More Photos of Lucy and the Dancers

Hi. This is Lucy's Dad again. I will be posting some more pictures here, in no particular order. If I have time I will go back to the facebook album and capture some of the captions too.

up in the trees

Marty and I were walking to our car to drive to Zinquazi when we stopped and looked up in the trees. Above our heads were about 12 monkeys in the branches. We stood there watching them work, scratch, shuffle, and eat. They were watching us too...one would stop in its tracks, watch us, and shuffle a little closer. It was getting dark outside so we didn't stay for long, but it was amazing to watch the monkeys from below; a new view of an amazing world.

Adventures under African Skies

PE was amazing! we loved seeing Marty's cousin Sally and her husband Landers, and had so much fun with her two kids Logan and Hannah. On the first day we all went to visit the old house that Marts and his family lived in, which is now a guest house. In the evening we went to Sars, short for Sardinia, where huge rolling sand dunes lead to the beach. We had a picnic on the sand, and Logan and I rolled and ran down the sand dunes. It was really fun (and really sandy.) The next morning Sally took us to a game park where we saw all different kinds of buck, and wildebeast, zebra, giraffe, and lions!

In the little shop we had lunch, and Marty and I went into a pen to play with two 6 month old lion cubs (about the size of grown golden retrievers.) One was a white lion female, and the other was its sibling, but a yellow lion male, named Kobe. They were both very nice and used to people, but the male didn't hesitate to scrunch up his nose, snarl, and open his huge mouth wide! I was really excited, and we have some nice pictures if I can get them on soon.

We flew to Durban where we met up with our friend Hilton, visiting for a family wedding. Durban is amazing because the Indian influence is everywhere, and the sides of the road are thick with green tropical plans. It's winter, so not incredibly hot, but I can imagine that the summer is very humid. We see monkeys all the time, which is a huge hilight for me. We've spent a lot of time on beautiful beaches, and surfing seems as big here as it is in LA, but the waves are huge and intimidating.

It's my first time putting my feet in the Indian ocean, and it's so warm! If the waves weren't so scary, I'd be swimming all the time.

Marty and I drove about half an hour north to Shaka's rock, where we found some cabins at a place called "The Secret Spot. We are looking over the ocean with plants and monkeys everywhere. This is the first time that we've relaxed so far...we've stopped missioning around to just enjoy where we are. Yesterday we hung on the beach, fished, and cooked a huge brai at the lodge for ourselves in the evening: lamb, chicken, boerewors, everything!

A small white dog who belongs to the owners befriended us (because we gave her bacon yesterday morning.) She has followed us everywhere, and even weaseled her way onto the bed last night! I also just realized that there are geckos everywhere inside the room, (which if you know me, is awesome because I love lizards!!)

Tomorrow early morning we fly to Johannesburb (the flight is so cheap!!) where we'll get our last car, drive to Kruger park for a few days, and end the trip visiting friends in Joburg before flying back this weekend. I'll try to get photos of lions, Durban, etc up soon, but hope you enjoy the other ones my dad helped me post.

Bongi

Woo-hoo. Lucy and I just skyped and I got to see her and talk to her for the first time in what seems like forever. She sent me this picture of Bongi, one of the boys in her workshop, who apparently took a while to warm up to the idea of dancing with the Americans.

(But he really liked it when he did.)

In PE

Well we've moved on from Cape Town, driving along the coast to Hermanus, and then taking the garden route, R62, through the winelands on the way to Knysna. We stayed at a beautiful bed and breakfast in Knysna called "The Goose," where a very friendly older couple took us in for the night. Then we were on the road again, driving near the coast to Port Elizabeth.

Along the way we saw troupes of baboons in the street near the cliffs, as well as ostrich, cows, buck, and sheep on the farms we passed. I got a lot of photos that I'm now trying to post, but it appears to be as slow a process as ever. You can tell by all the plants, knarly trees, bright flowers, and clear smell in the air, that we really are in Africa. It's such a wild place! We've had great weather too, so it's sunny and warm even though it's winter here.

I've noticed that there are townships or low cost housing on the outskirts of all towns and cities. A huge part of the population lives in the same conditions as many of those kids I got to know so well. People travel miles and miles to work in the towns.

Marty has been amazed at how many of the locations he remembered have been built up. A tiny surfing town called Jeffries Bay has transformed into a huge attraction with zillions of homes all over the place.

We're staying with Marty's cousin Sally, her husband Lander, and their two kids Hannah and Logan. Today they showed us all around Port Elizabeth, Marty's old stomping groud. We went to Marty's old house, which is now a guest house, and saw all the old spots that he's told me so much about. I saw where their monkey Coco used to sit and wait for Sheilah, his mom, to come out on the way to her sewing room. Coco would spring onto her head along the way and bite her ankles!! We went to the beach, saw the new boardwalk, and went to the boy's old school Claredon. PE is really beautiful and laid back, and we're having a great time.

