25th October
The school annual variety show was last
night, so what did I learn from this event?
- It’s amazing what you can do when you think you can’t
- There are more parallels between Buddhism and Christianity than I realized
- My students really are sweet (actually, I knew this)
- The school captain could pursue
a career as a drag queen….
My home group student Ugyen Wangmo
has the sweetest voice
So when students started to ask me if they
could be “part of Madam’s English Dance”
I needed to respond with “tell me more”
Did anyone actually ask if there was such a
thing as “English dance” in the sense that the Bhutanese engage regularly in
their traditional dances; or did anyone think to ask me if I could
dance? Silly question.
I googled traditional English dances and
decided the moves were far too complicated for me and I did not have any
suitable music
So in due course I had a list of names and
consulted with 2 of my neighbour students spent a couple of hours sitting with
me and my IPad going through my collection on ITunes to decided what they might
like to dance to. They selected
Hobart band, The Innocents, song My Home Town.
So I attempted to convene a practice. Half the students were elsewhere
practicing something else. So I
told them to come and get me from the staff room when that practice was
finished. It was a bit like
herding cats.
Finally my colleague Zangmo suggested that
we divide the week between Hindi dance practice and English dance practice –
which worked reasonably and I had about 60% of the dancers at any one time as
there were assorted other practices as well. I did almost give up.
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| By the end of the night the small children were exhausted |
The boys decided they did not like my tune
and wanted to choose another and do something different. So another hour plus with ITunes and
they decided on We built this city and would develop their own
routine. That came to an absolute
standstill, so I did not pursue it.
I tried to show them some UTube clips but
intermittent 3G ……
And I do not have a great store of music
videoclips on my computer. In
fact, a very round number…..
I asked the girls to show me what they
could do – and they stood and looked at me self-consciously So I told them to dance as they
would if they were alone with the music.
One or two made an attempt to move. It was going to be a long haul.
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| Looking stunning as they line up for traditional dances |
Eventually they loosened up and by dint of
telling one, then another I liked their moves, we selected a whole lot of
random moves and put them together into a bit of a routine. Which we tried to practice with ever
changing numbers attending practice and a few who seemed to want to do their
own thing regardless.
Then on the Wednesday afternoon before the
show, classes were cancelled, I thought for practice, but it was a dress
rehearsal. AAHHRRGGHHH. We had not finished developing the
routine for the final part of the track.
So, sneaking out for practice before their
item was called, then more practice afterwards. Practicing on the basketball court, amongst fighting dogs
and small students playing chasings, in the late afternoon light with the
prayer wheel and river valley in the background, I had to photograph the
incongruity of the scene, with the girls in their school uniform – traditional
kira and taego, bobbing along to 70s style pop music from a Hobart band who
probably never dreamed their tunes would echo in places such as this.
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| The dakini, or fairies, stand by the god of death |
It was announced that staff dinner would be
served at the school at 5pm, before the show starting at 6pm. One is, of course, safe to assume that
BST (Bhutan Stretchable Time) will apply to all such timings.
As I was leaving after morning school on
Saturday, I was caught by one of my colleagues and a couple of my favorite students: could I help the boys get some video
clips onto one of “my” computers
(ie, those Bruce donated when he visited) for their skit.
No, they did not have the clips with them,
they were on the phone (illicit possession according to school rules) of a
friend – a day scholar. OK I would
come back at 4pm and assist. Be
prompt, no BST. Silly assumption
that this would be heeded.
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| Looking fabulous in her best hand woven kira |
In due course the required students were
convened in the one place and the phone produced. It took a bit of fiddling to work out how to get it to talk
to the computer, then I needed to edit one video clip so it was the correct
orientation.
I had told them to make sure all other
cables, extension cords, data projector etc were already organized. 1/3 is, I suppose, something.
So by about 5:20pm we had organized the
connection of all equipment and the logistics of how it would be put in place
and operated for the skit and safely moves away at other times.
By which time staff dinner was just about
ready to be served and Zangmo and I found a relatively clean piece of cement
wall on which to perch while we ate our dhal, rice, fresh beef (a rare luxury)
and bean datsi al fresco.
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| and looking fabulous dressed in his "plastics" dress |
But not before the vice principal had told
me how good he thought the English dance was during dress rehearsal, these
steps being something new to him, and what a good dancer I must be as
well. I confess to disillusioning
him and telling him the routine was a group effort with much input from the
girls.
By about 6:30pm people were in place and I
was invited to sit with the official group but elected to sit a little closer
to the computer in case they needed assistance at the last minute. It also put me closer for photography.
And close to a window I could open to
reduce the pervading smell of doma and perfume of one of my colleagues sitting
near by.
The huge benefit of sitting where I
was: my class captain, Namgang,
came to see if I was OK and was enjoying the show and to sit with me (or
rather, squat beside my chair) for a while, which was sweet of him, and my very
intense but very dear student Thinley came to sit beside me and interpret for
me, as the entire program was in Dzonkha.
This interpretation was particularly valuable for the play (which incorporated
the afore mentioned video clips) and featured the death of a holy man and a
farmer who had not led a blameless life and subsequent judgment by the god of
death of these 2 characters. The
case of the 2 characters was presented respectively by the white god and a
character dressed in black, who would take the spirit of the “bad man” to hell,
if that was the judgment.
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| wearing the dress of the people of Arunchel Praedesh |
The god of death held a mirror, in which
were reflected the deeds of each character as related by the white god and the
black one. The videoclips were to
portray what was seen in the mirror.
Quite cleverly thought out, but what other would I expect with Nima, my
highly gifted class 7 student, involved.
So the god of death was rather the Buddhist
equivalent of St Peter.
A delightful dance was performed by 4 boys,
with an important message about recycling, with costumes made from discarded
“plastic”, the term for anything non-perishable. The school captain, another Nima, was stunningly attired in a skirt of “plastic” strips, shoes
made from plastic drink bottles, and something designed to give him a bust line
to rival a Barbie doll. He could
definitely move and shake it all to match the look. He looked quite at home in the outfit and definitely as if
he was enjoying himself as he danced to the music.
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| Another fabulous kira worn by Tshering Pema, my landlord's daughter |
English dance finally came on, and despite
a false start (those playing the music forgot to count the girls in before
starting the music) the overall effect was not too bad.
If I got bored with the dancing, I could
always concentrate on what the students were wearing. For many dances, they had on their best kira, magnificent
pieces of work, which are saved for special occasions.
The program went until well after 9:30pm
and many of the younger students simply curled up where they were and went to
sleep. One had been asleep with her
head cradled by one of my class 7 girls for most of the evening.
All in all, quite an entertaining evening,
with much talent displayed, but was quite glad to get home and find a snack
before bed.
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