Year » 2010

The BDC program in Namibia brought together all of the elements that the Company has in its touring toolkit: Dancing to Connect workshops, advanced dance master class, lighting master class, vocal master class, instrumental jazz master class and, of course, performance! This was the first time that BDC has been able to perform with its musicians outside of New York since 2005! Frank Carlberg, composer and pianist, Christine Correa, vocalist and Michael Sarin, percussionist, are not only great musicians but also experienced teachers who hold positions at prestigious music schools in the U.S. Team II arrived from Tanzania and began working with three separate groups of local students, dancers and members of a community choir while Team I was doing the same in the DRC. Each group had a very distinct character.

Mira worked with a group from the village of Dordabis – teens and young adults whose families work as chicken farmers and who only have the opportunity to attend school up through 8th grade. Singers, not dancers, they were initially shy and anxious about the concept of dancing. By coincidence, Mira is a singer as well as a dancer and marvelously wove vocal performance and dance together in such a way as to take advantage of their musical abilities and defuse their fear of movement. She was able to use the very large and beautiful dance studio at the National Theater of Namibia. The students were bused in every day (this, as well as so many other details, was arranged by the Cultural Affairs Specialist) and given lunch and snacks. Sean worked with a variety of hip-hop dancers including members of the GMP and Earthquake Dance group who met each day at the College of the Arts. There was an on-again, off-again attitude among these dancers – many of whom seemed to feel that they were so good that they didn’t need to rehearse! Fortunately, over the course of the week, enough interest and magnetism was exerted that the group coalesced and their performance was sensational.

Robin had a combination of two different local groups -- Ondunga Cultural Group and Reject Reloaded Group. They were experienced dancers and were capable of working at a very sophisticated level as a result. Windhoek, though small, is a busy place for the small group of dancers and musicians located there. George found that some of the most highly skilled dancers were unable to take part in the final performance due to a clash with their own performance. He reached out to BDC to see if any one of the members of Team I would be willing to stage a master class for these freelancers at the NTN. Despite 36 hours of travel and an unforgiving schedule over the previous 3 weeks, Carmen agreed and thoroughly enjoyed working with these talented dancers. The performance at NTN featured great live music by Frank, Christine and Mike, 3 separate and distinctive pieces of choreography by the three DtC groups, and 3 dance works performed by the BDC Company, two of which were accompanied live by the musical trio. The house was full and newly arrived PAO gave a very welcoming address to open the show, which was also attended by the Charge d’Affairs.

After resting for a day in Dar es Salaam, the BDC team of 4 headed up to Bagamoyo. The program was situated there because no suitable theater could be found in Dar and the TaSUBa Institute was keen to host the Dancing to Connect workshops. The three teaching artists split up into two groups with participants from Baba Watoto Center from Children and Youth in one group, and Bagamoyo Institute for the Arts and Cultural Studies (TASUBA) in the other. The first group's teaching artist reported that their participants were “outstanding in their fearless exchange of movement and ideas on our very first day of the program. The large class introduced themselves, showed some of their own moves, then quickly got down to the business of learning to dance and communicate in a new way. This picture was taken at the end of a full day and everyone was on a natural high from the experience. Later, they would present their own work in a performance for us which was overwhelming in energy and musicality.”

The second group's teaching artist's experience was quite different. He was challenged by absenteeism, lethargy and an absence of focus. Despite this, his group completed their choreography and by all accounts, had a fantastic performance on the beautiful stage at TaSUBa. The audience was sparse but the reaction was loud and heartfelt. “We all left Bagamoyo the next day missing our new friends and counterparts in dance and hoping to see them again in the future.”

The key Embassy official in charge of the entire program, wrote, “Judging by the look in the eyes of the young Tanzanian participants throughout the clinics and final performance, the BDC troupe impacted their lives and provided them with long lasting inspiration to persevere in dance and develop the talent of other Tanzanian youth. The Baba wa Watoto Parapanda Theater Lab Trust (BwT) and Bagamoyo Institute of the Arts and Cultural Studies (TASUBA) executive directors echoed those observations with added praise.
The Executive Director of the Parapanda and Baba wa Watoto Center's students participated in the NY Battery Dance Company's program last week. During a discussion following the performance, he requested for the BDC to return to Tanzania next year if possible. BwT would like to have a new stage built this year to host the company at BwT in Dar es Salaam and attract wider audiences. He is currently seeking private sector support for that goal.

