Traveller's Spotlight: Ava Su

Throwing her head back for a full laugh, Ava Su begins to eat her pastry. "Desert first, most important," she says.

I found this little lady of Chinese decent heating up some food for dinner in the kitchen. She decided it would be ok to talk to me a little about her life and travels.

Whats Ava Su all about? Most recently, dancing. Her forte is in Contact Improvisation, a dance form in which points of physical contact provide a dance starting point. "U.S.A people have something against touching. There is nothing wrong with touching!" she said.

Currently, Ava Su is in Chicago just for the night. Tomorrow morning, she is off to Wisconsin where she will be attending the Contact Improvisation Enthusiasts Retreat for five days. Each year, the retreat welcomes a group of about 50 participants to sink into the joy of dancing together with other members of the far-flung Midwestern Contact Improvisation tribe. "When I dance I bring out various cultures and concepts when I dance...One time, I did a dance called "Reward of Living". It was about wrinkles. People revere aging as bad, but I believe wrinkles are beautiful! There are the reward of living," she said. Ava Su is bringing her favorite blueberry pies to treat everyone in Wisconsin with.

Chicago is not unfamiliar to Ava Su. After migrating from China, to Taiwan, and then to the U.S.A, Chicago was Ava Su's home for many years. "I love Chicago.  Transportation is great, its safe, clean...People don't even realize that Chicago has so much to offer." For anyone who's coming to Chicago for the first time, Ava Su recommends going on a boat tour early in the morning where the views are great and history is amazing.