Monkeyhouse: Connect 2 Choreography

See Monkeyhouse for FREE!

2012-01-27T16:20:00.000-05:00

Don't miss Caitlin and Courtney in Pygalgia

TONIGHT at 7pm and Saturday at 9pm

AND

Caitlin in A., B., C., D., All of the Above

TONIGHT at 9pm and Sunday at 6pm

CoolNY 2012 Dance Festival

White Wave John Ryan Theatre

25 Jay St, Brooklyn, NY 11220

All shows are FREE!

Dance is a Risky Business

2012-01-25T16:12:00.007-05:00

If you’ve ever taken a tap class, you know the basic exercises: shuffles, flaps, toe heels. To the front, to the side, to the back. Eight times, then four, then two. And so on and so forth. Earlier this year, I was in tap class and I wasn’t doing any of that. I was growling, spitting, sneering and smirking.

Before you worry that I had officially lost my mind or my passion for tap, or both, rest assured: it was all intentional. I was learning a piece of choreography from master tap dancer Jeannie Hill, a collaboration between her and Jump Rhythm Jazz Project’s Artistic Director Billy Siegenfeld, in which I play one half of a cynical duet set to Diana Krall’s sultry rendition of “Broadway.” My character, draped in a black trench coat and donning dark sunglasses, storms across the stage, his feet spitting rapid, angry rhythms.

Dancers, especially tap dancers, like to repeat the mantra, “It’s not about the steps.” But what does that really mean? If it’s not about the steps, then why do we go to tap class and drill them? Why do we typically think of choreography as broken down into steps? Why is one of the largest tap studios in New York City called Steps on Broadway?

I can’t get that step.
That step is hard.
What’s the next step?

It’s about the heart, people say. The emotion. But what does that mean? How do we convincingly – not disingenuously or in an overly performative way – reveal the character(s) and emotion(s) that our dancing is crafted to convey? This is an especially good question for tap dancers.

With “Broadway,” the dance was all about the character. I had to forget about the steps. I had to run the entire dance while growling and snarling ferociously from beginning to end. I had to practice spitting – actually spitting – at just the right angle, for just the right amount of time, at the right point in the music. I had to make weird faces to the mirror and to my partner until I looked sufficiently sarcastic for the role.

Needless to say, it was awful. It was uncomfortable. It was terrifying. It was one of my first true character roles as a tap dancer, and it was a personality so radically different from my own that I found it almost impossible to play. I worked on it in the studio every day for a week. I practiced my mean faces in the bathroom mirror each morning. I came home every night feeling sore in new places and ready to cry with frustration.

And then I got up the next morning and flew to Miami for YoungArts.

YoungArts, the core program for the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, is a scholarship program/competition that annually selects about 150 gifted high school seniors in the arts – dance, writing, voice, jazz, cinematic arts, visual arts, theatre, photography and music – and brings them to Miami for one week in January for the experience of a lifetime: a chance to network with each other, study with master teachers, perform for the public, and compete for cash prizes up to $10,000. I graduated from the program in 2009 and remain connected with everyone there – writing for their blog, performing at their events and serving as a Resident Advisor during Arts Week.

After rehearsing every day the previous week, I didn’t dance at all during Arts Week – but I had the privilege of being a R.A. with the dancers, after my prior experience working with the voice program. I soon realized, although they weren’t spitting or snarling, how many of them were in the same position that I had just experienced. On the first day, when they hardly knew each other, they had to show both of their solos to everyone, including the panelists and mentors. For some, it was the first time they were showcasing their own choreography. In the days that followed, they worked intensively with their master teachers, drilling their weak spots, experimenting with new ideas, allowing themselves to be vulnerable in front of their peers and panelists.

When the sole dancer representing Mexican folk dance, presented one of his solos for everyone, he was challenged to show more character by “flirting” with two of the girls, who had to stand on the side of the dance floor, waving seductively and blowing kisses at him. As one of the tap dancers worked on utilizing all the space and facing all sides of the audience, her fellow tappers moved around the floor with her, forcing her to keep changing her focus and direction. One modern dancer let herself cry as master teacher Aubrey Lynch worked with her on the emotions of her piece. The classical Indian dancers presented choreography that told a story not just with their footwork or arm gestures, but especially with their exaggerated facial expressions and their eyes.

