Irish Love - again*.

After the show at Charleville castle, Tullamore. Terri Dale - the organizer of the event to whom I send my gratitude and tenderness - is on the extreme right side of the pic (as pregnant as the Earth):)))

Returning to Ireland was a wish of my heart - not only a work-business trip. On the itinerary there was Dublin (television interview - fun!), Athlone (for a radio interview), Tullamore (for workshop and performance at the Charleville castle) and then return to Dublin for a full day of Workshops.

In my favorite bedroom at the Charleville castle, Tullamore (only me and "them" - peaceful and warm).

Home is always where your heart is*.

Just arrived "home".

Being faithful to my Loves. Once I fall in Love, it´s for REAL. Charleville Castle is one of those* classics of my Soul that happen for no apparent reason and for all the im-possible reasons.

I had been in Ireland last May for Shakefest and the idea of returning to this ancient, complex and beautiful land made me happy as a child on a Christmas morning - just before opening the presents.
The train that took me to Athlone rocked me as I was once rocked in my baby cradle and I couldn´t stop but wonder how much of DANCE is just this journey to our childhood: the desire to be cradled once more and - peacefully - bounced by our mum or our Mother Earth.
The interview in the radio was FUN (I do love speaking about my work and my vision of Oriental Dance) and the arrival to Tullamore was filled with warmth - despite the cold weather, probably more than in London and Russia.
Being received in the room where I first chatted with my dear castle ghosts was a Joy. Yes, I know this sounds bizarre to a lot of people but speaking and seeing dead people - physically dead, that´s all - is not a scary experience but a rather pacifying one. It´s the living people who often scare me and hurt me, not the dead.

There was a dinner wonderfully cooked by Bonnie at the castle and some reading by the fire with constant knocks on my bedroom door ("they" had to make sure I knew they were there, welcoming me, protecting me); cats and Shadow, the dog which loves Dudley more than americans love McDonalds and J.F. Kennedy.
I felt at home. At last.:)

At the enchanted bedroom where I first talked with some very special "spirits" (great to know - for a fact -  that the Soul  is Eternal) and that we are surrounded by angels and people who have physically departed but still visit us to help us, guide and protect us and even JUST for a chat.:)

The workshops and the performance at the castle were lovely and unique - as they tend to be when people involved are TOTALLY present and generous.
It´s curious how the venue of each performance - as well as the country-audience I am performing to/with - influence the result of the Dance and require certain adaptations but the ESSENTIAL remains: it doesn´t matter if I´m dancing for chinese people, egyptian, irish, indian, even aliens. All of them want to be MOVED, FEEL ME through the music and FEEL the music through me. Dance is always a RELIGIOUS experience - in the true sense of the word (RE-LIGARE = reconnect).
Performing in such distinct venues and countries has polished and detailed even more that sense of what´s REALLY IMPORTANT: in Dance, as in Life.

Watching birds on my window - God is in the details.

In Dublin at a famous restaurant-pub waiting to see the FANTASTIC Irish Music and Dance show.

Happy. Period.

Early morning - my enchanted bedroom waking up by my side.

Now: teaching in Dublin was a Challenge. As usual, I focus on the POSITIVE so this is what I´m gonna do now but first here´s what I have to say (to be applied by all Dancers, including myself):

Molly Malone´s statue - a Dublin icon.

Without HUMBLENESS, TENACITY, CURIOSITY, STRENGHT OF CHARACTER (that I often refer to as having a "spinal chord") and willingness to LEARN there can be no GROWTH.

Ignorance does not shock me at all: only arrogance. And remember another one of my frequent QUOTES:

Mediocrity is the daughter of Arrogance. Indeed it is. 

The less you are opened to learn, the more mediocre and weak you will be. The more you are open to learn, the better and stronger you will be.

GREAT DANCERS are not just the carriers of steps, movements and intellectual information; they are strong willed, magnanimous, thirsty for LEARNING, willing to discover how little they know so that they can keep knowing MORE and MORE and MORE.

Just me - at the Charleville castle.

Having said the essential, I also must admit I had a great time - and hard work - at these Dublin workshops. We worked Modern Saiidi-Tahtib and Modern Oriental and I already presumed these would be two difficult subjects for most dancers. The ones who did not quit and worked relentlessly until the event was over deserve my hat off: YOU HAVE MADE MY DAY.

 The biggest pleasure in Teaching is - for me - the ability to INSPIRE, OPEN DOORS of Dance, Technique, Precious Information, Creativity, POSSIBILITIES. I love TEACHING- therefore LOVE dancers who love LEARNING. Cheers for all of them!

Small piece of the Irish Music and Dance show I watched in Dublin (how can you NOT love Irish Dance?!).

Before my performance at the castle - rejoicing with my bedroom companions who did not stop knocking on the door just to make sure I knew they were THERE with me.

Dublin last days were filled with Museums, Expos and Book hunting ( choreographer Keneth MacMillan´s biography was in my bags in the blink of an eye) and more emotions than one single life could ever bear.
Cried again over paintings (am I chronically possessed by the full moon and the hormonal-emotional-creative-spiritual grip it has over me ???) at the National Gallery and remained open mouthed with some amazing irish music and dance show (how come no one ever told me Irish Dance is SO F....G FANTASTIC?!).
Picasso´s works at the National Gallery stroke a chord with me - as they always do.
This is what I wrote on my notebook, staring in full emotion to a famous Picasso painting:

"Like a child, he goes directly to the essence of things, discarding any empty appearances, useless and distracting elements; he takes the inner reality of the painted objects and purifies them from all details that may ruin their soul´s revelation.
Wonder if that* can be done with Dance as well. What would happen if we took all superficial flourishes and empty embellishments and went directly to the heart/essence of the Dance?"