Hello there!
Unfortunately, there are some bad news for you.
Around several months ago I have obtained access to your devices that you were using to browse internet.
Subsequently, I have proceeded with tracking down internet activities of yours.
Below, is the sequence of past events:
In the past, I have bought access from hackers to numerous email accounts (today, that is a very straightforward task that can be done online).
Clearly, I have effortlessly logged in to email account of yours (yogamarais.michelle@blogger.com).
A week after that, I have managed to install Trojan virus to Operating Systems of all your devices that are used for email access.
Actually, that was quite simple (because you were clicking the links in inbox emails).
All smart things are quite straightforward. (>_<)
The software of mine allows me to access to all controllers in your devices, such as video camera, microphone and keyboard.
I have managed to download all your personal data, as well as web browsing history and photos to my servers.
I can access all messengers of yours, as well as emails, social networks, contacts list and even chat history.
My virus unceasingly refreshes its signatures (since it is driver-based), and hereby stays invisible for your antivirus.
So, by now you should already understand the reason why I remained unnoticed until this very moment...
While collecting your information, I have found out that you are also a huge fan of websites for adults.
You truly enjoy checking out porn websites and watching dirty videos, while having a lot of kinky fun.
I have recorded several kinky scenes of yours and montaged some videos, where you reach orgasms while passionately masturbating.
If you still doubt my serious intentions, it only takes couple mouse clicks to share your videos with your friends, relatives and even colleagues.
It is also not a problem for me to allow those vids for access of public as well.
I truly believe, you would not want this to occur, understanding how special are the videos you love watching, (you are clearly aware of that) all that stuff can result in a real disaster for you.
Let's resolve it like this:
All you need is $1450 USD transfer to my account (bitcoin equivalent based on exchange rate during your transfer), and after the transaction is successful, I will proceed to delete all that kinky stuff without delay.
Afterwards, we can pretend that we have never met before. In addition, I assure you that all the harmful software will be deleted from all your devices. Be sure, I keep my promises.
That is quite a fair deal with a low price, bearing in mind that I have spent a lot of effort to go through your profile and traffic for a long period.
If you are unaware how to buy and send bitcoins - it can be easily fixed by searching all related information online.
Below is bitcoin wallet of mine: 15KquhG7RGkyXvEVT1aXLgPt4qgBEVe8rN
You are given not more than 48 hours after you have opened this email (2 days to be precise).
Below is the list of actions that you should not attempt doing:
> Do not attempt to reply my email (the email in your inbox was created by me together with return address).
> Do not attempt to call police or any other security services. Moreover, don't even think to share this with friends of yours. Once I find that out (make no doubt about it, I can do that effortlessly, bearing in mind that I have full control over all your systems) - the video of yours will become available to public immediately.
> Do not attempt to search for me - there is completely no point in that. All cryptocurrency transactions remain anonymous at all times.
> Do not attempt reinstalling the OS on devices of yours or get rid of them. It is meaningless too, because all your videos are already available at remote servers.
Below is the list of things you don't need to be concerned about:
> That I will not receive the money you transferred.
- Don't you worry, I can still track it, after the transaction is successfully completed, because I still monitor all your activities (trojan virus of mine includes a remote-control option, just like TeamViewer).
> That I still will make your videos available to public after your money transfer is complete.
- Believe me, it is meaningless for me to keep on making your life complicated. If I indeed wanted to make it happen, it would happen long time ago!
Everything will be carried out based on fairness!
Before I forget...moving forward try not to get involved in this kind of situations anymore!
An advice from me - regularly change all the passwords to your accounts.
Saturday, 16 October 2021
Saturday, 11 September 2021
Cours spécial avec Caroline, demain 11h-12h15 12 septembre
Hello Everyone,
More yoga makes everyone feel better, which makes the world feel better, right? That's why each Sunday at the start of the month there will be yoga with Caroline in the am and meditation with me in the evening. We start this month, tomorrow and then in October we go to the first Sunday of the month. It's sangha, being with community. The Hatha and Mediation are being offered by donation. Please reserve in advance: 11:00 Caroline, 18:30 Michelle. Sometimes there will be surprise teachers.
Other:
There will be no class, Saturday 10am Sept 25. I will be giving a weekend retreat in the Vosges and there are still places if you want to come!
I will be away from the center and video classes from Friday, October 1 -Thursday October 7. Caroline will teach for me Saturday, Oct 2, 10am. All the other classes
that week are cancelled, plus Friday, Sept 24, 12noon and prenatal are cancelled.
That's it for right now. Take good care of yourselves and have a nice weekend!