The great challenge of performing is being someone other than who you are and finding a natural impetus to make you feel that way onstage. I had been having trouble the previous week not only finding an excuse to be mean and cynical and to make weird faces, but to do so in front of my dance teachers, my friends and my students. And then I came to Arts Week and saw how the dancers I was working with were fearless. They let everyone see their process, their mistakes, their trials and errors. They let down their guards and, most of all, supported each other unequivocally all week.

On their last day together at Miami City Ballet, each of the master teachers led a short class in his or her respective style. The ballerinas practiced shaking their butts. The tappers learned traditional classical Indian gestures. The modern dancers got a taste of tap rhythms. Everyone took risks learning new styles and looking foolish – and everyone kept a positive attitude and laughed with, not at, each other.

I witnessed even more risk-taking at the Theatre performance at the New World Center, where finalists masqueraded as everyone from Malvolio to Torvald Helmer, Jo March to Princess Winnifred. I realized just how brave these young artists are – how willing, how passionate, how dedicated. And I saw, too, how enthusiastically their peers responded. The kids that took the greatest risks – played the zaniest characters, revealed the most emotion, belted the highest notes – got the greatest payoff.

While I was digesting all of the information I had imbibed and beginning to think about how I could apply it to my own work, master teacher Bill T. Jones connected the proverbial dots for me. In his discussion with all of this year’s finalists, the legendary dancer/choreographer asked:

“How does chance work in your life? How does chance work in the work that you make? Do you think that you can actually figure everything out? Right down to what the audience will get from it? A lot of the art that is made now in Hollywood, on Broadway, is designed to take all of the chance out of it -- all of the risk out of it. How does risk fit into your life? How does risk fit into the art that you make? Or that you pursue?”

Discussing his new show, “Story/Time,” he continued, “I'm scared to death about [it]. I've won two Tonys. I have a dance company. I have a budget that is 5.2 million dollars to make every year. And I'm gonna do a work that every day we do it, we spin on random the order of the music, what the dancers do on stage. It is all about change and being out of control.”

I realized that the problem I had encountered with the new routine I’d learned was that I was not taking enough risks. My faces weren’t crazy enough. My energy wasn’t cynical enough. I was only peeking out occasionally from my comfort zone instead of smashing my way out of it. As Aubrey Lynch reminded the dancers, the studio is our safest place, the place to make mistakes without being judged. Learning Jeannie and Billy’s choreography has made clear for me the true meaning of, “It’s not about the steps.” The dance has no meaning without the character, intention and attitude of the dancers and the ironic interpretation of the song. The steps could be completely changed and the dance would still resonate as long as the artistic elements remained in play.

I rationalized that if someone with the talent and reputation of Bill T. Jones was scared to death about his work, then I could afford to be that way, too. Maybe it’s okay to take a big risk and be fearful of making a fool of myself in this dance. If the dance finalists taught me anything, it’s that those risks lead to personal progress, positive feedback and a whole lot of fun.

My new resolution for 2012 is to take more risks in my life and my art. What risks are you going to take this year?

Congratulations Sarah & Remy!

2012-01-18T11:32:00.000-05:00

We are excited to announce our newest C2C Interns,

Sarah Feinberg

and

Remy Marin!

Keep an eye out for more information about them soon!

Dance Around the World: The Philippines

2012-01-15T21:47:00.000-05:00

by Sarah Friswell

This month, we travel to the Philippines, a grouping of islands off the southeast coast of China.

In the 16th century, the Philippines were ruled by the Spanish, so many of their dances have a Spanish influence. Filippinos today still perform their western influenced dances, but they also perform their own cultural dances to show respect for their cultural roots. Each district in the islands has its own cultural folk dance that can be performed at festivals and local shows.

These examples are only a few from the extensive list of cultural dances of the Philippines.

