Ancona / Italy

In the first week we had to adapt to our group dynamics and activities in a Pandemic proof way! We had to get use to do meetings and activities Online.

Doing what you usually do in reality online can be challenging but also a great opportunity to learn how to do things in a new way, making the most of the technology at our disposal.

We had to re-think outside of the box how to make "Mercado de Arte Comunitario" and to implement the Festival in a new way. 

It took us a few days to organize ourselves accordingly to the situation and start focusing on the work; eventually we set the fundaments of the rest of the project and start building its structure!

It's time to keet it up and make the festival happen.

We are all focused, organized in groups, towards reaching our goal!

Re-thinking the Mercado de "Art Social y Comunitario" concept, updating our webpage, reaching out to more art collectives, making interviews with the artists partecipating in the festival, preparing the material and software for streaming the Festival, do technical tests to the live sessions venues, promoting the program, making a coral dance video, improving our team-working dynamics, receiving cultural and permaculture formation.

The Festival arrived and we Rocked it! We made an online streaming festival with live music and dance performances, dance workshops, unique artistic projects coming from various countries, artists interviews and promoting the activities of TUDANZAS! We embraced the challanges of the pandemic and make happen something that seemed unlikely to...

After an intense week of activities we went for an adventure to Mont Serrat and enjoyed nature.

We are all processing what we have learned. 

Everybody learned something new...

The Festival is passed so we evaluated the outcome in order to understand where we have done good and where we can improve!

We are dedicating more time in cultural formation and very interesting taller with the goal of raising awareness and give empowerment tools of organizing. 

We learned and applied the Dragon Dreaming methodology into the Mercado de "Art Social y Comunitario" with a very interesting digital approach using Google Jam Board and Meet simultaneously!

It is the feminist week so we had specific activities aimed to understand the context of feminism, the fundation and its historical development; this allowed everyone to tune with the contemporary situation and to clearify its opinion about it. You should check out the menstruation's taller to gather an insite of how different and peculiar is the theme to different people!

Great connections have been established and certainly personal commitment and contribute to the project will happen!

God bless Tudanzas!

Until the moment I took the flight to Barcelona, I cannot imagine or realise that I was coming here, so the arrival was so exciting. I had no expectations and the city made me feel better just when I arrived. The first day I met two very nice girls who talked to me about Tudanzas association and the social and cultural context that surrounds it.

The atmosphere in Barcelona is quite peaceful, the days are sunny and the people I’ve worked with are friendly and funny. Many of them are italian, but that doesn’t matter: we are a cohesive team and I love working all together. The first two days were pretty confusing because we have to schedule all the tasks and to create some workgroups, and do it online is not so easy. 

We have worked all the time with our laptop, and I am not so familiar with computer so this is a perfect opportunity for me to become more comfortable with digital stuff.

I’m really enjoying this experience because it’s a great way to challenge myself and step outside my comfort zone.

Semana 2

16-22 Noviembre

The second week could be summed up with four words: stress leads to satisfaction. 

My principal task was to make interviews with some artists of the Festival, and get to know them and their artistical projects were exciting. I am a volunteer speaker for a local radio station in Bologna so I'm used to knowing people through interviews, even if online calls made me feel quite distant from the artists. My partner in this task is a nice guy and it was a pleasure to work with him. He's portuguese so we speak english. I really need to improve my english so it'a a big satisfaction realize that I'm improving it. During the interviews we tried to speak Spanish and it was weird but funny.

Moreover, I've learned how to use some softwares to edit audio and videos and it was a personal satisfaction. We have worked so many hours per day but working in groups it's enjoyable. I'm quite tired in recent days but the last two weeks passed very quickly and I don't want to think that this experience is ending.

During the weekend there was the Festival, we worked a lot and it was very exhausting, but it was very interesting and exciting. Sunday night all of us were satisfied and it was beautiful to share the good vibes all together. 

Semana 3

23-28 Noviembre

The third and last week started with a day-off, a break after the weekend full immersion on the work for the Festival. We went to Montserrat, a mountain not so far from the city. We had a beautiful trekking all together, I really liked it. I love walking surrounded by nature, listening to the silence of the mountains, admiring the wonderful landscape. This makes me feel very small as an individual in comparison with the immensity and vastness that nature is. At the top of the mountain there is a very nice and antique monastery.

