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Six members of the A-Town Dancers - Desiree, Vera, Ginger, Jennifer, Zakiya, and Denisse - are currently in China for two weeks, performing as part of an NBA tour of the region, along with A-Town Talent Coordinator Donni Frazier. SkyHawk is overseas as well, performing at an exhibition game between Team USA and Team Brazil among other things. The group will be keeping a blog of their travels exclusively for Hawks.com. Check back daily for new updates of their adventures abroad!
Day Thirteen - A-Town Returns Home
posted by
Donni Frazier, A-Town Dance Team Coordinator
Finally, the day has come for us to return to the States. One small catch…we
missed our flight. To make a long story short, China goes by military time and
well…let’s just say we missed our flight. After finding our contact and
explaining the situation we all headed downstairs with our thousands of bags to
catch the next available flight.
The trip to the airport was gloomy. We missed our flights AND we were leaving
China. The bus, holding seven ladies, was quiet - can you believe that? We made our
way to the airport, unloaded our bags and rushed to the terminal, where our tour
guide Frank and our contact Lily dealt with the airline and changed our
flights. The time had come to say good bye to them, which was hard because we'd grown
so attached to them in our short stay. With lots of hugs and promises to write, we went through
security and headed to our gate only to look back and see Frank and Lily still
waving and blowing kisses! I think Desiree and Jennifer cried for what seem like
an hour after we left because they were so sad to leave Frank. He was very
endearing. We finally boarded our plane and took off to Beijing. Once getting to
Beijing we met our other contact, Janel, and she informed us we wouldn't
have enough time to board our flight for the States, so we would have to stay a
night in Beijing. I think we were all devastated and drained. We listened as we
were told our flight information for the following day. She also introduced us
to our new tour guide, Snow, who took us under his wing and helped us get
settled in our new hotel.
Desiree and Ginger were all ready to hit the city and see the sites; with much
convincing Jennifer, Vera and I decided to tag along. Denisse and Zakiya didn’t
feel very well so they opted to relax at the hotel. We set off on a shuttle bus
to the city…but first we needed to make one stop! Dinner! We found a Hard Rock
Café, got a bite to eat, bought some t-shirts and headed on an adventure to find
the famous Tian’ Anmen Square.
First task: find the subway. We took a
taxi to the Beijing World Trade Center, stopped at Starbucks and walked a few
blocks until we eventually ran into the subway. Next task: Reading the signs. We
purchased our tickets, got on the right train, and ended up at the square. It
was amazing. The whole square was lit. We took a few pictures and walked around
for what seemed like an eternity and then decided to head back to the hotel. Vera
decided she wanted Starbucks (since she didn't get it the first time), so we decided to head back there.
Unfortunately, the stop we got off at, which we thought was ours, wasn't. We were at a
whole new location! But, it turned out okay because instead of a Starbucks, we found a Haagen Daaz. Just as good! After our tasty treats we
decided on a cab instead of the subway and headed toward the
hotel for a good night’s rest.
We were all up bright and early the next morning, downstairs way before our scheduled time to
meet. A bellhop loaded our bags on the airport shuttle and we were off. America
here we come! Once arriving at the airport, our bags were unloaded. Everything
seemed in order - at least until Ginger looked
at me concerned and said, “My bags aren’t here.” Another tour
guide (whose name escapes me) who was there to check us in called the hotel to
see if anything had been left behind. Yep! Ginger’s bags had never been loaded
on the shuttle.
While we waited for Ginger’s bags, we reunited with our old
buddy SkyHawk. Fortunately her bags arrived in time and we were on our way. We rushed off to check-in, went through several security check points and customs, and finally settled at our gate. Whew! It had been a crazy couple of days but now we
were back on track.
Our 12-hour flight to Newark was uneventful, and after we landed, went through
customs, and grabbed some food, we headed towards our last flight. The final leg of
the trip. We were all very excited! I don’t remember too much of the flight from
Newark, but I do remember when the Captain announced the flight attendants
should prepare for landing. We were home!
We had an amazing time in China. It was an experience we will never forget.
Thank you to the NBA, Coke and Relay China for choosing us for such a great
event!
It’s very good to be back in the ATL though, I can't deny.
Thank to everyone for following our adventures in the Far East, and don't
forget, the season’s right around the corner! See you all
soon Hawks fans!
Beijing Subway (what else?)
Donni trying to navigate the subway system
Posing in Tian' Anmen
Enjoying a vanilla bean frappachino
Day Twelve - The Bird's Words
posted by
SkyHawk
After
another great weekend of performances, the trip is taking a slightly different
turn. The A-Town dancers are getting some well deserved R & R today before they
fly back to the good ole USA. I will be performing at the Team USA games here in
Guangzhou. We face the Chinese team the first night and Team Brazil the next.
I’m anxious to see my Hawks’ buddy Joe Johnson as he represents our home
country. I’m also excited to see how the crowd responds to our style of
basketball. The people here are very friendly and welcoming, but they can be
very reserved as well. I’m curious how they will respond to big slam dunks or
great fast breaks. We were able to watch the team play Puerto Rico on television
last week in Las Vegas and Joe Johnson looks like he’s making a big
contribution. It’s a great honor to have one of our own Hawks swooping in for
the United States.
