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RPD Update from Xi'an, China - Sept 14, 2009
Hello from Xi'an, China!
We're here filming a segment of the NBA's Dance Passion reality show - it's a semi-final round; out of 30 dancers, 8 will move on to the next round. It was tough getting here (long delays at the Beijing airport) but well worth the trip! The RPD were very excited to meet the contestants, and we were able to spend a little time with the group on Saturday, when Emily taught a brief routine. The language wasn't even a barrier! Everyone caught on to the NBA style.
Xi'an is also home to one of the greatest archeological finds of the 20th century - the Terracotta Warriors, a collection of life-sized clay soldiers, horses and chariots built to protect the first Chinese Emperor in his after life. It's estimated that over 8,000 unique warriors were created. We were lucky enough to have a free day to visit the excavation site and museum, and even met the farmer who discovered the first warrior when digging for a well 30 years ago. It was a breathtaking sight to see the recovered statues lined up in battle formation! Stay tuned for lots of photos.
Back to dance - today was the dress rehearsal for the live show taping tomorrow. What a whirlwind event! The action was non-stop from the second we walked in the venue. We went straight to the stage for lighting, staging and blocking for our two performance routines. Then to interviews, more rehearsal, judging panel, performing, judging, performing and voting, with crazy backstage running in between. And we weren't even the competitors! But in the end we feel ready for the show tomorrow.
We'll check back in after tomorrow's show. Good luck to all the Chinese Dancers!
RPD Update from Beijing, China - Sept 10, 2009
Greetings from Beijing, China!
An, Emily, Ginger, Ebony, Shelly, Julie, and coach Susie arrived safely (with all our luggage!) in Beijing Wednesday, September 10. We're here in China for the "Dance Passion" - NBA China Dancer Competition reality show. Our segment is being filmed in Xi'An, China later this week. In the meantime, we were lucky enough to stop in Beijing for some sightseeing and fun...
...So today we were up bright and early to climb the Great Wall - and climb we did! The entire group, plus an NBA camera crew and our tour guide, Charlie, climbed as high as we could go. Read: no gondola ride to the top. It was a truly amazing experience, and although it was physically very tough, we're so glad we stuck to our goal of reaching the top; it's something we'll always remember. The segment of the Wall we ascended (and descended) was built approximately 2,000 years ago! And today it withstood some Power Dancing.
On the way back to town, we drove by the "Bird's Nest" Olympic stadium, Olympic Village, and 7 Star Dragon Hotel. This sparked some debate and discussion - who knew 7 star hotels existed? And dragon-shaped hotels, at that? It was a good marriage of old world and modern styles - very cool. We enjoyed the drive through the area and back to downtown proper, because it took us through a gorgeous park similar in concept to Central Park in NYC - quite scenic. The remainder of the day was spent bargain hunting at the famous Silk Market, located on Silk Street in Beijing. Special thanks go out to Charlie for his Chinese lesson and bargaining tips!
Tomorrow we head out to Xi'an, where we'll rehearse and eventually film the Dance Passion show. The RPD are all looking forward to meeting the Chinese dancers competing on the big stage. And more Houston fans - we've already encountered several Houstonians and Rockets fans at the airport, our hotel, and even on the Great Wall. Go Rockets!
Thanks for reading and we'll check back soon...
Congratulations to your Rockets Power Dancers, voted fan favorite NBA dance team in the West for the 2008-2009 season!
Check out Emily and Carrie's new blog, RPD and The City!
Assistant coach D’Anne and RPD Carrie, Emily, An, Savannah, Melanie and Stacey are in Istanbul, Turkey to entertain Rockets fans on an NBA Jam Van Tour.
Day 3
Hi, Rockets fans! Today is our last day in Turkey =(. Our agenda today first included our last NBA Jam Van event. We signed a lot of Rockets posters and calendars for the fans here! We were surprised by the overwhelming support for our home team, the Rockets. Everywhere we went, people recognized our team logo and were eager to say hello and welcome us into their country.
