Touched.

The past few weeks for me have been focused on one thing: Rami Be’er’s Touch. Just after returning from work from our tour in Italy, I started rehearsals for a ballet that would become one of the most rewarding ballets that I have danced. 

Rami Be’er, a well known and respected choreographer, set this ballet on The Croatian National Ballet in the summer as part of their summer festival. One of the dancers left the company leaving one empty spot. Well, who else to fill a spot other than yours truly? I was thrown into rehearsals with a company that was already familiar with the choreography and had already gone through all the training for it. For me, it was all foreign. I had to learn the steps as well as understanding the style and movement. The challenge was not only hard but tough on the body too. I would go home at nights with bruises and barely being able to walk. I had to keep thinking that I am apart of something artistically unique and special. 

The performances went well. It is a very technical show but all of my fellow dancers had already performed it and aware of the space and lighting. I was thrown into performances with only two rehearsals on stage. With each show, I was able to grow. In fact, the piece as a whole has taught me so much. I learned a completely new way of moving. In this ballet, I had to move every part of my body in funky yet coordinated ways. It was also a special show for me because this was such a hard ballet to get through that we all needed each others support to get through it. There was such a feeling of comradery. At the end of the ballet, all the dancers pull down the curtains, stagehands sweep the snow off the stage and the audience gives a roaring applause in recognition and appreciation for all our hard work. It was a truly special moment to be bowing before an audience after giving everything you had to them. It made this whole experience very special for me.

So I walk away from Touch a stronger dancer and artist. I may have soreness, bruises and cuts all over my body but I think of them as marks of achievement. 

Pictures.

Last performance of Nutcracker in Split

Yurie and me on Christmas Eve

Davor, Caity and Alan on Christmas Eve

Kristina and Andrej's Christmas Tree

Christmas!

Our last performance in Zadar

The gang on New Years 

New Years in Split. Not quite Time Square but not far off. 

The theater during the holidays

A New Year.

It is crazy how fast a year can seem. In 365 days, the seasons change, goals are made, holidays are celebrated, birthdays are passed, and life is going on. So before I start a new year, I need to reflect on the last year.

I started 2010 in San Francisco, California. I had been living there three years while working for Company C Contemporary Ballet. By New Years, we were planning our tour to NYC and partying the year away. I was pretty certain that that was going to be my last year in SF but I wasn’t certain where life would take me. In May, just weeks before ending my contract with Company C, I decided that my next move was to be to New York, New York. I finished up the season in SF, packed my bags, and flew to NYC (where I got a refund on my extra bags due to that fact that the woman loved ballet). In my time there, I lived a life that many (including myself) dreamed of. I had and will always have a place in my heart for NYC. Im so glad that I was able to experience life in the Big Apple. After three months, I got a job offer in Europe. It was a tempting offer that I just couldn’t turn down. September 5th brought me to Split, Croatia where I started dancing for The Croatian National Ballet. In this time, I danced in a beautiful theater and turned 24 while on tour in Italy. I guess the rest you know... 

So much excitement and adventure in just 365 days. I think what was just as thrilling and beneficial for me was how much I have grown in this time. I continue to learn more about myself and discover more interests. I have pursued writing and photography- two interests that I have had for a while but never followed. I wonder what 2011 will bring. One thing I definitely learned here is that I don't need to try and top myself year after year or city after city. Just get as much out of each circumstance as possible.

So as the new year begins, I am ready and waiting for new and more adventures. 

Christmas in Split.

Christmas in Split is a little different than America. Ok, it is VERY different. At this point though, that should come as no surprise. Now, I am no expert on Christmas (being a Jew and all) but I have done my share of holiday partying. Celebrating in Split this year, introduced me to a new way of celebrating. 

For one, the season and preparation starts much later. People don’t get their trees until a few days before and only keep them for a couple weeks. I learned that its because they don’t have stands that have water. So to avoid having a dry tree in their homes, they buy a tree around December 23rd and keep it until the beginning of January. Christmas overall is more simple and much less commercial. It definitely is exciting to people here but they show/express it in very different ways. I would see people dressing up but not necessarily dressing in Santa hats or wearing fun festive colors. There is also a considerably less amount of decorations in Split than at home. In fact, I tried looking for a little and all I could find were simple ornaments that were lacking in originality or sparkle. I guess Croatians put the emphasis more on the holidays itself than the celebrating. 

On Christmas Eve, I was invited to one of the dancers house. It was a small gathering of some familiar faces and some new ones. Everyone contributed a dish to what ended up being an amazing and amazingly filling dinner. Dinner included popular dishes from different cultures. I think the highlight of the meal for me would have been the large hollow tomatoes with tuna salad in them. It was so delicious! For dessert, one of the dancers made a huge cake in the shape of a Christmas tree. It was filled with different fruits and layers of vanilla and chocolate cake. After dinner, the evening ended with all of us sitting around the tree and talking and opening presents. The best part of the night was definitely being with good company and enjoying a lovely night. 