For lunch today, Frank and Maggie, our tour guides, are taking us out for one
more authentic local meal. It’s great food, but very spicy! It’s a good idea to
keep plenty of water around to put out the fire in my beak. I was also pleased
to that Hawk wasn’t on any menu I’ve seen. SkyHawk (notice I’m speaking in 3rd
bird) would have been very upset.
Another pleasant surprise was to see an old mascot buddy. My friend Stuff the
Magic Mascot, from the Orlando Magic, is here for the basketball games too.
We’ve had a blast! He keeps pulling the old “trip down the stairs” routine,
while I try to get some of the locals to shake their tail feathers. Together, we
have created a lot of laughter and plenty of good will. Stuff reminded me to say
“Hi” to Harry the Hawk….”Hi Harry!”
Please pray for me as I fly home Wednesday. I’m resting my wings for the long
journey. It turns out that it is quicker to fly north over the North Pole then
to go directly west. It’s a little chilly at 35,000 feet so it will actually be
nice to fly south for the summer. I can’t wait to sleep in my own nest!
SkyHawk teaches fans in China how to juggle.
SkyHawk finally gets the treatment he deserves.
SkyHawk poses with a fan at the Team USA vs China game.
Day Eleven - Our Last Show
posted by
Vera
It
is our very last performance day in China. Certainly the thought of returning
home is nice, but we've all had such an amazing time in China there is
definitely sadness in the air. Our departure will be the definition of
bittersweet.
As you may have noticed, our team takes fitness seriously and today was no
different. We began our day with working out and a great breakfast. Check us out
Quick Fitness Solutions (our trainers)!
Since we had an afternoon call time, we took our time preparing, primping, and
getting ready for our final performance day. When we were leaving for our
performance we had a pleasant surprise…the Sol Patrol Dunk Team from the Phoenix
Suns decided to join us for our performance. It was great! We had our own
American cheering squad, and since they knew SkyHawk from other NBA events we all
became old friends. They enjoyed our show, especially their old flying friend
SkyHawk. They had plans to join us for our later show but they got stuck on that
hypnotic Beijing Lu Street for hours. See, it happens to everyone!
Our second show went well and SkyHawk surprised Ginger and me by pulling us into his
act. After he got rid of my pom-poms we were ready for action and he flew high
over our heads! It was incredible!!
During our free stuff giveaways the audience, having learned how to put up the
“A” for Atlanta, threw up their “A’s” with their hand and earned fun gifts.
During the show we all noticed the delight on our tour guide’s face as we danced
and were individually introduced. Later he told us he thought our dances were
wonderful and he was crazy about us (in the most brotherly-sisterly way of
course)! We have truly bonded and we really appreciate Frank and all that he has
taught us about Guangzhou.
We returned to the hotel again to regroup and freshen up for our last
performance. When we met in the lobby for our departure, it
hit us that we were preparing for the last performance in China. The privileged trip
was coming to a fast end. Our director, Donni, let us pick our favorite two
dances and we all agreed to give it everything we had and leave China on the
edge of its seats!
The Orlando Magic Dancers came in the holding area to encourage us and we felt
even more motivation. It was wonderful to meet them and to see how dance and the
NBA can form bridges between people who have never seen each other before. They
were so excited about our performance, they sat right on the stage and it felt
good to see their smiling faces almost beaming with United States and dancer
pride.
SkyHawk once again had friends in the audience and during his show he found the
dunking coach from the Orlando Magic. They turned the show out with their
amazing skills! SkyHawk is definitely going to fly home with his feathered chest
stuck out proud. He has done an awesome job and it was our joy to share the
stage with him. Thank you SkyHawk!
As I finish my last blog from China, I would like to thank the National
Basketball Association, Coke, Atlanta Spirit, LLC and our director Donni
Frazier for having each of us here in China. It has been an experience that I
look forward to sharing with people for years to come. Thank you for having the
confidence to know that we would represent each organization with grace, poise,
and dignity and that we would dance our hearts out; we truly feel honored.
INFINITE THANK YOUS!!!!!
A-Town Dancers pose after their dance "Kiss."
A-Town Dancers are joined by the Orlando Magic Dance Team before their final
performance.
A-Town Dancers are joined by the Sol Patrol Dunk Team from the Pheniox Suns.
Skyhawks gets rid of Vera's pom poms.
Day Ten - Back To Work
posted by
Desiree
Today
began as usual with a quick workout and the breakfast buffet. It was our first
working day since we had left Chengdu so after breakfast we had to get ready for
our shows.
We had a quick practice at the hotel, which drew quite an audience by the end, considering we were wearing metallic red pants.
Our first performance was at 2:00 pm and we did three routines. It was fairly uneventful except for Ginger’s bloody knee. We do a lot of floor work in our routines which I never really noticed until we started dancing on surfaces other than a smooth basketball court.
Lunch, as you may have already guessed was at McDonald’s. I fear that I may turn into a Chicken McNugget. But I digress…
Our second performance was at 5, so we didn’t have time to do anything after eating except go back to the lobby of our hotel and wait.
As some of my teammates and I may or may not have mentioned before, we have a group of bodyguards at all of our shows. I bring this up now because they have had to be much more aggressive here in Guangzhou than they were in Chengdu. I felt like Madonna as we walked through the crowd to the NBA court with them pushing people out of our way to clear a path. I have to admit it was kind of fun.
