The International Folk Dance Ensemble arrived in Farmington, NM on April 28. The team had the opportunity to visit the 'Aztec Ruins' of the Anasazi people and to walk where ceremonies would have taken place.
The dancers were eager to perform for their first audience, a crowd of nearly 800. The team set to work immediately in setting up the stage and organizing costumes for the quick changes required during the show. Every square inch of the venue was used, and every member of the audience was well entertained. One audience member expressed the sentiments of many others when she said, 'That was the best show that had ever come to Farmington.'
On Sunday the team attended church and later that evening returned to the stake center for a fireside. Youth from three stakes listened attentively to choir numbers, band performances, and personal family stories centered on the theme of 'divine gifts.' There were many tender moments of personal interaction with the congregation, who had been touched by word and song.
Next, the group moved on to Alamogordo, NM. Jeanette Geslison (Artistic Director) and Ron Nuttall (Dance Trainer) took several students to conduct a workshop on dancer health for 30 young ballet students at the Academy of Ballet. After the discussion, Ukrainian, Irish, Hungarian, and Indian Bollywood dances were taught to the students. One of the ballet students commented, 'I've always wanted to learn how to Irish dance...I really appreciated the variety I learned tonight.'
The next day began with a matinee performance for school children. Several schools (including some home school groups) brought over 250 children to be introduced to the world of international folk dancing. A lasting impression was made by the dances from Mexico, which could hardly be heard over the cheers of 'Eso!'
The evening performance filled the Flickinger Center with an enthusiastic crowd. Season ticket holders expressed their delight with the 'beautiful and talented' young people and were especially impressed with their stamina for such a rigorous energetic show. At least one family in the audience had traveled from Mexico just for the show while other audience members were so inspired that they kept the dancing going in the aisles during intermission.
The team's last morning in Alamogordo was spent enjoying the White Sands National Park. Back flips, energetic choreography, and high tosses into the air are a trademark of this group and even the group's artistic director joined in the fun, being tossed high into the air over a sandy bench.
The group then traveled to downtown El Paso, TX, for their next exciting performance at the Abraham Chavez Theatre. The audience's favorite part of the performance was clearly the Jalisco portion of Mexican dances which brought cheers so loud that they nearly drowned out the music. Several members of the troupe had family in the audience. One of the dancers achieved a lifelong dream by performing in his hometown of El Paso with his proud parents in the crowd. Not to be left out of the excitment, one season ticket holder stopped by the tech table to share that, 'this was her favorite show at this theater.'
Source: Performing Arts Management