Costa Rica – Page 2 – Mostly Dance

A Visit to a Costa Rican Art Museum Triggers a Fascination with Mascaradas

JoAnne Tucker / March 23, 2024 / Art, Costa Rica, Personal Life

On February 17^th Art House Atenas owners Anna Matteucci and Felipe Keta lead a small group of Expats to San Jose to visit two museums: The Jade Museum and the Museo de Arte Costarricense (MAC). It was a delightful, interesting day. My favorite exhibit was called Valle Oscuro (dark valley) by painter Adrian Arguedas Ruano at the MAC .

As one enters the museum, Arguedas’s bold colorful paintings greet you. A few of his sculptures catch your immediate attention too. The works fill a large gallery room and three smaller adjoining rooms, mostly picturing masked community members along with unmasked figures. While some young children are painted wearing small masks of animals, others are wearing distorted, grotesque, large masks, and still others are depicted wearing large heads mounted on torsos making them look larger than life.

Felipe Keta talking about the artist in front of one of Arguedas’s paintings!

One of my favorite Arguedas paintings. I love the grandma in the center being surrounded by community participants, which captures the intergenerational life that is very important in Costa Rica.

All the paintings of Valle Oscuro were done between 2020 and 2022. On the artist’s website I learned about his fascination with masks:

Arguedas is a native of Barva de Heredia, a small town known for keeping the traditions of making popular mask parades. In his childhood, he found artistic inspiration through the figure of his great-uncle, named Carlos Salas, who worked sculpting the clay to prepare the base that would later serve as a mold to create the original traditional masks, made with paper. Salas had a powerful influence on the artist inspiration and artwork. https://www.adrianarguedas.com/bio.html

Doing more research, I learned that the mask tradition dates to pre-Hispanic time, when the aboriginal people made and used masks for various purposes. They were first used at funerals in two different ways: first, they were used by whoever led the mortuary procession so they appeared to have a higher power to lead the deceased to the other world, and second, they were given to the deceased to identify his role in the tribe. Shamans and chiefs also made special use of the masks as part of their rituals. These special masks are known as Mascaradas.

Today, in Costa Rica they are still part of community celebrations, and much to my delight I had an event in our town of Atenas where mascaradas were a highlight.

A friend on Facebook posted about a fundraising event on the full moon for a local church that included food, music, dance and mascaradas. The evening was called “Lunada Bailable,” and I loved the poster.

I went with some cousins who were visiting from Pittsburgh, and we had a wonderful evening. Music piped through a large sound system contributed to the festive quality of the event. I was surprised to hear a Spanish version of “If I Were A Rich Man” from Fiddler on the Roof. When it got dark and the moon was shining bright, six local dancers began the formal entertainment. While not professional, they put all their energy into their routines. They waved their skirts and used scarfs as props. It was fun to watch one youngster, about age 4, who pretended she had on a long skirt and delighted in following their movement.

This was my favorite dancer to watch. She always had a smile on her face, dancing with lots of enthusiasm.

The closing event was the Mascaradas, with children from ages toddler to maybe 5 or 6 years old, wearing masks and dancing, joined by older boys and teenagers with full body masks! The older kids liked to come over to the tables of the audience that surrounded the performing space, and pretend to scare us.

It was a special evening for my cousins and me to be a part of this community event. I think we were the only ExPats attending.

Three photos showing the Mascaradas in action.

All photos in this blog are by JoAnne!

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The National Symphony of Costa Rica

JoAnne Tucker / November 9, 2023November 9, 2023 / Costa Rica, Personal Life

What a delight to open my email on September 26 and see a flyer of an upcoming event for Friday, October 20^th in San Jose. Democrats Abroad were inviting members to an open rehearsal of The National Symphony of Costa Rica in the National Theater.

I was excited because one of the challenges I have faced living in Costa Rica is finding stimulating cultural activities that are in English or at least don’t require knowing Spanish as a prerequisite to enjoyment. I RSVPed, filling out the form with both my Passport Number and Temporary Residency number, which were required for attendance. As the days grew closer to the event, the chance to be transported by beautiful music was indeed a very welcome relief in these difficult times.

I had never been in the National Theater and so the time spent waiting in the lobby before the doors opened was very special. We were surrounded on three sides by beautiful classical sculpture.

Once the doors opened, we were escorted into the orchestra part of the auditorium. My friend and I decided to sit as close as we could, in the fourth row just behind where the musicians had left their instrument cases.

