but it was okay, the teacher was completely understanding. i really like my new professor. she's very knowledgeable and totally eccentric. she animates everything she teaches and encourages student involvement. i'm pretty excited for monday when i have a full two hours with her. the only downside to the arrangement is that her classroom is on the top floor of a very tall 6 story building. as i was climbing the stars to get to class, i broke a sweat and struggled to catch my breath. when i walked in and explained my situation in front of the class, i had to stop for a second to breath before i could talk. at least i introduced myself to the class with a collaborative laugh.
two nights ago i almost saw justice at club VIP on a street right across the street from the louvre. it was serendipitous almost... after coming back from class, this girl meliss from upstairs was walking back up to her room as i was just coming out of mine. we exchanged pleasantries and talked for a bit. she asked me what i was doing tonight, and i asked her. she asked me if i knew who the group justice is and that she was going to a free show of theirs tonight. i, flipped, out. she invited me to meet them at the club. fast forward a few hours, drew, robyn, philip, and i decide to go. we get there around 1030 and there's already a striking line out the door. the show is not supposed to start until 12... we wait outside, run into meliss and company, and just chat it up for a while. an hour and a half later, still nobody but the VIPs are let in and what used to be a line in front of the door turns into a mob in front of the door. fifteen minutes later, we decide to leave. there was no guarantee we were going to be let in and we wanted to catch the last metro and RER. the next morning i found out the club was so packed, they started charging 50 euros just to get in. sorry david, but i don't adore justice THAT much...
last night our group went to the grand opera, the old opera house near the gallerie lafayette. i've been inside the most beautiful building in paris, in my opinion, before. but i have never seen a show. it was a three movement ballet, and i just have to say... it was freaking awesome. admittedly i was a little bored towards the middle, but i was completely mesmerized for the most part. the pit was great, the dancing was great, the roof and ornate sculptures are great, the seats, on the other hand, were very uncomfortable. i never thought i'd say this, but i really did enjoy the ballet. the first movement was a classical ballet piece. it wasn't very story-orientated, but the coolest part was how all the dancers ended in the same position that they had started. the middle piece was more ethnically orientated (a touch of spanish flamenco). it featured a male dancer who had fallen in love with the main female dancer. at the end, he had 15 minute-or-so solo, which was just insanely beautiful. after sharing a kiss with the female dancer, he commits suicide by jumping out a window for a reason that i'm still not entirely sure about. i couldn't help but chuckle at its relative absurdity.
the third piece was my favorite. based on syncopation and repetitive rhythm, this modern dance featured a very manly female centerpiece who soloed for the ENTIRE 45 minute section. she was unbelievable. surrounding her, there were probably upwards of 30/35 male dancers who, in succession, slowly became part of the dance. the female was elevated on a red platform in the middle of the stage, and the males started sitting off to the side on red chairs. the final minute featured some pretty pretty intense music and many, what i would consider, unnatural body movements. all in all, i loved the experience. the only other ballet i had ever been to is the nutcracker, which was dwarfed in comparison to this night.
cheers, jhabra
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