Hello Everyone,
I've finally had my first experience of Snow! Its taken a while, but I finally have seen this part of nature that is a stranger to a lot of Aussies.
The weather took this unexpected turn last Wednesday. I woke up in the morning to find that instead of the usual drab cold rain falling from the sky, a heap of white fluff was falling from the sky! My snow had finally arrived! It snowed on and off for most of the morning and when the afternoon rolled around William and I headed out to explore. The snow hadn't really built up into drifts in the city because the ground was already quite wet. So we headed up the local mountain which has the television tower and a small amusement park at its peak. The mountain is a significantly higher than the city and had heaps of snow on it.
Walking up the mountain through all that fresh white snow was quite a magical experience. It really felt like being in Narnia. The snow, smoothly draped over the landscape, had created land of clean smooth undisturbed white. The snow creaked under our footsteps and the quiet was only disturbed by our voices or the occasion bird song. We walked up casually often stopping to throw snowballs or mess about.
For all my 'unsnowed' Aussie friends, its a bit like thick un-flavoured slushy drink. It sticks together really well when you pack it together (perfect for making snowballs!) It tastes (yes I did try some) just like ice, but really clean fresh ice. It was also remarkably quiet. Rain makes a steady drumming noise but, snow is virtually silent as it drifts down.
We made it to the top and had a bit of a walk through the snow covered amusement park. None of the attractions were working obviously, but there was such a cool atmosphere. The first snow of the season providing everyone with with fun and amusement.
For something like this you have to pictures and I took a heap. There in the side bar for blog readers and at this link for email readers.
There isn't much other news to share this week. There is a performances of the triple bill we've been working on on the 26 and 27th. I'm on the reserve team for "Africa" but don't think there will be any problems. The cast going to Egypt leaves next week. Again, the only way I would get to go would be an emergency in the casting.
On the visa front, they seem to have sorted something out which is going to be finalized in the next couple of days. Its still going to cost us 380 GEL which is a big hit, but there isn't much we can do about that.
Four weeks till Japan. Woopee!
Till next week,
DreamChaser,
Rodney Cuthbertson
Monday, 25 January 2010
Monday, 18 January 2010
A Little Bit of Home
G'day everyone,
Another week on the done pile and not a lot to show for it. Just the regular run of class in the morning and the one Africa rehearsal in the afternoon.
The visa saga continues like some badly written, over worked television serial. The present situation is Yasha and I are working illegally in the country having overstayed our initial three month entry visa. Gvantsa has been doing her head in trying to fix this problem that Tornike's miss-management has created. It got a bit ridiculous this week when Gvantsa had arranged for Yasha and me to drive to the closest border (Armenia or Azerbajian) so that we could cross the boarder, possibly pay a fine and then re-enter the country with another three month temporary visa. Joyous! Fortunately, that was cancelled at the last minute. Nina Anaiashvili's husband is in charge of the local Department of Foreign Affairs and has said that he will sort it out. So we are back at the beginning again, waiting.
On a much lighter note, we came across a group of Americans who are staying in Tbilisi. We were walking down the street when we spotted a blond girl wearing a blue North Face jacket walking the other way. It couldn't have been more obvious that she wasn't from Georgia if she had a sign around her neck. We said hello, and it turns out that she is part of a group of 24 students doing a three week internships in various NGOs around the city. Long story short, we said that we should meet up sometime, and last Thursday we met up the local "British Pub." We shared a few drinks and had a couple of laughs. It was just such a breath of fresh air to hang out with another group of people who speak English!
The highlight of this week (and of this month) is definitely my suitcase finally arriving in Georgia. Thats right! After three months of waiting, two round the world trips and a couple of miss-leading paper trails, my little piece of Australia finally arrived.
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| From Blogger Pictures |
As you can see, it had more than its fair share of bumps bangs on its expedition but everything inside was fine. And what joys did it contain! A late Christmas from home, but a Christmas none the less including a tube of Vegemite (much to the Israelite's bemusement). A massive, over-sized thank you to everyone who contributed to this package. It's more than just a parcel, its a little bit of home.
That's it from me this week. Same time and place for the next episode.
