"Sorry America but you've been doing theater wrong for the last 150 years."
Justin Colombo
The control that theRussian students have of their bodies is incerdible. Nothing I have seen in america can compare. Our bodies are so important for communication and in america we barely use them. The Russians as a people are very expressive with their bodies but the actors are even more amaxing. In the show last night it was some of the etudes that the seniors had worked on in their freshman year which were so successful to the public that they had continued. Our acting teachers told us to watch their examples of objects and animals, since that is what we are working o; and they were exact. The most impressive object was strings on a guitar. Each string had a distinct personality basedon the tambor; they made their bodies roll and vibrate like a string but they were people. For the animals their was a a skit of a wolf and hiena. I couldn't describe to you how they did it but it was unbelievable to see humans tranform into an animal so compelely. My favorite etude was tittled "Atraction." It was a entwining of two bodies. The choreoagraphy was so beautiful yet if anyone else tired todo it it would have been jerky becuase of the stain on the muscles. Every movement was slow and controled yet the technicality it took was more than I could imagine. there were so many beautiful peices and I was blown completly away by theirabilities. I think though our classes here will take us toward what they are ableto do but I think it will take alot of self dicipline to contiue the training becuase it isn't available to us in america.
Part of our training here includes ballet. We had ballet for the first time and I haven't sweat so much in my life. I was supprised how much was still in me. The only thing that wasn't very good was leg lifts but when she pushedmy legs I was more flexible then I have ever been. I will I think be better as time goes on and willget more strength.
Today I also had stage combat and voice but I will go into that later, as well as acting yesterday and today.
Love you all
Kirst
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
9/28
“Partners are everywhere”
Alex (acting professor)
Shshichstdtvbkglieyeyoyu is about how I feel when I am trying to learn Russian; my mouth can not keep up with my head. Russian as a language uses a lot more mouth muscles and is placed more forward in the mouth. We currently are working on the alphabet which is derived from Greek. I feel like a child when they are first learning to speak and everything comes out of their mouths a little funny, maybe they can’t say their r’s. While I have the r my e’s, and every possible e sound and any double sounds are totally lost to me but like I have said before being so immersed makes it easy to understand. We had our first Russian class and hopefully after three times a week I will begin to speak the language.
From a sit down class to extreme sweating, my movement class pushed me and today was only a test to see where we were WITHOUT pushing ourselves. We went through each body part first stretching then strengthening. I was very frustrated because I found that my shoulders in my hiatus from movement have become stiff and will not stretch as they are supposed to, I have a lot of work a head of me. I find it so interesting some stretches I can push my self very far while others I just get stuck. It seems though that our teacher Natasha will be able to push our bodies to incredible heights. For one of our tests Natasha had us jump over chairs in preparation for more elaborate jumps; imagine the possibilities.
In acting today we concentrated on partners and being in the moment. Sasha and Alex (our teachers) told us that partners are not only the person we are looking at but the whole group, the space, the chair we are sitting on and our in self. We worked on the hardest thing I think to do as an actor: receiving and giving communication in that exact moment. Internalizing the energy and emotion and feeling it change us and express it. It was hard though because it required us to be quick and it is hard to not over think when you are trying to focus on producing a reaction quickly. Our etude went well I think it pleased them how much time we spent on it but we are making a new one tonight. We also made small individual etudes of objects and preformed them. I was a hair straightened but I did not prepare how I should have and did not impress them but we are all redoing it for tomorrow so that is homework. I’m surprised how little time there is at night and how much there is to do. I have a feeling that this is the beginning of a busy, painful, and rewarding week.
Love
Kirsten
Alex (acting professor)
Shshichstdtvbkglieyeyoyu is about how I feel when I am trying to learn Russian; my mouth can not keep up with my head. Russian as a language uses a lot more mouth muscles and is placed more forward in the mouth. We currently are working on the alphabet which is derived from Greek. I feel like a child when they are first learning to speak and everything comes out of their mouths a little funny, maybe they can’t say their r’s. While I have the r my e’s, and every possible e sound and any double sounds are totally lost to me but like I have said before being so immersed makes it easy to understand. We had our first Russian class and hopefully after three times a week I will begin to speak the language.
From a sit down class to extreme sweating, my movement class pushed me and today was only a test to see where we were WITHOUT pushing ourselves. We went through each body part first stretching then strengthening. I was very frustrated because I found that my shoulders in my hiatus from movement have become stiff and will not stretch as they are supposed to, I have a lot of work a head of me. I find it so interesting some stretches I can push my self very far while others I just get stuck. It seems though that our teacher Natasha will be able to push our bodies to incredible heights. For one of our tests Natasha had us jump over chairs in preparation for more elaborate jumps; imagine the possibilities.
