Mandalay
We are back! After eight intense days in Burma, we have finally arrived at our resort in Hua Hin, Thailand. It seems an impossible task to really express all that we saw and all that we did in Burma. Overwhelmingly, the group feels as though it was a life changing experience. We were so isolated for that week. It was in some ways liberating to have no email or cell phone, but it is nice to feel connected again. Although, I must admit that I broke down in Rangoon and made a two minute, $15 phone call to my husband. So, I will try to remember all the good stuff and will do my best to tell you the highlights and challenges that are particular to American dancers performing in Burma.
Wednesday, February 3rd
We arrived in Rangoon and were rushed to a security briefing at the Embassy. We learned that some of our planned outreach projects had been cancelled because some locals felt intimidated and threatened to take part in an American event. The threat was not from our side. . . That was our first encounter with the political climate here. We were told to be very careful of what we said and were asked that when we blog, we not use real names. So, while you are reading this blog, if you see some unusual names, it is because we not only respect the Embassy's wishes, but we grew so fond of the individuals who watched over us while in Burma that we would never want to jeopardize their safety.
Following the security briefing, we checked-in at our beautiful hotel and learned a few Burmese phrases from "Professor Higgins" (Professor Higgins is from the Embassy and took care of us from the moment we arrived until the moment we left). That evening Kathy and Professor Higgins took Quilet, Dennis, and myself to an S.O.S. clinic at another hotel for the Flu, Ring Worm, and Pharyngitis. We were given great care and all felt better by the next day.
Thursday, February 4th
We woke up at 4:30am, not the best time for some members of this group, and left for our flight to Mandalay. While we were waiting at the airport, we experienced our first power outage. This is very common and Professor Higgins told us that the prior day he had only had electricity for twenty minutes in a twenty-four hour period. We also had two great coincidences while waiting for our flight.
Coincidence Number One: While sitting at a counter, Vanessa, Daniel and Aaron spoke with a young, Burmese man serving coffee. It turned out that he was studying sign language and had a book on the subject. This is a coincidence because we had an outreach at the Mary Chapman School for the Deaf scheduled for a few days later. He was able to teach them a few signs.
Coincidence Number Two: While drinking coffee we noticed Corey talking to a man we did not know, with the help of some interpreters. It turned out that Corey, unknowingly, had sat down and been chatting with "Agent 007" (Agent 007 was in charge of our security and I don't think I'll say much more about exactly what he did). He and Corey remained buddies the rest of the trip.
When we arrived in Mandalay, we proceeded with a marathon of activity. Professor Higgins, "Maria" (From the Embassy), and "Harry Potter" (From the Embassy) took us on a site-seeing adventure. We began with an old bridge that is beautiful to look at if you can break away from the herds of children selling anything from jewelry to baby owls. I felt so guilty to not buy from a 12 year old girl who had invested at least ten minutes in me. However, Professor Higgins had asked us not to buy anything from that location, so I didn't. Our next stop couldn't have been any more different. We exited the bus, walked down the street and soon were surrounded by monks silently lining up to collect food. It was a sea of maroon-colored robes and shaved heads. Some looked so young. They were so different than the begging children we saw moments before. Kathy commented on how serene it all was. That is, if you could ignore the chatter and camera flashes of the noisy tourists surrounding them. This included me, although I did try not to talk.
That same day, we went to a silk factory where it can take two women up to a month to make some of the textiles, saw a Burmese dance performance, and ate at the Pakokku Daw Lay May Restaurant. That meal was probably the best on the trip, so far. The table was covered in bowls of every size, filled with beautiful colors and textures. The food just kept coming. . .all for $3. Annie even took some to go. We also had a spacing rehearsal on the outdoor stage, built for us at the Jefferson Center. Spacing rehearsals are not usually the most exciting event, but this is worth noting: While we were marking to the music, a crowd gathered to watch through openings in the wall of the compound. We couldn't believe people would be so interested that they would just stop on the street to watch.
