Virginia International Arts Festival Tattoo Tour 2009
4 May 2009 - Time to fly home
The time has come where the final tunes have been played, the dancing done - and time to pack and head on the long haul flights home.
A great time has been had by all, fantastic new friendships made and 26 NZ Highland dancers with fond memories of a great trip. The dancers all worked their very best and were a credit to their country. The Tattoo Management were extremely impressed with the items from the dancers. We do hope that this opportunity will one day come to us again.
Keep smiling and dancing hard.
Thanks to all for making this possible - Mike and Nina, Tattoo Management (Scott Jackson, Jennifer and Roxanne), Janet and Sherilyn for managing the dancers, The Marriott hotel, the restaurants that accepted our coupons, Eleanor, Robin and the backstage crew, the curtain lady, the pipe bands led by Alistair Gillies for playing for us and many more.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
3 May 2009
On the last day of the trip, the team was taken on a extensive tour of the Norfolk Naval base, and thanks to our very informative tour guide (our friends Nina and Naval retiree Mike (aka Duffy)) we got to know many facts and interesting information of the different areas, boats, ships, subs, planes, helicopters that we were lucky enough to see. The large George W. Bush Aircraft carrier was docked and the team was lucky to have a photo taken in front of it.
After the tour, the team sought a quick bite for lunch and prepared for what was to be the final show and our last performance together as the NZ Highland Dancing team.
The atmosphere was awesome and emotional and the team performed so well (you can view both performances on youtube).
Final dinner for the evening was a visit to the Grate Steak restaurant (best steak had in a very long time). This was a challenge for some of the team members who had to cook their own steak. The dinner finished with Michael and Nina giving each team member a special momento to remember them , and Janet and Sherilyn giving each member an official Tattoo photo and medal. Following these formal presentations Jayden and Emma presented special awards to each dance for the funny things that had happened over the previous 2 weeks - a humorous time for sure.
After dinner, the 18&over dancers were able to go to the final 'do' held at Farenheit cafe/bar where they met up with their tattoo cast friends and the under 18's visited Hungry Jacks to have some fun on a bouncy castle to celebrate the end of the show.
All were home by midnight and starting to pack for the long journey ahead tomorrow.
signing off.. Jayden and Emma
_______________________________________________________________________________________
2 May 2009 - Performance and Street Parade
Saturday was a day of rest and relaxation! (not really - because need to make most of all the time whilst away). It was Beach day!
The team headed to the lovely Virginia Beach area - with long white sand beach, apparently very cold water (only a select few managed to get in the water for a swim). The dancers made the most of the sun and rest time on the beach, wandered the strip in and out of the shops.
Several dancers had to come back early, because in the early afternoon, the Tattoo had set up a promotional show in the local mall bookstore. Emma, Jayden, Sam, Sarah, Mikayla, Rachel, Stafford and Leighton performed a few steps from several dances as a display for the children and other onlookers. Janet explained some of the history behind the dancers and at the end of the show we invited some of the children to come and 'give it a go'. Some keen young boys jumped on the stage and were given Stafford and Leighton's shilleleagh. They stamped the floor and shook their fists to the Banjo Breakdown!
Shortly after the Mall performance it was time to head back to Scope and get ready for the evening show. Another great night, meeting new friends from the cast and enjoying performing for the adoring crowds.
Signing off ...Kylie AM
_______________________________________________________________________________________
1 May 2009 - Opening night
We awoke early again today for the second matinee performance. The crowd was absolutely thrilled with the performance and enthusiastically cheered us on.
We had another signing after the show and met excited and happy students from the norfolk area, continuing to sign autographs for them.
There was some spare time after the show with some of the team shopping, resting and spending time in the spa and pool.
We met at the hotel at 6.15pm ready to go for the opening performance (VIP night ). Everyone was excited. The finale was stirring, with the whole cast standing in silence listening to some beautiful songs, finshed off by red, white and blue streamers filling the centre stage - an emotional moment for all.
The dancers are making good use of the physio's (Paul and Eric) with daily massages and strapped legs - a must when dancing on concrete.
After the opening performance the offiical Tattoo cast party kicked off at the Norflk Plaza Hotel (formerly Radisson Hotel) across the road from the Scope. It was a great opportunity for the NZ Highland Dance team to meet the other performers from around the world. The cast party was the most stressful part of the day (for the girls anyway) as it was a tough decision on what to wear! The free pizza was enjoyed by all and it was a great way to end a busy day.
