This week marks the last week that gendance Ambassador Geo Hubela talks to our audience through this Q n A series. As Geo moves on, we want to personally thank him for his insight. To all the readers that have written in asking questions to Geo, thank YOU for your interest in the hearts and minds of the performers we give to you each week. A gendance ICONic "hall of fame" will be premiere on February 4th. Check back with us for this new "best of" link.
“What is the best city you’ve traveled to on tour and why?” ~ Angela, NY
Hey Angela,
One of the most rewarding parts of my job and career has been all of the amazing places I've traveled. Places like Buenos Aires, Rome, Venice, Paris, were some of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. I loved visiting cities with history and remembering reading about these places as a kid back in school. The significance of certain events that took place in many cities across the globe shaped our world as it is today, it was so cool to me to see these places with my own eyes, not just in a history book. When I was on tour I always tried to take in and see as much as I could wherever I traveled. Sometimes I only had an hour or two in a certain place or city before we had a show so I would go out and explored a little bit, even if it meant going to a local grocery store or restaurant to eat. I felt it was important to learn and experience as much as I could about other cultures and places. I would be exhausted sometimes from traveling but instead of just going to my hotel room to sleep, I took in as much of that city and culture as possible.
A few years back I spent a lot of time in Paris choreographing for two different pop singers whom were big stars in France and Belgium, sometimes spending up to six weeks at a time there. I became attached to the city, it was like my home away from home. Because of the stars I worked with I became pretty well known in France as a choreographer. It was crazy to be walking down the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris and get stopped for a picture or autograph. It was so strange to me but also very cool to be recognized in a foreign country as a choreographer and dancer.
The places and cities go on and on. I am blessed to have a stack of photos albums with amazing memories of traveling and dancing around the world. From Germany to Japan, Mexico to Brazil, I could never put a price tag on the places I've been and seen. But I will be honest, the answer to your question is very simple and very clear... NEW YORK CITY. There is no place in the world like it! The energy, the lights, the Broadway shows, the people, the restaurants, it can't be beat. Now you"re probably saying... isn't GEO from New York City? Yes I am, I grew up in Brooklyn and trained in New York City but I moved to Los Angeles for almost 10 years. So with LA being my home base during my dance career, New York was always the "best" city to travel to on tour because it meant I was going home. Although New York has all those great qualities there was actually only one main reason I loved coming back to New York, it was seeing my family. As a dancer, although you're out on tour and living your dream, dancing in front of thousands of people all over the world, the people you really would love to be watching you are not there. Whenever the opportunities came to perform in New York City, I was so happy and excited. It finally gave my family a chance to see what my life was like on tour, most of all I got to dance and perform for the people I love most in this world. I could finally share my passion with the people closest to me. I was excited for them to see how truly happy I was, doing what I love... dancing. There is no one better to share your dreams with than family. They watched me grow up loving to dance, so for them to see me living my dream on stage was important to me. Knowing they were there in the audience was amazing, I felt like I was performing for them and only them in an arena of thousands. I can remember perfectly the shows they were at and where they sat in the audience, the memories are special and they happened in the "best" city in the world... NEW YORK CITY.
It has been amazing answering all of your questions out there, I have had so much fun doing so. You guys have helped bring back so many great memories in my career, for that I thank you!
WIth that I will sign off with two simple words... Be ICONic!!