Binasuan is a dance from the Pangasinan Province. The name means "with the use of drinking glasses". This dance shows how well the performers can balance as they dance with glasses on top of their heads and held in their hands. The glasses are filled with rice wine. This graceful dance is often performed at parties, weddings, and special occasions.

http://tupkalinangan.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/binasuan/

Sublian comes from two different words in the tagalog language. "Subsub", which means falling on the head, and "bali", which means broken. The dancers performing this dance appear to be broken and crooked during the dance. It was originally a ritual dance of the Batangas and it is shown as ceremonial worship to the holy cross.

Tinikling is the national folkdance of the Philippines. It is performed by a pair of dancers that jump between two bamboo poles that are held up just above the ground. The poles are also hit together in time to the music. This is an imitation dance that orginiated in the Leyte Province. The dancers are mimicking the tikling birds that hop over trees, grass, and traps set by farmers.

Idudu is a tribal dance from Abra, Cordillera. It is a dance that shows a common family from the Itneg society. This demonstration shows that family is the most important foundation in this tribe's community. Many traits of the family are shown including the father plowing the field, the mother caring for the children and how they switch these roles. Then, during the dance, a local singer will start to sing a lullaby (Idudu) to put the baby to sleep.

Burung-Talo is a martial arts dance done by the Tausug tribe. The performers show a battle between a hawk and a cat. They use acrobatic movements and tough facial expressions. This high energy dance is accompanied by the beating of drums and gongs.

Malakas at maganda is a dance that tells the story of the birth of the first man and woman. The man, malakas (strong), and the woman, maganda (beautiful), were born from a bamboo tree and were said to be the parents of the whole island community. The dances shows how a bird discovered the two after hearing a noise inside the bamboo and it waited until the bamboo opened, allowing the first man and woman out of the tree.

C2C Applications Due Today!

2012-01-13T11:00:00.000-05:00

Karen Krolak & Eva Dean Dance at The Pearl!

2012-01-12T14:00:00.000-05:00

Karen is heading to Brooklyn this weekend to perform with Eva Dean Dance!

Eva Dean Dance is performing DR. PAIN a NYC/Brooklyn Premiere conceived by Eva Dean made in collaboration with Karen Krolak

The Pearl is a mixed media dance concert series, giving choreographers and artists the opportunity to present new work.

Saturday January 14, 2012 8pm-10pm

The Actors Fund Performance Space aka The Schermerhorn

160 Schermerhorn, Brooklyn, NY 11201

$10

C2C Internship Application Countdown -- 1 Day!

2012-01-12T11:00:00.000-05:00

Outside Voices

2012-01-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

by Courtney Wagner

Eva Dean Dance joins us for Against the Odds!
Photo by Jonathan Keith

Remember how I mentioned how important musings are and how so many great ideas come out of them? This has included the chance to work with other artists during guest-led musings like Eva Dean, Risher Reddick, and Lynn Schwab as part of last year's Against the Odds. Since it was such a success, Karen decided to make Season 11 about including Outside Voices, citing that it would be good for the company to work with other established artists and broaden our horizons and repertoire.

Nicole performing a piece choreographed for
Against the Odds by Lynn Schwab
Photo by Jonathan Keith

What an exiting opportunity to have new works set on us! For the upcoming season we already have several works in mind with some Outside Voices. This includes Mariah Steele, who met with Karen after the January 2010 installment of Movement at the Mills and subsequently performed with us for with her company Quicksilver Dance in Against The Odds. While she's been secretive with the details of what she has in store for use, she will be setting a new work on the company and it may or may not be based on some of the work she was creating for her thesis project. Risher Reddick opened our eyes to the world of choreographed combat which proved to be a fun an enlightening study in body language, tone, and communication with the audience. Who knew that the same simple movement performed in two distinct ways could have such a different read within the audience. We look forward to delving deeper into this. Happily cleared for dancing again, Nicole is excited to start working with Josh Hilberman on a new solo. Meanwhile Karen and Nikki have been working on a piece dedicated to reversibility and a movement palindrome to be set to Master Palindromist Barry Duncan will even be featured in a documentary!

