What Dance Can Do

Like Americans the world over, the members of the 37-year-old Battery Dance Company from the Big Apple will be celebrating Independence Day today though it’s doubtful that they will be getting a day off.
In Bangkok preparing for their Thailand debut on Tuesday in celebration of the 180th anniversary of the US-Thai relations, the troupe is busy working with the Thai students who will also perform in the same programme. What makes the preparation even more special is that these youngsters are not the classical ballet students who usually get the exclusive privilege to attend workshops by foreign dance companies.
Chatting with The Nation in New York last week, Emad Salem, the company’s deputy director for international programmes, says the work is part of the company’s signature arts education programme called “Dancing to Connect”, which started seven years ago and has since been conducted in 30 countries on six continents.
“After many years of giving dance master classes, Jonathan Hollander [artistic director of Battery Dance Company] and the dancers found something interesting in Freiburg, Germany – through their creativity, the students could drive the choreography themselves.
“They don’t necessarily have to be dance students. The programme has been designed to empower youths worldwide and to provide them with access to dance as well as to break down barriers, which is possible through mixing of groups, like the Israelis and the Palestinians. The idea is that working towards the goal, which is the final showcase of the programme in which they dance together, breaks down any divisions they previously had,” Salem explains.
“On each trip, we bring about five teaching artists, each of whom works with 20-25 students for at least 20 hours over the course of four to five days, providing them with instruction for activities that stimulate them and so the students’ choreography naturally emerges.
He adds that this is not a “do what we do” programme. Instead the programme’s mantra is “show us what you can do,” and targets young people aged 13 and older as it teaches them how to set goals and how to achieve them by laying out clear paths. “It’s the age when they’re trying to find themselves. The programme also helps them find confidence,” he says.
“Before going to a country, we do a lot of research on her social issues and local culture. We’re sponsored by the US Department of State and so we represent the US and are always culturally sensitive and keep these issues in our mind when we’re there. Although we don’t force these issues into our workshop, they intrinsically come out and are reflected in their final performance.
“Everywhere we go, after the final performance, the students cry. This is because of the life-changing experience of the programme as well as the fact that they don’t want it to end. The friendship they create with these strangers is something they want to take away. In Macedonia, for example, the Macedonian and Albanian students are no longer on opposite sides but feel like brothers and sisters.”
The company has also been working extensively with students in the New York public high schools. “One of the reasons why this programme is transferable from one country to another is because dance – especially American contemporary dance which is not bound by any rigid form or training – is universal,” Salem says.
For their Thailand debut, the company has been working with the US Embassy and the Rumpuree World Dance Studio in finding the right group of youths. The 108 local participants come from the Islamic College of Thailand, the World Vision Foundation of Thailand, the Golden Jubilee Royal Goldsmith College, the Human Development Foundation (Mercy Centre), the Centre for the Protection of Children’s Rights Foundation and the Holt Salathai Foundation. The trainers are also conducting a workshop for local dance teachers to ensure the programme’s sustainability as well as arts administration and technical theatre workshops.
In the same programme, Battery’s dancers, or teaching artists, will also perform a few pieces from their vast repertoire. “The final performance is free to the public, including the youths’ parents, members of the US embassy and the local government. It’s beautiful not only because of the students’ creativity but also the intermingling of the audience population.”
  ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY
- Battery Dance Company performs at 7pm on Tuesday at the Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre for Dramatic Arts at Chulalongkorn University.
- Admission is free but advance reservations are required. Call (081) 430 6684. For more details, visit www.BatteryDance.org.