Back to Work

G'day World,

I hope you enjoyed the posts over the last week about Japan. To be honest, I didn't think that I would have much to write about this week, but I was wrong!

You'll of course remember that three dancers from the company, (who will from now on be referred to as the 'three stooges') got a bit drunk and where allegedly caught sealing from a convenience store. As a result, they were deported from Japan.

These sort actions always come with serious consequences. On Tuesday the company held a big meeting. We were told that as a result of their actions in Japan the three stooges had been fired. Another man was issued with a strong warning.

I was surprised that the company had taken this course of action. In any other company, I would have expected them to be instantly fired. But in this case, one of these dancers was a principal and the other two have probably been with the company longer than I've been alive. I've also noticed that most of the boys, despite their obvious lack of technique, talent or enthusiasm, seem to take their jobs for granted.

The fall-out doesn't end there though. The local media have gotten a wind of the story and have had an absolute field day. Apparently it has been through all the television stations and in all the newspapers. This is because the political oppositions has turned this into a major attack on the current government. Needless to say, the company is very closely tied to the current government. Nina is married to the minister of foreign affairs and the President is her daughter's God Father. You also don't have think too hard to see who subsidies the companies finances.

As you can imagine the opposition have been working this one as hard as they can. It has got quite personal and nasty very quickly. They've been saying that Nina doesn't run the company well, doesn't keep the dancers in line enough, wastes taxpayers money on fancy tours that just bring Georgia a bad name. They've also attacked that she was dancing with a Russian dancer for the tour even though Japan Arts contracted her to dance with the Russian dancer. In short the whole thing has ended up being a huge PR disaster.

One of the stooges is scheduled to do a live television interview tonight. According to the gossip train, he was quite offended that they fired him. He's now alleging that he wasn't the only person stealing while in Japan. If he has to be fired, he wants the other culprits fired as well. Other things he is alleging include everything from miss-management by Nina to miss-treatment by the administration.

So the consequences rolling out from some sake and playing cards are flying a lot further than anyone expected. Rather like a pressure cooker that has just been pushed too, far the resulting explosion is going to leave a hell of a mess.

The next major story is that Oliver has left the company. He left after Japan and is hoping to get employment in America later on in the year.

The final big bang news is that Will got an MRI done on his knee that has been giving him trouble for a while now. He has a sist under his patella that is going to require an operation to remove. He is unsure where he's going to get the operation performed, but he is definitely going to be out of action for several months.

On the dancing front, the company is doing two performances of Don Quixote this week. I'm only doing a little Spanish dance at the very end of the ballet. So it has been rather quiet dancing week for me.

That's what's making news this week. Be back next week for more warmed up left-overs from the exploding pressure cooker.

Rodney Cuthbertson

DreamChaser

Japan Part 3

So I've been over some of the more uncertain moments in Japan, I can now go through some of the many highlights.

All the theaters were all impressive, well ordered, modern and a pleasure to work in. The orchestras played exceptionally well. Romeo and Juliet's score is not a push over, but the way they played it, made it all look easy. Most importantly from my point of view, the tempos they kept were regular and consistent. That makes my job so much easier!

I've already mentioned that shopping anywhere was awesome. Anything and everything you could ever want was available and delivered with exceptional service. Getting the new camera from here was definitely a good move.

The food I've also mentioned. It's very different to you standard western pallet, but I really enjoyed it.

It was also cool that we were able to hang out with some of the company members a bit more. I sometimes feel a bit awkward when I'm socializing in a completely Georgian setting were everyone except me speaks the same language. While we were in Japan we were all in the same boat and wanted to do similar things. Together, we got the chance to go shopping, sight-seeing and share in the wonders of Japan.

I went with a group from the company to DisneySea just before we left Japan. I didn't have as much fun as when I went to DisneyLand. DisneySea is more focused on the rides and stuff for the bigger kids rather than the atmosphere. It was still fun, but it didn't have that familiar fun touch that DisneyLand had. It also didn't help that the crowds that day were horrific! Cues for anything usually had a 2 hour wait time. Some even peaked at 3 hours! Even the cues to get curry flavoured popcorn, (of all things!) were over a hundred people deep. I would wait that long for pop corn even if they were giving it away. It was still a cool day though. Thanks to some smart management and good luck we managed to only spend about 5 hours in the cues and once the sun went down my new camera was able to get some awesome night shots.