Carl St. Clair, the Conductor and Orchestra Director, welcomed us while behind him musicians were still busy tuning their instruments. St. Clair has an impressive background, having studied conducting with Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood. He has conducted various symphonies throughout Europe and the United States. Since 1990 he has been the Musical Director and Conductor of the Pacific Symphony located in Southern California with performing venues in Irvine and Costa Mesa, CA. In 2013 he was appointed Principal Conductor of the Costa Rican Symphony.

He conducts with his whole body, and as a choreographer I loved watching him. I could sense the music flowing through his veins. It was also very meaningful to be able to hear — in part Spanish and part English — his notes to the orchestra, and then to hear the improvement when they replayed a section of a piece.

The program was varied. The first piece, which he carefully rehearsed, requiring repetition of quite a few sections, was by a Costa Rican composer, William Porras. The piece, written 25 years ago, is called Rhapsody for Orchestra and is dynamic and dramatic. The composer was at the rehearsal, and after the orchestra finished working on the piece, the musicians were given a break and St. Clair introduced us to Porras.

Although we were not aware of anything unusual during the rehearsal, I learned a few days after the two performances that the performance that evening had marked the first time in the 83-year history of the symphony that a woman, Rebecca Medrano Munoz, was the concertmaster during an official season concert. The Costaricatimes reviewed the Friday night performance:

The theatre’s air was thick with anticipation as Medrano, with a bow as her baton, led the orchestra through an unforgettable night. It was a performance she had dreamt of and practiced for all her life, a magnum opus that reverberated with hopes, dreams, and extraordinary talent. The audience, wrapped in the symphony’s grandeur, embraced the landmark moment with applause as stirring as the music itself. https://www.costaricantimes.com/a-striking-crescendo-costa-ricas-national-symphony-sees-first-female-concertmaster-in-official-season/75460

The rehearsal continued with Brahms Double Concerto for Violin and Cello, Opus 102 with soloists Fernando Munoz (violin) and Alvaro Gonzalez (cello). St. Clair especially rehearsed the transitions between soloists and orchestra. My heart soared listening to this beautiful piece.

St. Clair going over one of the transitions with Gonzalez, the cello soloist.

The program ended with two playful pieces by Ravel, Mother Goose Suite and Bolero. In Bolero, it was particularly interesting to watch the drummer, whose chair was moved directly in front of the conductor, and who keeps a continual beat throughout. St. Clair stopped the piece several times to check with an assistant in the back of the auditorium to make sure the drum and the orchestra were properly balanced.

Following the rehearsal, the 45 of us in attendance had lunch at the Alma de Café located in the National Theater. We had preordered our lunches, and they did an amazing job getting each of us what we had individually ordered.

Thank you, Democrats Abroad in Costa Rica, for sponsoring this event. It provided a wonderful break from the distressing world news.

All of photos by JoAnne.

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Chopping in the Kitchen

JoAnne Tucker / September 8, 2023September 8, 2023 / Costa Rica, Personal Life

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you might have noticed that I haven’t been writing as much as usual. The last two blogs were a review of a book, and they took a lot longer to write than other blogs. The second reason is that I have been doing a lot of dancing in the kitchen! Chopping, sauteing, spinning around and chopping some more. The chopping seems to go on and on forever. The reason behind this is I am now eating a totally plant-based diet.

Here are some bowls of chopped veggies and beans ready for an eggplant recipe.

In March I noticed some swelling in my ankles, and I decided to do some research on the best way to eat in order to keep my health good and strong. Everything I read led me to a vegan way of eating. I did that for about a month with some help from an English-speaking general nutritionist here in Costa Rica, who had only some idea of what a good vegan diet is. I decided to get my blood tested. I wasn’t pleased with the results and soon began to realize I was eating too many processed vegan products. So I searched for a doctor either here in Costa Rica or online who could help me with the proper way to go on a vegan diet.

Much to my delight I found an excellent doctor, Dr. Miranda Graham, who calls herself a VeganMD and lives less than an hour from my house. I have learned so much from her. My first visit was in person. She suggested using Cronometer, which is a website for a computer (or there is an app for the phone). I am under her account, where I log in, and she monitors what I am eating and makes suggestions. There is a free version one can use on their own. It has been very helpful. For example, I love it when she says my Vitamin A is too low, so make sure I add some carrots to my daily diet. I am now at the point where I can look at my food page and see the kind of foods I need to add in my diet for dinner to make sure I am getting all the nutrients that I need for the day.