Namaste, Michelle
Bonjour tout le monde,
Plus de yoga fait que tout le monde se sent mieux, n'est-ce pas ? C'est pourquoi chaque dimanche au début du mois, il y aura du yoga avec Caroline le matin et de la méditation avec moi le soir. Nous commençons ce mois-ci, demain, puis en octobre, nous passerons au premier dimanche du mois. C'est la sangha, être avec la communauté. Le Hatha et la méditation sont offerts par donation. Veuillez réserver à l'avance, comme d'habitude: 11:00 Caroline, 18:30 Michelle. Parfois il y aura des enseignants surprises.
Autre :
Il n'y aura pas de cours le samedi 25 septembre à 10h. Je vais donner un week-end de retraite dans les Vosges et il y a encore des places si vous voulez venir !
Je serai absent du centre et des cours vidéo du vendredi 1er octobre au jeudi 7 octobre. Caroline enseignera pour moi le samedi 2 octobre à 10h.
Tous les autres cours de cette semaine sont annulés, ainsi que le vendredi 24 septembre, 12h00 et le cours prénatal.
C'est tout pour le moment. Prenez bien soin de vous et passez un bon week-end !
Namaste, Michelle
Michelle Jacobi
BFA, ERYT-500, C-IAYT
Centre de Yoga du Marais
72, rue du Vertbois
75003 Paris
0033 (0)1 42 74 24 92
0033 (0)6 31 91 92 12
Saturday, 4 September 2021
New beginnings
Dear Friends,
I sent this letter out to you on January 1, 2021 and thought it appropriate to post again, for our rentrée which is also the beginning of a new year for us.
Dearest Everyone!
Happy New Year!
Wasn’t this morning already something happily different? The light in Paris was beautiful.
I feel we all want to try harder this year to make the world a better place.
For Sunday’s meditation I propose 2 mantras that speak to the here and now.
The Gayatri and
The Peace Mantra from the Taittiriya Upanishad
As
you know from our practicing together over the years, the sounds in the
original Sanskrit are the keys that open us up to transformation.
I
enclose an English translation, too, but you know the translation does
not hold the same power, because something is lost in all translations,
but you get the idea.
Gayatri
OM
Bhur Bhuva Svaha
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi
Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat
Earth Atmosphere Heavens
We meditate on the divine Source’s brilliant light.
May that guide our thoughts and actions.
**********************
Shanti (On togetherness)
OM
Saha Navavatu
Saha Nau Bhunaktu
Saha Viryam Karavavahai
Tejasvi Navadhitam Astu
Ma Vidvishavahai
Om. May the Source protect us both in togetherness.
May this nourish us both in togetherness.
May we both work in unity with great energy.
May our study be energized and may our time together
be effective to strengthen our unity in all ways.
May we not hate each other destroying our togetherness.
Om shanti,
Michelle
Monday, 30 August 2021
Yoga Teacher Training/Formation Professorale Intensive 2021-2022
Chers passionées de yoga! Êtes-vous curieux de suivre une formation de professeur de yoga?
It's me once again, writing because I have heard from a good number of you ready to jump into a 200-hour Intensive Training program, and I would like to begin the conversation with a first meeting.
If after you look at this email and attachments and feel you are ready to dive in, please let me know which afternoon in October we could have our orientation (on a weekend) and then I can propose we begin in December before the winter vacation. You have time to read during the winter break and we see each other in January-June. In our meeting we decide as a group which weekends are generally best for everyone's other demands on jobs and family. I would like to make this as easy as possible for you, which also can include video presence for the occasions when you cannot make a training module.
Here is the link for you to read more. http://www.yogamarais.com/teacher-training/
En français dessous:
C'est moi, une fois de plus, qui vous écris parce que j'ai entendu un bon nombre d'entre vous prêts à se lancer dans un programme de formation intensive de 200 heures, et j'aimerais entamer la conversation par une première rencontre ?
Si, après avoir lu cet e-mail et les pièces jointes, vous vous sentez prêt à vous lancer, faites-moi savoir quel après-midi d'octobre nous pourrions organiser notre séance d'orientation (un week-end) et je vous proposerai de commencer en décembre, avant les vacances d'hiver. Vous avez le temps de lire pendant les vacances d'hiver et nous nous voyons en janvier-juin. Lors de notre réunion, nous décidons en groupe des week-ends qui conviennent le mieux aux autres exigences professionnelles et familiales de chacun. J'aimerais rendre cela aussi facile que possible pour vous, ce qui peut aussi inclure une présence vidéo pour les occasions où vous ne pouvez pas vous rendre à un module de formation.
Dear Student,
I am organizing the YTT-200 hours for 2021-2011 and am starting to put the details together,
not the least of which is who is doing the training? Here is what I promised to send you.
