San Juan Traditions

On Sunday, June 23rd,  all of Spain celebrates San Juan, otherwise known as Saint John's Eve. Certain festivals seem to summarize the life and culture in Spain, with its love of having a good time in company of friends, and family. The night of San Juan is definitely one of these events. It is a celebration that is usually held on the beach with roaring bonfires, drinks, and food. It was a memorable, almost surreal scene I was lucky enough to experience. Here is how the night led up to midnight.

Here, in order, are some of the traditions I witnessed around me:

1. Everyone camps out all day at Las Canteras beach. The biggest and most popular beach in Las Palmas; and it seems that the whole population finds a spot to enjoy their time by the ocean.
2. Bonfires. It is tradition to jump over bonfires to celebrate a new beginning. People were also burning things to leave behind bad spirits from the past and start a new phase.
3. Concerts. Spanish musicians start playing on the beach.
4. Right at midnight, people jump into the water. To represent a new beginning and wash away spirits. The sight of hundreds of people wandering into the water with a haze of bonfires was incredible.
5. Lastly, watch the sunrise. Families were still gathered around together to enjoy this experience. It was quite beautiful to see so many people come together.

The power of tradition is truly magical. To Canarians, San Juan symbolized a moment where superstitions seemed to come alive, and created rituals that are celebrated on this day. 

A list of things I've been thinking about

In light of trying to get back in shape for dancing, the challenge I face is more mental than physical. It is so easy to fall back into bad self criticism - and so I had created a list to help me keep going. I hope this will resonate with you in some way, to give you a little motivation to face the inevitable obstacles we face in life.

• Connect to your values. Reminding yourself how to grow your skills and your work in even small ways can help.
• Remember the feeling. Look back to the time you felt at ease, and content. Know that if you were once there, there is always that opportunity to get there.
• Choose to do it. I'm learning the power of choice is extremely powerful - and that it is ultimately up to you to drop what doesn't work, and continue what does. Reframing your work can be so helpful.
• Play to your strengths. Spending too much time on what you can't do can wear you down - so instead find your strengths to renew your energy. 
• Welcome failure. Easier said than done, but learn that its part of the process to succeed.
• Look back on other people. Knowing that you aren't the only one, and know that there are people out there who had failed more than you have, and gotten back up even higher. 

Something Insightful

Here is a small small speech that Carmen, one of the Ballet teachers, has said today:

"To be able to dance is a gift. But it takes diligence, and lots of hard work for it to feel like it ever can be so. You have to fall in love with the process of working and understanding every day, and create a work ethic for yourself. Otherwise, it can just feel like a burden. This is what differentiates between a student and a professional - the constant drive for technique in your dancing. And you can only think about yourself - when you start comparing with others and get distracted by how others work, that's when you run into problems. I love dancing and the dance world can be marvelous. But creating a work space for yourself is the only way to understand the joy and feel successful in the world of dance. I wish everyone can feel how marvelous the dance world is - but it's not for everyone. It is a special kind of focus, and if you can find it, you are on your way."

About the Ballet School

The most important reason that I am here in Las Palmas, is for the ballet training. Centro Coreographico de Las Palmas, is a studio located in the center of the city. Carmen and Anatol Yanowsky are the owners and main teachers of the studio. What makes them so impressive, is that three of their children who they trained, ended up becoming principal dancers with major companies around the world.
Although they have a school for all ages year around, professional dancers from the U.S and Europe know of this place for the two week summer program that's held in July. But there are no advertisements or websites - this place has been kept alive through word of mouth, which makes it all the more special.
What I love about Carmen and Anatol is that you can feel their genuine willingness to make you see your maximum potential in yourself, and help you get there. A part of me had felt guilty for coming this summer - simply because they had helped me get so much stronger last year, and now I am starting back from square one due to injury. But they were still just as excited and attentive to have me here, and helped me feel assured that I will fully get back to dancing as I was last year.
I also love that this place has brought so many dancers from around the world. Over the last three summers, I have met people from Kansas, Berlin, Boston, Warsaw, Madrid, and Austin. We all come together to enjoy the beauty of Las Palmas, and share our love of dance.

