Dance Motion USA 2010, a recap

3 companies
9 countries
12 U.S. embassies & consulates
16 cities
21 public & student performances
33 artists
89 days
104 exchange & education activities
585 books & DVDS distributed to 27 libraries
11,000+ unique web site visitors
15,220 audience members & participants
553,469 air miles
1,000,000+ media impressions

From January through March 2010 ODC/Dance, Evidence: A Dance Company and Urban Bush Women spread out across the globe as the inaugural artist-diplomats of DanceMotion USA(sm). The stats above are nifty, but the stories told by the dancers in this blog provide the more compelling record. And these figures can only hint at the power of the interactions and the impacts of these exchanges for audience members, workshop participants, peer artists, and students. After the tours ended we asked our host Embassies and their in-country partners for their feedback. Here are some of their comments:

“It is rare to find a performance company that is able to combine their passion for the stage with an ability to be strong agents for cultural diplomacy. [Evidence] scores top points for their versatility, passion, talent, skill and the ease with which they engage with youth from another continent.” —Grahamstown Festival, Grahamstown, South Africa

“The goodwill created by UBW was very powerful. The work was deep in meaning…It connected with the African roots of Venezuelans and it showed the diversity of American culture. Some audience members were so moved by [the piece] Walking with Pearl…Southern Diaries they cried during the performance.” —U.S. Embassy, Caracas, Venezuela

“The ODC dancers were true diplomats and the best representatives of our country.” —U.S. Embassy, Rangoon, Burma

And here are some responses from the media….

In her blog review about ODC’s Bangkok performance, Pawit Mahasarinand of Thailand’s The Nation wrote: “It’s delightful, always, to be able to watch a world-class company perform. People were again left wondering why we see [so few] shows from the U.S.”

Nigeria’s NEXT covered Evidence in its performances at two different Lagos venues: “The evening with Evidence was a display of seamlessly tailored moves drawn from traditional Latin American, West African, and Caribbean dance cultures woven into original, more contemporary dance steps. The dancers’ talent and [Ronald K. Brown’s] creative ability culminated in show-stopping performances.”

Of Urban Bush Women’s performance in Cartagena, Colombia’s historic Teatro Adolfo Mejia, El Universal wrote: “We need only three words to describe the experience: extraordinary, shocking, sublime.”

The inaugural activities of DanceMotion USASM were the culmination of two years of work from the initial proposal to submission of final reports. Lisa Booth and I extend our thanks to Brenda, Jawole, Ron and their extraordinary dancers and staffs, our US Embassies and in-country partners abroad and, especially to all at BAM, the finest Producer with whom any General Manager could hope to partner.

Stay tuned for news about the program’s future in the coming months.

—Deirdre Valente, VP, Lisa Booth Management, Inc.

The New York Times: Dance for Diplomacy

The New York Times featured an excellent piece on Dance Motion USA by Roslyn Sulcas this past weekend. She accompanied Evidence: A Dance Company on many of their activities in South Africa, and interviewed members of Urban Bush Women and ODC/Dance about their respective experiences in South America and Southeast Asia. Read the article online:

The Soft Steps of Diplomacy

Dance Diplomacy Video

The Department of State Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs just posted an excellent new video about DanceMotion USA on YouTube, featuring footage of all three companies and interviews with some of the dancers. 

Check it out:



Dance Diplomacy – DanceMotion USA (YouTube)

