Hello from Surabaya!

Sparkling Surabaya

We arrived in Surabaya yesterday afternoon and spent the evening at the Consul General's house. There were other dancers, artists and Consul employees in attendance. The atmosphere was very warm and inviting. We all enjoyed the food which was a generous spread of vegetables, rice and meats. The Madame Consul introduced us all individually to the attendees which was very sweet of her.

Sorry there aren't any pictures in this post but I'm using the computer in the hotel lounge.

Today was fantastic. We visited the State University of Surabaya which has an arts program with theater, dance, graphic design, visual art and language studies. There were 60-70 participants. They were wonderful and enthusiastic. Some of the students performed traditional Jejer dance and Remo dance for all of us. The movements were so articulate and detailed. It was fascinating to watch! We began with a lecture demonstration and then performed Brenda's "Something About a Nightingale" for them. After that, we broke up into small groups and taught sections of choreography to the dancers. They loved it and all looked wonderful when we performed the material for each other. Later on in the day, Liz taught a master class to local dancers from Surabaya from the Marlupi School. Again it was a wonderful group and experience for all of us. And it ended with a small performance by the dancers as well as a short performance by local traditional Javanese dancers. There were about 50 dancers who came to our class.

We heart Reiza! He took us to the Mirota and we had a field day shopping around for souvenirs. It was full of crafts and traditional Batik fabrics. Yayoi scored! It seemed like most of the dresses were perfect for her size. But we all left with wonderful and fun items. Thanks Reiza!

Tomorrow is our show. We are looking forward to the event. We've been meeting many friendly local Surabayans and inviting them to attend. There should be 600 people in the audience. Hope all is well at home.

Annie