Ha det Bra Oslo 😊

by kirstynlouise

154 days worth of instagram posts, 10 blog posts and it’s over. So this is it, the final blog post. My final few weeks have been amazing and I managed to do most of the exploring that I wanted to do before I left.

I’ll never get tired of Oslo’s views
Angry Baby Statue
keeping warm ups interesting

The first week of June we all got dressed up in tutus to celebrate Grete one of the much loved ballet teachers at the school. Who was also leaving at the end of the semester.

The first weekend in June a few of the girls and I took a trip in to Sweden where Bibbi lives with her own stables. We were able to stay with her, and she took us out with the horses. Being out in the countryside, with good company was just so so peaceful and to be honest I think it’s exactly what we all needed before our exam week. That and the trip to the spa that a couple of us took on Monday.

Then two exams later and we can finally celebrate a successful semester. Honestly I don’t know where the times gone, 6 months ago I thought 6 months was a long time but now it seems to have gone in the blink of an eye. It’s been an incredible semester and I wouldn’t have changed it for the world. I’ve learnt so so much, and I’m more confident than ever. I’ve grown as a dancer both technically and creatively, I’ve met so many amazing people both dancers and not, from across the world and I’ve fallen in love with both city and country. Oslo was home for 6 months and who knows maybe some day it will be home again, I haven’t decided yet.

Final Contact class with Bibbi
Final Release class with Irene
Final Ballet Class with Katja

I’m lucky enough to have had the experience of a lifetime so, thank you to the staff at Lincoln for giving me this opportunity and to my tutors and friends for supporting me from England.

Thanks to my parents without whom I would not of had enough money to survive in Oslo for 6 months 😅😂 and for your endless love and support.

Thank you to my brother and Chris who came to visit/help me get my luggage back because the one thing I still haven’t learnt it’s how to pack light 😅

Tusen Tusen Takk to everyone at Norges Dansehøyskole both staff and students for welcoming me as part of your school for 6 months.Especially to the 9 beautiful dancers in 2nd year Modern, and Ágnes my fellow exchange student. 💕

I’ll see you all again soon I’m certain about that.

Ha det bra Oslo og Takk for alt.

Can’t take a dancer anywhere
Good food+good music+good company=happy Kirstyn

National Day 😊

by kirstynlouise

Last Friday 17th May was Norway’s national day and possibly one of my favourite days that I’ve had out here. It’s their day of celebration to recognise the signing of the constitution in 1814. It’s essentially a countrywide party.

We like many started with a brunch, before heading into the centre to see the parades and the Royal family. Although I couldn’t understand what was being chanted as they walked through Oslo, the joy was infectious and the pride everyone has for their country was incredible. Everyone dresses in their bunad which is their national clothes or they dress up for the occasion. Whilst I was home for easter my Dad joked that I should wear my Mum’s tartan skirt so I could also wear my national clothes however despite me saying I couldn’t do that I did pass two guys wearing Kilts in Oslo so maybe I could have.

Their Bunad all vary based on the areas they grew up in so each region has their own unique version. But for the girls they are all woollen dresses with long sleeve blouses and often matching jewlery. Each of them are beautiful however I was quite grateful to not have to wear one as we were blessed with a beautifully hot, sunny day.

I’ve finally been up to see the view from the Opera House.

And I found a little piece of Lincoln in Oslo, still no clue on why they chose Lincoln though 🤔😂

Det Går Bra?

by kirstynlouise
Image taken from ‘You Can Be You’ By Elisabet Sandal
Photographed: Sunniva Opdal, Sofie Bjelland, Thea Asimina Bjørhovde Mavropoulou and Kirstyn Michalczyk

Det Går Bra? It’s Okay?

Was the title of our performance project which came to an end last weekend. And may I just say that I think we pulled of a damn good show.

Image taken from ‘Are we missing the point?’ by Kirstyn Michalczyk
Dancers Photographed: Karen Engene Hognestad, Oda Strandheim Lykke, Sunniva Opdal and Elisabet Sandal

Image taken from ‘Are we missing the point?’ by Kirstyn Michalczyk
Dancers Photographed: Karen Engene Hognestad and Sunniva Opdal
Image Taken from ‘Hva styres våre handlinger av?’ by Ida Sofie Mathisen
Dancers Photographed: Elisabet Sandal, Karen Engene Hognestad, Oda Strandheim Lykke and Kirstyn Michalczyk

Image Taken from ‘Hva styres våre handlinger av?’ by Ida Sofie Mathisen
Dancers Photographed: Elisabet Sandal, Karen Engene Hognestad, Oda Strandheim Lykke and Kirstyn Michalczyk

It was kind of bittersweet when it all came to an end, this project has been months in the making, so just like any project or performance to see it all come together as we’d hoped was amazing but also kinda sad because now its just over.