In acting today we concentrated on partners and being in the moment. Sasha and Alex (our teachers) told us that partners are not only the person we are looking at but the whole group, the space, the chair we are sitting on and our in self. We worked on the hardest thing I think to do as an actor: receiving and giving communication in that exact moment. Internalizing the energy and emotion and feeling it change us and express it. It was hard though because it required us to be quick and it is hard to not over think when you are trying to focus on producing a reaction quickly. Our etude went well I think it pleased them how much time we spent on it but we are making a new one tonight. We also made small individual etudes of objects and preformed them. I was a hair straightened but I did not prepare how I should have and did not impress them but we are all redoing it for tomorrow so that is homework. I’m surprised how little time there is at night and how much there is to do. I have a feeling that this is the beginning of a busy, painful, and rewarding week.
Love
Kirsten
Sunday, September 27, 2009
9/27
To be a tourist you see the sites of Moscow but not Moscow itself and while they are beautiful, breath taking and unlike anything you have ever seen in your life, Moscow can be beautiful without them. Today I think was the first day I felt connected to Moscow as a city. I ordered my own meal and despite the fact that I didn’t speak Russian very well I didn’t hold up the line, like I typically do. The language and their intentions behind their words is becoming easier to understand. Instead of gibberish I can hear unique sounds. Moscow is becoming comfortable and I think that is one of the beauties of the city. While the city and even the people can be harsh and even aggressive there is an understanding of the opposite that they can show you just as much kindness. It finally hit me today that I am in Russia and living amongst people who are nothing and everything like me.
The physical beauty of Moscow is also amazing which we saw on our 3 ½ hour bus tour. It was long and we stopped and got out places but it was worth it. The first thing we saw was St. Basil’s cathedral and the Kremlin which I have never seen and equal to. The cathedral, our tour guide explained, is a culmination of churches which creates a compass of the city. The red dome points north while the green points south. The east looks like traditional Russian hat and the west look like grenades because invasions all come from the west. This is one of the amazing things about Moscow in even the architecture tells the history of the city. Next we went to the overlook of the city by the cathedral Christ’s Savior which I had been to two days before. In Moscow they have a tradition that when a couple get married they write their names on a pad lock and put it on trees on a bridge- Only the picture can truly describe it. At this same bridge they have a bench that is curved and it is said if a couple who is fighting sits on either side and slides to the middle they will resolve their argument. Our next stop was a sculpture created by a French artist as a memorial to all the abused children, “for the children who are victims of adult’s vices.” The memorial is a ring of sculptured vices with two golden children in the middle, their hands reaching out to each other. We continued on to a park next to an old monastery where Stanislavsky and many other great Russians are buried. It was nice to just walk around. The last stop was Sparrow Hill where there is a beautiful panoramic of the city and the Moscow State University, Moscow’s Harvard. It was an incredible building but got the remark, “well that’s not intimidating (sarcasm).”
We are done sight seeing for the week. I start class tomorrow on a normal schedule. We are performing our first etude tomorrow, a short silent scene created by the group, which we rehearsed for an hour this evening. We are ready to have it ripped apart tomorrow but that is good. We were warned that we should expect criticism because Stanislavsky believed it was the way to get better to leave the good and work on the bed.
The physical beauty of Moscow is also amazing which we saw on our 3 ½ hour bus tour. It was long and we stopped and got out places but it was worth it. The first thing we saw was St. Basil’s cathedral and the Kremlin which I have never seen and equal to. The cathedral, our tour guide explained, is a culmination of churches which creates a compass of the city. The red dome points north while the green points south. The east looks like traditional Russian hat and the west look like grenades because invasions all come from the west. This is one of the amazing things about Moscow in even the architecture tells the history of the city. Next we went to the overlook of the city by the cathedral Christ’s Savior which I had been to two days before. In Moscow they have a tradition that when a couple get married they write their names on a pad lock and put it on trees on a bridge- Only the picture can truly describe it. At this same bridge they have a bench that is curved and it is said if a couple who is fighting sits on either side and slides to the middle they will resolve their argument. Our next stop was a sculpture created by a French artist as a memorial to all the abused children, “for the children who are victims of adult’s vices.” The memorial is a ring of sculptured vices with two golden children in the middle, their hands reaching out to each other. We continued on to a park next to an old monastery where Stanislavsky and many other great Russians are buried. It was nice to just walk around. The last stop was Sparrow Hill where there is a beautiful panoramic of the city and the Moscow State University, Moscow’s Harvard. It was an incredible building but got the remark, “well that’s not intimidating (sarcasm).”