Below, are some details as well as an opening questionnaire I ask you to answer for me as well as for yourself, then following, a pdf of our 2021Teacher's Training Contract.
More details on the YTT are on the website page: http://www.yogamarais.com/teacher-training/
Feedback as well as essays from past students of the YTT are on the blog: http://yogainparis.blogspot.fr/p/yogaimmersionteacher-
training.html
(Scroll down past the pictures for more essays and testimonials.)
Mission Statement
The Mission of the Centre de Yoga du Marais Teacher Training/Yoga Intensive Program is to teach the basic
principles of yoga and its philosophy.
To create a space where students learn to develop a personal practice and go on to inspire others through the
teachings of yoga.
Goals of the program:
To deepen and strengthen your personal practice.
Acquire an understanding of the importance of having meditation, pranayama, and asana practice.
Build a strong relationship with yoga philosophy and its teachings.
To feel comfortable leading a level I class for those who have never done yoga before.
To share the knowledge of yoga.
Reguirements:
Attendance in the classes and workshops.
Minimum of 24 classes in addition to the weekends that we will be training. (Approximately one more class per
week.)
Observing 3 classes.
One-on-one with any or more teachers in the program.
Two essays.
One classroom evaluation.
Practical and written exams in anatomy and philosophy.
Responsibilities:
Arriving on time.
Home Study
Keeping track of the hours and classes you are attending.
Keeping a mediation or personal journal.
Beginning or maintaining your meditation practice (start with 10 minutes a day).
Missed classes can occur, which is understandable, responsibilities are to make up the time
with the aid of fellow students and teachers.
Curriculum
Much of what a teacher is able to offer comes from self-study; students are guided to understand the importance of a
daily meditation and asana practice.
Our studies include: asana, pranayama, meditation, deep relaxation and other therapeutic tools, yoga history and
philosophy. diet, nutrition and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
Attention is given to the full spectrum of yoga so that all graduates have both a practical and philosophical
understanding of yoga. Whether you choose to teach or not,
all trainees will refine and deepen their own personal essence of yoga.
Philosophy
The core principles of yoga were first recorded thousands of years ago by the sage, Patanjali. Reading these sutras
is an experience in itself; we will be reading the sutras discussing
their meanings in a group setting. Our discussions of the text give us a better understanding of the material and
allows us to focus on ways to distill these yogic philosophies into
our every day life.
Cultivating Svadyaya- Developing a Home Practice.
Self-study is an important part of your development as a yoga practitioner. Our teacher training offers one-on-one
studies to discuss personal practice, material or just to talk.
Anatomy and Physiology
It is important to learn how to safely move in your poses, and lead others toward building a safe yoga practice.
Participants learn how to modify postures through the use of props
as to the independent needs of students.
Asana
The physical practice of the program will also look at individual poses, their benefits, correct alignment and variations.
You will learn how to present and organize a complete basic level class.
Pranayama and Meditation
Part of spiritual growth is learning that the body is just the beginning, and there are other ways to advance ourselves
to the next level. We can learn to reduce
anxiety and stress and allow for steadiness and strength, not only of body, but of mind. Pranayama (breath control)
and meditation are tools you use for the rest
of your life.
Branches of Yoga
Considerable attention is given to many other aspects of yoga so that all graduates have both a practical and
philosophical understanding of the full scope of yoga.
The various branches of yoga also include the psychology of the mind, Raja Yoga, selfless service Karma Yoga, and
self-analysis, Jnana Yoga.
Yogic Diet, Yogic Foods
It's true, we are what we eat. Learn how to establish a more sacred connection with what we put in our bodies. We
will discuss and utilize ancient cleansing
techniques and learn the best way to put them into practice in today's world with today's food.
********************************************************************************************************
I kindly ask you to answer these questions for me as part of your registration and ultimately your growth in the
program:
1. What does Yoga mean to you?
2. How long and how often have you been practicing?
3. Do you have a home meditation/asana practice? Describe.
4. Why do you want to take this yoga intensive or teacher training course?
I will take maximum 12 students and once the group has formed, we will customize our dates together in the period
between January and June of 2022
It is with gratitude and humility that I look forward to leading you on this journey toward possiblity, manifestation, and any of the so many wonderful reasons you may have to take this course and learn more about yourself.
Namaste,
Michelle
Cher étudiant,
Je suis en train d'organiser les heures de YTT-200 pour 2021-2011 et je commence à mettre au point les détails,
dont le moindre n'est pas de savoir qui va faire la formation ? Voici ce que j'ai promis de vous envoyer.
Ci-dessous, vous trouverez quelques détails ainsi qu'un questionnaire d'ouverture auquel je vous demande de répondre pour moi ainsi que pour vous-même, puis à la suite, un pdf de notre contrat de formation des enseignants pour 2021.