Photos of Pagoda

Travel Tips by ODC

As we passed the midway mark of our tour, we felt it important to acknowledge some of our achievements in the realm of traveling. As we get further into the tour, the hotel rooms begin looking like laundry mats and we get faster and faster at packing up suitcases and collecting shoes and costumes. We also get creative. For instance, you need to dry your clothes but don't have a wire, Vanessa and Yayoi hung dental floss around their bathroom as a clothes line. Don't have time to wait for clothes to dry, Quilet hangs her clothes on lamps. I realized early on that I forgot to bring a belt, so I am currently using a thick string from the hotel laundry bag. The only element we have not conquered is the infamous keycard to move the elevator. We first encountered the need to swipe a key card to make the elevator move in Jakarta. This lead to Annie and Quilet getting stuck in the stairwell and me being sent to the lobby, greeted by a man in a uniform. Now, almost at the end of our tour, we have met an even greater match. Our current elevator requires you to be so fast at swiping your keycard and selecting the floor, that unless you have the reflexes of Bruce Lee, you will probably be sent thirty floors out of your way for not being fast enough. Hmm ... I think I'm tired right now. Time for Bed!
Liz

Beauty by Burma

I am going to boldly state that Maria from the Embassy has THE most beautiful hair. This is not opinion, this is fact. Many of us ladies felt compelled to compliment her hair. So, being Maria, she immediately offered to take us to her beauty salon. Kathy, Vanessa, Yayoi, and I all took her up on the offer. After our spacing rehearsal at the American Club, the Embassy vans dropped us off at Maria's beauty shop. Kathy, Yayoi and Vanessa got haircuts. I got a perm ... more like a wave ... actually, I have gone swimming too much and it is not so wavy anymore. In any case, our major conclusion is that beauty shops around the world all feel the same. It felt just like being at home in a salon. Very fun! Thanks to Maria and all the ladies who made us beautiful.
Liz

Exploring Rangoon

In the afternoon of Saturday, February 6th, we said goodbye to Mandalay and boarded a rickety plane, with what looked like a flat tire, and headed back to Rangoon. Over the next few days we dove into master classes at the Gitameit Music School, the American Club and the Mary Chapman School for the Deaf. I must mention that we had to leave poor Vanessa at the hotel, she had the stomach flu. Thankfully, Yayoi and Quilet took turns watching over her.
The outreach classes were a great blend of dance and social interaction. The students were wonderful participants and seemed willing to step out of their comfort zone and into ours. The Mary Chapman School for the Deaf presented some unique challenges, but it was a great success. Teaching while not speaking the language can be difficult. In this particular case, we needed interpreters for the Burmese language as well as teachers to use sign language. We seemed two steps behind. There was also a huge age range in the class from, perhaps, eight years old to teen years. Daniel and Yayoi, the leaders for that session, rose to the occasion, split the group by age and moved forward. By the end of class each group had found a successful rhythm and all seemed to be having fun. My favorite part of that outreach was when we were leaving and saying our goodbyes. Suddenly the students came pouring over to us and began shaking our hands. They used elaborate and complex patterns and tricks almost like secret handshakes. It was so much fun to have them share with us!
Professor Higgins continued to share this amazing country with us. In the evenings he would take us on tours of the city. He even took us to the Shwedagon Pagoda. It is believed that hair of the Fourth Buddha is enshrined in it. Much like a European cathedral, the Pagoda is so huge and so beautiful that any picture cannot do it justice. It is a place in which Buddhists from Burma must try to make a pilgrimage once in their lifetime. As we walked along the white marble and witnessed the statues and gold and worshipers we were awed. It was so unfamiliar to see so many people so focused on prayer. It was so quiet and intense even though there were crowds of tourists, like us, taking pictures and commenting on the art. It really was beautiful. As we were walking I really appreciated the quiet time, breathing in this amazing place. It was quite a site to see and I felt honored to share it with my friends and to witness such faith under circumstances much different from what I experience at home.
Liz

Action in the Taipei Airport

New Friends at the Jakarta Institute of Arts

After months of preparation for the tour, and less than 24 hours on the ground, ODC Dance finally performed our first lecture demonstration! Brenda spoke of ballet, modern and post modern dance styles as well as a brief history of American modern dance. We demonstrated problem solving skills for generating choreography and were impressed by the talent of five students who volunteered to improvise with the Company.


