Monday, August 15, 2011

Así que nos fuimos al cine a ver PINA (... so, we went to the cinema to see Pina)






Never again. 

Going to the movies with two cats, two fat cats, will never happen again in my lifetime.  Gonçalo is still away and me, bored at home and really, really, wanting to see this film ...  I had no choice but packing Sandy and Freddy G. and take them with me to the cinema. I thought the midday session would be better as on a sunny Sunday people would most likely be outdoors; there would be less chances of bumping into someone I know ... wow, Matilda, what are you carrying in this bag? been to the gym? or are you heading to the airport? I would hate having to say: no, I'm carrying two fat cats in there and I am going to see Pina with them. My reputation might never recover.  There could also be a chance of finding someone that twitts  something like 'met Matilda at the State taking 2 cats to see an obscure German dancing movie...' or worse, perhaps I could be secretly photographed entering cinema and someone posting the photo on their FB wall: Invitation to dinner if you can guess what's inside Matilda's bag. May be I am overreacting.


Getting the cats inside the cinema was easy, I am a regular and although the young woman at the counter looked at the bag a couple of times while she was getting my ticket, she said nothing as I tried to  distract her enquiring about an oncoming movie. Got my ticket, no problems. I moved quickly and went straight into the cinema and then directly onto the first row. No one likes to sit so close to the screen and I thought it was a small price to pay, really.  I left the bag on the floor, undid the zip and at the speed of lightning I put one cat in each seat, Sandy on my left and Freddy G. on my right.  I thought that having them on separate seats would be better to avoid them fighting for space (being both so fat), although I know Sandy wouldn't mind being so close to Freddy, but he certainly would.

I turned my head and saw that there was no more than 10 or 12 people there.  Then, to my surprise Freddy jumped off his seat and climbed next to Sandy. This is another of life's many mysteries, two cats sharing something.

Freddy G. fell asleep immediately but I could see that Sandy was interested. She was attentively looking at the screen, the adds first, then the trailers ... and when the movie started I saw her tail moving graciously following the rhythm of the music, slowly at times, frenetically fast at other times.

I had no problems during the screening, but on leaving the cinema I thought the bag felt much heavier than on my way in. Had the cats put on wait there and then?  I shouted at the bag: 'from tomorrow you are both on a diet'.  We'll see how they respond.

I really loved the movie, I love Pina Bausch. I love her dancing, her choreographic work so full with vital angst; I got to know Pina's work in 'Talk to her' a movie by Pedro Almodóvar. Wim Wenders pays her a wonderful homage in his film with her name. She would be proud. I imagine Pina dancing, jumping from one cloud to the next wherever she is now.

Sandy's prepared a display below, quite good I think, and listen to the video too, and dance and dance and dance.... otherwise, we are lost.

Until next time
MATILDA       



¿Qué tal amigos y amigas? (de todas las edades)
 

La primavera, llena de luz y de color, ha llegado  por fin al Hemisferio Sur.  Matilda ha llenado la casa de narcisos que apestan.  Para celebrarlo, (no que los narcisos apestan, sino que ha llegado la primavera), Matilda nos llevó ayer al cine para ver una película en 3D.

Digo 'nos llevó' y no 'me llevó' porque como Gonçalo está fuera de la ciudad, Freddy G. tuvo que acompañarnos. Matilda dice que ésta es la primera y la última vez que nos lleva a los dos al cine porque pesamos una tonelada y va a ponernos a dieta.


Desde la butaca que Freddy y yo compartíamos, miré furtivamente a mi alrededor y vi que no habría más de 10 personas en la sala. En un día tan soleado, seguro que la gente estaba tomando el sol, tratando de recuperar la vitamina D perdida durante el largo invierno austral. Hace unos años que la gente se protegía del sol pero ahora parece que lo busca, siempre con fines medicinales. 

Cuando por fin se apagaron las luces Matilda se puso las gafas y estaba horrorosa, de verdad, parecía una maestra-monstruo del siglo 19. Yo, sin gafas, lo veía todo borroso, pero como todo era baile, pues me hacía una idea .... me gusta tanto la danza.