Plus de détails sur le YTT se trouvent sur la page web : http://www.yogamarais.com/teacher-training/.
Les commentaires ainsi que les essais d'anciens étudiants de l'ETJ sont sur le blog : http://yogainparis.blogspot.fr/p/yogaimmersionteacher-
formation.html
(Faites défiler la page au-delà des photos pour voir d'autres essais et témoignages).
Mission du Centre
La mission du Centre de Yoga du Marais est d'enseigner les principes de base du yoga et de sa philosophie.
principes de base du yoga et de sa philosophie.
Créer un espace où les étudiants apprennent à développer une pratique personnelle et à inspirer les autres à travers les enseignements du yoga.
les enseignements du yoga.
Objectifs du programme :
Approfondir et renforcer votre pratique personnelle.
Acquérir une compréhension de l'importance d'avoir une pratique de la méditation, du pranayama et des asanas.
Construire une relation forte avec la philosophie du yoga et ses enseignements.
Se sentir à l'aise pour diriger une classe de niveau I pour ceux qui n'ont jamais fait de yoga auparavant.
Partager la connaissance du yoga.
Conditions requises :
Présence aux cours et aux ateliers.
Minimum de 24 cours en plus des week-ends de formation. (Environ un cours supplémentaire par
semaine).
Observation de 3 cours.
Un tête-à-tête avec un ou plusieurs professeurs du programme.
Deux rédactions.
Une évaluation de classe.
Examens pratiques et écrits en anatomie et en philosophie.
Responsabilités :
Arriver à l'heure.
Étude à domicile
Garder une trace des heures et des cours que vous suivez.
Tenir une médiation ou un journal personnel.
Commencer ou maintenir votre pratique de la méditation (commencez par 10 minutes par jour).
Il est possible de manquer des cours, ce qui est compréhensible.
avec l'aide des autres étudiants et des enseignants.
Programme d'études
Une grande partie de ce qu'un enseignant est en mesure d'offrir provient de l'auto-apprentissage ; les étudiants sont guidés pour comprendre l'importance d'une pratique quotidienne de méditation et d'asanas.
pratique quotidienne de la méditation et des asanas.
Nos études comprennent : asana, pranayama, méditation, relaxation profonde et autres outils thérapeutiques, histoire et philosophie du yoga.
l'alimentation, la nutrition et les Yoga Sutras de Patanjali.
L'attention est portée sur l'ensemble du spectre du yoga afin que tous les diplômés aient une compréhension à la fois pratique et philosophique du yoga.
compréhension pratique et philosophique du yoga. Que vous choisissiez d'enseigner ou non,
tous les stagiaires affineront et approfondiront leur propre essence personnelle du yoga.
Philosophie
Les principes fondamentaux du yoga ont été consignés pour la première fois il y a des milliers d'années par le sage Patanjali. La lecture de ces sutras
est une expérience en soi ; nous lirons les sutras en discutant de leur
leur signification dans le cadre d'un groupe. Nos discussions sur le texte nous permettent de mieux comprendre la matière et de nous concentrer sur les moyens de distiller les sutras.
nous permet de nous concentrer sur les moyens de distiller ces philosophies yogiques dans
dans notre vie de tous les jours.
Cultiver Svadyaya - Développer une pratique à domicile.
L'auto-apprentissage est une partie importante de votre développement en tant que praticien du yoga. Notre formation de professeur propose des études individuelles
pour discuter de la pratique personnelle, du matériel ou simplement pour parler.
Anatomie et physiologie
Il est important d'apprendre à bouger en toute sécurité dans vos postures et d'amener les autres à construire une pratique de yoga sûre.
Les participants apprennent à modifier les postures grâce à l'utilisation d'accessoires
en fonction des besoins indépendants des élèves.
Asana
La pratique physique du programme se penchera également sur les postures individuelles, leurs avantages, l'alignement correct et les variations.
Vous apprendrez à présenter et à organiser un cours complet de niveau de base.
Pranayama et méditation
Une partie de la croissance spirituelle consiste à apprendre que le corps n'est qu'un début, et qu'il existe d'autres moyens de nous faire progresser
au niveau suivant. Nous pouvons apprendre à réduire
l'anxiété et le stress et permettre la stabilité et la force, non seulement du corps, mais aussi de l'esprit. Le pranayama (contrôle de la respiration)
et la méditation sont des outils que vous utilisez pour le reste de votre
de votre vie.
Branches du yoga
Une attention considérable est accordée à de nombreux autres aspects du yoga afin que tous les diplômés aient une compréhension à la fois pratique et philosophique de toute l'étendue du yoga.
pratique et philosophique de toute la portée du yoga.
