Beijing Bye Bye

Last night's performance at the Tian Qiao Theater was the grand finale of our Asia Tour, and the dancers and Barry held nothing in reserve. Over 1,000 people came out to see what the American dance company was all about, and judging from the ultra sophisticated and very complimentary comments we heard in the audience talk-back session at the end of the performance, they liked what they saw!

Viewers told us that they appreciated the musicality of the program, paying special attention to the fact that three out of the four musical scores were composed for us and that the dance and music meshed in a way that "isn't usually seen in China". Two speakers talked about Shell Games and gave their interpretations -- showing that they had excavated deeply into the piece and had mined very rich meaning from it.

We were glowing with excitement to be so thoroughly rewarded, especially since it was clear that this was an audience of cognoscenti.

Sarabeth Berman, a young American dancer who has taken up residence as Festival Manager for the Beijing LDTX Dance Company, was a complete delight. Though she was stepping out for the first time in her very responsible role, she carried it off with grace and expertise.

Willy Tsao, the Johnny Appleseed of modern dance in China (he has established no less than 3 dance companies - in Hong Kong, Guongzhou and Beijing) is a charming and open-minded artist. He made us feel so comfortable and welcome in his home territory. We were very disappointed not to be able to see the Beijing LDTX Company in action -- but hope that we can help them find performance opportunities in New York before long.

Here in the transfer lounge at South Korea's Incheon Airport on our way home, the feeling is one of being replete after a great feast of experiences. We're grateful and amazed that there weren't any serious mishaps along the way. Almost too much to expect. Thank you to the many many people who have helped us along the way!

Beijing, Busy but Pampered!

From the moment we landed in Beijing, it's been a jolt into the future:

arriving at the newly opened airport: huge, magnificent;
checking into the JW Marriott, our hospitality sponsor: sparkling new, palatial yet gracious;
meeting Sarabeth Berman and Willy Tsao of the Beijing LDTX Dance Company,our hosts for the First Beijing International Dance Festival: warm,welcoming, impeccably organized;


Over the past 4 days, we've taught two master classes, given a performance on the terrace at the hotel, attended the opening night performance of the Festival presented by the stunning Hong Kong City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC), indulged in great food while spending time comparing notes with our Chinese colleagues, and ... tonight's the big night: OUR PERFORMANCE AT THE FESTIVAL!
Nerves are running high. Check back later for a post-mortem!

Front Page News!

As we were checking in at the Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulaanbaatar for our flight to Beijing, we were handed copies of Mongolia’s version of the New York Times and were thrilled to see a great photo of the Company’s performance at the Opera House earlier this week emblazoned across the front page. The paper is in Mongolian so we’ll have to wait to receive a translation of the review, but (as you can see) the photo is truly spectacular! Stay tuned for news from Beijing!

Snow & Sun in Ulaanbaatar

Again a multi-layered day with the Company split up into groups who fanned out across this city of the Steppes to teach, meet/greet, and learn about contemporary art and folkloric dance and music of Mongolia.

The streets were dusted with snow this morning as we left for our various assignments:

Bafana & Mayuna headed off to the University of Arts & Culture to teach a modern dance workshop and see a demonstration by the dance students;

Sean, Carmen and I went to the College of Music and Dance where we were first treated to a performance of classical ballet, followed by an exquisite Mongolian folk dance and finally the first modern dance choreography essayed by the school. Following the terrific showing by the students, Carmen took the helm and taught a hard-core modern dance class to which the students responded gamely. Standing in parallel position (after having learned for years to be turned-out) was a struggle, but they managed it and followed Carmen's lead through some twisting, turning and other modern moves. Sean raved about their response to hip-hop. I left early to join Barry at the theater where we packed the costumes and tech equipment, inspiring mirth among the wardrobe ladies whose haunt we occupied back stage. I don't think they'd ever seen a man folding and packing garments before.

A fabulous lunch at the new Black Pearl, hosted by Alexei Kral, our gracious Public Affairs Officer here, set us up for an afternoon schedule that included a meeting with two dozen bubbly 16-year-olds at the Educational Advising Resource Center. These kids, who have been learning English in a special after-school program twice a week, had lots of wonderful questions about New York, and comments to share about our performance last night -- wow! Perhaps Mongolia is breeding some dance critics and writers to help support the budding dance scene!

