Right before starting her first season with Houston Ballet as an apprentice, Deanna Pearson traveled to Instanbul, Turkey to compete in the Instanbul International Ballet Competition (IBC). The competition takes place every summer with dancers coming from all parts of the world to compete. Ms. Pearson performed at her best and earned a glorious Silver Medal in the Senior Category!
Deanna kept a journal detailing her competition adventure in Instanbul, Turkey. Read more about her journey exclusively here on En Pointe with Houston Ballet—
This summer, I was lucky enough to travel to Istanbul, Turkey to take part in the Istanbul International Ballet Competition. Although I had been living in Germany last year and had been able to travel a great deal around the magnificent region that is Western Europe, I had not traveled to Turkey. For those who have never been, I highly recommend Istanbul as a future travel destination. The fascinating history that seeps through the lasting structures from ancient times is enough to capture one’s attention, and the cities rolling hills dotted with buildings and shining mosques, all overlooking the majestic Bosphorus are breathtaking. Needless to say, I regret that I was occupied most of the time with the competition and did not have much time to explore the city.
However, the welcoming venue along with the helpful staff and friendly fellow competitors made my time at the IBC in Istanbul incredibly rewarding and enjoyable. My coach at the time was unable to travel with me and, with the rest of my family back in the US, I traveled to Istanbul alone. International travel, with the complications of foreign languages, can be daunting particularly when traveling alone. As many fellow dancers know however, traveling with ballet tutus zipped up in large, round black bags, can be an even greater struggle. On both my inbound and outbound journeys, I had to practically beg the person at the check in counter to let me take my tutu on board with me. Thankfully none of my costumes were damaged and none of my luggage was lost through the whole process of dragging my things to a bus stop just outside the Istanbul Ataturk Airport, transferring from the bus to a small, yellow cab, and finally arriving at the hotel accommodation provided by the competition. I was lucky to be able to room with a sweet friend of mine who was also taking part in the competition, and I found I was able to communicate with many of the other competitors and that there were all very nice.
The scheduling made it easy to know when you would have your rehearsal time and when you would be performing at the performance venue a few minutes walking distance from the hotel. When I wasn’t walking to and from the venue and hotel, I was greatly enjoying popping into the markets and taking in all the different varieties of dried fruits and unknown types of fish. The people that I encountered on the streets and in the markets were friendly, but I could tell I was clearly a strange sight to them and that many were assessing where I might be from as well as why I might be hauling a black disc-like bag around with me. I will say that it became apparent to me that English was not as common as I had expected, but I found I enjoyed listening to the fast-paced and unique-sounding Turkish language.
I had a wonderful time performing my first round classical and contemporary variations, and was so thrilled the next day when my name was on the list of those who had made it to the second round because I couldn’t wait to go back on the stage and to perform my next pieces. I had an even more enjoyable time performing in the second round, having made several friends amongst my fellow competitors who had traveled from Russia and as far as South Africa. At the end of the second round, I just felt incredibly lucky to have been able to perform all my pieces and a bit tired particularly from the high humidity and heat outside the likes of which I had not experienced in quite a while.
As always, the other finalists and I waited curious to know the final results of the competition. The night of the award ceremony, we all put on our costumes and make up and gathered on stage for the award ceremony and gala night, unaware yet of whether or not we would be dancing that same evening in the gala performance. I was glad I got to perform all my pieces and was already reflecting positively on my time in Istanbul when I heard my name announced for the Silver Medal in the Senior Category by the head of the competition administration. I could hardly believe it as I went forward and accepted my medal, incredibly grateful and humbled. I was so happy as well for the other medalists, and we congratulated each other as soon as the curtain closed on the award ceremony before hastily getting prepared for the following performance. The audience for the gala performance was wonderful and seemed to take part in the celebratory atmosphere that surrounded each medalist performer.
It was a bittersweet moment when the final bows were over for the gala, and I realized how my time in Istanbul had flown by. I was a little sad the next morning as I rode by taxi through the permanently congested streets of Istanbul, fixing my eyes on the winding Bosphorus gleaming in the sunlight, and knew I would have to return to Turkey someday to explore much more of the city and its landmarks. At my last glance of Istanbul, the gigantic barges were pulling out of the harbors and seagulls were swooping down over the water as the Islamic call to prayer rang out over the hills of the city.
-Houston Ballet Apprentice, Deanna Pearson
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You can see Deanna Pearson on stage this winter dancing in the Land of Snow as a snowflake and among other roles in Houston Ballet’s magical production of The Nutcracker from November 28-December 28, 2014. There are so many reasons to delight in The Nutcracker: the giant Christmas tree, the dancing dolls, Mother Ginger and her adorable clowns, the lavish sets and the iconic Tchaikovsky score. Ben Stevenson’s production of The Nutcracker has entertained children and their grown-ups for more than 25 years.
For more information visit: http://www.houstonballet.org/TheNutcracker/