We are done sight seeing for the week. I start class tomorrow on a normal schedule. We are performing our first etude tomorrow, a short silent scene created by the group, which we rehearsed for an hour this evening. We are ready to have it ripped apart tomorrow but that is good. We were warned that we should expect criticism because Stanislavsky believed it was the way to get better to leave the good and work on the bed.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
9/26
“Our childhood is our greatest tool for our creativity.”
Tolya
Green is a tall pine forest, light yellow is a tiny chick at Easter and black is the never-ending sky. Today was our first acting class and one of the activities was to think and be a color and then connect with others who were the same color. For our first acting class it as all about creating a rhythm with our group whether it was though clapping in order with task of walking and figuring out who was “it” without any external cues. Our professor Sasha speaks broken English but you can understand what he is saying simply through his body language. He is a great actor on the Moscow stage even while he sits every muscle is engaged in his words. We have a second teacher who is also a great actor but we haven’t met him yet.
In history Tolya introduced us to the personality of Stanislavski. He told us that when he tried to write a book the only thing that appeared in his manuscript was stories from his childhood. His books were never a bout his greatness but his failures and how each failure brought him closer to his goals as an artists.
Tonight we went out to a Russian bar, and because of our huge group and loudness the Russians were giving us dirty looks which is actually not that uncommon. Whenever we go to Russian stores the clerks yell at us in Russian until they realize we have no idea what they are saying, so then their best form of communication is to glare. Not all Russians are like this the other students, our guides, and our teachers and once in a while a sympathetic stranger will help us get through the language barrier. I find that the Language barrier is the one thing that I wish I could change and one thing that I would have done differently.
Pa’Ca
Kirsten
Friday, September 25, 2009
9/25 to my love ones
“If you want to know an artist you need to know how they live and how they love”
-Toliya Smeliansky
I have never met a passionate man about the theater then my history professor, and artistic director of MXT Smeliansky. He stressed to us the importance of telling MXT history as it was. As time has passed in the Russian theater each revolution has changed the face of the MXT or as we learned the MXT has shaped the face of Russia. In our “lecture” hall there is a exhibit with all the picture of great artists of the MXT looking at all of us. It felt like guides almost despite the cliché. It is a living exhibit it changes with the political landscape, “Behind every picture is a problem.” We also had Russian Cinema, to be honest I was exhausted so I didn’t absorb all of it but the women was wonderful.
Our evening to night has been abosorbed in sadness. One of our members lost their college room mate to night. Her pain transferred to all of us with reality of how far we are from home and the love ones we left behind. I love you all very much and I pray you are in good health. Please send prayers and energy my way for my grieving friend.
It is time for bed I will write more tomorrow but this is what on my heart tonight. This program is a blessing and so are all of you.
With all my Love
Kirsten
-Toliya Smeliansky
I have never met a passionate man about the theater then my history professor, and artistic director of MXT Smeliansky. He stressed to us the importance of telling MXT history as it was. As time has passed in the Russian theater each revolution has changed the face of the MXT or as we learned the MXT has shaped the face of Russia. In our “lecture” hall there is a exhibit with all the picture of great artists of the MXT looking at all of us. It felt like guides almost despite the cliché. It is a living exhibit it changes with the political landscape, “Behind every picture is a problem.” We also had Russian Cinema, to be honest I was exhausted so I didn’t absorb all of it but the women was wonderful.
Our evening to night has been abosorbed in sadness. One of our members lost their college room mate to night. Her pain transferred to all of us with reality of how far we are from home and the love ones we left behind. I love you all very much and I pray you are in good health. Please send prayers and energy my way for my grieving friend.
It is time for bed I will write more tomorrow but this is what on my heart tonight. This program is a blessing and so are all of you.
With all my Love
Kirsten
Thursday, September 24, 2009
411
I lied my pictures won't be here but i think on face book it is going to be difficult though I will put a few up- I don't have a lot of internet time but I'll try!
9/24 Day 2
After fighting jet lag and a late morning some of us went to the American super market to get some groceries- especially for me, I had a hard time eating Russia food but I have found some nummy options. Communal cooking is a lot easier and a lot more fun so into the kitchen for a quick bite to eat and then of to MXT.