From Japan 2010

The old compact would have never been able to produce this without blur and/or overexposure.

The best day of the whole trip for me has to be going to Disneyland. Here where all the stories, characters, ideas and adventures that I loved watching while growing up. Of course, it does have its really commercial side; the countless souvenir stores, over-priced food and endless cues. But, the fun in the atmosphere was just so contagious that you couldn't resist getting caught up in it.

The cues weren't too bad. Oliver and myself managed to get through most of the park's major attractions. All the rides were quite cool but obviously aimed at the younger kids. The Disney parade was also heaps of fun with it's crazy floats, dancing characters and beautiful costumes. We weren't able to get seats for the show that I auditioned for in January, but were able to see some of it. The dancing was quite simple and cheesy. Very "step, step, smile and pose," sort of stuff. No wonder they told me at the audition that I was overqualified! Though I don't know how I would take to having to do the same show five times a day for eight months.

And of course, being able to see Julia working there made it that much more personal and exciting. She performing Cinderella that day, and she is really good at it.

From Japan 2010

The picture says it all. Looks great in costume, knows how to work the audience and makes a thoroughly believable character.

I don't appreciate it as much yet, but even with the rough spots we had the whole trip was a highlight. I just went on a major international tour to the other side of the world, to perform with a legendary prima ballerina and her company. That's the sort of stuff don't really appreciate, until time has given you some perspective.

I hope that you've enjoyed the yarns from my Japan trip. Next week will be back to the usual Tbilisi bulletins.

Till next week,

Rodney Cuthbertson

DreamChaser

Japan Part 2

Now that you have a rough outline of my time in Japan, I can dig up some of the more juicer details. For example, one of the boys getting caught smoking on the plane, my lack of visa and three of the company members, one of them a principal dancer, getting deported!! (Do I have your attention now?) That's right folks, its time for another episode of The Bizarre, The Stupid and The Ridiculous!

The Bizarre isn't very bizarre, but it's bizarrely stupid. We were on the long haul flight home traveling from Tokyo to Munich. I was seated about half way down the plane behind Parta. Parta is a company manager and is a dignified gentleman with a large moustashe. About four hours into the journey, the head air hostess came up to Parta and informed him that a couple of the boys who where seated further back in the plane had been asked to slow down drinking the plane's free alcohol. "Well that's great," I thought. "Those boys are probably quite tipsy and the plane's crew are trying to tell our company manager who only speaks Russian and Georgian, and himself has already had a beer and two double vodkas." Worse was to come though, when twenty minutes later the air hostess was back telling him, that one of the boys had tried to light up a cigarette! They didn't know who it was, but it was obvious that it was one of our lot. The crew ended up swapping one of the passengers around who had complained, but as far as I know that was the end of it. How you could accidentally/intentionally get a lighter past security and then be stupid enough to use it is beyond me!

I know that a lot of people hate these long haul flights, but I think that they are slice of heaven. All you do for twelve hours is sleep, watch movies and every now and again a pretty lady (or guy depending on your preference) comes by and gives you food. The only thing you have to worry about is how often you go to the bathroom. The only problem with it is that it only takes one person ruin the experience for lots of people. I was so ashamed to be part of the group that was being so inconsiderate of its fellow travelers. I'm starting to feel a bit wary of travelling with this company. It feels like living in an earthquake zone. You never know, when it's going to act up and completely ruin your day. If you think this comparison is a bit extreme, just read on!

The next story is The Ridiculous, and hits a lot closer to home. We started out from Tbilisi at 02:30. Or at least that was our scheduled starting time. Georgian organization being what it is, we didn’t actually leave until 03:00. Tardiness in this case didn’t matter, because the airport had been covered in a deep layer of thick fog. Additionally the check-in process was seriously undermanned and it took three hours to process us all. We eventually made it out of Tbilisi two hours late. We got put on a later flight for Munich to Frankfurt, but fortunately our major flight from Frankfurt to Nagoya was well into the afternoon and we had no problems making the connection.

