Showing posts with label Theatre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Theatre. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Dancing Shoes
The ballet of 'Cinderella' was great [http://www.narodni-divadlo.cz/Default.aspx?jz=cz&dk=predstaveni.aspx&sz=299&sb=3&ic=5535]. The dancing, dancers, music, story, and theatre were all wonderful. I liked the costumes more seeing 'Anna Karenina,' but this performance had great dancing, acting, and I knew the story better, of course (but it was changed a bit in interesting ways, such as the use of a fairy that was really Cinderella's dead mother, rather than a fairy godmother; the father and mother were a lot more involved, and so was the fairy for that matter. Cinderella knew her future before she left for the ball and there was a lot more mourning for her mother. There was a search for a foot using a picture rather than using a lost slipper. Cinderella's parents were heavily involved in the storyline and the prince did a lot more work - more traveling and temptations - to find his love again). And tons of glitter, but no mice or pumpkin carriage or glass slippers (only glittery feet and her mother's dress). I was happy to go since the location was so beautiful and this has been one of my favorite performances since coming to Europe. Pictures of the theatre will be added soon... Tomorrow we head to Germany!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
The Scientist
"Nic o nas bez nas."
["Nothing about us without us."]
Two days (the "tougher"/longer ones) of classes complete. :-P I had Polish history in the morning and then a break since this is the first of two weeks without my politics course. During my break, I watched one of the recent "How I Met Your Mother" episodes I had yet to watch ("Desperation Day") and it was really good. I later discussed "Promised Land" in literature class and received some reading for our next class (which will be in a week because our Thursday class is cancelled, which means my weekend starts tomorrow. :-D Maybe we will push the idea on this teacher that we do not need to make up this missed class... one can hope.) I then had my Jews in Poland course before heading back to the dorm for the night. It was there that I noticed how I am receiving more and more emails about registration for fall courses at Fairfield. It is weird to think that housing and course registration is being done already since it seems so soon. :-P I looked over what I have completed and what I have remaining and I think if I do some work over the summer and then have a regular schedule in the fall, I might be able to complete my requirements for graduation in December. This is tempting since then maybe I would take the spring off to work and apply for graduate schools. It seems both far and close. Gee. I emailed my advisor about some of my thoughts and questions, so we will see where it all goes! I even received my pin for online registration already and will be picking classes on April 12th (2:30pm my time, 8:30am Fairfield's).
Tomorrow I have Polish in the morning followed by a break and then a CIEE program-paid lunch in the afternoon (it relates to an assignment involving directions that the Beginning group has to complete). In the evening we are going to a ballet: http://www.teatrwielki.pl/repertuar/balet/kalendarium/nowy_balet.html?kid=528
Some thoughts I have had recently are that, when thinking about or planning or preparing to go abroad, I rarely thought about emotions. The only well-known ideas that are discussed during pre-orientation are culture shock and homesickness when away. Well, lately, I am wondering more about the end of my time here in Europe (Poland specifically) and thinking about how hard it will be to leave, to go back to "reality." There is a lot I am missing right now, but I have already come to terms with the fact that no matter where I am or what I am doing, I will ALWAYS be missing someone or something; there is no way to have everyone and everything I love together with me all of the time. I discussed it with my friends this weekend, how difficult it is for me to settle because of my indecisiveness, dispersed loved ones, and all of the great places I have lived or visited or want to visit. It will not be easy to pick one place or one profession, but now that I know there is no way to make everyone happy, then I can at least think about making decisions based on greater good instead of being stifled by innumerable choices. It is tough to be in a world where I may be able to communicate with people all over the globe, but if I want to see them, I cannot simply "fold a map" as if the world were flat and see them in person whenever I wished.
Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you
Tell you I need you
Tell you I've set you apart
Tell me your secrets
And ask me your questions
Oh, let's go back to the start
Running in circles
Coming up tails
Heads on the science apart
Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start
I was just guessing
At numbers and figures
Pulling the puzzles apart
Questions of science
Science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
Oh tell me you love me
Come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Adjective of the Day for Me: Nieśmiała (timid)
Website of the Day: http://polish.typeit.org/ [helps with typing Polish letters with accents.]
["Nothing about us without us."]
Two days (the "tougher"/longer ones) of classes complete. :-P I had Polish history in the morning and then a break since this is the first of two weeks without my politics course. During my break, I watched one of the recent "How I Met Your Mother" episodes I had yet to watch ("Desperation Day") and it was really good. I later discussed "Promised Land" in literature class and received some reading for our next class (which will be in a week because our Thursday class is cancelled, which means my weekend starts tomorrow. :-D Maybe we will push the idea on this teacher that we do not need to make up this missed class... one can hope.) I then had my Jews in Poland course before heading back to the dorm for the night. It was there that I noticed how I am receiving more and more emails about registration for fall courses at Fairfield. It is weird to think that housing and course registration is being done already since it seems so soon. :-P I looked over what I have completed and what I have remaining and I think if I do some work over the summer and then have a regular schedule in the fall, I might be able to complete my requirements for graduation in December. This is tempting since then maybe I would take the spring off to work and apply for graduate schools. It seems both far and close. Gee. I emailed my advisor about some of my thoughts and questions, so we will see where it all goes! I even received my pin for online registration already and will be picking classes on April 12th (2:30pm my time, 8:30am Fairfield's).
