Inner strength

Every day the youngsters are learning to bring themselves to inner stillness and focus more quickly. Whoever had not seen this would not think it possible to see this colourful mass of beings - all ages, sizes and abilities - standing stock still on command, eager, so eager. You can hear a needle drop. Straining to grow in height and in character, finding out what they can achieve physically, who they are. Learning not to look around, not to be conscious of the others around them but to stay within themselves, to be alone. To be strong alone. Yet to support each other to concentrate. To play their part in the group. Each member of the group has a unique and vital energy to give. No-one should feel they are better or worse than anyone else. Focus, energy, effort.
A privilege to witness.

A dream team of choreographers Josef the master of charm - patient and passionate. Martha, Irina, Oana and Iris correcting the movements, supporting the children, giving them confidence - beautiful and fabulous role models:
Oana and Irina taking turns to translate Josef's English into Romanian; signing happening too simultaneously for our hearing impaired youngsters.
Viv
Animated half hour chat between hearing and hearing impaired artists during a break

By the way, Alexandra, Ana, Cristina, Madalina and Ana-Maria form Sf Maria school for hearing impaired are among our most attentive and concentrated participants. Two of them do not hear at all, the three others have a device and hear a liitle bit. After the second day of rehearsal they disclosed their first impressions to me:
"this kind of dance is new to us. We had already done pop, modern dance, gym, but this is different... a kind of mixture of all and....quite tiring. We follow Josef´s indications by looking at our teachers who translate them for us. The rest we do by imitation watching carefully what the others do."
Their concentration, their rapidity to adapt and execute new movements, their grace and against all expectations their boldness and confidence in others struck me when from the very first day when Josef was looking for volunteers to be heaved up by their peers above their own heads: Madalina and Ana-Maria seized the occasion and proved to be much more relaxed and confident than the three other "lying statues". They certainly do have this inner strength which Josef is trying to develop in all of them!

Monique