The result is that my blood work has improved, I have more energy and I weigh less. I don’t think of this as a diet. Rather I think of this as my new lifestyle. I am enjoying finding new recipes and trying different foods. There are so many wonderful resources on the Internet. My favorites are https://foodrevolution.org, https://www.drfuhrman.com, and https://www.forksoverknives.com.

Living in Costa Rica makes plant based eating easy, as there are always lots of fresh fruits and vegetables available. Each Thursday I enjoy going to the Feria (Farmer’s Market), and as a regular, I always get a friendly greeting from the various vendors.

Shopping at the Feria del Agricultor de Atenas. Photo by Manrique

Here I am, with energy and a slimmer look, leading some guests on a walk on the labyrinth. Photo by Ed Needham

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Ballet Nacional de Cuba: Costa Rica, April 23, 2023

JoAnne Tucker / May 5, 2023September 8, 2023 / Costa Rica, Current Dance Events, Personal Life

I never would have imagined that I would get to see the Ballet Nacional de Cuba here in Costa Rica, but I did, and what a delight, for several reasons. First, going to theatre and ballet is what I miss most in my life here. When I saw a sign advertising the Ballet Nacional de Cuba for two performances here, I knew that I wanted to go. Second, there were some unexpected surprises in the repertory and third, it was a fun evening, providing a chance to experience a different side of life in Costa Rica.

Checking online, I was able to find that the repertory the company would be doing here was a mix of classical — which they are well known for — and some new pieces which looked intriguing. There was even a YouTube video of one of the new pieces, and after watching it I knew for sure I wanted to get tickets. I asked a friend who I thought might be interested, and sure enough she was and even offered to drive. Since I knew I would be having a guest at my house on the date of the performance, I also asked if she wanted to go. She did, and so I went online and bought three tickets in what we would call the mezzanine. The tickets were appropriately priced but the service charge for buying them online was outrageous. Alas, there was no other way to buy them, and you are not told about the service charge until after you have paid and see the separate amount on your credit card.

We did a bit of research on possible parking lots and decided we also wanted to have something to eat before attending the 5 PM performance. With the help of Google Maps we made it into the area and were immediately impressed by the stature of the theater – and this wasn’t even the National Theatre. The Melico Salazar Theatre is built in the European Baroque style. Originally called the Raventos Theater, the building was completed in 1928. Various restorations were done over the years, and in the mid-1980’s the government bought the theatre. By law it became a “cultural institution especializada” of the Costa Rican State. In 1986 it was renamed to honor the famous Costa Rican tenor Manuel “Melico” Salazar.

We drove around the area, but no parking lots were open, even though some had indicated they would be open for theatre performances. So we pulled up in front of the theatre to ask where to park. There were several cones blocking the direct entrance but a gentleman, clearly part of the theater staff, moved the cones. When we asked where to park, he said that for 5,000 colones (around $9), right where we were. We were thrilled and my friend Cynthia, who had driven and who speaks perfect Spanish, had a fun conversation with Hugo. And to make things even easier for us, the theatre has a lovely Café Raventos with a menu that worked perfectly.

Following a wonderfully relaxing late lunch, we entered the theater. I felt my usual excitement at attending dance and theater events. The theater definitely had a feeling of grandeur, and we found our seats. As the theater filled, it became clear that even though we were in the 4^th row of the mezzanine the slope wasn’t steep enough for us to have a clear view. Luckily there were empty seats behind us and even one on the aisle in front. So we each were able to get a good view of the entire stage.

The first half of the program was my favorite. It opened with The Shape of Red, a recent addition to the repertory, by choreographer Ely Regina Hernandez. While I found an interview online where she talks about the piece, I was unable to find her bio. There were no printed programs. With a QR code I was able to download the program, but it contained no bios, and dancers who perform main roles in pieces are not named. The choreography incorporated a lot of modern dance moves typical of choreography in the mid-20^th century, and then suddenly there was a pointe solo added in. That was a bit surprising, but as a whole the piece’s theatrical portrayal of the color red was very satisfying, including the ending where the lead character grabs hanging fabric and is lifted into the air. If you are interested in watching the piece, it is available on YouTube, and here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxGkxIfHH2A&t=745s

My overall favorite piece was La Muerte de un Cisne, (The Dying Swan). Choreographed by Michel Descombey (1930-2011), it opened with the roaring sound of wind blowing, and what a surprise for me to see that the Dying Swan was a male dancer in bare feet. This was clearly going to be a different version than the original one created by Michael Fokine for Anna Pavlova in 1905. Descombey’s choreography worked with some very interesting and original dance phrases and it was beautifully performed! Alas there was no information about Descombey on the Ballet Nacional de Cuba’s website nor do I have any information about the dancer. The audience loved the work, and the performer received lots of bravos. From some research online I learned that Descombey was a French ballet dancer, choreographer and director. Most of his career was in France but the last part of his career was in Mexico. There is a video of La Muerte de un Cisne on YouTube. Here is the link to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RphILIjOL0

The dancer in Ballet Nacional de Cuba caught the fragile quality much better than the performer in the link.