The walk to MXT is long and after the first 10 minutes you feet begin to throb because the streets switch between cement and a cobble stone like material. Walking in Moscow in very different because of the traffic. For the largest streets they have tunnels that go under ground and come out on the other side of the street. As you walk through the tunnels there are vendors on both sides selling an assortment of things.
Classes have still not begun yet but we had two meetings today one was a general meeting to see if we were all alright and the second was our first meeting with our Acting teachers. Both of the acting teachers are male- we are being split off into 2 groups- neither spoke any English and both had very Russian names which none of us remember. One teaches is the dean of acting and the other is a working professional at the MXT. The translators are interesting they take turns in somewhat short phrases, first the dean would speak something in Russian then the interpreter would translate. It was surprisingly easy to follow. The dean is wonderful very fun and has asked us not to loose our “American smiles.” We then had monologue performances my least favorite thing in the world, the dean could tell we were nervous so he said. “Don’t worry you don’t have to kill us with your acting.” He is very funny even after translation.
We got done early so they decided to take us on a boat ride along the Moscow River- that isn’t its real name but it runs through Moscow. All of the pictures are from this adventure- they aren’t actually taken by me but by my friend who is in the picture with me. The first step in our journey was to take the subway or tubs as they call them here. The tubs are set up similarly to DC but as my friends told me are busy like NYC. They are built like palaces with chandeliers, mosaics and marble everywhere. I was it bit nervous and Russian walk very fast but we got to the boat in one piece. The boat was amazing the first thing we saw was one of the glass bridges which was built originally a very long time ago but then was covered in glass fifteen year ago. Also we saw churches, the park (much like central park), the huge “dome” where all their sports are played, the new futuristic business center, a carnival, a gaudy monument to Peter the Great, One of the great cathedrals and A view from the bridge of Kremlin- which we will visit at a later date.
Tomorrow we have our first classes: Russian Cinema and History of Russian Theater with Smeliansky. We were told today that there are two magic worlds if we ever want anything in Moscow MXT and Smeliansky.
The walk to MXT is long and after the first 10 minutes you feet begin to throb because the streets switch between cement and a cobble stone like material. Walking in Moscow in very different because of the traffic. For the largest streets they have tunnels that go under ground and come out on the other side of the street. As you walk through the tunnels there are vendors on both sides selling an assortment of things.
Classes have still not begun yet but we had two meetings today one was a general meeting to see if we were all alright and the second was our first meeting with our Acting teachers. Both of the acting teachers are male- we are being split off into 2 groups- neither spoke any English and both had very Russian names which none of us remember. One teaches is the dean of acting and the other is a working professional at the MXT. The translators are interesting they take turns in somewhat short phrases, first the dean would speak something in Russian then the interpreter would translate. It was surprisingly easy to follow. The dean is wonderful very fun and has asked us not to loose our “American smiles.” We then had monologue performances my least favorite thing in the world, the dean could tell we were nervous so he said. “Don’t worry you don’t have to kill us with your acting.” He is very funny even after translation.
We got done early so they decided to take us on a boat ride along the Moscow River- that isn’t its real name but it runs through Moscow. All of the pictures are from this adventure- they aren’t actually taken by me but by my friend who is in the picture with me. The first step in our journey was to take the subway or tubs as they call them here. The tubs are set up similarly to DC but as my friends told me are busy like NYC. They are built like palaces with chandeliers, mosaics and marble everywhere. I was it bit nervous and Russian walk very fast but we got to the boat in one piece. The boat was amazing the first thing we saw was one of the glass bridges which was built originally a very long time ago but then was covered in glass fifteen year ago. Also we saw churches, the park (much like central park), the huge “dome” where all their sports are played, the new futuristic business center, a carnival, a gaudy monument to Peter the Great, One of the great cathedrals and A view from the bridge of Kremlin- which we will visit at a later date.
Tomorrow we have our first classes: Russian Cinema and History of Russian Theater with Smeliansky. We were told today that there are two magic worlds if we ever want anything in Moscow MXT and Smeliansky.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
9/23 We've Arrived
As we walked off the plane the only voices we could here were our own. The Russian were silent and spoke in hushed tones. In an American airport you expect lots of noise with lots of people but more then a hundred people stood in line waiting to go through customs. Even whispers broke the silence. As you hand them your passport they speak to you but you have no idea what they are saying and they in turn can’t understand you.