Les différentes branches du yoga comprennent également la psychologie de l'esprit, le Raja Yoga, le service désintéressé, le Karma Yoga, et l'auto-analyse, le Jnana Yoga.
l'auto-analyse, le Jnana Yoga.
Régime yogique, aliments yogiques
C'est vrai, nous sommes ce que nous mangeons. Apprenez à établir un lien plus sacré avec ce que nous mettons dans notre corps. Nous
Nous discuterons et utiliserons d'anciennes techniques de nettoyage
Nous discuterons et utiliserons d'anciennes techniques de nettoyage et apprendrons la meilleure façon de les mettre en pratique dans le monde d'aujourd'hui avec la nourriture d'aujourd'hui.
********************************************************************************************************
Je vous demande de bien vouloir répondre à ces questions dans le cadre de votre inscription et, en fin de compte, de votre progression dans le programme.
programme :
1. Que signifie le yoga pour vous ?
2. Depuis combien de temps et à quelle fréquence pratiquez-vous le yoga ?
3. Avez-vous une méthode de méditation/asana à domicile ?
4. Pourquoi voulez-vous suivre cette formation en yoga ?
I
Michelle Jacobi
BFA, ERYT-500, C-IAYT
Centre de Yoga du Marais
72, rue du Vertbois
75003 Paris
0033 (0)1 42 74 24 92
0033 (0)6 31 91 92 12
Wednesday, 25 August 2021
La Rentrée 2021 / Opening of Centre de Yoga du Marais 2001
We are back!
Chers amis,
Regarder dans le passé me fait réaliser à quel point nous sommes forts et résistants. Il n'y a que l'avenir, et la nature nous l'enseigne en permanence. J'aime incorporer la nature et ses lois naturelles dans nos cours de yoga, ce sont de doux rappels. Nous sommes de retour et j'ai une question pour vous concernant le calendrier des cours à partir de la semaine prochaine. Mercredi et jeudi soir, peuvent-ils être déplacés à 19h00 ? Si c'est trop tôt pour que certains d'entre vous se rendent au centre, nous pouvons revenir à 19h30. Merci de me le faire savoir. Le reste de l'horaire reste le suivant:
Lundi 18h30-20h00 Hatha doux
Mardi 8h00-9h15 tous niveaux
Mercredi 19h00-20h30 ( ?) niveau I/II
Jeudi Yoga Therapy 14h00-15h00 [Yoga Therapy 8 cours 100 euros].
Jeudi 19h00-20h30 ( ?) niv. II/III
Vendredi tba
Samedi 10h00-11h30
Carte de 10 cours 200 euros valable 6 mois.
Tarif de passage 25 euros.
Cours vidéo en ligne 10 cours 150 euros.
Tous les cours, y compris la présence sur vidéo, doivent être réservés à l'avance afin que je puisse vous envoyer le lien.
Il y aura un cours ce soir à 18h30, pour ceux d'entre vous qui voudraient réserver, je vous enverrai le lien. Faites-moi signe et je serai là dans le studio pour vous.
J'ai tellement hâte de vous voir!!
Om shanti,
Michelle
Looking in the past makes me realize how strong and resilient we are. There is only forward, and nature teaches us this all the time. I love incorporating nature and its natural laws into our yoga classes, they are gentle reminders. We are back and I have a question for you as to the timing of the classes beginning next week. Wednesday and Thursday evening, can they move now to 19h00? If this is too early for some of you to get to the center we can go back to 19h30. Please do let me know. The rest of the schedule stays as follows:
Monday 18h30-20h00 Hatha doux
Tuesday 8h00-9h15 all levels
Wednesday 19h00-20h30 (?) level I/II
Thursday Yoga Therapy 14h00-15h00 [Yoga Therapy 8 classes 100 euros]
Thursday 19h00-20h30 (?) level II/III
Friday tba
Saturday 10h00-11h30
Class card of 10 classes 200 euros valid for 6 months.
Drop in rate 25 euros.
Online video classes 10 classes 150 euros.
All classes including presence on video must be reserved in advance so I can send you the link.
There will be class this evening at 18h30, for any of you who would like to reserve, I will send you the link. Please let me know and I will be there in the studio for you.
I am so looking forward to seeing you!!
Sending love,
Michelle
Michelle Jacobi
BFA, ERYT-500, C-IAYT
Centre de Yoga du Marais
72, rue du Vertbois
75003 Paris
0033 (0)1 42 74 24 92
0033 (0)6 31 91 92 12
Sunday, 21 March 2021
Sunday, 28 February 2021
Changing Your Life
Feb 28, 2001 My little dog Lucy and I left NYC to move to Paris.
