Everyone has that one song they go to for a reflection of their innermost feelings.
Mine is Esmerelda by Ben Howard, the video in particular.
The waves unrolling back in reverse is what gets me every time. It may be for the symbolic value of rolling back time and rediscovering today’s desires by the method of review.
The moving images are taken in the winter, the British winter many complain of. As a surfer, Ben Howard is staring at the swells as he would have done at any other season, reflecting on the conditions, the possibilities. The weather is not a hindrance, but an opportunity for assessment. A million components pulled together; I could ride that wave, I know I can, I can do it this way or that way. Maybe I will come back to it, maybe I will sit it out, watch it and leave it to perform before my very eyes.
The solitary imagery of Howard looking out from the cliff’s edge over the treacherous weather is a message of renewal. In the knowledge, majestic moments happen in the most apparent challenging conditions. Our approach to them is the liberating experience that emerges from the merging what is on offer and the available energy that pulls the surfer to float on the surface or let go and dive into the water. These are not polarised experiences of bad or good, of success or failure, but of a journey of becoming one with nature, embracing it and re-establishing our relationship with it as our home.
Theorists have made the case for connecting with our histories in our pursue of conserving our natural habitat. Mythologies of Homer’s Odysseus seeking his Ithaca, and the realism of Caribbean slaves fishing out in the open waters on Atlantic Ocean’s edge have required an intertwined relationship with nature and its elements. The skill of reading and floating decisions in communication with the elements is a human condition that can not be aborted.
There are thousands of journeys to Ithaca, Caribbean fishermen and surfers connecting with nature in that way. The sea is a pool for everyone to explore their search for a home.
The weekend opened
with a preparty
on May 9.
Early arrivals
were able to
mingle
with each other
and
the instructors.
From Friday to
Sunday, there
were daily workshops taught
by 40+ instructors
from four continents.
Attendees of the
preparty met the instructors early
and
could better
navigate
the multiple
parallel
workshop tracks.
My favorite instructor
was Marcela Cardenas
of Sweden.
Her Saturday class
was about how to
be a better leader
in bachata.
She likened the
hand-hold
connection
between the leader
and
follower to a
joystick in a
video game; the
position of
the arm tells
the
follower
what to do.
This is useful
for steering
the follower
forward or backward,
as shown in the
figure below.
One of the most
popular classes
was the Saturday
bachata session
by Alex and Desiree.
Below is a photo
from the class.
The pool party
happened on
Saturday afternoon
at the Grand Sierra's
large outdoor pool.
Below are some pool
party photos.
On Friday and
Saturday night
were performances
by amateur
and world-renowned professionals.
Below are snapshots
from my favorite performances.
