TCKs are like family

TCK Meetup during the Annual Dumpling Festival 2011

I've been co-event organizer for the New York City Third Culture Kids Meetup group for a couple years now and loving how I've forged really good friendships through the group especially the other organizers (Hi Aradhana & Eddie!).

I haven't written much about the group because I've been busy organizing events and coming up with ideas for the next meetups as they have been varied from formal discussions to picnic in Central Park (we just had our 2nd annual picnic!) to also promoting Chameleon to TCKs and booking performance gigs for A.H. Dance Company to perform Chameleon in different cities (and my other jobs as well!)... time seems to be limited.

I'm a member of several organizations and meetup groups but the one that has seemed to make it onto my social calendar is a TCK meetup. The biggest reason is that I really like meeting TCKs and connecting with them on the level that my non-TCK friends (I have plenty of non-TCK friends) seem to overlook or just don't understand.

TCK Picnic in Central Park 2011

TCK Picnic in Central Park 2012; Photo Credit: Aradhana Hinds

These meetups are super fun and sometimes we have a HUGE turnout and other times, its not as big. Most important of all, we create a warm environment to include TCKs and non-TCKs alike.

TCK Picnic in Central Park 2012; Photo Credit: Eddie Nwabuoku

I meet a lot of TCKs and especially the past few years since performing and touring Chameleon to different cities. I always try to meet up with the local based TCKs. I think its because I need to find my grounding and get the inside scoop on what the city has to offer from the TCK standpoint of view. I'm friends with a lot of TCK/Expat folks in the research world and the online communities so its always nice to put a face to the online persona. In TCK terminology, I'm what you would call a "screamer" but I didn't use to be this way.

We are setting up a TCK Summer book club and our first book is Ruth Van Reken's "Letters Never Sent". I am reminded by her letters the private journals I kept chronicling my very frustration for not "fitting in" or that "no one understood me" and that I would always be alone, etc. It came from a deep dark place of depression and anxiety that left me extremely troubled. Finding out that there are others similar to me, I sought out to find TCKs through Livejournal (before all the social media we use today) and through my universities' online message boards to find local TCKs. I then used my artistic creative talents to make a production based on my story and other TCKs stories using dance and film as my senior project. Years after that, TCKid, Facebook, Denizen, highly visible famous TCKs, and more publications on TCKs surfaced and I went back to the ideas, literature, and production elements to create Chameleon.

It has been a cathartic process for me. I'm also helping a lot of TCKs through the project and making lots of TCK friends. I am very grateful for all of those who I've met through Chameleon and through the Meetup group. My family is many thousands of miles away and to have a TCK family here is just priceless.

- Alaine

Chameleon performance this Sat @ Dance Conversations at The Flea Theater

 Photo Credit: Mei Chen Lioe




A 15 min. excerpt of Chameleon, the Experiences of Global Citizens will be presented during Dance Conversations @ The Flea Theater on March 24th at 7 pm

Chameleon, the Experiences of Global Citizens
Choreographed by Alaine Handa
Performed by A.H. Dance Company


For more information about the festival: http://www.theflea.org/show_detail.php?page_type=0&page_id=3&show_id=106


About Dance Conversations @ The Flea

Curated by Nina Winthrop & Taimi Strehlow
Dance Conversations @ The Flea is a FREE film, performance & discussion festival.


2012 Festival Schedule:


Films Playing in the Lobby
Nobody’s Darling by Marta Renzi
Seven Fruits by Pyeunghun Baik

Thursday, March 22 @ 7pm
Moderated by Gina Gibney
Jessica Ray
Movement of the People Dance Company
Vangeline
Megan Sipe

Friday, March 23 @ 7pm
Moderated by Carol Ostrow
Molissa Fenley
Maggie Bennett
Caliince Dance
binbinFactory

Saturday, March 24 @ 7pm
Moderated by Pele Bauch
Alaine Handa/A.H. Dance Company
David Appel
Beau Hancock
Talya Epstein

Sunday, March 25 @ 3pm
Moderated by Jonah Bokaer
Peggy and Murray Schwartz celebrate Pearl Primus
Luke Murphy
BARKIN/SELISSEN PROJECT
Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company

Free Performance this week in DUMBO, Brooklyn as part of the CoolNY 2012 Festival! 

