion and then finishing off with the same 4 sets of standard plies in first position 8,4,2,1. I cannot finish a set and can feel my body going out of line when it comes to the 8 1 counts.

Ballet tested our balance that was non-existant today. Class went quickly and then we went to body conditioning.

Instead of passive stretching, we are working on our flexibility (hamstrings and hips) through PNF (P.... Neuromuscular F....). This is a rehabilitative style of stretching that works using resistance. If you lie on your back and lift up one leg, push against a partner for 10 seconds then relax and the leg should go lower. I have used this style of stretching before and enjoyed being reminded of it to improve my flexibility that has diminished. I am more motivated and making it the focus of this semester to get and then MAINTAIN the level of flexibility I want.

Tuesday

I’m not hating release classes this week, and waking up slightly sore but stretched I am feeling bets in myself and extra motivated. In class we are told this energy doesn’t come out, even though its there, I need to work on showing enthusiasm in a certain way.

Honestly I’m just excited to do the stretching in body conditioning and beat myself.

Ballet today brought attention to my left hip, which was asked by a lecturer if it had a problem wait did not move as easily in the joint. In class, when lifting my leg or kicking it made a crack sound (which happens before) but was uncomfortable and I was scared of doing injury. My teacher recommended me to keep the leg lower and see if my body adapts to being in turn out (as it is unnatural to my body).

After a well-received stretch session, our afternoon lecture was cancelled but sent over email. This meant I got to go home and shower and eat before collective. It wasn’t until we got to collective that we found out we were finishing at 9 instead of 8. Within a break, we went through the first half of the45 minute show several times until everyone knew what’s s going on. I am confident in knowing what we are doing and now need to this k how to emotionally invest myself in a character that I need to create to give the best performance possible.

I got home at 10:15 meaning after a quick dinner I was fast asleep for tomorrows early start.

Wednesday

Today was over quick, though tired I was bouncing through my days listening to music through my earphones. I hadn’t got to do it in so long and forgot how much I missed it. It’s the little things. I am really enjoying the release classes now, understanding what in my body is weak and how to be more efficient yet strong. I am still struggling with the blurred border of expressing band being free in contrast to being strong and mechanical. I’m seeing this class more as body conditioning in dance instead of contemporary (not sure if that is good or not but it is serving its purpose).

I enquired about my lack of turn out and whether it is strength or flexibility based. I had been advised to take up yoga for this area (though I feel I have tried to loosen them maybe I will find better more useful stretches). It is an area I will be researching into more and will be producing a blog dedicated to turn out. I had the cracking again in my hips, and was told it won’t injure me but could be tightness.

In partnering, we began learning a duet, then a trio with a quick transition between the two. The choreography wasn’t complicated but introduced ideas of cause and effect. My favourite part of the class were two things. 1. I wasn’t the one being lifted and though my leers were hesitant for me to lift someone double my size, I did and loved showing that even though I am small I am not weak. 2. We got to create counts after the trio finished, and I loved our one. They will be developed in Fridays class.

I come home to a massive to do list, but like finishing earlier as I have more time for personal development and REST which I didn’t do last semester. This semester feels closer to the hours at edge hill, and now I know I can return with some ballet training to really improve and UNDERSTAND what I need to do to improve.

Thursday

In release, we spent the session looking at our improvisation skills, with structure instead of anything. Here I saw a lack in my artistic skills, struggling to not be so frontal and ‘circle two opposing body parts in the improvisation’. Once the collective show is finished I will book studio time and spend at least an hour a week working on building this back up.

WE GOT OUR RESULTS- grades look better in English than in Maltese. But i got a first for dance as communication, first for TOmeTOseeTObe and a 2:1 in my Ballet and Cunningham technique (which i am happy with seeing as its my first exposure and this term i will push for a first).

Friday

Ballet done we went into improvisation. We were originally going to continue with the partnering from Wednesday but instead we did a new task that came up with some interesting results. We learnt two phrases and then had to transfer all the information in one phrase to the upper body. This meant we kept the arms the same but added qualities that described what the legs were doing. We then did the same task with the other phrase but instead putting it into the bottom half. On we had our manipulated phrases we had to out the upper body and lower body together- which was SO difficult. When performing our sequence to the crest of the group, you could see how different the results become and how loads of material can be made from a small starting point.