Tomorrow I have Polish in the morning followed by a break and then a CIEE program-paid lunch in the afternoon (it relates to an assignment involving directions that the Beginning group has to complete). In the evening we are going to a ballet: http://www.teatrwielki.pl/repertuar/balet/kalendarium/nowy_balet.html?kid=528
Some thoughts I have had recently are that, when thinking about or planning or preparing to go abroad, I rarely thought about emotions. The only well-known ideas that are discussed during pre-orientation are culture shock and homesickness when away. Well, lately, I am wondering more about the end of my time here in Europe (Poland specifically) and thinking about how hard it will be to leave, to go back to "reality." There is a lot I am missing right now, but I have already come to terms with the fact that no matter where I am or what I am doing, I will ALWAYS be missing someone or something; there is no way to have everyone and everything I love together with me all of the time. I discussed it with my friends this weekend, how difficult it is for me to settle because of my indecisiveness, dispersed loved ones, and all of the great places I have lived or visited or want to visit. It will not be easy to pick one place or one profession, but now that I know there is no way to make everyone happy, then I can at least think about making decisions based on greater good instead of being stifled by innumerable choices. It is tough to be in a world where I may be able to communicate with people all over the globe, but if I want to see them, I cannot simply "fold a map" as if the world were flat and see them in person whenever I wished.
Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you
Tell you I need you
Tell you I've set you apart
Tell me your secrets
And ask me your questions
Oh, let's go back to the start
Running in circles
Coming up tails
Heads on the science apart
Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start
I was just guessing
At numbers and figures
Pulling the puzzles apart
Questions of science
Science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
Oh tell me you love me
Come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Adjective of the Day for Me: Nieśmiała (timid)
Website of the Day: http://polish.typeit.org/ [helps with typing Polish letters with accents.]
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Threat Level Midnight
Yesterday was much more "wintry" than it has been lately; it was snowy and cold. I can't wait for some warmer weather, which will make going outside a lot easier. Today looks to be about the same.
Yesterday I had two classes and then went to a really good play ("Nasze Klasy"). I learned a lot about history and different relationships (Jew-Pole, Pole-Soviet, etc.) in Poland from the 1930s to 1990s. It was an incredibly strong and moving play. I found out I was the only one in my group who does not use glasses or contacts; I like that my eyes worked from almost the last row as we read English super-titles (I also picked out some actual Polish that I could understand). There was a lot of great acting and memorization by the actors. Some of the scenes were really surprising. Everyone in my program who went seemed to be glad to have gone, even if the subject matter was more sombre and thought-provoking rather than funny and cheerful. Gosia mentioned that one of her other jobs is doing Polish subtitles for movies; we talked about differences between the Polish and English and how sub- or super-titles are made. She is different from my Mom, who complains about discrepancies when she understands the Polish spoken text and it does not match the English sub-titles, because Gosia prefers less text so that reading is easier and the general sense is there (she said that there is a saying of translation being either faithful or beautiful). I said I tried to use what I did not know to learn new words, but it is not as easy when the wording is not as faithful or in a different order and she said that she does the same when trying to learn more German from film. One girl in the group did not understand a lot of the humorous times when she heard the audience laugh (some I picked up on and grinned myself); I wondered why she would even bother trying to understand such a foreign humor to her own... how did she expect Gosia to explain Eastern European/Polish humor in a short, simple answer? She did her best though. I am not sure I would have tried as much if I were asked, but I can be mean. :-P
Not sure what I will do today since the weather is not so great and I have no classes. I do have to pick up some reading from Gosia eventually. Other than that, I am pretty much free until Polish on Monday morning. I have some reading and other homework to do, but not too much luckily. I have just started catching up on more American TV, which I will continue to do ["The Office" was pretty funny and silly.]
Yesterday I had two classes and then went to a really good play ("Nasze Klasy"). I learned a lot about history and different relationships (Jew-Pole, Pole-Soviet, etc.) in Poland from the 1930s to 1990s. It was an incredibly strong and moving play. I found out I was the only one in my group who does not use glasses or contacts; I like that my eyes worked from almost the last row as we read English super-titles (I also picked out some actual Polish that I could understand). There was a lot of great acting and memorization by the actors. Some of the scenes were really surprising. Everyone in my program who went seemed to be glad to have gone, even if the subject matter was more sombre and thought-provoking rather than funny and cheerful. Gosia mentioned that one of her other jobs is doing Polish subtitles for movies; we talked about differences between the Polish and English and how sub- or super-titles are made. She is different from my Mom, who complains about discrepancies when she understands the Polish spoken text and it does not match the English sub-titles, because Gosia prefers less text so that reading is easier and the general sense is there (she said that there is a saying of translation being either faithful or beautiful). I said I tried to use what I did not know to learn new words, but it is not as easy when the wording is not as faithful or in a different order and she said that she does the same when trying to learn more German from film. One girl in the group did not understand a lot of the humorous times when she heard the audience laugh (some I picked up on and grinned myself); I wondered why she would even bother trying to understand such a foreign humor to her own... how did she expect Gosia to explain Eastern European/Polish humor in a short, simple answer? She did her best though. I am not sure I would have tried as much if I were asked, but I can be mean. :-P
Not sure what I will do today since the weather is not so great and I have no classes. I do have to pick up some reading from Gosia eventually. Other than that, I am pretty much free until Polish on Monday morning. I have some reading and other homework to do, but not too much luckily. I have just started catching up on more American TV, which I will continue to do ["The Office" was pretty funny and silly.]