Last year, we performed a 10 min. excerpt of Chameleon at the same festival and received beautiful pictures that we used in our publicity materials all year. We performed Ivi's solo (for the last time :-(  - We miss you Ivi! Hope you're having a blast in Grad school & enjoying London!) and unveiled Tsubasa and Laura's duet that was originally a solo performed by Yoonjung.

I hope you will join us this week for another excerpt of Chameleon titled "Converge" and its the big group section with a fusion of dance styles ranging from Flamenco, Balinese, Postmodern dance, Japanese folk dance, and as always all the stories my current dancers bring to the piece!
This piece seems to evolve by the locations (professional theaters, dance studios, outdoor stage, community centers, gyms, and a cafeteria!), cast (we've understudied each other's parts, substituted, and performed it in so many times in different settings), lighting (or no lighting), with and without projection! hahaha...


Here are the details for this week!
CoolNY 2012 FESTIVAL
Program E
Feb. 2, 2012 & Feb. 4, 2012
7-8:30 pm
White Wave JOHN RYAN THEATRE, 25 Jay Street, DUMBO, BROOKLYN

Directions: F train to York Street (1st stop in Brooklyn!)
Here's a map!




View Larger Map


Some of the pics from last year's festival!
Photo Credit: Yi Chun Wu

New video posted from Toronto Fringe 2011!

I'm finally getting around to posting some video footage highlights from Toronto Fringe last summer! Here's Lauren & Tsubasa's duet to TCK Nikki's story about her experience of growing up in Japan and hanging out with other children of a different culture but embracing that culture as her own.





Choreography by Alaine Handa in collaboration with the dancers
Dancers: Lauren Calzolaio, Tsubasa Ogawa
Film: "I am a TCK" directed/produced by Alaine Handa, Film editing by Nicholas Fox & Alaine Handa; Nikki Felt appears in this film clip

For more information about A.H. Dance Company please visit http://www.ahdancecompany.com 

Happy New Year!

May your 2012 be filled with creativity, good health, laughter, and happiness!

Another birthday followed by the holiday season, and another New Year's... it seems like Nov.-Jan. is a whirlwind every year and I get sucked into it then immediately spit out suddenly by mid-Jan.

I have lots of travel plans for 2012 and hopefully some of those travel plans also include A.H. Dance Company performances and workshops....

First up for 2012 is the APAP weekend (for those not-in-the-know... it is the Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference this weekend) and we are showcasing with Jodi Kaplan's Booking Dance at the prestigious Ailey Citigroup Theatre in the Alvin Ailey Dance Centre right in Midtown/Hell's Kitchen. This is our third APAP and a different venue for us this time. There's quite the lineup of artists showcasing at the same venue so hope you can check it out! 


Speaking of APAP - we would like to extend the invite to you (our loyal readers!) to come see our 20 minute showcase. We will be presenting a 20 min. excerpt of Chameleon, the Experiences of Global Citizens 

You're invited to a party this weekend!

Photography by Alicia Kurniawan

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and digested your meals because.... A.H. Dance Company is turning 4!

Artistic Director, Alaine Handa just turned 28!

Its a triple birthday because AHDC dancer, Anne Versluis is turning 28!!!!
Many reasons to celebrate...

Most importantly, its that time of year again when we give thanks to all our wonderful supporters by throwing everyone a party at our favorite bar.

Pair that with fabulous raffle prizes, mini performances, drink specials, birthday cake, performance footage from Toronto, and great company...!

Location: Stone Creek Bar, 140 E. 27th Street, New York, NY 10016 (East 27th street between Lexington ave and Third ave)
6 train to 28th street
M23 to Lexington
M103 to 27th street

7:30-11 pm

Come early and do some holiday shopping with a Stella and Dot stylist, Katherine Clay www.stelladot.com/katherineclay
7:30-8:30 pm Stella and Dot Trunk Show!

