U Njujork sam prvi put sti- gla 2005. godine, na stu- dije „metod glume“ u svetski čuvenoj glumač- koj školi Li Strazberg. Bio je 30. april, topao, prolećni dan. Odmah mi je kroz glavu prošla rečenica jednog prijatelja, koji me je pri odlasku upo- zorio da pazim da me ne zavedu veli- ke njujorške zgrade. Nisam tada zna- la na šta je tačno mislio, a onda sam stigla u Njujork, među te ogromne zgrade, i provela mnogo vremena zavedena baš tom grandioznošću: neboderima, širokim bulevarima, velikim automobilima, dvaput ve- ćim porcijama hrane i pića u resto- ranima od onih na koje sam navikla, parkovima… Trebalo mi je nekoliko meseci da iz te omađijanosti izađem. Budući da je škola glume sme- štena na Junion skveru, na Menhet- nu, bila sam stalno u žiži dešavanja. Provodila sam vreme uglavnom na skveru sa ostalim studentima, a na pauzama između časova smo odla- zili do obližnjeg parka i tu sedeli na travi. Onda bi neko izvadio knjigu ili gitaru, neko bi, jednostavno, zape- vao i uživali bismo u proleću. Ovakva atmosfera je česta u parkovima, ko- jih je Njujork pun, život buja na sve strane tokom čitave godine. Central park, najveći od svih, po tome je naj- čuveniji. On je sam po sebi atrakci- ja i tu se svašta može naći – od ku- pole pod kojom su svoj prvi nastup pod vedrim nebom u Njujorku ima- li Bitlsi , preko kajak-kluba za one sa dubokim džepom, uličnih muzičara, klovnova i pantomimičara, jezera i zoološkog vrta, do prelepih skulptu- ra Hansa Kristijana Andersena i Ali- se iz Zemlje čuda . Grad Njujork sastoji se od pet opština: Menhetn, Bruklin, Kvins, Bronks i Steton Ajlend. Čuveno je rivalstvo između stanovnika Menhet- na i Bruklina i podseća na ono izme- đu Zemunaca i Beograđana: svako tvrdi da je po mnogo čemu baš nje- gov kraj lepši i bolji. Na Menhetnu glavna ulica koja se prostire od Ap- tauna do samog dna iliti Dauntauna ovog gradskog poluostrva je Brod- vej. Mnogi misle da je to samo pozo- rišna scena, ali Brodvej je pre svega avenija, koja ima svoj kvart pod istim nazivom, a u tom kvartu je mnoštvo pozorišta koja se smatraju brodvej- skom scenom. Da li je neka predsta- va brodvejska ili ne, odlučuje pre sve- ga veličina prostora u kojem se igra, kao i strogi pozorišni sindikat, koji
I arrived in New York in 2005, to study Method Acting at the world-famous Lee Strasberg acting school. It was 30 th April; a warm, spring day. The statement of a friend, who warned me as I left to be- ware not to be seduced by New York’s huge buildings, immediately crossed my mind. I wasn’t quite sure what they’d meant at the time. And then I arrived in New York, among those huge buildings, and spent a long time seduced by that very grandeur: skyscrapers, wide boulevards, large cars, food and drinks portions in restaurants twice the size of those I was accustomed to, parks etc. I needed a few months to escape that silly enchantment. As the acting school was located on Manhattan’s Union Square, I was constant- ly at the heart of happenings. I would most- ly spend my time on the square with other students, and during breaks between class- es we would go to the nearby park and sit on the grass. Then someone would pull out a book or a guitar, someone would just start singing and we’d enjoy the spring. Such an atmosphere is common in all parks, and New York is full of them; life abounds on all sides throughout the whole year. Central Park, the largest of all, is by far the most famous for that reason. It’s an attraction in its own right, and you can find all sorts of things there – from the dome under which the Beatles made their first performance under New York’s clear skies, via the kayaking club for those with deep pockets, street musicians, clowns and mimes, lakes and the zoo, to the beau- tiful sculptures of Hans Christian Andersen and Alice in Wonderland. The City of New York consists of five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. The rivalry be- tween residents of Manhattan and Brook- lyn is renowned, and is reminiscent of that between Zemunites and Belgraders: they all claim, for numerous reasons, that their neighbourhood is prettier and better. Man- hattan’s main street, stretching from up- town to the very ‘Lower’, or downtown, end of this urban peninsula, is Broadway. Many consider it as just being a theatre scene, but Broadway is primarily an ave- nue, with its own neighbourhood under the same name, and that area has many theatres that are considered as compris- ing the Broadway scene. Whether a play is considered a Broadway show or not is pri- marily determined by the size of the ven- ue in which it is performed, but also the strict Theatrical Union, which determines with precise contracts which performanc- es belong to the scenes of Off-Off-Broad- way, Off-Broadway and Broadway. Viewed from our perspective, a Broadway audito- rium would be the size of the Sava Cen- tre’s main hall, and those halls are mainly
Čuveno je rivalstvo između
stanovnika Menhetna i Bruklina. Podseća na ono između Zemunaca i Beograđana: svako tvrdi da je po mnogo čemu baš njegov kraj lepši i bolji There’s a famous rivalry between the inhabitants of Manhattan and Brooklyn that’s reminiscent of the rivalry between Zemunites and Belgraders: they all claim, for numerous reasons, that their neighbourhood is prettier and better
Jelena na Menhetnu i sa sestrom na Bruklinskom mostu
Jelena at Manhattan and with her
sister at Brooklyn bridge
used to stage large musicals with micro- phoned singers and dancers. Then you arrive in Soho, or Noho, which in translation means “South of Houston” or “North of Houston”. Soho was once awash with artists’studios, when painters lived and worked in huge lofts. Today it is mainly a hub for shopping that’s packed with brand- ed clothing, although the buildings’original exteriors have remained. In this it resembles very specific European architecture of town- house residential buildings, from which the famous fire-escape stairs descend. And when you reach the end of Soho and get to Ca- nal Street, Chinatown starts. Here you can see everything you’ve ever since on the sil- ver screen. From Chinese food, cheap suit- cases, pendants and Chinese-style jewellery boxes, to traders who accidentally, or delib- erately, don’t speak a word of English. Then you arrive at the specific Little Italy neigh- bourhood. And, again, you’ll feel like you’re in the movies. And for sure - Harlem. For me, Harlem is a special part of the city because I spent almost five years there. The centre is on 125 th Street, the location of the famous Apollo Theater, which has hosted all legendary soul and R&B performers. Something more western is the Cotton Club, one of the city’s first jazz clubs. And there are street traders with stalls where you can find old vinyl records, scented oils from Africa and sweet delights. I lived in a building on the corner of Malcolm X Avenue and 127 th Street, and in the neighbourhood they greeted me good-naturedly with“Hey, Blondie!”The owner of the building was an
Tekst / Words: Jelena Stupljanin Fotografije / Photography: privatni album, iStock / private album, iStock
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