Hello again all, David here one last time. I wanted to take the opportunity to do a little reflecting now that we're all back home again from our amazing DMUSA experience.
We departed Karakol after our final show tired but in high spirits. Before returning to Bishkek, we were given a day to recharge at a resort along the north shore of Issyk-Kul called Aurora, which exists (unintentionally, I think) as a sort of time capsule from the Soviet era when Russian bigwigs would visit the various resorts and sanitaria along the shores of the lake for their health and recreation.
Aurora was charmingly well-appointed in 60's era furnishings and nautically-themed, having been named after a Russian cruiser that fired the first shot of the October Revolution. We all spent the better part of our time there wandering around the massive grounds along the shore-side of the resort, taking in the views of the lake from the beach and making our way through the gardens.
It was both an amusing and relaxing experience, giving us a chance to unwind a bit and to get a glimpse into another era of the region's history.
Our last couple of days in Bishkek were somewhat surreal for us. With all of our performances done and only a couple of classes left to teach before our departure, we were all a little confused about what to do with ourselves. The prospect of returning to our everyday lives back in New York seemed somehow impossible after having had the experiences we did. After so many weeks on the road together the idea of waking up in our own apartments and not living out of suitcases anymore was almost as exciting as the impending separation anxiety was frightening, but we all knew it was going to be hard to say goodbye to the trip, to Central Asia, and to each other, even if only for a few weeks. Some of us would be extending our trip with a few days together in Istanbul for vacation and sightseeing, but the majority of us would probably not be seeing each other until we start rehearsals again in late July.
We made the most of our last days teaching an impressive group of students in Kara-Balta, speaking at our last American Corner, enjoying our favorite local foods for the last time (if anyone can find me a chechel hookup in New York, I actually might kiss you), and hunting for regional tchotchkes, knickknacks, bric-a-brac, and what-have-you. Loaded up on gifts and personal souvenirs (our favorite store by far was a contemporary folk-art shop called Tumar. check them out!), and blessed with almost perfect weather, we did our last exploring and sightseeing of Bishkek before making our way to the airport in the middle of the night for the first leg of our journey home.
I was among the group that stayed over in Istanbul for a few extra days, which was a refreshing experience for sure. After our weeks of touring and being the focus of attention in a region that doesn't see many foreign faces, it was nice to be just another tourist seeing the sights. And oh what sights there are! Istanbul is a truly magnificent city with over a millennium of history visible at almost every turn; I really cannot recommend visiting there enough.
We've all been home for a couple of weeks now and I've been doing a lot of thinking about our trip, the places we went, the things we saw, the food we ate (my favorite part, always), and the people we met along the way. I've also been sifting through the 3,000 or so pictures I took, most as the resident photographer of the company, but many just as a wide-eyed visitor far from home. I'm glad I have all these pictures to remind myself of the trip because it's honestly been pretty difficult to believe it all actually happened. We saw and did (and ate) so much and met so many amazing people, and on top of it all we got to perform in all these incredible theaters and opera houses in front of lively, engaged, and startlingly enthusiastic audiences. It was an unbelievably fulfilling trip and, when I remember that it wasn't just some kind of dream, I feel very lucky to have had the chance to be a part of it.
On behalf of the Sean Curran Company I'd like to say thank you to everyone at the US Dept. of State and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, as well as the embassy and consular staff we worked with in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, for making our entire DanceMotionUSA 2012 journey possible. They all pulled off the titanic feat of making it all happen and of somehow shepherding us through almost five weeks of touring, and we could not be more proud to have worked with them to make our tour the success that it was.
We departed Karakol after our final show tired but in high spirits. Before returning to Bishkek, we were given a day to recharge at a resort along the north shore of Issyk-Kul called Aurora, which exists (unintentionally, I think) as a sort of time capsule from the Soviet era when Russian bigwigs would visit the various resorts and sanitaria along the shores of the lake for their health and recreation.
Aurora was charmingly well-appointed in 60's era furnishings and nautically-themed, having been named after a Russian cruiser that fired the first shot of the October Revolution. We all spent the better part of our time there wandering around the massive grounds along the shore-side of the resort, taking in the views of the lake from the beach and making our way through the gardens.
It was both an amusing and relaxing experience, giving us a chance to unwind a bit and to get a glimpse into another era of the region's history.
Our last couple of days in Bishkek were somewhat surreal for us. With all of our performances done and only a couple of classes left to teach before our departure, we were all a little confused about what to do with ourselves. The prospect of returning to our everyday lives back in New York seemed somehow impossible after having had the experiences we did. After so many weeks on the road together the idea of waking up in our own apartments and not living out of suitcases anymore was almost as exciting as the impending separation anxiety was frightening, but we all knew it was going to be hard to say goodbye to the trip, to Central Asia, and to each other, even if only for a few weeks. Some of us would be extending our trip with a few days together in Istanbul for vacation and sightseeing, but the majority of us would probably not be seeing each other until we start rehearsals again in late July.
We made the most of our last days teaching an impressive group of students in Kara-Balta, speaking at our last American Corner, enjoying our favorite local foods for the last time (if anyone can find me a chechel hookup in New York, I actually might kiss you), and hunting for regional tchotchkes, knickknacks, bric-a-brac, and what-have-you. Loaded up on gifts and personal souvenirs (our favorite store by far was a contemporary folk-art shop called Tumar. check them out!), and blessed with almost perfect weather, we did our last exploring and sightseeing of Bishkek before making our way to the airport in the middle of the night for the first leg of our journey home.
I was among the group that stayed over in Istanbul for a few extra days, which was a refreshing experience for sure. After our weeks of touring and being the focus of attention in a region that doesn't see many foreign faces, it was nice to be just another tourist seeing the sights. And oh what sights there are! Istanbul is a truly magnificent city with over a millennium of history visible at almost every turn; I really cannot recommend visiting there enough.
We've all been home for a couple of weeks now and I've been doing a lot of thinking about our trip, the places we went, the things we saw, the food we ate (my favorite part, always), and the people we met along the way. I've also been sifting through the 3,000 or so pictures I took, most as the resident photographer of the company, but many just as a wide-eyed visitor far from home. I'm glad I have all these pictures to remind myself of the trip because it's honestly been pretty difficult to believe it all actually happened. We saw and did (and ate) so much and met so many amazing people, and on top of it all we got to perform in all these incredible theaters and opera houses in front of lively, engaged, and startlingly enthusiastic audiences. It was an unbelievably fulfilling trip and, when I remember that it wasn't just some kind of dream, I feel very lucky to have had the chance to be a part of it.
On behalf of the Sean Curran Company I'd like to say thank you to everyone at the US Dept. of State and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, as well as the embassy and consular staff we worked with in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, for making our entire DanceMotionUSA 2012 journey possible. They all pulled off the titanic feat of making it all happen and of somehow shepherding us through almost five weeks of touring, and we could not be more proud to have worked with them to make our tour the success that it was.
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