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Our Class
Just heard news from the program assistant Gosia that we CIEE students have the chance to see a production (in Polish with English subtitles) tomorrow evening. I confirmed to her that I would like to attend. Here is some info:
"Extraordinary history of students, members of one class. They learned from the same reading primer, they sung the same songs, they had similar dreams: to become a fireman, a doctor, a soldier, a movie star… When ideologies become present in their lives, they stand up against one another. Our Class is a story about how easily friendship turns into hatred and fun is replaced with crime.
Our Class premiered at The National Theatre in London, where the play was directed by Bijan Sheibani. In Poland, Our Class is directed by a Slovak, Ondrej Spišák, stage design is a creation of a Slovak as well, namely František Liptak. The costumes were designed by Jan Kozikowski and the author of choreography is Anna Iberszer.
Performing artists:
Magdalena Czerwińska, Izabela Dąbrowska, Mariusz Drężek, Monika Fronczek, Anna Gryszkówna, Dorota Landowska, Leszek Lichota, Damian Łukawski, Robert T. Majewski, Paweł Pabisiak, Przemysław Sadowski, Marcin Sztabiński and Karol Wróblewski.
‘The play by Tadeusz Słobodzianek is a cunning (covering its tracks) deconstruction of the myth of Polish Confines (Kresy), stubbornly referred to lately as the Borderline (Pogranicze). The myth which, with a great dose of scrupulosity, washes General Józef Haller’s ‘army’ off the history and does the same with massacres, pre-war pacifications and denunciations which were taking place during the time of war. The myth, which replaces the abovementioned with deceptive multiculturalism that has never been present here as it was born in the 1980s in Australia. Tadeusz Słobodzianek’s play is a vivisection of this myth which is worth more or less as much as the hastily created legend about the good partisan called Ogień (Fire) whom x. Józef Tischner had praised enthusiastically until he confronted his knowledge with what the parishioners knew and got to know what Ogień’s bravado really was.
(Joanna Tokarska-Bakir)
‘We need to incessantly face the trauma of Polish – Jewish relations. I believe that it will be possible to present them in a different light, ambiguously, tragically… and trigger not only a reflection but a kind of a catharsis as well which will not leave anybody indifferent.’
(Tadeusz Słobodzianek)"
More details: http://www.jewish-theatre.com/visitor/article_display.aspx?articleID=3323
"Extraordinary history of students, members of one class. They learned from the same reading primer, they sung the same songs, they had similar dreams: to become a fireman, a doctor, a soldier, a movie star… When ideologies become present in their lives, they stand up against one another. Our Class is a story about how easily friendship turns into hatred and fun is replaced with crime.
Our Class premiered at The National Theatre in London, where the play was directed by Bijan Sheibani. In Poland, Our Class is directed by a Slovak, Ondrej Spišák, stage design is a creation of a Slovak as well, namely František Liptak. The costumes were designed by Jan Kozikowski and the author of choreography is Anna Iberszer.
Performing artists:
Magdalena Czerwińska, Izabela Dąbrowska, Mariusz Drężek, Monika Fronczek, Anna Gryszkówna, Dorota Landowska, Leszek Lichota, Damian Łukawski, Robert T. Majewski, Paweł Pabisiak, Przemysław Sadowski, Marcin Sztabiński and Karol Wróblewski.
‘The play by Tadeusz Słobodzianek is a cunning (covering its tracks) deconstruction of the myth of Polish Confines (Kresy), stubbornly referred to lately as the Borderline (Pogranicze). The myth which, with a great dose of scrupulosity, washes General Józef Haller’s ‘army’ off the history and does the same with massacres, pre-war pacifications and denunciations which were taking place during the time of war. The myth, which replaces the abovementioned with deceptive multiculturalism that has never been present here as it was born in the 1980s in Australia. Tadeusz Słobodzianek’s play is a vivisection of this myth which is worth more or less as much as the hastily created legend about the good partisan called Ogień (Fire) whom x. Józef Tischner had praised enthusiastically until he confronted his knowledge with what the parishioners knew and got to know what Ogień’s bravado really was.
(Joanna Tokarska-Bakir)
‘We need to incessantly face the trauma of Polish – Jewish relations. I believe that it will be possible to present them in a different light, ambiguously, tragically… and trigger not only a reflection but a kind of a catharsis as well which will not leave anybody indifferent.’
(Tadeusz Słobodzianek)"
More details: http://www.jewish-theatre.com/visitor/article_display.aspx?articleID=3323
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