Rodney Cuthbertson
DreamChaser
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| From Blogger Pictures |
Sunday, 10 January 2010
Another Day, Another Week, Another Year
G'day Everyone,
Last week's post caused a nice spike in the number of views to the blog. Unfortunately, I don't have anything really exciting to follow up so this is going to be short and sweet.
After the tour, we had a few days off which were spent in solid recovery. These were followed by a couple of days were we had a simple class at company. The Georgian Christmas came and went on the 7th without much fuss. (It is definitely a much more spiritual affair in this country.) Rehearsals and company life only really re-started properly yesterday, so the week has been very bland.
The only rehearsal I'm doing at the moment is for a piece called Africa. I'm only understudying again so don't do any breath holding.
Oliver is safely back with us. I'm glad to have him back as the quiet was getting a bit too quiet.
Some other good news is that Gvansta has taken on the responsibility of sorting out our visas and we have seen immediate action. The dull part is that because we need them asap, we are going to have to pay an extra 100GEL to get them. Another item on the growing list of 'ineffective company' problems.
The other problem that is very high on this list is that the theatre still doesn't have running water. At first we just assumed it was it was because of the renovations that are currently happening in the theatre. But, a disturbing rumour has recently surfaced saying that we don't have water because the company haven't paid the bill! :-S I have no way of confirming this, but after what I've experienced recently, I wouldn't be surprised.
That's my life updated for the moment. Same time and place next week for more of the same! (Whack whack!)
Rodney Cuthbertson
DreamChaser
Last week's post caused a nice spike in the number of views to the blog. Unfortunately, I don't have anything really exciting to follow up so this is going to be short and sweet.
After the tour, we had a few days off which were spent in solid recovery. These were followed by a couple of days were we had a simple class at company. The Georgian Christmas came and went on the 7th without much fuss. (It is definitely a much more spiritual affair in this country.) Rehearsals and company life only really re-started properly yesterday, so the week has been very bland.
The only rehearsal I'm doing at the moment is for a piece called Africa. I'm only understudying again so don't do any breath holding.
Oliver is safely back with us. I'm glad to have him back as the quiet was getting a bit too quiet.
Some other good news is that Gvansta has taken on the responsibility of sorting out our visas and we have seen immediate action. The dull part is that because we need them asap, we are going to have to pay an extra 100GEL to get them. Another item on the growing list of 'ineffective company' problems.
The other problem that is very high on this list is that the theatre still doesn't have running water. At first we just assumed it was it was because of the renovations that are currently happening in the theatre. But, a disturbing rumour has recently surfaced saying that we don't have water because the company haven't paid the bill! :-S I have no way of confirming this, but after what I've experienced recently, I wouldn't be surprised.
That's my life updated for the moment. Same time and place next week for more of the same! (Whack whack!)
Rodney Cuthbertson
DreamChaser
Sunday, 3 January 2010
Happy New Year!!!
Happy New Year Everyone!!
I hope you and yours all saw in the new year with an appropriate level of razzle-dazzle.
In complete contrast to my Christmas, my New Year's is one of the most eventful I've ever had. My last encounter with Batumi was rather underwhelming, but this time was a completely different ball game.
We left Tbilisi early on the 29th. The seven hour bus ride was it's usual painful self, but was somewhat alleviated by the use of sleep mask, ipod and a couple of squat pot stops. (:-X) We arrived in good time at our hotel which was next door to the one we stayed in last time. It was actually one of the nicest hotels I've stayed in with lush rooms, awesome bathrooms, sauna, pool and even cereal for breakfast!
That same evening we had a rehearsal on the outdoor stage. Unfortunately, that night the weather was grim with bitter cold and steady rain. Despite some rumblings from the 'union' we all piled into the bus and drove to the stage. When we got there, I was surprised to find that the rehearsal was already under-way. The technical crews had everything working under the safety of plastic sheets and dancers dressed in boots and jackets were marking routines on the stage. After a relatively short wait of half an hour we were called to the stage for our turn. The stage was covered with carpet and absolutely drenched by now. It felt like being on the set for Singing in the Rain there was so much water everywhere, but nobody seemed to mind. We were all splashing around on the stage and laughing like a bunch of school kids. We did our own brief rehearsal to learn exits, entrances and get spacing. This is the only rehearsal I've ever done in jacket, jeans, boots, on a water-logged carpet stage, in bitter cold and pouring rain. It was just so out there that you had to laugh.
