Artifact Dance Project Blog

A little about the current city we are in…

Ashley — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:04:21 +0000

Dongguan has a long history that can be traced back to the Neolithic Age of 5,000 years ago. Until the year of 331 of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420), Dongguan was a county named Baoan. It was renamed in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). During its long history, Dongguan gave birth to the culture of the southern Guangdong Province that also made Dongguan a famous city with splendid history and culture.

Humen Town, located at the southern part of Dongguan City, is the cradle of Chinese modern history. When the Opium Wars (1840-1842 and 1856-1860) broke out in Humen Town more than 150 years ago, they had a far-reaching influence on Chinese modern history. The battlefield of the Opium Wars is the best preserved historical battlefield in China, and now houses the Opium War Museum, the Weiyuan Emplacement, and the Shajiao Emplacement. Nowadays, relics of the Opium Wars are the vital basis of patriotic education for the younger generation of Chinese. Aside from the three relics, the large area of litchi in the Former Residence of Jiang Guangnai, a founder of the PRC, the grand Humen Bridge and the Humen Naval Battle Museum near the Weiyuan Emplacement are really worthy of a visit.

We have landed in DongGuan, Guangzhou

Ashley — Sat, 19 May 2012 03:40:12 +0000

We have arrived at location #2! This is supposedly a smaller city of ONLY 4 million…haha. It’s beautiful here and our hotel is amazing! It is called the Mei Gao Mei Hotel. Tel: (0769)22999988 Last night at the end of our concert, about 50 Chinese school children rushed onto the stage to take pictures with us. What a special moment for the cast. I have posted the picture below plus a great shot of our wonderful singers, Rebecca, Charlie and Kelli.

Much Love! ADP cast and crew

The city of Huizhou, our first stop!

Ashley — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:30:33 +0000

ADP group shot in Huizhou in front of the Triumph Hotel

Off to Dongguan, Guangzhou

Ashley — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:28:26 +0000

We are off to the next city! We will take a bus for about 2 hours to Dongguan, Guangzhou for a concert this evening. Last night’s show was great! We have some pictures to post soon enough.

We are safe and in China!

Ashley — Fri, 18 May 2012 01:34:29 +0000

Hello friends and family. The entire group is doing really well after a crazy landing and bus extravaganza in Hong Kong. We are currently staying in Guangdong at the Triumph Hotel. The website is www.kxjrhotel.com

The phone is 0752-2088999

We will be setting up cell phones here by tomorrow so I will post those numbers as soon as we get them. The Internet situation at our hotel is not so great FYI. Our first concert is tonight.

Much love!
The ADP cast and crew

ADP leaves on Wednesday, May 16th for China!

Ashley — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:50:29 +0000

We will depart from Tucson International Airport in the early morning on Wednesday. We arrive at LAX and then depart for Hong Kong by 1pm. Keep following our blog! We will be posting updates on a daily basis along with all the important contact information our friends and family will need such as hotel info. Thanks to all who attended our concerts in Tucson! It was an amazing success. Thanks to all the dancers, musicians and crew for their incredible hard work. China, here we come!

Watch the The Great American Dance Tour Promo film!

Ashley — Tue, 01 May 2012 05:06:17 +0000

ADP Announces The Great American Dance Tour 2012!

Ashley — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:29:36 +0000

This entertaining show returns to the Old Pueblo

Artifact Dance Project in just our 3rd season, is proud to present our second tour of China for summer 2012. “The Great American Dance Tour” received amazing reviews during the 2011 tour and now we have been invited back to showcase the amazing talent and diversity American styles of dance and music have to offer audiences from Tucson to Shanghai! Choreographers and Artistic Directors, Claire Hancock and Ashley Bowman set original choreography on a new cast of 28 dancers. ADP Music Director, Ben Nisbet organized “The Artifact Dance Project Orchestra” featuring 11 professional musicians from the Tucson community, who will play recognizable tunes from past and present decades to accompany the choreography. Rebecca Carlson and Kelli Workman contribute as lead vocalists throughout the production. The tour welcomes its new Technical Director and Lighting Designer, Don Fox to create a new look for the tour.
Audiences will experience a timeline of diverse styles, beginning with the 1920′s to present day. Artistic Directors, Claire Hancock and Ashley Bowman collaborate with Music Director, Ben Nisbet to bring 28 dancers and 11 musicians to the stage for a concert that will premiere in Tucson, AZ on May 10th, 2012 and depart on May 16th to China. The cast of dancers, musicians and production crew will spend 5 weeks touring the country, showcasing American styles of dance and music to Chinese audiences.
Over 200 costume pieces reflect the decades with vibrant colors and styles such as old Hollywood glamour, tuxedos, top hats, canes, flapper dresses, swing dresses, square dancing outfits, cowboy hats, bell-bottoms and more. This is a great show for all ages! It is entertaining and educational.
This tour is made possible by the management of Dr.Larry Lang and the Dalian Yilong Performance Company.

ADP Artistic Directors Claire Hancock and Ashley Bowman collaborate with The Arizona Choir and Dr. Bruce Chamberlain

Ashley — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 20:56:17 +0000

Saturday October 22, 7pm and Sunday October 23, 2pm in the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre / Tickets are $20 general and $15 student / Purchase tickets by calling the Fine Arts Box Office at 520-621-1162 or visit arizona.tix.com

In this initial collaboration between The Arizona Choir and Artifact Dance Project, Menotti’s unique ‘Madrigal-Fabel,’ THE UNICORN, THE GORGON AND THE MANTICORE, will come to life combining live performances of 12 madrigals and the artistry of dance. This fully-staged production of Menotti’s singularly creative work will feature new choreography by ADP Artistic Directors Claire Hancock and Ashley Bowman along with nine instrumentalists, and The Arizona Choir, all under the baton of Dr. Bruce Chamberlain. Come celebrate American composer Gian Carlo Menotti’s 100th birthday with Artifact Dance Project and The Arizona Choir in Tucson’s first-ever fully staged and danced production of The Unicorn, The Gorgon and The Manticore.

Touring China this past summer 2011…videos edited by Artistic Director Claire Hancock

Ashley — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 06:47:34 +0000