At home the day after X-mas I get a message on my cell phone from Suhaila who’s down in L.A., “Just calling to check in, I hope the gig on Christmas went well…and OK, so make sure you’re in plenty of time before you teach class, get some one to do sign in for you so that you don’t have to worry about that. Oh by the way I’m sending you to India, for real.” So after much disbelief and two weeks later I find myself on a 22-hour flight on my way to perform at the Miss India contest. From San Francisco, to New York, to Frankfurt and lastly Mumbai (Bombay).

Considering that I am traveling with a wild bunch of fellow dancers, two pyromaniac fire artists, a whirling dervish and a contortionist the flight was smooth, relatively uneventful and we arrived in Mumbai safely. There we were greeted by our host and a bus which took us to our opulent hotel.The next morning all was in a daze, there was entirely too much to take in; our hotel, food, press, views, smells, sounds (honking horns mostly), cows!

I’m not a novice traveler but this was really something else.Before I had time to digest any of it we were off on another plane to Hyderabad the silicon valley of India and the city where the Miss India contest would be held. From this point on our work began. Our days were spent traveling to and from the venue and rehearsing, but of course we
did get enough shopping time in to vastly improve the Indian economy.

On the evening of our performance we arrived at the venue and saw it in a whole new light, literally. During the days the outdoor stage had looked stark and naked apart from the bamboo scaffolding which looked about as stable as a garden lattice, but apparently had the strength to hold up painters and construction workers…at the same time. Now at nighttime the stage had a lustrous glimmer and shine. Lights were bouncing off of it from every angle and cameras were rigged all around. A mass of people sprawled out as far we could see from the stage. The show was a thrill, as was weaving out of contestants, and Indian pop stars backstage.

Our first number was a sleek sword dance performed to a fresh R&B beat with nay overlay. From watching the local TV and Indian MTV I knew that the crowd would appreciate this strange but beautiful fusion: hip work, rhythm, balance, splits and flutes. From the first number we picked up the pace with the whirling dervish number. An act where Greg Angelo whirls with a layers of skirts representing the galaxy and four of us dancing on the side as celestial beings. If anyone missed the symbolism, the speed, the complex choreography and the sheer acrobatics involved would keep them entertained.

After a quick change and dodging stagehands and obeying stage managers we made it to the stage for the second number, a literally hot piece behind the fire artist. Our dynamics matched the song we performed to, a Rai-rock by Rachid Taha. Lastly but certainly not the least was the number with the contortionist. Sprawled out around his platform we did a choreography we call the Kama Sutra… Well there is really no way to describe it other than beautiful sculpture in motion tastefully inspired by Indian art and gestures. When it was choreographed I don’t think Suhaila ever dreamed that it would actually be performed in India.

I must say we all found it kind of amusing, we were even a little nervous as to how it would be received. Our comfort was the fact that the producers had already seen the video on tape, and once we heard the response of the crowd we couldn’t have been more delighted.On the flight back (which was 26 hours) I had plenty of time to think of my trip, which had been so incredibly rich. Not only had it been culturally and visually amazing, it was also a great experience as a dancer and as a member of a company. The trip was truly a test not only of our dance abilities but also on our ability to communicate and work together in a group. Not only did we meet the challenge, we also fortified our relationships and had a great time.