Danced my chance away...

I missed my flight....I not ready to believe that yet...I missed my ticket to a chance I had been planning on taking.
I planned my trip for months, only t miss my flight...I`ve missed so many opportunities in life...and this one is the worst yet...If I could do things differently I would...sleep at the airport a day before....catch a cab to the airport.....I would there was just no way I would have known that I`d miss it....
I don`t know if I`m ready to forgive myself...
I mean on that day I was sure I`d get there two hours before the flight took off, but when I got on the second train and saw that I had taken the slow train...I knew what was about to unfold.
The worst thing on top of it... the air company(Finnair) refused to give me another ticket or my money back claiming that it was a special ticket..there was no reclaiming,rescheduling it. Clearly saying...YOU MY DEAR MISSED YOUR OPPORTUNITY IN LIFE! AND WE WON`T HELP YOU!
I was pissed,frustrated.....but when you are African you never know if this is cause of you skincolour or not....those ladies at the CENTRAIR just looked at me and just didn`t want to try anything for me.
I had a chance to better my future and they just refused to help. So I guess next time I take an international flight...I`d have to think twice about which airline I travel with...and if they will give me any of my money back for my ticket.

Dancing down in Osaka..Kyoto

Circles in the Big O and K.

Headed down to Osaka to check out some contemporary classes. I had done some C.I in Matsumoto late last year...so I went thru the companies website to find this other guy in Osaka....I`ll put up the websites on the link list..


Anyway...Jun(san) came thru...major. Saved a girl from going nuts.He had said he has class on monday and Thursday, I wasn`t about to miss my less than 5hrs of dance in a year for anything.







So my Osaka adventure officially began on Saturday the 22nd of March. I headed down to The Big O to meet two friends of mine...both South African. Sadly their holiday ended the next day...I was alone for my big dance adventure. So I booked into my favourite Chou Hotel...and stayed for the week(nicest place I`ve been in J.p...plus its affordable). I had maps and a grand plan...

maps and things
Manday Starta!

It began...

I called the sensei to find out how to not get lost on the way to class....great directions...got it right first time...

Wonderful class!...Jun has this ability to explain movement in the simplest way. I can`t speak Japanese for anything but I understood his class very well...and we all KNOW dance is a language on its own, so it wasn`t hard to follow.

So we started with simple technical steps that later were incorporated into the combination. He did do standing and floor exercises and most of the combo was on the floor.Which was an added bonus for me..have to love mama(the floor), she gives us support, lifts us...and gives us momentum.

He did explain before class that he teaches Release technique. I was suffering(clearly) from lack of it.I loved it, loved it, loved it!....jeses! too nice.

Ok....I seem like I`m raving about class but...well I am. I haven`t had contemporary class in a year or so. So this was like stepping back into time and going forward with dance.

I did touristy things during the week which didn`t bother me like I thought they would. I went walkies and stumbled into a temple in Shitennoji. It was my nicest find that week...there was this garden inside...the called(uhm..grabbing the pamphlet)The garden of Gokuraku-Jodo.
This garden was sreconstructed based on the Nigabyaku-doh fable.


The story goes:

There are two rivers of water and fire. The water river is of greed and the fire refers to anger. They both are living hell in life. There is a white path between the rivers which is thought to be the path to paradise. This road is there but most of us cannot see it...it is said that only those who want to find paradise will see the road.

There are three rocks in the garden to simbolise Buddha and his attendants. I sat by the river...it was the most peaceful moment in my life( I swear). I just sat there...I knew I didn`t want to leave but I had to. At one point I thought I heard someone walk close to me...someone with a great presence, but when I turned there was no-one there, physically anyway. I could have sworn it was....

Wednesday Downer

Anyway...it`s not hard to find it its, quite big too....there are other things. There was a park I went to on Wednesday. I went looking for the tea house but the more I kept asking...is there a tea house there more I got.....yes its there, at the back( and some words that sounded like it`s not working) but you can go in. So I wasn`t surprised that I did in fact never get to go inside...but I walked around the park for what seemed like a day. Would advise anyone who wants t kill sometime doing nothing to go there...not the brightest thing to do.

Also I had wanted to take a flamenco class( a studio up the road) that evening and the evening before...what happened was I was re-assured that I could borrow shoes and castenets for those days.I got to the studio and everyone was busy running around doing their thing and I didn`t want to just grab somebodies shoes. I now know what it feels like for new students that have no clue about attire and stuff in a dance studio.
I did realise that often we overlook the newbie to accomodate the paying client. Newbies have to be held by the hand and walked with for a while till they get the swing of things...cause I`m sure they feel like they don`t fit in at first and things like....`oh god..what am I doing here...I hope someone just told me where I am supposed to be or where I should be...this won`t work` go through their minds.
I was very disappointed in this studio(not the same as Jun`s of course)...besides that it did look the part(they had real spanish teachers and what not) they didn`t really have open classes, there were times people came and sat(to make enquiries) no one was at the reception, they over charged(I felt for their classes). Usually classes in J.p are about 1000 yen to about 2000yen for a class...they were charging a whole 10 000 yen for about three classes...they clearly included the teachers flight tax.


Thursday Blunder


Gosh, I tried..I really did. But I couldn`t find the place.This class is in Kyoto but not the usual touristy kyoto...the one that takes about an hour and a half on the train to get to...gosh(things we do for this art,ne).


He drew the map for me...and even directed...but alas...I couldn`t find the place( I wasn`t the only one,too). Well actually cause I was in shin-Osaka I had to get to osaka via the loop, then change lines at Umeda I think. Then take a train there and get off at Gojo. The snag was the train took 1hour and 30minutes to get there...I took the local train. And also I wanted to check out Kyoto again...I did and left in good time to get to class....mara....I clearly did not have luck on me side. The train system can be confusing but I think I like it...the looping, changing...its affordable and environmentally friendlier.

Just when I gave up and looked down...There was the sign...clear as day for those who walk looking down to the sidewalk(that`s the one at the bottom...Dance alive)Very nice studio, made me think when I get a studio what I`d want it to look like.

So this class is a bit different. It focuses on technique as there are few students in the class. So goodest for people like me...dance stalkers! There was a whole bunch of grown up people and one kid...like 17 or something. That must have been an experience for her...but she said she enjoyed the class...really hope she gambarimasu(sed) and she`s still there. I`d like to see more young peeps dancing. It looks like they are becoming a rare specie...in dance studio`s.


Thursday was too nice....so sad that it was in fact my last class. And I sort of hung around after class cause I didn`t want to go back to `the job`. I took a very early bus at 9 in the morning to get home at about half-past three.It is just amazing what time we take out our lives to get somewhere I would have liked to use those hours spent taking the bus and train...dancing.