Fridays are normally short days, but we were at collective until 8. We did a tech run today, needed, but with less than half a class it seemed unfair that the dancers were approached at the end about timetable issues. We attended every rehearsal that we were given being told we would be excused from lecture, then when we asked our tutor they said we wouldn’t be excused and needed to go after lessons. We told our director who was fine with this. Apparently, some of the musicians and theatre people have complained saying we come when we feel like it, when everything we did was at the lecturers consent. In the end, I pointed out we had longer days, went rehearsals withiutva break where everyone else got one and we were always present, where the rest of the team weren’t. When asked about any complaints I don’t think me saying ‘some rehearsals go on for too long and our tutor said university hours are from 8-8 Monday to Friday and anything after is at our

choice and not a mandatory yet we still come' with a its not on for much longer response. I am eager for this experience to close just so I can get home at a reasonable hour and eat properly again so I don’t feel so weak and tired in class.

Saturday-

SPENDING THE NIGHT IN PRISON

Today is my trip to Gozo. I tried so hard to lie in but couldn’t make it past 9. After a relaxing morning I leave for the bus to Cirkewwa (malta port) to get the ferry to mgarr (gozo port). Once there I was amazed that you get to Gozo for free and pay on your return (€4.65). I felt like I was on holiday, being in a ferry just like the one from England to France- I was expecting something much smaller.

My first impression if Gozo couldn’t be put into words- it was beautiful. Like Malta but greener (how I missed rolling green hills) and cleaner- the water was so blue and I arrived on a cloudy day. The bus drivers were so friendly and showed me where to GI and get off for our 7pm meet. I got there about 2 hours early, which was lovely to sit in the sun and take in the scenery before exploring the citadel complex in daylight hours.

On top of a hill, is citadel. A secure wall which at night kept the Gozitons safe from attacks or raids, made up if alleys, houses, gardens, prisons, shops and the cathedral.

We met outside the cathedral (which I learnt is without a dome due to funding, but inside a painter was hired to simulate the effect of a dome and even added a gecko to the effect), and being a smaller group than I anticipated made our way to the prison to drop off out bags. At this point we only saw the foyer which was a small reception and gift shop. From here, going down the stairs the 5 of us were greeted by the people attending the tour.

The ghost tour was 1.5 hours walking around the complex hearing stories, legends and history of Gozo blended with ghost takes and sightings. The tour was quite large, as the woman explained the demand for the tours on the island and listed many cities in the tiny islands with different stories and tours

There were many interesting stories, but i seemed to be more fascinated in my camera and finding its functions and experimenting with photography. When orbs were describes as ghosts i knew an effect that could create this with an ordinary camera, which ruint that idea for me.

Once back in the cells- the prison was open and we got first looks. FOR PRISON I THINK IT WAS QUITE NICE. There were 8 cells so we took one each, or went in in couples. My room opened out to an open aired space, with a modern toilet around the corner and the reception. The room was the size of three-four single beds laid next to each other. The room was all brick, with carved marking of names, counting days, dates, hands or ships. I was taken back that when doodling no matter how far back in time we all do the same thing- write our name or trace our hand. The 'bed' was a wooden plank across a width of the room. There were no signs of spiders, bugs or damp so it was a step up from my imagined idea. I lay out my blanket and clothes inside a cloth bag to serve as a pillow.

We went to the reception to watch our horror film, which took ages to fix as the organisers had issues with the volume and screen. We ended up watching 'the others' in near silence to hear what was being said- which only added to the effect. At the end of the film, exhausted we headed off to sleep with the help of battery powered torches when the lights went out (I hate sleeping in pitch black).

NO GHOST EXPERIENCES , but some great photos to develop

Sunday

We were up by 7am and left by 8am. It wasn't what I had imagined, loads of people getting to know each other instead being couples and me but to check off sleeping in a prison from my bucket list i cannot complain. Half asleep, after an awful night sleep- kept waking up, i decided to head back to Malta and come back to Gozo another day in Summer where i can fully appreciate the natural wonder and beaches, when i can go and tan on them.

I couldn't imagine being one of the locals who commute this journey every day, but it was a pleasant worthwhile experience and i am now IN LOVE WITH GOZO.