Company dancer Sarah Wroth takes us with her as she embarks with Boston Ballet on a week-long tour of Korea.



Friday, August 22, 2008

I would like to announce that I just wrote that the month is now November! This is perhaps the best indication of my mental state right now. Today was our last official rehearsal day before we leave for South Korea. We all tried to overcome our excitement and focus on our last chance to perfect our ballets before we leave. We are a team trying our best to synchronize our preparation efforts before the big game.

T minus 36 hours and counting and 52 Boston Ballet members will be off to South Korea. We will fly tomorrow evening to New York City and then, at 1am, we will spread out ballet wings and fly over six thousand miles away to perform. (This kind of puts that whole morning work commute into perspective.) The flight is over 14 hours long and for a ballet dancer, used to constant movement and physical activity; it is going to pose quite a challenge. I am bringing a thera band, my i-pod with basic Korean lessons, two good books, a neck pillow, ear plugs and have ordered my oh-so-attractive compression stockings for swelling just to be safe. Who knows if that will be enough to prevent some type of "Shining" -esque "shut-in" syndrome.

This trip is a big deal, not only in distance for Boston Ballet, but it is our chance to share and spread our American art with another country and completely different culture. For some of our newer company members this is their first ballet tour. It will be so interesting to be somewhere where you are noticeably different from everyone else. I could not be mistaken for a Korean lady as was the case in Spain. That fact alone will make our dancing a unique experience for all our audiences.

My stomach, even now as I sit here, is churning and my heart is racing thinking about the cultural, linguistic and artistic differences to come. Will they enjoy our production? Will they applaud after the show with raucous cheers or will they wait patiently till the music silences? Will I be able to order food or read signs? And probably most importantly, how will I ask where the bathroom is?

So many answers to come.... Off we go!

Our tour bus!

Monday, August 25

Mooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnddddddaaaaaay.....
That about sums up the length of it. For the Boston Ballet Korea Tour, Monday started as our plane left New York at 12:50am on August 24. We lost thirteen hours of our life that I hope I get back somewhere along the way. The flight was pretty smooth sailing. I must say, I lucked out as far as seating goes. Melissa Hough, Tempe Ostergren and I ended up in the exit row of our aircraft. We shared both the stressful task of ensuring the survival of our fellow passengers in the unlikely event of an emergency, and the absolute dancer joy of five feet of glorious legroom. As the 15-hour flight plugged along, dancers from all corners of the plane came to our little stretch area to try and break free from the creeping muscle cement that begins to form after hours in cramped quarters. I mentioned before that swelling is a huge issue for dancers and more than a few Boston Ballet-ers sported compression wrapped legs as we entered Seoul.

We arrived at the gorgeous Sheraton Walker Hill (our hotel) just in time for the complimentary continental breakfast. I tried a traditional Korean Rice Porridge which tastes a bit like chicken soup with rice that has been cooked a very long time. It was much tastier than the Green Tea Porridge we received on the plane (this tasted like green tea...oddly enough). After breakfast, the company spread to the four winds. Some dancers went to bed, especially those whose night was spent trying to find a comfortable position, neck dangling, to fall asleep in. Most took advantage of the bright, beautiful sunlight. I walked down the long hill to the fitness center after breakfast to try and shake loose the jet lag with some light cardio work. It was then that I realized something; I am an honest-to-goodness foreigner. Not only is it my look that screams "NOT FROM AROUND HERE!" but I am illiterate, unable to even work the buttons on the gym equipment. I am helpless at every task I undertake unless some extremely patient savior points me in the right direction.


Heather Myers, Kathleen Breen Combes, John Lam, Yury Yanowsky, and Dalay Parrondo at the food court.


Nelson Madrigal and Lorna Feijoo mastering chopsticks!

Boyko Dossev trying some baby octopus!

The great thing about Korea so far, is that it seems these guardian angels are strategically placed all around looking carefully after all the lost tourists. Virtually every group of Seoul explorers I talked to had some story of a random act of kindness by some Korean stranger. Heather Waymack and I wanted to start the tour off right and take the subway to a historical shrine located in the North end of the downtown area. Once our shuttle dropped us off at the intersection designated for taking the subway on my trusty map, we roamed in circles for 15 minutes until we finally found the entrance next to a huge ten story mall called Techno Mart.