The other piece that that I really liked in the first half was Tres Preludes by Ben Stevenson. A trio, it was beautifully danced by two men and a woman. It had a simple quality to it, cleanly and playfully performed.

The rest of the program was what I had expected to see — well-trained dancers performing classical material, some of it credited to Alicia Alonso’s variation, such as the duet from Swan Lake.

The company is much loved in Cuba and the final curtain call showed that they are used to much adoration. The Costa Rican audience was generous with its applause, but I got the feeling that the company is used to more.

It was a very special evening and a real treat to see a fine company here. I hope there will be other opportunities!

We were allowed to take photos, as long as we didn’t use a flash. I enjoyed photographing the final curtain calls; here is the male dancer of the Dying Swan taking his solo bow.

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An Experiment: Writing Haiku with Accompanying Watercolor

JoAnne Tucker / March 24, 2023March 24, 2023 / Art, Costa Rica, Personal Life

I have always been fascinated with the short poetic form of Haiku and how much meaning can be put into just 17 syllables. During the pandemic I took a weekend Haiku workshop at Upaya Zen Center via Zoom. I had fun exploring the form and enjoyed reading Natalie Goldberg’s Three Simple Lines. However, it wasn’t until we began the Atenas Writers’ Group in Costa Rica that I was motivated to write Haiku on a regular basis. At the same time, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review was offering a six-week online Haiku course, “Learn to Write Haiku: Mastering the Ancient Art of Serious Play,” taught by Clark Strand. I quickly signed up. Most sessions were prerecorded but a few were live sessions where we could ask questions. Clark encouraged us to have a daily practice and to write lots each day! What a great opportunity to learn from Clark, as he is totally dedicated to Haiku, with a big commitment to write Haiku himself, translate classical and contemporary Japanese Haiku and to encourage others to write Haiku. Here is the bio that Tricycle has online:

Clark Strand is a former senior editor at Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. His books include Seeds From a Birch Tree: Writing Haiku and the Spiritual Journey and The Way of the Rose: The Radical Path of the Divine Feminine Hidden in the Rosary, which was co-authored with his wife, Perdita Finn. He teaches the popular group “Weekly Haiku Challenges with Clark Strand” on Facebook and leads Tricycle’s monthly haiku challenge, as well as the Tricycle Haiku Challenge Facebook group. (From Tricyle.org ‘s website)

The medium of watercolor has always both challenged and fascinated me so I decided I would choose the best Haikus that I wrote each week and do small watercolor paintings including the text in the painting. Since mid-August I have completed 35 painted Haiku ranging in size from 6” x 8” to 9” x 12”.

I also made the decision that the Haiku had to be inspired by what I saw in my own backyard. Living in Costa Rica, that’s not a problem. My husband used to say that we were living in our own National Park. In Clark’s course we were not only to follow the form of 3 lines with 5 syllables in the first, 7 in the second and 5 in the last, but also to include a seasonal word. I decided to follow the traditional style as much as I could, including a seasonal word as it related to Costa Rica. I also thoroughly enjoyed the different samples of classical Haiku that we were exposed to.

It has been great fun to do this practice, and I have been quite consistent until recently, when I started writing prose to share with the Writers’ Group. I look forward to getting back to my Haiku/watercolor practice on a regular basis. Meanwhile, here are eight favorites. To see more, visit my Facebook page – JoAnne Tucker Art – where you can see all 35.

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Bonds of Friendship in a Writers’ Group: Remembering Jim Shaw

JoAnne Tucker / March 7, 2023March 14, 2023 / Costa Rica, Guest Posts

Our writers’ group in Atenas is just 7 months old, yet a special intimacy has developed in coming together and sharing what we have prepared for the week or in responding to a prompt. I have experienced a similar rich friendship and closeness built when creating choreography for a new piece with a dance company, or going on tour with a small group of participants who only a few weeks before were strangers. That kind of warmth and fellowship developed quickly in our small writers’ group.

