In January 2017, nine Kent State University students traveled to Bangkok and Hua Hin, Thailand to collaborate with six graduate students from Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University. The mission of East Meets West is to create opportunities for artistic collaboration, engage diverse educational experiences, and build citizens for the 21^st century. While in Thailand, the students were curious to observe whether a group of American students could effectively ally with Thai students and guest faculty to co-create a work of choreography honoring the passing of the late King of Thailand, Bhumibol Aduyadej, a man revered and loved as the father of his country for more than 70 years. In order to do so, the participants shared their artistic cultures and exchanged their styles through student-taught technique and improvisation classes. During the first few days of the trip the students were instructed to form a pair consisting of one American student and one Thai student. The pair’s goal was to create a phrase of movement that consisted of universal gestures. This was an important tool in bridging the gap between cultures, communication, and creativity. They brought this new-found knowledge into rehearsals to successfully create an eight-minute piece that utilized pointe, jazz, and Thai Classical dance styles in tribute to the King. The work was performed twice, in addition to several other pieces. This collaboration supported the research and development of new forms of artistic expression that represent diversity and promote global understanding.