We walked past roasted corn on the cob vendors and rows of pastry that smelled like carnival funnel cakes. Inside people were walking briskly in every direction and, as Heather and I hadn't yet figured out the walking traffic patterns, we kept bumping strangers accidentally. As we tried to figure out how to put paper money in a change-only machine, a young lady walked up to us and asked us if we needed any help. Of course, because I am a paranoid freak, I clutched my purse tightly for fear of a purse snatch. My fears were a waste of energy. She walked us to the ticket counter and taught us how to look up and declare what fare we should pay for our ticket. She even walked us to the ticket-taking machine and helped us put the ticket through properly. After making sure we were safely through, she scurried outside to meet her family members who had been waiting patiently for her since the whole saving-process began. I couldn't help but wonder, as I rode the train into the new city adventures to come, how many people have "irritated" me in Boston because they didn't understand, didn’t know where they were, or couldn't read the signs, and how many will be helped as Boston Ballet dancers pay forward the random kindnesses received here.

NOW FOR THE BALLET NEWS: We had an optional ballet class this evening at the studios of the Universal Ballet Company and, as a testament to the small nature of the ballet world, accidentally ran into Eldar Aliev (former artistic staff member of Boston Ballet) on his way into the theater to judge a dance competition. It was good to see our old teacher again and I think he was excited to see our faces again as well. Tomorrow's class will be held much farther away at our first performance venue.

Now I sleep....IN A BED! Horizontally! First time since Friday night! I hope the dreams are sweet....and in English.

Tuesday, August 26

Guidelines for Korean Survival Thus Far
(Probably more to come)

1) As a pedestrian, pass right shoulder to right shoulder. As a driver, pass left door to left door.
2) Decrease your personal space necessity by 17.5 inches.
3) Don't try and order skim milk... ever.
4) When standing in line is involved, be direct and aggressive and hold your ground.
5) If you are lost, look American.
6) If you crave American cuisine, Bo Busby says take the metro to "Americatown"
7) If you are a dancer, stretching randomly in public places is no longer acceptable.
8) Never serve yourself rice with your chopsticks because it is a bad omen.
9) For peace go to a temple, for stress go to a flea market.
10) Don't make aggressive eye contact with strangers; especially with men if you are a lady.
11) If Boston traffic jams get you down, be thankful one third of the US population doesn't live there.
12) If Korean traffic jams get you down, take a nap.
13) Don't forget your camera because every new experience here is worth remembering.
14) Ballet is jet lag's worst enemy and vice versa!

Carlos Molina, Erica Cornejo, and Robert Kretz outside the Aram Opera House.



Wednesday, August 26

Last night was a HUGE triumph. It all began after optional class on the biggest stage I have ever danced on in my entire life. (To give you some idea of the size, almost the whole company took class upstage* on about 10000 sq ft of floating Marley,** while the tech guys worked downstage*** on the section of stage we would actually be using to perform… REDICULOUS! )

Deciding where to eat dinner on tour is ALWAYS an issue. Getting back to the hotel late at night usually leaves little options as far as dining experiences. Last night, Class ended early and I was determined to make up for my tragic Monday night food-ordering disaster. (Please note: simply pointing at something in Korea that looks delicious is NO indication of how spicy it could possibly be).

I still had no definite plan when Krista Ettlinger, with her always-excited, pre-21 face, invited me to dine with herself and Josephine Pra. Their plan was right on the money; a determination to enjoy traditional Korean fare. We decided to meet in the lobby. A light bulb flashed in my brain and I asked the man behind the hotel service desk if he knew of a place where vegetarians and meat eaters could eat together in harmony. After a flurry of phone inquiries he sent us on our way. “Would you like Shabu Shabu?” he asked. My heart leapt! It was something I recognized. Shabu Shabu is the traditional Korean service where either meat or seafood is ordered and is cooked (usually by yourself in the USA) in a large boiling pot of broth in the middle of the table.


Sabi Varga, Josephine Pra, Krista Ettlinger and Jared Redick.

