This week was a bit shorter than the previous one since some of our fellow classmates went on a trip to Moscow and the rest of us didn’t have classes for those two days. It was really eventful and exciting despite its brevity. This week was also full of goodbyes to friends we had just met and teachers we worked with too. We made friends with a group of Spanish students who were in the same program but their session lasted only two weeks. We sent them off with a lot of hugs and tears, and I plan on trying to pay them a visit once our program is over. We also had our last sessions with Yuri for dance and Elena for acting.
In dance class we worked all session on an exercise where we mimic different organisms and go from simple sea creatures and plants to animals and people, all in a snapshot of evolution in dance form. This time, it felt like we were all working together so well, from weeks of muscles working in unison. It also had a sort of swansong feel to the dance since we knew it would be the last time we would work on it with our group. We also did our country-dances, and had some fun, and Yuri sent us off with some words of encouragement. Everyone wanted photos with Yuri and the whole group together, and we still do the dance moves even when we’re walking around town here.
Our last Biomechanics-based acting class was a little different in that we didn’t have the class for quite as long, but I for one felt like it was just as tough to see it go. I felt like that class was an extremely difficult one physically, but I enjoyed the workout. Mentally it was a bit of a challenge as well, but once we applied our exercises to our scene work in “The Seagull,” it made perfect sense to see how it applied to acting work. We had been doing balancing work with broomsticks and we applied them to our scenes, and it really looked amazing when you saw the finished product. I found that using a physical focus to fine-tune our psychological intentions was very effective. I plan on looking into Meyerhold and Michael Chekhov on my own and I’m thankful I had a chance to get a great start on their methods.
We started a voice training class and a new acting class this week. Voice training seems very tricky and full of impossible tongue twisters, but the more we practice, the more I realize that voice work involves muscles and exercise, just like any other acting work with any other part of the body. The tongue twisters get easier and easier and the work in out class pays off after only an hour of practice. Our acting classis great fun and it looks like we will get a chance to put all of our acting training into doing our final scenes. I’m really excited about seeing where this goes.
We went to the Russian Museum yesterday and that place is simply the most colossal and ornate museum I’ve ever been in. It is dedicated exclusively to Russian works and artists, and it has them from all periods starting with very early religious icons and leading up to Impressionist style works and even political posters. My favorite work was a huge woodcarving called, “The Marvellous Fish Whale.” It was a huge block of wood, carved to look like a whale, with a small town on his back including houses, horses and people all over his back.
Today, we went to a service in the Spilled Blood Cathedral right down the street, and we were all amazed by the interiors. The whole inside of the cathedral is covered in mosaics made from tiny bits of tile that depict saints and scenes from the bible. It was a bit strange because none of us were used to the sort of mass that they had and we didn’t want to look too out of place, but the chants of the priests were mesmerizing and the whole of the church smelled of incense. The mosaics were all in brilliant colors, and there was so much beautiful stonework. I know our time here is limited, but seeing this beautiful church made me realize that there is still so much to take in here in St. Petersburg, and that I’m grateful for everything I’ve seen and done here.