Signing off....Kylie D
_______________________________________________________________________________________
30 Apr 2009 -
Click on the link to view Tattoo performances on youtube
The morning started at 9am when we all met in the hotel foyer with hair and
stage makeup completed. We piled into the vans for a short drive to the Scope
Arena to get ready for the Matinee performance, where the Arena was entirely
filled with 6,000 schoolchildren. When we entered the arena for each performance
the schoolchildren went nuts, screaming and yelling their lungs out. It was
a very memorable experience and the kids seemed much more enthusiastic than
NZ children would be at a similar show.
After the performance the whole cast gathered at the fountains outside the Scope arena to meet fans and sign autographs. Many of our dancers had some unusual requests which included signing fingers, arms, foreheads, shoes and even giving kisses. (it felt weird to be famous!)
We were all disappointed when we had to leave the children and go back down to our dressing rooms. It was then back to the hotel to get changed and have a few restful hours to ourselves. Most went to the mall for lunch and a bit of shopping.
At 4.30pm we were all waiting in the hotel foyer in Highland costume for the vans which would take us to the Portsmouth Street Parade. The parade was made up of several of the tattoo's performing groups including the German Gym Wheel group, the US Army Drill Team, Marine Corps Band and the Paris Port Dover Pipe Band from Canada. During the parade we stopped twice to perform a Highland Fling, the crowd went wild!
Then we were hosted for dinner at a Bar/cafe for award winning burgers and salad. To get back to the hotel, half of the team went in the Vans, whilst the other half returned on the Paddle Steamer Ferry. Those that went back on the ferry were treated to a few Sailors steps by Kim, Sara and Kylie.
We are all looking forward to the cast party tomorrow night!
Signing off Emma D and Amanda
_______________________________________________________________________________________
29 Apr 2009 - TV and dress rehearsals
Hi everyone - its Alice and Brighid and welcome to Day 6 of our trip to America.
Today, several of the senior members of the team were set to perform on US television during a Tattoo dedicated segment on the 12-1pm News. Kylie, Kim, Sara and Sam headed to NBC studios/Wavy TV and performed a continuous 2 steps each of Sean Triubhas, Sailors Hornpipe and Shilleleigh Jig - Kylie spoke to the news anchors live on air to promote the tattoo and discuss some of the highlights of the trip for the team. Click the link to check out the interview
At 2pm - the last rehearsal commenced and it went through rather smoothly with very few mistakes by anyone. After a short dinner break, some time for dinner and rest, the first dress rehearsal commenced. Oh the challenge of getting make-up on our male dancers, and the challenge of getting full stage makeup on some of the female dancers!! It took nearly 2 hours to get costumes fitted, make up on and hair done. Then the team got the chance to view the Opening ceremony and the National anthems, both very stirring items. After hurrying downstairs to the 'hole' it was time for the NZ dancers first item - the 'Norfolk Ladies'. The team were all smiles and 'glam'. The second of our items - 'The Gael', was some time afterwards, and it took quite a while to get dressed into the fancy and colourful costumes with feathery masks. The dance went well with a slight musical glitch, but finished to rapturous applause from the small, but appreciative audience(limited invited guests only to Dress rehearsal) .
After the general rush once finished, the team relaxed, checked emails and read magazines - but, found out just how long the 'Tunnel' can be when you think you are about to miss the cue! run, run and run some more ...made it!
After 15 minutes of standing absolutely still during the official 2009 Virginia International Tattoo Finale - the dancers marched off following the US Army Drill team and Modern dancers, to return to backstage and undo the hours of work in just 2 minutes.
Back to the Hotel the team headed, to do some washing and relaxing (pool for some!) .
Signing off another day - Alice and Brighid
Photos: 1. Dance team members (NZ and USA), 2. Kings Guards of Norway ready to go liveon air at Wavy TV with the NZ Highland Dance team reps, 3. Live on air at Wavy TV.
Photo 3. Kelsey helps Stafford tie the Lanyard, 4. Sam surrounded by his "Norfolk Ladies" , 5, Charlotte gets tied into her costume by the Costuming team
Photo 6 and 7. The Norfolk Ladies perform on the Granby Street set, 8. Finale full cast
_______________________________________________________________________________________
28 Apr 2009 - Wal-mart and Tattoo full rehearsals
The day started at 10, our first sleep in for the week.
The Hampton Roads Naval Museum was awaiting the NZ dancers. The Museum was filled with history of the US Navy and the interactive activities inside the "Nauticus" were very educational . We were free to explore the naval ship, The Wisconsin, the biggest US naval ship constructed. It was great to see how our Sailors Hornpipe steps were used on board the ship. Some of the actions, such as Clearing the Deck, were caught on camera when a few of our dancers were practising their steps on board!
