“Parachute Of Dreams” Workshop 2024 At Children Shelter Foundation, Chiang Mai, Thailand

In August 2024 GloCAP returned to Chiang Mai, Thailand for its 14th year with the hill tribe students at Children’s Shelter Foundation (CSF), to sponsor another creative art workshop. These students, like the students in the Turkey May 2024 Workshop, explored the theme of a “Parachute of Dreams”, about realizing dreams and the power of community.

On the first day of the workshop they viewed a video of the Hatay students’ performance and were eager to learn about their recent experiences, their culture and ways of expressing the same theme. Throughout the workshop the CSF students drew on their own cultural traditions while learning new dance and art vocabulary.

Birds symbolizing the upward flight of dreams dominated the workshop’s imagery. Children learned a dance in six parts and created performance props (a large painted parachute, ribbon wands, lanterns, and floral pieces). The program culminated with the entire community, (staff, teachers and students ages 4 to 22) dancing around the parachute. Each child created a bird drawing exhibited in an outdoor gallery. Audience members purchased drawings and funds went to CSF. Some artwork is now in New York to support GloCAP fundraising.

Suzanne Grégoire lead the workshop and created the choreography. Artists Worawuth Srakaeo and Natchai Posrila lead the parachute workshop with the help of Gabby Malpas and Khamron Intradaeng, and Jarm Patcharee oversaw the drawing portion. GloCAP replaced CSF’s outdated sound equipment for the final performance and provided art materials to last the children the rest of the year.

At the workshop’s conclusion and in keeping with GloCAP’s mission of cultural exchange, the CSF students were able to reflect on the similarities and differences expressed through their final work with the children’s in Turkey, thus promoting cultural understanding and celebrating diversity.

*All photos by Krainkrai Kunnala