Changing Your Life
I am asked quite frequently why I moved my life over to the other side of the Atlantic. I am always at a loss as to how I can answer this question holding on to the sincerity and spontaneity that was there at the beginning. It is now 20 years.
“I wanted to change my life.” Then the inquirer waits for the other shoe to drop. How do you convey that it could take hours and then some to cover it, that this question is complex and that there would be so many shoes dropping on them.... if they really wanted to know.
I am a yoga teacher, 20 years now in Paris.
Years of offering Teacher Trainings at the Centre de Yoga du Marais in Paris allows me to say this introductory phrase which I never tire of,
Fasten your seat belts, because what you have wanted to manifest is being put into operation. Just as in the expression, ‘be careful what you wish for because you will get it.’
With the power of the teachings and the strength and knowledge of the teachers transmitting them, a shift happens. One takes a Teacher Training to first dive deeper into his or her own practice, the rest of the story unfolds with Grace. If you are meant to teach, you will teach. If it is meant to be, you will discover Grace in the most unexpected and then yes, truly obvious ways.
2000
I had been a fairly regular yoga student for 6 years, my teachers were asking me as they had previously before the dawn of this new year, 2000, would I like to take the Teacher Training, my answer is always the same. Yoga is what I do for me, I teach so many things, I come to the mat to learn, to receive, to put my antenna up, to be one with me for 90 minutes.
Then something else happened. One of the Wall Street executives that takes German language lessons from me offers me something. Tom is one of the handful of most dedicated German students at Dresdner Bank. His exact words were, "I realize that you outside contractors get no bonuses, I know how small business work, my job is their financing, and I know what it takes to keep one afloat. We on this end have bonuses of embarrassing sizes. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable with what I would like to offer you from my bonus, but since it is more than I would have ever expected and since you are a source of my well-being in this job, I would like to share some of this bonus with you.”
It did feel awkward to me, kind of reckless, worthy of careful consideration, mostly I weighed the consequences on his feelings if I refused.
I accepted with a shyness but hearty dose of gratitude and thought the best thing to do with generosity is pay it forward, I looked at the check, it was the exact amount of the Yoga Teacher Training, I enrolled.
My teachers were wonderful and are dear friends to this day. I was so nervous teaching my final class. Friends came to support me and take the class. It was June and much of the nervousness and excitement was enmeshed in the fact that I was getting ready for my third annual trip to Paris with a stop at my mom’s in Germany and a visit to Michele in Trieste on the way. I was leaving New York for at least a month and again, my friends stepped in to care for Lucy for me.
Leaving her always broke my heart. I hated the handoff. She had seen the suitcase before and snuggled in anticipating another plane trip which she loved. But on departure day, when the leash was handed off to my friend and she knew for sure that she was not coming with me, she pulled against her collar toward me. W hen my friends walked away, she dug in her 4 paws and said if I’m leaving her, you will have to drag my nails the whole way. I hated that, her role was to be by my side. We always knew our pact.
Of
course I was always back for her and forever hope that deep down dogs know
that. I came back with the news that I found an apartment in Paris for us. I put a deposit on a place, a tiny flat like the fellas and I used to find in flyers, peruse
and fantasize about. The guys, Steve and Ed backed out but I decided to do this
on my own, fasten your seatbelts. If you want it, it will present itself to
you. I loved the little place, it was only the third apartment I saw and when
the agent opened the door of the top floor apartment and I saw the sky windows
in 2 rooms, yes, 2 rooms, with a door between them, I said, Yes! - accepting the asking price. I had my checkbook and they took a check drawn from an American bank.
The details I would work out later. Something was moving me forward.
I came back to New York mid-July, I was in love with my Italian boyfriend, I had an apartment in Paris, France just won the World Cup, the mood was jubilant!
I had only graduated from an Intensive Yoga Study, YTT 6 weeks before, life was speeding up even faster.
Once
my offer was approved, my father told me from Australia that he would help me
with financing the balance, I said I would pay back every penny, I had renters
interested in the flat and I would start the bedrock of my imminent move to
France. The future came in on fiery heels.
My
renters backed out at the last minute.
My dad said after my first payment to him, that he wanted to give me the rest of the apartment.
Michele was coming to visit me in New York.
My Wall street job
did not renew my contract for 2001. All this happened in a week.
Finally, the push that moved me abroad sooner than I ever anticipated, the 2000 U.S. presidential election.
We
are the body politic so life is political, if you are a citizen in a governed
society, you are political by definition. There is no such thing as being
apolitical. This election bruised me. I saw division in my country like I never experienced
before. The systemic injustice of our electoral college. How one citizen one
vote doesn't work out.
Florida.