Next we're flying to Durban (the drive isn't the safest,) and then on to Johannesburg and Kruger Park. Will keep trying on the photos.

What an amazing show!!!

I would never have been able to foresee the huge abilities that these kids are capable of. Yesterday they had their show…a full evening production of individual pieces for each level; group dances choreographed by the teachers, choreography workshop, and repertory by the well known choreographers Mark Morris. Not only did all these kids learn and memorize everything they had to do, but for the show they all rose to the challenge and performed beautifully!

I’ll need a little more time before I describe the process of working with the yellow group. At first some of them were hesitant or timid, and I think disappointed that my “Caterpillar” piece wasn’t classical ballet movement (most of them love ballet.) I think some were hesitant of adults because they wouldn’t make eye contact with me, and didn’t want to answer questions. This all changed when I taught their class, and I began to see their motivation come alive. I am so proud at how they tackled the difficult John Adams music, and how they wound up counting some sections out loud, as a group. They looked like they really enjoyed dancing for an audience.

I’m rushing because we have another show today and I still need to eat breakfast and shower. I just wanted to describe that it hit me last night that I will be leaving after today, and that I won’t get to see these beautiful kid’s shining faces again, probably for a long time. I think about the connections I’ve made to so many of them: Bongi, Tasneem, Nosipiwe, Nuruneesa, Akosa, Odwa, Lwando, Phatiswa, and so many more….and a sadness washes over me and I cry on the spot. I have never been so sad to leave somewhere in my life. I think this is a sign that I’ll need to make an effort to come back as soon as possible. It means something profound for me to be in this place, and I’ll need time to figure out exactly what that means. For now, I have loved being here, working with these beautiful talented people, and I hope that I can return before too long.

Photos from Cape Town

Hello everyone. This is Lucy's Dad. Lucy asked me to download some of her Facebook photos from South Africa into my computer, and then upload them again onto the blog as a separate entry, so that you can all look at them here. We don't want the wide exposure of Facebook, and yet we want the excellent photos for Lucy's friends to see. You can get a kind of caption for each photo by looking at the file name. So, here goes:

Putting the Pieces Together

Yesterday was a pretty incredible day. After meeting with each group once or twice over the last two weeks, we had an hour and fifteen minutes to put the pieces together, help each group decide how they wanted to end their piece, and get all of the groups’ dances to fit within the music they had chosen. I had been looking forward to this day since getting here, but was nervous to see if everything could actually come together.

We never could have done it without the other teachers. With two of us working with each group, we all led the dancers through the layout of their piece, helped them clarify and connect sections, and helped them fit their piece into the music. I had only worked with the green group, the youngest kids, one time, so I spent the majority of the time helping them put their piece together. Marty also came to the studio and took photos during this time, so I do have some amazing ones to share with you.

The process wasn’t without it’s fair share of drama. Some of the older dancers would get in arguments and refuse to work together. The middle group disagreed on music…half wanted salsa and the other half wanted lyrical. The youngest group kept changing their choreography and even wanted to switch music right before they presented. As long as I kept some basic guidelines in order: you have to stay in your groups, you have to keep the music you originally picked, you can dance however you want to but everybody has to participate…each group came up with an amazing piece.

After 45 minutes of this work, believe it or not, they were ready to present their dances. Even though the show isn’t until Friday, I wanted all of the groups to see each other dance, so that they could see that they were all a part of this amazing creative process. So, the youngest group led the way, and they all showed their pieces to each other. You have never heard a supportive crowd until you have seen African kids watch each other dance. They were cheering, clapping, and hooting for each other, and it was very exciting.

I had explained that this was just a rehearsal, but was important because they needed to see that their creations were just as substantial as everything else in the show on Friday. I think they were pretty overwhelmed by the opportunity to express themselves as a group. When I told them what a great job they had done, they cheered and howled around me like you wouldn’t believe. It really was a fun day.

In a very quick contrast, I led the cool down on this day. I had selected really beautiful music, from Slumdog Millionaire, another movie called War Dance, and the beautiful pas de deux from Chris Wheeldon’s “After the Rain.” I led the whole room through half an hour of stretching and my favorite yoga practices…mainly breathing exercises. The whole room was quiet, listening to their breath, and it was very calming compared to the hour before. I ended by massaging the neck and head of each dancer who wanted to be touched (the ones who didn’t put their hand on their heart.) The physical contact was something that none of the other teachers had tried in the cool downs. I think it was a nice way to end the day, but I guess you’d have to ask the kids if you wanted to know for sure.