Karen's and Monkeyhouse's support for Outside Voices can be seen not only in bringing in guest artists for new work, but also the C2C positions and residencies and mentoring programs. We are happy to announce we are looking for new interns for the C2C internship for 2012 and Nicole and Karen are excited to continue to develop this program. As you can see we have lots of exciting things in store for Season 11 and Outside Voices will definitely be playing a key role. However, all of these extra influences will require some extra support.

If you are interested in seeing more collaborations with area choreographers and opportunities for us to develop and expand, then think about supporting Outside Voices as part of our new Yearly Campaign Program. This program is designed to allow supporters to have their donations funneled toward a certain part of the organization. This can include infrastructure and keeping us in our beautiful Springstep home, individual company members, special projects like Nicole's work with PD, or fostering creativity and blossoming with musings and visiting artists.

For less than a dollar a day ($25/month to be precise) your donation could help directly support and fund future projects with fabulous people. Although the Yearly Campaign is designed for recurring monthly donations, the recur option is not required and information about personalizing your donation is available on our website.

Click HERE to be redirected to our website for further information about the Yearly Campaign. You'll find descriptions about the other facets of Monkeyhouse to sponsor as well as links and instructions. And keep an eye out for future posts about more facets of Monkeyhouse!

C2C Internship Application Countdown -- 2 Days!

2012-01-11T11:00:00.000-05:00

C2C Internship Application Countdown -- 3 Days!

2012-01-10T11:00:00.000-05:00

C2C Internship Application Countdown -- 4 Days!

2012-01-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

Misters & Sisters is Coming to Boston!

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

You know how much everyone here at Monkeyhouse LOVES David Parker & The Bang Group. Well, for all of you who haven't had a chance to see them yet or who have been itching for another opportunity... the time has come!

Misters & Sisters is coming to OBERON (2 Arrow St, Cambridge, MA) for TWO performances presented by Summer Stages Dance at Concord Academy.

Wednesday, January 11th @ 8pm
AND

Wednesday, January 18th @ 8pm

Read what the Globe has to say about Misters & Sisters then get over there and check it out yourself!

Stamp-Ede

2012-01-08T11:42:00.000-05:00

Hey New York! Go check out Stamp-Ede today at Symphony Space! Performances by Dorrance Dance, David Parker & The Bang Group, Caleb Teicher & Company, SLURP and many more exciting rhythm based companies! You don't want to miss it!

Stamp-Ede

Symphony Space

Sunday, January 8th

3pm

Tickets are only $15!

A Month (or two) of Musings

2012-01-05T10:33:00.016-05:00

by Courtney Wagner

Did you know that my debut with Monkeyhouse was through a musing?!

I received the following information about them from Karen back in 2009:

"I host a series of informal workshops, dubbed Musings, as a way of playing with choreographic ideas. These sessions are by invitation only and are free of charge. They have been a great way for dancers to get a sense of my work process and I would love to have you join us if you are interested."

That June I danced around CMAC with Nikki and Caitlin and some water toys for Boomtown, and then up and down a hill to Wright's Tower for Dance in the Fells in October. What a wonderful way indeed to get a sense of Karen, her work and Monkeyhouse. 18 months later I'm still happily spending my Saturdays musing, although now with yoga balls, blindfolds or a very long pair of pants.

Did you know of the reported 10 new pieces(!) being built for Against the Odds 2 (mark your calenders for October 2012!), about a third of them began in musings?!

As previously mentioned, we have lots of new props in store. Some of these pieces even began last spring during Against the Odds 1 after musings with our guest artists (thank you Eva Dean for introducing us to swan dives and Friday nights with the balls and Richer Reddick for helping us with our aggressive side).

In fact, many of Monkeyhouse's works have started in musings, and this has been a great way to determine what will or won't work for a piece and begin to set choreography from improv. Nicole used a musing to help her start rebuilding Subluxation and that has since become Caitlin's audience appreciated Noumenon.

