An 8-Day of China
Even as we enjoyed tall glasses of water "with ice" and fresh salads piled high with raw vegetables, the conversations around the table were low spirited. Our months of preparation had come to an end; the 8-day trip halfway around the world was over. For most of us, it had been a first-time visit to an Asian country. For me, it was the first time to travel as a member of a touring dance company. The experience was unforgettable.
Though I learned to dance when I learned to walk, my interest in performing on tour began in high school. Touring is a way to dance while experiencing the world, but nowhere in my Social Studies books did I learn about the bond between artists on the international level. When the American Spirit International Dance Company of Oklahoma City went to Taiwan on a "Friendship Through Dance" tour, I discovered first-hand that where verbal communication fails, dancers can rely on the truly universal language of their art.
The tour actually started two months before the trip. Beginning in mid-March, the company members were called for 2-5 hours of rehearsal during most weekdays and some weekends. While learning a new piece every two days, we had to build up our endurance and stay on top of our studies. It was like going through 'show week' for two straight months.
Our demanding rehearsal schedule paid off a few months later, in Taiwan. Eighteen dancers, three arts management students, and four faculty supervisors produced three successful shows during the 8-day tour. The pieces demonstrated a wide-range of American dance styles, including energetic tap pieces, powerful jazz numbers, and captivating ballet stories. The audiences were enraptured; they asked us for encores after each performance and flooded the stage after the final bows. Though we were foreigners, we were given the celebrity treatment.
The company also performed in class-exchanges between the American Spirit dancers and two prestigious Taiwanese dance schools, the Taipei Physical Education College and the National Taiwan College of Physical Education. During these exchanges, our dancers taught their dancers tap and jazz combinations, while they taught us traditional Chinese dances. Seeing and attempting the beautiful Chinese choreography was a rare and unique opportunity. It was also incredibly exciting to interact with dancers who were our age and shared our passion. We had a common concern for technique and hard work; at the same time, we were curious about each other and the unfamiliar movements. I really enjoyed emulating the feminine movements of the Taiwanese women. There was a rhythm and a grace in their culture that I had never before experienced. For a few short hours, the dancers from both countries talked through body language.
Outside of rehearsals and classes, the American Spirit dancers were immersing ourselves in Taiwan's cultural wealth. We attempted some haggling in an open market on the Northern Coast, enjoyed an 11-course traditional banquet at the Taiwan Police College, and visited several tourist sites including a Buddhist Temple, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial, and the National Palace Museum. We stood out among the native Taiwanese, to say the least; to our amusement, the fair-skinned blondes in the company were stopped repeatedly in the streets for photo ops with locals.
The last night of the trip, we couldn't believe we were packing up to leave already. So much had happened in the last eight days, yet we had only been given a taste of Asia. We gathered our belongings and began the journey home, reminiscing about the dancers we had befriended, the hospitality we had enjoyed, and the stories we would share with our families. We soon realized, however, that before any of the story-sharing could begin, all twenty-five of us needed to hibernate for a few days. The jet-lag had finally caught up with us.
Melinda Marie will be completing her senior year as a Dance Performance major at Oklahoma City University next May. She has competed and performed in dance since she was 2-1/2 years old. Melinda trained in the Robert Thomas Dancenter in Iowa but spent most of her summers traveling to intensive programs around the nation. She's also worked extensively for Music Theatre of Wichita, a musical theatre company in Kansas.