Choreographer touched by the blind

Choreographer touched by the blind

JAKARTA: His experience as a backing dancer for Madonna and
years of dancing in the U.S. did not prepare Eko Supriyanto for
the stark realities in his own country.

Appointed to choreograph Aida Swenson's Children of the World
Choir, the 32-year-old dancer was unable to hide his tears when
he directed six blind children from Medan, North Sumatra.

"I couldn't help myself, I just saw how amazing these children
were, the expressions that came out of their singing, and all
this before I ever added any professional touches," he said
during a rehearsal.

Eko explained that because the children were blind, their
teachers needed to physically move the children's arms and legs
to demonstrate the choreographed movements.

"One child just stopped in the middle of everything, grabbed
his mentor's legs and asked him to move them so he would
understand how to move," he said.

"This is something I would never learn in America." -- JP