As I mentioned in my last blog I was one of the choreographers for the contemporary dancers, I couldn’t have been more happy with how it came together. I’m so grateful for my dancers and how they performed, with their help my piece was better than I could have ever hoped. But as well as not wanting to be finished with that piece of choreography yet, reaching the end of this project means we’re in May which also means I’ve only got a month and a half left. Until now its felt as though I’ve had forever left but I don’t. So know I’ve just gotta make sure i make the most of the time I do have.

When it came to this project until i was almost half way through it felt kind of like i was at loss for what to do. Sometimes i think choreography is just like that, choreographers block is a thing for one and also sometimes your running with an idea that doesn’t work or your just not sure where your going with it yet. That’s how I felt anyway, until i reached the end i wasn’t really sure what I wanted to leave the audience with as a parting image. I got there in the end though and I’m proud of the work I did. Sure I’d love to go back and play with the ideas even more but this was the first piece I’d made of this scale and this standard, so I’m proud of myself and my dancers because I’d say the ownership of this piece was like 45/65. They created solos based on the tasks i gave them and there was a good deal of improvisation in the opening of the piece, so without the hours they put in, how patient they were when things didn’t work first time, this piece wouldn’t have turned out as great as it did. All of them were amazing to work with in all of the pieces. I’m grateful that I’ve had the chance to perform with such a talented bunch.

Here’s pic of me in the lovely wigs we had for Ida’s Choreography
I was also very lucky that my mum and dad were able to fly out to see the show.

Celebrations and Choreography

by kirstynlouise

Hey!!

A couple of weeks ago it was birthday, I’m no longer a teenager! I thought that would probably be the hardest day to be away from home but it wasn’t. I was spoiled with messages and gifts from my family and friends back home. Then the my dance girls here absolutely spoiled me, with cake, presents and celebrations. It was one of my favourite days out here. I couldn’t be more grateful not just for the presents but for the effort they put it in to make my birthday special. Tusen Takk!

We have also begun work on our performance project, which we will be performing in the start of May. The overriding theme of our show is to target  the issues and opportunities young people face about fitting in or standing out, make our own choices or going where/doing what their told. So my piece explores the idea that we spend our lives chasing after one specific idea, ideal or goal, that we miss what’s in front of us in today. Its always about getting through the next set of exams or applications. We’re so focussed on what we need to do to get through secondary/high school, to graduate from uni or get a job so that we can do what makes us happy, and find our own version of freedom. That we miss out on the opportunities and the possibilities that are right in front of us in the moment. If we miss the relationships, the opportunities and the pockets of freedom in the every day then are we even really living or are we just surviving. Are we missing the point?

So far its going really well, at first I was struggling to get my ideas to make sense in my head let alone make them a reality. Its clear in my head now so that’s one hurdle down, now I’ve just got to keep working with my dancers to make it a reality. I’m really excited to be able to share the final piece. 

It’s been a new experience as the work needs to be about 9 minutes long and I’ve never choreographed anything like this alone as just a choreographer. I’ve learnt how much I like choreography throughout this process, but its been easier because I have a phenomenal group of dancers to choreograph on, and some of the ownership of the piece has to go back to them for their work in the process. 

I’m gonna be sharing more pictures when I can but if you use Instagram, follow our performance page @dgb_forestilling where we will be sharing pictures and videos throughout the next few weeks.

A snapshot of my Choreography
Marie has now become my official Norwegian tutor
Flying through Graham
In composition we were given the task to create a dance for a famous pop song specifically a song by the Beatles. So we decided to go for one we could have some fun with.
On the 21st it was Rokkesokk Day, so we all wore odd socks in support of Downs syndrome
Improv

Fastelavn

by kirstynlouise

Last weekend we celebrated Fastelavn. Its a part of their celebrations before Lent as well as Shrove Tuesday (pancake day) but Fastelavn is a bigger celebration than pancake day. The main part of the celebration is eating Boller, which are buns with jam and cream. That taste really, really good. It’s just a really nice celebration being together eating good food. I also gave the girls some of my favourite sweets and treats from England that I haven’t been able to find out here. Although it turns out that one of my childhood favourites Kola Cubes, Linnea also remembered from her childhood, we still don’t know where I can get them though.


Whilst you’ve had nice sunny weather England our weather is flipping back and forth between snow and rain, so spring is still nowhere in sight.