Falling chads. Re-districting, re-counts, refusals to recount and the coup de
grace, the Supreme Court steps in after 6 weeks of confusion and chaos to call
the election, the Supreme Court chose our next president, not We the People. I
was angry, fed-up, emotionally exhausted and ready to leave. Immediately after Election Tuesday, I applied for permission to come to France to
ultimately ask for a longue séjour. At the French Consulate on Park Avenue, my
fonctionaire told me he was getting ready to retire and this was his last tour.
I said I want to retire, too, he said I was too young.
‑‑What else do you have?
‑‑Political asylum.
--Take a number. You have no idea how many applications I am getting now from the tri-State area.
--I’m a dancer, I have taught tap dance workshops in Paris.
--OK
That was it, that was my entrée.
I filed, I waited, I decided regardless of the outcome, I was leaving anyway and I would go by tourist visa length to tourist visa length. Thankfully I always had my mom in Germany to go to. I needn’t have fretted because on February 14th, my visa was approved. I had pre-booked my flight for Feb 28, and now I could go with visa in hand, I was on my way.
Lucy and I moved into our little apartment in the Marais, a deux-pièce on March 1, 2001.
I want to take notice of things.
NYC The final years and the ever growing list of reasons I want to move.
I loved returning home to Germany to see my mom and visit my friends in Stuttgart. I was comfortable in Europe.
When I got myself over to London to visit three NY friends who had left the city for a while, I was enchanted walking the streets and neighborhoods, all day long well into the evening but most of all, I loved Paris.
When I auditioned for Maguy Marin on a brief trip to Paris in 1988, I stayed in a gritty area near Place de la République, danced in some grimy studios at Place de Clichy, walked the sublime boulevards, discovered tiny neighborhoods with even tinier streets and I knew I was going to return. I didn’t get a contract to dance in Paris, but at the time I had a nice contract in Stuttgart and shelved this idea for sometime in my future. I stayed in Germany another 2 years before returning to NY.
By the late 90’s I was restless, Lucy and I were running, all over the place, she quite the regular at my side, at rehearsals, in dance classes, more on this later. She was actually cast once in a regional theater production of Camelot as Mordred’s flea-bitten dog. She scratched her fleas on cue-a complete accident, the audience roared, the actors completely upstaged. As it were, Lucy really did have fleas. I was too busy to notice. Too busy to notice as well that 40 was around the corner. Always running, but really living my life. It was full, and yet not, New York can do that to you. One never feels like one has quite measured up. It's in the granite, in the bedrock, you have to be strong to stay here, you will be tested, you are being compared to others all of the time, but it ups your game continuously. As a dancer I really didn't want to be good anywhere else. My musician friends feel at their best here. I don't know a single New Yorker who doesn't work really hard to stay here.
Running a loop around Central Park I saw a sign-up sheet for Fred’s Team, a fund raising initiative for cancer research to benefit the work at Sloan Kettering. The runner was required to raise 3000USD to be on the team which would run the marathon in Paris. Fred’s Team would take care of the rest, flight, hotels, marathon registration, etc. At last, I thought, running around to do good. This surely fills a hole. Fred’s Team was named after Fred Lebow who fought valiantly against leukemia. He was determined to use running as a means to fight the disease. Lebow was treated at Sloan Kettering, but eventually lost the fight in 1994 to a brain tumor.
I started to share the news of Fred's Team with friends and colleagues. Two of my closest friends signed up and they in turn incentivized other friends as well.. It was a chain of goodwill that eventually circled around my friend Steve’s niece who was diagnosed, as a toddler, with leukemia. The care she got at Sloan Kettering saved her life. We raised the money among family, friends and colleagues, we trained, our sights on the first Sunday in April. The Paris Marathon.
Lucy could not go to Paris with me, friends who loved caring for her once again stepped in to help me. My friend Judith’s daughter asked her family --since Michelle needs to travel so much, maybe she will just give her to us? Was I taking notice of things?
Edmund, Steve and I ran the Paris Marathon together, it was 1998. It has to be the most beautiful city marathon in the world. How can it not be? You begin down the cobble stones of the Champs Elysees, it is April, you run down rue de Rivoli and circle the Place de la Bastille filled with cheerleaders handing out fresh oranges, live music and more cobblestones, you run the whole Bois de Vincennes come out to circle the Bastille again, run along the Seine through the upscale neighborhood of Passy until the final stretch through the Bois de Boulogne and finish at the Arc de Triomphe. The city is beneath your footsteps. I was smitten. I can fall just as hard for a place as a lover. This relationship is now serious.
My friends/teammates bring up this crazy idea, “’Look how affordable this city is compared to New York, look at the prices of small apartments? Wouldn’t it be fun to have a place to come to?” Our remaining days in Paris we can hardly move, we finished, got our medal, but we can barely walk. We sit in cafes dreaming about a little pied de terre. My pals and I look at the absolute possibility of it becoming true if we go in it together, à trois.