The writers’ group grew out of a workshop presented by Jennifer Paquette when she was my guest spending several weeks working on a historical fiction novel. A day before she was due to leave, she shared some of her writing and then prompted us to do some writing. Immediately afterwards several participants enthusiastically suggested, “Let’s start a regular writers’ group here.” And so we did. Jim Shaw was one of the people who was at the workshop and immediately wanted to be part of the new group.

I had known Jim since January 2020, when my husband and I moved to Costa Rica. At that time, Jim was President of our homeowners’ association and made a welcoming visit. Nine months later, when my husband passed away and Jim saw my post on Facebook, he immediately drove down to my house to check if there was anything he could do to help. That gesture sealed a special place in my heart for Jim.

When I began to think about inviting artist friends to spend some time at my home, I reached out to several members of the community for suggestions on places to take visitors and ways that we might interact with the community. Jim and his wife Tracey had lots of good suggestions. A year later when the artists’ visits began, Jim and Tracey enthusiastically attended the artists’ presentations.

Jim came to the writers’ workshop when he could. Writing wasn’t easy for him so sometimes he shared a combination of what he wrote and just talked about his poignant memories of growing up and being a pilot during the Vietnam war. Since confidentiality is an important component of the group, we won’t reveal specifics, but we will share how much Jim meant to us. I personally am so grateful for Jim’s friendship, founding role in our writers’ group, and the opportunity to have heard his writing and storytelling.

Members of the Writers’ Group Share Their Thoughts

From Rosalie Olds

Even though I’ve been living in Atenas for about three years, I only met Jim recently when we both joined a local writers’ group. His quick wit and twinkling smile endeared me to him right away. When I shared my writing piece, I found his comments supportive and insightful. I especially enjoyed hearing about his experiences serving in Vietnam. Jim clearly felt compassion for others and delighted in being kind and helpful. I’ll miss the ribbing he gave me when his beloved Astros beat the Mariners. May he rest in peace.

From Trey Mallard

Haiku for Jim Shaw: In Memoriam 01/17/2023

1943-2023

In one’s life, people cross your life’s journey for just a moment but have a lasting impact. For me, one of those people was Jim Shaw. We met at a party, and immediately, Crissy and I knew that Jim and Tracey would become fast friends. We had similar stories in that we were both on second marriages, and some would say we married “eye candy.” But Jim and I knew better. Even though there were age differences with younger wives, we had both met and married our “soul mate.” Jim joined the initial writers’ group organized by JoAnne Tucker, which met in her lovely home in Hacienda Atenas. We were all would-be writers, but Jim was the only one who had not put his stories down on paper–Wisconsin farm boy to Top Gun in the Vietnam war. His stories were difficult to transcribe because his war experiences were still much with him and hard to relive. Jim lived with significant physical disabilities but was always up for a good time. His smile and sparkle in his eyes belied internal pain but were an instant attraction to those he encountered. I was fortunate not to have been drafted into his war, but I understood what it was like to lose friends who never returned. His death was sudden and too soon. Here’s to you, my friend…

Top Gun y Mas

Home, country, farm boy

grew, handsome, gentle spirit

pilot, war, hero.

Soars on metal wings.

Flight, chase, fell the enemy.

Now, soaring on mist.

III

Second time love found

On love bird wings, two fly high

Soaring one flies home.

Crippled body parts

needs extra feet for walking

now, one straight path, Light.

Blue eyes, smile lives on,

His loving memory strong.

New star, so bright, Jim

Jim Shaw
Photo taken by Tracey Shaw on the Roue de Paris (Ferris wheel) on the Place de La Concorde in Paris when they visited 6 years ago. They went on a wine cycling tour in Burgundy and visited Paris before and after their wine tour. Tracey described it as a truly wonderful trip.

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Five, four, three, two, one!

JoAnne Tucker / August 25, 2022October 27, 2022 / Costa Rica, Personal Life

I was shopping one day in PriceSmart in Costa Rica (like a Sam’s Club or BJ’s), when I passed an aisle of workout equipment. I had passed such displays before but I had never seen a recumbent bike available. I had sold mine before we moved, and I missed it. My hips don’t do well on a regular bike. A recumbent bike actually helps my hips. I feel less pain and best of all I get a workout!! Needless to say I bought it and was lucky to have someone put it together for me. That was in late May and I have now enjoyed riding it almostevery day, having logged in 71 rides.

