First I must thank my team for being so wonderful and for their unwavering belief in our mission, our work, and the show.  Truly, I couldn't do any of it without them.  Tonight was an example of how important their work is as well as how attentive they are to both the show and to me personally.

The show this evening was just amazing - the energy was great, the audience was extremely appreciative, and there was something special in the air.  A lot of friends, colleagues, business associates, and family were in attendance which made it that much more special.  During intermission, as I was speaking with some of the audience members, I noticed that there was a situation that my publicist, Kristin, was dealing with.  Before I could excuse myself to walk over and see what was going on, Gerri (our director of global operations and logistics), noticing that I was about to head in Kristin's direction, came over to tell me that everything was under control and that I am needed backstage.  There is always something to do backstage at a live show, but nothing that required my attention.  Before I knew it, ACT II was in progress and the evening continued smoothly. 

After the show, we were all backstage and I asked Kristin and Gerri what was going on during intermission.  I have no words to describe how incredulous I found their answer so I asked Kristin to transcribe the conversation she had with two of the audience members:   

Transcript:

 

[Conversation with Fred and Paula, Saturday, June 14^th, 2008, evening performance.]  

Fred and Paula:  We feel that this show was completely misrepresented and had we any idea that the dancers were all going to be Japanese, we never would have purchased tickets. We would like our money back.

Kristin: I’m so sorry you feel that way.  Did you purchase your tickets through the website? (I asked this since the cast is listed on the site and there are pictures of Nanae everywhere.) 

 

Fred and Paula: No

 

Kristin: I’m sorry, there are no refunds.

 

Fred and Paula: Ok, but we’re still not staying for the rest of the show.

 

Kristin: Our dancers are the best dancers in this style of dance; we are not going to hire substandard performers just because they fit a certain ethnic profile. Nowhere in our promotional materials does it say that our dancers are of Middle Eastern descent, merely the style of dance is Middle Eastern.  Would you prefer to watch a sub-par performance simply because it featured Middle Eastern dancers?

 

Fred and Paula: Yes. We would prefer to watch a show with sub-par dancers if they are truly of Middle Eastern descent. We are subscribers to the Lyric [Lyric Opera] and the CSO [Chicago Symphony Orchestra] and we would never expect to be misrepresented by those organizations.

 

Kristin: When you attend an Italian opera at the Lyric and not all of the singers are Italian, do you walk out?

 

Fred and Paula:  That’s different because here ALL of the dancers are Japanese. We would expect something like this at a community theater, never at a professional show.

 

Fred: I’m a jazz musician and when I travel to Eastern Europe the musicians there are good but they just can’t cut it like Americans. It’s just not the same.

 

Kristin: That’s interesting since Jazz roots are African;  I feel fortunate that American artists were able to utilize those African rhythms and create an art form, just as we’re incredibly fortunate and honored that the cultural bridges from East to West which we are building by way of this show travel through Japan.  We feel that embracing various ethnicities only adds to the show and the overall concept.

 

Paula: We’ve traveled to the Middle East and seen dancers, you don’t understand, it just doesn’t look like this. These dancers are good, but it’s just not in their gene code to be able to dance in this style. 

 

 Fred and Paula: We love Asians.

 

Kristin: So when you attend a ballet do you expect all of the dancers to be Russian? Should Americans not attempt to dance ballet solely because their country didn’t create that art form?

 

Fred and Paula:  The Russian Ballet is still predominantly comprised of Russian dancers. If we went to a Geisha house in Japan and the Geishas were white it just wouldn’t be the same. The dancers in this show [A DREAM OF ARABIA] are great, they’re just misrepresentative. The entire show is misrepresentative.

 

Kristin:  I’m shocked that you wouldn’t want to stay for the second half if you enjoy the dancing.

 

Paula: We’re shocked that this is going on. 

 

Fred: We’re very liberal and we’re still not okay with this.

 

Kristin: It shouldn’t matter what ethnicity a person is as long as the performance is spectacular. This show is set in ancient Mesopotamia, before most modern day Middle Eastern countries were in existence. These are ancient, folkloric dances and we’re honored that people outside of the Middle East have taken interest in this style of dance.

 

Fred and Paula: How can we contact the producer?

 

Kristin: You can email him, through the website.

 This is, at least in part, why we are doing the show - to end these types of ideas and this type of separation.  As the producer, I couldn't be more proud that the bridge of cultural understanding we are building happens to go through Tokyo.  In fact, we are truly honored that another culture, on the other side of the planet, has so embraced our culture and we couldn't have asked for better ambassadors.   I am eternally grateful for the wisdom and care both Kristin and Gerri showed in dealing with the situation as well as shielding me from it.   So tomorrow's shows are dedicated to you "Fred & Paula" - Thank you for reminding us of why we do what we do!