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For three years, I have been in China teaching Swing Dancing. Now I'm wandering yet again...
2003-11-19
(Blog written earlier, in a hotel 6 hours distant from Shanghai)
Nov 16, Saturday Morning
On Friday Kellian and I got on a charter bus and traveled about 6 hours south of Shanghai to perform. There were many other performers with us -- the Phillipine band from the previous show, a three-girl singing and dancing act, a girl who played electric violin, a magician, and most interestingly two young girls 16 & 10 who did a gymnastic rollerskating act.
The rollerskaters had a very polished performance. They performed on a small circular wooden platform, and they did a lot of coordinated spinning and lifts, like figure skaters. For their finale, the small girl was attached to the taller girl by a teather wrapped around each of their necks. They rotated around the platform until the smaller girl took flight, the taller girl whipping the other through the air only by the strap on their necks. Then, the little girl drew in her arms and began a side-over-side rapid rotation. It was dizzying just to watch -- I can't imagine how that little girl ever got used to this. Finally, after a while of spinning in a circle, the little girl put her arms out flat again and immediately stopped her side-over-side rotation perfectly even with the floor. Not an inch of wobbling. Everyone was in awe of their performance, Kellian and I included.
We had the luck of going on immediately after them. So we hopped out on stage and did our thing to our favorite performance song, "Syphonia B" (known to some as "I Surrender I Surrender"). Kellian had been feeling ill from the long and bumpy bus ride, but she pulled it together for the performance. We did well -- got lots of applause and thumbs up afterwards. But I can't help but think we could learn a lesson in showmanship from the little gymnastic rollerskaters.
It's fun, these trips. It gives Kellian and I a lot of energy, which we really need sometimes. Planning the business, looking for studios and students, and practicing all take a lot of energy. These shows really give us encouragement, not to mention a little spending cash.
In a few hours everyone on this tour will be up eating breakfast, then back on the bus. I can't sleep now. I'm in the hotel waiting for the sun to come up. But this is pretty cool.
Nov 16, Saturday Morning
On Friday Kellian and I got on a charter bus and traveled about 6 hours south of Shanghai to perform. There were many other performers with us -- the Phillipine band from the previous show, a three-girl singing and dancing act, a girl who played electric violin, a magician, and most interestingly two young girls 16 & 10 who did a gymnastic rollerskating act.
The rollerskaters had a very polished performance. They performed on a small circular wooden platform, and they did a lot of coordinated spinning and lifts, like figure skaters. For their finale, the small girl was attached to the taller girl by a teather wrapped around each of their necks. They rotated around the platform until the smaller girl took flight, the taller girl whipping the other through the air only by the strap on their necks. Then, the little girl drew in her arms and began a side-over-side rapid rotation. It was dizzying just to watch -- I can't imagine how that little girl ever got used to this. Finally, after a while of spinning in a circle, the little girl put her arms out flat again and immediately stopped her side-over-side rotation perfectly even with the floor. Not an inch of wobbling. Everyone was in awe of their performance, Kellian and I included.
We had the luck of going on immediately after them. So we hopped out on stage and did our thing to our favorite performance song, "Syphonia B" (known to some as "I Surrender I Surrender"). Kellian had been feeling ill from the long and bumpy bus ride, but she pulled it together for the performance. We did well -- got lots of applause and thumbs up afterwards. But I can't help but think we could learn a lesson in showmanship from the little gymnastic rollerskaters.
It's fun, these trips. It gives Kellian and I a lot of energy, which we really need sometimes. Planning the business, looking for studios and students, and practicing all take a lot of energy. These shows really give us encouragement, not to mention a little spending cash.
In a few hours everyone on this tour will be up eating breakfast, then back on the bus. I can't sleep now. I'm in the hotel waiting for the sun to come up. But this is pretty cool.
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