Photo 1: Tattoo mgmt Janet and Sherilyn, Photo 2: Rachel, Isla and Kim are scrubbing the deck
Next activity/outing for the day - Wal Mart! Everyone hauled into the team vans and off we went. What a sight! The girls went crazy at the cheap makeup and everyone was overwhelmed at the sight of all different kinds of 'candy' and the supesize packs of everything.
Finally it was crunch time for the day - the Tattoo rehearsal. Dinner was bought in for the team since we were there for a very long time waiting and rehearsing.
After a very eventful day - the team arrived back at the hotel to relax (swim/spa) and unwind.
Signing off - Mikayla and Conor
_______________________________________________________________________________________
27 Apr 2009 - Educational visits and Onsite rehearsal
This morning we visited two schools - Ghert Elemnentary and Larchmont Elementary. The team performed a variety of dances and presented information about New Zealand and the Virginia International Tattoo - presented by MC Kim and Sara and our very own team member Kylie as our piper. The school children, aged between 4 and 6 seemed to enjoy our performances and were asking a lot of interesting questions.
With a few hours to spare, most endured another Mall visit before heading for the Scope Arena for the afternoon and evening rehearsals - this time going through both items with the Pipe Bands and the modern dancers.
Dinner was kindly bought in by our drivers Nina and Michael, which was a good reminder of home with a menu of Roast Beef, Chicken, Fish and served with vegetables.
Next on the evening agenda was rehearsal of the 'Finale' for the first time with all cast members (including Army, Coastguard, Marine Corps, Pipe Band, Brass band, singers, modern dancers, Highland Dancers and Colour Guard and more.) We were standing in the same positions for 20 minutes and unable to flinch, very hard on the feet!
Extremely tired, we eventually returned back to the hotel just after 10pm. With a late start planned tomorrow, we all look forward to a well deserved sleep in - before the team heads to see the 'Nauticus' and USS Wisconsin Navy ship permanently moored on the Wharf close to the hotel.
Signing off...Paula and Rachel.
Photos L to R:
1: Group Education outing, 2.. Conor, Rachel, Harriet perform Sailors Hornpipe to 300 children
Photo 3. Kylie answers a question from one of the small children (she thought we looked like giants!) . Photo 4. Finale Rehearsal
_______________________________________________________________________________________
26 Apr 2009 - Second rehearsal day
We arrived at the gym to the sound of a hundred drums and pipes,
We also met the modern dancers frolicking with their silk stripes,
One talented contemporary dancer in a manly blue sash
Gave Jayden the once over and that made him dash,
Then came lunch, it was a fun filled affair,
After the pizza Sheri gave Jayden a dare
To run through the pond he had to go,
The fountains of water soaked him head to toe.
Our first look at Scope and intrigued were we,
Dancing on concrete and the smell of elephant pee,
The word repetition comes to our minds,
But if nothing else, Janet and Sheri were happy we stayed in our lines,
At the end of a long day we all tried to relax,
With swims and spas...but we don't like clothes prices that don't include tax!
Now off to bed we go,
Signing off Kelsey, Sarah with Kendall in tow.
Photos; 1. Jayden dared to walk through the fountain, 2. Girls resting legs at lunchtime, 3. Bands take to the floor of the Norfolk Academy School (offsite) where rehearsals were located.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
25 Apr 2009 - First rehearsal day
Today was our first day of rehearsals and it went from 9.30am thru to 5pm, although we didn't make it at 9am as some of the dancers slept through their alarms!! When we arrived, the American dancers were there to greet us which made us feel very welcome which was very nice. The dances that we are performing allow us to show off our acting skills with lots of gestures and facial expression. Our first injury in the team has been interesting, where Leighton scratched his face, and was kindly gifted a Dora the Explorer plaster - much to the amusement of the rest of the team! The Dance team are also lucky enough to have a personal Physiotherapist at all rehearsals - proactive treatment for some which is great!
Lunches have been fantastic, Subway was really yummy. The weather has been lovely and all of the girls sat together outside during the lunch hour getting a tan while catching up on some sleep.
We had an interesting experience with one of our new/ temporary drivers (soul-ja boi), he kindly took us for a detour (scenic route) via KFC where he got himself a quick feed which he was kind enough to offer Team manager Janet some (in the Passenger seat) . The time lost waiting for the KFC was made up with the speeding on the freeway.