Today we finalized everything for the show tomorrow. I’ll tell you about my piece for the yellows, and about how everything goes, once we get on with it.

new kind of 4th of July

Monday, July 4^th, was a big day for me. I went with Olivia into Khayalische to teach a ballet class in an old run down class room. There were about 12 boys and 3 girls, all about 8 years old. They stripped out of their pants and put their holy tights right over their underwear, proudly standing, ready for their class. I led them through a ballet warmup on the cold concrete floor, and showed them how to do some fun ballet jumps. Then Olivia helped them remember the dance they had been working on for our end-of-session show, and I taught them the new section. I was so amazed at how interested they were in learning ballet, and how they paid such close attention to what I was doing. They had such an enthusiasm for moving their bodies, especially getting to jump and run in their class room!

I went back to the Dance For All studio but with an opened heart. The kids who get to work in this beautiful facility are really just a lucky few of the many who learn ballet through Dance for All. The far greater majority of kids in the townships don’t get to do anything of the kind. I feel such an appreciation for this gift that I have been given, to dance and express myself with my body, and to get to teach this to other people.

I am determined that outreach will be a big part of my life forever. There are so many kids, all over the world, who I know would rise to the occasion if ever given the chance to dance. If I can ever see the smiles again that I got to experience on Monday morning, I will always be a happy and fulfilled person.

I've had a few conversations with the other LEAP teachers, and the year round teachers, in an effort to learn from their experience teaching the kids at Dance for All. Sometimes it's really defeating to think that many of the kids didn't eat breakfast, or go home to abusive families, or don't even have a family at all. Many of the kids won't ever be professional dancers, and most of them will never leave their township lives. It seems that what keeps everyone going is to remember to be empathetic and not sympathetic. I am uplifted when I think what an amazing blessing it is for anyone to be able to have an outlet for expression. I will never forget the people who encouraged my passion to dance, and I hope that these kids will always be happy when they think about dancing.

I hope I get more of a chance to discuss this, but a handful of the kids are hugely talented and have incredible potential, even to become professionals. A few of the older ones, one boy in particular, would be best in a contemporary company. Some of the younger ones could be ballet dancers if they had the right training, and kept up the motivation to work for it. We are discussing the possibility of encouraging a few of these kids to come to the states next summer to do some kind of summer program where some of us could house them or be their mentors. This is a huge undertaking...these kids need visas, and some don't even have birth certificates. If they wanted to, I think it could be so cool to help make this opportunity possible.

We celebrated 4th of July at Mama Africa, an African restaurant in downtown Cape Town. I ate crocodile, kudu, and springbok! Mark Baird, the director of LEAP, came to support us for our last week, and it was great to welcome him.

Rugby, penguins, and weekend fun

On Saturday Marty and Hilton took me to a rugby match, the Stormers (South Africa) vs. the Crusaders (New Zealand.) Before the game we went to a beer garden outside a brewery where I tried Castle lager. We had time to take a drive, and even though it was cloudy, the coastline is so incredibly beautiful that it still looked nice. We also went to Rose Memorial, near the University of Cape Town on the way up Table Mountain, where we had tea and scones looking over the City.

At the game, I finally got to have a borevors roll (2 actually,) and the game was fantastic. Well, let me rephrase. Even though it rained, the stadium was completely packed, and it was fun to watch the game. It was definitely the South African thing to do that day. In fact, I was thrilled because it was the first time since being here that I really got a glimpse of the “rainbow nation.” All races and ages were sitting together in my section rooting for the Stormers. Even when they started losing, the feeling of defeat and disappointment came over everyone as a group. After we lost, we all rose together and solemnly trudged to the pub, where we drank a beer practically in silence.

We saw more of the cape on Sunday, and it was a much nicer day for sight seeing. Hilt drove us all along the coast, to see the penguins on the rocks by the ocean (who were avoiding the great whites.) We also stopped by an ostrich farm, and kept an eye out in the coast towns for baboons (but didn’t see any, unfortunately.) Some of the beaches were completely beautiful, with houses right near the water. I have some amazing pictures if I could ever load any of them on our geriatric internet. We ended the day at Halk bay, where I had the best fish and chips of my life “27 secons fresh," as Hilt joked.) I couldn’t stop saying that I’m pretty sure I can never have fish and chips again because it was so amazing that I know it can never be that good again.

Sunday night two board members had the whole LEAP faculty to their home for dinner. They gave us a traditional South African meal with a roast, potatos, salad, and merangue and trifle for dessert. It was nice to get to know people who support Dance for All on a regular basis. They really believe in the program and the opportunities it provides for its students. These people are so gracious to have us at the school. I felt a little out of the loop at the dinner because the LEAP people had been sight seeing all weekend together, and I wasn't involved. But, I think it was also good to have a break from the intensity of the program. It was nice to meet again on Sunday night, catch up, and swap stories. With the amazement of week one settled in, we prepared ourselves for the second week to come.

