I Feel Happy

I feel happy. And hopeful. Not only is the Tuscany Project returning in May 2023 after what will be 4 years of Corona break, but we are also returning for the first time in 26 years to Tuscany! We are coming home to where it began in 1993. 30 years ago.

30 years. In these times of constant change this feels like an eternity. Starting point of it all: 5 friends who believed in the power of the arts to explore our humanity, who worked with the voice to develop the potential in the individual and the collective, who love music, song, dance, and theater to express our truth and be playful and soulful. And who believed in friendship.

30 years ago, we started our first workshop in a circle, and ended it in a circle. And we will do the same thing next year: starting in a circle, ending in a circle. As all the research shows this day: what helps people get through this time is sharing. Is sitting with others. Being in community. There are no fixed answers. There are no general solutions. But: our brains are social brains. We are wired for collaborating, connecting, supporting each other, and reaching goals within a community. So, coming together again next year to sing, move, play, talk, laugh, and cry, after years of keeping distance, is more than just a singing workshop for me. It is a celebration of making it through and re-connecting with the spirit of community and love. And experiencing that “together” is the only way.

I will see my beloved friends again, in real, in person, in body. Friends who have been in my life for 35 years, with whom I have shared more than half of my life. We stayed in touch over the past years via Zoom, but it just wasn’t the same. So good we had this medium, at least we could get together occasionally and see faces. But as you all know it just isn’t the same. What happens between bodies when we meet face to face, energetically, chemically, emotionally, physically, can’t be replaced by the two-dimensional screen.

And I will - hopefully - see many of YOU! People have reached out to me. “When are you starting again? Will there be a continuation?” And the questions were so justified. We had lost momentum. We felt further apart. We were too insecure about planning a new event with the Corona status quo. Furthermore, we had personal crisis’s, losses of parents, separations, illnesses, and of course our shared grief about the news in the world, the rises of nationalistic movements, autocratic/populistic governments, desperate people everywhere trying to make it to safe havens in the north of the world, wars, climate catastrophes, racist/antisemitic acts and again and again: Covid news. Sometimes hard to keep eyes, ears, and hearts open and the soul receptive.

But it was clear all along: we want to continue the Tuscany Project. So, in the summer of this year, we dared to think about the re-start. We all wanted it. And thankfully, Shaynee came back on board as well. With sadness, we had to realize that the Locanda was already full in 2023 and it wasn’t possible to do the project there. But we found a new location, and yes: it’s in Tuscany! With nice rooms, spaces, a pool, closeness to the sea and a wonderful team that is excited we are coming. Have a look: La Terenzana is delightful. Belle, Ron, and I will teach, and Shaynee will be there to support. And we hope for BZ and Phillip returning one of the next years…

So: here’s to new beginnings! To a new adventure, to the celebration of life and art and to sitting together in circle, safe and joyful, with your voice and song.

See you in Italy!                      Anja