“Five, four, three, two, one…. Now take the speed up higher and the resistance too! Ride at a higher cadence with higher resistance for a minute! Five, four, three, two, one… OK back to a slower pace with less resistance for a minute before we go again.” These are typical instructions from the IFit trainer. The bike is designed to go with programs produced by IFit. I had a 14-day free trial and after that I didn’t hesitate to sign up to continue on a monthly basis. A fun side benefit is that not only is the coaching excellent but the rides are filmed in locations all around the world. I have done rides in Fiji, Hawaii, National US Parks, Costa Rica, Italy and Turkey!

Now why am I writing about this? Recently, a writer was in residence at my home as part of the Artist in Residence program I offer. At the end of her residency she led a writer’s workshop and gave us the prompt of writing about transitions. First she asked us to list seven transitions that we had experienced in our lives and then to select one to write about. No problem, I certainly had lots of major life transitions to write about, several of which were very recent, like moving to Costa Rica and losing my life partner of fifty-six years. But what fascinated me at that moment was the little transitions I make each day related to aging, and I found the transition from slow to fast on the bike, and then back again to slow, a good metaphor.

In the last blog I wrote about finding a model of someone who has done new things in their 80’s. That is very important for me and equally important is how to do them. What I am taking away from the writing prompt, and using the bike experience to write about, is a way to pace myself. I want to be able to enjoy new and challenging things in a safe way. The bike exercise is a strong reminder that a push, whether it is physical or mental, needs to be balanced with a time of lower energy and relaxing!

In the biking workout it has been an equal balance of pushing heavily for either a half minute or a minute and then pedaling easier for the same amount of time. I do not know quite how I will carry this over into my life but I do know it is important and something I will keep in mind!

As I get nearer my eightieth birthday, questions on how to make this a quality time of life are often on my mind. I wonder what other readers might want to share about this, whether it is turning eighty or experiences they have had at a younger age. I welcome your feedback and thoughts in the comments!

Photo taken by Manrique, who helped to put the bike together!

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Beyond Van Gogh: How It Was Created

JoAnne Tucker / June 19, 2022 / Art, Costa Rica, Personal Life

About a month ago I saw a sponsored post on Facebook that Beyond Van Gogh would be here in Costa Rica, and I immediately made plans to attend. I was delighted for several reasons. First of all, since moving to Costa Rica at the beginning of 2020 I had not been to a cultural event here, in large part due to COVID. Now things were opening up. I also have always been a fan of Van Gogh and the period in which he painted. And third, I had seen some favorable posts of friends of mine in the US who had gone to the exhibit. Here it was in Costa Rica, and I definitely wanted to go. It was scheduled to be held in a large convention center that was about 45 minutes away so it was definitely doable. Tickets were already selling and some weekend dates were already sold out. I made arrangements to go during a weekday with two friends.

Tickets were spaced 15 minutes apart and we got there a little early and had fun taking some pictures outside.

Outside Beyond Van Gogh. Photo taken by my friend.

Soon it was time for us to enter, and I loved the experience from the moment we officially entered. Slowly we walked through a path filled with quotes exchanged between Van Gogh and his brother Theo, giving us information about Van Gogh’s life. We zigzagged along the quotes separated by empty picture frames and it definitely was setting a mood.

Photo I took of one of the panels. I love that the quotes were in both Spanish and English, as it gives me a good opportunity to practice my Spanish. I took lots of pictures so I would have lots of quotes to practice.

I knew some things about Van Gogh’s life from reading Irving Stone’s book Lust for Life, published in 1934 and based on the letters between the two brothers. And I also was aware of how many people have been fascinated with Van Gogh’s life. The movie Lust for Life starring Kirk Douglas, based on Stone’s book, was released in 1957. It won Douglas a Golden Globe for Best Actor as well as an Oscar nomination for his role as Van Gogh. Anthony Quinn, who played his friend Paul Gauguin, received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. That is not the only movie about Van Gogh. In a blog posted by Molli in Discover Walks Blog, she shares four other worthwhile films about Van Gogh: Vincent and Theo (1990); The Eyes of Vincent (2005) about his time in a mental asylum; Loving Vincent (2017), an Oscar nominated film which features a lot of animation and raised the idea that his death was an accident and not suicide; and At Eternity’s Gate (2018) which looks at the final years of his life. Here’s the link where you can learn more and see some trailers of the films.

https://www.discoverwalks.com/blog/paris/the-5-best-movies-about-vincent-van-gogh/

Clearly Vincent Van Gogh’s life and work have fascinated and served as inspiration for many other people in their artistic expression, including the creators of Beyond Van Gogh.

