We're already in Ankara, having driven in two van-loads from Konya yesterday. We bid a sad farewell in the early a.m. to Ahmet Calisir and our new friends at the Dedeman Hotel, stopped off at the Seljuk University to pack the costumes and load up. We're now at the Sheraton in Ankara, a stunning hotel located half-way up a steep rise, looking out on a bank of houses stretching up the hill. I finally have an image to share from the Sema ritual in Konya. The blur of color does do a good job of conveying the aura that we felt at the time. I've also attached a photo of Shell Games that likewise has vapor trails. Battery's show at the University was very well attended (95% full, I'd say) and very warmly received. I spoke to some students at intermission, those who weren't too shy to venture a conversation in English. They had some fascinating comments about Shell Games; in fact, I thought they "got" the piece astonishingly close to my ideas about it. Moonbeam was dedicated to Ahmet, who sat with his nephew, in the second row. He said that he was deeply touched and that I have a big heart. Nothing could have been more gratifying to me. The dancers did a sensational job and who can say enough about Barry? He was working in a brand new theater (ours was the first theatrical performance given there) in which none of the equipment had been tested and only a couple of trained hands. Two English majors from the university were pressed into service -- presumably as translators, but in reality, Barry put them to work as technicians, and wow, did they learn fast!
Tonight we stage our show at the METU Festival at METU (Middle Eastern Turkish University) here in Ankara. Gotta go!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
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