Being Alone

I've just arrived to Las Palmas, and I have already felt a beginning to self reflection, motivation, and focus I have a hard time getting in NYC. I've always known that I've worked better in solitary, for so many reasons. It increases my productivity, boosts my creativity, and has strengthened my relationship with others. But I am realizing that me wanting to be alone can be a little deeper than that. I think as a dancer, and really as people, its sometimes harder to be vulnerable to yourself. Especially in an environment that is ambitious and competitive, I feel that it is easy to mask your fears with other things around you. But when I'm here, I become vulnerable to my inner critics. It sounds negative, but in my case, I find it a good thing, and its a vital process I think anyone has to go through to really improve yourself as a person. I've always longed for this feeling in my daily life in NYC - but I've always felt overstimulated and distracted - whether it is family, friends, or relationships.
I did a little research on this topic, and not to my surprise, the benefits of solitude are praised by spiritual leaders, philosophers and artists. I also learned that being alone can free the mind from a phenomenon called the spotlight effect. When in public, we tend to overestimate the extent to which others notice our accomplishments and mistakes, and when alone, our brains can stop imagining that our actions are on full display. Very relatable statement.
But there are clearly also some down sides to solitude - including painful loneliness, depression, and overall physically bad for your health. So how much is too much alone time? It seems like it depends on the person. Right now, I already feel a sense of relief being here. But I guess we'll see how I feel after six weeks.

Brief History of Las Palmas

Before I officially arrive on the island, I felt that it wouldn't hurt to give myself a brief history on the island itself. As I did some research, I had come to figure out that Las Palmas may have the most city/like traits out of all of Gran Canaria.

First and foremost, officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a city capital of Gran Canaria island, in the Canary Islands, on the Atlantic Ocean. To a surprise, it is considered the tenth most populous metropolitan area in Spain. It is located in the northeastern part of the island of Gran Canaria, slightly off the Moroccan coast in the Atlantic Ocean.

Historically, there is a lot of myth and legend surrounding the early history of the Canary Islands, with many early inhabitants believing them to be the lost land of Atlantis. Others considered the islands to be the site of the magical, mystical fortunate islands, the blissful paradise of both Celtic and Greek mythology.

The city was officially founded in 1478, and considered the capital of the Canary Islands until the seventeenth century. In 1492, Christopher Colombus anchored in the port of Las Palmas and spent some time on the island on his first trip to the Americas. He also stopped there on the way back to Spain. The Colon House museum in the Vegueta area of the city is named after him. ( I will make a visit to this museum at some point!).

Climate is one of the major traits of Las Palmas that make it very unique. It has a desert climate with warm dry summers and warm enough winters to classify it as a Tropical climate. The average temperature during the day is 82 degrees Fahrenheit, and around 64 degrees at night, and large fluctuations in the weather are very rare. It also only rains on average 22 days a year, and has no record of snow of any kind. According to research on climatology, Las Palmas enjoys "the best climate in the world". I am curious to understand how much climate can affect one's mood and overall fulfillment.

Las Palmas has received waves of immigrants from mainland Spain and countries from every continent. The majority of the population is Spanish, although large North and sub-Saharan African and Latin American communities exist as well as important historical minorities such as Indians and Koreans and a growing Chinese population.

This is just a short history on what Las Palmas is about - but I think its key to understand its history to understand its overall culture on the island.

About Serendipia

Hi and welcome to Serendipia. As an artist, I've always been fascinated by the concept of the "creative spark", and essentially, I want to use this blog as a platform to discover just that. I want to know what makes people create and innovate, where creativity hides, how people create in the face of challenge and self-doubt.
I have been dancing ever since I can remember, and have been lucky enough to dance professionally with the New York City Ballet for the last four years. In the last two summers, I serendipitously discovered ballet teachers on an island in Spain. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has such a special place in my heart, because when I had doubted myself through injury, or when I felt apprehensive when my career felt out of my control - this island helped me rekindle my joy for the ballet when I needed it the most. This summer, I will be on the island for six weeks to get my strength back after a stress fracture, and I can't wait to share my discoveries, questions, and experiences of this special place through my eyes. And to my readers, I hope that this blog can help you create, and further your imagination, in whatever it may be.