Performances: a capella music by Human Drum Machine & friends, Howie Solo, A.H. Dance Company & surprise guests

$15 min. get you 5 raffle tickets, $20 gets you 10 raffle tickets! (You choose which prizes you'd like to win!)
Cash or check at the door, Advance Paypal tickets are also accepted

Raffle prizes:
Brooklyn Brewery http://www.brooklynbrewery.com/
Chelsea Piers http://www.chelseapiers.com/
The Luxury Spot http://www.theluxuryspot.com/
Aqualia Spa http://www.aqualiaspa.com/
Beautiful Faces http://alainemakeupartist.blogspot.com/
Jivamukti Yoga http://www.jivamuktiyoga.com/
Dance of my Hands http://symmetryofgrace.blogspot.com/
Stella and Dot - Katherine Clay http://www.stelladot.com/katherineclay
Flamenco con Magdalena - http://www.flamenco-con-magdalena.com/
Everyday Crochet by Doris Chan - http://dorischancrochet.com/


More to come!



*** If for some reason, you can't make it to the party (shame on you! but I understand... location, schedule conflicts, etc.) - you can still help A.H. Dance Company by donating any amount (no amount is too small and every cent and dollar will go towards dancer stipends, production costs (costumes, rehearsal space, publicity), touring costs, etc.

By donating to A.H. Dance Company your fully tax-deductible donation will go directly to artist salaries, production costs and the creation of new work. Give now, and see the benefits of your contributions in our upcoming performances.

A.H. Dance Co. is a non profit arts organization functioning under the fiscal sponsor of The Solo Foundation, Inc. The Solo Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non profit arts organization that acts as an umbrella to small artist groups in the New York area.

All donations made to The Solo Foundation earmarked for Alaine Handa and Dancers is fully tax deductible by full extent of the law. For more information about The Solo Foundation please email Howard Seligman at howiesolo@yahoo.com

Checks can be mailed directly to The Solo Foundation at 15 W. 28th Street, RM 7A, New York, NY 10001

Photography by Mei Chen Lioe

Happy Thanksgiving & A Holiday Party invitation

As the holidays approach, I'm overwhelmed by the sense of community that I've created here in New York. My extended New York family of friends, distant relatives, colleagues, performers, artists, and even my students at the schools I teach. I've created a network and its ever-expanding to reach more and more people.
I'm finding it very difficult to leave this place because I spent the last 7 years of my post-college working young adult life here. Perhaps this is what our TCK parents feel when they set up their job, family, and physical home. How do you pause everything for a career move or in my case, move to be closer to family for a while and hope that when I come back I can pick up wherever I left off. How do I continue my career while in a different location where opportunities are even fewer and not the right match for me?

With that said, I'm very thankful for the life I'm leading here in New York and I have my community to thank as well as my family. My birthday is this Sunday, and this will be the 10th birthday here in the States, I cannot believe that 10 years has passed.

I would like to cordially invite you to A.H. Dance Company's Holiday Fundraiser/ my 28th Birthday party on Dec. 3rd. Details below....

- Alaine


Its that time of year again when we give thanks to all our wonderful supporters by throwing everyone a party at our favorite bar, Stone Creek Bar, 140 E. 27th St, New York, NY

Pair that with fabulous raffle prizes, mini performances, drink specials, bake sale, birthday cake, performance footage from Toronto, and great company...!

Come early and do some holiday shopping with a Stella and Dot stylist, Katherine Clay! www.stelladot.com/katherineclay
7:30-8:30 pm Stella and Dot Trunk Show!

Performances: a capella music by Human Drum Machine & friends, A.H. Dance Company

$15 min. get you 5 raffle tickets, $20 gets you 10 raffle tickets!

Raffle prizes:
Brooklyn Brewery http://www.brooklynbrewery.com/
Chelsea Piers http://www.chelseapiers.com/
The Luxury Spot http://www.theluxuryspot.com/
Aqualia Spa http://www.aqualiaspa.com/
Beautiful Faces http://alainemakeupartist.blogspot.com/
Jivamukti Yoga http://www.jivamuktiyoga.com/
Dance of my Hands http://symmetryofgrace.blogspot.com/
Stella and Dot - Katherine Clay http://www.stelladot.com/katherineclay
La Magdalena http://www.flamenco-con-magdalena.com/