This week was more soft and relaxing because we only worked in the morning. Daniel and I did the last interviews, we are now almost “expert” in doing this kind of interviews so it was easier and I felt more comfortable. Then we editied them in MP3 audio and uploaded the podcasts on the website: the work is finished! Well done!!

Today (friday) is the last working day and it represents the end of this working project, but not the end of this experience. Firstly, because I’m going to stay in Barcelona 10 days more before coming to Italy (that means coming back to my routine, my university, my home and my comfort zone). Secondly, because I think I’ll take this experience with me forever, it has marked my way, and in my heart and my mind there will always be a place for it. Memories never die. I take this opportunity to say thanks a lot to the whole team of volunteers and to the Association Tudanzas.

The morning has ended with a formation meeting about gender-based violence: sharing opinions, thoughts and reflections was a very interesting and stimulating discussion.

Finally, I feel that this experience has formed me in a personal and professional way. I’ve been practising languages (I love spanish), meeting people from very different contexts and backgrounds, learning new skills, having a daily exchange with others, and last but not least, sharing beautiful moments of social interaction.

 SEMANA 3

Dia 21 - 27 de noviembre 

After a week of storm, peace came. This week had another vibe. With time and space for other feelings.

Time to slow down, to reflect and to absorb everything.

It was a week of celebration at the same time as to say goodbye.

Thank you all volunteers for what you gave me. What I learned with you all.
To Margherita for her caring, to Daniel for his transparency, to Cristina for her effort, to Valério for his energy, to Elena for her peace, to Ada for her joy, to Geovanni for his calmness, to Isabel for her conscience, to Muriel for her genuineness, to Nico for his purity, to Sara for her tenderness, to Milica for her perseverance, to Andreia for her friendship, to Catarina for her vision.

Thanks to Ana...and Marina, Alice and Bruna for making Tudanzas.
Thank you for the opportunity to have been here, in this place and at this time.

I will take all of this with me, which is so much.

Sintra / Portugal

I'm writing this while I'm travelling to Barcelona, one week too late. These first days were tough. I was far from the group, simultaneously working and participating in everything I could with Tudanzas. The distance made communication and information transmission very challenging. It was hard to follow the progress of the group. I was not able to give the project the energy and time I wanted during this week, and I felt frustrated. But this gave me the motivation for the week to come. 

Sintra / Portugal

Despite the long journey, I arrived full of energy. I embraced the atmosphere of Barcelona, all the people, the lights, the joy of it.

I love the team, and being close to everyone made a big difference.

My routine changed drastically, we were all putting every effort to make the festival happen, and that united us. Everything was a challenge because I was doing it for the first time, but I needed this push, needed to go out of my comfort zone and be challenged to grow.

And from one day to the other, the festival was at our doors.

Sintra / Portugal

Every night we would sigh, say how tired and happy we were. The days of the festival ran by too fast, and seeing everyone working so hard, I felt I could have done more. I was told my only job was to kill some virus, using hand sanitizer and disinfectant, and opening windows. That was all. Quite disappointing, don't you think? 

I did find some extra work to put my hands into, which put me in an excellent mood. People tend to get suspicious when I say I want to work more, but it's the purest of the truths. I like the feeling of it, I like thinking and doing.

Well, sooner or later, the festival did end, followed by the most tiring free day I've ever had, climbing Monserrat, and some more work.

These were long and good days. In the morning we had formacións and a lot of work to finish, but after lunch we had time. We got to visit the city and spend time with the group, enjoying our last days together. Then I blinked, and I found myself alone again in the cold, grey city of Amsterdam.

But I was different, I had become a pirate.

Barcelona/ España

Intensity, connection, chaos, creativity. These are some words that could describe my first week in TUDANZAS Festival as a volunteer. I was living mellow days in Barcelona before they contacted me on Tuesday afternoon from TDZ to join them the very next day. After this, my days have been increadibly fun, having the opprortunity to explore and expand my creativity and best of all sharing it with a group of wonderful people that are making of this experience one worth having. 

Something that has surprised me has been the way of working. I had never done everything online and I was under the impression that we were going to be doing more physical workshops, so this has been something "negative" of the experience.  The feeling of chaos and desorganization that exists in the group has been challenging to handle. I can see everyone is trying their best to adapt in this place and this also brings a sense of community. 

Other than this I have been really enjoying to share with interesting, simpathetic and diverse individuals. I already feel very confortable with the group and also when im one on one. It's amazing how many similarities we share, like the passion for linguisitcs, art and debate. 