So all in all we had a great first day and have many more interesting fun filled days ahead of us.
Signing off...Isla, Harriet and Nicole.
Photos: 1. Dancers join the american warm up routine, 2. Dancers making most of the sunshine at lunchtime
_______________________________________________________________________________________
24 Apr 2009 - Busch Gardens
9 o' clock we departed for Busch gardens theme park, well rested after our huge days of travelling. Once into the theme park we all headed as a group to the biggest ride in the park, 'The Griffon'. Braver members of the team gave it a go while the others watched on. Next we moved to the world's tallest inverted roller coaster where some scared members tried this as their first roller coaster ever and walked out afterwards on an adrenaline high. The day soon became warm with temperatures reaching 80 degrees F and we were glad to cool ourselves off on the kiddies Log Fume ride.
After a picnic lunch of subway, chips and a drink, we headed back into the park and split up to go on the rides of our choice. Many attended the Irish dancing show where we enjoyed watching some very skilful dancers.
There many other awesome rides such as, the 4d maze, other roller coasters, arcade games. A memorable one for some was the Roman Rapids which only soaks one person per raft of 6, unlucky Sam, Jayden and Kimberley!
For dinner it was an all-you-can-eat buffet at a Chinese restaurant which included a large variety of food. Some members got there $15 dollars worth. Well fed and rather tired from an awesome day at the theme park, we got back to the hotel and changed for a quick dance run through and then headed to bed very tired.
Signing off...Sam, Jayden, Leighton and Stafford
Photo 1/2 - Rollercoaster shot - On the rollercoster - Log ride
Photo 3/4 - Lunch break - and dinner outing at Chinese restaurant
_______________________________________________________________________________________
22/23 Apr 2009 - Arrival in Norfolk Virginia
Takeoff...22 April 2009 - team members departed from CHCH, WLG and met the rest of the group in Auckland on Wednesday evening. An excited bunch of young dancing ladies and gentleman were about to embark onto NZ2 bound for LA.
12 hours on Air New Zealand (a considerable amount of legroom which was great) - several movies and meals kept the team amused - followed by arrival at LA airport at 2.30pm followed by an hour getting through US Customs (fingerprinting/photo and more Visa Waiver forms (electronic ESTA must've been in pilot and only a test!)
Then the first team challenge....getting 28 people into Hollywood! We decided that it would be most cost effective and challenging to take the Metro train so we all jumped on the LAX free shuttle to the Metro station - bought Day pass tickets and then got on the Metro train to the Imperial station, transferred onto the Blue line to another Metro along to 7th Street, transferred again to the Red line and got off at the Hollywood/Highland station - right outside the Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. We made it! An excited bunch of "Tattoo-ists" (all the questions about what Tattoo's we were doing when people looked at our Team jackets) headed for some eating, shopping and sightseeing for an hour and a half (before jetlag set in). Some famous faces were spotted, the Hollywood sign, stars on the Walk of Fame, fancy limousines and some strange looking people too!
Time for return back to LAX - Metro x2 transfers, back onto the 'G' shuttle and into Terminal 7 for United Airline security check. Some coffees, snacks and onto the United flight bound for Washington-Dulles. The flight was overnight so lots of sleep and another movie, although far less leg room, less service than AirNZ. We arrived at Washington at 6.30am and after more coffees and breakfast boarded a much smaller plane onto Norfolk, Virginia.
9.47am we finally arrived in a beautiful blossoming Norfolk Virginia, met and greeted by our liaison team led by Michael and also Eleanor Unger, the Dance Director. After a very interesting packing of cases onto a ute (the photos will demonstrate what we mean), the team headed in two large white vans to the nearest supermarket for some healthy snacks - then onto more pressing things as a Costume Fitting. There are some really different and colourful costumes being put together for both the Sailors themed "Norfolk Ladies" item, and "The Gael" item taking us back to the 1920's Norfolk days. Photos will be posted at a later date of these.
After several hours (and some sleeping dancers!) we finally were able to move to the Hotel where we wll be staying for the next 11 days - the Norfolk Waterside Marriot - arguably the best hotel in Norfolk...what a treat for us all! There are beautiful views of the water and the many naval ships in dry docks. We are close to the MacArthur Mall (shops and food) and a short distance from the Scope arena where the show will be held.
Now its time for a well deserved sleep - after some 48 hours on the go there are weary feet, eyes and bodies.
Tomorrow is going to be a free day for the dancers - with a really exciting treat in store for them all. Feel free to google Busch Gardens to find out more!
