| Essay of Caroline Beach & Alex Peters |
|
| To the Danish American Society: |
| After much anticipation over the summer, we arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark after a long eight hour flight. It was both of our first times in Europe and we were unsure of what to expect. We stayed in a three bedroom apartment with three other American students not far from Tivoli Gardens, the famous amusement park that inspired Walt Disney to build his famous Disney World. The Royal Theatre, where we took class everyday with the Royal Danish Ballet, was located a little over a mile away across Copenhagen.
|
| Because of our lengthy walk, we were able to see much of the Danish culture. We enjoyed trying new foods, listening to different types of music, and of course, all of the amazing places to shop. Denmark for sure has some of the best ice cream and chocolate as well as some amazing seafood. We enjoyed going to the Copenhagen Jazz House and hearing an all Danish band, Magnus Fra Garden, play their own interesting version of jazz music with Latin, rock, and Scandinavian influences. |
| We saw all of the beautiful tourist spots like the Little Mermaid and the Royal Palace and visited a few museums as well; including the Rosenberg Palace which houses the Royal Crown jewels. We made it a habit of always visiting the Kings Garden between classes because it is a wonderful place to sit down and relax. |
| Of course, we weren't only in Denmark as tourists, everyday we went the Royal Theatre and took class with one of the most prestigious companies in the world, the Royal Danish Ballet, known for their excellence in the Bournonville style and classics. It was very enriching to be able to take classes there and we did our best to absorb everything we could from the dancers, teachers, and the company in general. We had a morning class with the company and it was amazing to be able to not only watch the professional dancers, but to take class side by side with them. Our second class of the day was the apprentice classes and the designed for younger dancers, like ourselves, and was focused around refining technique. |
| Along with taking classes, we had several opportunities to watch company rehearsals and performances. We saw a contemporary program called Silk and Knife and then Giselle, We were disappointed at how quickly time flew and wish we could have stayed longer, but overall, the entire experience will always bring back fond memories of the new things we tried and moments of laughter. |
| We really want to thank D.A.N.C.E for this wonderful opportunity .It meant more then you can imagine. |
| Sincerely, |
| Caroline Beach & Alex Peters |