The key quote from the letter of appreciation to the U.S. Embassy from the Executive Director of the Parapanda and Baba wa Watoto Center is the following: "The embassy has once again given hope to the voiceless communities through wonderful visit at the embassy home and the twinship work with the Battery Dancers. As we talked to the youth, such five days, means a lot to their lives and their families (and) helped to dignify the work we do in the communities where more than 80% are Swahili cultures people, mostly Muslims. "

Following Battery Dance Companies work in Algiers, the company left for the city of Annaba in the Eastern part of the country. It was hoped that the L’ONCI dancers would travel with BDC, to perform their new choreography for their fellow countrymen. However, the Ministry was unwilling to fund their transportation. BDC offered to pool their funds and cover the cost of a bus rental, and to share rooms in the hotel – but things don’t move that way in Algeria and the official answer was “thanks, but no thanks.”

Photos of Annaba on the internet are much more glorious than the city that Battery Dance Company visited, which looked as if it had been a French seaside resort and fish industry center many decades ago but had since fallen on hard times. The clock was already ticking when the company arrived in the morning with a full show to be staged that very same evening. The dancers were deposited at the hotel (grade C though advertised as 5*).

Ben, BDC's production director and BDC dancer Carmen made for the Theatre Régionale d’Annaba. What we found there caused fear in our hearts: a wooden stage floor deeply gauged from years of grand piano moving and/or productions of Aida. Not only that, but the lighting equipment and draperies were of a very old vintage and the technical crew didn't seem terribly motivated.

Someone turned up from the Alliance Francaise, despite the fact that it was a weekend and he was technically off duty. He brought with him a marley dance floor, ending the companies terror over the splintery surface. Hours of hard labor resulted in an amazingly polished show, attended by a full house and rewarded with a standing ovation.

The company was particularly astonished by the capacity attendance given the fact that Annaba was only added to BDC's itinerary a few days earlier and there had been no time to build up a p.r. campaign. Seemingly the large banner hoisted across the façade of the building had been adequate to bring in the crowds!

One of the stops on BDC's 2010 Algerian Tour was the market town of El Eulma. Battery Dance Company was supposed to have performed in Sétif, a much larger and more cosmopolitan city. However the stage in Sétif was determined to be too small for the dancers needs. Unfortunately, when the company arrived in El Eulma (following a very long and truly dangerous bus ride) they discovered that the small stage of the rather grandly titled Complexe Culturel was shaped in a semi-circle with a low ceiling dotted with recessed multi-colored patio lights.

To complete the picture, there were swagged draperies and a photo of President Boutaflika against the curved back wall. The crew was more than willing to remove the draperies and photo, revealing an attractive trellised plaster wall (see photo below) Adaptability was BDC's mantra, and the dancers instantly switched the intended large-scale program for a series of solos, duets, a trio and one quintet, all of which could be accomplished on this cookie cutter stage.

During the afternoon, we suffered our only security mishap of the tour: Mira and Robin were assaulted by two teenage ruffians who knocked Mira off the sidewalk, onto the broken bricks of a back lot and attempted to steal her bags. Robin screamed bloody murder and both women used their best karate kicks to ward off their attackers, who laughed and ran away. Both women performed a few hours later and showed no lack of composure on stage.

BDC dancers were particularly touched by the audience in El Eulma. These were people who had never had the opportunity to see a modern dance performance before and who would have had no previous exposure to Americans. A group of high school students participating in an Embassy-sponsored English language program were thrilled to meet the dancers after the performance. The balance of the audience appeared to be merchants and others who were attracted by the novelty of a visit of a dance company from New York.

Battery Dance Company’s program in Algeria was the brainchild of the American Public Affairs Officers (PAO) and Foreign Service National (FSN) in Algiers. This creative and hard-working duo of U.S. Embassy PD staffers had been introduced to the BDC approach in February, 2010, through a 10-day program in Algiers and Oran with two of the Company’s teaching artists.

Building on the success of the earlier program, the Public Affairs Officer and Cultural Affairs Specialist worked with BDC’s artistic director Jonathan Hollander to devise a framework that would maximize the impact of the full company’s presence via Dancing to Connect (DtC) workshops and performances. An emphasis was placed on the importance of engaging young people and reaching out from the capital to under-served communities. The biggest impediment proved to be the Algerian Ministry of Culture, an agency that operates by the rule of “later”. In Algeria, the US Embassy cannot run any cultural programs without the Ministry’s consent. BDC’s programs involved very active collaboration with the national ballet company (L’ONCI), local dancers and theaters, thus making the Ministry’s participation all the more crucial. Even to get to the starting gate – obtaining visas for the Company – the Ministry’s approval had to be in place. Curve balls were flying in all directions during the weeks leading up to the program, despite the fact that initial meetings had yielded an enthusiastic response. There were at least three changes of cities, the last of which occurred even after the Company was en route!! To be fair, some of these changes were the result of security concerns on the part of the Embassy.

