Blogging on a windy day in
NYC(Day 1)
Well the city that never
sleeps, slept last night and is still sleeping. At least until they meet us in
the lobby at 9:30 a.m.
What to blog? From the
point of view of 37 other people you may get different eyes on this New York
prize, but here I go.
Our flight was timely and
mostly uneventful. A woman who had a low blood pressure needed medical
attention so the last hour was hoping all went well and it did.
Got into JFK and got metro
cards and headed on subway to Howard Beach to catch the “A” train. I am
grateful we arrived mid day as all our fumbling and bumbling purchasing cards,
hauling luggage onto subway platforms inconvenienced almost no one but
us. The spaces we occupied were virtually empty, and a good start to
initiatating the uninitiated(which turns out their are about 9 who have never
been here) into the big city.
The half hour subway ride
from Brooklyn(JFK airport) seemed long, but the anticipation coming up from the
42nd St. station into the light and vision of Time Square was palpable. I
wonder if I actually heard screams? We popped up right into the mix of
the city in its then bustle(1:30 p.m.) and it was delightful.
We dropped off luggage and
went to eat and explore Time Square. Our hotel is right across from ABC studios
and down the street from the Forever 21 five story bldg(guess how many women
were in heaven?). I told them that whomever took the first selfie with a
celebrity of any sort that mattered to them, would get a free dinner on
me. Haley and Ava texted me a photo with Nick Lachey(98 degrees boy band
singer and former Jessica Simpson husband and host of something or other right
now).
By 6:30 p.m. we were off to
“Matilda” for half of us, and “Motown the Musical” for the other half .
I ended up at Matilda and
half way through the show I felt so bad everyone wasn’t seeing this
masterpiece. Not nearly as dark as the book by Ronald Dahl, the set and
lights were as integral as anything and were just extraordinary. The
choregraphy that Peter Darling (from Billy Elliot) won the Tony for was superb
and quirky, and interesting and mostly done by eleven year olds! Super
human children. So phenomenal. The students were in awe and as one
said it was “ridiculous” how amazing this show was. Come to find out ,
the “Motown” group was feeling sorry for us! Abdi said, “this was
probably the happiest moment of my life”. They music from the sixties
Motown hits and audience involvement, made all of them chatter and squeal to us
later about this being the best thing they had ever seen.
Stories of their photos
appearing on the jumbo tron in Time Square and some being asked to be in a
flash mob for a marriage proposal and others excited about finding an amazing
cupcake store....well it goes on and on.
We are off to explore all things
above 42nd street this morning as we work our way to Central Park to
perform (The principal at the high school that was to host us
decided no visitors today(!) and plan B has become get ipod dock from friend
and go to Strawberry Fields to perform). On the way we will visit Lincoln
Center, Juilliard, SNL Rockfeller Center, Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum
and then street fair in Harlem. Back to see “The Heathers” tonight and
collapse. Forecast is 61 and sunny. On to put on my walkin shoes.
Strawberry Fields Forever/Day
2
Day Two had us traveling
Uptown past the David Letterman Studios, New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center,
Juilliard and of course “Steak and Shake”(!). Who knew that little fast
food hot spot would get the biggest recognition. I’m always amazed
at how TV/ movies and the current vernacular become so apparent. “Oh
that’s where Carrie was proposed to by Big!” in “Sex and the City”, or when
going over the hill in Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum and a small pool
of water with sail boats appeared, “oh my gosh that was a scene in “Stuart
Little”!”
Central Park was our main
destination and walk, we did. We entered the park at 72nd and Central
Park West across from the Dakota where John Lennon lived and died and headed to
Strawberry Fields where he is buried and the “Imagine” tile mosaic is in the
ground. There were two musicians playing their guitars and singing and
students seemed drawn like a magnet to go sit around them to listen. As
they were listening, I began to think about Hope’s new piece that had a very
organic structure and feel to it. I asked her if she thought we could
perform it there in Strawberry Fields and maybe approach the musicians
about playing something to accompany it. She said it made her feel
nervous and her dancers for the most part were uncomfortable as well.