SkyHawk decided that for this performance he wanted to use my teammates as props for his dunking routine. You would think that after watching him fly as much as we do the girls would trust in his abilities (and his wings) to avoid hitting them when he flipped over there heads. Alas Donni captured a picture of Vera, Jennifer and Denisse (who was behind the other two) cringing in fear; it was very entertaining.
We returned to the hotel after our second show for nap time and were able to catch a few minutes of True Lies. HBO is our favorite channel in China…it is in English. We also had some playtime with Lil Frank. He had been very active in his bowl all day so we figured he needed some attention.
Our last show of the day was at 9:00 pm. We began this show judging another dance contest. I love watching these young ladies perform because they have so much energy and you can tell they are so excited to be performing in front of a crowd. We then performed and were pleasantly surprised by another tribute to Atlanta from MC Guyu.
He managed to get the entire crowd to throw up their “A’s” (peace up, A-town down style) and even got the crowd to imitate Lil' Jon. It was very fun, and we are plotting ways to take Guyu back to the States with us. I haven't been keeping track of how many people we are trying to bring back, but with all the souvenirs we have bought I don’t think we have a lot of room left.
When we got back to the hotel the NBA staff had started arriving for the USA basketball games, which we will hopefully be attending on Monday. Go Joe!!
I am sure that you can guess what is next since it was dinner time…McDonald’s. I know it seems a bit excessive but after seeing the chicken head in my food the other day I am all about the Golden Arches. That being said, I will not be able to look at a McDonald’s for about I month when I return home.
And that is where the day ends. Vera and I are anxious to get into our beds and see what is on HBO. Have a good night/morning and we will see some of you in a few days!
Emcee Guyu puts up his "A."
Vera, Jennifer and Denisse are all smiles before Skyhawk's flight.
Is he going to make it.....of course he made it!
Day Nine - Ummm, We Really Like To Shop
posted by
Desiree
I
love Guangzhou!!! I haven’t told anyone yet but as I sit here writing this I am
contemplating ways to start the China branch of the Atlanta Hawks offices. Let
me know of any ideas that may arise.
I am still waking up early. I think it is from the excitement of having a new adventure everyday. Hopefully this is a habit I will take home with me. We began today with a pleasant surprise. The Orlando Magic Dancers and Stuff the Magic Mascot were in the lobby waiting for their rooms after their arrival in China! Most of us had met at dance camp last year so it was very fun seeing some of our American friends so far away from home. SkyHawk was very happy to see his friend Stuff and was relieved he wouldn’t have to go shopping with us anymore.
After exchanging traveling miseries, we left them to deal with their room situations and went to breakfast. This could be one of the things I will miss most when I am home. Having eggs prepared anyway you want, by someone else, is a luxury I am not yet willing to give up. At least I have four more days to enjoy it.
Although the weather was rainy and fairly gloomy we had been free for a couple of days and were ready for some more touristy things to go and see. Our tour guide Frank, who we are still trying to convince to come to America with us, took us to an amazing attraction here in Guangzhou. The Chen Clan Academy, locally known as the Chen Ancestral Hall, is known for its intricate wood, bone and ivory carvings, elaborate architecture, and superior workmanship. It was by far the most amazing sight we have been to while in China. This house, which served as a place of worship and temporary residence for Chen descendents, was built during the Qing Dynasty (1888-1894).
I cannot describe in words how breathtaking everything was. It's amazing to think that people had done all of this artwork by hand. Donni, Ginger and I were so impressed by all the artwork that we almost bought out all the souvenir shops. Frank and SkyHawk thought we were all crazy because every time we thought we had bought all we needed in one gift shop we found another gift shop to buy more fun souvenirs. But how many times are we going to be in China!? We had to take advantage of the situation.
Since Frank was on a roll and eager to show us his hometown, he took us to a market - not a food market but a medicinal market. Now this is no neighborhood drugstore, you can’t just go pick up some aspirin for a headache. Some of the remedies that we saw besides the traditional ginseng were dried seahorses, dried snake skins, antlers and live turtles. Yes…live turtles. If you are wondering how these turtles are used I believe Frank summed it up the best with his comment: “Poor turtles”. There is a light at the end of this tunnel though. One of the bins contained hundreds of tiny turtles that were sold as pets. I am sure you are probably thinking that we have already done all the souvenir shopping we could do by this point but Ginger did not think so. This is where we introduce Lil Frank (named after our tour guide, Frank)…Ginger’s new pet turtle. Don’t ask. All I know is he will be living in the pond of our hotel when we leave.
By the time we left the market it was raining harder than it had been all day so we decided to get some food. From the time we arrived in Guangzhou until this point we had been living on our breakfast buffet, Subway, McDonald’s and Pizza Hut (as Vera has said before, sorry Quick Fitness Solutions…it is hard eating over here). We thought it was time for some more traditional Chinese food.
Frank took us to a local restaurant and once again we had the VIP treatment with a private room and waitstaff. Since we had already experienced dining out China-style, we decided to stick with dishes we knew were palatable to us.
We ordered some chicken, sweet and sour pork, and eggplant (just to be safe). The eggplant was the first dish out…I never knew a vegetable could be so delicious. The pork was the next to arrive and SkyHawk pretty much claimed that for himself. Last was the chicken. I was the first to dig in. Before I dug, however, I had placed my spoon by a piece that did not have a familiar shape to me. I stared at it for a minute and came to the startling realization of what part of the chicken it was…the head, beak and all. Did I mention how good the eggplant was?
