I’ve always looked forward to performing in Florida. Being in Florida is like being lost in a paradise. I love everything here—the beautiful beaches; warm winter breezes; cheerful sunshine; Mediterranean Revival styled architecture; multicultural diversity and even the scorching, sweaty, sultry climate. What’s more, the ever-so-passionate paradise locals jubilantly and whole-heartedly embraced our show. So I guess the love is mutual.

Our three shows in Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Centre for Performing Arts were a huge success. During intermission of our last show, a group of enthusiastic music students paid a visit to the pit. They were absolutely amazed by the orchestra’s unique integration of classical Western and traditional Chinese instruments. The bassoonist, a pleasant young man named Steven, was particularly fascinated by the suona (Chinese oboe, or the double-reed Chinese trumpet). He eagerly requested more information on the suona and, much to my luck, I was saved by the arrival of our suona player. It was very heart warming seeing so many passionate young faces. I know that one day their talent and love for music will definitely shape them into accomplished musicians.

Nothing is better than a barbie by the beach as we say farewell to Florida. A barbie, for those non-Australians, is a barbecue, not a blond doll. It was always one of my favourite recreational activities back when I was in Australia. In fact, the traditional Australia barbie is so popular that it was voted the nation’s most iconic dish by more than 50% of the population! Anyways, back to Florida. Our feast comprised of mouth-watering spiced chicken wings, marinated succulent pork ribs, and fillet mignon tenderly grilled and pampered by our lovely cooks. For veggie lovers like myself, there was plenty of crunchy asparagus, juicy sweet corn and lots of delectable capsicum (bell peppers as Americans call it) to share. My favourite, however, was the soft, squishy, scrumptious toasted marshmallows. Unfortunately, due to my amateurishness, my skew of adorably pearly whites refused to cook. As I was drooling over my friend’s perfectly toasted skew, my lovely dancer friend kindly offered me hers, “Here, I toasted this for you!” Awww… one thing I love about this group is the unconditional kindness towards one another. With a stomach full of veggies and carbs, we bid farewell to paradise-Florida and headed back to frosty New York.

28. פברואר 2011