The Performance in Turkey

I feel there is yet still more due on telling of my experiences in Turkey. I have not told of the deeply stirring experience of witnessing the reactions of the children as they watched the original show we created. Despite bad lighting, a tiny stage and poor visibility, the children in the audience could not have been more enraptured. Straining in their seats for a better view, their eyes were wide and sparkling, as though they were at a movie premier.

At one point in the afternoon performance, I was moved to tears during a poignant moment in the show, as I watched how openly the children were absorbing the message of inclusion and diversity. I thought, "Wow. Here I am in this country I had never even expected to visit, in some city I've never even heard of, and I just helped create an experience that is stirring the hearts and minds of 600 kids." It was both humbling and empowering to realize the possibilities that were indicated in this experience.

And then, at the end of the show I was honored with a huge bouquet of flowers and deeply acknowledged by the heads of the University, who told me privately that they hated to imagine what would have happened to the project if I had not come. Outside the school entrance, hoards of children were waiting like Paparazzi to catch a glimpse of the "stars" of the show. We were goggled at by shy teenagers who desperately wanted to shake our hands, ask our names, have their photos taken with us. It was like walking the red carpet at a film promotion! They followed us in large crowds, to our "tour bus" and once we were on, one bold teenage girl, snuck her way onto the bus, asking to meet one of the blonde Latvian guys! Shy and only 17, this guy was suddenly a teen idol! As we drove away for lunch, dozens of children stood waiving.

After all was said and done, I was paid 250 euros by the University, as a contribution toward my expenses in coming to volunteer in this project. My first pay in euros! It was a cool moment.

Oh, and I have not mentioned that the Bollywood dance that I choreographed to the song "Ringa Ringa", from Slum Dog Millionaire (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zPi6w1TWBg), was a huge success! We set it as our grand finale to the show, inspired by the Bollywood tradition, where all the characters of a story, friends and foes, come together at the end to dance in celebration. With 25-30 people dancing on stage, it was crowded and a bit chaotic. I danced in front of the stage, leading the guys part and the girls all danced on the stage (the stage was too small to fit the whole cast at once). Many of the cast were doubtful about the dance and had trouble remembering the steps. Everyone liked the idea of ending with Bollywood, but nervous about the execution.

The show was diverse in style, a combination of pantomime, music, comedy, drama and clowning. When, at the end of each performance I posed the question to the audience, "What was your favorite part?", we all expected the answer to be " The clowns"...but instead it was, to our great surprise, an emphatic and unanimous..."Bollywood!" And then all the children started clapping in rhythm and chanting for an encore!

Thus, after both shows, we had to perform the entire dance a second time through! After the second show, we danced the encore to the much faster song, "Jai Ho" and it was funny, as though in fast forward! We invited all the children onstage to dance it with us...and many of them happily joined us, jumping up and down merrily.