In my last blog post, I want to highlight some of the final lessons I’m taking away from my time at Bare Feet.
I learned that business meetings don’t have to FEEL like business.
One Tuesday towards the end of April, a Jacob’s Pillow representative stopped by the studio to hear about Bare Feet’s work. We all gathered around a table sidled right next to an open window, taking in the view of the river and the summer breeze during the meeting. The Taiwanese pastries and tea completed the homey atmosphere for a truly lovely conversation about Bare Feet’s studio pieces. The meaningful conversation was interspersed with fun jokes and genuine interest in each other’s travels. The representative was impressed with Bare Feet’s holistic choreography process, their care to create a reciprocal cultural exchange, and their values in fostering a close dance community. It was fitting, then, for that conversation to be held in the studio space that is constructed to feel like a home for everyone who walks through the doors. The whole experience was authentically curious and genuine and felt more like a conversation between old friends rather than a rigid meeting for business.
I learned I need to step up my hiking game.
Picture this, reader. You just completed an incredibly difficult hiking trail through a steep, muddy slope in the forest. In order to pass certain choke points, there were ropes tied to trees that required you to physically pull yourself over boulders, and quite literally ascend in rappel position up sheer slabs of rock. You emerge onto the spine of a mountain overlooking a beautiful valley that just oozes green vegetation for miles to see. After treading along the precarious mountain ridge, you realize the trail continues back into the forest via a lonely rappelling rope, easily 25 feet down a rockface until it reaches the forest floor — no harness. On top of your fatigue and trepidation, your hands are notorious for their hyperhidrosis qualities…
THIS is the feeling I was trying to convey to Gina and Yun one day at our desks. After successfully completing the rappel down, I could not wait to tell my outdoorsy friends at Bare Feet of my newfound “Scariest Hike of All Time”. However, when shown the picture of the rappel rope, both Yun and Gina lightheartedly exclaimed that Wuliaojian trail is not, in fact, a scary hike. Having both been on it, they launched into new suggestions of even longer rappel ropes with even steeper mountain spines to read on. Even though just the retelling of my hiking tale was causing my hands to sweat, I knew then that I needed to pursue bigger hikes in Taiwan. Sadly, it must be a plan for my next visit, but I am glad to have friends that not only encouraged all of my nature traveling in Taiwan but also gave me new, challenging ideas for hiking adventures :)
I learned how culturally informative dance workshops can be.
On my last day of work, a professor named Malati came to the studio and taught a workshop on Javanese court dancing, a special performance in the Indonesian Court of the Sultan that occurs monthly. Before beginning the workshop, she spent almost two hours priming the five of us with cultural background, including information on Indonesia’s ethnicities and geographies, mythological origins of the court of the Sultanate, legacies of Dutch colonialism in Indonesia, and translations of the underlying tenets of Javanese dance: Wirasa, Wirama, and Wiraga.
Looking back, that introduction is something I am so immensely grateful for. The discussion and bonding we did during the presentation made the following workshop on Javanese dance so much more impactful. Of course, this method of cultural listening and appreciation is second nature to Bare Feet Dance Theatre — they practice this focused authenticity in all of their dance relationships that inspire their choreography. I am already brainstorming the ways in which I can integrate more cultural research, listening, and appreciation into my personal dance practices back in the United States.
These three topics are just tiny glimpses into the lessons and friendships that I will forever cherish from Bare Feet Dance Theatre. I could ramble on and on, but there is not enough room to include even 1% of how much I valued my time at this internship.
Thank you, Bare Feet, for showing me that a home, no matter how temporary, can be found halfway across the world ❤
Enjoy this final slideshow of pictures! Till next time, Taiwan :)
About the Author
Hey everyone! My name is Jack Manting, and I am a third-year American college student studying abroad at National Taiwan University (台大). For the Spring 2023 semester, I am interning at Bare Feet Dance Theatre, where I get to experience their daily life filled to the brim with silly animals, collaborative dancing, and beautiful natural spaces. Even though my dance background is in Salsa, I am so ecstatic to be at Bare Feet Dance Theatre and learn about new contemporary choreography styles. Follow along on my blog as I share my journey working at this wonderful company!
