Corporal Culture

Eight years. That’s how long it’s been since I last published an article on this blog.

Did you miss me?

Because I missed you.

I missed this practice. In fact, I got very close to revving this blog back up seven years ago, when I started dancing again when I joined the Danish Dance Theatre in Copenhagen. But I just wasn’t ready to commit myself at that time.

I’ve since quit dancing (again!). And I can tell you with confidence: this time it’s for real.

Life has changed dramatically since my second retirement from dance three years ago, but the biggest shift has been to move to a small village in Provence with my wife, buy a property literally surrounded by lavender fields (see the last photo below), and turn the buildings into a couple of vacation homes (which, for the adventurous, can indeed be rented!).

We moved here for real a year ago, and we’ve since been living the country life: fresh air, sun, and a slower rhythm.

One would be hard pressed to call me a dancer these days.

Accordingly, I’ve been thinking about closing down this blog for many years.

But I’ve hesitated, because, looking at the stats, I saw that it still seemed to be providing value to many of you out there. Even after I stopped writing in 2017, there has been an average of 5000 views per year!

See for yourself:

You can see that the readership has been decreasing these past couple of years, as it rightfully should, due to my inactivity. Yet, even last year, the “worst” year yet, there were more than 1200 people who visited my site to get some information and hopefully a bit of clarity about the dance world.

But, you see, it costs me money to maintain this website.

I’ve happily paid it the past years, knowing that it was potentially benefitting some of you out there. But the truth is: the content is stale, and I no longer live in the thick of the dance world. My most popular article about “Ten Amazing Small Contemporary Dance Companies” hasn’t been revised for almost a decade, and I have no idea if those companies are indeed “amazing” anymore. The bottom line is, my content is not current, and this blog’s theme is just not where my head is.

So I’ve decided: it’s time to move on.

I’ll close down the site, and hope that young budding dancers can find the resources they need elsewhere.

However…

I won’t stop writing.

In fact, I’ve recently decided to get back into the practice of regularly drafting and publishing posts. Just this time on a different publishing platform.

And though I’ll mostly be writing about my life in Southern France and not the dance world, my experience as a dancer is a topic that will come up. How could it not, given the life I’ve led? In fact, one of the pieces I wrote recently is about a day as a dancer at Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, a look back at the shape of my life and emotional state back then.

You see, I’ve decided to start a Substack. Writing is still a way for me to process my life, my thoughts, and my emotions, and it’s a practice I quite enjoy.

So here is a chance for you to follow my journey in a new space, if you feel so compelled. Some of you were here just for the dance tips and insights, but many of you were mainly here to follow and share in my journey.

I’m aware that our world is busy, and do you really have the space in your life for one more semi-bi-weekly flow of content?

This will be a goodbye to many of you, and I’m thankful to have had you with me for whatever time I did. I appreciate your support, your interest, and your encouragement in my writing. For all of you who are ready to sign off, this is a thank you and a goodbye.

But for all you who are ready to join me on my next adventure in Provence, the land of lavender, honey, and bureaucratic headaches, well, hello again…

I’ll see you on the other site.