Andrea Ting('10) Serves as an NDI Ambassador in Shanghai
Published July, 2010
Just two days after officially "graduating" from NDI in June, dancer Andrea Ting was given the opportunity of a lifetime: to travel to Shanghai, China with an NDI delegation as part of an artistic global exchange progam. While in China, Andrea and the NDI team worked with world-renowed choreographer Dou Dou Huang, children, and teachers of the Shanghai Children's Palace on the creation of a new choreographic work entitled The Red Thread. We asked her about her experience abroad.
Q: What was your first impression of Shanghai?
A: My first impression of Shanghai was that it looked exactly like Manhattan, only all of the signs were in Chinese. But the very first thing that I noticed was the air quality. It was extremely hard to breathe when I got off the airplane.
Q.
Did you eat any kind of odd food or drinks while you were there?
A: Well, I didn't actually eat any, due to my lack of bravery towards trying new foods, but I did see a lot of strange things. Common brands like Starbucks and Lay's chips had some strange flavors, like Green Tea Black Sesame and Hot and Sour Fish Soup.
Q: What was it like dancing with people who speak another language?
A: It was surprisingly easy. The kids and teachers from China actually knew a fair amount of English. Plus, if there were any complications with communicating directly, we had trusty translators by our side. Having to translate everything did tire out our brains a little, but I imagined it would be a lot harder.
Q: How was it collaborating to create The Red Thread?
A:
Collaborating to create The Red Thread opened my eyes to a lot of different things. Each choreographer had something different about their choreography, but they were all similar in a way. It was great seeing how ideas either contrasted or melted together.
Q: What did you miss most about the US while you were there?
A:
I missed the "melting pot" aspect the most. In China, everything seemed solid, whereas in the US, everything is loose. The US combines a whole bunch of cultures and people, and I didn't really feel that from the particular area of China that we visited.
Q:
What was your favorite part of your trip?
A:
My favorite part of the trip was getting to relax with everybody in the hotel. We often had game nights with Scrabble and Boggle. Of course, I enjoyed working in the studios a lot, but I think that relaxing is important too.
Q:
After this summer, will you continue to dance?
A:
Definitely! When I think of the idea of not continuing dance, I get scared. Dance is my method of expression, and I simply love it.
Q:
What will you miss most about NDI?
A:
I'm not sure I can narrow this down to a single quality. Well, one thing that I'll miss a lot will be its family-like feel. Everyone in NDI is connected through our passion of art (whether it's dance, theater, or singing), and that has helped me build strong friendships that will last a lifetime. Even with the teachers! I feel like leaving NDI is leaving family.
About Andrea Ting
Andrea Ting began her NDI training in the fall 2006 at partner school P.S. 124, where she was enrolled as a student in the school’s highly selective Talented and Gifted Program. She is currently an eighth grade student at the New York City Lab Middle School for Collaborative Studies and was recently accepted by the nationally acclaimed Stuyvesant High School, where she will be enrolled in September 2010. Andrea is the child of a Chinese immigrant and a first generation Chinese-American.
She has represented NDI at various events including the 2007 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, two performances in Symphony Space’s "Just Kidding" Series, and The September Concert (2008) at Rockefeller Center. Andrea has appeared with NDI on television several times, including the "NY1 Parenting Report," CBS' "The Early Show,"
and a "WCBS News." Andrea represented NDI in Monterey, CA, at the third annual Entertainment Gathering (a spin-off of TED: Ideas Worth Spreading), featuring 50 passionate geniuses, rising stars, and living national treasures from across the globe, including NDI Founder Jacques
d’Amboise. Andrea danced as a principal in an NDI performance that opened the China-USA Hand in Hand Gala, which was produced by China Central Television to commemorate 30 years of friendship between the United Stated and China.
Alumni Association of National Dance Institute
