Photos (taken by Kelly) have been added to various blog entries below. Now you can see the wonderful people we met and the amazing places we visited. Click on the images to see larger versions. Enjoy!

6 days after my return from the Middle East I'm begining to feel like myself again.  The trip was beyond amazing in so many ways....expressing my amazement has become much easier now that my body and mind are functioning together in the same time zone. 
 
I cannot stop thinking about the workshops and all the particpants in Alexandria, Cairo, Tel Aviv, Yaffo, Jerusalem,and Ramallah...there was so much enthusiasm and hunger to learn...it could not have been a better situation for all.  The cultural exchanges and new friendships are absolutely priceless!! (Thank you everyone for your particpation, professionalism, and dedication!) 
 
Outside of the studio I had the opportunity to visit many sites in Cairo and of course along the Nile from Luxor to Aswan.  'Visual overload' would be one way to describe the experience...another would be 'absolutely inspiring'.  The egyptain culture is so full and ancient...I cannot see how anyone couldn't help but be inspired in some way.  For me, I was inspired by the fabrics, traditional clothing, and especially the pharonic apparell depicted in the hieroglyphs on the walls of the temples. 
 
This trip was one of my first major trips outside the United States.  It was such a wonderful experience not only for the travel but for having the opportunity to work closely with Dana.  As a new company member, this trip really gave me the opportunity to see Dana not only as an artist and director but as an educator.  He is an amazing mentor....and I feel very fortunate to be part of a company that aknowledges all of the important aspects of dance....history, traning and exchange being three factors most vital to the success of this project. 
 
I can't give enough thanks to those who worked so hard to make it all possible. 
 
Allah yisallimak
 

We made it back to DC! Kelly and I had an amazing journey back! 36 hours in 5 countries; we went from Israel to Jordan to Egypt to Germany to make it back to DC! Kelly was such a trooper. We had long security stops everywhere. We unpacked and repacked everywhere. But ultimately we made it back. It is so amazing because for me culture shock always happens after touring upon arrival back in America. I can honestly say I miss all our new friends immensely and we are already emailing back and forth with them. The Middle East is an amazing part of the world full of history. I learned alot from this trip and my experiences abroad will undoubtedly feed my artistic perspective for years to come. I am sure we will be back with the entire company in the future. I want to thank all our friends in Alexandria, Cairo, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Ramallah for making us feel welcome and for sharing the dance with us!

Yesterday we taught a class at the Arab Jewish Center in Yaffo. There were 25 adult dancers and they were focused and interested in our technique. We danced for 3 hours. We kept the airconditioning off and had quite a workout. It was so hot in the studio, but it is great on the muscles.

Then we drove to Jerusalem and taught a class at the YWCA for teen dancers. We worked on technique as well as lifting one another. It was enlightening because until you are taught how to lift another dancer it is quite mysterious. They responded so well to the new information. They were shy at first as young dancers can be, but then they jumped right in!

Lily Obadiah, Stacy Barrios and Suzan Qaryouti Nammari were fabulous at programming us and taking care of us. It makes me feel so good knowing that we have incredibly talented and caring people working on art and culture abroad. It was neat to see everyone working together to support dance as well. Yesterday during a quick break Suzan planned a quick visit to the Old City of Jerusalem. We walked down the narrow walkways filled with merchants and I went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The energy there is amazing; it houses the Tomb of Christ. I got goose bumps from the feeling of this church. This part of the world is amazing because the buildngs and the sites here are so old and somehow still so alive.

Last night we had dinner at our friend Asher's home, it was delicious! Kelly and I just hopped a plane to Jordan and are on our way to Cairo in an hour from now.

The people, land, and sea are all fantastic!  It was wonderful working with dancers from different age groups and training backgrounds...some had modern experience-others only folkloric.  All groups responded so well to the workshop material.  Sadly, our trip is coming to an end...we depart this afternoon to make our way back to Washington, DC. 

We have been so busy here in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Yaffo and Ramallah. We have been having a series of great experiences. Tel Aviv is so beautiful!

We taught two classes for Avizoor Dance Company one for young dancers ages 12-14 and another for students 14-17. They were so interested in the work and have very nice training from their great teachers. The studio was really beautiful too. Today we went to Jerusalem and then were off to Ramallah to work with dancers from of the Al Kasabeh Theater. They were all 15 and 16 years old and they specialize in Traditional Dances, but they are venturing into modern dance now too. They worked very hard and were very warm and open to speaking about their hopes and dreams in dance as well as asking questions about American dance. We then went to Tel Aviv to teach a group of teens at the Arab Jewish Community Center. They were a pleasure to teach and they also asked us questions about training and about how to be a professional dancer. It was so interesting to have both Jewish and Arab students in class and it was great to see how the language of dance can bring young people together in a shared language.

