In this week’s ADA life blog, physical theatre students Irene and Tyler and dance student Mitchell tell (and show!) us how their experiences at the ADA are going so far! Read on to hear all about it.

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Infinite Possibilities

Mitchell Maguire, Coastal Carolina University

Semester Dance Program

We have only just completed the first two weeks of classes here at the ADA and the experience has been nothing short of incredible, informative, and culturally and artistically enriching. As a member of the dance program here at the Accademia, our mornings our spent studying under Alessio Trevisani, a master of his craft, who helps us to better understand the workings of our own bodies, how to expand on our physical language through movement by finding variety in quality and dynamics, as well as understand the styles and teachings of great choreographers such as Pina Bausch and many more. After four hours of exertion and exploration, we are given an hour-long break for lunch before we jump back into the work again. It’s tiring stuff, but waking up to the rolling hills of Tuscany certainly makes it all more worthwhile. 

Here at the ADA, we are not only being trained to become professionals in our chosen fields, whether that be dance or physical theatre, but to become more well-rounded theatre artists that can utilize the many styles and forms of theatrical performance we learn about in our works. An example of this was this past Thursday when we all took a master class in puppetry. During this class, we explored how we could move together to make living puppets with mere pieces of paper with nothing to decorate or fasten them together except for our own hands. Despite this lack of resources, we were able to make these puppets full of life, energy, breath, and personality that one would never think they could accomplish with only three sheets of paper. It was truly an amazing thing to witness and afterward, my mind was filled with ideas of how I could incorporate this kind of puppetry with dance, whether that be a piece that is performed by puppets or a piece that has dancers and puppets moving together to show how a puppet can be just as alive on stage as a person can. The possibilities are endless!

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Tyler Statkevicus, Boston University

Semester Physical Theatre Program

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Anxiously Abroad: being out of the country when you are prone to homesickness 

Irene Keeney, Muhlenberg College

Semester Physical Theatre Program

So I have a tendency to get homesick really easily. I thought that going to Italy was going to be the hardest thing that I was going to do this year. I had three breakdowns in the airport. This post is for people like me. 

One thing that is most important is to bring something from home. I brought a stuffed rabbit with me. It’s nice to have a touch of home with me when I’m feeling upset or homesick.

Another thing is to talk to people in the program. I don’t think I would be having this good a time if I didn’t have the support of the friends that I’ve made. Even though we haven’t known each other for long, we are a good support system for one another.

My last piece of advice is to keep in contact. It’s nice to have time set aside to talk to people from home. Tell them about your adventures and show pictures. It’s also nice to keep up with what’s going on back home.

I hope this was helpful for anyone who feels the same way I do. I don’t want anyone to keep from having a good experience just because of nerves.