Friday, February 5th
The following morning, we met with a traditional Burmese dance teacher. We'll call her "Martha G." Also present were an old master teacher, her makeup artist, her assistant and her assistant's husband. She taught us the 15 basic movements of Burmese dance. They are actually 41 poses meshed into exercises. These dances require great articulation of the hands. Aaron compared that attention to the hands to ODC's attention to the feet. Martha G. was so pleased with how quickly we learned that it was decided that we would perform 10 of them after our show (the dancers vetoed the final five poses because they all required bouncing on your knees, not the best thing after a show). Her makeup artist also offered to do makeup that evening. . .Vanessa and Yayoi took him up on the offer and looked extra glamorous for the performance.
We are getting close to the performance, a few more details first. The organizers did a wonderful job preparing our stage. "Charlie Brown" (the owner of the staging company) went to China and bought all of the lights just for our event. Professor Higgins, Maria, and Harry Potter were always attentive to our schedule and showered us with all the water bottles we could need. Before the show, Aaron gave a great warm-up class and we all laughed as the entire outside was fumigated as we were about to go do exercises on the stage. Many were tense as up until now it had been questionable that we were even going to be given permission to have the show. That is a whole complicated political matter that I have not gone into. As all the previous activities were happening we really did not know what was going to happen
As the show approached, people poured in to the Jefferson Center. As Brenda watched, she said she just couldn't believe the amount of people and that it didn't seem to stop. It was estimated that 1,500 people came to that show. They were sitting, standing, and watching through the compound wall. We opened with KT's piece "Shenanigans". Annie and Dennis danced well and we all commented that Dennis did a wonderful job considering it was his first big performance in that role. We didn't say too much to Dennis, because since he is the youngest, it is our job to give him a hard time. Next we performed "Something about a Nightingale". Then things got really interesting when we got to our final piece, "24 Exposures".
Before the show, as a company, we all agreed that if the power went out, remember that is common here, or the music skipped, we would just freeze and catch up. So, as the opening music for "24 Exposures" almost immediately paused, we all just stood still. The music started again and then paused. Then the music went all the way back to the beginning. We all just stood still. It started again. It stopped again. Meanwhile, "24 Exposures" begins with Annie standing on Aaron's back and at a certain cue she jumps off and is caught by other company members. So through all this music skipping, Annie had still been standing on Aaron. Anxiety set in as everyone waited not knowing when to catch her or if she would jump. She eventually just jumped off and we began dancing but the music was way off. It skipped again and Brenda signaled to just dance without the music.
We performed the fist two sections of the piece in silence. Then Daniel began clapping rhythmically. Soon, the entire audience clapped while we danced. Later, Professor Higgins said that some audience members thought it was supposed to be that way and some thought that it was inspiring that we just kept going. By the third section, Kathy, who always finds a way, with help from Charlie Brown and Maria, got our music back on track and we finished the piece. Lifts got applause, bows did not. Afterward, we performed our 10 Burmese phrases and introduced ourselves in the language. They went nuts over seeing us attempt their dance and went even more crazy when Jeremy mixed up the order of his words when trying to say his name. As Jeremy puts it, he will never forget looking out at a sea of 1,500 people laughing at him. Later we took pictures with Martha G. and traditional dancers, passed out Dance Motion pins, and got pizza.
Saturday February 6th
The next morning, Maria and Professor Higgins took us to see the gold leaf factory, wood carving shops, and lots of marble statues. We ate lunch by the pool at the hotel, stopped by a Pagoda with snakes living inside and then headed to the airport to leave for Rangoon. Mandalay seemed to be a success. It was a tense region and just being able to perform was a step in the right direction. The huge audience was unexpected and the warm reception was touching. I am most happy that it worked out for Professor Higgins. He had seemed very tense and worried. Professor Higgins is truly a one-of-a-kind person. I admire how much it meant to him that this be a success and his dedication to the people of the region. Everyone at the Embassy worked so hard for this. It seemed that if we got through Mandalay we could surely get through Rangoon.
We'll get to Rangoon in a bit. But please allow me one sentimental note. When we are experiencing all these great things, we do wish our families were here too and especially those special ODC family members at home who we think about all the time.