Following our meal, we dropped SkyHawk off back at the hotel and picked Vera up to go see the Western Han Nanyues King’s Tomb. I am usually not one for educational field trips but seeing the remains of a King that died over 2000 years ago was indescribable. We were able to walk through the actual tomb and view not only the remains of his treasures, but the remains of King Zhao Mei’s body as well. His tomb was accidentally discovered in 1983 when a company was prepping a construction site. I was most fascinated by the silk-jade garment made of 2,291 pieces of jade that was preserved from the dig. This shroud covered the King from head to toe since jade is believed to preserve the body.
Ok, enough of the history lesson. Since we are unsure of when we will be in China again we all decided it was imperative to go back to Beijing Lu. Shopping is a huge part of traveling to foreign countries! Frank was off for the rest of the day so we had to take taxis to our destination.
I have mentioned the driving in China before so I will just say we got to the market in one piece and leave it at that.
Since this was now our fourth trip to Beijing Lu, we were quite familiar with the shops we wanted to go into. We were not surprised to find the Magic dancers strolling through the shops not long after their arrival in China. I don’t blame them; the market had been our first outing in Guangzhou as well.
After having walked around all day our feet were hurting and our muscles were aching, so we decided it was time to head back to the hotel. We were lucky to experience our first English speaking cab driver and made it back home with no trouble at all.
Of course my exploring buddy Ginger and I were ready to walk around and shop some more since we had rested for the ten minute cab ride. We dropped off our bags and headed back out to the shops around where we were staying - no more cab rides!
We made an ATM stop (for the twentieth time this trip) and decided it was time to cool off our wallets. This included stopping for a dinner of, you guessed it, McDonald’s. As dancers we don’t usually eat like this but it is the most easily digestible food near where we stay.
Since we had had a rough day of shopping and sightseeing, Ginger and I decided it was time for a massage. What a rough life…I could definitely get used to this. Reality is not going to be fun to get back to.
After our massages (which we will be getting once more before we leave) we ran into the Magic dancers and stopped for some quick pics.
To end our grueling day we went and got Starbucks (it’s the same as it is in America, YAY!) and sat in the lobby of our hotel to people watch. We met some UPS pilots from the States and since Ginger is getting her pilot's license we had to chat for a few minutes and take some pictures. We get very excited to have conversations in English with people other then ourselves.
That is where my night ends. A full day with a wonderful ending as I watch Walker, Texas Ranger and wonder what all of my friends and family are doing on the other side of the world. You may wonder what has happened to my roommate, Vera. She has proven to be the worst TV watching partner ever, being that she falls asleep within the first ten minutes of whatever show or movie is on. No matter, I have free Internet access and Lil Frank to keep me company and I should be going to bed anyway since tomorrow is our first day of performances here in Guangzhou.
Missing you all, but not too much ;)
Desiree, Ginger, Vera, and Donni on the way to the Western Han Nanyue King's
Tomb
Ivory Carving
Chen Ancestral Hall
Desiree with her new friend Lil Frank
Nanyue King's Burial Site
Frank, our tour guide, gives us a tour around the tomb
Ginger and Desiree with the Orlando Magic Dancers
Day Eight - A-Town Hits The
Town For A Night Out
posted by
Zakiya
Wow
what a day this has been! We just found out that a typhoon is headed our way,
but a little wind and rain can’t stop the A-Town Dancers. My teammates and I
began our day with an 8:00 am workout, and then after breakfast reluctantly
decided to go shopping. Again. On our way to the market I noticed a few women asking
for money. Just as I was about to open up my heart and my “media travel bag”,
“bag of life”, (or whatever you want to call the purse carrying our money,
identification, and passports) I realized that the women asking for money were
wearing designer suits, and their shoes that were cuter than mine. I was really
confused, but after careful consideration I decided to spend my Yuan (the name
for Chinese money) elsewhere, at the market.
After another eventful day of shopping and trying to find a cab driver that
could understand us well enough to get us safely to the hotel, my teammate
Denisse and I ordered room service. Since this wonderful city of Guangzhou
houses restaurants such as Subway, McDonalds, and Pizza Hut I hadn’t really felt
compelled to try the Chinese food here, but that evening I bravely tried chicken
fried rice “Young Chou” style. I have absolutely NO idea what “Young Chou” style
is, but since I finished my entire plate of food in about three minutes, I am
assuming it means American style (And I used my chopsticks to eat it!).
Later on in the evening the A-Town Dancers finally decided to experience China’s
nightlife. So, after we all got dressed up like America’s newest girl music
group we stepped out on the town. (Just as a little reminder there is still that
whole typhoon thing going on outside.) The first place we explored was a club
called “The Cave Bar”. As we entered the club I felt like the decaying walls
were going to cave in on me, so I figured that’s where they got the name from,
but I’m not entirely sure about that. The atmosphere was pretty laid back…that
is until we walked in of course. We immediately went to the D.J. (who was from
Canada), and asked him to play some music that we were a little more familiar
with. Once we stepped out on the dance floor we began doing all the dances that
we always do when we hang out in the ATL, but the only difference was we weren’t
in Atlanta. EVERYONE stared at us, which is nothing new being in a foreign
country, but when we couldn’t take the stares anymore we went to another club.