When we arrived, we were overjoyed that the manager spoke and understood a little English. He was so patient and wonderful with us. Even after we made a horrible error and started to cook the meal ourselves, which apparently there is a specific order of operations to do, he was kind enough to rush over and cook our entire meal for us. We had every kind of seafood from scallops to squid and more beef than even Bo Busby, Sir Bottomless Pit, could handle. The vegetables and tofu bits were endless, all cooked to delectable perfection. It was truly an astounding amount of food, and we ate until we were full of good broth, conversation and traditional Korean blackberry wine.We took a late shuttle home to the hotel and I was so excited to share the location of this wonderful dining experience with anyone who would listen.

Today we have two dress rehearsals on the gargantuan stage and we will do out best to fill all the space with our Boston energy and balletic pride. Gotta go shower and catch the bus!

*upstage- the area towards the back of the stage as you are looking at it from the audience. Term coined from old raked stages that sloped up to down towards the audience.
***downstage: the area of the stage closest to the audience.**floating Marley: sometimes on tour, the stages are not sprung for jumping on, so the crew has to literally puts down a floating (sprung) floor on top of the existing one so that the dancers are not injured when they perform.

Trinidad Vives, Pino Alosa, Mikko Nissinen and Shannon Parsley outside the Aram Opera House.

The Aram Opera House where we will perform!

Thursday, August 28

Pre Show Gitters

It is about 5:30pm here in Korea, and while my loved ones are still fast asleep on America’s east coast, I am sitting here in the dressing room as awake as I can possibly be. All my muscles are ticking, waiting excitedly as the seconds pass until we perform. After what seems like months rehearsing, we are performing for an audience again. This is our high, our life elixir that keeps us going through pain and strain each day, and, best of all, it is our first chance to share our craft with the audiences here. I hope they love us. I hope. I hope. I hope.


Rie Ichikawa and Boyko Dossev on stage


Sabi Varga posing with a Boston Ballet poster.

We had an hour and a half of rehearsal already today and everyone else is over at the LOTTE mart eating dinner. The LOTTE mart has been our food savior during dinner breaks this tour. It is a huge supermarket with tons of free samples (fellow Whole Food-ers, you know we love that!) Every day now, at about 4pm, it gets bombarded with hungry dancers, a population, I might add, that's hungrier than most. The company roams the store looking curiously at labels, picking stuff up cautiously, and using a lot of grunts and hand gestures. (all that ballet mime comes in handy! :) ) We all stock up on the most interesting concoctions and combinations of food to satisfy our pre-show fueling and our post-show starvation. Today I came away with two bottles of drinkable yogurt, a bowl of pre-made rice and beans (haven't opened that one yet), two nectarines, a container of that fake pink crabmeat stuff, an organic carrot the size of a baseball bat, some drink that I think is a Gatorade nock-off, and a bag of rice cakelets. MMMMMM interesting? We'll see.


Tonight is the night, wish us luck (thirteen hours ago, hope you did already). We embark on our journey away from foggy jet-lag and into the sweet breeze of performing. I can't wait to see how it all goes.


The company on stage at the Aram Opera House.

 

Friday, August 29

Very late in the evening.

I HATE COMPUTERS!!!!! That is right, this day and age, this the era of computers, I, a rather young person, am stating that I HATE COMPUTERS! I don’t get them, they don't get me, we are just not meant to have that sort of love connection. I just spent the last hour of my life writing things to you, maybe not so eloquent, maybe a little chuckle-worthy at times but certainly worth NOT accidentally deleting! FUDGE!

Anywhoodle, I am going to try and "recapture the magic" as it were of that dearly departed entry.

Last night's show was all in all a joyful experience. Three Masterpieces was well received by the Korean audiences that hooted and hollered a lot more than I think any of us expected. Concerto Barocco, a George Balanchine ballet, and first on the program, made me fly. I truly loved performing it. Our hair was done, our make-up was on, and all eyes were on us with beautiful steps to dance and beautiful music playing. What more could a group of girls want? There is so much good technique in Barocco too. It allows the dancer to improve and refine while onstage having a good time for the audience. The second piece on the program, Polyphonia, was choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. I tried to watch as many of its intricate dances as I could while I prepared for In the Upper Room. Trinidad Vives, who set Polyphonia, said this morning at breakfast that is was beautifully executed by all eight dancers involved. The final piece, In the Upper Room by Twyla Tharp, was also successfully performed. There were a couple of spots that could have gone better, but I think the whole spectacular will build and build in greatness ‘til its Sunday evening climax with our final performance.