We also got our photos from the shoot we did with @photography_Bakke

Winter Break

by kirstynlouise

This week my family came out to Norway and we flew up to Tromsø and I got to tick seeing the Northern Lights of my bucket list. It was nice having a family holiday again it’s been a while.

We went out to a small beach to see the northern lights, it was absolutely freezing, but so worth it. The group we went out with brought hot drinks and marshmallows, we made a fire toasted marshmallows and we were lucky enough to see the lights. Something I’ve always wanted to see and I’m so happy I got the chance. It was beautiful but freezing, we stayed out till about 23:30 before calling it a night honestly if it wasn’t so cold I could of stayed out for longer. The lights started out small and then they grew, they didn’t get much brighter than you can see in the pictures, but they danced and flickered I guess getting brighter then fading.

We also got the chance to go dog sledging through a valley in Tromsø which was also beautiful, the dogs were oh so cute and so excitable. I also attempted a pirouette in the snow and learnt that as hard as I try I can’t do a pirouette in a snowsuit and boots.

We spent the days exploring town, visiting the Cathedral, art museum and taking the Fjellheisen cable car up from Tromsdalen to the mountain ledge Storsteinen (421 m above sea level). It’s got the best views, but it was a pretty cloudy day so we couldn’t see much and I could barely keep my eyes open in the snow but it was pretty cool.


1 MONTH!!

by kirstynlouise

Hi, I’ve officially survived the first month! I cant believe its already been a month since I got here and nearly a month since I started class. It’s gone so fast, it’s strange in the sense of it feels like I’ve been here for longer than a handful of weeks yet also it feels like no times passed at all. Still, so far so good, apart from the language I wouldn’t realise I’m so far from home. I can already feel and see my technique getting stronger, so I know I can grow so much as a dancer over the next 5 months.

I wouldn’t say I’ve really struggled settling in out here with anything in particular it’s different so it took getting used to but there’s not been anything I’ve hated and so I was able to find my feet pretty quickly. That’s just me I guess I’ve always been able to adapt quickly. The hardest thing I found was getting used to living in the flat out here, I’ve grown so used to living in Lincoln, Maria and Lucy have become a constant for me at university. We hang out a lot together in the house even if we are all just on our phones ignoring each other, it’s a completely different vibe to my flat here where whilst everyone is lovely we all pretty much keep to ourselves in our rooms unless we’re cooking. So it’s a lot quieter than me and the girls blaring out Queen whilst we’re cooking. It doesn’t bother me as such it’s just different and it’s the thing that took the most getting used to. But I still have Skype calls to keep me sane and I’m grateful for the girls on my course who’ve found a way for us to get together each weekend so I don’t notice the quietness of the flat.

We’ve had a fair amount of snow here so far and there’s more to come as the temperatures drop more but whilst it’s still kind of a novelty for me I can see why many people are ready for spring and summer to arrive. The cold hasn’t been too bad but I’m starting to feel it, I’m just grateful that the heating in my flat here is far far better than my house last semester. We had our first fire alarm of the semester last week (things I didn’t miss about student flats) it was -13 degrees and nobody was impressed, although I can say we were able to get back inside a lot quicker than when we had drills in courts.

I’m slowly learning some Norwegian, Marie has made her mission to teach me a new word every day starting with the body and directions, so when our teachers, speak in Norwegian I can find it easier to understand rather than relying only on visual cues. Shes evening made me revision aids, i love that everyones as enthuastic about teaching me as i am about learning as it makes it so much eassier. It’s getting there I can recognise a couple of words now during class so I’m excited to see just how much I can learn before I leave.

Here’s my brothers latest piece of advice for me whilst i’m in Norway. 😂
Also, Sunniva suggested I try and get hold of some of our English sweets and snacks that they can’t get in Norway for them to try, whilst they introduce me to some of their Norwegian ones, so if anyone has any suggestions let me know!

Tusen Takk!! Many Thanks!!

Technique Technique Technique

by kirstynlouise

So far in my time here we have been looking at Graham technique, Contact improvisation, ballet and Jazz technique. I’ve looked at the first three previously. My experience with Jazz however is next to none.

In recent years I haven’t particularly been a ballet lover asides from teaching it to the little kids and I think that’s mainly because I let my focus shift into contemporary but straying from it almost completely means I lost a foundation area of my training which could have instead been continuing to grow stronger. Taking ballet twice a week reminded me how beneficial ballet can be alongside the contemporary training, it’s something I’m going to keep in mind in the future. As already I can feel a difference in my dancing, I can only hope the extra ballet training continues to build my strength and flexibility. Aside from that I’ve remembered why I loved ballet as a kid, why from that first class I decided that I wanted to be a dancer.