They have also been a great way to incorporate new dancers, like Sarah Fineberg and Sarah Friswell, as well as bring back some dancers, like Julia Marx. It allows us the dedicated time to turn ideas into actual movement, the space to see it in (much better than our own imaginations or maybe a tiny living room floor), and the encouragement and commentary of fellow Monkeyhouse members. Musing time can take a variety of forms, but I always have fun with it and feel productive. I look forward to maybe exploring some of my own choreographic ideas during them. Musings are an important element in the Monkeyhouse process and in expanding and building new repertoire.

Sound like a good idea?

Great! Now through the Yearly Campaign Program YOU can help support them! As part of fundraising for our super Season 11, you have the option to support a certain element of Monkeyhouse. This can be infrastructure or company members or outside projects. For a small donation that will automatically recur each month, you can help us keep some of our most important programs, like musings, going!

For a nominal $10/month (or roughly 2 Starbuck's lattes, less than 1 manuicure, or about 1 movie ticket) you will help us continue to develop new ideas and work with new dancers. Musings take place before rehearsals at Springstep, which allows us a vast landscape of dancing and movement possibilities (inside and out) from stages to stairwells to benches and bike racks. A donation will cover 2 months work of musings and who knows how much creative possibility!

Click HERE to be directed to our website for further information about how to donate as well as what other areas of Monkeyhouse are sponsorable. And keep an eye out for more blog posts about other aspects of the organization!

CoolNY 2012 Dance Festival!

2012-01-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

Once again, Monkeyhouse is heading to Brooklyn for the CoolNY 2012 Dance Festival! We are thrilled to be performing FOUR times throughout the weekend with two different pieces and the shows are FREE! What excuse do you have not to join us!?

Friday, January 27th @ 7pm
Friday, January 27th @ 9pm
Saturday, January 28th @ 9pm
Sunday, January 29th @ 6pm

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T12:00:00.000-05:00

Don't Miss Eva Dean Dance at First Night Boston!

2011-12-30T13:21:00.002-05:00

Monkeyhouse LOVES Eva Dean Dance! They joined us for Against the Odds, Eva performed with us at First Night and TOMORROW Eva Dean Dance is going to be at First Night Boston! You don't want to miss these amazing performances!

Eva Dean Dance is performing magical excerpts from PETER PAN to original music by David Kahne.

Other "mesmerizing" dances performed are a nocturnal samba and illuminated Poi Ball dances. Suited for ages 3 to 93.

Time: Saturday December 31, 2011 3:30pm - 4:00pm and 4:30pm - 5pm
Location: Hynes Convention Center Rm 302, 900 Boylston St. Boston, MA 02115

Photo by Yi-Chun Wu Dancers: Cristal Albornoz and George Hirsch

Get to Know Karli Cadel

2011-12-27T21:08:00.018-05:00

In July of 2010, I was fortunate enough to be a member of the inaugural Tap program at The School at Jacob’s Pillow. The previous summer, I later learned, fellow New Yorker Karli Cadel had interned there as a photographer. We met after I received an email from Karli, via the Pillow, that she was looking for dancers to participate in her senior thesis. Eager to meet a fellow Pillow alumna and get some new dance photos, I replied right away – and Karli and I have been in touch ever since. As she is a terrific young professional with a keen eye and great passion for dance, I thought it would be prudent to interview her and introduce her to the readers of this blog. --Ryan

Why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Karli Cadel, and I am a documentary and editorial photographer specializing in performing arts, portraiture, and event photography. I was born and raised in San Diego, California and graduated from theater program at San Diego State University and the photography program at Grossmont College in El Cajon. I now hold a Master of Professional Studies in Digital Photography from the School of Visual Arts in NYC, where I live now.

I first combined my passions for live performance and photography in 2009, when I was the Photojournalism Intern at Jacob's Pillow. I was able to continue this work in 2010, capturing artists on stage and behind the scenes as a staff photographer at the Glimmerglass Festival, an internationally renowned summer opera festival. My photographs of dance and opera have been published in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and Dance Magazine.

How did you get interested in and involved in photography?