After some cashmere shopping (!), we finished off the day at the Saran Chuluu traditional song and dance ensemble performance. A group of 25 musicians and an equal number of dancers, sporting elaborate folk costumes, took us through a crash course in Mongolia's very rich performing arts traditions, including the famous throat singing and plenty more. We met some of the performers after the show and congratulated them on their superb show.

Tomorrow we're off to Beijing with a tear in our collective eye -- Mongolia has definitely worked its way into our hearts!

Opera House Ulaanbaatar

Our show at the State Opera House this evening in Ulaanbaartar, Mongolia, was a great surprise -- with a minimum of time and a maximum of human effort and mind-over-matter visioning, Barry (lighting) and the dancers managed to pull off an extraordinarily professional looking show. The underseams that no-one saw were almost as compelling as the staged show:

1) the 60+ cardboard boxes, flattened and taped together (purchased by Otgon and me on the Q.T. from the workers at the State Department Store) that formed the under-flooring covered by old, distressed linoleum covering. This cardboard layer served to mitigate the impact on the dancers balance and confidence of the "undulating" wooden stage floor that has seen quite a few too many heavy opera productions

2) the disruption of the dancers' preparation time on stage due to the need to make an appearance at the Chinese Embassy to obtain visas for our arrival two days hence... We'd been turned down 4 times earlier, and dared not cause any ripples since, with the Embassy closed tomorrow, and our departure time on Wednesday being 9 a.m., this was "it".

3) the seriously, sadly under-equipped Opera House where the lighting structures and instruments appeared to have been installed along with the gouged gwooden floor in 1942...

Luckily, art transcends practical problems; all of us wanted to do our best for the Mongolian audience, and at 1:15 a.m., before crashing, I can honestly say that we outdid ourselves.

Arrival Mongolia

We bid a sad farewell to Taiwan and flew via Seoul to Ulaanbaatar, arriving at night on Friday. Thus the impressions of our expedition today out into the countryside were totally fresh and surprising. Having been in countries teeming with people, we are now in a vast land where human life is set into a very different proportion with nature.

But first, we had to attend to the mundane business of a dance company on tour: laundering costumes and exchanging money. In the first instance, we were astonished to find Metro Laundry, a giant establishment buzzing with workers, washing machines and every possible detergent known to mankind (mostly imported from Germany where I know from experience one can find great quality stain removers, cold water washes, etc.)

Having unloaded a bundle at Metro, we headed to the bank where we were relieved to find tellers and ATM's on a Saturday who were able to change money for us and deliver the clean crisp bills that we will need on Monday morning when we apply (for the 4th time) for our Chinese visas. Check back later to see how that story unfolds...!

Then it was time for our trip to Terelj, accompanied by Nomi and Monki from the Arts Council of Mongolia. A former contortionist who performed with Cirque de Soleil, Nomi has made a seamless transition into an expert arts manager, and as we found out, a fun tour guide. Monki is a former teacher and museum curator who has recently joined the Arts Council. After a delicious lunch of local specialties in a country inn, we mounted pint-sized, furry Mongolian horses (never mind that the stirrups were too short) and enjoyed a two-hour jaunt into the wilderness. The hills were dusted with pale green, a hint of the grass that will eventually coat them.

All in all, a cleansing and amazing real-life geography lesson and fascinating introduction to a country that is neither Asia nor Europe, but something in between and unto itself. We feel incredibly privileged to be the first American dance company to perform in Ulaanbaatar (according to Nomi).

Sharing the Stage Tonight in Taichung

1,500+ people filled the Chung Shan Hall this evening. They were there to welcome a dance company that had traveled all the way from New York; but they were also there to celebrate their own: 20 junior high school students from Aboriginal Tribes of Taiwan whose stunning performances brought many tears to eyes (including mine). Performers can feel an audience -- and the Battery Dancers outdid themselves this evening as did the students. I found myself sitting in the theater in amazement, asking myself, "how could they be so self-assured after such a short period of rehearsal?" As moving as the performance was, the scene backstage after the concert was even moreso: the students were so pumped up after the show that they didn't want the evening to end. In traditional Aboriginal style, they grabbed the hands of the exhausted Battery Dancers, and we all continued dancing and chanting for another 5 or 10 minutes after the curtain went down. In my 33 years in the theater, this was a first! And I hope it isn't the last! Tomorrow we leave for Mongolia and the pen-ultimate adventure on this tour. Memories of Taiwan will surely linger.