We have been so thankful to Lily Obadiah and Stacy Barrios at the US Embassy for all their programming work. We have also been so happy to see our dance friend Asher here in Tel Aviv! We attended a poetry open mic night that he curates. He is so talented at reciting poetry as well as dancing.

I have now been home from Egypt for almost a week.  I struggled with the jetlag a bit more on the way home than I did upon arriving in Egypt, but I finally feel my body clock is back to normal!  I have really enjoyed regaling my family and friends with stories of my time in Egypt.  As both an artist and a person, it was a very eye-opening trip for me and I feel so fortunate to have been a part of it.
 
As a young artist, this trip influenced me in a variety of ways.  For one, it made me realize how much I enjoy teaching.  To this point in my life, my primary involvement in dance has been as a performer.  However, assistant-teaching the workshops gave me a sense of how rewarding it is to help others learn.  Mentorship is so important in the arts and it felt good to be a part of that.  Also, Dana did such an excellent job of tailoring each of our different workshops to the needs and skills of each group of participants.  Seeing him deliver such thoughtfully and judiciously prepared classes was very inspiring. So, while I had never really considered teaching dance, my experiences in Egypt made me realize that someday I might like to broaden my involvement in the arts to include teaching.
 
Also, growing up you often hear some version of the mantra "dance is a universal language."  Though at face value the statement may seem somewhat cliche, this trip proved that it is, in fact, undeniably true.  In talking with audience members after our performances, I noticed that they derived the same meaning from our dances as many audiences in America had.  Their emotional responses to and their questions about the work also seemed similar to that of American audiences.  It was really amazing to see how movement and universal choreographic themes can transcend other differences.  It taught me that my involvement in the arts will always be my ticket to connect with people who are different from me.

Just saw Nora Amin's theatre performance in Cairo at a space called the Cultural Wheel. She has a great following here and is very progressive but rooted in her Egyptian perspective. She recited in classical Arabic while doing Butoh like movement. We loved it! We also bumped into some of our workshop participants in the audience! Running to catch a plane.

Sarah and I returned this past Tuesday on one of United Airline’s new two level planes! From start to finish our travels home took about 18 hours of travel time. Needless to say we were both extremely tired once we arrived. But prior to the long trip home we did have some free time to tour around Cairo a little bit. The Sunday after the final performance we woke up early and headed to the pyramids! Sarah and I got talked into riding camels around and have some funny pictures to share. We then spent the rest of the time visiting the Citadel and shopping for souvenirs at the Market. It was a very nice closing to our trip!

We’ve been back for a couple of days and I find myself waking up around 4AM each morning ready to start my day and getting pretty sleepy around 4PM. But as my body adjusts to the new time, I’ve had some time to reflect on our tour. What I’ll always remember are the people. Each one of the participants had a passion to learn and the objective to get as much from the experience as they could within one weeks time. They didn’t have much time to feel self-conscious and they just jumped in without reservation. It was refreshing to see such appreciation. At the end of the workshop many of the participants faced the challenge of finding a place to continue their studies. Many of the participants wanted Dana to stay for a few months more and some even wanted him to stay for a few years! Dana has touched so many people along the trip and I feel very lucky to have witnessed a true cultural exchange.

I feel honored to have had this opportunity. I have such gratitude to all those who made the trip possible. This trip has been such an eye opener for me and I take away just as much as the participants. I’m reminded of all the resources available to me and reminded of my own search and hunger for knowledge.

We are just finishing our week of cruising down the Nile....it has been amazing!  The temples are breathtaking as are the views of the river's edge and desert.  After two weeks of work in Alexandria and Cairo, it has been nice taking a little vacation...though I think Dana and I are both very excited to head back to Cairo!

Today we toured the Aswan Dam which is quite impressive and the Temple Philae which is also of the Greek and Roman style. It sits inside the man-made lake created by the Dam. The setting is exquisite. It is dedicated to Isis; beauty and creation. No wonder Dora Angela Duncan changed her name to Isadora after the Goddess Isis! There is a smaller temple dedicated to Hathor the goddess of dance and music too. The whole complex was moved 200 meters stone by stone by UNESCO when the Dam was built to save it from flooding. On a side note, I have been so curious about crocodiles, so we also went to a Nubian Village so I could hold baby crocodiles. They are so amazingly quick! We toured a school as well as and took a class in basic Arabic. We return to Cairo for a day in order to see Nora Amin's one woman theatre production which has been getting great reviews!

We are continuing south up the Nile and stopped in the morning at the Temple of Edfu, farther south we stopped at Kom-Ombo a gorgeous temple dedicated to both Horus (the falcon headed god) as well as to the crocodile headed god. They are both Ptolemaic and show a fascinating East West combination of influences. We are overwhelmed by the gorgeous wall reliefs.