We are back! After eight intense days in Burma, we have finally arrived at our resort in Hua Hin, Thailand. It seems an impossible task to really express all that we saw and all that we did in Burma. Overwhelmingly, the group feels as though it was a life changing experience. We were so isolated for that week. It was in some ways liberating to have no email or cell phone, but it is nice to feel connected again. Although, I must admit that I broke down in Rangoon and made a two minute, $15 phone call to my husband. So, I will try to remember all the good stuff and will do my best to tell you the highlights and challenges that are particular to American dancers performing in Burma.
Wednesday, February 3rd
We arrived in Rangoon and were rushed to a security briefing at the Embassy. We learned that some of our planned outreach projects had been cancelled because some locals felt intimidated and threatened to take part in an American event. The threat was not from our side. . . That was our first encounter with the political climate here. We were told to be very careful of what we said and were asked that when we blog, we not use real names. So, while you are reading this blog, if you see some unusual names, it is because we not only respect the Embassy's wishes, but we grew so fond of the individuals who watched over us while in Burma that we would never want to jeopardize their safety.
Following the security briefing, we checked-in at our beautiful hotel and learned a few Burmese phrases from "Professor Higgins" (Professor Higgins is from the Embassy and took care of us from the moment we arrived until the moment we left). That evening Kathy and Professor Higgins took Quilet, Dennis, and myself to an S.O.S. clinic at another hotel for the Flu, Ring Worm, and Pharyngitis. We were given great care and all felt better by the next day.
Thursday, February 4th
We woke up at 4:30am, not the best time for some members of this group, and left for our flight to Mandalay. While we were waiting at the airport, we experienced our first power outage. This is very common and Professor Higgins told us that the prior day he had only had electricity for twenty minutes in a twenty-four hour period. We also had two great coincidences while waiting for our flight.
Coincidence Number One: While sitting at a counter, Vanessa, Daniel and Aaron spoke with a young, Burmese man serving coffee. It turned out that he was studying sign language and had a book on the subject. This is a coincidence because we had an outreach at the Mary Chapman School for the Deaf scheduled for a few days later. He was able to teach them a few signs.
Coincidence Number Two: While drinking coffee we noticed Corey talking to a man we did not know, with the help of some interpreters. It turned out that Corey, unknowingly, had sat down and been chatting with "Agent 007" (Agent 007 was in charge of our security and I don't think I'll say much more about exactly what he did). He and Corey remained buddies the rest of the trip.
When we arrived in Mandalay, we proceeded with a marathon of activity. Professor Higgins, "Maria" (From the Embassy), and "Harry Potter" (From the Embassy) took us on a site-seeing adventure. We began with an old bridge that is beautiful to look at if you can break away from the herds of children selling anything from jewelry to baby owls. I felt so guilty to not buy from a 12 year old girl who had invested at least ten minutes in me. However, Professor Higgins had asked us not to buy anything from that location, so I didn't. Our next stop couldn't have been any more different. We exited the bus, walked down the street and soon were surrounded by monks silently lining up to collect food. It was a sea of maroon-colored robes and shaved heads. Some looked so young. They were so different than the begging children we saw moments before. Kathy commented on how serene it all was. That is, if you could ignore the chatter and camera flashes of the noisy tourists surrounding them. This included me, although I did try not to talk.
That same day, we went to a silk factory where it can take two women up to a month to make some of the textiles, saw a Burmese dance performance, and ate at the Pakokku Daw Lay May Restaurant. That meal was probably the best on the trip, so far. The table was covered in bowls of every size, filled with beautiful colors and textures. The food just kept coming. . .all for $3. Annie even took some to go. We also had a spacing rehearsal on the outdoor stage, built for us at the Jefferson Center. Spacing rehearsals are not usually the most exciting event, but this is worth noting: While we were marking to the music, a crowd gathered to watch through openings in the wall of the compound. We couldn't believe people would be so interested that they would just stop on the street to watch.