Now back to our experience at the exhibit. Following the space filled with quotes, we wandered into a dark space with a bit of animation and two black boxes which turned out to be the entrance into the main room. It was a bit disorienting until we realized the black boxes were actually the entrance. We must have stood there for several minutes with quite a few other people until someone walked through the boxes and then of course we all followed and were treated to a very spacious room filled with animation on the walls, floors and panels that were placed in central areas. Animation inspired by Starry Night paintings filled the space and then shifted into a number of Van Gogh’s self-portraits. For the next 35 minutes we were dazzled with over 300 hundred of his paintings appropriately grouped. As a choreographer I was fascinated by the movement and energy that was created, as well as the unique way one set of images transitioned into another. Sometimes the walls faded and new images appeared… other times it was like a large wave swept through the room.

Some people sat on the floor, others stood in place or wandered around, and some of us were able to sit on the few benches or beanbag-like chairs. I was pleased to see how many young people attended. Lots of Ticos in their twenties, thirties and forties. We found two beanbag chairs to sit on and our third person sat on the floor. We stayed there totally fascinated and in wonderment at the way Van Gogh’s images were being presented until the program began to repeat. Then as we stood and began walking we realized that the experience was a bit different in each place and so we stayed for nearly the full next set moving about the large room!

Photo I took shortly after entering the large room.

It was indeed an immersion into a world creatively inspired by Van Gogh’s painting and as the title suggested,beyond just the images. It was very different than going to an exhibition of his actual paintings in a museum, which itself is an outstanding experience. For me it was a different kind of creative adventure inspired by his work — animation (inspired by an artist) with its unique timing, spacing and invitation to step into a new dimension. I knew that as soon as I got home I wanted to learn about the people who created it!

A quick Google search led me to all the information I wanted to know. Beyond Van Gogh was created by Mathieu St-Arnaud and his team at the Normal Studio. St-Arnaud and a partner founded Normal Studio in 2009, and a trip to the website provided lots more information. The home page describes their mission to “transform urban spaces into full-on immersive experiences…. 360 projection and architectural mapping, we spark wonder into people’s everyday lives.” They are a multi-disciplinary team of 30 professionals combining creativity and tech.

They describe their aim in creating Beyond Van Gogh:

Expanding Vincent’s universe to a sharable and lively 360 projection environment requires a different way of thinking, like Vincent himself. While certain paintings are presented in all their simplicity, others have been enhanced, expanded, enlarged and juxtaposed in order to fill the space with life, texture and colour. (https://normal.studio/en/)

Other projects include: another artist-inspired project – Beyond Monet; a corporate creation for a Toyota Dealer Meeting; the set for La Traviata for the Icelandic Opera; and a stage production of Diary of Anne Frank created by Lorraine Pintal for a theatre in Montreal.

Of course it is still very meaningful for me to have the “classic” experience of seeing the original paintings in the museum setting, but I also adore and am inspired by the blending of the classical with the latest technology. Thank you, Normal Studio, for creating a wonderful experience, and I joyfully celebrate being able to see it here in Costa Rica with two delightful friends!!

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Casa Uno – Labyrinth Number 26 – Camino del Artista (Part 4)

JoAnne Tucker / May 23, 2022May 31, 2022 / Costa Rica, Music

The Labyrinth was completed on a Saturday afternoon and of course I was excited to take my first walk that very afternoon. As I walked it this first time, I saw the garden and the surrounding property in a new way. For the next few mornings, I followed a pattern of walking the labyrinth first thing in the morning. Again, I was surprised at how I saw things differently. A new flower that had opened or a bird sitting on a nearby tree stump delighted me. When our garden crew came on Monday, the “head” of the team walked it himself and shared that it wasn’t so easy. Yes, it was filled with turns and curves. I found it challenging and helpful in working on my balance.

A flower that just opened and only lasts for a day. Picture taken on one of my morning walks!

My thoughts soon turned to what kind of ceremony to have to honor the designer, Ronald Esquivel, and Jan Hurwitch, who had selected crystals to be buried in the labyrinth. My good friend and very talented musician Newman Taylor Baker was coming with his daughter to spend some time, and I thought, “How perfect. Let’s do the ceremony when he is here and maybe he will be willing to play his washboard.” While Newman has toured around the world as a jazz percussionist, he now has been working on solo programs and small ensembles with the washboard. He mentioned he would be bringing it.