Spent the day touring the tombs in the Valley of the Kings and numerous temples. It is so hot here that being back on the boat is a great relief. I am writing from the deck while enjoying the tranquility of the Nile. My mind is filled with images of ancient dancers and postures which cover all the walls. I look forward to getting back to the studio to choreograph!

This evening was our closing show in Cairo. The audience was again very warm and very engaged. So many of the workshop participants attended that I found it most moving. There were participants from both Cairo and Alexandria in the audience! We have made many wonderful friends here in Egypt and we are so appreciative to the American Embassy in Cairo and the American Center in Alexandria. I believe that we have forged lasting ties between our Egyptian and our American communities. We hope to return very soon. I am off to Aswan and Luxor in one hour on a cruise to visit the ancient cities. I feel very artistically inspired! Stay tuned for more aboard a boat on the Nile. Dana

Wow! The opening night was a huge huge success. It was packed and people loved it! Nora Amin was such a great interpreter, project coordinator and moderator. So many hats to juggle and so well done! When I watch our dancers it is always quite moving for me. I am so happy to be in this rewarding field!

We just finished our last work shop at Samia' beautiful studio. I miss all our dance friends already. Katie, Sarah and Kelly did such great work and I am so proud of them. They are going on a Nile boat ride tonight to celebrate. They deserve it! I am going to have a hamburger and sleep! :)

Today is my last workshop in Egypt. Yesterday we worked with a wonderful group of young acting students at the Creativity Center in the Operahouse complex. They were so animated and I am sure they will grow to be successful actors. We focused on physical trust exercises and projecting focus through the body for stage.

We had a garden party at Samia's home yesterday, she is a wonderful dance studio owner and advocate for dance in Cairo. The Reda dancers even attended looking so chic and glamorous. They have such a warm spirit.

Today we finish another 3 hour workshop and begin to focus on performing again for our Friday and Saturday night shows.

I met Helen Lovejoy yesterday the Cultural Attache here who cares so much about art and works tirelessly to get the message out that we can build relations through art that will make our world a better place. Nimet and Lydia and Amed from the Embassy are so helpful to us each day and when I see the dedication in which they approach the arts I am so thankful. We have also met an energetic new friend here, Cathy Jazynka. She is the first secretary and asst Cultural Affairs Officer. Cathy has the incredible gift of making everyone she meets feel comfortable and she jumps in to speak with every artist we encounter. People love her! I wish I had half her charisma and energy!

We had the most amazing chance to work with the Reda Co. sponsored by the Ministry of Culture here in Cairo. They are a folkloric group. They were so open to learning modern dance and we had a really wonderful time for several hours. This was a wonderful experience and I hope to work with them again someday, it was so difficult to leave the studio tonight. We had such a special connection through movement.

From Kelly Moss Southall
Salem Aleikum!!  (Hello..how are you!!)
 
The trip has proven to be very exciting and educational thus far.  The group is back in Cairo after a 7 day trip to Alexandria.  Alexandria was a fascinating city...culturally very different from Cairo.  The first day of the workshop in Cairo went smoothly.  Dana is teaching a group of 20 individuals with backgrounds ranging from dance to theatre (as with the students in Alexandria).   Everyone is so enthusiastic!!  The company is happy to be back in Cairo....aside from the lack of sea air and 100 degree weather ;-)
 
After 11 days in Egypt...I think we are reaching a point of cultural understanding where we can function out and about with ease.  The currency/food is becoming more familar....as are interactions with Egyptians.  English is actually a fairly common language here....so communication hasn't been as stressful as anticipated.  Along the communication topic.....I think our bargaining skills have also improved.....the markets are amazing yet at times overwhelming....everything is very beautiful and over the top here....from jewelry to fabrics to various architectural styles to make-up.   We are enjoying it all!! 
 
I am looking forward to the coming week of classes with the Caironian students....our week comes to a close with Fri/Sat performances at one of the theatres at the Cairo Opera House.
 
Til next time....

We presented our lecture and performances yesterday evening at the alternative theatre space at the Jesuit Center called "the Garage" . The attendance was great; almost completely full! There was also a wonderful cross-section of older and younger audience members. The dancers all performed beautifully and really felt the audience's warm support.

Afterwards Justin Siberel, the Director of the American Center in Alexandria hosted a dinner in our honor at his home. His hospitality was incredible and we very much appreciate it! Not only did he invite us, he invited all of our workshop participants and many people from the arts community. Wonderful conversation and the sharing of ideas went on for hours. This event allowed for everyone to celebrate the closing of a very special week in Alexandria. We have met many new friends here and we are deeply respectful of the arts community here.

