Take That Step #63

Humpback whale in New Jersey!

1) My friend invited me to try a dance class called Gaga and I said YES. We went to the Gibney studio with our heads and bodies open and had so much fun! The technique was created by Ohad Naharin, former director of the Batsheva dance company. Gaga is an "innovative method of movement language that emphasizes body awareness, freedom of improvisation and physical conditioning", the idea is to "escape from choreographies and rigid steps aligned through the mirror and create, instead, a space for exploration, risk, artistic and personal growth, connection and fun".

I wrote down some things that the teacher said: "engage with your groove"; "don't move but be available to every movement"; "go fast but not as if you were in a hurry"; and "go down but keep your energy up".

For those who like movement and experimentation, I highly recommend it. The class costs $22 and had at least 30 people of all ages, physical types and levels of experience.

I found a class on YouTube.

2) Last year I was lucky enough to see whales in Iceland and, on the same day, my best friend was in Bahia (Brazil) watching the same species! On the last couple of weekends, I saw whales and dolphins near New York. It's always very exciting, and moving! My friend drew my attention to the fact that when we were children, there was no way we could see whales like today, so easily. And she shared her research with me (via Jornal da USP):

The hunchbacks, as well as other species of whales, were intensely hunted in the past to obtain meat and oil. The tide only began to change for the better in the late 1960s, when the International Whale Commission (ICB), recognized that the species was at risk of extinction, determined a suspension of hump hunting — reinforced in the 1980s by a global moratorium on hunting any species of whale, which remains in force to this day. In Brazil, more specifically, commercial whaling was banned by decree in January 1986 and by law in December 1987.

Researchers estimate that there were somewhere between 25,000 and 30,000 whales in Brazilian waters in early 19th century. This population was almost exterminated by hunting, reduced to about 500 whales in the early 1950s. It was only after the implementation of the moratorium and effective conservation programs (led in Brazil by the Humpback Whale Project) that the species began to recover. In 2014 it was officially removed from the national list of endangered species; and today it is estimated that there are around 20,000 humps circulating along this Brazil-Antarctic migratory route - almost the same number as in the pre-hunting period.

3) Have you heard of the legendary Brazilian architect Jaime Lerner? The other day, talking to Andrea, his daughter, she showed me photos of the house where she grew up — today an institute that bears the name of the urban planner. We kept talking about how living in a house like this must have shaped her childhood and influenced the fact that she became an artist. Andrea told me a story that I loved: her father entered an apartment where her mother decided to move to and given the lack of edge in the architecture, he said — "this space feels like a non-conversation starter...!"

Here is his house:

4) Speaking of magical homes, I loved hearing about Villa Lopez, designed by Jean Prouvé in Sainte-Maxime:

Via Domus:

Few people know this [prefabricated] house on the south coast of France, which Jean Prouvé designed as if it were one of his chairs. Assembled in 1953 from a metal structure — which is very reminiscent of that of the famous Standard chair, designed by him and still produced by Vitra —, this residence perfectly illustrates the working method of the French architect, who preferred to be called constructeur (builder) or "factory man" to architect.

A rectangular module is repeated along the perimeter of the building. The sequence is punctuated, at some points, by the presence of small transparent circles that pierce the metal background, creating a pattern that is one of Prouvé's trademarks.

5) This week on NPR, there’s a podcast episode on the legacy of the Grateful Dead. Besides the jammy songs, I loved this quote below. Are you a Dead head?

“The most Grateful Dead thing you can do is be yourself”

6) John Cena talking to Amy Poehler shared the guaranteed recipe for failure:

Be unreliable, unprofessional, uninvested and uncoachable. You will fail, guaranteed.

7) I'm in love with trees. My children asked me recently what I "would be" if I wasn't an art historian. I didn't even need to think: I would certainly like to be a tree expert. That's why I loved these news from NYTimes. This English Elm in the image below, in Washington Square Park, is 127 ft tall and over 300 years old! It was nicknamed "witness tree" since it was there during the American Revolution:

8) Iris Murdoch in a letter to Brigid Brophy:

I adore the texture of your mind

Via The Marginalian:

Perhaps the most beautiful, electrifying and psychologically revealing of all was his correspondence with Brigid Brophy (1929 - 1995) - his longtime lover and lifelong friend.

“You are certainly the best letter-writer I have ever encountered, your words all coloured and warmed by you.”

9) Summa’s ova. I think that only by living in a city with long and rigorous winters do we understand the sadness the end of summer. The other day I heard a podcast in which the interviewee said that on July 4th his mother started saying "Summa's ova", with a heavy a Brooklyn accent.

When August hits, the feeling (to me) is of total despair: the hot days are nearing the end. I always need to remember that from September 15 it is practically impossible to leave the house without a sweater and it is difficult to celebrate my birthday (9/30) outdoors... And October is time to take the Uniqlo jacket out of the closet.

July lasted 5 minutes. I am not ready.

10) In this exact vibe, the week’s playlist