Forgot to mention....
My companion at the theatre was a young man from the festival who I met on the tram. His name is Yan (Jan?) from Estonia. He's 27. He, like many Europeans at this festival, are professional dancers or choreographers. They can sustain this identity and lifestyle in Europe. They make enough money to do this, and not hold 3 other jobs at the same time. They are suitably paid for whataw they do.
After the show, Jan sees a fellow Estonian artist and leaves to greet her. Her name is Evelyn and she is a writer. She writes about performances for an Estonian paper and is paid adequately for this, too. I share these details for one reason:
Jan and Evelyn focus on performance or writing, respectively. They do these specific things alone and are supported to do them so that they may do them expertly. They investigate their identities in these roles entirely. I find this a lot with European dancers I meet. They perform full time. This is a full activity and a full life, emotionally, artistically and financially. I guess the last time I was in Europe as a 19 year old I didn't quite get this difference between Europe and the states. Now I get it.
A met a woman named Lilly, who is from San Francisco, and she is moving to Berlin next month. Go, girl. She REALLY gets it.
I continue to marvel at the scene in these theatre spaces. The dance performances are THE place to be! The houses are always packed, the energy even in the lobby is tangible. I feel myself smiling like a little kid.
Must go to bed now, tra la.
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