I am very happy to see that my creativity actually has space here, and I can do what I love which is to generate ideas and them bring them to life in graphic and audiovisual communication :)

Barcelona/ España

Friendship, confidence, communitary creation. The words that most represent my second week in this crazy and wonderful experience.  I defenitely feel that we where able to overcome as a group the general chaos and transition to group synchronicity.  

This week I was given the tasks to create and organize the advertising for the streaming festival and it has been amazing. I t was a lot of work but I can say that it had been a couple of months since I was able to do this which is one of my passions, so I am very grateful for the experience. I also feel gratitude towards my teamates, so eager to cooperate and joyfully go along with my ideas :) I have been feeling like a leader and it brings me great joy to see that the process and the result was so postive. I also feel honoured to have been given the  responsibilty of handling the festival's communications .

Also I have been getting to know the people more and I really think we are great together. Working together, preparing meals, going to Barceloneta to celebrate in the afternoons... 

Barcelona/ España

Defenitely the moment of "Celebration" from the Dragon Dreaming methodology. 

This week has been much more tranquil, with time to finish the pending work, relax, have social gatherings and of course, reflect about the past days.

I feel very grateful for this project. It has given me more confidence on my skills as a professional, of creating ideas, communicating them and then making them happen. Also on a personal level, feeling more confident especially when it comes to accepting myself and my feelings.  I also feel increadibly grateful for all of the wonderful people I've met...I know for certain that I will miss them a lot when they  go back home :( 

Barcelona/España

I was already in Barcelona and living in my own flat. on the night of 9 november, the day before the start of the volunteering project, I went to sleep and I could not imagine what would be the next day. 

new people from abroad, a little shy and timorous, yoga in the  morning, calls on meet seeing people from the monitor, hours at the computer, a big work to do, a lot of try to understand how to do it, how to manage with the energies and the feeling of the group. The first week has been like this, to adapt to a new condition, to connect with others trying to understand my role in the group, to be more confident with a new organization, new places,new tools, new conditions. like this but much more. yes, because the shame passes really fast when you start to speak, to know and to work with the others. It's really strange how we make friends from foreigners. the less you think the easier it is, and even if you think it's not happening, it happens. a lot of times we think about what the others think about us and we try to be as we imagine they would like us to be. The truth is that people don't think about you as someone that has to be in some way, but they just want to know you easely, with your difficulties, your strangeness, your contradictions. with the element of new that you can bring in their life and they in yours. And things don't have to be always super funny or enthusiastic because also sharing the normal moments, the boring ones, the sad or nostalgic or disappointed ones, is knowing each other. Is friendship.

Barcelona/España

The second week has been the week of the festival. On the weekend we had to put into practice what we were doing. all has been super fast and there was no time to think a lot about what to do. just doing, just find an inspiration and follow it, ride it until it stops. it has been amazing! the sensation of creating something beautiful, necessary, emotionating. work side by side to my new friends and share the rush, the effort. that's what makes a team. Even if what we were doing was big and difficult, I never had the sensation that it was too much, that we were going to fail. I always felt that we were strong enough to do everything, powerful enough to make something grate. It is show time.  I love it. and of course it has been like this also thanks to the organization of the associacion Tudanzas. they gave us  a lot of tasks but also a lot of trust and help. allways avaliable and stimolating in do our best. 

The best moment for me was Sunday when me and Joana finished the  video we were editing for the festival. a dance project with all the Tudanzas volunteers and directed by Alejandro Espinosa, a wonderful choreographer from mexico.

At the end, because of communication problems, me and Joana we found ourselves without a guide, waiting for directions that were not coming. we started to think in a different way, not to be directed but to be the directors, making choices, feeling that that project was ours and it was needing our interpretation, our creativity. In one afternoon we edited all the video, passing through difficulties and some technological problems, fighting against time. It has been a wonderful adventure. wonderful for real. so much emotions, so much trust one in the other. at the end we made it. The video was ready just a couple of minutes before the live streaming and it was a masterpiece for me. I was so proud of us. I really felt so much energy watching for the first time the entire video while it was going on live streaming, that i could not stop moving and say to joanna "it's perfect, it's perfect. you are a genius!". twenty minutes later I felt my entire energy being consumed in a while. so big had been the effort, so much the emotions. At the end of all I'm really thankful to have lived this challenge, to have worked with jonna and to have asked myself to not stop. it has been amazing. Thank you!!