Up with People rerouted to Kayenta

There's not much good to say about the swine flu, but it did reroute an internationally acclaimed performance to Kayenta.

Tonight (Thursday, May 21) at 8 p.m., the Kayenta community will have a chance to see a musical spectacular featuring 92 young performers from 22 countries.

Up with People, a group of young dancers, singers and musicians who use "the international language of music" to foster peace and understanding, was supposed to be in Mexico this week. But the Mexican government has cancelled large public gatherings while it grapples with the swine flu epidemic.

Upon hearing of the cancellation from her son, Up With People lighting technician Anthony Anaya-Gorman, Diné historian Zonnie Gorman of Gallup suggested the troupe come to Navajo instead.

Gorman, herself an Up with People alumna, called Kayenta businessman Richard Mike, who thought Kayenta would be an ideal venue. In exchange for playing host, Kayenta Township will get a portion of the show's proceeds, which will go toward renovating a building to house the town's library.

"Right now, their library's in their recreation center," explained Paul Conzemius, Up with People field manager. "Basketballs are flying everywhere. It's like trying to read in a war zone."

Conzemius was in Kayenta Monday trying to line up sponsors for the performance and host families for the 92 performers.

"It's going really well," he said. "We've already got 44 beds."

Local hotelier Richard Mike pitched in some hotel rooms, the Navajo Oil and Gas Enterprise paid for meals, and Monument Valley High School offered its auditorium for the show.

"I've been to five countries with Up with People, and I'm always amazed at the generosity of people everywhere we go," Conzemius said.

Field and Operations Manager Armando Gonzalez, a Mexico City native, said he was looking forward to putting on a show in his hometown, but if they had abided by the strict guidelines his government had set - every other row vacant, and two vacant seats between each seat - "there would have been more people on stage than in the audience."

"I think, under the circumstances, to come to the Navajo Nation is the best decision we could have made," he said. "The spirit of the Navajo people is very warm. In four days, we already have 40 beds lined up, which, believe me, is not the norm."

The nonprofit organization seeks sponsors to cover the cost of its shows so it can donate ticket proceeds to a local cause.

Although Conzemius has visited some exotic locales with the troupe, including Taiwan and the Philippines, he says the Navajo Nation "is definitely one of the most exciting."

"To think that, right in my own country, I could encounter such a different culture - it's really something, and I think the Europeans will be even more fascinated, since they don't have a different indigenous culture there," said the Tucson native, who now lives in South Dakota when he's not on the road.

Up with People cast member Anne Lawrence of Denver said she's actually more excited to be on the Navajo Nation than if the troupe had gone to Mexico. "I've been to Mexico," she said.

Anaya-Gorman often does a presentation on Navajo culture during the troupe's travels, and it's always met with a good response, he said.

"I talk about the code talkers, including my grandfather (Carl Gorman), and about the immense pride we feel in our veterans and our elders," he said.

He's found that books about the code talkers make excellent gifts for his host families.

Traveling with young people from different states and countries makes him look at his own culture with fresh eyes, Anaya-Gorman said, and he's learned about some surprising similarities with other cultures.

"We have a girl from China, and she was telling me that they have a creation story that's very similar to ours, and even their own Changing Woman," he said.

For those wondering what to expect at the performance, "it's kind of hard to describe," Conzemius said. "It's an experience of song and dance from around the world, everything from traditional African music to hip-hop to Eastern European traditional dances."

It generally takes three weeks for the troupe to arrange a production, but the field crew is scrambling and promises a quality production even though they had only a week to get all the performers housed and the equipment in place.

"Monument Valley High School was extremely generous to donate their auditorium during such a busy week, with graduation going on and everything," Conzemius said. "This is going to be a great performance and I think it will be something really different for the community to enjoy, as well as supporting your library."

It will be Kayenta's first chance to host an Up with People performance, and the first time the troupe has performed on the Navajo Nation in "many years," according to Anaya-Gorman.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for youths under 18, available at the door.

If you miss the Kayenta show, Up with People will perform in Gallup next Thursday, May 28, at 7 p.m. at the Gallup High School auditorium. Tickets for that performance are $10 for adults and $5 for youth and seniors.

The troupe will also be helping out at Gallup's Elder Fest song-and-dance, building the structure for a shade house and providing water to the dancers.

To follow the tour, access the troupe's blog at UWPontour.com.

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