Back in NY my heart is already over there and now I want to figure this out.
I want to live a happy life.
I want to listen to what you just said.
I want to take notice of things.
Have animals teach me,
Have children reach me....
This little poem goes on, and I don't know who to attribute it to and I don't remember the rest of it. It was taped to my door since high school, I grew up in San Diego, the little poem followed me to UCLA and then when I moved to NYC it got lost somewhere and I don’t know the source, just that these opening lines are etched in me. I continue to add lines as life goes on, grows more complex, richer and deeper.
Following the 1998 marathon and almost 40 I just didn't want to audition anymore, wondering if there would be a next show for me? What would my life look like if it were not centered around auditioning for someone else's ideas? What kind of work do I want to do, what is meaningful to me? I asked these questions of my colleagues and friends and said what if we were to create something that simply came from what we always wanted to do, something not imposed upon us because we need to pay the bills, or perform something that does not speak to our sensibilities or even ethics?
We created a show called Wishes and Dreams. It was an innocent time and we had a wonderful time being who we were together. It was a cast of friends from past shows, our version of the “Gypsies”, the time honored fashion in musical theater when singers, hoofers, actors and dancers were on call and would happily jump in to fill a cast.
This community loves the rehearsal process even more than the show and this time is so special to me, we had a fabulous time together.
1999 can best be described as a frenzy of projection. Y2K, what will happen when the computers don’t roll over to 00? Planes will crash in the sky. The markets will collapse, what will happen to the banking industry? The doomsayers were out in full force. It was nuts. My boyfriend at the time broke up with me because he said he had to devote his energies to safe-guarding the firewall at work.
Of course he did.
As things got more tumultuous, I went quiet and deeper inside. I want to live a simple life, I want to leave here, have a tiny apartment in Paris with Lucy, be where I feel simple.
Among my friends in NYC was a large French family of eight. They had been relocated to the U.S. from Paris, a corporate transfer, a long stay. My friend and three of her six children were in my tap classes. They thought it charming and amusing how I would want to leave this fabulous boisterous city, give up what I have and have worked so long for to move to Paris. Be that as it may, if I needed a place to stay while I am working this all out, they would like to help me. When I am in Paris I can stay with the children’s grandparents. I stayed with the Michelins for a couple of weeks one summer, spent an Easter holiday with the whole family, went back the following summer to seriously look at apartments and see what it would be like to live over there. I taught tap workshops and mostly volunteered to sub for classes to help get my foot in the door as a dancer and dance teacher. I was taking this in earnest, my friends whose idea this was in the first place were intrigued, but it was clear that I was going to be doing this on my own
Back to NY from my little workshop in Paris, “It’s Michele here, I am a friend of Dino’s and he kindly gave me your number, would you like to have a coffee with me?” Nice voice, friendly Italian accent. Dino, I met through one of my running friends, he was Michele's cousin. Dino's voice didn't sound like Michele's. Michele's voice did something . Yes, a coffee would be very nice.
That’s how it started, conversation, a walk, a feeling of contentment, it was just a meeting, this was nice and he was going to go back on a plane to Trieste and September will come and life goes on.
But Michele didn't entirely leave, we stayed on each other’s minds. He got an email address, we wrote so many letters, shared our stories long distance, he sent faxes with cute drawings from the machine in his dad’s office. Something was up, This was special, we loved to write letters. What did they mean? Since he was in theater and smart, well read and kind, I was sure he was probably gay. I loved not knowing and having a very special friend.
Michele worked on his theater projects, I worked on my next one, Stepping Over a Century, a creative reaction to the mania over the impending close of the year, the decade, the century, no, the millennium, which is not really beginning at 00, but 01,right? But who is counting, who cares? It’s a race for ratings on 24-hour news channels and the media has roped everyone in on the hysteria. For the New Year, my friend Michelle and I go to the local mountains to ski and get away from the noise. I followed the new year, new decade, new century, dawning from New Zealand all the way to California, around the world on TV. It was beautiful. I thought of Michele.
2001 (to be continued) Romance and Realism
Some notes:
Mom took the train in from Germany to see me and watch Lucy because Michele invited me down to meet him while he was managing a production in Milan. It was March 19, it was his birthday. Over dinner at the Galleria at the Duomo, he gave me a ring.
On the anniversary of my YTT, I received the news that I could take over the whole tap program at the well-known Centre de Danse du Marais, I would begin the children’s program in the rentreé in September. I had my Michele, an apartment, a job I came here to do. A beautiful summer to spend in Italy with my fiancé. Life looked pretty rosey.
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