Tights and Tiaras, the season finale
Theaters around the world are working in seasons, often following what is known as the school year, with the ‘year’ typically starting in August, and ending at the end of June. As we have reached the end of this years season, I thought I’d do a little summary – the 2010/11 season has been a special one. A hard one, I must admit, physically not as much as mentally. Here’s the story of my turbulent 2010/11 season, but first, a little background.
Previously, in “The life of Henrik Lamark, a ballet dancer”.
Me in U2
Those of you who has followed Tights and Tiaras a while might remember I worked in a company in the Czech Republic in the previous season. Although we did do a pretty cool production of “U2 – you too?!”, a ballet set to music by U2 (I made some video teasers of the production back then, you remember?), I was not quite pleased with my job, and decided to move on after one season. My chances of getting a job was looking good in another company at the time, so even if it was a risky decision, I decided not to sign a contract for the next season with the company – that is this season, 2010/11. The summer break came and went, and suddenly, things were looking quite different in that other company I was pretty sure to get a job with. Uh oh.. Unemployed. A dancers nightmare. If you haven’t read it already, find out why being unemployed is worse for a dancer than it is for you in another post.
Unemployed
The SNG Maribor Theatre, home of the Maribor Ballet
So, as the summer came to an end, there I was, without a job, and without any clues to where to get one, either. But luckily, I wasn’t the only one for which things had changed over the summer. Edward Clug, the director of Maribor Ballet needed dancers for his production of Giselle starting yesterday, and my girlfriend and I needed work sorely. We were the perfect match. So off we went, to Maribor, Slovenia, which would become our new home for just over a half a year. To make a long story short, Edward used us in all his productions this season. We danced Giselle in the autumn, Nutcracker around Christmas, La Bayadére in January before we watched Giselle be betrayed by her boyfriend yet a couple of more times in February. But that was it. The Maribor Ballet’s performances for the season ended with Giselles last death the last day of February. Our job was done, our engagement completed. And no more job until August. Just as I really started to get to know (and get to like!! – I know some of them are reading Tights and Tiaras:) ) my new colleagues, the fun was over. My girlfriend and I found ourselves unemployed for the second time this season. You know that hurt!
Again?!
This time though, at least we could stay in Maribor to take classes and keep in shape while more and more desperately looking for a job once again – a process that involves traveling, auditioning, and quite a lot of prayers, if you’re into that (I’m not, maybe thats what made it so hard?). Let me tell you, finding a job mid-season – it is like the famous needle and the haystack. After several trips here and there (if you subscribe to my newsletter, you might have read about how it went when I wanted to enter Croatia for an audition there), several no’s, some maybe’s and lots of “call us in August’s”, we finally went to Győr in Hungary to audition. The company was touring earlier, so our audition was postponed, and we had now been unemployed again for a good month and a half. Needless to say, I was just a tad excited to hear not only did they want us both in Győr, we could start straight away. Months of worrying, searching the net, calling, traveling and auditioning finally payed off.
When looking back on the season though, I don’t see a lot of bad. Sure, I worried a lot. I spent more time trying to find a job, than actually working. And I didn’t dance half as much on stage as I wanted to. But whatever. However hard in the moment, times like these strengthens you as a person, and makes you appreciate the good your life even more. I know the people around me are supportive, I made several good friends and some new experiences. And the auditioning also took me places I’ve never been before. All in all, the season was a giving one.
What about the future?
Since I got to Győr, I’m now well settled in my apartment, I’m starting to get to know my new colleagues and learning the ballets I will perform in next season. With a season like the one that was, I can’t tell you what a good feeling it is to know I’m set for the autumn. I have a job, I’m loving it, and I know I won’t starve to death anytime soon. And I get to dance! Dancers, we don’t get rich, nor famous (unless you start dating certain Hollywood-actresses..) or old in our profession. But who cares? All I want is to dance, and thanks to my new job, I get to do that. Bliss comes in strange forms.
I look forward to sharing my experiences with my new company with you next season. Tights and Tiaras will also vacation a bit this summer, although there are some updates coming occasionally. For example, I’m reviewing the Royal Academy of Dance’s “new” magazine, the Dance Gazette, pretty soon. So keep posted.
I wish you all a terrific summer-holiday! If you follow Tights and Tiaras on Twitter or Facebook, you’ll see that those forums will be live and vital through the entire summer, so please keep in touch!
What are your plans for the summer? Let me know in the comments! 
Ta-Ta
H
