Prague - Days 1 and 2

Ahoj!!

That is just one of the many ways to say hello in Czech!  (Though, I just learned that on google, so clearly it hasn't set me back)  I've been here inPrague for two days now and haven't even tried to learn "please" and "thank you".  That is just one of the many things that is different from last year's journey to Berlin, Germany.  Another huge difference is that instead of just seeing performances...this year (for those of you who don't already know) I am performing in the Prague Quadrennial festival of theatre and dance design!  A solo that I made on myself with a sound designer was chosen to perform at the New Stage of the National Theatre!  I also got lucky and it just so happens to be the "Tanec Praha" (Dance Prague) a festival of contemporary dance and movement theatre.  So I am seeing performances daily and then on my last full day here, I perform!

So...let me recap my last couple of days...

#1 - I am here alone (and I REALLY miss Marc...this city is cozy and romantic...not your typical metropolis)

#2 - I am currently sitting in my room with a glass of white wine while the rest of the tourists in the city (young and old) are barely getting started

#3 - That is fine by me...(with the exception of wanting to have a candle-lit dinner at one of the restaurants in old town or on the river with Marc).

So...from the top...

Thursday 16.6 

I got here at 9:30am on Thursday after a long day of flying and I may have slept 20 minutes.  Thankfully when I got to my hotel they had my room ready and so I did what you aren't supposed to do.  I slept.  I slept from 10:30am - 3pm and I am so happy that I did.  Don't let anyone tell you otherwise when you travel over 9 time zones!  I got up and got ready to head to my first performance which I knew from studying the maps was across town...AND THE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION WAS ON STRIKE.  (Yes, I did mean to yell)  So, dressed in my tennies, jeans, and a tank top...I ventured into the unknown.  Actually, I'm terrific with directions (runs in the family) so I honestly knew exactly where I was going and exactly how to get there.  45 minutes later...I arrive at my destination.  That's not bad for traveling clear across a city.  Its taken me 30 minutes to trek from one side of UCSD to the other.  Problem was that their 77 degrees is alot hotter that San Diego's 77 degrees.  I was sweating.  Luckily, they have malls in Prague and as I learned in Berlin...H&M's run ramp-id in European cities.  I bought myself a new pair of shorts...did I mention that I didn't pack even one pair of shorts.  Ooops.  

I was really looking forward to this first performance.  They called it European Dance Laboratory. Ironically, the two performances in this show were from Prague and Berlin.  I wasn't crazy about the local dance.  It had won some local awards, which makes me wonder about the dance community here. (I could get over this, considering the diversity in dance in the U.S.)  But the second dance (which actually was showing in Berlin when I was there - so many shows, so little time) was worth the wait.  It was absolutely delightful on so many levels.  Words for this dance: Delightful, generous, smart, satisfying, vulnerable, actual, considered, considerate, everything.

Then I walked all the way back to my hotel...luckily the rest of the city was walking too.  

Friday 17.6

Not the best sleep, but when I woke up at 9:30am (having fallen back to sleep at 5:30am) I felt a bit better.  Thank goodness for the tram system, my feet could not have made it much farther.  I went to a dance performance for kids, which reminded me a little of one of my favorite classes at UCSD called Crossing Boundaries; Improvisation and Technology.  Apparently this stuff appeals to kids and grown-ups.  Fun!!  (Go Blue Bike!!)

I then walked to Old Town Square and enjoyed the little gourmet festival they had going on with wine tastings and Hungarian Goulash.  I saw a bride and her groom standing at the edge of the square.  In this medieval village with castles and walls, she looked a like a little girl playing dress up.  I took a picture!!  

After eating a traditional Czech meal of Pork Belly, saurkraut, and dumplings (all the food on the plate was beige! - I feel so healthy) I headed to the last performance of the day.  This was another local group performing a piece inspired by a train station used by Hitler (when he invaded Prague) in the Holocaust...it was a well-made, subtle, moving dance.  Its tough to make a dance theatre piece about an huge emotional topic without getting overly dramatic, but this piece pulled it off with just the right timing.  Some harsh images sparsely placed went a long way...I'm sure there is much more to say about this but I'll stop there.

And after actually getting a little lost in Old Town's tiny streets (what happened to my good sense of direction?), I took a tram back and am now sitting here at the Hotel Julian in my room writing you.  This is more than I like to read in one email, so I will stop there. For those of you who want more about the dancing...I will write and post to my blog soon.  

Seven days here...two down, 5 more to go...this could get interesting!

Much love and gratitude,

Alicia 

ps - I may turn this into a blog in the morning...will pass it on again for your picture enjoyment!!