BAM delegation honored with demonstration at Chitrasena-Vajira Dance Foundation

BAM Executive producer, Joe Melillo, and DanceMotion USA(sm) Project director, Michael Blanco, were in Colombo, Sri Lanka and received an invitation to view a demonstration by the Chitrasena-Vajira Dance Foundation.  The Foundation nourishes the legacy of Chitrasena and his extraordinary work furthering not only Kandian but also South Asian dance.  His daughters and grand-daughters are continuing the patriarch's mission by teaching this beautiful dance form to the next generation of artists.  We were thrilled and honored to witness this work in person.

https://www.facebook.com/ChitrasenaDanceCompany

Reflections on Seoul, Korea

From Artistic Director Trey McIntyre:

Spending the entire week in Seoul, Korea was a wonderful way to wrap up our tour of Asia.

The embassy there did a great job of making sure our week was filled with meaningful exchange: We were able to see lots of local dancers and shared the stage in an informal performance with local contemporary dancers, followed by a dinner that turned into an all-out dance party.

Master classes with Sejong University, Sun Hwa Arts High School, and the dancers in the Dong-A International Dance Competition also punctuated the week. We had dance workshops with the homeless, intellectually disabled children, and a hip-hop program for young people who had been victims of school violence.

The week ended with our final performance of the tour at the Goyang Aram Nuri Opera House followed by a wonderful post-performance reception with Sung Kim, the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea.

Learning Traditional Korean Drum Dance in Seoul

Exploring Asian traditional dances brought to mind the idea of Americans one day having dances the young and elderly know and learn, dances that bring us together through our shared history, dances passed down from our ancestors.

Dancers we met in the Philippines, Vietnam, China and Korea took such pride in their country’s traditional dances—many young dancers go to university to study and earn degrees in traditional dance. TMP felt so lucky to experience some of these dances.

 Annali, Brett and Chanel learned a traditional Korean drum dance.

Reflections on China

From Artistic Director Trey McIntyre:

As we fly away from Chengdu, it's shocking to realize that we're already three weeks into this amazing tour.

China was another jam-packed week with performances in both Guangzhou and Chengdu. We began with a very warm welcome from the students of the Guangzhou Ballet Academy, whose dancers were all gifted with near perfect ballet facility.

Ben taught them a section from Ma Maison--inspired by New Orleans, Louisiana, literally half a world away for them--and they embraced the new experience with excitement, humility, and vigor.

In Chengdu, we did a lecture demonstration for the students at Sichuan Normal University, followed by an afternoon of master classes.

On Saturday, we visited the home of the Giant Pandas, visited the Chengdu International S.O.S. Children's Village, and were guests of the Sichuan Provincial People's Association at an amazing dinner with live traditional music and an overflowing bottle of baijiu.

The embassies in every city have been amazing and made our visits truly special.

(As always, more photos--check out the pandas--at treymcintyre.com/blog. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, too.)

Learning, Dancing, and Eating in Guangzhou, China

Guangzhou is a huge city with a population of 14 million and it isn't even the largest city in China.

We were so lucky to get a day off in Guangzhou and we were invited to join in a Tai Chi class led by a Tai Chi master. Some of us got up early and headed to Martyrs' Park for the class. When we arrived, we discovered that the people who take the class every morning had prepared three dances for us: a fan dance, a sword dance, and a traditional Tai Chi dance. It was amazing--we were inspired to start doing Tai Chi in Ann Morrison Park when we get home to Boise. 

After they danced for us, they asked if we would do something for them. We performed a SpUrban and, suddenly, we were surrounded by people from the park. It was an incredible spontaneous moment of cultural exchange. 

Trey McIntyre Project is the first American dance company asked to be guests at the Guangzhou Art School and we were so honored to be invited. When we arrived, we saw a huge banner welcoming us to the school. We taught a master class to some of the students. The students live at the school year round and it is the home of the Guangzhou Ballet Troupe. We taught a master class to some of the students. 

Later, we had a show in Guangzhou, where we shared the stage with both the Art School students and the Guangzhou Ballet. The students are studying Chinese folk dance and they were amazing. They take such pride in their culture and that showed in every step of their performance. It was so cool to see. 