“Gypsy King” was a very different situation. When we walked in I felt like I was
in a music video. People were everywhere dancing around, and we were barely
noticed when we walked in. When we got to the main dance floor there was a stage
with about 5 guys dancing, but there was one guy who was the king of the stage.
He had to be practicing for his rapping career. He was singing all of the songs,
and getting the crowd really hyped. So, that’s why I named him the king of the
club. After all this drama I was sleepy and ready for some rest, but before I
got to enjoy my bed I had to pay my dues. The typhoon was in full effect so my
teammates and I ran back to the hotel in the rain…yeaaaaaa!!! Yet another
adventure for you’re A-Town Dancers. Nighty-night Atlanta.
Desiree, Denisse, Zakiya and Jennifer on another adventure
Day Seven - Free Jeans!
posted by
Jennifer
Hi
everyone! We are having the most fabulous
time here in Guangzhou. Today was the first day we were able to just hang
around the hotel and decide what to do with our day. So, what do you
think seven girls wanted to do with their time? Eat, shop, and…shop! The day
started with our continental breakfast and our creative, machine-LESS workouts.
Then we needed to eat - again. Yesterday, Ginger and Desiree found out that a
Subway existed, so with no further thinking, we rushed there to chow down on
some familiar American food. While we were there, Denisse noticed that Faith
Hill was playing on the radio in Subway. This led some of us to burst into song.
Some of us cannot sing very well (me), which doesn’t explain why someone sitting
nearby asked if we were a singing group. Fortunately, for everyone, we only
dance.
It was a good thing I had begun to sing because the gentleman who inquired about our talents, or lack thereof, ended up being a designer. We apparently had a lasting impression on him because he returned to Subway a little later with a bag of jeans that he wanted us to take. We graciously accepted the jeans and had a fitting right there in Subway!
Our next mission for the day was to go shopping at the Beijing Lu market again. Getting anywhere is always an adventure in itself. Sometimes I wish that I could fly like SkyHawk, because this way I wouldn’t have to worry about dodging cars, pedestrians, or bicycles on the way to our destinations. Fortunately, we ended up arriving safely and spent the next several hours shopping. There were so many things to choose from, it was unbelievably crazy! We each bought several gifts for our family, friends, and ourselves…of course. I am so excited to share all of our unforgettable stories, experiences, and gifts with everyone back home. Today has been exhausting, but well worth it. I can’t wait for tomorrow. Good night everyone.
Donni and Denisse at Subway
Shopping!
Presents from the jean designer!
Desiree and Jennifer with shopping bags at the market
Day Six - Some Words From The Bird
posted by
SkyHawk
After
an exciting weekend of performances in Chengdu, we packed our bags yesterday and
headed to Guangzhou. The A-Town dancers boarded a plane, while I decided to
spread my wings and fly on my own. Heading SE (about 700 miles as the Hawk
flies), I met the girls at the Garden Hotel in downtown Guangzhou. This will be
our home over the next week or so. The accommodations are very nice, but I’m
already missing our new friends back in Chengdu. Shelley and Susan, our
translators, were so nice. They even took me out to eat rabbit on Saturday
afternoon! I was very excited about my meal since I am a bird of prey. Mmmm….rabbit!!
We had a wonderful day of sightseeing. I hung around Ginger and Desiree this
morning as they shopped for local apparel as gifts as well as calling cards to
stay in touch with their friends and family. After lunch, we went down to a
local temple. Several of us went up to the top of a 180-foot pagoda. The bird’s
eye view was amazing! Guangzhou has a population of around 10 million and we
could see the fantastic skyline from our vantage point.
From the temple, we took a short bus ride over to a tea and flower garden. This
park included a wide variety of trees and plants. The dancers were treated to
some hot tea by our tour guide Frank. Chinese folks love tea. They often stop
for three or four cups daily. Frequent bathroom stops are a necessity too.
After a full afternoon, we came back by the hotel and headed over to good old
Pizza Hut. We’ve had the privilege of trying authentic cuisine most of our trip,
but we were just longing for a little bit of home.
I sure do miss my pal Harry the Hawk. It will be fun to try to watch him use the
chopsticks that I got for him. I know he would love the heavy seafood diet they
have in China. He would probably gain a bunch of weight and have a tough time
flying back to the ATL. Speaking of flying back, I’d better rest my wings
from all this typing…see you soon as the basketball season is right around the
corner.
Go Hawks,
SkyHawk!
Day Five - A Near Traumatic
Experience At The Airport
posted by
Denisse
The
day started at 4:45 am (yes, it is very early!), as my roomie Jennifer and I
were both exhausted and a little sad because today we left Chengdu and headed to Guangzhou. Our flight
left at 7:30 am, but overall I was excited
because we had heard a lot of great things about Guangzhou.
When we finally arrived, I realized I left my “BAG OF LIFE” (passport, license, money, etc.) on the plane. Can you believe that?!?! So my teammate Zakiya and I ran back to the gate, hoping that the plane hadn’t left yet. We finally got there and spent about 10 minutes trying to communicate with the flight attendants. It was very stressful, but we figured it out and I got my bag of life back. Wheew!
From the airport we headed to The Garden, our beautiful hotel. The King of Sweden actually stayed here last week. Our rooms are very Feng Shui, and there is a huge waterfall outside. Later, we headed to the market. It was crazy. There were a lot of people, lights, and stores.