Next on the agenda, plans were to visit Topkapi Palace (one of the country’s top 10 historical landmarks), but due to rainy weather, we had a change of plans. We enjoyed visiting the Grand Bazaar so much yesterday that our guide Burak suggested we browse another market in Taxism Square. Taxism Square is like New York City, where the city never sleeps. We stopped by to say hello to our friends in the NBA store and took a photo in front of T-Mac's poster. Our favorite place was Haci Bekir, the famous Turkish delight candy store. After sampling an assortment of candy, all 7 RPD decided to purchase some Turkish delight candies to take home. To round out our day, we had a delicious dinner at Mozaik Restaurant with Burak and his wife, Vanessa. Being in Turkey has surpassed all our expectations, and the food and hospitality has been wonderful! The spirit for the Houston Rockets in Turkey has all of us here ready to cheer on the Rockets for opening night on October 29th. Help carry the Get Red spirit with us and cheer on our home team to a winning season!
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See you on opening night,
An & Stacey
Day 2
Merhaba (Hello), Rockets Fans!
Day 2 in Istanbul got off to an interesting start - rain. Our event with the NBA Jam Van is held outside, and our performances had to be pushed back a bit. It allowed us some unexpected downtime to rest, refresh, and rehearse. A few of the girls decided to check out a local Turkish fast food restaurant, Bambi's Cafe. It was quite different, but also very tasty. Once the rain cleared up, the NBA staff members did everything they could, even mopping and drying off the concrete with towels, to allow us to dance safely and not slip and fall, and we got started!
The fans in Turkey were very excited to see us and enjoyed all four of our routines. They were eager to meet us and get autographs on everything from posters to arms (seriously!). After meeting and greeting, we judged a slam dunk competition, which concluded our exciting day at the Jam Van. Afterward, our host/tour guide Burak took us to some of the most elite shopping in downtown Istanbul, which, of course, we all loved! We decided to treat ourselves to some coffee and hot chocolate at Starbucks (where Savannah had a clumsy incident that we won’t get into now). We then got ready to enjoy an authentic Turkish dinner with Burak and his wife, Vanessa, which was delicious. We also got a taste of the Turkish night life, and discovered that cold and rainy weather doesn't stop the party. As you can see, we had a long, yet exciting day, and we're looking forward to tomorrow!! We're off to get some rest so we can be ready for all the festivities that lie ahead!
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Signing out,
Savannah & Melanie
Friday, October 24, 2008
Hi Rockets fans!
Greetings from Istanbul, Turkey. We are here representing the Houston Rockets and NBA Europe Jam Van for several performance days and local appearances. We arrived here after a 10 hour flight from NY and with no rest, began our adventure into the city. Our new best friend, Burak a local in Istanbul, greeted us upon our arrival and wasted no time showing us the local historical landmarks and of course the best places to shop. First stop, and top priority for all 7 RPD was the tour of Sultan Ahmet Camii, known as the "Blue Mosque". The Blue Mosque gets its name from the spectacular assortment of blue tiles that line the interior walls. The Mosque was first built in the early 1600s and is still used daily as a place of prayer for Muslims. Next we headed to the Grand Bazaar to test our local bargaining skills and buy souvenirs. It's a good thing we had our friend Burak there to guide us through the numerous shops and overwhelming display of goods to buy!! Several girls purchased Turkish candy, others looked for authentic hand-painted ceramics, but our favorite bargains were the handmade jewelry. For dinner we ate at a street side shop and enjoyed some local cuisine. Now, off to practice we go for our performances tomorrow. Make sure you check back with Rockets.com soon to see if we won the hearts of our fans in Turkey!
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Gulegule (bye!),
Carrie & Emily
Hair and make-up provided by Toni & Guy Memorial City and Woodlands salons. Tanning by Malibu Tan. Training by FIT Athletic Club.
