Up with People Cast A 2009 “On Tour”

United States Dates
Denver, CO (Orientation & Staging) 10 July – 9 August

Thornton, CO 10 August – 12 August
Show @ Pinnacle Events Center - Aug. 12th – 7pm

Aspen/Snowmass, CO 13 August – 16 August
Show @ Snowmass Village Stage - Aug. 15th – 7pm

Durango, CO 17 August – 21 August
Show @ Community Concert Hall, Fort Lewis College - Aug. 20 & 21 – Time TBD

Prescott, AZ 22 August – 24 August
Show @ location TBD – Aug. 24th – Time TBD

Lake Havasu City, AZ 25 August – 30 August
Show(s) @ High School Performing Arts Center - [Show Date(s) TBD]

Mexico Dates
Leon 31 August – 6 September
Querétaro 7 September – 13 September
Veracruz 14 September – 20 September
Puebla 21 September – 27 September
Mexico City  28 September – 5 October

Europe Dates
Luleå, Sweden (Private show) 6 October – 9 October
Stockholm, Sweden (Private show) 10 October – 14 October
Sundsvall, Sweden (Private show) 15 October – 19 October
Vänersborg, Sweden (Private show) 20 October – 23 October
Cottbus, Germany (Private show) 24 October – 29 October
Warsaw, Poland (Private show) 30 October – 3 November
Zabrze, Poland (Private show) 4 November – 8 November
The Netherlands (Private show) 9 November – 13 November
Berlin, Germany (Private show) 14 November – 19 November
Hamburg, Germany (Private show) 20 November – 24 November
Odense, Denmark (Private show) 25 November – 27 November
Varberg, Sweden (Private show) 28 November – 3 December
Uppsala, Sweden (Private show) 4 December – 7 December
Tampere, Finland (Private show) 8 December – 11 December
(City TBD) Sweden 12 December – 15 December

We will be sponsored by Vattenfall, a multi-national energy company based in Sweden to help them celebrate their 100th anniversary. All of the performances in these cities will be for their employees only (marked in the schedule as Private show).  Up with People is working the schedule a major public show in Europe… More details to come.

*ALL CITIES SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

I woke up this morning to the familiar sounds of my dad watching the news along with the scent of left over coffee my mom tends to leave behind as she rushes off to work. Was it just last week I was standing awestruck in front of the Grand Canyon, watching a purple sunset over the Arizona mountain tops, or perhaps it was just yesterday I was performing in Mexico for hundreds with screaming cheers for “Viva la Gente” in the crowd. Or perhaps, it was all a dream, because there is no way six months could fly by that fast.

Alex at the Grand Canyon

My eyes are still a bit swollen from crying yesterday as me and my brown beat-up leather book bag boarded the plane waving good bye to the ones I now call family. I will never forget these people, the trials we endured, and challenges we overcame together. Some of them I will see in a month, others that may be the last time our paths cross. But I am so thankful I met and got to know each and every one of those 90 students from all around the world. Without Josimar from the Caribbean I would not know how to salsa dance. Without Yui from Japan I would never have had the courage to get on stage and speak in front of thousands. Without Yan from China I would have never learned to speak a totally different language. And without all 90 I would not be the person I am today, a person I can be proud to be, with experiences I couldn’t trade for the world.

Although I now close the Up With People chapter in my life, the lessons I’ve learned will live on and echo through out everything I do from here on out. This program didn’t turn me into someone different, it just helped mold me into who I truly am and prepared me for all the amazing things I have left to do with my life.

-by Alex Lippert, USA

Viva la Gente Banner in Reynosa, Mexico

After all the sadness of not going to Mexico and the excitement about the tour we had instead, cast A 2009 finally got a taste of Mexico. Well, it was only one day, but to point this out: Better only one day than never!

So, on this sunny Sunday we crossed the border to see Reynosa, which is right next to the border. We were invited by the city to spend the whole day, and everything was perfectly organized. Our schedule that day was very tight because they wanted us to experience as much as possible of Mexico.

Cast A in Reynosa

The first stop was a baseball stadium where the commissioner of tourism of the city of Reynosa welcomed us. Before we left we made a group picture. After that, we spent the rest of the morning at a mexican rodeo, which most of us haven’t seen before (expect the Mexicans in our cast, I guess). It was interesting to see this kind of sport, though I felt sorry for the young bulls. But nevertheless it was an unique experience to see this.

At one o’clock we departed for a restaurant in the city. It was owned by the mayor of the city Reynosa, and we were very thankful for his donation of an original Mexican meal which was really good.

After lunch we had some free time to discover the city and also to promote our Mini Show at 6 o’clock at the city’s main plaza. We did our best to get as many people as possible to see our only (small) show in Mexico this semester. And we succeeded with it because we had a lot of people not only watching, but also enjoying our performance. Just to mention: It was a sunny day with a temperature of 104°F (about 40°C) that made it very important to drink a lot of water. It was quite tough to just stand on stage, but after dancing two dances my pulse was at a 180 – no kidding! But I can also tell you, that I enjoyed every single minute of our single show in Mexico. It was unique for all of us. And finally, we were able to get the “taste” of a Mexican audience – they were just really good and excited about our show.

Right after the show, we had to load the buses to go to our last stop. We had dinner at a great place out in the countryside. The Rio Grande River was right next to the (open) house we were at and we were very thankful for the great dinner we were provided with. Real Mexican tacos just taste the best in Mexico.

Read the rest of this entry »

“Being in Hopiland allowed me to see a richness within the culture of the United States.”

- Molly Robertson, USA

“I saw differences in the houses, bread baked outside. As a community people come together.”

- Andy Nijssen, Belgium

“I saw a lot of our culture in Hopi land, from food, dancing, and family values. They were a very giving and inviting people.”

- Yohannes Dawd, Ethiopiea

“In every culture we visit, I find elements that I will take with me. On the Hopi, I was amazed by the hospitality, family values, and spirituality. The people there welcomed us and embraced us, something I will always remember.”

 - Phil Woods, USA

“We got to experience Hopi by being with the people. We got to share the rain, which we heard is unusual for that area.”

- Paquita Cornelissen, the Netherlands

“It was very cool to live in the village and have the opportunity to see their ceremonies. It was such an honor and an unbelievable experience. I loved it!”

- Gianna Roos, Switzerland