Now it is 9:00 pm and I think I’m going to go to bed because tomorrow will be our first day to tour around the city. I love it here and I can’t wait to see the other beautiful sights of Guangzhou!
Historic pavement from the Ming Dynasty era
Denisse, Jennifer and Vera hanging out relaxing
We have our first taste of pizza for lunch right after we arrive in Guangzhou
Day Four - Dancing In
Different Cultures
posted by
Vera
Although
it is my third day in Chengdu, my body still has
not adjusted to the huge time change. After
waking up at 3:30 am, I lay in bed for about 30
minutes until I gave in to being awake. Luckily,
I had my laptop and a couple of movies. As I was
getting my laptop ready to watch Failure to
Launch for the first time, Desiree (my
roommate) suddenly asked what time it was and
made a frustrated noise when I told her. We both
watched the movie and sadly stayed awake the
entire time. It was a good movie though! By then
it was 5:30 am, but we were still far from
tired.
We anxiously awaited the arrival of 6:00 am so
we could have our first breakfast of the
morning, then took a quick walk outside to get
money from the ATM across from the hotel. Then
we waited for the business center to open at
7:00 am . We ran into a few of our teammates
(Jennifer, Denisse and Zakiya), who had worked
out and had breakfast by the time we saw them.
Ginger had already worked out too - none of us
can sleep!
Today’s performance schedule was very similar to
yesterday. The one unique difference was the
dance contest held during our third evening
performance. The A-Town Dancers were the judges
for a dance contest among four contestants. All
the contestants had a routine prepared as well
as costumes. They each had a personality that
was portrayed through their dance and an
individual dancing style. The winner of the
competition was a spirited dancer who did a
cowboy routine with a sassy feel. She had an
extreme amount of poise and character and she
was an amazing dancer!
After spending days trying authentic Chinese
food and spending money in our hotel’s
restaurant, we went to the all-famous McDonalds
for lunch and KFC for dinner! Neither place is
on the prescribed diet of an A-Town Dancer and
I’m sure our trainers are not going to be happy
to hear this (sorry Quick Fitness Solutions) but
we did it and it was GOOD!!!!
The people who live in Chengdu, China seem to
take us in during performances the same way we
take the city in when we travel, eat, and visit
the sites. It is a mutual feeling of privilege
to have this ONE opportunity to experience this
ONE particular moment. For many people in
Chengdu, our style of dancing is new and
foreign; however, the appreciation from the
audience is pure. They seem to love the
different style of music and dance. We have
learned that most Chinese dancers do a modern
form of “hand dancing” which requires very
little body movement but intricate hand motions.
Our style of dance, which requires the entire
body, HAIR to TOE, is as amazing to the people
of China as Chinese Opera and Tea House is to
us. Today, I experienced a respectful awe
between the A-Town Dancers and the people of
Chengdu.
Mentally, we were better prepared today for the back-to-back routines and the flow of the program. During the NBA season, we typically perform one dance at a time. Here, our bodies have had to adjust to ten-minute performances, three times a day. However, there is no loss of energy from the A-Town Dancers. We value the reality that for most people in Chengdu this is the one opportunity to see us perform, and we give them our very best! The energy from the audience, MC GuYu, and SkyHawk has been so powerful.
We have a 6:00 am call time for our next flight to a place southeast of Chengdu, so I hope you all enjoyed the update from China and I’m glad you checked in. See you later Hawks Fans! Time to get some sleep...hopefully!
SkyHawk plays pool with the NBA video crew
Vera and Susan smile for the camera!
Finally, dinner at KFC
Our wonderful hotel in Chengdu
Day Three - Chengdu, Day Two
posted by
Desiree
What
a day! I think this is our third day in Chengdu, second full day. I could be
completely wrong because I am still a bit confused from the 28-hour commute and
the 12-hour time change. Apparently being on the opposite side of the world has
made me an early bird; for the second day in a row I was up at 6:00 am. Vera, my Chengdu roomie, and I decided to start conquering the day rather than trying to
sleep an extra hour. The Hawks group met downstairs for the buffet at 8:30 am
and we were out the doors to our first day of performances by 10:00 am. Driving
through Chengdu itself is an adventure, but describing it in words brings
no justice to the heart-stopping experience of our commute.
We arrived at the exhibition center right on time for our performance. We were
whisked into the building by a crew of bodyguards and immediately taken to the
VIP area, a giant Coke can. I think we were all a bit nervous for the first
performance since our practice consisted of us counting through the dances while
driving to the venue. The show started with our very own SkyHawk, who flew for the crowd
right before we were escorted by our
bodyguards to the court. After we performed our first dance, PYT (who doesn't like
old-school MJ?) we were introduced to the crowd by the emcee, GuYu. Let me just
take a moment here to give props to GuYu...the A-Town dancers are half-way
around the world from the "A", yet he was so "crunk" we felt like we were back
home. After getting the crowd to chant A-T-L he proceeded into a Lil Jon
"YEE-AH!!" I am not too sure anyone really understood that noise but we
definitely appreciated it. We performed two more dances at this show and went
back to our hotel for a quick make-up freshening period.
