From Artistic Director Trey McIntyre:
In Jungian dream psychology, the car is often considered a representation of the ego.
As we rode in a bus from the airport to the hotel, thousands of motor-scooters and small cars buzzed around us in a natural system, like water against rocks or an army of ants, seemingly without rules but generous and efficient. As a pedestrian in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, crossing the street requires a Zen-like moment of trust and abandon. There are no obvious breaks to pass, and one must simply step out in a slow easy pace, communicating with eye contact.
It is a shock to a Western viewpoint, where the space around you belongs to you, and any violation of that is an act of aggression. Coexisting in Vietnam is an act of community and cooperation. It is comforting. There were clear societal differences in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the former being more conservative and historical, while the latter is an eclectic, open, metropolitan city.
Our time in Hanoi consisted of visits with the Vietnam Theater for Music, Dance and Song; a visit with the kids at SOS Children's Rescue Center; a shared performance with the excellent students of the Vietnam Dance College; and a performance at the Au Co Arts Center. The company got to spend some time wandering around the vendors in the Old Quarter and many went to see the traditional Water Puppet Show, which was accompanied by amazing live music.
Ho Chi Minh City began with my first Vietnamese press conference. We did an exchange with Bong Sen Song and Dance Theatre and they choreographed a dance on both companies together that we would later perform as part of an encore that evening. The next day was spent doing master classes with local companies that included the wonderful dancers of Arabesque Dance Troupe.
We spent our evening sharing, and then eventually having an all-out dance party with the people at Life is Beautiful Clubhouse, a resource center for the disabled.
Off to China!
In Jungian dream psychology, the car is often considered a representation of the ego.
As we rode in a bus from the airport to the hotel, thousands of motor-scooters and small cars buzzed around us in a natural system, like water against rocks or an army of ants, seemingly without rules but generous and efficient. As a pedestrian in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, crossing the street requires a Zen-like moment of trust and abandon. There are no obvious breaks to pass, and one must simply step out in a slow easy pace, communicating with eye contact.
It is a shock to a Western viewpoint, where the space around you belongs to you, and any violation of that is an act of aggression. Coexisting in Vietnam is an act of community and cooperation. It is comforting. There were clear societal differences in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the former being more conservative and historical, while the latter is an eclectic, open, metropolitan city.
Our time in Hanoi consisted of visits with the Vietnam Theater for Music, Dance and Song; a visit with the kids at SOS Children's Rescue Center; a shared performance with the excellent students of the Vietnam Dance College; and a performance at the Au Co Arts Center. The company got to spend some time wandering around the vendors in the Old Quarter and many went to see the traditional Water Puppet Show, which was accompanied by amazing live music.
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| TMP and Life is Beautiful |
Ho Chi Minh City began with my first Vietnamese press conference. We did an exchange with Bong Sen Song and Dance Theatre and they choreographed a dance on both companies together that we would later perform as part of an encore that evening. The next day was spent doing master classes with local companies that included the wonderful dancers of Arabesque Dance Troupe.
We spent our evening sharing, and then eventually having an all-out dance party with the people at Life is Beautiful Clubhouse, a resource center for the disabled.
Off to China!
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