some more comments from our artists

The dream of a prince, of the Firebird prince......

"Ar fi un vis, care as dori sa-l implinesc
Si iata s-a implinit…..
Ar fi un vis ceea ce ne dorim?
Dar asta nu putem sa stim.
Ar fi un vis ceea ce ni se intampla?
Ar fi un vis ceea ce ne comunica ?
Ar fi…….
Ar fi un vis, cu care sa nu ne impacam
Ar fi un vis, cu care sa nu ne certam
Ar fi…….
Ar fi un vis o realitate sau un adevar ?
O realitate,un adevar......
O dorinta sau o credinta?
Ar fi........un vis........
Un vis,pe care il dorim
Cu totii impreuna sa-l traim
Clipa cu clipa as dori,
Sa simt ceea ce n-am simtit.
O familie unita intr-un vis…..
Dar....un vis e ca o floare
O floare care invie si apoi moare...."

Cornel Cimpoieru (19)

.....and the dream of his princess: the Firebird

" A few days before going to Bucharest, I wanted to renounce to the project; but then I thought: now that I have entered the game, I must play it till the end...At first I found it hard to renounce something good, but I have found something much much better! I first shed tears of sadness and now they are tears of happiness!

I am living a dream....or could it be reality?"

"Inainte cu cateva zile sa ajung in Bucuresti,am vrut sa renunt la acest proiect,dar am zis,ca,daca am intrat in joc,trebuie sa ajung pana la final…..uite, ca acum sunt aici si sunt foarte fericita….totul e perfect!

Am renuntat la un bine cu inima in dinti si am ajuns la un bine mult,mult mai mare!
........la inceput au fost lacrimi de tristete,iar acum sunt lacrimi de fericire!

Traiesc un vis!
Oare chiar e realitate ?"

17.08.2009
Ana Maria Veres (18)


,,Parerea mea,,

,,Pasarea de foc,,este primul dans comunitar din Romania, care ne-a fascinat pe toti, ne-a facut sa ne exprimam trairile asa cum sunt de fapt fara nici un fel de masca. Eu am invatat foarte multe lucruri din aceasta experienta. Nu am avut nici un fel de emotii la spectacol, pentru ca am avut incredere in echipa cu care am lucrat si stiam ca totul o sa iasa bine.
Nu pot uita aceasta experienta, pentru ca a fost una dintre cele mai frumoase momente din viata mea.

VA IUBESC!,,

Adela (17)


" I don´t know how, but this morning I woke up on the stage, in front of hundreds of people. I think it is going to be a great evening and I don´t know where the last month of preparation has flown.

When the music inundates your ears and you are dazzled by the lights, you enter in a kind of trance. It is bound to be good because in dance, soul and body literally melt together in an emotion from which energy is flowing."

Nu stiu,cum m-am trezit azi pe scena,in fata a sute de oameni.Se pare ca va fi o ."seara mare si nici macar nu stiu pe unde a zburat o luna de pregatiri.
Cand muzica ne inunda urechile si luminile te orbesc,e un fel de transa in care intri.Trebuie sa iasa bine, caci in dans sufletul si trupul se contopesc cu adevarat,in emotia care curge in energie.

Christina (18)

Dear reader,

"I am very happy to dance along your side. I would like to encourage you to dance. Nobody was ever born "learned". It is like in daily life: every day, we learn something new and this is also true for dance, you can learn it quite quickly, even if at the beginning I found it quite difficult. To succeed, you need will and patience.

There is a saying I like: Learn everything, learn as much as you can, so that you can make your way through life.

We will be a team until the end and I am csure we´ll succeed!!!"

Boldijar Gheorghe(18)

You remember Bogdan?

How could one ever forget him! Bogdan was probably the best volunteer of our team because he had not come as such and therefore we had not expected him to become one. Bogdan studies film production together with Tedy and joined the Firebird project as part of his team to document it. Like Tedy, he chose to stay with the kids at the Neghinita centre for the entire period of the project and took part in their daily - and "nightly" life. Very mature and responsible although only nineteen, with a great sense of humour and a heart at the right place......

He was one of the first "visitors" of the diary. Here are his impressions in Romanian, for the "artists" to understand them, but they deserve to be translated in English as well because Bogdan, like many other volunteers and helpers of the project, is a worthy representative of a Romania which few people know.

" Buna seara cititorule.

Scriu aceste randuri dintr-un loc extraordinar.Este o casa de copii,dar acest lucru nu conteaza. Sper sa poti, prin intermediul acestor cuvinte, sa simti bucuria si entuziasmul, pe care eu le-am experimentat inca din prima zi.
Acum cateva luni habar nu aveam in ce ma bag. As vrea sa iti imaginezi cea mai delicioasa tocanita, pe care ai mancat-o,ceva de genul acesta este aici, o tocanita de povesti. Fiecare copil are povestea lui inscrisa pe chip, nu o auzi din gura lui, ci o astepti pe fata. Acum,din punctul meu de vedere,fiecare se afla in fata unei noi povesti,o poveste incredibila, ce poarta numele ,,Pasarea de foc...
Mi s-a dat oportunitatea de a vedea cea mai incredibila alchimie din viata mea. Am urmarit incet, incet, cum povestea fiecaruia se scrie cu cuvinte de aur.
Cei ce nu cred in magie ar trebui sa vada personajele acestei povesti, fiecare cu greutatile lui, toate acum, prin puterea dansului,transformandu-se in aur." Bogdan

"Good evening, dear reader,

I am writing these lines from an extraordinary place. It is a children´s home, but this is unimportant. I hope that, through the intermediary of these words, I can make you feel the enthusiasm and the joy which I have experienced here from the very first day.