The morning of the 30th dawned as grim as the previous day. After breakfast we went to do class and rehearsal at a local hall. There wasn't a whole lot of barre space so it ended up being a short barre for the girls and the following rehearsal was also very short. So short in fact that I did it in jeans again. As you've probably gathered by now, the piece we were to perform was going to have a high cheese factor and not be anything overly difficult. Heck, it's New Years and all you have to do is make them laugh.
When we got back to the hotel, we discovered that there was now no running water. So we had the ironical situation of steady rain outside, but inside we couldn't get any out of a tap. (Ouch!) It was then that I sat down in a huff and wrote the previous post to pass some time. But as I went to dinner the sun came out to give us a lovely sunset, the water came on and things started to look up.
There was another rehearsal that evening on the stage. Though still damp and cold we still did the rehearsal in our boots and jackets, but at least it wasn't dumping rain like the previous day. The rehearsal was as efficient as the day before and I was starting to be impressed with the management of this production. When you have a couple of hundred performers needing stage time, organising them into a schedule and then getting them in and out quickly is no small feat.
That evening was Yasha's birthday so we went out with a group from the company to a restaurant and had a Georgian feast.
I slept in as much as I could the next morning before getting a late breakfast. We had yet another rehearsal on stage that morning which was as quick and painless as the previous ones.
After which, I indulged in some shopping as I was in need of some new dress shoes for the after party. It was a bit of a mission in a strange town, but in the end I found a nice brown pair that I liked. Having completed this objective, I went back to the hotel, had dinner, mucked about on the internet and had a bit of a dose.
We were one of the early acts to go on so we arrived at the stage at about 21:30. There was a small movie theatre behind the stage which was converted into a makeshift dressing room for the performers. The guys were all chucked into one theatre and the girls into another. It wasn't classy, especially as the air became misty with passive smoke, but it was better than that 'uuhhgg!' theatre down the road. There was a really festive atmosphere with everyone excited about performing, lots of friends from groups catching up and general merriment.
We were soon ready to go and it wasn't long before we where called stand-by. So we all huddled in the foyer of the cinema and everyone wearing jackets over the costumes as it was still cold enough to see your breath outside. The call went up and we moved outside to wait for the previous number to finish, constantly moving to prevent getting cold. Then I felt that dreaded ping of something giving in the costume that every dancer knows and dreads. My hurriedly sewn elastic straps had come adrift and I was left with saggy elastic hanging around my neck under my vest. "Only in Batumi!" I swore to myself, as I hurriedly shoved the elastic down my trousers which were mercifully snug enough to be secure.
There wasn't any time to thing about it, as we were on within the next minute. And, as a special treat this week, I found some video of the performance online! It took me hours of dragging through youtube to find our dance, but here it is. For blog readers, you will obviously notice the list of videos to the left. To those of you in the email world, the links are Ballet, Jose Carreras, New Year and Sukishvilebi. Hope you enjoy the show and there is more on youtube if you want to look for it.
After doing our bit, I went out and watched the show with Datto, Guga and Morris as it built towards the final hour. At midnight the fireworks when off and everyone kissed and hugged in the New Year. The only slightly concerning thing was the amount of fireworks that the jam packed crowd were letting off. Again, only in Georgia.
We all regrouped back at the bus and merrily kissed and hugged all round. We all got back to the hotel and got dressed up to go the dinner for performers that was happening afterwards. We arrived about 02:00 at a large function hall on the edge of town (and incidentally the Turkish border). The dinner itself is rather hard to describe. It was like a Georgian formal dinner. The tables where covered in meats, bread, salads, cakes, fruit, treats and wine by the jug full. The music was mix of classic pop songs and traditional Georgian a cappella singing. As we ate they kept bringing out more food and piling them high on the table.
