Luna Blog

Madison, WI

Posted December 29, 2008 2:56 PM in Luna on Tour

Our final tour city, Madison, WI, was by far a perfect ending to my first season. A few of us caravaned in rental cars to our destination a day early in order to teach students who would be attending our family matinees later that week. By 7am the next morning, we were shuttling from our hotel suites to the gymnasiums of two different middle schools where we worked with over 150 students to the beat of Latin rhythms. It's amazing what the students were able to achieve in just 50 minutes and before we knew it, our groups of 50 were performing dances for one another just like we'd do onstage. In between our teachings, we popped into the elegant Capitol Theater to meet the remaining dancers who had just arrived. Bundled in warm clothes and even some of us in sneakers, we quickly worked with our directors and crew to space and light the next day's performance before we were off to teach again. With a few hours to rest in the afternoon, we primped for an evening with some Wisconsin Latino locals for an evening of shared entertainment: Mexican folkloric dancing by some talented youngsters, Reggaeton performances by teens, and finally a salsa dancing lesson led by Mr. Vilaro and the company members. And to top off the tour, we finished with three public performances for three packed houses. I could sense the excitement from our former students as they recognized the movements from stage that we'd shared with them. It was a dance explosion! Madison was certainly a tour city that I will never forget!

Elise Drew, Dancer

Meet the Artists

Nigel Campbell

Dancer

Nigel Campbell (New York City, NY) received his dance training at Creative Outlet Dance Theater of Brooklyn, under the mentorship of Jamel Gaines, The Ailey School, Miami City Ballet, and Jacob’s Pillow. He is a graduate of LaGuardia High School...