During the second half of the day, theater and dance students took master classes lead by Daniel and Annie, learned material, and performed the finished product for the group. Daniel noted that even students who were hesitant at first couldn't wait to join in by the end. Afterward, we all took photos together and said our goodbyes. Video to follow.

Mandalay Post

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. 

Liz

Jakarta Master Class Videos

Leaving Indonesia Today

Flying to Burma today. Life is good. We have had an amazingly rich experience here in Indonesia. It will be so hard to leave. The people here are all so welcoming and generous. Our performance last night at the Empire Palace was a great success. There were rains (of course) that delayed some of our audience members from arriving but they still came. It was so touching to hear from someone who rode their motorbike in the rain an hour and a half just to see us. Many of the same students we interacted with at the State University of Surabaya and the master class taught by Liz, were in the audience. There was a lot of picture taking with our new friends after the show! We al have many new Facebook friends too. Facebook is very big here. There was a wonderful photo of Liz teaching her master class in the Jakarta Post yesterday! We got a copy and will bring all articles home with us. There was press at our dress rehearsal and performance and I believe we may be getting a CD with the photos taken by the photographer. He was very very good and offered to do that for us. Reiza organized a little party for us back at the hotel after the show. We all ordered dinner, exhausted from the day, and had some fun time unwinding.

So we have quite a long travel day today. I will be writing down the memories I've made while here in Indonesia and hope to keep in touch with the new friends that I've made. Surabaya was a very short visit but I hope to come back again one day in the future.

Love and hugs to all!

-Annie, sorry no pictures again because I'm on the hotel lounge computer :(

Hello from Surabaya!

Sparkling Surabaya

We arrived in Surabaya yesterday afternoon and spent the evening at the Consul General's house. There were other dancers, artists and Consul employees in attendance. The atmosphere was very warm and inviting. We all enjoyed the food which was a generous spread of vegetables, rice and meats. The Madame Consul introduced us all individually to the attendees which was very sweet of her.

Sorry there aren't any pictures in this post but I'm using the computer in the hotel lounge.

Today was fantastic. We visited the State University of Surabaya which has an arts program with theater, dance, graphic design, visual art and language studies. There were 60-70 participants. They were wonderful and enthusiastic. Some of the students performed traditional Jejer dance and Remo dance for all of us. The movements were so articulate and detailed. It was fascinating to watch! We began with a lecture demonstration and then performed Brenda's "Something About a Nightingale" for them. After that, we broke up into small groups and taught sections of choreography to the dancers. They loved it and all looked wonderful when we performed the material for each other. Later on in the day, Liz taught a master class to local dancers from Surabaya from the Marlupi School. Again it was a wonderful group and experience for all of us. And it ended with a small performance by the dancers as well as a short performance by local traditional Javanese dancers. There were about 50 dancers who came to our class.

We heart Reiza! He took us to the Mirota and we had a field day shopping around for souvenirs. It was full of crafts and traditional Batik fabrics. Yayoi scored! It seemed like most of the dresses were perfect for her size. But we all left with wonderful and fun items. Thanks Reiza!

Tomorrow is our show. We are looking forward to the event. We've been meeting many friendly local Surabayans and inviting them to attend. There should be 600 people in the audience. Hope all is well at home.

Annie

Our Final Performance in Jakarta

Annie here, your blogger for this evening. It was a great show tonight. The house was packed and we could really feel the excitement coming from the audience members. This afternoon we were joined by Joe Melillo from BAM. We are happy to have him here. Poor guy, he was worn out from flying today... we've certainly been there. Today is day FOUR and I'm finally starting to feel a little normal. I remember who I am for the most part, throughout the day.

