Ashgabat

Hi friends! It's David again. I think a good introduction to the posts we'll be putting up will be a quick overview of what our trip has been so far, from leaving the US through our amazing week in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

For us, our tour actually began a few days early with a trip to perform at Ohio University in Athens, OH. Sean and Betsy had been working with some fabulously talented students there on and off for the last few months on a dance Sean set on them, and we had the privilege of having the students perform on our program.

Thursday morning we began a 2 day trip halfway around the world across 10 time zones ending with our arrival in Turkmenistan's capital, Ashgabat, in the wee hours of Saturday morning and a pre-dawn drive from the airport through empty, neon-lit, white marble-lined boulevards to our hotel across the street from the presidential palace. To describe the government-run buildings as opulent is to redefine understatement, with their endless expanses of white marble and gold. We found block after block of such buildings punctuated by large-scale monuments to the history of the Turkmen people and to late president Niyazov (or as he styled himself, Turkmenbashi or "leader of all Turkmen"), and fountains of every shape, size, and (at night) color. By day the city is almost painful to look at, reflecting the desert sun overhead.

We spent our week in Turkmenistan almost exclusively in Ashgabat, with one day set aside for touring through the ancient city of Merv, which, having served as an oasis city on the Silk Road and stood in some form or another for millennia, now remains an impressive monument to both the prosperity and tumult this region has seen.

In Ashgabat we taught workshops and master classes for local dance students and teachers, members of the Turkmen folk dance group, Mengli, for students at the Ministry of Culture, and for over 200 orphans at a state-run "Orphan Palace". One evening, we were the guests of a local salsa dance group at their weekly dinner and dancing meet-up, and in both Ashgabat and Mary, we were asked to meet and talk with young, English-speaking students at the American Corner, who come after school to learn about America and practice their English. We met athletes, musicians, dancers, and artists; all young people passionate about their interests and eager to share their stories.

The final day of our trip was spent in the theater at Mukamlar Palace, a complex of multiple theaters reminiscent of Lincoln Center, though far more imposing as it stands solitary along a road on the edge of the city. The performance that evening can only be described as magical. Mengli performed on our program to bring some traditional Turkmen dance to our audience. Amazingly, almost everyone we met in Ashgabat from our classes and other engagements came to see the show, which was oversold in the end. It was so encouraging for us to have such an enthusiastic audience for our first performance of the tour and we all had an amazing time on stage that night. Afterwards, we were shocked to find ourselves mobbed by audience members in the lobby asking for pictures with us, signatures, handshakes, and hugs. It was a moving night for us all and one we won't soon forget.