NYC Ghosts and Flowers

I never really understand what happens when I get to New York. An invisible energy goes into me and I buzz through my time there at a million miles an hour without a moment to contemplate all the images, memories, people, senses, and emotions that boil together in the soup of experience that is walking those frenetic streets.

My brother said to me 'you make it hectic'

Maybe thats true, but there is also an energy there that's palpable. New York is also a muddled palimpsest of memories for me, every neighbourhood, subway line, and flavour of bagel has something to associate it with and makes each movement a surge of thoughts that mix up with the present and confuse the past.

I remember reading that the local Native Americans considered Manhattan a sacred island, formed of bedrock, sticking out into the bay and hugged by two rivers as it sat there like a steady glacier. A large rock formation that held underneath it the rest of the planet and on top of it a crown of buildings with golden lights flickering at night and sneezing jewelled bridges across to other pieces of land.

New York is like one of those lovers you can't help be obsessed with even though you know they are really unhealthy for you emotionally, but the electric charge of being together is worth the burn out when you are apart and you realise that it could never really be long-term.

The city is a walking theatre, a waking psychotic episode, each person manages to be a huge personality and they all somehow fit into the rush hour subway car while competing mariachi bands and break-dancers clear space for some change.

Random conversations with strangers about my tree tattoo, the presidential election, parking regulations, the best coffee. Union Square with public chess playing, Hare Krishnas,  political slogans in chalk, kids on skateboards and hippies with guitars. Times Square with hoards of tourists, dressed up cartoon characters aggressively requesting photos for money (I was told Elmo had been arrested on a number of occasions in full costume), police side by side with them as a tourist attraction... I cant even see the ads, all I see is a blur of light, was the New Years ball always that tiny?

I stayed at my brother's in Sugar Hill, Harlem. History and future rolled into one, amazing brownstones, gentrification, the local bodega that carried every item I brought back from Colombia as gifts.... oh well.

At night the white noise... It never really gets quiet. The white noise always buzzes... It never really gets dark, the sky a golden orange... I saw some stars though. I did.

How many things can you do in one day in New York? More than you can cram in most cities, the place is built for movement and efficiency... Its truly exhausting. And exhilarating. Every one should live there for a while, work its flow, walk its streets, meets its people and see what cosmopolitan truly is. But as Kurt Vonnegut said: 'Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.'

I guess thats why I did....

I love you New York...

You drive me crazy...


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Notes on Colombia learned from taxi drivers and circus teachers

In some ways every time I travel I have a tendency to fall in love with where I am. Maybe it’s my innate connection to place and people, or ability to have an open ear, endless curiosity, nomadic nature, good disposition. Wait, no its not just disposition, learning about a place is a skill I have picked up along the route of life, as I’ve worked here and lived there and been always a welcome outsider. And here I am again, flying across the ether in a metal tube, wondering about the magical place I just left as I zoom into the familiar of yet another place I call home: from Colombia to New York...

I miss Colombia already… I started missing it before I even left. I’m not quite certain I’ve made this many friends in such a short time, and I don’t mean just meeting people, but a genuine feeling of kinship. Colombians are incredibly open and good-natured, proud of their country in a way that doesn’t feel patriotic or xenophobic but welcoming. And why shouldn’t they be, an incredibly diverse land, from Caribbean beaches to the densest jungle in the world, bustling metropolises, to snow-capped mountains, Colombia offers almost every possible geographic location in one geopolitical state. All encompassed in an interesting sense of time I remember experiencing in Ghana… Being 3 degrees away from the equator means that the sun runs like clockwork year-round, up at 6 down at 6, never a variation. After years living in London where each day is slightly but noticeably different to the last, this mechanism becomes incredibly apparent. It keeps the rhythm and flow of the day consistent somehow. And because you can always count on fertile land and constant sunshine its no wonder that the agribusiness in Colombia is intense and productive. The country is a lush producer and you can be blessed with any assortment of amazing fresh fruit juices just about anywhere in the country (even I may add the airport in Bogota).

