Read about us on the BAM Blog

Our Project Coordinator flew to Idaho last week to help make our US residency trailer and wrote all about her visit for BAM.  Give it a read here!

The Boise Grand Finale

It's SHOW TIME.

This past Saturday, An Lee, Taehee and So Jin performed with Trey McIntyre Project in TMP's annual fall show at the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts in Boise, Idaho, where they premiered Trey's new piece The Unkindness of Ravens together. This new work was inspired by both Trey's travel in Korea with DanceMotion USA this past spring, and his collaboration with Korea National Contemporary Dance Company members at home in Idaho. 

All photos courtesy TMP's Facebook Page:

People head to their seats

Dancers greet fans and sign posters after the matinee

Chanel of Trey McIntyre Project signs posters for her "biggest-smallest" fans 

Now, on to New York!  Trey McIntyre Project and KNCDC will perform The Unkindness of Ravens, along with pieces from each individual company, at BAM this week in Brooklyn.

 

Thank you to everyone in Boise - from the TMP staff to the Mayor's office to the friendly neighbors in the greater Idaho community - the success of this residency was a real testament to your kindness.
We here at DanceMotion USA couldn't thank you enough.  See you in Brooklyn - or maybe, Korea?



Mayor of Boise Declares Official KNCDC Day

On Tuesday, Boise's Mayor David Bieter invited the KNCDC dancers, accompanied by TMP, to attend a special ceremony with the Boise City Council.  In a gesture of great generosity and honor, the Mayor declared October 30, 2012 official Korea National Dance Company Day in Boise.  Thank you, Idaho, for being such incredible hosts!

And some photos:

So Jin, An Lee, and Taehee
(c Shana Parker)

The whole group  (c TMP Blog)

KNCDC's So Jin thanks the City Council
and Ben Chon translates (c TMP Blog)

              TMP's John Michael with Mayor Bieter  
(c TMP Blog)

Presenting the proclamation
(c TMP Blog)

Korean Dinner in Boise

Ben Chon, our Korean translator out in Boise, hosted an amazing traditional Korean meal at his home the other night.  It was the dancers' first chance to really relax and hang out together.

 

 

And check out what happened at the end of the night:

 

Thank you Ben for such kindness and thank you TMP for the photos!

So Jin, Taehee, and An Lee in Boise

After an incredible airport welcome, the three KNCDC dancers are hard at work with TMP in Boise, rehearsing their new piece, The Unkindness of Ravens.

 

All photos from the Trey McIntyre Project Blog, where TMP is posting updates about the residency regularly.

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.

The Incredible Culture of Seoul, Korea

Spending the whole week is Seoul, Korea allowed us to really immerse ourselves in Korean culture.
The U.S. Embassy in Seoul scheduled us for a jam-packed week of events so that we could experience nearly everything that Korean culture has to offer. With only one show at the end of the week, the rest of the week was dedicated to master classes and community engagements...

We took a workshop with intellectually disabled teens.

Jeongbal Middle School students taught us some fly hip-hop moves.

We conducted a master class with Sejong University dance majors.

We learned steps from a traditional Korean drum dance from students at Sunhwa Arts High School.

We shared the stage with five local dance companies at a small, intimate show in the backyard of the Public Affair Officer’s home.

After the backyard show, everyone enjoyed a spontaneous dance party inside.

Through all of this, we saw again how dance has the ability to heal people, can transcend language barriers and can bring people together, no matter who they are. High fives all around!

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)

Hello Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam!

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon) a couple of days ago and haven't stopped yet!

Benjamin Behrends and Annali Rose (far left) look on as Trey McIntyre and John Michael Schert (far right) are welcomed in front of the Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Opera House.

We worked with dancers from the Bong Sen (Lotus) Song and Dance Theatre, which has been performing traditional Vietnamese dance in Ho Chi Minh for over 50 years.

They taught us a small segment of a larger piece that we then performed as the finale at the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House show later that night. We performed to a full house and the audience went wild!

We created lasting memories for everyone inside the theater--including ourselves--and there was such a sense of connection in the air as we shared the stage with the local dancers.

John Michael, Chanel, and Brett had the opportunity to wear traditional Vietnamese garments, which added another level of excitement inside the theater.

It was another great night of dance and exchange in Vietnam!