We held the start time of the show once again, as we did last night, because of the rain. Highlights...gasps from the audience, chuckles and another standing ovation. Many of the dancers who were at our workshops we taught at the Jakarta Art school - IKJ, attended tonight.  They were all wide eyed and so enthusiastic after the show. One dancer almost moved me to tears as she tried to explain in words how watching us dance touched her. We had such a lovely experience here. The Salihara Theater is a wonderful venue. It's beautiful and very functional. Only trouble was having the dance floor on cement. Ouchy!We're so lucky though because everyone we've met is so helpful. Jakarta isn't really a place where we can walk around because frankly, there aren't many side walks. Tons of traffic and scooters make walking a scary adventure. Today I saw someone with an empty birdcage strapped to his back while driving his scooter. Anything goes around here. I've also seen small babies (eek!) and large tripods, oh!, and a plank of wood being carried on a scooter. It's quite amazing how it all just happens.

-Annie: up way too late in the name of blogging

Puppet Museum visit in Kota Tua

Despite a busy schedule, we made the effort to get out and see more of Jakarta. Thanks to the US Embassy, specifically Toto who made a phone call ahead of time to let the museum head know we were coming, we had a field trip. They took us to Kota Tua, Old Town. This is where the original center of town was located when the Dutch colonized Indonesia.  Arend and Toto, who work for the Embassy, took us to a restaurant called Batavia Cafe. When the Dutch were here, Jakarta was known as Batavia. Lunch was amazing. Next was the visit to the puppet museum. Once we arrived, we were taken on a personal tour through the museum which Toto had arranged. We learned about the detailed handmade labor that goes into each puppet. Small, sharp knives are used to punch each hole and create beautiful designs. We were mesmerized and many of the dancers left with souveniers.

Reception with U.S. Ambassador Cameron R. Hume

Our second night in Jakarta we were invited to a reception at the Ambassador’s Residence. What a lovely place! We finally got to meet the folks from the Embassy that so far have been just names on emails. The guest list included various performing artists, teachers, artistic directors from the area. Ambassador Hume was very welcoming and spoke about the importance of shared experiences and cultural diplomacy. Members of the press were lined up to talk with Brenda. A very enjoyable time was had by all.

krose

Our first day in South East Asia

Today we are finally catching up with photos and such. We wanted to show our tour jackets that Brenda, Nancy and Lori had made for us. They are terrific for wearing backstage and when the air conditioning gets cold.

There is a photo of the dancers at the Taipei Airport. Our plane left San Francisco at midnight and most of us were able to sleep 7 to 10 hours. When we landed in Taipei it was morning so jet lag hasn’t been bad.

Here is a picture of our bus in Jakarta. This is a VERY familiar site to us now.

Finally, here is a picture of all the dancers with Brenda, Michele and Reiza. Michele and Reiza have spent so much time planning our visit and taking care of us.

krose

Jakarta performance #1

WOW! What a day and night! During the day we had our dress rehearsal. It was attended by about 50 children ages 10 – 17. They were from a couple of schools and some orphanages. Many of the children here who are not in orphanages can be found on the streets playing little guitars for drivers stopped at the stop lights. The rehearsal started about half an hour late around 2pm. It took much longer to load light cues in the board then expected. It was a computer board, but very different then the ones in the U.S. I had to read the levels of each cue to Jaduc, the Master Electrician. He speaks English well, but as anyone knows who speaks a foreign language, when it comes to numbers it takes a bit more thinking. He was terrific, though! Oh, did I mention there was press at the Dress Rehearsal? Lots and lots of Press! They were taking photos non-stop and interviewing Brenda before and after. We did not wear costumes as it is very difficult to launder clothes here and there is no way they would have been ready for the show. After the rehearsal the dancers put on some costumes and we did some set up shots.

Last night was our premiere in Indonesia. It rained off and on all afternoon. That means traffic slows down – waaaaaaay down. It took some embassy workers 2 hours to get to the show. We were supposed to begin at 8pm. The opening speeches started at 8:20pm. And the show at 8:30. The Indonesians call the general tardiness of the culture “Rubber Time”. In Jakarta there is always heavy traffic. It gets heavier on Friday afternoons or when there are political protests. Earlier this week there were protests against the Vice-President. Some type of money scandal is brewing. The Indonesians pride themselves on being able to express their political views. There are over 100 political parties and Leaders are elected by direct vote, not by an electoral college.