This photo was taken AFTER most of us had finished eating. I think this only time were there has been more food on the table after I've finished eating than before.
The President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, was also at the the function doing what all politicians do. Roaming the tables, looking deep in eyes, thanking people for their contributions ect ect. Lola had the special honour of speaking with the first lady which she is very chuffed about. As for myself, I can now say that I've dined with a head of state. (lol)
By the time we got back to the hotel it was nearly 06:00. The girls went up to the bar and have a bit of dance. I went up but was just way too tired by that point so went back to our room, did some packing and collapsed for a few hours. I was up again at 10:30 which just gave me just time to eat breakfast, finish packing and check out to board the bus for the long, long ride home.
So that was my New Years in Georgia. Quite a jammed packed couple of days.
As a little foot note, I've often heard it said that the people who have the least to give are often the most generous. The night after we returned home the security guards who man the gate at our 'mansion' wished us a happy new years and offered us a drink of champagne. We couldn't really refuse their eager hospitality, so one of the guards rushed off to get some champagne. He was soon back and with Lola and Yasha translating we were toasting the new year with champagne in plastic cups, served off the back of a Mercedes. So simple, yet the spirit shone.
William has had to leave us for a couple of weeks because of family issues. On the other hand, Oliver will be back in two days to keep things lively.
That's it for this week. I hope you've all had a fabulous start to the new year and I wish you all peace and prosperity.
God Bless,
Rodney Cuthbertson
DreamChaser
I hope you and yours all saw in the new year with an appropriate level of razzle-dazzle.
In complete contrast to my Christmas, my New Year's is one of the most eventful I've ever had. My last encounter with Batumi was rather underwhelming, but this time was a completely different ball game.
We left Tbilisi early on the 29th. The seven hour bus ride was it's usual painful self, but was somewhat alleviated by the use of sleep mask, ipod and a couple of squat pot stops. (:-X) We arrived in good time at our hotel which was next door to the one we stayed in last time. It was actually one of the nicest hotels I've stayed in with lush rooms, awesome bathrooms, sauna, pool and even cereal for breakfast!
That same evening we had a rehearsal on the outdoor stage. Unfortunately, that night the weather was grim with bitter cold and steady rain. Despite some rumblings from the 'union' we all piled into the bus and drove to the stage. When we got there, I was surprised to find that the rehearsal was already under-way. The technical crews had everything working under the safety of plastic sheets and dancers dressed in boots and jackets were marking routines on the stage. After a relatively short wait of half an hour we were called to the stage for our turn. The stage was covered with carpet and absolutely drenched by now. It felt like being on the set for Singing in the Rain there was so much water everywhere, but nobody seemed to mind. We were all splashing around on the stage and laughing like a bunch of school kids. We did our own brief rehearsal to learn exits, entrances and get spacing. This is the only rehearsal I've ever done in jacket, jeans, boots, on a water-logged carpet stage, in bitter cold and pouring rain. It was just so out there that you had to laugh.
The morning of the 30th dawned as grim as the previous day. After breakfast we went to do class and rehearsal at a local hall. There wasn't a whole lot of barre space so it ended up being a short barre for the girls and the following rehearsal was also very short. So short in fact that I did it in jeans again. As you've probably gathered by now, the piece we were to perform was going to have a high cheese factor and not be anything overly difficult. Heck, it's New Years and all you have to do is make them laugh.
When we got back to the hotel, we discovered that there was now no running water. So we had the ironical situation of steady rain outside, but inside we couldn't get any out of a tap. (Ouch!) It was then that I sat down in a huff and wrote the previous post to pass some time. But as I went to dinner the sun came out to give us a lovely sunset, the water came on and things started to look up.
There was another rehearsal that evening on the stage. Though still damp and cold we still did the rehearsal in our boots and jackets, but at least it wasn't dumping rain like the previous day. The rehearsal was as efficient as the day before and I was starting to be impressed with the management of this production. When you have a couple of hundred performers needing stage time, organising them into a schedule and then getting them in and out quickly is no small feat.
That evening was Yasha's birthday so we went out with a group from the company to a restaurant and had a Georgian feast.
