First foray

Well i guess this is kinda day 1. Very late start most likely due to jet lag creeping in but also knowing that my first meet with partner in crime Tomaz Chow is at 2pm. I met Tomaz during my first trip to Shanghai as part of  the British Council/Creative Scotland Dance Links China programme in May 2010. He ran an art space in an area of Shanghai and was most interested in collaborating on a project when i first proposed it to him. Spaces come and go quite fast in the rapidly developing cities of China so his art space has now become an office in another area of town. Nevertheless, through a previous contact made in the form of BBoy George Zhi Zhao (or "zee" for short), we have managed to score a great rehearsal space at Caster Dance Studios. If you want to see video and whassup with the Shanghai scene and further afield in China then check out Zee's blog here Freshestkidschina.com. Following some studio reconnaissance and a quick hit of Costa Coffee (unfortunately it was all that was going around nearby) we headed into town to meet with a potential dancer for the project by the name of Jiang Fan, a dancer & choreographer with the Shanghai Opera and Dance Drama company. It is hoped her schedule will fit with ours.

The day was wrapped up in good style in an outing to socialise with Shanghai's multi-national mix of hip-hop dancers. France, Russia, Vietnam, Korea and Scotland was in the house. Of course there was serious side for my attendance at this soiree and that was to meet up with a dancer i met during my last visit, Alex Bomb (boom!). We had quite a memorable early hour street cypher during my last visit and i always thought he might be suitable for this project. As fate would have it, it turns out he just quit his job and therefore suddenly has some time in his diary. Tertiary employments loss is my gain. There is still a lot to be decided upon and organise but at least the ball is rolling.

晚安

Me & the Bomb!

High rise shenanigans...or shanghaigans