Enter my not so subtle style. I encouraged strongly(knowing this would be
a lifetime story)and went to talk to the musicians. They were delighted
and they suggested playing and singing “Imagine”. Oh my goodness.
I filmed it on my phone and the experience was breathtaking. They
and the crowd that gathered to watch them can attest, and when I figure out how
to cut down the size on my iphone, I will send to you.
We let them loose for an hour
in the park after stopping at a food cart or two and they laid in the grass or
walked to the boat house at ate burgers, sat on the rocks and talked near
Bethesda Fountains, played frisbee, watched the roller skaters, the dog
walkers, a wedding or two, and headed through the park towards the east side
where the Metropolitan Museum was on 82nd and 5th Ave. Ask them about the
Park. They didn’t want to leave and I’m sure have different memories than
I know.
We sat on the steps on the
Met and listened to live musicians. Did you know that on an episode of
“Gossip Girls” someone ate yogurt on those steps! Me neither.
Am not familiar with the show but many specifically wanted to be in that upper
east side neighborhood for that reason. Yes, I am old, and all my
associations outdated.
Some actually went into the
museum but mostly we just “stopped walking”. That was a delight in and of
itself and the day was magical and sunny and all of us Minnesotans got
reacquainted with the sun.
We split up as we
wandered back downtown to our hotel and they either crashed or shopped in Time
Square and we met for “The Heathers” at 7:15 in the lobby. Many of them
were adorned with new shoes or dresses or accessories as they appeared
ready for Broadway Show #2. We all wove our way through a very crowded
mid-town to the “New World Theater” 6 blocks away. They loved the
show, though I found out it was rated “R” when we arrived. Some knew the
movie version with Wynona Ryder but I went on a colleague recommendation having
heard it was akin to “Mean Girls” and High School and a newly graduated
Minnetonka talent was the lead.
Probably would choose
differently next time but they were laughing so hard and as one student said,
“this would be a great show to have a teen discussion after”. Anyway,
half of us went to the stage door to meet the hometown boy as my Mn contact had
set up a gathering for us. We missed the part where they announced that
his understudy had gone on for him that night so when the actor emerged from
the stage door and the students were clapping and taking pictures with
him-well, it all seemed so normal. Through the noise, I whispered in his
ear that we were the students from Southwest Mpls. that he had been told would
meet him. He shook his head ‘yes’ and smiled and went on to the next
photo opp with the students. Someone finally said, “so how does a Minnesota
boy make it to New York?” He said, “Minnesota? I’m from Long
Island”. I said, “Are you Ryan?” “Ryan? No I’m his
understudy Dan!” We laughed and laughed and that whole scene was as good
as the show. So they met “Not Ryan” from “The Heathers” and have plenty
of pictures to prove it.
Their stories are better I am
sure but I will put a period on Blog #2 as we get read for Day #3.
NYC/Day 3: “These Boots
Were Made for Walking”(or maybe that’s Converse )
“I love New York, it’s never
dark”. “Of course not”, says a chaperone because you are staying in Time
Square”. The bright lights of the city ,for many of the women, meant a
short block to the 5 story “Forever 21” store that is open until
midnight. As Karl said(because he has so many women friends he is
accompanying), “I think I have spent more time in women’s clothing stores on
this trip, than I have spent sleeping !”
And the negotiations in China
Town this afternoon for designer this and thats, make me convinced that many
need to work for Obama.
Lest you think that’s all
they have done is shop, let me run through my view of the day.