The dancers are unaware yet but there have been some stunning gifts baskets arrive for each room full of USA momentos and gifts from the SDTOVA (Scottish Dance Theatre of Virginia). With many asleep right now, they wont be disturbed until the morning. Dancers will be issued with their official Tattoo ID badge tomorrow - along with their food coupons, which allow purchase of food at many different supporting restuarants around Virginia. (major sponsors of the Arts Festival are: Chrysler, ADS, CBN, USAA)
Unfortunately no pictures in today's report - slight technical hitch - hopefully resolved tomorrow and can upload some of the fantastic photos already captured on this tour.
Signing off for now...Team Tattoo 09!
Photos - 1-3/4 - Team on the plane
Photos 4 - WLG team meet at Wellington Airport
Photos 6/7 - On the Metro to Hollywood, Hollywood sign
Photots 8/9 - Team management in Hollywood and the team finally arrives at Norfolk Airport!
Photos 10/11 - loading the ute up with cases - and the Hotel rooms!
_______________________________________________________________________________________
17 Apr 2009
5 days until departure and dancers are very excited..!
The team will be departing Auckland Wednesday evening at 9.30pm on flight NZ2 to LA. There is a 8 hour stopover where it is hoped that the team will be able to depart the airport for some brief time to see some famous sights of LA. 1040pm US time, the dancers will board UA44 and travel to Washington, with brief 2 hour stop before the final flight to Norfolk Virginia. Arrival at final destination is 9.47am. The team will be met by the team dedicated Liaison Support people and dance director Mrs Eleanor Unger.
The key priority for Day 1 is costume fitting. The dancers will be meeting the Costume department team and trying on their costumes based on measurements supplied to the department some 6 months ago! The team will settle in to their accommodation at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott Hotel in the afternoon.
This weekend, many dancers are getting together in their regions and practising the choreography and steps sent over by the Dance Director. There are two dances: a naval themed sailors hornpipe dance where the US dancers will be joining the NZ dancers and performing a variety of steps including NZ hornpipe movements and other creative characterisation. The second dance is a slow and graceful item called the "Norfolk Ladies", with a mix of lovely national dance movements combined with extended Seann Triubhas based movements, finishing with a change in tempo that enables the dancers to break into a spritely "Reel" theme.
The draft schedule is noted below:
Webmaster will endeavour to post daily updates where possible during the trip with contribution directly by the dancers so keep this page bookmarked!
All the best to the dancers and team management for a fantastic tour - may it be the highlight of your dancing careers with memories to treasure forever.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
16 Feb 2009 - Virginia International Tattoo update
USA Tattoo 2009 Update - 26 New Zealand Dancers will be departing NZ late April 2009 to perform at the Virginia International Festival Tattoo - USA.
After negotiations with Tattoo mgmt, we had been able to increase the touring team composition and can confirm that the Team travelling to Virginia, USA April 2009 will consist of 22 female dancers and 4 male dancers. The Dance Director, Eleanor Unger, is very happy with the Team composition and looks forward to working with all the NZ dancers.
The travelling team consists of the following NZ Representative Dancers:
Team Manager and Chaperones:
The Dance director is in communication with team management with regards to team construction, dance choreography and costuming creation. It is expected that the team will be performing two items ? one Naval themed and the other note necessarily Scottish in nature.
During the tour there are requirements for educational visits to College and performing arts centres, along with presentations and autograph signing sessions with local schoolchildren.
Whilst away, every endeavour will be made to post regular updates on the P&D website via webmaster.
Dancers and dance schools are busy fundraising to assist these dancers with costs associated with travelling to Virginia. There is now just over 2 months until the departure date. Costumes and choreographies are underway with the offshore management and soon, the team should become aware of the routines expected of them. The group are departing on April 22nd from Christchurch and Wellington to meet the rest of the team at Auckland Airport to fly out to LA through to Virginia arriving on April 23rd.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
7 August 2008
US Virginia Tattoo Dancing Team opportunity
Huge opportunity for Senior dancers to apply to be part of a 24 strong team to travel in April 2009 to the USA to perform at the Virginia Tattoo.
Janet Allison (NZ Dance Manager) has been invited to coordinate and lead a team of NZ Highland dancers to perform at the Virginia Tattoo - from 23 April to 4 May 2009.
Application forms are available from your Centre OR you can download a copy here.
Completed application forms can be sent to tattoo2009@vodafone.co.nz or posted to Tattoo2009, c/- 63a Harbourview Road, Melling, Lower Hutt.