The DtC program in Algiers consisted of a week of training with three groups of dancers from L’ONCI – all day sessions with 2 BDC teaching artists working with 15 – 20 Algerian dancers from the age of 18 – 30. It was generally thought that the male dancers outshone the females in terms of athleticism, technique, performance quality and enthusiasm. But the buy-in was exceptional in almost all cases. Publicity and media coverage was excellent throughout the Algeria program including a lengthy interview on the national television show “Bonjour D’Algerie”.

After touring in Annaba and Eulma, BDC returned to Algiers and were reunited with the dancers from L’ONCI for a grand performance at the Salle el Mouggar. The return journey to Algiers from El Eulma warrants a full description -- everyone involved was imagining newspaper headlines reporting the tragic death of 8 dance company members and two USG officials in Algerian road accident. Ironically, the rationale for this road trip (in the wrong direction, away from Algiers, in order to fly to Algiers) was the concerns of the Security Officials at the US Embassy. This terrifying adventure involved a pre-dawn departure, fishtailing bus on slick roads, accompaniment by Algerian security vehicles that switched off every time a county line was crossed and who were far more hindrance than help, channeling the company via backstreets rather than highways. BDC arrived at the airport in Constantine with 10 minutes before their flight was scheduled to depart. Luckily or unluckily, depending upon how you look at it, the flight was cancelled. The FSN went into over-drive, re-booking us on another flight that in a crazy twist of fate, would make two stops, the first being Setif from which we had just driven. The pressure was extreme because the company had a performance that night in Algiers and had major technical rehearsals and brush-up to do with the local Algerian dancers. Instead of arriving at the theater at 9 a.m., they were almost two hours late.

How BDC's production director got the lights hung and focused and the show cued and ready to go at 7 pm is completely unfathomable. But he did, and the dancers were amazing. One BDC dancer was sick to his stomach and sweating profusely with fever, but he managed to he make it through the entire program with full energy before collapsing in a heap in the dressing room. The Ambassador attended the show and graciously addressed the full cast afterwards. His statement that, “cultural cooperation is the best cooperation possible”, and his warm, personal handshaking and congratulations afterwards made for the perfect cap on the evening and on the Algerian portion of the companies tour.

Narrative: Liuzhou, China 2010

After completing the Beijing leg of the tour, Carmen traveled to Liuzhou, China in the south near Hong Kong. The program there was sponsored by the Guangdong State Department and the Henry Luce Foundation with administrative support by Guangdong Modern Dance Company and the Liuzhou Nationalities High School. Liuzhou is an amazing and beautiful city located on the Liu Jiang River. The high school was interesting because of its ethnic diversity. It is a mixed income mid-level high school with some students that commute and some that live on the school grounds. The schedule for Chinese students in a typical high school is grueling with classes beginning at 8 am and extending well into the evening. It is not abnormal for students to be leaving classes as late as 9 pm.

Despite their very full schedule, the participants and teachers were energetic and fully committed to the workshop. The program and accommodations were smooth and wonderful. The students had different interests and concerns then the children from Beijing. They were older and working to perform well in school with the hopes of attending a competitive university program. Many of them had previous exposure to dance through their school and social activities as well as the traditions of Southern Chinese music and dance. Their pride in the landscape and local culture was inescapable and became the theme for the piece. Taking inspiration from the beauty of the surrounding mountains, river and parks, the students developed phrases about Nature, the elements and Chinese symbols found in local arts and crafts. Karmen Li from Guangdong Modern Dance was an assistant administratively and within the classroom as an interpreter. Her enthusiasm and focus was invaluable. She also organized a local modern dancer and beginning teacher Fung-Pu Xing to accompany her as an assistant in the studio and as a performer for the final project. It was lovely to have him as part of the program and he expressed interest in learning to teach the program in the future.