After flying through the night, and clocking up 30 hours of travel time we finally arrived in Nagoya. We were all glad to finally be in Japan and made our way to immigration. I handed over my passport along with what I took to be a permit to work in Japan which had been given to us on the plane. The official took my papers and started leafing through my passport. After looking through my passport twice he asked me why I didn’t have a visa. WELL! That went down like a fire in a fireworks factory. I had been assured by Gvantsa that I didn’t require a visa for Japan. However, according to the Japanese official, I don’t require a visa if I’m just visiting as a tourist for less than 90 days. Because I was going to be working in Japan I required a working entertainer’s visa.

The official moved me to a holding area while they figured out what to do with me. Will had the same problem and was with me in the holding area. Will, craving a cigarette and tired from the long trip was well pissed and acting up like a dog with a bee sting in its behind. I was trying to consider my options as calmly and as slowly as I could. If they turned my back I would have have probably bought myself a ticket back to England or Australia rather than go back to Georgia. I hadn't left anything of major value in Georgia and had had a gut full of this place that continues to be as reliable as a politician's word of honour.

After about fifteen minutes, the official came and informed us that we had been granted tourist visas. Before we could work though, we had to make a trip to the nearest immigration office and apply for the correct visa. This was a workable solution. Far from the required outcome but good enough. Oliver had also struck the same problem, but for some reason they dealt with his a bit differently. They took him inside their office for quite a while and we were all left anxiously waiting. When he finally reappeared, he told us that they had interrogated him, asking why he didn't think that he needed a visa. He explained to them that the company had informed him that he did not require a visa. He was then given forms to sign saying that this was his statement and they issued him with the entertainer's visa.

It was a stressfully end to the journey, but thanks to God, we had gotten through it. Will and I had to make a couple of trips out to the immigration building to get the correct visa, but it was an easy process. By then we were in the very efficient hands of our Japanese tour operators who took care of everything.

So, I’ve had to get two visas from the Georgian administration and they had managed to screw up both of them. Completely Ridiculous! Note to self: ALWAYS CHECK VISA REQUIREMENTS AND IF POSSIBLE ARRANGE OWN VISA!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Stupid story for today is by far the most scandalous and stupid I've ever written up. I'm not going to mention any names because it's such a serious affair. The nuts and bolts of the matter is that that three senior members of the company, one of them a principle dancer, were deported for allegedly shoplifting. To be completely fair, I do not have or know the official story. All I can tell you for a fact is that these three people were deported. But the whisper channel tells me that they got a bit drunk one night and being a bit ambitious decided they wanted to steal some sake and playing cards from a convenience store. Needless to say they where caught and some serious #### has hit the fan.

I don't know what the consequences (if any) have been for these three individuals. But this incident pared with the one on the plane show how much disrespect some of these company members have for other people and the law's enforcement. This will give you an idea of why I'm not as comfortable in this company as it appears I should be.

It wasn't all doom and gloom though. A couple of more amusing incidents included: Oliver getting stuck the wrong side of the final curtain of the final performance. (Awkward!) Nina having the curtain come down on top of her in the curtain call of the first performance. (Oooops!) And myself nearly missing the final performance due to a communication break down. (Not My Fault!!)

All things considered, it was a very adventurous tour. But wait there's more! I've saved the last post to tell the best parts of the trip. Hopefully that will be up in the next couple of days.

Till next time,

Rodney Cuthbertson

DreamChaser

Japan Part 1

Around the world and back again. I've been back in Tbilisi for two days now and am still recovering. Slept for a total of 13 hours yesterday, but am yet to fully unpack.

Japan was incredible! It was all I wanted it to be and more. The trip wasn't without its ups and downs, of course, but I had a blast. There is so much I want to say, that I'm going to spread it out over three posts to make it a bit more readable. (Not to mention, writable.)

I took nearly a thousand photos on this trip. The best which are up at the usual place, or in the sidebar of the blog.