End of Week 1, Through July 1

I have tried so many times to upload photos with no result except notices of failed attempts. I'm just going to try to fill you in on everything that's been going on, and hopefully you'll stay interested enough to look at photos later!

I met with the yellows on Wednesday and the green, youngest level on Thursday. I was so amazed that each of the three groups, ranging in age from 8 years old to 19, responded to the layout, guidelines, and open-endedness of the choreography workshop. There was never a lack of creativity or ideas…Some of the young teenagers who prefer to dance ballet were not thrilled to do contemporary, but I explained that even doing ballet was fine. Each kid could literally do whatever he or she wanted. In the first hour and fifteen minutes for each group, they created a phrase, tweaked it with levels and directional changes, and played with order and dynamics. Each time I ran the workshop, I learned new things to help the process along. Music has to be picked in the first five minutes, and once it’s been decided, it can’t be changed. When the groups congregate to show their tweaked phrases, they should show the original phrase first in order to keep track of what they’ve done. Overall, it was an exciting and rewarding process every time.

Watching Alejandro and Olivia stage Petit Mort has been so inspiring and amazing. These two amazing dancers come from different companies, ABT/Hubbard Street Chicago and Smuin Ballet in San Francisco. They’ve never met, but they have such an attachment and appreciation for the experience of learning this amazing Kilian ballet that they each sing the movement through their bodies. It is as if the choreography, and the Mozart music, was written for their bodies to express it. These two people, who have never met before this program, get together to teach this incredible piece, and when they dance the duets together, it’s as if they’ve known each other their whole lives. Alejandro is soft spoken and kind, and Olivia is sweet and genuine. All of the Reds respond to their connection too. They have instilled such an appreciation for the piece. The foils, or swords that the men use, symbolize nobility, power, sensuality, and masculinity. They are used in such a way that they are an extension of the mens bodies, that connect them to the music, and to the women. When I watch the boys work with the foils, I see how Alejandro and Olivia’s work is paying off. You could hear a pin drop in that studio, and the boys pay such a close attention to each detail; they have such a respect for the movement.

Through watching these rehearsals, and taking class with this oldest level, I have learned all their names and had a chance to get to know them. I am so amazed at the raw talent, natural rhythem, and hunger for movement that these people, especially the boys, have. Odwa is my favorite, with his gorgeous face, intense eyes, and long expressive arms. The one photo I have managed to post on my idisk folder is of Odwa and his partner Setu. I am always so impressed with how he makes each movement a whole body experience, and he commits to everything that he does. Even for an 18 year old, his is a very mature way of working.

Phatiswa is the most outgoing girl. She helped me learn all the others names, and taught me the African warmup that we saw the students dance on the first day. She told me about the amazing delicacy at her home of eating sheeps head, and described exactly how it’s prepared. She told me that she loves meeting new people, and she wanted to know all about my life back home, and how long I’ve been dancing, etc.

Well, that about sums up week one. Last weekend and this week to come!!

Letter from a parent

I know I have a lot to fill you in on: choreography workshop, working with the dancers, the weekend in Cape Town, and the beginning of week 2. I would like to start you off with a letter that we received from a mother of a very talented girl, Thembisa. Thembi is a beautiful dancer and I can't wait to tell you about my time working with her and the other amazing students!!

Morning

I would like to thank your dance company about the voucher I received last
night from my daughter, I appreciate with all my heart and I also want to
thank the eight dance teachers that visited the DFA for keeping our children
busy during these school holidays, when im at work im stress free because I
don't have to worry thinking about my child if she is safe or not? I know
that she is in the safe place at DFA doing what she like and that is
dancing, again I say thanks to you Claire Sheridan,Kristine Elliot,
Garen Scribner,Lucy van Cleef,Olivia Ramsay,David Tamaki,Annie Lolbeck and
Aljandro Piris Nino not forgetting the Principal of Dance For All Phillip
Boyd,phillip you must always know that what you are doing for our kids is
Ayoba,Ooh how can I forget my friend the coordinator of Dance For all Hope
Nongqongqo thanks guys thanks very much though I fight with Thembisa because
her school work is behind please also encourage them to study as much as I
like her to continue dancing I also want her to concentrate at school,to her
its all about dancing she is neglecting her books,and to Margie Sims thanks
Thembisa's teacher I got the dvd your good work is appreciated Margie please
speak to your student Thembisa explain to her if she doesn't have matric she
cant go overseas to dance there as she is always telling me that she will be
a professional dancer and dance overseas,I think that will motivate her to
concentrate on her school work.Lets help eachother in grooming these
children.