Since we had time to spare before the next performance and we all wanted to try
traditional Chinese food, we stopped at a restaurant on the way back to the
exhibition hall. It was a beautiful restaurant. We were greeted by about five
employees and brought upstairs to a private dining
area with our own waitstaff. Lily, our fabulous guide, helped us to order from
the menu. We were all very eager to try something new, but SkyHawk won the
bravery award with his dish of rabbit. At this point I will give some examples
of other choices on the menu: Sea Intestines, Shark Lip and Duck's blood.
(Rabbit doesn't sound so brave now, does it?) Donni, Jennifer and I were slightly
less courageous with a meal of Kung Pao chicken (which was SOOOO good!!), Vera
and Ginger had a giant bowl of Chicken noodle soup and Denisse and Zakiya had a
dish of rice with a vinegar/soy sauce. A few of us also sampled Tang Cu Ni Ji,
sweet and sour pork. When in China...
After our meal, (did I mention how good the chicken was?), we went back for our
second performance. Once again we had a quick practice on the bus and waited for
SkyHawk to fly back to get us after his performance. We knew for this next show
we would be performing on a different floor than the morning show but we
were unsure of its condition. Lily warned us that it was very slippery but we
had no idea how slippery it really was. Needless to say it took a minute for us
to get used to the floor, but, since we are the A-Town dancers, we pulled
through and everyone made it without breaking anything. GuYu introduced us again
at this show and added a little something to his Lil Jon tribute...THE A-TOWN
STOMP!! It was great, and we all joined him in this ATL dance of course, since we
are the "crunkest" dance team in the NBA. We finished our second show handing
out calendars, mini basketballs and backpacks, which the crowd loved, and one
more routine. If you are keeping count by the way, those were our fourth and fifth routines of
the day.
We had some more time to kill before the final show of the day, so we went back to
the hotel to freshen up once again and were back in the bus 45 minutes later. I
have to add that after our second performance we decided to have a quick
practice in the hotel gym since we determined that practicing our routines while
sitting on a bus was not conducive to refreshing our memories. This made us all
a lot more confident for the third and final show of the day. SkyHawk seemed to
have had problems in his earlier shows conveying the message that he wanted a
steady clap from the audience for his flying dunk routine, so he asked us to help
with his last performance. We were happy to; after all, birds of a feather flock together
right? We were very excited to get to see him dunk and the crowd loved his
"front flip over the three people dunk".
For this last performance I have to explain the
lighting. Let's just say that I left there a few shades darker than I was when I
arrived. They were VERY bright and VERY hot. Now I am not complaining at all
because being performers we love to have bright lights on us but UV lamps in the
middle of a Chengdu summer is alot, especially when you are wearing spandex and
dancing. Our first dance for the final show was Missy Elliott's "Lose Control",
a very upbeat and draining routine. After finishing the dance, I looked at the
rest of my teammates to make sure I was not the only one that looked like I had
just stepped out of the shower. I was not.
When we finished, we were all introduced again and
then two fans were permitted to ask two of my teammates a question. The
first was for Ginger: "Do you like Yao Ming?" Ginger's response of yes
aroused
resounding applause. The second went to Jennifer: "Do you have a boyfriend?"
I think this guy was a sucker for blondes.
After the Q&A period we did a second routine, followed by our third and last
performance which is probably the most physically draining in our entire repertoire. The crowd cheered very loud when we
did kicks and body
rolls and turns, so they loved our last dance.
On our way back to the hotel we were pleasantly surprised by an impromptu
performance from Lily. She sang her favorite song for us and her sweet voice
calmed us after our strenuous day of dancing.
Since we are in Chengdu for only one more day a few of us decided it would be
fun to go to Qintai Lu. This is the street where the tea house from
last night is located. Shelley, one of our other guides, graciously accommodated
our tourist needs and accompanied us down there. We were all starving from our
full day of dancing (eight routines if you lost count), so we went in to
the first place we saw. Actually we were a little excited to see a sign
advertising western meals on the entrance.
We had a great waiter, David, who was learning English through a tutor so he was
eager to practice his new language with us. We once again needed help from our
guide ordering food but each of us found something that we liked on the menu.
SkyHawk and Ginger went with what ended up being Country fried steak and Donni,
Jennifer and I went with Tomato spaghetti.
Now since we are in China, you have to
remember that spaghetti is going to be served differently. We were given an
appetizer of Zi Cai Tang soup (seaweed and egg) and then they brought out our
spaghetti which had a ham-type meat and peppers in it. It was very spicy but
very good. That was two traditional Chinese meals in one day! (sorry, I can't count that
meal as Western) After taking a pictures of our meals and with David we left the
restaurant to walk down the rest of Qintai Lu. The first thing we saw was a tea
ceremony. Two beautiful women dressed in silk kimonos were doing a routine
involving the same teapots we saw at the teahouse last night. They were so
graceful and they had a large crowd around them that seemed to be mesmerized.
Everyone except one local man that befriended Jennifer.
We continued down the street, admiring the architecture of the hotels and
shops, and took some pictures to end the night with a touristy flair. I don't
think dodging the Chengdu traffic was the best way to get our pics, but when
in China...
As we walked back to our van we passed a vendor selling drinks, and since I had been sampling
new things all day I decided to try a new beverage. There was a bottle of blue
sprite and according to Shelly it turned out to be Icy Mint Sprite...I am still
a fan of the original recipe. We were back at the hotel by 9:00 pm and that is
were my day ends, typing this blog and desperately trying to get down this half
finished bottle of Icy Mint Sprite. Good night Hawks Fans!! (Good morning for
some of you)!
