Last June, in Thermea Spa Village Whitby, Aufgussmeisters from all over the country competed for a chance to represent Canada on the international stage. First place winners were headed to Verona, Italy to participate in the World Masters (AUFGUSS-WM). Second place winners, like duo Kasha Kostrzewa and Jacqueline Mason, got a “second chance” to take part in the Aufguss World Masters competition by performing in the playoffs in Satama, Germany. Here’s how it went:
Before the Playoffs
How was training for the playoffs?
Kasha: Preparing for playoffs was a little different than Aufgusshow as we didn’t have any opportunity to practise in the sauna we would be performing in! Jacqueline and I used things from around her house to set up an outline of the Satama theatre sauna in her backyard using measurements. It gave us an idea, but it’s not like the real thing!
Jacqueline: It was so different from Aufgusshow. As a duo we had to adjust a lot to make it work in that sauna.
Kasha: Other than that, not much had changed. We still got together once or twice a week to practise and go over things.
Did you make changes to your Aufguss performance after Aufgusshow?
K: We did make a few changes to our Aufguss. We amped up our props and costumes (including some gorgeous spoons Jacqueline painted) and had to make other adjustments to our choreography to suit the space. The biggest challenge really was that our sauna is a horseshoe shape while theirs is a big oval, so we had to add a few things to make sure we waved hot air on guests enough and ended up on the correct sides of the sauna to do our tricks.
J: We also had to change and make new props so that they were easier to travel with. We added a layer of difficultly to the performance and changed some things we felt didn’t work in our Aufgusshow.
How was getting to Germany? Packing a whole Aufguss in a suitcase must be hard!
K: Packing wasn’t too bad! Thankfully, Jacqueline and I could split all our props between us, on top of having a third checked bag. Carrying 11 bags between the 3 of us meant we had to get a little creative at times!
J: Getting to Satama was thankfully a pretty smooth experience. All of our luggage made it there (and back!), which was a big concern for Kasha and me as we were performing first on the first day.
During the Playoffs
How did it feel arriving there?
J: Honestly, we were exhausted. We hadn’t slept at all on the plane and then had to stay up until the evening.
K: But getting to Satama and checking into our apartment made the experience finally feel real.
How were the stress levels?
K: Jacqueline and I were definitely feeling the stress, thankfully we had amazing helpers (Michelle our director and Jacqueline’s husband John) who handled our stress with grace. They studied our set-up and got everything in quickly and having confidence that they would get everything in where it needed to be really helped ease some of that stress!
J: Stress levels were pretty high, but not unexpected. Before a performance we usually take some deep breaths and ground ourselves as best we can. There is a lot going on before a competition performance including professional photos inside and outside the sauna (during your set-up time), so there wasn’t too much time to sit in nerves.
K: Stress turned to excitement as we waited outside the sauna doors hearing our show get announced. We gave each other a big hug, shared a deep breath and next thing you know: we’re in the sauna!
How did the performance go?
K: We are so proud of how our performance went! We remembered all our choreo, including a last-minute change we made the morning of.
J: It went really well! Of course, we had some little blunders but no towel drops!
K: My camphor resin fell off the ice ball, so I had to go find it. Then as it was burning, it fell off again and onto the stove mantle. There were times where our synchronicity wasn’t perfect. But all in all, we are so happy and proud of what we did. The guests seemed to enjoy our show, we enjoyed doing our show and it flew by so quickly!
How different was the space and the experience?
K: The German sauna goers and fellow competitors in the sauna made an amazing atmosphere. They clap with the music, cheer at fun tricks and make the experience that much more special. The comradery between competitors was amazing and it made for such a memorable experience. Everyone was rooting for all competitors to succeed, which was a little different than Aufgusshow. We felt less pressure this time around as well, our goal was just to do our best and give everyone a good time!
J: It’s bigger, and honestly the time went faster in there than it ever has in our own sauna at Thermea Spa Village.
K: The space is double the size of Logga, Satama theatre can hold 200 guests compared to our 90 so waving in that large of a space was a new challenge. The Germans love the heat, so figuring out how much to use was tricky and trying to get the air to those on the 4th bench was also hard. But we learned a lot through this experience and can’t wait to take what we’ve learned home!
After the Playoffs
How did Aufgusshow prepare you for the playoffs?
J: It showed us what did and didn’t work, had us practising a lot, and helped us get used to the cardiovascular demand our show Aufguss took.
K: Aufgusshow prepared us for the playoffs by highlighting where our show was lacking. We knew our theme and implementation needed a little work which is why we amped up the acting, props and costumes. It also helped a little with nerves because we got to do it once in a competitive setting already.
Are you happy with the results? Anything you wish you could’ve changed?
K: We are so happy with getting 8th place! We see it as a huge accomplishment considering it’s our first year and we just learned how to put this all together earlier in the year.
J: We are very proud of ourselves! Of course, we learned some things that we are now shaking our heads over but that’s learning!
K: The one thing we wish we could change is that we waved our towels a few times after throwing them to each other instead of going right into acting. We learned we lost several points because of that, but at least we know that for next year.
What are you bringing back home?
K: In short, I’d say lots of inspiration and plenty of new friends!
J: I could write a novel on what I’m taking away from this experience. We learned so much and made so many amazing new connections. Watching everyone else’s creations gave us so much inspiration for next year and seeing all the teams’ tricks was amazing! We learned how to better create a show Aufguss by including more acting, and really it opened our eyes to all the things that are possible to create a show.
Any fun discoveries?
J: We got a crash course on smokes so I’m looking forward to playing with that at home!
So, what’s next?
K: Jacqueline and I have already started to brainstorm ideas for next year! We have a couple of stories in mind and have already started playing around with different throws and transitions to each other. We’re excited to do this all over again!
J: See you next year!
Did you know the AUFGUSS-WM are happening right now? Three Ritual Artisans from the Spa Village in Chelsea, Quebec are competing in Verona, Italy from September 14 to the 21. Keep an eye on the Nordik Spa Village’s website for their recap blog of the international event.
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