Alumni

“The time that I spent in Paris going to burlesque shows and meeting artists helped me understand the power of this genre of performance. Burlesque is a tool of empowerment: performers and audiences alike get to experience a space where different bodies and sexualities are applauded, and where artists can engage with subjects as complex as misogyny, racism, and homophobia in comical yet critical ways. At a neo-burlesque show, you will meet mothers, survivors, queer people, and other diverse performers who take to the stage and undress not only their clothing but also the bigotry and challenges they face in their everyday lives. It is an international art; burlesque was born in the Parisian cabaret, but resurrected in New York only to travel back across the ocean to French stages.” Continue reading »

I adored Mme. Legrée’s class. She was not as keen on smaller details and spoke a lot about her stylistic preferences. She also made sure that dance was good for our body. During my first class with her, she stopped the class to correct someone’s arabesque because their back was too squared. She asked why they would do that and half the class responded that they thought that was the goal. She was shocked and yelled “mais non! La danse est naturelle. Rien ne devrait être abnormal pour ton corps sauf le premier position.” Mme. Legrée also corrected me on stylistic things, particularly on how I do my pirouettes. With her class and Mr. David’s, I deduced that the purpose of the French style was to be as flowing as possible, particularly with their use of the arm. In plie, one changes the arm more than in other techniques. For pirouettes, Mme. Legrée would ask me to “wind up” in order to continue the movement. I made the same deduction in Mme. Kamionka’s course. Alexia studied at the Sweet Briar College Junior Year in Paris. Continue reading »

I learned so much about the painters from the period surrounding the Avignon School by studying the works at the Petit Palais, and about the greater historical period by visiting the Papal Palace in Avignon. But part of the joy and benefit of getting the opportunity to be there in person was the ability to learn about things I had not known to attempt to research beforehand, and to experience a part of French culture I otherwise would have missed. Continue reading »

Over the course of my semester in France, I made an effort to get to know this country beyond the city of Paris. I traveled to Aix-en-Provence, Montpellier, and Saint-Vincent-sur-Jard. Recording my impressions in a journal and building on them to create several pieces of short fiction, I was able to fully engage with all the sights and experiences. I have assembled a short story collection that will allow me to look back on my thoughts and feelings while abroad in France for the rest of my life. (Elizaveta took the Sweet Briar Junior Year Program in Paris) Continue reading »

Mushrooming is an experience with a peculiar allure, following, and culture. For instance, the French are CRAZY about mushrooms, but you would never know it. This is because everyone has their own secret spot which they share with no one. I once asked a man where he goes to pick his mushrooms, and he told me that he would tell me, but that he would then have to kill me. (Jack studied at the BU Study Abroad program in Grenoble) Continue reading »

I think I really found what I was looking for when I started frequenting a small, technically boring café in my neighborhood called Chez Renée. I spent lots of time there reading and writing in its one-room, high-ceilinged space with tall, full bookshelves lining all four walls. (The owner) accepted my accent without derision, and we had good conversations about living in Paris. This turned out to be my personal version of café philosophizing, and it will always remain as important to me as Café de Flore was to Sartre and Beauvoir. Continue reading »

By giving Parisians the opportunity to tell their story on a map, I hoped to unveil such places, which in turn would reveal the true character of Paris according to those who actually live there. Continue reading »