TMP and students of the Guangzhou Art School

We were also introduced to the "angry noodle guy" at a shop in Guangzhou. A bowl of noodles and a beer costs about $2.25 and we were entertained by the owner of the shop, who walks around yelling at employees and clients alike.

 

TMP's Ben Behrends, Chanel DaSilva, Lauren Edson, and Travis Walker
enjoying inexpensive eats in Guangzhou, China. 

We are thankful for our time in Guangzhou and all the people who made that time so special.

Reflections on Vietnam

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.

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!

(More photos at treymcintyre.com/blog)

A Day of Cultural Exchange in Hanoi, Vietnam

Trey McIntyre Project had a huge engagement day in Hanoi, Vietnam.

We started out the day working with dancers from the Theater for Vietnamese Music, Dance and Song.

We showed them an excerpt from a ballet we perform and then they showed us two pieces that they perform. Then we dove right into cultural exchange.

The Vietnamese group taught us a women's dance with bells and a men's dance with a woodwind instrument. We taught them The More I See You, which is one of our SpUrbans (Spontaneous Urban Performances).

Then we traveled to an SOS Children's Village, where they care for orphaned and abandoned children and help disadvantaged families.

We danced for them, we taught them the Hand Jive, and we gave them DanceMotionUSA shirts.

We ended the day with a performance at Vietnam Dance College where we shared the stage with some of the college's students.

It was a wonderful performance--so much talent!

It was a full and inspiring day and we are all so thankful for the experience.

More photos of TMP in Hanoi at treymcintyre.com/blog.

Reflections on the Philippines

From Artistic Director Trey McIntyre:

Landing in the Philippines was probably the gentlest way for this group of Americans to have their first experience in an Asian country. Most everyone spoke English and the excellent staff at the Cultural Center of the Philippines made our time there very smooth.

Our first cultural interaction was with the dancers and students from the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group in Manila. Our tour bus was greeted by young dancers outside the studio in traditional garb, dancing and playing music. It was a moving welcome and a great start to two days of intense training, learning the basics of many of their traditional dances. 

Later in the week, we traveled to Iloilo and met with indigenous dancers from the Panay-Bukidnon region. Many of them had traveled for more than a day on foot to be with us...including an 84-year-old woman who was so full of childlike joy and wonder. She was an inspiring person to meet. 

Many master classes and delicious meals later, we ended our week in the Philippines with a performance at Manila's Market! Market!, a free showcase in which we shared three of our own ballets along with performances by Ramon Obusan and Ballet Philippines.

Learning, Dancing, and Eating in Iloilo, Philippines

We visited Iloilo, Philippines after a few days stay in Manila and were all very excited to experience another part of the Philippines.

While there, we got to work with indigenous artists from the Panay-Bukidnon community from the mountains outside of Iloilo. They were such incredible artists and it was an honor to meet and learn from them. 

It was interesting to see the similarities with the dances from the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group in Manila. Both groups pull inspiration from birds, but the rhythms that they stomp with their feet are different from region to region. 

We shared the stage with the artists from the Panay-Bukidnon for an incredible evening performance at the Central Philippine University and it was an experience we will never forget.

P.S. The food in Iloilo was outstanding. They are known for their seafood and we had a feast every meal!

Brett Perry

Meeting the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group in Manila, Philippines

After a day of travel, TMP arrived in Manila, Philippines last week to start our adventures with DanceMotion USAsm. We started the first day with Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group and spent about four hours learning traditional Filipino folkloric dances. It was tough! Many of the dances we learned were inspired by the Filipino hawk, which is a beautiful animal.

We got to see some traditional dance garments, which are stunning and the detail is exquisite. 

It was a lovely moment when we got to show them a segment from one of Trey's ballets, "A Day In the Life," with music from the Beatles. 

What a fantastic way to start out our tour in southeast Asia. We are all hoping we can remember the dances so that we can share them with our friends back in the United States!

You can see more photos at http://treymcintyre.tumblr.com.

Brett Perry