A date was set, and then it was frustrating that I wanted to invite lots of people but knew with COVID and the limited parking at the house it was important to keep it to a very small number. In the end we did two celebrations, one that was in English and included eight of my ex-pat friends in the community… that ended up being fourteen people in all when you counted Ronald, Jan, myself, Newman and his daughter, and Manrique the house manager. The second one was for Manrique’s family who speaks very limited English.

When Ronald and Jan arrived, we discussed how to proceed. I thought that Newman would play while we walked the labyrinth for the first time, but Ronald said no, we should just focus on walking first and then later Newman could play. Our focus would not be divided, and Newman would have the option of walking with us! Before we walked, Jan led us in a beautiful ceremony of planting each of the crystals. As you remember from an earlier blog, she had selected five different crystals.

I must admit that I was a bit nervous about this part. While I liked the idea of planting the crystals, I didn’t want this part to get too touchy-feely. Jan led it perfectly. She guided us starting with the black onyx which was planted at the point where we “show up.” We haven’t entered the actual labyrinth yet, and the onyx is symbolic of releasing negative energy. Its purpose is both to help the walker let go of any negative energy, and to protect the labyrinth from negative energy. When Jan asked for a volunteer to plant it, Katy quickly responded, and we handed her the large spoon to use. The black onyx was planted with the purpose of repelling negativity.

Newman volunteered to plant the next crystal, the aquamarine, which represents courage. It was planted at the most private place, giving an individual the opportunity to go inward and think about what they might want to create or to just be still for a few minutes with their personal thoughts! The next crystal was planted at the opposite end. It’s a point where one can look outward beyond the property. The orange agate was planted here by Raquel for the purpose of reducing stress!

Next the whole group moved to the entrance of the labyrinth. Paul planted the crystal quartz, which promotes healing and spirituality. We didn’t follow the actual path at this point but rather just went to the places where the crystals would be planted.

Jan asked me to plant the last agate, the rose quartz, in the center of the labyrinth to represent love and compassion. She reminded us that love and compassion must always start with oneself!

JoAnne finishing planting the rose quartz. After each crystal was planted, the person who planted it blessed the ground. Other individuals joined in by placing their hands on the person’s back to be part of the blessing. Photo by Stefani Baker

Now that all the crystals were planted, we regathered at the “showing up” place. A few people had taken off their shoes to walk barefoot which is the most beneficial way. Some places were ready for us to walk barefoot with lush grass. Others lacked grass and had stones, so I did mention that and some of us kept our shoes on.

Ronald led us and we followed the path into the center. Ronald gave us the option of following the path back out, which is the traditional way and how I do it as much as possible. A few took that option.

Ronald guiding us as we walked the labyrinth as a group for the first time. Photo by Stefani Baker.

We made a circle in the center when we completed the walk in. Photo by Stefani Baker.

We celebrated with some refreshments and then enjoyed a wonderful intimate concert with Newman playing the washboard. Everyone was totally mesmerized by his playing and the variety of sound that he could made from just one instrument.

Newman playing. Photo by Stefani Baker
Link to a short excerpt from Newman’s playing. https://vimeo.com/712620130

Our smaller celebration with Manrique’s family challenged Newman’s daughter Stefani and I to describe the labyrinth in Spanish. We both worked with our teacher Raquel to be able to do this. It was another wonderful experience that ended with each of the four women spending a minute or two playing the washboard.

I am amazed at how each day my walk on Camino del Artista is different. Sometimes I am filled with a new idea and at other times I am seeing new things in the garden or far off landscape. If I am off balance I know it and as I slowly follow the path, I regain my balance. A deep bow of gratitude to Ronald Esquivel for creating this special labyrinth and to Jan for selecting the crystals. I look forward to sharing it with others.

Thank you, Stefani, for documenting the event, and I had to close with this fun selfie you took with your “Daddy” in the background!

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Casa Uno – Labyrinth Number 26 – Camino del Artista (Part 3)

JoAnne Tucker / May 2, 2022 / Costa Rica, Personal Life

With the design created for the Labyrinth, it was now time to focus on the building process. The first step was to trace the pattern on the ground. We had already decided that the path would be outlined with red bricks, so the same day that the tracing happened, the red bricks were delivered! A team of three men came to help with the tracing and moving of the bricks. Ronald Esquivel, the designer, was here for the tracing and supervised work for the next two days. The rest of the week the men were here on their own working a full day to place each brick where it needed to be and to regularly check the measurements. Slowly I could see the path developing. I regularly took pictures of the process.

Part of the completed Labyrinth as it winds its way through the garden.

In the next blog I’ll share the opening celebration and thoughts on regularly walking the labyrinth.

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