Anyway, back to the show! Some of the dancers have been having the usual aches and pains of their profession. When we are in San Francisco we have the Dancers Clinic staff to provide physical therapy backstage. Mohammed Reiza, The Cultural Affairs Assistant from the US Embassy has been our guide. He was able to locate a woman to do physical therapy before the show. The interesting thing is that she is blind! This allows her to work on both men and women as this is a mostly Muslim country. She was AMAZING!!!! She was more of a healer then a physical therapist. The dancers were very surprised and we have asked her to come back tonight. Also, for 3 hours work she charges the equivalent of $25 US. Everyone pooled together more money to give her a generous tip.

The tickets to the shows are free, but the have a reservation list. The theater holds 210 people. We were told that the reservations were full, but last night when we started the show the there were many empty seats due to traffic. The place filled up with the last audience members seeming to arrive around 9pm. The Indian Ambassador to Indonesia and the Turkish Ambassador to Indonesia both attended with their families.  We performed “Origins of Flight” “Unintended Consequences” and “24 Exposures”. We tried to have an intermission after Unintended but no one left their seats, so after 10 minutes we continued on. Did I mention there was press there and they were taking photos non-stop? After the show Brenda did a quick Question and Answer period. The dancers dressed and came out after about 20 minutes. There was a lot of posing for photos with people.

Some of our students from the Art Institute of Jakarta came to the show. Many more are expected tonight. We have been working with them all week. One day we performed a Lecture Demonstration and had 2 classes. The ODC dancers were given a class in a couple styles of Indonesian traditional dance. This past Thursday I had given a class in Stage Management. This is a new course of study they are offering. Currently, in Indonesia there are no classes for performing arts managers. The Art Institute has just begun a course of study hoping to offer degrees in Arts Management, especially Production Management. My class was attended by about 40 students. Our discussions ranged from how Stage Managers take care of performers to how the US provides funding for the arts. After 2 hours no one wanted it to end! Five of my students showed up early for the show yesterday to hang out and talk with me. They were very hesitant at first thinking their English wasn’t good enough, but we persisted and began to understand each other well. A passion for something you love always comes through! Basically they explained to me that they can only get to a certain level then there are no mentors to take them farther. Hopefully, we can do something to change that in the future. By the time the show started they were calling me “Mama Rose” and I was calling them “My Sons”.

The people here are so WONDERFUL! You are always greeted with a smile and hello. Everyone is eager to help you carry a bag or hold the door. We have been especially moved by the care Mohammad Reiza has given us. We call him Reiza and last night on the bus ride home we decided he needed a California-surfer name. We’re thinking Chad or Brent but haven’t found the right name yet. Anyway, Reiza has gone above and beyond the call of duty. He makes sure we are on time, he translates, he recommends places to go, he makes sure we drink enough water and have towels to wipe the sweat. He is so organized and never complains. Last night when our clothing steamer didn’t work one hour before the show he miraculously found an iron. The best news is that he is from Surabaya and will be traveling there with us!

Tonight is our last night in Jakarta. No words can express how we have been touched and inspired by the people we have met. It is going to be very difficult to say goodbye to our new friends.

Your Citizen-Diplomat,

Kathy Rose

ODC in DC

The Company spent two days in Washington DC for briefings by the State Department. There was a performance at George Washington University in which we enjoyed performing as well as interacting with members of the State Department, Evidence, and Urban Bush Women. We learned many interesting facts about the three countries we will be visiting and feel better prepared for our journey. We were also given some great advice on interacting with media, being aware of the context of the country we are in, and even choosing preferable taxi companies. Here is Corey at the Dulles Airport.