The German Press Connects with Dancing to Connect

Untertürkheimer Zeitung, June 24, 2008
“This Is How School Should Be!”
Untertürkheim: German-American Dance project at the Luginsland School
(Untertürkheim is part of Stuttgart)
Like a peacock the 16-year-old proudly struts to the beat of the music in the gymnasium. In the middle of the room she suddenly stays standing. With chin held high and hands folded on the back she remains in position. Little by little the students arrive; they kneel, lay, or lean on each other. Some bury their faces in their hands and others throw their arms up, confident that they have successfully mastered the dance step. Feelings such as happiness, sadness, and bashfulness are reflected in their faces. At a snail’s pace they change to another position, embodying another feeling. The ensemble is repeated several times. “Good job”, praises appreciative Bafana Solomon Matea.

Together with Robin Cantrell he leads the German-American Dance-Workshop “Dancing to Connect” at the Untertürkheimer Luginsland School. Collectively with the American professional dancers the students choreograph a dance themselves. They will be performing this dance at the opening event of “American Days” on June, 26 2008 in the Wilhelma Theater for invited guests. According to Friederike Schulte, the Program Specialist at the German-American Center in Stuttgart, approximately 15 Stuttgart schools applied for this project in March. During the selection process it was valued that all school types are represented.

For 6 days 7th and 9th grade students from the Luginsland School have rehearsed for their big day. Therefore they train 5 hours daily in the gymnasium. Communication problems between the students and English speaking dance instructors only existed on the first day. When Robin Cantrell described communication with the students, she said: ”Dancing is movement, it is a language through movement”. In an emergency or if necessary one of the teachers jumps in as a translator.

Initially the dance instructor explained that the students were scared to mess up when learning a new dance step. That is what modern dance is all about, creatively expressing oneself. The instructors simply advised the students to simulate the movements of a soccer player or of feelings. The translation of a dance movement is alone the student’s job. Ninth grade student Vera Cristina Monteiro da Silva thought it was great that the students were allowed to actively participate in the choreography of the dances.

“This is how school should always be”, stated the enthusiastic Detlef Schmidt-Glöckler, principal of Luginsland School. He has always hoped that his students could make positive news some day. Through the dance project “Dancing to Connect” his wish should be fulfilled.

They did it!!!

"They" are the 100 kids from 5 Stuttgart high schools who dazzled the audiences at the Wilhelma Theater today! So much growth, so much composure, so much energy, so much esprit de corps!

We are sad to leave them behind but leave we must: Berlin awaits!

Hello Stuttgart! Welcome American Days!

Today's a big day: Battery Dance Company roosts in the jewel box Wilhelma Theater for two performances of Dancing to Connect. The real stars of the show are the 100 high school students who have worked tirelessly over the past 6 days with our teaching artists, and those of our partners in DTC, Drastic Action, creating five new dance pieces that are sure to inspire the audience today.

The Stuttgarter-Zeitung published a full page of photos and reportage yesterday and we've learned that the house will be jam-packed for both shows today.

Check back later for lots of interesting insights from the teaching artists!

Next up: Berlin and Freiburg!

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!