tumbling in torino.

Kaifa, the awesome tattoo artist giving Stef his little domino.

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:27:21 -0400

Kaifa, the awesome tattoo artist giving Stef his little domino.

Beautiful day in a beautiful place.

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:26:30 -0400

Beautiful day in a beautiful place.

FINALLY found the ballet company/school!!!!

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:25:58 -0400

FINALLY found the ballet company/school!!!!

Tigre reading Harry Potter with Stef.

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:25:16 -0400

Tigre reading Harry Potter with Stef.

Night cartwheels on Via Po, near the river.

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:24:29 -0400

Night cartwheels on Via Po, near the river.

Stefan found his ideal symbol.

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:23:48 -0400

Stefan found his ideal symbol.

Apartment hunting, blugh.

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:23:05 -0400

Apartment hunting, blugh.

Belar, one of our Spaniards.

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:22:36 -0400

Belar, one of our Spaniards.

Accepted into FLIC!

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:21:54 -0400

Accepted into FLIC!

Neighbor kitty friends.

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:21:13 -0400

Neighbor kitty friends.

Our Swedish friend Niclas, doing the improv part of his...

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:20:28 -0400

Our Swedish friend Niclas, doing the improv part of his audition.

At school, day 2 of auditions.

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:19:33 -0400

At school, day 2 of auditions.

An old church in a big Piazza square.

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:18:54 -0400

An old church in a big Piazza square.

The street of Cassa Biscotti, the house we are currentky at...

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:18:03 -0400

The street of Cassa Biscotti, the house we are currentky at until we find our own apartment.

Finally landing in Milano faces.

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 15:26:36 -0400

Finally landing in Milano faces.

11 sep 2011

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 15:23:13 -0400

marge here.

Tonight will be our third night in Torino! we got off to a very unfortunate start, unlucky things being thrown at us from all around. So much airport trouble…canceled flights, standby tickets, staying home an extra night, flash floods, boring layovers, etc. We finally made it to Torino, but my jaw’s lymph nodes are about the size of oranges, which is really uncomfortable and making it totally not fun to explore around. Not to mention a stupidly expensive tram fine for not having tickets - whoops.

The metro is beautiful, modern, sleek, and electric. Only one line!! And very cheap too. The school is beautiful, full of character. I’ve been using my Spanish, Italian, and even French since I have been here. My French got me antibiotics for my throat at the pharmacy and the director of the school speaks French so that’s a little more promise for communication.

Right now we are staying in the house of a friend of Stef’s who is not currently here, and it’s working out wonderfully. Another girl is here too, Delia, who is auditioning this week as well. I decided to revamp my “Derniere Danse” piece for my audition, Stef being my little helper. We will see how those rehearsals go tomorrow :/

Tomorrow we are headed to FLIC to try and practice all day. Get in some good stretching, gymnastics, and dance practice. Maybe try and climb the rope or silks. We also plan on visiting the Balletto Teatro di Torino tomorrow, especially since they seem to be offering free classes to new students for the next three weeks.

Trying to find a studio apartment, which is proving difficult. Stef has emailed about 5 people and no one has gotten back to him yet. We are still working on it though!

Food is delicious and cheap. We have wonky food schedules and are trying to not eat out, so we bought some groceries and toiletries today all for 15 euro which isn’t bad, considering all we got.

Taking it one day at a time, still feeling things out. I’m scared for the audition, but Stef says I shouldn’t be. Either way, me getting into the school has a lot to do with my being here, so I really hope it happens!!

Bad airport luck ALL DAY! Waiting on standby tickets for...

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 20:01:18 -0400

Bad airport luck ALL DAY! Waiting on standby tickets for london….

5 sep 2011

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 22:12:00 -0400

Marge writing here.

It is already late Monday night, and our plane leaves American ground this coming Wednesday. I am nervous, excited, terrified, anxious, and wildly hopeful.

I have decided to audition for FLIC - otherwise known as the Reale Societa Ginnastica di Torino - the circus school that Stefan has already been accepted to. My audition is scheduled for a week after I arrive. In one day, I got all my materials together to present last minute to nab a spot for a tryout: a medical physical, a full up-to-date curriculum vitae, a cover letter, and the application form as well as some dance photos and headshots.

Good news and bad news: the good news is I received an official letter of invitation to take part in an unpaid internship through the circus school, where I will be teaching dance technique several hours a week in addition to training myself. The bad news is that the letter, along with an official application, bank statement, passport, proof of full coverage medical insurance, and photos were not enough for the Italian embassy in DC to issue me a VISA. Thus, my best bet now is to audition, make it into the school, return to the US for a week, and get my student visa.

I still plan on visiting the dance company the Balletto Teatro di Torino, a contemporary ballet company, who had invited me to come check them out. There is also another circus school in the area that I may try to teach at if FLIC does not work out. The struggle that is most prominent will be finding work/a promising income while being in the country without a work visa. Even with a student visa one cannot work for money. I’m told that the under-the-table sort of thing is rather common and not difficult to come by, but it is the kind of thing I can only learn once I am there.

Tonight and tomorrow are dedicated to the final preparation: packing our two hiking backpacks (all we are taking, by the way), notifying our bank, going to the Apple store, picking up the earnings from my crane earrings I have being sold in DC, sending out some final emails, printing up a bunch of resumes, etc.

I am about to take the biggest leap I have ever attempted, and while not totally prepared, I am ready to leave the ground.

Meet Marge, a 22-year-old fox hoping to take the Torino...

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:43:24 -0400

Meet Marge, a 22-year-old fox hoping to take the Torino contemporary dance scene by storm.

Meet Stefan, a 22-year old stud joining the FLIC circus school...

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:41:01 -0400

Meet Stefan, a 22-year old stud joining the FLIC circus school in Torino, Italy in the specialties of acrobatics, German wheel, and partner balancing.