Friday, February 5th
The following morning, we met with a traditional Burmese dance teacher. We'll call her "Martha G." Also present were an old master teacher, her makeup artist, her assistant and her assistant's husband. She taught us the 15 basic movements of Burmese dance. They are actually 41 poses meshed into exercises. These dances require great articulation of the hands. Aaron compared that attention to the hands to ODC's attention to the feet. Martha G. was so pleased with how quickly we learned that it was decided that we would perform 10 of them after our show (the dancers vetoed the final five poses because they all required bouncing on your knees, not the best thing after a show). Her makeup artist also offered to do makeup that evening. . .Vanessa and Yayoi took him up on the offer and looked extra glamorous for the performance.
We are getting close to the performance, a few more details first. The organizers did a wonderful job preparing our stage. "Charlie Brown" (the owner of the staging company) went to China and bought all of the lights just for our event. Professor Higgins, Maria, and Harry Potter were always attentive to our schedule and showered us with all the water bottles we could need. Before the show, Aaron gave a great warm-up class and we all laughed as the entire outside was fumigated as we were about to go do exercises on the stage. Many were tense as up until now it had been questionable that we were even going to be given permission to have the show. That is a whole complicated political matter that I have not gone into. As all the previous activities were happening we really did not know what was going to happen
As the show approached, people poured in to the Jefferson Center. As Brenda watched, she said she just couldn't believe the amount of people and that it didn't seem to stop. It was estimated that 1,500 people came to that show. They were sitting, standing, and watching through the compound wall. We opened with KT's piece "Shenanigans". Annie and Dennis danced well and we all commented that Dennis did a wonderful job considering it was his first big performance in that role. We didn't say too much to Dennis, because since he is the youngest, it is our job to give him a hard time. Next we performed "Something about a Nightingale". Then things got really interesting when we got to our final piece, "24 Exposures".
Before the show, as a company, we all agreed that if the power went out, remember that is common here, or the music skipped, we would just freeze and catch up. So, as the opening music for "24 Exposures" almost immediately paused, we all just stood still. The music started again and then paused. Then the music went all the way back to the beginning. We all just stood still. It started again. It stopped again. Meanwhile, "24 Exposures" begins with Annie standing on Aaron's back and at a certain cue she jumps off and is caught by other company members. So through all this music skipping, Annie had still been standing on Aaron. Anxiety set in as everyone waited not knowing when to catch her or if she would jump. She eventually just jumped off and we began dancing but the music was way off. It skipped again and Brenda signaled to just dance without the music.
We performed the fist two sections of the piece in silence. Then Daniel began clapping rhythmically. Soon, the entire audience clapped while we danced. Later, Professor Higgins said that some audience members thought it was supposed to be that way and some thought that it was inspiring that we just kept going. By the third section, Kathy, who always finds a way, with help from Charlie Brown and Maria, got our music back on track and we finished the piece. Lifts got applause, bows did not. Afterward, we performed our 10 Burmese phrases and introduced ourselves in the language. They went nuts over seeing us attempt their dance and went even more crazy when Jeremy mixed up the order of his words when trying to say his name. As Jeremy puts it, he will never forget looking out at a sea of 1,500 people laughing at him. Later we took pictures with Martha G. and traditional dancers, passed out Dance Motion pins, and got pizza.
Saturday February 6th
The next morning, Maria and Professor Higgins took us to see the gold leaf factory, wood carving shops, and lots of marble statues. We ate lunch by the pool at the hotel, stopped by a Pagoda with snakes living inside and then headed to the airport to leave for Rangoon. Mandalay seemed to be a success. It was a tense region and just being able to perform was a step in the right direction. The huge audience was unexpected and the warm reception was touching. I am most happy that it worked out for Professor Higgins. He had seemed very tense and worried. Professor Higgins is truly a one-of-a-kind person. I admire how much it meant to him that this be a success and his dedication to the people of the region. Everyone at the Embassy worked so hard for this. It seemed that if we got through Mandalay we could surely get through Rangoon.
We'll get to Rangoon in a bit. But please allow me one sentimental note. When we are experiencing all these great things, we do wish our families were here too and especially those special ODC family members at home who we think about all the time.
Liz
