After performances in Edinburgh

Can´t believe it is over!
The two and a half weeks I have been dancing a lot in Dance Base (company classes, evening classes and working on the new piece at studio), doing Aerial Yoga in Meadowlark studio, going into impro jams in Edinburgh and in Glasgow and of course showings and performances of the working process piece. And of course meeting new lovely friends!

My last day in Edinburgh was lovely! I was the whole day in Glasgow. In evening at 9 pm was the Cottier Dance Project Watch this space performances and my working process from To Drown was one of the performances that evening. Big thanks to Freya Jeffs for organizing the Cottier Dance project. There were a lot of nice performances in the program and she really made me feel like home at Cottier Theater!

I was really nervous how everything will go in the evening, because last week when I did the Company showing in Dance Base, my piece was 24 min. And it felt good.... It was also really nice to get good feedback and thoughts that really opened my eyes also. But how will I get all that done in 10 min? That was really hard... Because I really wanted to show what I have been doing, so showing just one part felt weird. So I got something off but still tried to show some from every part.

Mostly everything was in my mind.. I hope I don't speed up everything, because having the in my mind the 10 min. I wasn´t so happy of the performances, but I know I´m also very critical for myself. It was so nice that some of the Dance Base people and people that I have met in jams came to watch, and I was really interested to hear from them who has seen the 24 min and now saw the 10 min, was it different... And it was really nice to hear their feedback. :)

Over all the residency time for me was:

• amazing, 
• inspiring, 
• connection time (meeting new people),
• working time (having all my focus on the piece and me as a dance artist),
• learning time (surprising myself many ways, piece came contemporary/Street piece...where did that come from... :D), 
• getting a energy boost,
• breathing and stopping for this moment.

What the residency time in Edinburgh gave for me:

I learned a lot of my working tools and I learned that for me these kinds of residences are good to getting all my focus into the piece that I´m working but also it gave me space to work (and I mean space in many ways!). I learned a lot of my working methods what works and what helps me to get open. Because some times I feel too shut down after working so intensive with the Company.
It was also very teaching to do the two showings, getting the feedback and having new ideas from that. But also as a performer I learned of myself a lot, mind is really powerful weapon to make you too critical and getting you shut down.

Being in other peoples classes and teaching people on other city taught me as a teacher. Getting ideas also in my own work and it is inspiring to notice that I would have so many new things that I would like to teach fro these people in here and also what these students and teacher could teach me.

But over all this time gave me new ideas in my artistic work and teaching works and also running the Company. I was open for everything and I really feel I got a lot. And that was the best reminder, be open and everything goes well, don't shut down any way.

I felt like dome and mostly it was of the lovely people on Dance Base, in the Jams and in Meadowlark yoga. So from the bottom of my heart I thank all the people that I met! <3

Also big thank´s for Jarkko believing in me and really doing everything that I got this change. And thanks for JOJO`s people to giving me the opportunity! <3

Now at home, but feeling that now everything is just starting!

Guys next year you will see the To Drown!

Blogging soon of life as a artist and company owner. :)

-Pirita