#GAODDANCEATSEA : A Special 10-Year Anniversary Cruise
by Reba Aryadi
As part of our celebration for our 10th anniversary, Gigi Art of Dance held #GAODDanceAtSea, a re-staging of our E-Motions 2019 : Plastic Fantastic performance on board of the Genting Dream Cruise on 6-9th October 2019. It was a magical event filled with a lot of exciting experiences, bringing opportunities for friends and families to bond together in an exciting trip over the open seas.
Most of us had never been on a cruise ship before, and we had our pre-boarding jitters. However, all our worries dissipated once we saw the cruise ship itself. It was massive, and we were marvelling at both the inside and outside look. The ship boasted incredible facilities and was staffed by the most prepared crews, taking care of all our needs and providing endless opportunities to have fun. From our entrance into the glittering hall of Deck 6 to our comfortable and sleek staterooms, our tired and confused energy was quickly replenished and we were ready to continue with the day. Not to mention, the dining halls had been fantastic and the food option was plentiful, so we were never uncomfortable during the entire trip.
The first day on the ship was then filled with us settling in and preparing for our show. We watched an incredible on-board performance of Sonio with the in-house performers, all very talented circus artists, in the very well designed Zodiac Theater. We found out afterwards that the Zodiac Theater was also very well-staffed and well-equipped, with incredible tech crews and equipment that made our performance a lot more nuanced and layered. We worked with hydraulics! We danced on a spinning stage! It was as amazing as we thought it would be and as tired as we were, practicing until 1AM, we were all still spirited until the end thanks to the immaculate theater.
Our main events for the whole trip, which was our workshop and performance of Plastic Fantastic, is focused on the second day. Our first morning on the ship had us teaching a workshop in the Main Deck for all the other guests, and we got to have a bit of free time during the afternoon before we had to prepare for the performance later on. The cruise ship was ported in Penang, and some family members spent their free time going on land while the performers are getting ready in the afternoon. In the evening, the show was held to an admiring audience, noted as the first performance on-board to present younger performers, and gained the respect of the crew for our swift work and professionalism in dealing with such limited practice time. Our cast wore their fabulous Indonesian textile-inspired costume by Indonesian designer Lenny Agustin and noted fashion school ESMOD, which the audience highly appreciated and shone through on stage to further our concept. As part of our performance as well, we had the support of EvoWare in presenting their ElloJello product, a recyclable and digestible drinking cup based on jelly that can be eaten after using. All these supports made our performance went above and beyond the standard of the performances in Zodiac Theater and left the audience very happy.
We learned too, that a part of being on a cruise ship means you’ll have to depend heavily on the weather. Our third day had the whole day free for everyone, with most people stopping off in Langkawi for excursions and shopping. We had our final flashmob performance prepared for our last evening on the main deck, but rain had came as the sun went down and the crew decided to relocate the Dream Night Party to Deck 6 instead. It changed our plans as well, but it made things ultimately easier for us as it allowed us to perform our flashmob on a more comfortable and safe space and we had a more compact and tighter audience to watch us. We ended the night with a dance marathon together with all the crews and passengers before retiring to our beds and enjoying our free evening.
Our last day went very fast, as the ship also moved very rapidly back to Singapore. After three days at sea, stepping back on land brings a lot of different new sensations that we did not expect. But we relished the experience a lot and it taught so many new things for us, both as performers and as passengers. It was fun, it was challenging, and it was inspiring. As we finally board our planes back to Jakarta and said our goodbyes we know that it was, ultimately, a great trip.
