Here to get back on the Blogging horse after a quite a reprieve. Can’t always manage to chase the buck and document my life at the same time. There is also the Scorpio nature that wants some secrecy and not to reveal the turmoil and struggle to strangers (probably a sentiment shared by the entire zodiac). September was quite a mixed bag. I spent half the time removing knives from my back and the other half of the time feeling quite lucky.

Attended two interesting installation events on consecutive weekends. The first, Voyage Improbable at the Old Port was an exchange between French and Quebecois artists and inspired by the ocean. In thematic opposition Champs Libre hosted last weeks Desert hosted in the striking if desolate setting of the old Incinerator. Both projects combined video, conceptual and sound installation performances and were interesting attempts at mixing media and alternative performance venues. I of course couldn`t help imagining live movement performances. The only down side was that my friends performing at Desert were not treated with enough personal or financial consideration.

In other news I started shaping young minds this week. Yes, I am the new contemporary dance instructor at the University of Montreal. Teaching adults is a rewarding task because they want to be there and they have actual life experience to draw on. It is a relief to do something positive with my skills. After not dancing much myself this summer, I am very aware of how good it feels to move. It is a pleasure to create a structure that helps people become more connected to and aware of their bodies. Thursday night’s composition class is by far my favourite. It is a chance to facilitate creative exploration and try out my own ideas. I can teach in French, I feel like I have finally arrived in this city!

I am going to miss some good shows this week, because of my last shifts at the restaurant. But if I could I would check out the 303 cocktail party tonight to celebrate their 15th anniversary and then head over to Club Soda to hear Trailer and The Weakerthans (part of the Pop Montreal festival). Dave St. Pierre`s Pornographies des Ames is apparently so worth seeing that it is sold out. O.k. so some shows you can and should see are Marie Pascal`s piece at Tangente this weekend and the final Solid State edition there next weekend. The female break dance collective is calling it quits after quite a long and successful run, something like five years I think. Emmanuel Joethe will also be starting a two week run at Espace Libre next week. Sunday I am going to the O Vertigo installation at Le Musée D`Art Contemporaine and then off to a clothing swap (this one’s private).

I think whoever hasn’t seen The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind yet should stop whatever you are doing right now and go rent it. Although I am probably one of the last people to see it. It has inspired me all week. Thank God some people are still making original art even in the mainstream. The imagery is stunning and the plot is complexly woven but poetic and somehow realistic. Glad I am in love right now, because it is a brutal reminder of the pain of breaking up.

Finally, I guess I have been thrown for a loop by some professional goings on lately. Things are still going well with Corps Secrets but some other stuff just isn’t working out. It is hard in this business where even professional relationships are quite intimate not to feel hurt when someone is cold. In brief, people that don’t call back suck. Whether you are the guy/girl without the guts to end the affair or the choreographer that hires new dancers and can’t even manage to inform the old group; you are all apart of the same cowardly crew. We all have a right to end things but people deserve explanations. Why does the world have to be such a mix of assholes and good folks (so often lurking inside the same people)? Suffice it to say I am feeling burned and just had to get it of my chest. After all, what is the point of a soap box without getting in the occasional cryptic dig?

Trying to rise above it,
Erin