One Week

Reflecting

With only one week left of my trip, I am starting to look forward to the next few months at home in Seattle, but I am also looking back on all that I have been able to do here in Hamburg.

While here accomplished quite a lot.  I taught my first weekend workshop.  That went so well, that I also started a weekly Authentic Jazz class.  I partnered with this swing club this past month to teach two weekly Lindy Hop classes. I've learned quite a lot of Tap and am excited to keep working on that back home.  I also started German lessons for the first time.  I've picked up a lot so far, but I do plan on taking more when I come back again.  And finally, I created a piece of original choreography, taught that piece to dancers, and last weekend we put the piece on film. It won't be edited and ready for a while, but when it is I will post that too!  On Friday, the dancers and I will perform the piece at the local dance. I think it will be a great way to wrap up my trip, and hopefully when I come back I can pick up where I left off.

So yes, leaving is sad, but I will be back. And I have quite a bit that I can look back on too. In the meantime, I am full of inspiration and anticipation.  I love what I have accomplished so far and am only encouraged for the future.

-Ellen

I Am Three

Thomas has edited together a second video of the show we performed last spring. The show, Drama, was about expressing text through dance. Here, Thomas Marek, Thomas Kolczewski, and Laura Mogalle perform "I Am Three."

DOM

Yesterday, Thomas and I decided it would be a great day to visit Dom. Dom, pronounced sort of like "dome" is a fair in Hamburg. I'm not big on rides, so mostly we walked around. I took pictures while Thomas ate various fair foods.

I really enjoyed getting to check out this Hamburg tradition.  It was fascinating how similar it was to an American fair, and yet so many small things made it feel very different as well.

DOM Entrance

Rides

Ice Cream or 'Eis' is one of the first German words I learned!

Thomas enjoying a pickle.

Biking Hamburg

A few weeks back, I mentioned how I got a bicycle so that I could get around the city.  I really love my new bike and today, Thomas and I went for a ride around Hamburg.

In the center of the city is "The Alster."  A large lake with paths around it.  The area reminds me a lot of Greenlake in Seattle. Just as there are at Greenlake, there is an inner path and an outer path, and in between the two you can find children's playgrounds, exercise areas, and plenty of park benches to enjoy the view.  Also similar to Green lake are the many people jogging, walking, and biking both directions around the lake. To go all the way around The Alster, it's 7.6 kilometers.  Which is a nice jog, and today proved to be a great bike ride.

Here is my bike.  Cute right?

Deutsch!  I also really love the headlight.  No battery, just pedal power!

All throughout Hamburg are red brick bike paths on the sidewalk.  I really like this set up.  I don't have to worry about cars and most of the time there is plenty of room for bikes and pedestrians alike. 

Sheep on the River

Yesterday, Thomas and I went for a walk along the Elbe River.  We wanted to get away from the city  a bit so we drove a little outside of Hamburg.  I was surprised to learn that public park land and sheep grazing territory crossed over one another here.

Hangin' with the sheep.

I think this one liked me.

The Elbe River

Back In Germany

Ellen Murray dances in Drama

I am very excited to be back in Germany for a few months.  It's been a long couple of weeks since I first arrived and I am finally now feeling a little settled.

Jet lag hit me really hard, much harder than it has in the past.  It took me nearly a week and half to get through it.  Somehow though, I've still been able to get a lot done despite the jet lag.

First, I got myself an extended Tourist Visa.  Originally I was applying for a Work Visa but they needed more info (no surprise), but the tourist visa will give me more time to get that all together.

Next, I found a cheap bike so that I can get around more easily. It's actually really cute and I love riding it around Hamburg.

Finally, I've been preparing to teach a Jazz Dance Workshop.  Yesterday was the first day of a two day workshop.  I had so much fun, but am really exhausted.  What I love about this workshop is the diverse background of the students.  Usually  in a work shop like this I'd be teaching fellow swing dancers. But Thomas Marek a tap dance instructor arranged this workshop so in the class I do have swing dancers but I also have tap dancers and a few who have never danced at all.

The photo at the top is from when I was here on my last visit.  I performed in a production put on by Thomas, so some of the students in my class were inspired by seeing me dance in the show!

Today I will teach the second half of the workshop.  I'm looking forward to it.  I know it will be a lot of fun.

St. Pauli

Yesterday evening Thomas and I relaxed a little bit by going for a walk through the St. Pauli neighborhood.

The city is a maze of these tall, beautiful, connected buildings...

We passed by a friends shop.  It was late evening so long closed by then...

Going down?

Charleston, Charleston!

Getting a little silly after rehearsal the other day. 

Drama: Love Songs and Other Jazz

For nearly three weeks now I have been in Hamburg, Germany. I'm here primarily to be a part of a really special dance project. The show is called Drama: Love songs and other jazz. So far, we've put in a lot of had work learning choreography, staging, and more. I'm very excited about the show and am glad I could be a part of it.

So far we've had some great press. This particularly excites me because my picture is featured in our press kit. Personally, I am most excited about being published in the German edition of the Italian fashion/lifestyle magazine Grazia. This is a major publication in Europe and we are featured as the main pick for events in Germany and Europe in march. I took a picture of the page we're in. Sadly, we didn't find out we were in the magazine until after the next issue had come out, so the clipping is all I have.  We've also been featured in at least one other more local magazine as well.  Hopefully all the press works and we have a good turnout.

We've only got 9 days until the premier and a lot of work to do.  But things are starting to come together and look really nice.

Oh and I forgot, if you'd like a further description of the show, you can check out the site of Thomas Marek who is the one putting this whole project together.

. http://www.thomasmarek.com/thomas-marek-erweckt-eine-a/

Clipping from Grazia

Poster spotted on the Subway