Battery Dance was able to reach new audiences and implant its internationally acclaimed arts education program, Dancing to Connect, in HCMC and Da Nang during its short 10-day program in Vietnam. The program built on relationships and reputation established during the Company’s previous cultural diplomacy projects in 2005 (HCMC and Hanoi) and 2015 (Hue and Hanoi), both sponsored through grants from the U.S. Embassy Hanoi. The rare synergy, trust and understanding that had built up between the founders and artistic directors of Battery Dance and Arabesque Vietnam, Jonathan Hollander and Nguyen Tan Loc respectively, laid the groundwork for the project’s success.

The rare talent of the Arabesque dancers, ranging in age from 19 - 36, their open-mindedness and their quick ability to absorb new skills, enabled the transfer of Dancing to Connect methodologies to occur in very abbreviated time. Months and months of preparation beforehand ensured that there were few internal misunderstandings, that challenges could be overcome cooperatively and that the members of Arabesque were ready with a positive outlook even before the program was launched.

Floods in Hoi An and Da Nang in the weeks before the program took place forced some last minute changes in the structure of the workshops. Namely, Hoi An was ruled out since school closures set back the academic teaching schedule; and Da Nang high schools similarly. As a result, we shifted our target group to slightly older students in colleges; teachers from the Da Nang College of Arts and Culture and from the Trung Vuong Theater also joined in as active participants alongside their students. All were extremely receptive and ready to engage whole-heartedly in the workshops. Their self-confidence in charting new territory creatively built steadily during the week of workshops and their final performances were remarkably polished.

The Trung Vuong Theater had an impressively sized audience of 500+ and their appreciation of the various performances was obvious, even in a culture that doesn’t usually demonstrate response vociferously.

Arabesque Vietnam is now fully equipped to carry out Dancing to Connect workshops in HCMC and elsewhere in rural districts and other cities. Through his contacts with Citibank, Jonathan Hollander introduced the Country Head and Public Affairs Officer of Citi Vietnam to Tan Loc and Arabesque, both of whom attended the Studio Showing in HCMC. Hollander followed up and encouraged Citi to sponsor a future DtC program or programs in HCMC conducted by Arabesque, sustaining the long-term impact of the Consulate General’s support of Battery Dance’s cultural diplomacy initiative.

Jonathan Hollander introduced U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper to Artistic Director and Choreographer Nguyen Tan Loc and Company Manager Nhi Huyen of Arabesque Vietnam.

The U.S. Consulate General has also been re-introduced to Arabesque and could consider supporting a future project as has been done by the U.S. Embassy in Athens which helped local Greek teacher trainees take Dancing to Connect to Athens schools and those across the country each year for 7 years up until the pandemic.