Today we all had the morning off so we were able to sleep in, and relax. DaVon and I enjoyed breakfast at the Hotel restaurant, and discovered that DTH was the cover story of the Fresno News Paper! We were so excited to see that our performance was getting so much publicity.
After sleeping some more, I headed over to theater, had a cup of coffee and prepared myseld for class
Today we Traveled to Fresno, CA! It was such a nice ride out of Los Angeles. Seeing the famous “Hollywood” sign was pretty nice! I slept THE ENTIRE ride.
once we got to our Hotel, I got settled into my room, and ordered Pizza Hut!
Our Hotel is conviently located across the street from the theatre we are performing in tomorrow!
Day 9 - “Jesus Take Wheel” rang loudly waking me up. Got some bad news this morning but I was determined to get through the day of performances with my head up and not complaining. As more bad news came in during our bus ride, I could not help but break down a little. Times like these are when having a host of friends who have your back comes in handy. I had a brief chat with my closest friends “The Pas de quat” (Danielle, Renee, and DaVon) and I pushed through class leaving the mess behind. I guess it is a part of growing up and growing into a professional dancer. I have had to say to myself many times during this tour, “I must give my best and inspire someone!” I think back to something I read that former DTH ballerina Alicia Graf said:
WOW! Today was a pretty compact day. We woke up rather early to head to High School #9 for two Lecture Demonstrations. Well I actually only had to dance one Lec Demo but I was scheduled to conduct an assembly with ensemble dancers Alex Jacob and Lourdes Rodriguez, at the A C Bilbrew Library.
As our taxi pulled up in front of the high school, I was baffled by how utterly gorgeous the architecture was, and how big it was for a high school. Walking through the “campus” I realized that it was a performing arts high school.
Day 5
This morning started with a very good breakfast at the Hotel and then into a 10:30am Lecture Demonstration. Having traveled the night before, the body was feeling a bit weird. Nevertheless, because I love to give back and inspire children the way DTH inspired me, I gave my best in the Lec Demo.
Day 3
So today, we woke up and had a lovely breakfast, and did some shopping – all before embarking on a 5-hour bus ride to Portland, Oregon! There were so many reasons to laugh and appreciate the company of fellow dancers! Once we pulled up to a very upscale Marriott, I realized how gorgeous the city of Portland was! After settling in, we all went for a swim, and some of us guys went to the gym!
Christopher McDaniel, photo by Michelle James
Hello friends and fans of DTH. My name is Christopher McDaniel and I am a member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble. We recently embarked on the second leg of our Dance For America Tour. The first stop is Bellingham, Washington. Then we are off to Oregon and California. Join me as I chronicle our adventures.
Day 1 – Uneventful long travel day. In the rain!
Day 2 – This stretch of touring is off to a wonderful start! My nerves were on a rollercoaster the entire day leading up to the performance of Robert Garland’s new pas de deux “Hallmark”. We had a very calm and productive spacing rehearsal wherein my partner Renee Bharath helped me to relax. It made me confident that the show would go well. And it did!
There was such a rush of positive and encouraging energy from the audience at the Mount Baker Theatre in Bellingham, Washington! As I shot out of the wing for the very first run, my nerves were gone, but I was able to put myself into the moment and into the ballet. Twas quite a surreal experience. I Left the theatre that night knowing I was a dancer for sure! Getting on that stage and being able to perform such amazing ballets, makes all the difficult travel hours and conditions so worth it! I am excited for what’s to come on the remainder of the DTH Ensemble’s tour!
When one thinks of a “Resident Choreographer,” one might imagine a person who listens to stacks of innovative music, has dancers to work with at his finger tips, and is in the studio eight hours a day working out the steps to creating such beautiful work.
Maybe in an ideal world that is what a resident choreographer can do but our “Resident Choreographer,” Robert Garland doesn’t live in this ideal world. He creates choreographic masterpieces in his own private and seemingly effortless way, while still doing all of the things that he does daily – teaching, communicating with dancers, and handling work in marketing where he is the unsung master of graphics on our website manipulating photos and videos to enhance DTH.
In Studio 4, suspended from a cable attached to the ceiling, dancer/aerialist, Stacy Carlson, presented an amazing mid-air routine showing off her extreme flexibility, fearlessness and strength as a special birthday surprise for Mr. Mitchell. He and the audience were delighted. Photo Credit: Joseph Rodman.
