CityDance Delights Bahraini Youth

CityDance with Bahraini Youth

American dance company, CityDance Ensemble, visited Bahrain as part of the Fifth Annual Spring of Culture Festival, giving public performances of Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Books on March 26 and 27 to full-house crowds each day of 700 children and parents. 

In addition to their public performances, the group conducted talent workshops for Bahraini youth.  The cast met with six Bahrainis with an interest and talent in theater, training them on performance techniques and later incorporating them into the public performances of Jungle Books. 

CityDance Ensemble also conducted a series of education programs for Bahraini children.  Approximately 300 disabled Bahraini youth attended an abbreviated performance of Jungle Books on March 24, which introduced the children to the enchanting world of Mowgli, Baloo, Shere Khan, and other characters.  U.S. Ambassador Adam Ereli offered welcoming remarks to the audience and highlighted the importance of culture as a tool to promote international understanding.

On March 25 and 28, CityDance conducted an interactive workshop entitled Dancing in One Language for public and private primary school students.  The children watched dances from around the world, and also were able to help the CityDance members create an improvised dance sketch that incorporated movements created by the children.

Additionally, several of the cast members attended the Bahrain International Book Fair on the morning of March 27, interacting with children and teaching them simple movements and gestures of some of the characters in Jungle Books.

Lastly, on the evening of March 28, the local alumni organization, the Bahraini-American Cultural Exchange Society, hosted CityDance Ensemble for a dinner to allow the cast to interact with Bahraini students, professors, businessmen, and others, as well as learn more about the Kingdom of Bahrain.

City Dance Ensemble includes world-renowned dancers, choreographers, artists, and educators to create and bring innovative modern dance to Washington, DC. In residence at the Music Center at Strathmore, and one of only a few full-time professional dance companies in the DC metropolitan area, they perform at The Kennedy Center, Harman Center for the Arts, Music Center at Strathmore, across the nation, and around the world.

The American Embassy, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Information and the Economic Development Board, is sponsoring City Dance Ensemble and its performances and workshops during Spring of Culture.  

To view CityDance photos and video visit Embassy's FaceBook page.