Showing posts with label community. Show all posts
Showing posts with label community. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

The hardest thing about being a TCK

When your friends are scattered all over the world. Long distance friendships and relationships are hard. You're always missing a places and faces.



Life becomes complicated when you're always on the road traveling every couple months. The first question I get asked is "Where are you?" Its like the game of finding Waldo in the pictures. 

I have itchy feet. I feel stuck when I'm in one place for too long. Perhaps, I haven't been able to find that place where I can call home for a while. 

The thing is, I like the slow travel movement. Taking time to slowly take in the culture, sights, people (or lack thereof), scenery. I also like being in my own little space and being on my own whether typing up blog posts, researching articles, writing articles, dancing/choreographing, and cooking up all kinds of recipes. 

Social media is supposed to make it easier to connect people. An online world of connectivity. However, I find that people become a bit lazy to write each other. When I was a child, I had penpals in different countries and wrote letters to them every month. It was a joy to receive a letter in the mail and sometimes we even sent pictures and gifts. 

It took effort to buy a long distance phone card, write and send that letter, print pictures for sharing, etc. Now we have everything at our fingertips. As long as the internet connection is solid. I've been fascinated with how one can have a career online and work remotely from anywhere in the world. 

We as a society have become smaller yet more distant in human relationships. With all the distractions of the modern world and bombardment of online connectivity how does one maintain healthy connections with friends from around the world? 

Just something I've been thinking about lately as I'm working mostly online and connecting with my friends via social media.

P.s. I love getting letters and postcards so if you feel compelled to write to me send me an email! 


Monday, February 11, 2013

Chameleon residency at Utahloy International School

No words can describe how extremely proud I am of the students from Utahloy International School that participated in my workshops and performed in their version of Chameleon, the Experiences of Global Citizens adapted from the professional production. Their honesty, openness, kindness, maturity, and willingness to try something different really touched me. I was very moved by their enthusiasm and commitment to sharing their life stories of being global citizens with me, their peers, and in a live performance in front of the student body and teachers.

Its all a very humbling experience working with these young Third Culture Kids who are straddling among different worlds on a daily basis. Their home life, their school life, and living in a host country. I remember when I was in their shoes, I am also reminded that I am constantly an evolving Adult Third Culture Kid who is still trying to find a place in this world. I am me, and I am a TCK for life.

This video was shot during the workshops I taught that week and I quickly edited it to show it prior to the performance that some of the students performed in.

Chameleon workshops at Utahloy International School from Alaine Handa on Vimeo.

Monday, November 21, 2011

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/

Friday, June 10, 2011

Canadian Send off party & Benefit Performance



June 29, 2011
Location:
Young Dancers in Repertory
5602 Fifth Avenue
Brooklyn, New York

Pre-performance Q+A and mini dance workshop starting at 6!
Performance will start around 7:15 pm
Come early to get a seat! Limited Seating.
Wine, Cheese, Snacks following the performance.

$10-15 Suggested Donation
*All proceeds will go towards transportation, accommodation, and performer stipends for our tour.

Catch the full length version of Chameleon before we go on the road!

AHDC is heading off to Toronto this summer to perform at the Toronto Fringe Festival. We will be taking Chameleon, the experience of global citizens there and can't wait to share it with the multicultural Toronto audience.

Young Dancers in Repertory has graciously opened up their space to us for a informal Benefit performance & send off party.

Here's the FB invite for the performances in Toronto, please forward them to friends and family that you know in Toronto: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=191438540904473


Photo credit: Nicholas Fox

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

More Cultural Chameleons in the community

We performed at The Caring Community senior center yesterday in Tribeca. The community loved it and they were very receptive to the piece. Many of them are cross-cultural themselves and the piece really touched them.

Here are a few pictures that Olivea Shure's (one of our dancers) husband Rann Golamco took during the performance and Q+A.














More Community events coming up next! Come join us - both events are free to the public!

April 16, 2011: Celebrating Diversity Through Dance - hosted by Young Dancers in Repertory
1-2 pm at Sunset Park Recreation Center, 7th Avenue & 43rd St. in Brooklyn.
We will be performing portions of Chameleon and teaching some of repertory from Chameleon to participants!

More Information:
Young Dancers In Repertory's annual FREE multicultural Dance Workshops in honor of Immigrant Heritage Week, will coincide with Global Youth Service Day-an initiative to get youth involved in their communities- on April 16th! Celebrating Diversity Through Dance, is an annual event sponsored by Young Dancers In Repertory, Friends of Sunset Park, and the Sunset Park Recreation Center. Events will be held at the Sunset Park Recreation Center located at 7th Avenue and 43rd St., Brooklyn, NY. Workshops in different multi-cultural dance forms will be held throughout the day between 12:00-4:00. For more information, or to RSVP, please contact Young Dancers In Repertory at 347-702-7155.

April 20, 2011: National Dance Week Kick off event - hosted by Young Dancers in Repertory
5-6:30 pm at Young Dancers in Repertory NEW Center for Dance Studies, 5602 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
We will be performing portions of Chameleon followed by a lecture/demonstration about our collaborative creative process.

More Information:
In honor of National Dance Week, YDR will hold several workshops, classes, showings and lecture demonstrations in a multitude of dance disciplines. Come try a contemporary jazz or salsa classs, learn about the history of modern dance, and watch up and coming YDR teaching artists perform with their professional dance companies. For more information or to register, please call 347-702-7155.