Today was a shopping day for most of the company. After all, who wouldn't love to hear, upon returning to the states, "OOOH! I love that! Where can I get one?" knowing you can follow the question with, "You can't. I got it in Korea!" I skipped the major shopping for today and went on a guided tour of the Jogge temple and Gyeongbok Palace. I took my shoes off as I entered the temple and was awe-struck by the women and men crowded around three golden statues of Buddha. They would kneel and stand repeatedly without breaking concentration from the praying task at hand. No nonsense, just prayer. I was lucky enough to have a guide patient enough to answer my million questions. I found out that the true Buddhist believer tries to pray (kneel and stand) 108 times a day to pray for the 108 agonies it is believed every life holds. Walking the grounds of the palace made me realize yet again what a "teenager" of a country the US really is. The palace had a changing of the guard ceremony that we were able to observe at a distance. It actually really resembled the changing in London with a bit more Koreans and a lot more drums. After the tour, I picked up some quick souvenirs for my family before going back to the hotel for a much needed nap.

This evening we had a very low key dress rehearsal in our new theater for the rest of the tour. The new theater is the home of the Universal Ballet a company founded by Reverend Sun Mjung Moon of the "moonies" group in the US, and is beautifully decorated with just the right bits of oriental flair. The curtain itself is a beautiful Oriental floral pattern that is so large it makes me hold my breath.

Tomorrow we have two performances, and I have been icing my foot in the hotel ice bucket since my whole computer adventure began. My toes are a little off color. By the way, ice buckets are definitely not designed for feet. My calf is cramping from my awkward foot position, and I have spilled three times. Not my night. Really. Oh well, tomorrow I perform again. ‘Nite for now.

A weary Saturday, August 30 NEW!

"Today is the hardest day," said Mikko Nissinen, our Artistic Director, just before he started teaching our warm-up class this afternoon. We had two shows today. One was at 3 pm and one was at 7:30pm. Both shows were received really well by the audiences and I heard that we got a really good review on the Korean news. I enjoyed both performances, but I must admit I felt a little tired towards the end of the second show. It is a bad situation too for me because I get so hypercritical of myself and my dancing when I am tired. No matter what, don’t' get me wrong, when I am onstage it is the time of my life, but sometimes as soon as I come offstage, I crumble in a heap of thought where I begin to analyze every step I took. The problem is, like too often in life, sometimes my mind only chooses to remember the bad things; the little hops or bobbles that are so small compared to the big picture but for some obnoxious reason, so huge in my brain. I, we, should always remember the joy. That's what performing is all about anyway, a shared passion with the audience. I really am too hard on myself sometimes when I perform. Tomorrow, after this sweet night's sleep, it will be a brand new day and I will be a much sweeter ballerina.

I can't believe tomorrow is our last day in Korea. We have a 4pm show, and I think I am going to try and do some last minute shopping tomorrow morning if I have a little time. We'll see how tomorrow looks when I am in it. Tomorrow evening, all the dancers are invited to a celebratory cocktail party at the W Hotel (uuber fancy... uuuber!). W hotels are known for their unique architecture and interior design. I am really excited; I heard that the bathrooms there are really something to see.

I'll let you know tomorrow...then it's home again, home again, jiggity jog.

Monday, September 1

The Official Longest Travel Day.

Korea cried because we left. We saw the rain for the first time this morning all week as we staggered to the bus from various Sunday night expeditions. Yesterday was a day of normalcy for almost the whole company. It was the first morning a lot of dancers woke up feeling normal, jet-lag free, and ready for the day (the last day of course). Everybody went shopping in the morning, making the last effort to spend any changed Won and cover Korean gifts for all the moms, dads, and significants back home. I finally was able to find something for my dad and my Rob. Why is shopping for the opposite sex always the hardest?