A few months back, I had no idea what I was getting into. Try to imagine the best "tocanita" (Romanian version of goulash) you have ever eaten. Well here, it is something similar: a gloulash of destinies. Each child has his own story written on his face. You do not hear it from him, but you read it from him. And at this moment, in my opinion, each of them is writing a new story, an incredible tale called "Pasarea de foc"...
I was given the chance to witness the most incredible alchemy I have ever seen in my life. I am witnessing how, step by step, the tale of each of them is being written in golden words.

Those who do not believe in Magic should see the characters of this tale, whose burden of lead, through the power of dance, is transforming itself into gold.

11.08.09
Bogdan Benea

First and last picture of the "Firebird" family!

You can see Julia´s (Barbara´s friend) wonderful pictures about the project on the following website:http://pasareadefoc.jimdo.com/
The password to enter the site is: pasarea. I will put more pictures on the site in the next days.
Have fun!

Our artists´voices......in silence!

All along the project, our young artists, as well as educators and volunteers, could write down their impressions on a note book at the rehearsal place or at our Bucharest home "Neghinita". I wish I had time to translate them all so that not only the kids can read what their friends have written and felt about the project, but also our readers from Germany and abroad. I promise to try and find the time to translate at least some extracts in the near future.

"It is a nice day, in which we want to enjoy being together as a group. I hope that we will have new energy on Monday after a nice and relaxing weekend, and that, surmounting minor problems, we will be able to accept each person as she is, and learn to see the beauty of each one.
For my part, I receive energy from each member of the group"
Anonymous

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Maria, I am from Codlea. I would like to thank Monique and Alexandra for organzing the Firebird, the first project of that kind and already a success. I had met lots of children from homes before, but not as nice ones. What we look like and how we think does not count as much as our heart. That you have everything does not mean that you have more qualities than someone who is poor but helps others who are like him.

I never thought we could give the best out of us. Dance has taught us what it means to work hard to reach what you really want. It has changed us a lot, especially our behaviour. We have gained self confidence. By dancing in front of such a large public, we have proved that we are capable, we have achieved that the publc be proud of us instead of rejecting us because we are from a children´s home and therefore naughts. We are not any different that anybody else and we also have our qualities.
With thanks and respect,"
Monica (17)



"Desi este a doua saptamina mi-am facut prieteni si am avut ocasia sa descoper cea mai incredibila parte din mine..."
Dorina (12)

"How to start, when there would be so much to say about this project, the best I have ever participated in. I became aware that, with efforts and determination, you can achieve whatever you want. It also taught me that, however different we are, we are all alike.
I fear the moment when we will depart from one another. I think I will talk about this project all my life and have the same strong feelings about it as now!"
Roxana (17)

"Dear diary,
"I am happy to get to know you and be able to tell you a few things about myself. To be honest, this project seemed extremely complicated to me at first, during the first days of work, until I realized that precisely work and concentration strengthen my personality and give me power. Whenever I succeed, I feel fulfilled. I could tell you a lot more about myself, but it is quite late now and I am exhausted....." Tonto(17)



"Good evening, diary,
"In the last few days, I felt much more concentrated. I am putting all my heart in this project to gather more experience for myself and have a better vision of the world, different from the one I had up to now.
I am happy with my new friends and friends who are "class-bests". I did not expect this project to involve so many emotions. It has changed my behaviour quite a bit. I started to feel the femininity inside me. This week, I have been asking myself what will happen when I leave this place, when it is all over, what will I do? How will I feel a week, a month after the Firebird has come to its end? It is hard to depart from such an experience. I asked myself if I could go on with this project, whereever I go. I got to like it. Before, whenever I heard about dance (ballet and so on) I would stick out my tongue and shake my head. I hated it. But now, the wheel has rotated. Things are much better. I feel that something in us has changed.
It´s been nice to meet you . Nico(17)

Today, Josef is online, talking to each of you!

"A new beginning.....

Now that time has gone by, and everybody is back on his own road in life, my thoughts often turn to the 5 weeks in Bucharest, which I really did enjoy a lot.

During the intensive training sessions, 5 days a week, mostly for 6 hours, I was given the chance to work with you wonderful young people and through you to get a glimpse of a totally different culture. When something finishes, there is always at the same time a new beginning. Some friends will stay for the rest of your life, others will never be seen again.

So the conclusion of one project and the beginning of the next mirror life, which always moves on and we have the challenge to use the experience as an engine to move forward. When one thing ends it is not a sad matter; it enables you to move on taking with you the experience and the knowledge it gave you, strengthened by it.

