Dear parents and adult students,

Below is a press release for the February 15 performance by the  
Danish National Performance Team.

Sent out on behalf of
Vikingeskolen

Press release - Contact: Mia Hansen 520-370-0588  
mhan...@culturalexchangecouncil.org

National Danish Performance Team coming to Houston

February 15, 2009 4:00pm - Jewish Community Center Houston

As part of their fifteen country world tour, twenty-eight of  
Denmark’s best gymnasts will tumble into Houston February 15th, 2009  
4:00pm, with one show only at the Jewish Community Center Houston  
Gymnasium, 5601 S. Braeswood. Tickets are $12 adults/$8 students  
www.jcchouston.org or call 713-551-7255. Limited seating is  
available, so advance ticket purchase is recommended. Media is  
welcome to attend.

The National Danish Team performance combines a variety of modern  
rhythmic gymnastics, dance, artistic vaulting, streaming tumbling and  
high-energy acrobatics into a 90-minute, high energy presentation.  
The Danish Team represents the best in Danish gymnastics – team  
members, ages 21-26, are selected for their skills and their  
character. Their performance will benefit the JCC’s gymnastics and  
dance programs and is sponsored in part by Vestas America R&D, the  
wind turbine giant from Denmark – Vestas - No. 1 in Modern Energy.

In addition to their performance, the National Danish Team will lead  
workshops Monday, February 16th at three local gymnastics centers  
including: Discover Gymnastics, Biron Gymnastics, and Houston  
Gymnastics Academy. Discover Gymnastics, owner Carly Markesich, will  
host the Danish Team athletes for a day of training, while the Danes  
work on their routines and prepare for the next leg of their 10-month  
world tour. They fly to Costa Rica for two weeks on Wednesday,  
followed by a two week visit to Colombia before returning to the  
European continent.

The visit to Houston is the final stop on a 5-week US portion of the  
10-month, 18 country world tour. The Danish Team has visited Los  
Angeles, Santa Monica, Las Vegas, the Hualapai & Gila River Indian  
reservations in Arizona, Tucson, Fort Huachuca US Army Post, Fort  
Worth and has performed or led workshops for over 25,000 children  
along the way. The goal of this US visit has been to change young  
people’s attitudes about exercise, inspiring them to incorporate  
exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. Youth obesity and diabetes  
are at nearing epidemic levels in our country. By focusing on  
changing young people’s attitudes toward exercise, the National  
Danish Performance Team has left a lasting impact on lives and on the  
future health of our children.

Danish Team members will stay with Houston host families, providing  
intercultural exchange and direct contact with the community. The  
Danish Club of Houston and the Scandinavian Folk Dancers are  
providing most of the host families, providing a taste of Scandinavia  
right here in Houston. Honorary Danish Consul, Ray Daugbjerg, will  
host the Team for a Texas-style BBQ at his home in Brenham on  
February 14th. Vice Consul, Anna Thomsen-Holiday, will host the  
Danish Team for dinner at her home on the 16th. Vestas America R&D  
will host a reception after the February 15th performance, offering  
the Team, hosts and locals a chance to hear about Vestas’ R&D plans  
for Houston. On February 17th, the Danes will sightsee, shop and  
enjoy Houston before their departure for Costa Rica on Feb 18th.

The Cultural Exchange Council of Tucson, Inc. is a non-profit 501c3  
and the fiscal agent for the US 2009 Tour. President, Mia Hansen,  
knows the impact this National Danish Performance Team can have –  
her parents met and fell in love on the 1947 Danish Gymnastics Team  
world tour, eventually immigrating to the US. Mia is proud that her  
non-profit organization selected this project as one of their main  
events for 2009. The CEC presents “Tucson Meet Yourself”,  
Tucson’s largest ethnic festival, every October. The Jewish  
Community Center Gymnastics & Dance programs led by Tim Erwin and  
Maxine Silberstein, Vestas- No. 1 in Modern Energy, the Danish Club  
of Houston and the Danish Consulate of Houston have generously  
supported this visit. The NDPT USA Tour 2009 is partially funded by  
the non-profit Danish Gymnastic and Sport Federation.

To support this great project or for more information -please contact  
Mia Hansen 520-370-0588 miajhan...@msn.com.

For general information, visit www.ndpt.dk

Mia Hansen

President, Cultural Exchange Council of Tucson

(520) 370-0588 cell

www.culturalexchangecouncil.org

Presenting Tucson Meet Yourself - Oct. 9-11, 2009  
www.tucsonmeetyourself.org

The National Danish Performance Team January-February 2009

www.ndpt.dk