Class was at 12:45pm. It was our last class at the Universal Ballet facility, a beautiful building, but nothing compared to the windowed wonder of the Boston Ballet studios. It will be so good to be home again. The show at 4pm went well overall, spirits were high. My personal performance felt joyful but moderately out of body. The US Ambassador to Korea, a Boston native, and his wife said they enjoyed the show immensely and even took time to pose with us in a post-Upper Room (rather sweaty) photo-op. After shows on tour there have always been two busses, one that leaves right after Polyphonia to take an early group back to the hotel, and one that leaves after In the Upper Room. Yesterday, show complete and all the theater cases packed for shipping, we all found interesting ways of passing time until the late bus arrived. Sabi, one of our resident photographers, took so many fun pictures of the antsy company members. We jumped alone and in groups, played bored, did a little Les Noces rendition and even played dead in a literal "corpse" de ballet pose.

Our final and only night out of the tour placed a definite stamp of quality on our Korean experience. We started the evening with a fancy cocktail party at the W Hotel. We were introduced to Korea's most famous TV personality. He gave a comical speech thanking us for the tour and introduced Mikko, who presented our wonder hosts with two thank you presents. Once the clean lines and white W poshness made us feel ritzier than we ever thought possible, those willing (myself included) went out for a night on the town. One of our hosts, Haan, concocted a whole organized adventure for us. He even did a headcount and a pre-taxi roll call. We were an American mass all set to invade the dance floors of Seoul. Haan paired three Boston Ballet-ers with one Korean and set us off in a cab to a club called The Circle. We passed tons of new car stores and electronic hubs. My group's escort Derek even showed us an entire mini town funded by Sony. He is a student of interior design in New York City but has returned to Seoul for his mandatory military training. He will be on call for military action for the next two years. This is the case for all male citizens of Korea.

The first club that we tried was closed, but the whole team, after a second adorable roll call by Haan, moved on to our final destination, a dance club called Mass. I have been hearing about the Korean night life all week from some of the boys who have ventured out of the hotel into the sea of neon signs by themselves, and I was so excited to have my own fun. Limbs flew as we all stormed the dance floor. Hair was let down; heels were kicked; it was as though someone had flipped our classical ballet coin over revealing an unknown wild side. It was so interesting how little the Korean people move when they dance. Granted ballet dancers move more than most, but we couldn't help feeling flamboyant compared to the quiet Koreans rocking to the beat. Derek said it was only after visiting New York he and his sister Erica started to bounce wildly around Seoul's dance floors. Robbie Kretz told me that at one of the clubs they visited earlier in the week they weren't sure if the stages (a popular dancing spot in American clubs) were permissible dance spaces in Korea. He said he went up on stage and after he was safely not kicked off Bo, Paul, and Tanner joined him. That set the ball rolling for all the new Korean club dancers they met that evening to join them.

When I had hopped around enough and my calves began to cramp, I checked my watch. It was 1:15am and responsibility to pack at least a little bit before our 7:15 am departure was pulling me back to the hotel. Being the leader for the evening, Haan once again organized a cab home for everyone. I got back to my hotel room and tried to pack a weeks worth of living in some semi organized fashion without making a sound. Brad, my sweet roommate, was fast asleep. It was truly a remarkable undertaking. I tried to stretch as much as possible before sleep overtook me knowing I would be spending 21 hours traveling home today.

We all flew back on two separate flights this time. The crew and the corps de ballet flew back through Washington D.C. while principals, soloists and artistic staff flew through New York City. Did I mind the change? NOPE! I got to see my mother! I called her to let her know I was safely on American soil and she said she would drive over to the airport and spend some quality layover time with me. We hugged, and visited and it was my first sweet taste of homecoming. We called my dad (who was working) and my sister Mary (who was unconscious). The family was all together!

I'm not sure yet what I thought of Korea. I feel like it is all some hazy dream that still needs clarification in my mind. We will all roll into work on Thursday saying, "Did that really happen?" It was a culture with a history I feel I got only a glimpse of and this trip only whet my appetite for more opportunities to explore the beautiful sights and people there. I especially hope for more opportunities in the future to share Boston Ballet with the unsuspecting rest of the world. Each new city we see is such a gift for us as artists and we, as a company, are (I can only hope) such a gift to each new city in which we dance.

‘Til the next trip.
Yours Truly,

Sarah Wroth

PS: Come see us in Cinderella!

See more pictures from the tour!

More about the Korea Tour

All photos by Elizabeth Olds