It was such a pleasure to see all of you constantly growing, trying hard and starting to share your gifts and talents. I always knew it would take time for you to understand the approach to dance, and how strange it would be, at the beginning, to work in such a focused and disciplined way. I love the work I do, being strongly convinced by the amazing impact it can have on our lives.


I appreciate how far you went, how deep you delved into this beautiful subject of dance and within yourselves. The performance you gave was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen in the field of community dance: there was something magic on stage: you were able to touch the audience with your dance.

Maybe, there is the question now, how can you bring this beauty, strength and movement into your daily lives? I always ask myself this question when I leave a place and it always throws me back to myself and to my own story. If you teach how to achieve a goal, you always have to ask yourself the same question. I really hope you keep going and never forget that you can achieve anything in life, if you go for it with the same amount of passion you gave the Firebird.

Wherever your life takes you, nothing seems to be more important than keeping self respect and respecting other people, trusting the beauty inside to stay with this part within you which wants be a creative, empathetic and proud human being.
In the end it is quite simple. It is all about being responsible for everything you do, every word you say and every movement you share with other people.

Never forget, each of you played your part in the Firebird, and with one missing, it would have been something different. So my heartfelt wish for all of you is that you keep following your dreams and the belief that nothing is impossible. But if you do that, you sometimes might have to go on a road, where you walk alone for quite a while. And maybe there also will appear forks in the road sometimes without signposts telling you in which direction to go. If you then listen to your inner voice, it will tell you.

Love to all,"

Josef

Warm thanks to all supporters and friends of the Firebird

The ambitious‘Firebird’ project has drawn to a highly successful conclusion.

Your vision in supporting this project has been crucial to its implementation and success. We very much appreciate your concern and generosity, which has enabled long-term benefits for the many underprivileged youngsters, who were in our care.

They, through the experience of the “Firebird,” have now become, relatively speaking, the privileged ones. On their behalf, thank you so much.


The intensive training, every day for 6 hours over almost 6 weeks, brought together into one homogeneous whole, one hundred and ten young people, aged between 8 and 25, from Bucharest, Sibiu, Brasov and Ploiesti: 75% from underprivileged backgrounds, 8 with special needs, others -5 of them- deaf and therefore requiring sign language, and yet 15% from a “normal” family background. This time together enabled us to provide for those that needed it medical and dental treatment, clothing and 24 hour care and attention.

The team spirit, mutual respect, enthusiasm and desire to achieve that was created through the training sessions culminated in two stunning performances, one in the National Theatre in Bucharest on September 5th, the other ‘on tour’ in Sibiu, on September 8th. The ten minute standing ovation was in itself a wonderful reward and moved our young artists to tears - indeed the performance itself had moved the audience to tears. And all this was taken up by radio, television, and the press, both in Romania and abroad.

Individually the youngsters grew so tall over the six weeks, discovering - of course - their creative potential but also experiencing the value of self discipline, determination and focus that is required for the successful realisation of any dream.

Their new-found self confidence, sense of responsibility and ability to trust their fellow human beings will bring them personally life long benefits and, hopefully too, Romanian society at large. The process was more important than the performances – brilliant though they were.

The whole experience is unforgettable for all, for some life-changing. You, through your generosity, have initiated untold and long lasting changes. From the bottom of my heart, I wish to express my deep gratitude to you all.

Could I have wished a better birthday present today than the joy to be read on these 110 youngsters´faces?

Fighting with my incompetence!

A week ago, I promised to post some more Photos on the blog. Since then I have been fighting to load them, unzip them or change their size. Unfortunately, I am not an expert .....I hope to get some help from a more talented cousin on Thurday and make a selection of the best shots of the performances by all our photographers, professionals AND amateurs. AT LAST!! one month after the show! So, do not despair.........

AND: Josef promised to send a message to our Firebird artists this week! He too oftens thinks with great pleasure of the busy and happy weeks spent together, sharing this fabulous adventure.

Young artists about he Firebird:

Dan, age 22:
"I am a youngster from Bucharest, living on the street; participating in this project gives me the feeling that the Firebird´s tale is becoming reality..."

Ionel, age 17:
"This project means a lot to me because I do not have anybody; and here I have found a family, brothers and friends. It teaches me how to get prepared for this life. I am very proud of what I am doing and happy to have a role. I would appreciate if I could get some support to carry on this project. Many thanks to all those who have put so much effort in this project."



Irina age 18:
For me, the Firebird has been a wonderful and intersting project....I learned a lot, but sometimes I came home exhausted.
There were some moments of relaxation, but the choreographic part required constant concentration....it is wonderful that Josef managed to have so much patience with such a large group of kids and to be honest, I envy him a bit for that.....

Emilia age 17:

I very much wanted to participate in this project. So whne I heard that I was admitted, I could hardly believe it and was very excited and enthusiastic. When I arrived, I realized that I hardly knew anybody and the beginning was a bit hard.....This experience -although tiredness and concentration often attained a maximum - allowed me to meet some wonderful and generous persons who have oaught me a lot.
Josef is an excellent teacher whom I have learnt to admire for his patience and the patience he managed to transmit all those around him....