My friends all know how much I love to dance. Give me even a sniff of music and I'm up and bopping. I especially love to jive and lindy-hop, but I have never had a go at salsa, so my 2nd opportunity for Work Design sketching had me itching and twitching!
Late Monday afternoon, John and I followed Florian, one of the researchers, out of the university and along the river front to a large boat shed. It was a perfect day. Rowing teams and kite-surfers were enjoying the water. Waiting in the shade of the eucalyptus and gum trees, we spotted three dolphins. I didn't think the setting could get any better, until Giulia, the salsa teacher, led us inside.
The dance space was empty of everything but light, which gleamed on the highly polished floorboards. The river-facing wall was entirely glass, giving the impression that the room was floating just above the water. What a workplace! Florian spent half an hour talking to Giulia about different aspects of her work, while I tried to capture her and her most pertinent comments. It was interesting to hear her views about the challenges of doing something you love as a job.
When the dance class began, the challenge really ramped up. In truth, I didn't have time to mourn the fact that I wasn't able to join in. Not only were the dancers moving, the pairs were also constantly revolving: one minute I had a women facing me, the next a man. Then of course, because it was a class, people kept changing partners. And it was all happening so fast! I mainly capture snippets but, in many ways, that's best for getting across the feeling of action.
I didn't quite get the concertina filled, as I was only working for about 90 minutes, so we are going back again next Monday. This time we will interview Giulia's teaching assistant (the one in the lovely outfit in the top sketch), as it will be interesting to get her take on the work, from the very different perspective of someone with much less autonomy, but also much less responsibility and background preparation.
Maybe next time I'll get the chance to do a twirl or two... Please..?
1 comment:
Lovely! Will you have someone to sketch you when you're dancing?
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