Did you see what I saw; did you think what I thought?

Did you see what I saw; did you think what I thought? When you apply these questions to the interpretive dance performance we were fortunate enough to see at the Autostadt factory, the answer would definitely be, "no!"

Our class was treated to a theatrical performance unlike any we had ever seen! The stage was inches deep in white foam balls that were so small they looked like snow. There were also three "dog house" type structures that the dancers used as props and entrance and exit points. Another constant element throughout the performance was the background sound of wind. It was "blowing" through the entire show with other musical melodies playing over and with it.

The dancers wore simple black outfits at first and then changed into full-body hose suits. Their movements were fluid and graceful at times, then sharp and calculatingly accurate at others. The story line was so open to interpretation that each student said they saw something different. Some of the themes we saw were: death, life, love, lust, betrayal, competition, humor, and oddity. All of these emotions and struggles were simple suggestions that the viewer could choose to follow in their idea of the story line.

After the performance we were ushered into a candle-lit bar area where the dancers from Israel soon joined us! As journalists we were quick to ask questions and learn more about these performers. Most had been in the Israeli Dance Company for many years and spent the majority of their work-year traveling around the globe performing in many different countries. They called dancing their passion and their job and used about three months out of the year learning, practicing, and perfecting their show. Lauren and I interviewed a 21 year old girl named Shir who seemed shy and hesitant at times with her English; however, we assured her it was very good and continued to learn that she had spent a year at a performing institute before opting to start her career in dance instead of finishing school. It was odd thinking of a girl, the same age as us, having a career and being on her own in a business that takes her far from her home. Her strength gives me hope that when it is my time to venture into the world of real work, this time next year, I will have the same drive and determination and will hopefully be just as successful.