I slept in as much as I could the next morning before getting a late breakfast. We had yet another rehearsal on stage that morning which was as quick and painless as the previous ones.
After which, I indulged in some shopping as I was in need of some new dress shoes for the after party. It was a bit of a mission in a strange town, but in the end I found a nice brown pair that I liked. Having completed this objective, I went back to the hotel, had dinner, mucked about on the internet and had a bit of a dose.
We were one of the early acts to go on so we arrived at the stage at about 21:30. There was a small movie theatre behind the stage which was converted into a makeshift dressing room for the performers. The guys were all chucked into one theatre and the girls into another. It wasn't classy, especially as the air became misty with passive smoke, but it was better than that 'uuhhgg!' theatre down the road. There was a really festive atmosphere with everyone excited about performing, lots of friends from groups catching up and general merriment.
We were soon ready to go and it wasn't long before we where called stand-by. So we all huddled in the foyer of the cinema and everyone wearing jackets over the costumes as it was still cold enough to see your breath outside. The call went up and we moved outside to wait for the previous number to finish, constantly moving to prevent getting cold. Then I felt that dreaded ping of something giving in the costume that every dancer knows and dreads. My hurriedly sewn elastic straps had come adrift and I was left with saggy elastic hanging around my neck under my vest. "Only in Batumi!" I swore to myself, as I hurriedly shoved the elastic down my trousers which were mercifully snug enough to be secure.
There wasn't any time to thing about it, as we were on within the next minute. And, as a special treat this week, I found some video of the performance online! It took me hours of dragging through youtube to find our dance, but here it is. For blog readers, you will obviously notice the list of videos to the left. To those of you in the email world, the links are Ballet, Jose Carreras, New Year and Sukishvilebi. Hope you enjoy the show and there is more on youtube if you want to look for it.
After doing our bit, I went out and watched the show with Datto, Guga and Morris as it built towards the final hour. At midnight the fireworks when off and everyone kissed and hugged in the New Year. The only slightly concerning thing was the amount of fireworks that the jam packed crowd were letting off. Again, only in Georgia.
We all regrouped back at the bus and merrily kissed and hugged all round. We all got back to the hotel and got dressed up to go the dinner for performers that was happening afterwards. We arrived about 02:00 at a large function hall on the edge of town (and incidentally the Turkish border). The dinner itself is rather hard to describe. It was like a Georgian formal dinner. The tables where covered in meats, bread, salads, cakes, fruit, treats and wine by the jug full. The music was mix of classic pop songs and traditional Georgian a cappella singing. As we ate they kept bringing out more food and piling them high on the table.
 |
| From New Year Batumi |
This photo was taken AFTER most of us had finished eating. I think this only time were there has been more food on the table after I've finished eating than before.
The President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, was also at the the function doing what all politicians do. Roaming the tables, looking deep in eyes, thanking people for their contributions ect ect. Lola had the special honour of speaking with the first lady which she is very chuffed about. As for myself, I can now say that I've dined with a head of state. (lol)
By the time we got back to the hotel it was nearly 06:00. The girls went up to the bar and have a bit of dance. I went up but was just way too tired by that point so went back to our room, did some packing and collapsed for a few hours. I was up again at 10:30 which just gave me just time to eat breakfast, finish packing and check out to board the bus for the long, long ride home.
So that was my New Years in Georgia. Quite a jammed packed couple of days.
As a little foot note, I've often heard it said that the people who have the least to give are often the most generous. The night after we returned home the security guards who man the gate at our 'mansion' wished us a happy new years and offered us a drink of champagne. We couldn't really refuse their eager hospitality, so one of the guards rushed off to get some champagne. He was soon back and with Lola and Yasha translating we were toasting the new year with champagne in plastic cups, served off the back of a Mercedes. So simple, yet the spirit shone.
William has had to leave us for a couple of weeks because of family issues. On the other hand, Oliver will be back in two days to keep things lively.
That's it for this week. I hope you've all had a fabulous start to the new year and I wish you all peace and prosperity.
God Bless,
Rodney Cuthbertson
DreamChaser
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