I am completely impressed by the diligent work of the American Center in building community and cross cultural understanding. Dance is a perfect medium in which to communicate here. In their allowing this arts project to occur, it reenforced my belief that modern dance has the capacity to bring different cultures together in the shared language of movement. This morning, the Jesuit Center which runs "the Garage" space has agreed to allow the workshop participants a weekly space in order to continue working under the direction of Nora Amin and I hope a dance group will grow out of this generosity. There is so much momentum around modern dance right now and this act of kindness will be very helpful to the arts community longterm. The duet I choreographed on two dancers, Mohamed Fouad and Khaled Elmasry, went so well that I decided to invite the work to be performed in Cairo this coming weekend as well! Our stay in Alexandria surpassed all expectations! A special thank you to the American Center and the Jesuit Center of the Jesuit Brothers' Cultural Association - Thank you Justin, Laila, Emad, Fouad, and Mabrook.

I am off to Cairo.

From Sarah Halzak
Today we finished our series of workshops in Alexandria, which seemed to be a great success.  What struck me most about the dancers was how hungry they were for information and knowledge, and how hard they worked to attain it.  When we go across the floor in American dance classes, often each group only goes once or twice and is content to be finished with an exercise after that.  However, these students wanted to do each sequence again and again so that they could execute it properly.  I really appreciated their enthusiasm.
 
Prior to the workshop, our translator Nora Amin took us to Montaza, an area of Alexandria full of lush gardens and lavish edifices that were once palaces (today they are hotels or private residences).  Situated right on the shores of the Mediterranean, it was a beautiful location.  The sea breeze and the sun were so relaxing, it practically made me want to skip the workshop and just lounge around all day!
 
One of the things I'll remember most about my time in Alexandria was a dance-theater performance we attended several days ago.  Rather than being set in a traditional theater, the work was performed in a run-down, vacant apartment building.  An artistic rendering of a hot dog as well as a top hat patterned with an American flag was hanging on the wall, and video footage of George W. Bush announcing we had accomplished our mission in Iraq was projected on another wall later in the performance.  What I found so interesting about this work was the fact that it was occurring thousands of miles from America and was performed by people with entirely different training in the arts, and yet it very closely resembled something I would see in Washington, D.C.  Sometimes the world is a smaller place than we think!  Also, it was fascinating to see how America and our foreign policy are perceived in other cultures.
 
I'm having a great time so far and am looking forward to returning to Cairo and getting a glimpse at their "dance scene!"

I am choreographing a very short duet for Egyptian dancers while I am here. They are very open to the process. The backgrounds of the dancers in Alexandria are physical theatre, street dancing, martial arts and traditional dance forms. So in class we are working on concepts of alignment and moving from the center of the body for efficiency. The problem here is that consistent training and larger access to modern dance does not exist. Several theatre projects are based here, but the consistency of movement, let alone daily modern dance training is not available. From what I can understand over the years very sporadic European improvisation/dance theatre workshops have occured. From America, Paul Taylor was here in the 70's and Ailey a couple years ago, but they were in Cairo, not Alexandria. They did not do comprehensive training workshops. I believe that a building interest in modern dance will allow Alexandria to create a movement group soon, but the question will be consistency and perseverance. I hope several people in our workshop will take the charge. The participants are each very interesting, engaged people. They are working very hard and change in movement and clarification of movement is already occurring. This experience has been really great for our company dancers as well. They are assisting with teaching class and it allows them to also think about their training and on a more personal level dialogue with dancers from another culture to exchange ideas.

The workshop went very well today. They are really improving! We are driving home now looking at the sun go down into the bay of Alexandria, a sight to behold.

This evening the company performed at the Library of Alexandria and I gave a lecture with Nora Amin on our work and our modern dance roots. There were some great questions, like how do we start a company out of dance projects and keep momentum going. The dancers did so well. It is really hard to wait in the wings for an hour before you go on. We are also loving working with our workshop participants. Right now we are talking about our experiences looking out on the Mediterranean!

This is the second day of our workshops in Alexandria. There are 18 participants, 15 men and 3 women. They have physical theatre backgrounds and some have movement backgrounds through European connections. I am setting a solo on two male participants to premiere Saturday. Tomorrow we present at the Library of Alexandria.The space is quite beautiful.

We're in Alexandria now. Thinking of making a new work here on dancers to add to our presentation. The harbor is amazing and my hotel overlooks it. More soon!

Katia , Sarah, Kelly and I are here in Egypt and the jet lag is intense. Maybe more so than when I went to China for some reason. It was a long day of travel, but when we arrived at our hotel, we were happy to see that our rooms are directly over the Nile. I am off to Alexandria today, so before starting work we went to the pyramid light show last night and the fabulous Egypt Museum in the day. Saw the King Tut artifacts which are breathtaking and the mummy room. The museum is very large and there were so many works that inspire images for new works.