A basic outline of our journey runs like this, and the map above give you an idea of our zig zagging across the country. We started out in Nagoya on the 22nd of Feb after flying 30 hours via Munich and Frankfurt. We after a couple of days rehearsal we had our first performance of Romeo and Juliet in Nagoya. After a day off, we then traveled by bus to Hamamatsu, performed Romeo and Juliet and returned to Nagoya. After another rest day, we traveled by bus to Otsu, performed a matinée Romeo and Juliet and then traveled by bullet train to Tokyo. March 1 was our first day off in Tokyo and I was able to hang out with Julia. The next day we rehearsed and performed Giselle, which Julia was able to see. The next day we were supposed to have class, but it was going to be in this really small studio and I knew not many people would do it. So I went AWL for the day and went to Disneyland to see Julia perform. It's fortunate that I did go then because as it worked out, it was the only day were I would have been able to see her. We performed another Romeo and Juliet at the same theater the next day. On the 4th we traveled by bullet train to Osaka. The 5th was a Giselle performance in **** and the next day we returned to Tokyo on the bullet train. (I LOVED those bullet trains by the way.) Our last few days in Tokyo we performed Romeo and Juliet and Giselle at a different theater and I was able squeeze in a trip to DisneySea. We left Tokyo on the 15th and after 30 hours of traveling via Munich arrived back in Tbilisi early on the 16th.

My creativity is dying at the moment, so without any transition what so ever, here are some of my impressions of Japan. The culture of Japan is incredibly hard working and disciplined. Everywhere you went everything was neatly organised, immaculately clean, and highly maintained. Straight off the plane, we were driving to Nagoya, our first city, and you could see it in the efficiently linked fields and houses, the smooth highways and pristine cars. Zura's comment of the the day was, ants must live here instead of people.

On arriving in Nagoya, we were all gob smacked at how well ordered and clean this city is. It has a population of 2.2 million, with a density of 6,745 people per sq. km. It's one of those mega cities that you read about in science fiction books. Yet it is the most efficient and cleanest city I have ever visited. They have a grid-like freeway system that bypasses the city by going over it. The streets are free from litter and smoking is illegal on the street. The train system is a wonder in its own right. The trains have polished windows, floors clean enough to eat off, absolutely no graffiti, and they even have heated seats! On day we went to the Nagoya Castle and even though it's in the middle of the city, its quiet, peaceful. It's all due to smart traffic routing and tree planting.

The food in Japan was an experience in its own right. They have a huge of variety of tastes and ingredients to make up a very broad pallet. Chicken heart, snake and raw tuna are just some of the unusual ingredients seen. The only thing that really lacked was red meat which was hard to find and expensive. All Japanese food is petite. We went to a couple of restaurants and would end up eating four or five little dishes to make up a meal. Mostly, I lived off pot noodles and ready meals from the convenience stores. I know that it sounds rough but it was actually pretty good. You could get this tasty intricate Japanese meal for about 500 yen (6USD). I got quite attached to the pot noodles which were cheap, easy and would often include bits of dried meat and vegetables.

The shopping through out Japan is insane. Anything and everything you could ever imagine or want is here and usually under one roof. For example, there were about five major shopping complexes within a block of Nagoya train station and each one had at least five massive floors full of products. They were all interlinked by lifts, subways and over passes (all lined with shops) so it was very easy to get lost in this colossal maze of retail. Akiabara, Shibuya and Tokyo were all the same only bigger.

With all this shopping everyone went a bit crazy. It's understandable because even though things were not that cheap in Japan they were either more expensive in Georgia or simply unavailable. Laptops, cameras, ipods, clothes, fashion and (strangely) umbrellas were all big buy items. I think there were at least ten on the flight coming home. Apparently they are very popular as gifts in Georgia.

My own purchases included a souvenir key ring, head band that says "Special Attack" in Japanese, a couple of t-shirts and an ipod screen protector.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the much hoped for iphone. They were available, but were so horrifically expensive that it wasn't even worth considering. So instead I got myself this bad boy.

From Blogger Pictures

A Nikon D5000. I've been needing to upgrade my camera from the faithful little compact for some time now and this was just what I wanted. It cost me about 750USD which is about average compared to ebay. But while it is no bargain, I have been very satisfied with my purchase. Plus, you will be able to share the results of my new toy by having much better pictures being posted. Hope you enjoy.

Right, I've been written myself to a stand still. So I'll rap this up by saying that the next post should be up in a couple of days and will detail some of the more interesting happenings on tour.

Speak again soon,

Rodney Cuthbertson

DreamChaser

Hi Everyone, Sorry there hasn't been much blogging of late. I've been really busy traveling, performing and shopping. It's all almost over now with only three more shows to go. We'll be back in Tbilisi on the 17th and then I promise you that I will start working through the masses of stories and photos I have to share.
Speak again soon,
Rodney