Colombia is also very racially mixed, which is reflected in its musical traditions and dance. The Museo de la Independencia had this incredible chart that had a list of every possible ethnic group in the country and the name for every one of their combinations. For example you could lift the tab that stated Español (Spaniard) and Indígena (Indigenous) you would get Mestizo written underneath. The chart had over 30 variations… I couldn’t tell if this was derogatory or not, but nevertheless it reflected a regional mix of peoples that adds to the spice of life in this land.

Now combine this with working in the city of Cali and in a circus school. Cali is a hot and humid working-class city where salsa music was born. Almost half the population of the city lives in a district called Aguablanca, where certain areas are no go zones even for the police. This reminded me of the Brasilian favela’s before the Pacification of the Favelas. And like my experience residing in Naples or Beirut I find myself surrounded by passionate generous people with fervour for life and love. It was lovely to walk through a city where strangers were polite to each other and asking for directions might mean a new friend and definitely an extended conversation. No exchange would begin without the usual exchange of pleasantries and a walk from my flat to the school in the morning meant saying good morning to a variety of dog walkers, maids sweeping pavements, security guards standing on corners and street vendors. Then again I am prone to people-watch and smile when caught, plus sporting a tree tattoo down my right arm does attract some attention… Of course this is a version, Colombia remains one of the most violent countries in the world by some statistics, but none that I witnessed anywhere in my wanderings around town.

And the school Circo Para Todos, how to begin… I’ll have to leave out the history for the purpose of this travelogue and speak about the present I witnessed. Set on the end of a park, the site consists of a huge big top tent, a tall octagonal dance space, and converted shipping containers that function as a canteen kitchen, loos, storage, and offices. All this scattered among grass and trees. The school is spiritually and educationally supported by a trio of incredibly dedicated Cubans: Annia the schools’ director and Fernando and Rodolfo the circus teachers. Never have I worked in an institution so open to suggestions, willing to accommodate and trusting of a stranger in their midst. Organised, dedicated and engendering confidence and trust in the students and new staff alike these three are well worthy of true respect and admiration. Along side my workshop the school had four new teachers in dance, music, theatre, and technical scenography. My role was to give artistic direction to the final year production of the graduating students. The school was rebounding from massive budget cuts, with a financial injection from the Ministry of Culture, and abuzz was this energy of regrowth and redistribution. With my pedagogical training, technical knowledge, and artistic vision, I ended up situated in the best place possible. Working with a new team, developing a large creative project and organising a group of young people to make the best out of their skills and talents.

And about the students: a veritable microcosm of the country. A variety of social and racial backgrounds with a common interest: their abilities and skill in circus. Mixing in with these students were the egresados graduated circus students who come back and train between touring in cruises and circuses around the world. This possbility to travel and make a living through a creative enterprise is a valuable commodity. And I made it very clear to the students what a total luxury this school was. Though the physical site was in need of repair, it remained fully functional and offered a free 4-year education that included a hearty lunch every day and two decent snack-breaks twice a day (high energy training requires a good caloric intake).

This experience has reiterated my assertion that for a successful outcome to a collaborative practice model, it is dependant on three inter-combined factors:

1. A sound working methodology for development of a creative practice

2. The host organisation’s willingness to incorporate that model into their existing format of practice

3. The participants’ openness to engage with the methodology & ability to collaborate with each other.

In this case the fantastic hosting of the school, the eagerness of the students and my own working methodology combined to create in a matter of three weeks, the beginning of a 90 minute circus show to be presented 14th Dec, the date the co-founder of the school passed away and the first class graduated. It would be amiss to not mention Felicity Simpson who co-founded the school and the circus company Circolombia, which is composed of the talent trained in the school. The school’s basic premise is a social enterprise, giving access to training to disadvantaged young people. But this is a core principal and not a limiting factor, for mixed with students coming from Agua Blanca district are university graduates from Bogota and this mix is healthy for like Colombia it represents all walks of life.

I’m leaving out the many details of my adventures in order to focus on the core of my travels, like the friends who took me out and around Cali and Bogota and the great times I had. The only regret I have in Colombia is leaving and if you have the opportunity to come here one day, I’m sure you will be just like me… counting the days to come back.

From the dark skies en route to the Big Apple…

R