Freddy se durmió nada más empezar la película y no se despertó hasta el final.  Dijo que no aguantaba este tipo de espactáculos 'tan raros e intelectualoides que solo gustan a los esnobs'.  Me sentí insultada y aludida y le dije que era un patán pero él ni se inmutó.

A mi la película me encantó, me hizo soñar.  Con todo el respeto que le tengo a Pina, me pregunto si yo podría llegar a ser su sucesora, convertirme en la Pina Bausch del mundo animal, no sé, de momento es una fantasía mía. Debo pensarlo bien. Los felinos tenemos una flexibilidad mil veces superior a la de los humanos además de 7 vidas (bueno, en Australia tienen 9, no hay derecho). Hablaré con Matilda, a ver qué opina  ella.


El documental Pina trata de una bailarina, coreógrafa y profesora de danza alemana llamada Pina Bausch. Ella y el director de cine Wim Wenders decidieron rodar un documental pero, a los pocos días de empezar el rodaje, Pina falleció. Ahora Wenders le ha dedicado el documental a ella, en su honor.









Pina fue durante 36 años la directora del Tanztheater Wuppertal.

El trabajo de creación y preparación de una obra era largo y duro. Prefería trabajar con bailarines porque éstos se expresaban más libremente que los actores. En unas declaraciones a El País en 1985 decía:

"La acción debe salir con toda sinceridad; para ello hay que dejar que cada cual se exprese según sus motivaciones internas. Después viene una adecuación de aquel sentimiento a lo que se quiere hacer. Muchas veces no hay que retocar nada".

Press "play" and scroll down. Enjoy.




En primavera renacen las flores y florece el amor.







¿es baile o teatro?
















tanz tanz sonst sind wir verloren 


(dancez, dancez, sinon nous sommes perdus)

(bailad, bailad, porque si no estamos perdidos)








(let's dance, otherwise we are lost) 



¿Sabe alguien a dónde vamos vestidos así?













 

soy fuerte,
no soy fuerte,
¿soy fuerte?
no, no lo soy.

Bailemos.



tanz tanz sonst sind wir verloren



Las Brujas bailarinas del Tanztheater Wuppertal: creadoras de magia, llenas de embrujo, pasión, arte, belleza, poderío y duende. Vielen danke meine Damen.



Sunday, August 14, 2011

Los narcisos del jardin (the first daffodils arrived in my garden)

The first daffodils have arrived in my garden and have put winter on notice.



Sandy and I have spent so much time indoors this winter that we are both very low on vitamin D. Lack of sunlight lowers your vitamin D reserves and, according to the latest health warnings, this is very bad for your bones.

Not so long ago you could not be in the sun, now you must be. Avoiding life risks is a risk you must take.

But there's more: I work from home and when you work from home it is important to have regular breaks and talk to someone. If you don't do this (talk to someone) you gradually lose your voice until it fades away completely and people can't hear you. Scary. So, I talk to Sandy.
 


- hey Sandy .... go outside and look at the daffodils
- what for?
- to see how wint  ...
- to see bloody what???




(to see how winter is put on notice and leaves)





 
I don't even bother to reply. She can be so rude. She curls up turning 360 degrees on the other direction. Sandy, like all cats, only cares about herself; daffodils are not high in her priorities, not in the way that sardines are, for example, or Freddy G.

By the way, talking of Freddy. We are cat-sitting him. Gonçalo is away somewhere and he asked me to feed the cat in his absence. I thought it would be easier to have him here with us; he could keep Sandy company, I wouldn't have to come and go to feed him two or three times a day and, of course, I would have the pleasure of watching them both bumming around all day in such panache.

The thing is that it is the second time this month that I am cat-sitting Freddy G. It hit me the other day.  I have so many unanswered questions about Gonçalo.

'So, where are you going Gonçalo?' -I asked him the first time, 3 and a half weeks ago - some well-earned holidays?' (I asked that out of politeness as I don't think he works too hard at all). His reply left me wondering.

Think about it: if he is not working (which I don't really know for sure) how does Gonçalo make a living? Because money, he does have it.

Well, that's all for now. Sandy's post follows (I think).

                        Matilda