A short walk to Cameo Studios
had us meeting my director friend Steve and his two comrades from the
theater. Robby Stamper(musical director, voice coach and accompaniest to
the Broadway community) and Josh( who is performer/actor and personal dance
assistant to Susan Stroman(choreographer /director extraordinaire). They
taught students songs and dances from “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” and “Big
Fish”. Fast and furious and fun I would say. “Turn jump, open
close, pas de bouree, ball change, hold”(sort of). We also had a
question/answer period following the show and learned a bit about all of their
jobs. Josh was the “swing” for the last two shows which means he learns
10 people’s parts in song, dance and acting and if they should get sick he
would go on. He also has been dance captain for the shows which means he
keeps the “bible” or book of all choreography with all the “tracks” or traffic
patterns of all the dancers and of course the movement vocabulary and must
teach to anyone who is replaced or sick. One of the most interesting
things to me that he shared, was that being a dancer in alot of the building of
new shows he talked about the skill of being willing to be flexible and willing
to change. Often times as new shows are created, test audiences are
brought in and if the directors don’t think things are working, they will take
out a song, insert new ones, re-arrange and order , take out pieces of
dialogue, etc and all must be fixed by the next night. The creative
process demands alot of intellect, detachment, flexibility and
memory. And for a dancer, it is about embodiment as well. You are
singing, memorizing movement sequences and all while trying to ground yourself
with the director’s intent. This is why when people talk about the arts as
frivolous or “cute” or “fun” one often must have developed the skill of
“restraint” as I personally have to excercise that one to not go for their jugular.
But , I digress.
We are only at 12:00 p.m. so,
on with the day.
Students headed back to the
hotel where they changed and headed downtown to Ground Zero. Definitley
effected by too much walking and dreams of China Town, some just looked from
the outside while others used the free tickets acquired by our chaperone to
enter into the sight and ponder near the magnificent water pool structures that
bore the names of the victims. The lone standing tree that remained still
blooms with cherry blossoms and suffice to say there, was alot to think
about.
While others were on their
way to China Town, Little Italy and Soho my group stayed a bit longer to visit
bathrooms, get coffees etc. It started to rain as our walk began and I
decided my small group needed cabs as a reprieve. Being near a large
hotel, a porter arranged for us to get two cabs but instead said that he would
get a large vehicle instead for the same price. A white stretch limo
showed up and the rest is history. A delightful way for the eight of us
to travel a few miles. Yes, it wasn’t fair, but, oh, we could
get used to this.
We all wove our way up the
island to our final performance destination which was “Baldwin through Dance”
at New York Live Arts Space(owned by Bill T. Jones in Chelsea).
“Exhausted” is who I saw show up in the form of 35 students. Those boots
were not made for walking....no, as some were sandals and they had walked (with
the exception of two subway rides), all day. The show consisted of two
premieres of choreography by Diane McIntyre and Charles O. Andersen in honor of
the commemoration of James Baldwin and what would have been his 95th birthday.
Dealing with the idea of race/humanity and struggle, students said, it
was “beautiful, confusing, intense, tiring, long, life changing,
...“ A few were so moved they stayed for the discussion afterwards
and one African American boy said, “I feel a deep sense of contentment because
I now know there are other people struggling with race in the same way I am.
It’s like a puzzle I didn’t know I had inside of me but now that I know, I know
I will be putting it together all my life. The difference is, now I
know what questions to ask and that others have been asking them for decades.”
So though others might have enjoyed a little cat nap during the show,
someone’s life was literally changed. The arts have the power of
transformation. In one fell swoop, this man has, as he would explain it,
renewed “purpose”. What else is life about?
I am so grateful to
have been with these children on this journey. As much as it is difficult
with school and grades and testing, (and don’t think they aren’t exhausted,
tired of their room mates ,wished they were in their own beds, etc)the
kindnesses and bonding and life lessons(they are up early this a.m. taking one
of the students to breakfast for her birthday)and for some transformation, is
frankly, priceless.
Off to the airport in
30 minutes and home by 2:17 p.m.
Colleen Callahan Russell
Southwest Dance Teacher
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