As we walked out of the airport with our MATS (Moscow Art Theater School- MXT) guides, who were warm and welcoming, it began to rain as Shawna our “chaperon” it is a city that at one minute can feel so warm and the next it can push you away. The men had to load our entire luggage- it is custom in Russia so that the women don’t hurt there uterus! And off we went on the bus in the most chaotic traffic I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure there are traffic laws; even the ambulance couldn’t get through the see of cars.
As we drive through Moscow I was a bit disappointed. I imagined it a more beautiful city, and perhaps we haven’t seen that part yet but it was a bizarre combination of old and new. As shiny high rises went up, dilapidated and broken apartments were their neighbors. On our trip into the city most of what we saw was apartment every where. Only when we got closer to our apartments did stores beginning to pop up. One of my fellow actors commented that the city is almost like New York City except all in RUSSIAN.
For all of you that don’t know the Russians have a different alphabet then us so everything looks like Greek but not. Very few people speak English very well of they have decided not to reveal it to us. We went to go get the essentials and it over whelmed me. Pedestrian do not have the right of way EVERYTHING is in Russian and Rubles are 1:30 so everything kind seems expensive but you can never tell because it’s a lot to be trying to figure out where everything goes. In the super market English was none existence.
Despite the frustration of not being able to communicate with the Russians with in each other we have started to become very close. My room mates name is Rachel and she is wonderful. Our room is large and beautiful; and the amenities are excellent and are only split between a few of us. The 29 other MATS students have a wonderful presence about them. They are here to improve their craft and have no judgment of others. It is very comfortable and when the frustration got to me a little- as well as the lack of sleep- they were there to support me. We have been told that the Russian theory of acting centers around the development of an ensemble and I think we are starting to become one. To feel safe with people you’ve only known three days in a country you could’ve never dreamed visiting says a lot about the type of people they are.
In an hour we leave for our first Russian dinner- again no English- so it will be an adventure. Tomorrow we meet our teachers and have a sort of Russian orientations. Class begins Friday or Saturday and Monday we start our full regime. This includes: Ballet, Russian Language, Acting Stage Movement, Stag fighting, Russian History, Russian Costume Design and Russian film. Our cultural activities start next week as well. My unpacking needs to be finished before diner so I can relax after before an early bed time, hopefully to kill any possible jet lag.
I love and miss you all
Kirsten
As we walked out of the airport with our MATS (Moscow Art Theater School- MXT) guides, who were warm and welcoming, it began to rain as Shawna our “chaperon” it is a city that at one minute can feel so warm and the next it can push you away. The men had to load our entire luggage- it is custom in Russia so that the women don’t hurt there uterus! And off we went on the bus in the most chaotic traffic I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure there are traffic laws; even the ambulance couldn’t get through the see of cars.
As we drive through Moscow I was a bit disappointed. I imagined it a more beautiful city, and perhaps we haven’t seen that part yet but it was a bizarre combination of old and new. As shiny high rises went up, dilapidated and broken apartments were their neighbors. On our trip into the city most of what we saw was apartment every where. Only when we got closer to our apartments did stores beginning to pop up. One of my fellow actors commented that the city is almost like New York City except all in RUSSIAN.
For all of you that don’t know the Russians have a different alphabet then us so everything looks like Greek but not. Very few people speak English very well of they have decided not to reveal it to us. We went to go get the essentials and it over whelmed me. Pedestrian do not have the right of way EVERYTHING is in Russian and Rubles are 1:30 so everything kind seems expensive but you can never tell because it’s a lot to be trying to figure out where everything goes. In the super market English was none existence.
Despite the frustration of not being able to communicate with the Russians with in each other we have started to become very close. My room mates name is Rachel and she is wonderful. Our room is large and beautiful; and the amenities are excellent and are only split between a few of us. The 29 other MATS students have a wonderful presence about them. They are here to improve their craft and have no judgment of others. It is very comfortable and when the frustration got to me a little- as well as the lack of sleep- they were there to support me. We have been told that the Russian theory of acting centers around the development of an ensemble and I think we are starting to become one. To feel safe with people you’ve only known three days in a country you could’ve never dreamed visiting says a lot about the type of people they are.
In an hour we leave for our first Russian dinner- again no English- so it will be an adventure. Tomorrow we meet our teachers and have a sort of Russian orientations. Class begins Friday or Saturday and Monday we start our full regime. This includes: Ballet, Russian Language, Acting Stage Movement, Stag fighting, Russian History, Russian Costume Design and Russian film. Our cultural activities start next week as well. My unpacking needs to be finished before diner so I can relax after before an early bed time, hopefully to kill any possible jet lag.
I love and miss you all
Kirsten
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