Monday, March 10, 2008
Azerbaijan: First Impressions
Arrival at the Baku Airport in the early morning hours of Monday: We certainly stood out on arrival at the airport from the all-male, black-coated fellow travelers who seemed part of a 1950's b/w movie. The straight-faced customs officials accepted our 8 passports and pre-prepared visa applications (thank you Jessica!), studied them along with the official Diplomatic Note from the U.S. Embassy (thank you Jonathan Henick, Dmitri and Gulara!), and without the slightest hint of a smile, said "no charge" waiving the very substantial visa fees. Wow! What a nice welcome! Seems that performing artists are respected and welcomed in this country. A bevy of reporters gathering in the afternoon on the rooftop of our hotel for a mini-press conference were interested to know if we were aware of Azerbaijan's rich background in folkloric dance and music (only superficially). They hoped that we would have the opportunity of interacting with young dancers and choreographers who had been turned on by the British dance company Random Dance via British Council-funded residencies (2) in 2003, and a Russian modern dance company that had temporarily set up a branch operation here in Baku, only to shut down a short while later. Tomorrow, we'll have that chance, with three workshops at the Baku School of Choreography, the University of Arts & Culture, and the Spider Dance Group. Check back for reports, and photos!
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