Graham is one of the core contemporary techniques and admittedly again it’s one I didn’t particularly love in first year, however I have changed my opinion, whilst I stand by that it’ll probably never be my favourite area of technique I do find myself more able to enjoy it now. When we studied Graham in first year it was mainly the floor work I disliked I found it always left me with masses of tension in my back no matter how much I tried to breathe into the movements or find space, I finished that semester with a shoulder injury as a result of a mass build up of tension in my upper back. Whilst I don’t blame my injury completely on Graham I pretty sure it was a major contributor. My hips also hated having to sit in second for extended periods of time. So yeah I wasn’t a fan in first year, but going into it now both stronger and with a greater somatic awareness, I don’t experience the same masses of tension and where I do find tension I understand more how to breathe through it and find the space to avoid it. As a result I’m able to pay more attention to improving my technique and enjoying it.

So then there’s contact, I thought this would be harder this semester to begin with at least because I was going into work with a new group of people that I didn’t know at all , but beneficial for that same reason. As it happens they were so quick to bring me into being a part of the group it didn’t feel like I was working with strangers. Regardless of that it is interesting to work with a fresh group of dancers with new ways of moving. By having contact two semesters in a row, I feel like I’ve now been given more time to develop and play with those skills I learnt last semester. It’s also a chance to continue working on becoming more comfortable with lifting other people, I’d much rather be lifted than lift another. Already I’m getting better in that way so I’m hoping that by the end of the semester I’ll be over that fear completely, therefore becoming more free to experiment and play within the realms of contact improvisation.

 

 

Now Jazz, after the first week I was already saying, yep now I remember why I don’t do jazz but maybe I was being a bit premature. It’s unlikely to be an area in which I pursue a performance career but I’m not as a bad at it as I first believed. At the end of last week something felt like it clicked and I made it through the choreography without completely screwing up. So I’m slowly getting there, but I’m determined to be semi comfortable and confident in jazz by the end of this.

Our last two lessons in Jazz have been taken with a cover teacher and this piece she’s been teaching us has much more lyrical vibe.

Also in this week…

Week 2

by kirstynlouise

Nothing extreme has happened so far, but in some ways I think that shows just how easily I settled into life in Oslo. Its still strange to me in many ways to be living out here, but I guess student life here is never going to be the same experience as student life in Lincoln. That being said it feels normal being here now, going to class each day and I think I owe a lot of that to the girls in my class and how quickly they accepted me and took me in as one of their own. The comment has been passed more than once that I’m now officially in the group and that means more than realise to me. So far my only issues are that I cant find Nutella but I’m ready to try the local version and shopping in general is expensive but I’ll make it work.

One thing I have realised is that being a jazz dancer probably isn’t one of my strengths but I’m improving slowly. I still enjoy the class but it does frustrate me a little bit when I don’t get it, that being said something clicked in the last class we had this week so hopefully it’ll get easier. The contemporary sessions are brilliant they’re challenging, so I feel like I’m being pushed to my potential and I feel like I’m coming away from each class with something new. We’ve been looking at Graham and contact improvisation, I’m particularly thankful for another semester studying contact so that I can define the skills we learnt last semester with a different group of people with new ways of moving. As well as having another chance to push past my apprehension for lifting other dancers.

Linnea and Sunniva took me on a little hike last weekend to Holmenkollen and Frognerseteren, the views were beautiful and so was the cake we finished with!

Photo Credits- Sunniva
Skype, skype, skype
I needed a pic for my daily Instagram so Elizabet and Marie helped me out
It’s snowed again and the temperature is dropping so far to -6 but I’ve been told its gonna get lower, wish me luck.
We had a little spontaneous shopping trip

The Journey Begins

by kirstynlouise

Last Saturday I stepped on a plane for the first time, I’m now in Oslo, Norway beginning my training at Norges dansehøyskole (The Norwegian College of Dance). Where I will be studying for the next 6 months.


A tiny Snowman as requested by Steph and Sadie
Yes my parents brought me a duck to remind me of Lincoln and I love it.

So far I’ve started my classes and loved them all so far, I’ve had the opportunity to take a jazz class alongside the contemporary courses so we’re giving that a go. I wandered around a bit of Oslo this week with my parents before they travelled home and it’s a beautiful City, they cope far better with snow than we do. Public transport can function in snow!?

I couldn’t of asked for a warmer welcome from everyone at the School, which I’m so grateful for, I already feel at home, so roll on the next 6 months.