Today was another busy day here at NUOVA. However, it did get to start a little later than usual. We only had to be there at 11 o clock today, which was amazing, because I got to sleep in till 7:30. Imagine that, 7:30, now that's called sleeping in. I woke up and made myself the best yogurt combination, muesli, and ate it on the deck with the sun streaming on my face. I brought the phone with me, and called my dear friends Rachel, Heather, and Megan, who are working at camp. It was really nice to chat with friends from my other world. Strange to say other world, but at this point, it feels like I have 2 lives. NUOVA and REALITY. Or it's kind of like work and personal life.
Most of the day was filled with Romeo and Juliet runthrough's. Which are starting to feel much more smooth. I love when the whole story starts to make sense.
Another thing I keep realizing is how important language is. I spent the evening with Kate and Julia, and after going out for a lovely coffee date, we came back to Kate's room and started taking apart the R and J text. I have never fully understood, until now, how crucial it is to know what you are talking about. I mean it seems obvious, but I've never really done it. I've never experienced it. AHHHH, it's continuing to blow my mind. We took the opening prologue dialogue and read the literal translation (from French to English) and then they asked me to put it into my own words, as if I was telling a story. It was a completely eye opening experience. I will never learn a piece the same way again. And this experience makes me want to know how to speak many languages. I don't know if you all know the story of R and J, but I am going to give you a translation of the opening prologue.
"In the city of Verona, there once were two rival families. The Montague's and Capulet's. This endless war caused much blood to be spilled over the steps of each families castles. Like a shining light, piercing the stormy cloud, Juliet appeared, and Romeo loved her. And forgetting to hate each others names, they were inflamed with the same love for each other. But, cruel fate, and blind hate, they paid for there love in numbered days. Through this tragedy birthed love between the families."
There you go folks, that's the story of Romeo and Juliet in a nutshell, and now I actually understand what the heck I'm staying in the chorus in the prologue. Now it will be much easier to start memorizing the French because I can actually tell a story, and communicate something to the audience.
Tonight was the English Song Soriee night, in which I sang Barber's Opus 45. It went so much better than I thought it was going to go. I felt open and myself onstage, and that was affirmed in the comments I received afterwards. It felt really good to give an honest performance, holding nothing back, and living in the moment. These are the step by step moments. I have to remember that I'm not all of a sudden going to change, and everything will just work. It's a process, and I have to love where I am right now, and use it to be awesome. It sounds selfish, but we could all do a little better at being awesome. We all have it in us to be better! Why not try?
Lastly, I want to make one more comment about sports and performance. Never have they be so connected in my mind. After seeing a Baseball game on Monday night, I have craving sports. I crave the intensity, the physicality, the anticipation, the emotion, the rawness, the roughness, the right and left brain thinking in harmony, the not thinking, and just doing, the constant changing, the sweat, the collaboration, the beauty of being totally in the moment! I want it now. And never has it been more clear that all of these things exist in opera and performance; they have too. I have to just figure out how to apply these things that I already do instinctively in sports to my performing! Let the process continue!!
Time for bed,
Over and Out!
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