At the Giant Panda Base with tour guide, Susan
Denisse, Ginger and Vera at lunch
Jennifer and Desiree having fun with their chopsticks
Ginger trying new food!
Day Two - The First Day In
Chengdu
posted by
Ginger
After
an exhausting 39 hours of travel and being awake for almost two days straight,
we all got a good nights rest at our hotel. We are staying at the Sheraton
Chengdu Lido Hotel. It is a gorgeous five-star establishment. The view from our
room is amazing. We look out over Chengdu city and the 40,000 seat soccer arena
is right out our window. We can see directly into the stadium!
We woke up around 8 a.m. and met for breakfast in the hotel. Our translator,
tour guide, and driver met us to take us to the Research Base of Giant Panda
Breeding. The panda center was very interesting. It was so much fun to see all
the panda bears and to learn so much about them. They are so adorable, we all
wanted to take one home, but our tour guide didn't really go for that.
Then we came back to the hotel for a quick lunch, an afternoon nap, and a group
workout.
We did a little sightseeing around our hotel and went to a number of shops surrounding our hotel. Most of the shops were sports related, especially soccer due to the location of the arena. It's amazing the difference in price of simple things here. We found a pair of Nike's that sell for about $200 in the States that were only Y160 here which is about $20 US money! After a lot of walking, which is a task in itself trying to get around all the cars and bicyclists, we went back to the hotel to get ready for our evening out.
Tonight we had the privilege of experiencing two of the five things Chengdu is famous for. We went to the Sichuan Opera at the Shu Feng Ya Yun Teahouse. Sichuan is the territory Chengdu is in, and we learned today that Sichuan means "four rivers" and Chengdu means "becoming the capital city". Just a brief Chinese history lesson...back to the opera. It was set up in an outdoor courtyard area, covered by a tent with hundreds of red lanterns hanging from the roof. There were little wooden tables with tea and the "Tea Doctors" would come around and serve you. Then came a wonderful surprise...as soon as we sat down we were offered massages by the masseuses at the tea house. It was only Y100 ($12) for a 30-minute massage...of course Desiree and I were persuaded in paying Y20 more ($2.50) for an extra foot massage. What can I say we're dancers! :)
The show started right after the massages. The performers were all extremely talented and the costuming and music were phenomenal! The opera consisted of everything from traditional Chinese opera, to gymnasts/tumblers, dancers, comedians, puppeteers, musicians, "face changers", fire-spitters, and a hand shadow master. We really enjoyed the show it was such a great experience!
After a long and exciting first day (yes only the first day and already all this excitement!) we headed back to the hotel to rest up for our first day of performances tomorrow.
Good night everyone! Sending my love to family and friends in the States!
Amazing view of the soccer stadium out of our hotel window in Chengdu
Day One - Leaving The U.S.
posted by Donni Frazier, A-Town Dance Team Coordinator
Today
was going to be a looooong day. I got up at 4am to make sure I had packed everything,
and then
I met everyone at 6am for the first leg of our flight to Newark, NJ. It was finally the day
we would leave for China.
We made it to Newark as scheduled and by this time we were all very hungry. We
picked up quick snacks of pizza, hot dogs, tacos and ice cream...all healthy
things to eat for a dance team! Ok not really, but we enjoyed lunch. Our
anxiety was beginning to build about our next flight which was predicted to be
13 hours and 43 minutes. Yes, my stomach was in knots because out of the whole
group, I'm the only one who is afraid to fly! Ginger, who's dad is a retired
Captain, was by my side doing her best to persuade me that the long flight
wouldn't be that bad. Little did I know, the Captain for the flight overheard
her reassuring me and confirmed that he not only had been a pilot for awhile, but in fact for 40 years. Needless to say, I was relaxed the rest
of the trip! The flight, which turned out to be 12 hours instead of 13, was
effortless, outside of the commotion of two people throwing up behind our seats.
We finally made it to Beijing - but we still had another flight to catch to Chengdu.
And that is where our adventure was about to begin. We immediately went through
customs and a flight representative, who spoke little English, told us to go to
the ticket counter on the 2nd floor. Once there we waited in line behind 7 or so
people only to get to the counter to have the representative tell us we needed
to go to the group counter to check in. So we get to the group counter to check
our bags, but the representative realizes that we don't have actual tickets. So
she, who speaks no English and me, who speaks no Chinese, try the best we can to
communicate with each other. The dancers appoint Ginger to remain by my side and
they settle in on the floor and wait for me to fix the problem. Ginger and I traveled from ticket counter to ticket counter not knowing what's going on and
not being able to understand a word of anything. Then an hour later, out of
nowhere, two NBA representatives show up with our tickets and whisked us away to
our final flight to Chengdu. The flight was fine but we were all very happy when
we finally landed! We were met by two tour guides, Shelley and Susan,
who escorted us to our hotel. Once at the hotel we met with our NBA contact to
schedule meetings for the following day, and then immediately all went to bed.
After all it was 9:45 p.m. there but 9:45 a.m. Atlanta time - and we had been traveling since 8am the
day before.
I was very happy to wish the girls and SkyHawk goodnight and get settled in for
a long night of rest. At the same time, I was excited to begin the next day's
adventure and see what China had in store for us.
Desiree missing American Coca Cola
The ladies strike a pose
We are on our way! Finally!