The State Department staff did a wonderful job of organization and support. They arrived the evening before the final performance that took place in the school badminton arena. Additionally, they led a presentation about soft diplomacy and educational outreach for the Liuzhou teachers. The workshop was a great success and had full attendance. All were thrilled by the performance of the students that included the school’s vocal group that sung two traditional southern Chinese songs in their local dialect. They wore the traditional costumes of Liuzhou and created a stunning image and glorious sound. VIP attendees included the mayor of Liuzhou, the school’s principle and several other city officials as well as Ms. White and Ms. Wong. The entire school of students, parents and teachers made up the audience with a group of about six hundred people. Although it all transpired without a formal theater or special lighting, it was a wonderful event and resulted in loud applause and school support. The participants received certificates of completion in front of their school and gave Carmen, Karmen and Fung Pu a special farewell gift of photos and individualized messages in English. Goodbyes were difficult with many tears, hugs and hopes for another Dancing to Connect project in the future. A final dinner with the mayor to celebrate the program’s success was a lovely close to a wonderful stay in beautiful Liuzhou. Similar to the Beijing survey results, Liuzhou students also showed a marked improvement in body image, a unanimous desire to work with American’s in the future and majority desire to participate in Dancing to Connect again.

On February 19th at 6:45 AM, Battery Dance Company left Algiers for Oran to prepare for their first performance later that same day!

They rested in the morning because the company knew that the rest of the day and evening would be a marathon. When BDC arrived at the theater, they had the unusual triple duties of preparing themselves for their own performance, preparing the Dancing to Connect students for theirs, AND being in full charge of the lighting and technical aspects. The theater had very few functioning lights and the lighting designer was a novice. He either ignored BDC's suggestions or simply didn't have the capacity to follow them. There was much conversation between him and his co-workers which the company couldn’t follow – and which didn't yield any recognizable results. A few times Robin had to raise her voice to get his attention. Trying to run the students’ pieces and simultaneously talk to the sound guy and lighting designer and trying to patch up holes in the floor off stage was not a happy job.

Overall the performance went well, the theater was packed and there was lots of applause. The students seemed really happy. After the show, they were clapping and singing and throwing the dancers up in the air. There was a wonderful feeling of everyone working together to do a fine job.

Please see Germany 2010 Overview for Narrative of Frankfurt and Wiesbaden.

Battery Dance Company’s Dancing to Connect program in Germany entered its 5th season in June, 2010, with workshops stretching across 10 cities in 4 Federal States. The over-arching theme of the 2010 program was Inclusion/Exclusion. This theme was first posited by Inka Thunecke, Director of the Heinrich-Böll- Stiftung-Brandenburg, at the end of the 2009 iteration of Dancing to Connect that had been centered on the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall and on which H-B-S-B and BDC had first collaborated. Inka was inspired by the impact of the teaching artists of Battery Dance Company and its partners from Drastic Action who she had seen working with children of Turkish immigrants in Berlin and learning disabled jobless youth in the depressed town of Eberswalde. She had witnessed how the DtC project injected a spirit of optimism, empowerment and self-realization for these ‘have-nots’ of German society.

10 American teaching artists from Battery Dance Company and Drastic Action collaborated on the Dancing to Connect workshops in 2010, with program management handled by BDC Artistic Director and technical support for each of the five culminating performances by BDC’s production designer.

In the original plan, German free-lance dancers and dance teachers would have been trained in the Dancing to Connect methodology in each city where workshops were held. In this way, the gains of DtC could be multiplied even after the American artists had departed. Unfortunately, funding was not sufficient to realize this plan in full; however, in five of the cities -- Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Potsdam, Wittenberg and Witten – training was held with local teaching partners. In the first two cities, trainees were selected from the pool of graduate students in the Masters Degree program in Contemporary Dance Pedagogy at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst. Throughout the tour, an Australian dancer accompanied the team, gaining training through a fellowship from the Australia Council for the Arts.

The multi-layered, international cast of characters that had come together to forward Dancing to Connect in Germany might appear to be the result of a carefully constructed business plan. However, the truth is very different: In 2005, we envisioned the project in Germany to be a one-off event.

Looking back at the formative stages that had laid the groundwork for this unexpected evolution in Germany, a conversation in Washington with a long-time staffer at the Department of State’s Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau had provided guidance that was pivotal. She suggested that we apply for Speakers Grants from the US Embassy in Berlin in order to lay the groundwork for what was, at the time, a small and contained program. The meetings and talks with different stakeholders in Freiburg and Berlin, representatives of educational, funding and community institutions, yielded unexpected results. It was suggested that we exploit the opportunity of having our dance companies in Germany to work with youth in schools. Here was one of the keys to our success: the fact that the formative notion of a youth outreach program was offered by the host country. In the next 6 years, unimagined developments occurred: the project continued in Freiburg for the next three years but also expanded to 23 other cities; funding continued every year from the US Embassy in Berlin and Consulates in Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Leipzig; but in 2009 and 2010, U.S. support was overtaken by support from the German Government and German foundations, guaranteeing the growth and sustainability of the program.

Please see Germany 2010 Overview for the narrative in Aachen, Bochum-Wattenscheid, Essen-Kray, and Witten.