Battery Dance Company arrived in Freiburg, the third city of BDC's German odyssey, and this small City/large town was, of course, a singular experience for us.

Dancing to Connect was born here out of BDC's 2006 project in Germany, and thus we wereworking with local partners who know us well. Alfred Rogoll was our Project Manager; Wolfgang Borchardt coordinated the schools (8 schools in total) and Eva Manske and the Carl-Schurz-Haus provided the project´s institutional auspices.

Before the program began, the company gathered at the Carl-Schurz-Haus with the teachers who are serving as liaisons with each school. We also met with the 9 so-called "veterans" who are our teaching assistants this year. The veterans are senior students, and some graduates, of the Kepler-Gymnasium who had participated in past Dancing to Connect projects in Freiburg. The students were so mature, responsible and talented that BDC asked them to take a step up into the position of student mentors for the younger first-timers.

The finale of the theater season in Freiburg was marked by two sold-out performances in the Theater Freiburg, home and gracious host to the 2007 edition of Dancing to Connect. Consul General Jo Ellen Powell provided a warm welcome to the audience as she had done the previous year, also coming back stage to great the nervous performers as they readied themselves before the show. These illustrious occasions, combining the fascinating spectacle of teens unlocking their creativity with the verve of top-class professionals from New York City served as a wonderful tribute to the Dancing to Connect participants, their schools and sponsoring organizations.