The next night, Christmas, was a little bit more crazy but fun nonetheless. In true Scott form, I wore a tie for the occasion. Dinner was at the Villa (which was super convenient for me) and again, we all contributed a dish to what ended up being a fabulous meal. I grilled some vegetables while others made turkey, cole slaw, lasagna, cakes, and chocolate salami (Italian dessert). Making a reprise, there was another cake in the shape of Christmas tree... and just as delicious as the night before. We definitely were not short any food! After dinner, being the rambunctious dancers that we are, we played a few games for a few hours that included breaking chairs, falling on the floor, and many many good pictures. Again, another great night spent with great people... wearing red. 

The overall holiday feeling is different here but the similarity of surrounding yourself with those who are important to you, must be universal. Thats why I love the holidays : )

Pictures to come soon.

Roads.

There are so many roads in life. How are you supposed to know which one to take? Do you go where the wind takes you or do you direct yourself? After we have decided on which road to travel, how do we know we have chosen the right one?

I guess there will never be answers to those questions until the day when we are able to travel back in time. We will never know if we are making the right decisions but living life with hesitance, isn’t living life to the fullest. I’m reading Julie Andrews’ biography and in doing so, I am learning a lot about success and struggle. She has worked nonstop since she was a little girl but has only had a handful of successful projects. However, she has participated in MANY more projects that include albums, theater and movies and TV shows that have all failed miserably. When she looks at her life though, she never thinks of her projects as failures. She loved all of her endeavors and has continued to learn from each one. So to her, failure was measured differently than how Hollywood or New York City would measure it. She took the roads that she saw attractive. 

I feel like I have so many options in life. When I look back, I would have never guessed that I would be where I am now. That makes me think about the future. I want to be in the same position and be somewhere that I would have never thought possible. Being here, has made me notice how it is very AMERICAN to think about money and success. Its the way we are all brought up, its our basis for judging people and giving them a status, and it determines if we are successful or not. I have noticed that Europeans live a much calmer, simpler and more relaxed life. Enjoy today and worry about tomorrow later. To me, it sounds crazy but to them, its how they are happy. Well, I think that works for them BUT I need to plan for tomorrow! 

Where will life take me next?

Italy: Part Six

The Italy tour has officially come to an end. Yes, I fell in love with Italy but I am happy to be off the road and back in my own bed. We still have performance in Croatia coming up and rehearsals for upcoming ballets at the beginning of the new year. 

Italy was simply amazing. This tour showed me land and cities that I would never have seen on my own. It showed me that smaller cities can offer just as much as bigger cities. It made me realize that there is so much in the world and other ways to live, eat and think. I have only seen Italy in movies and pictures but the experience in person in much different. People are smiling and proud of what they have. This trip served as a really wonderful lesson to me. 

One shock was that Italians really DON’T speak English! I assumed that after living in Split, I wouldn’t come across a country that spoke LESS English. Well, Italy definitely speaks less English. However, with the little Croatian and Spanish I know, and strong use of hands, I was able to communicate well enough to get what I needed. I think I might start taking Italian to learn the language officially. 

So a million pictures, kisses, noodles, and miles later, I am back in Split a wiser person. I have seen the boot shaped country that others have talked about so often. I ate their food, seen their homes, performed on their stages, spoke (a little of) their language, and met their locals. And all of those stories that I have of Italy and all it shared with me, will become fond memories!

Theater in Ancona

Ancona

Ancona

Ancona

The ship that took us back to Split

Italy: Part Five

So the trip will quickly becoming to an end. It has been close to two weeks in Italy and we only have a few days left. In the past few days, we saw and performed in Lecce, Gallipoli, and now in Senigallia. This trip is sure flying by when you see a new city and live a new experience everyday. But with how great that sounds though, don't forget that we are also performing EVERYDAY!


While we were in Lecce, we were invited to the home of one of the dancers that is from that town. It was so wonderful to see an Italian household. It was everything you would expect AND THEN MORE. I was hugged and kissed by everyone and welcomed so graciously. The meal included several appetizers, lasagna, salad, steak and then a birthday cake. It was delicious and insanely filling meal. The best part of that though wasn't the food, it was the love and warmth that was in that household. Her family and friends kept coming throughout the day to meet us all and greet us. It was truly a beautiful day. 


Today, we got to Senigallia and we will be here for two days. This could quite possibly be the best and most modern theater we performed in. It might also be the sweetest town. The shops look like they came right out of a movie. Its really cute to see a town with old and historic buildings with modern interiors. I will have to take pictures tomorrow and post them later. 


Italy has been a very different experience than what I would imagine from the movies. I wish I could describe it better but I can definitely say that Italy is magical and charming. Here are some pictures from our time in Gallipoli. You can see how beautiful even a smaller city is!

A view from my hotel room in Gallipoli

Gallipoli

Gallipoli

Gallipoli

The never ending stairwell in our hotel

ALL of my costumes for Nutcracker. Can you count how many?