D&F Farewell Speech – Istanbul Dance Fellowship 2009

Last night, for the first time since the fellows have been in Turkey, snow fell on Istanbul.  Wet and heavy, tiny white flakes danced from the darkness and onto the cobblestones.
There are certain things in life that cannot be planned.  Certain moments of wonder that only happen because they take us by surprise.  These moments [...]

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Denial

I’ve been in denial since we got to Turkey that this time here would ever end.  “It’s better that way,” I explained to everyone, encouraging them to do the same thing (For my own sake, really.  You can only live an illusion if everyone around you participates.)  “Just don’t think about the end until it’s [...]

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But Can You Chew Gum At The Same Time?

Müge, as always, was right in what she said yesterday.  We were working on a fairly new Fire of Anatolia dance.  This – no surprise – involved differing choreography for both the arms and legs: akin to patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time.
The first time we learned this type of [...]

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Massage 101

I’ve been nudging, suggesting, and finally, just outright begging to give the dancers here at Fire of Anatolia a workshop on massage. Today, on five minutes notice, I got my chance.
With Perit as my translator and unofficial advocate of the “Hannah Popo Massage,” I took the stage.
“Is this lesson going to be in Turkish or [...]

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Bridge of Faith

I believe there are very few cultural gaps that cannot be bridged.  As the sole actress and sole mime on this Dekeyser & Friends fellowship, I have quickly become the resident non-verbal communicator with the Turkish world around us.  Somehow my speech seems to be clearer, my hand gestures more precise, and, honestly, I imagine [...]

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A Had A Dream; A Wonderful Dream, Papa…

When I was around eight years old, I was in my first community theatre production: Gypsy. I fell in love during that show.  With the singing and the dancing and, of course, the play of acting, but I also fell in love with the lifestyle.  Ironically enough, it wasn’t the lifestyle I was living that [...]

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Untitled Frustration Part II

“I’ve never seen anyone so happy who’s just lost all their luggage,” said Gülin at our first rehearsal in Belgium.  Why fret when there’s nothing I can do to help it, I thought, and I felt proud of my optimism.
I joked that now I would be without clothes and money when my credit card was [...]

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Untitled Frustration

My life seems to have a constant soundtrack to it these days, almost always courtesy of Fire of Anatolia and Troya.  Tonight it’s one of the oriental songs that’s swaying endlessly through my head to the rhythm of my arms going up, up, down, down; up, up, down, down; 1-2-1-2; 1-2-1-2; over and over again.
How [...]

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Giving Thanks

Factual blog entries often leave a bad taste in my mouth: dry and unsavory.  However, today’s events on Thanksgiving Day 2009 warrant some telling, so here goes.
Our day begins last night as Meagan, my Canadian roommate, empties the entire contents of her two 50 lb suitcases onto the beds and the floor and spends the [...]

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…With A Smile

*A note on this entry: The Dekeyser & Friends project I’m on is all about inspiration.  I hope this blog entry, and many others that I attempt to write as honestly as possible, are never construed as “anti-inspirational” or worse: depressing.  From sadness comes growth, and from growth comes inspiration.  I’ll get there someday.  Happy [...]

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