I can hardly believe it… it’s been a whole year, and then some! As you can see, in my previous posts, it’s been so hard to keep you tuned in with all the changes in my life. I don’t think I will ever be able to catch you all up with everything that has happened in the past year, but hopefully giving you a glimpse will suffice.

The first tour for les Ballets de Monte-Carlo was to Ljubliana, Slovenia with Jean-Christophe’s, La Belle (Sleeping Beauty). When I think back on the tour, I felt like I was going to the first day of school after summer vacation. EVERY situation was new. New people, new places, new ballets, new teachers, new system, and a new way of working – everything was new, new, new!!! The change was scary and exhilarating all at once! The only comfort was knowing that others were going through the same thing with me. With every tour and new experience after the first, came the realization that change was inevitable, and it WAS the thing that sparked my move to BMC in the first place. I, of course, made comparisons from my past life to my new one, but eventually came to the understanding that in a change, nothing is better or worse – it’s just different. And that thought alone has opened up my life!

I guess if I were to talk about an initial hardship, it would be the language barrier. Simple everyday tasks like going to the grocery store or bank turned into a guessing game. I found myself (and still find myself at times) freezing up, and then asking, Parlez-vous anglais? Thankfully, a lot of people in the south of France and Monaco are english speaking, but in the long run it will not help me learn the language faster. I guess in the course of a year I can say that I understand French pretty well, but I don’t speak it - and this will take years!

In terms of company life, things are amazing! Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo is remarkable. The work, the creativity, the people, the places… the list is endless. Jean-Christophe is a definitive artist. I could say a whole lot more, but feel I don’t need to. I just know BMC is a good fit for me!

On a whole different note - Those of you who are close to me know that I am an avid believer in “The Secret”, and for the last two or so years I have been using its principles to shape my life. Now, I am not here to preach it, but I will say that I believe in it whole-heartedly. The power of positive thinking and knowing how the laws of attraction work have forced me to look at my life (and future) with a fine-toothed comb. And in return, have made this past season, and also my future endeavors, quite clear. I guess my point in even bringing this all up, is that it has made my transition into this les Ballets de Monte-Carlo pretty seamless. If you haven’t heard of it, I highly recommend the book or DVD.

I don’t want to make this post too lengthy so I will try to show you through some pictures what I’ve done & seen. The world is definitely your oyster, and life is what you make it. If you crave change or are contemplating something, just do it. The outcome in learning is golden.

This is a picture from the our first tour. It is the set for JC’s La Songe (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). There is a very modern approach to all of the sets of his ballets. I love it. I feel it brings more attention the the dancers and their intentions.

This is a picture from the theater in Bologna, Italy. The picture doesn’t capture the beauty of this enchanting space. This is where we performed JC’s Romeo et Juliette. It was also my first time dancing on a raked stage!!! My turns were never so bad, but by day three I started to get the hang of it.

We traveled to two small cities on the north of France, and along the way (on a free day), a small group of us stopped in Paris for a day. This is my impression of Mary Tyler Moore in front of the Louvre. Oh, yeah, and the Louvre is not pink, haha.. it was a setting that the camera was on!

Earlier this year, I posted pictures of La Belle in Japan. Here is a fun picture from that tour! It was of one of the best tours this season - sometimes I don’t think I will ever grow up!

Me & Nathalie Nordquist before our debut in JC’s Altro Canto. This is one of my favorites of Maillot’s! This was in Valencia, Spain

On our last, and potentially best tour, we had one free day to explore. The dancers took it as an opportunity to go to the Dead Sea & Jerusalem. We packed on black mud from the earth all over our bodies (like a mask), then rinsed it off, and went to literally float in the salty water of Dead Sea. It was UNREAL. I wish that I could post more pictures from this tour - Performing La Songe, and experiencing Israel… la vie est belle!

And now, this is what we are currently doing. JC’s new creation, Men’s Dance for Women. It’s been wonderful to work on a “creation” with Jean-Christophe. The dancers are still fine tuning the choreography in this piece, and we always will be. Jean-Christophe has an intention for every step in this ballet which does two things - one, makes it easier to have an objective so we know why steps are executed in a certain way. And, two makes it a challenge to focus on that objective. It’s great fun!!

Hope you enjoyed my glimpse! Next for me is a small vacation & then a guesting with Ballet Hawaii!!! Very excited! Stay tuned…