As I have said, the Tiare Heipua dance studio in Komatsu city, and its energetic and powerful leader Heikapua, my beloved dance teacher awaited us with the offer of intense dance and drumming practice and four shows over the weekend. For me, it was a dream. My body was out of practice but it was craving for dancing and for professional instruction, and Hunor was the same with drumming. The studio, with all the costumes, instruments, Polynesian objects and decorations is an enchanted playground. One night we were staying there late, drumming, skateboarding, dancing, playing badminton and doing handstands. I got a glimpse into what it means to belong to a performing team, sharing responsibilities, fun time, joy, sorrow and the excitement and tension of performance. Once again I wished I could stay longer and be a part of it and become a better dancer but we knew we had to leave again.
On Sunday we managed the three performances in one day quite OK, to my surprise, I have to admit. Heikapua asked me to dance solo to live drums, what has been my dream since I have seen a Tahitian performance the first time 6 years ago. I know I still have a lot to learn but the opportunity gave me wings.
The next days I was working on a painting in Naoki&Kumi's living room. We were guests at their house on most days that we spent in Komatsu (they live in a nearby city, Kaga, famous for textile dyeing) and they asked me if I could paint something on the shoji screens in the house. First of all I wanted to thank them for their hospitality and second, it was a fascinating challenge to paint on a screen door, so I said yes. It took me one night and a day to finish it, with the back support of the whole family. Kumi's energetic and always smiling mom was sitting on the couch behind me the whole night, praising the work and talking. She said, it is too fascinating to see a painting being born, she couldn't go to bed as long as I was working. Kumi's son took his grandma's place the next morning, first just watching and then helping me with the colors, working silently and very carefully. (You can find the photo of the finished piece on my website, here.)
Our last night we celebrated with the completion of the painting and a rich dinner we ate altogether four generations, from Kumi's grandma to her son. They said it was the first occasion in a long time that they sat down to eat together. I am always happy if our presence brings people together.
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