Friday, February 22...
final days of rehearsals and preparations in New York before departing for Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Ameena Meer, our friend and neighbor, visited our studio this week and shared books and personal experiences from the local Sufi community to which she belongs. Having been a dancer (with Laura Dean, the grande dame of spinning/modern dance) and now a follower of Sufi-ism, Ameena helped us to prepare ourselves emotionally and spiritually for the interaction we'll have in Konya.
We are revamping a duet, Moonbeam, originally created in Ahmedabad, India, in 1992 for Mallika Sarabhai and Sasidharan Nair, and enlarging it into a group dance for all six members of the company. Fittingly, Sandhya Raman, the designer whose costumes had served as the inspiration for the original Moonbeam, has made some beautiful sketches and will be creating costumes for the company's Konya adventure!
Production designer Barry Steele served as Battery's Ambassador and front-man in Turkey two weeks ago, after the Lisbon premiere of "The Other Side" and just before loading in at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center for our New York Season and gala. Accompanied by Cultural Attache Dr. Craig Dicker and Aysegul Taskin, our visionary program officers at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Barry met with the Mevlana leader Ahmet Calisir and discussed the possibility of a collaboration between the Sema (whirling dervishes) and Battery Dance Company. The folks at Selcuk University offered their stage, studios and guest house to host us, and, well, we're all waiting anxiously to see how this amazing collaboration will develop once we're in situ.
Stay tuned!
Friday, February 22, 2008
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