tudo bem!

I'm here, lobster-like after too many hours in the sun, in the beautiful lounge space of Lume, which doubles as the living room of its company manager (I'm not sure that "company manager" is his official title, or even a particularly appropriate one given the nature of the company, but he lives here and maintains the Lume office). Every afternoon beginning at 2 there are videos screened - archival footage from Odin Teatret and Lume, demonstrations of Grotowski's principles, recordings of famous clown performances, workshops - all sorts of things.

The theater is down the road - about a 10-15 minute walk - from the house where I'm staying with one Argentinian and two Brazilian clowns. The house belongs to a dancer who is in Sâo Paulo this week and has a beautiful yoga studio, which also serves as my bedroom. It's on the "rua do fazenda" - "farm road" - so called because of the large corn stalks and unidentifiable (to me, at least) vegetation growing on the other side of the street. There is also a junkyard nearby and the Academia Harmonia, where I had some shiatsu today and where I intend to go to a yoga class tomorrow.

It is also the Fevereiofestival in the larger Campinas area - a three-week festival of performances - most of which I have thus far missed because my course is in the evening, at the same time as the performances. Last night Daniel (the other American, from NY, and a Dell'Arte grad with whom I have several friends in common), Danielo (originally from Barâo Geraldo), Melissa (from Sâo Paulo), and Julia (originally from Sâo Paulo, but a resident of Cologne for the past 18 years), and I went to the 'official' festival party where I sampled some very tasty, light local(-ish - I'm not so sure where in Brazil it's brewed) beer called "Bohemia".

I'm totally ecstatic about the cheek-kissing upon meeting and parting - I don't usually get to kiss so many people and, of course, it's just so not the way things are done in the US. We're not talking about snooty air-kisses, here, we're talkng right-on, genuine, pleased-to-meet-you smooches.

The workshop is challenging and fun - I don't want to write too much here, better to leave it for my journal for now. Lots of emphasis on the spine and on surrendering control and then, sort of, reconstituting it. Lots of sticks and sheets.

tchau!