Growing up, I always took pictures – parties, outings, walks, vacations; if there was a spare camera around, you would find me playing photographer. Making images was always a part of my life, but because I was so involved in music, theatre, and dance growing up, it was never something I considered I could pursue professionally until I realized that I was spending more time shooting photos than memorizing lines for rehearsal. In high school having my photo class before lunch was always a problem because most of the time I would work straight through lunch in the darkroom, sometimes not even realizing my next class was about to start. In college my free time was spent photographing for different campus publications, and it wasn’t until I was given my first concert assignment for The Daily Aztec newspaper at San Diego State University that I discovered how enthralling it was to photograph subjects I had been a part of my entire life.

I have such a strong connection to documenting music, dance, and theatre because I have been immersed in those fields firsthand. Photographing the performing arts has become a springboard for many other personal projects, and I have let my interests flourish into creating portraiture that deals with the personalities, physicality, and personal experiences of performing artists. It is through making this work that I have been given a great personal gift, which is the realization that life doesn’t get much better than when you find a way to combine your passions.

Why did you choose dance(rs) as your primary subject(s) to photograph?

Since my time in 2009 as the Photojournalism Intern at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, I have chosen to make dance the primary focus of my work because it is a subject I feel drawn to explore beyond its surface. There are so many elements of the medium that go unexplored photographically, and Jacob’s Pillow provided an environment in which I was exposed to the many facets of dance, both those that I grew up with and those I have yet to explore with my camera. I’ll know when it time to move on, but right now I have a feeling that capturing movement is something that will captivate me for years to come.

Describe your experience interning at Jacob's Pillow.

Interning at Jacob’s Pillow Dance is an incredible learning experience. For ten-plus weeks you are given a dance education like no other. The caliber of performance you are surrounded by is at the highest and is always thought provoking. Looking back now, for a young photographer it is so much more than three months of shooting dance; it is an independent position that pushes your creative and technical abilities in a range of situations. One day might be full of shooting events, while the next day could be a morning of shooting in The School at Jacob’s Pillow, followed by a dress rehearsal for one of the world-famous companies performing that week. Your mind is always going, which trains your eye to always be looking for your next image. The connections I made that summer and the experiences I gained still affect my work today. It was a roller coaster that I didn’t realize shaped my path as a photographer until my job that summer was complete.

What is your personal mission/style as a photographer?

I strive to create images that are striking on both an artistic and technical level. I’m interested in moments. The beautiful, sad, brave, unpleasant, sorrow, joy – I have always loved capturing the range of reactions we have to our experiences in life. When I’m photographing a performer or arts event in the studio or onstage, the decisive moment for me is when an artist becomes lost in their craft. Perhaps it is my background in the performing arts, but it feeds me as a photographer to provide the visual for someone telling a story, sometimes a piece of their own journey, with their body, voice, words, mind, and heart.

Describe your master's thesis and how it came to fruition.

As a lifelong dancer, I have always wanted to express the aspects of dance that go beyond sheer physical performance, even at its most intense. I realized that for me, the most meaningful way to do this was not with dance itself, but through photography. Thus my thesis project, Moving Meditation, aims to capture the way dance embodies both human emotions and the unique physical personalities of its practitioners. These things are told through my lens by capturing the work of several dancers who perform and train in a variety of styles.

For this endeavor, my visual vocabulary relied on several techniques. I used high-speed flash to freeze the dancer’s movements, and in combination with a grey background, this made them appear as strong, graphic forms in a neutral, stage-like space and allowed them to be seen by the viewer as emblems of physical power and artistry as much as individuals.

I have observed that in the world of contemporary dance, movement itself is a medium that has transcended its own conventions. Dancers create works that speak not only about their own training, but about their personal history and sense of self. I think the same is true of photography. The act of creation is a cumulative meditation on personal, professional, and artistic experience, which is a fundamental part of both photography and dance.

How do you take still images of an art form that is all about movement? How does photography reconcile these opposing dynamics and enhance elements of dance and movement?

For me, the most dynamic images of movement are not solely about capturing the “wow” factor of how high someone can jump, or how muscular their body is. Yes, these qualities are part of dancing; it would be silly not to acknowledge that they provide a context of how rigorous years of regimented training shape and strengthen a dancer’s body. However, when I create work, whether I am being asked to photograph a dress rehearsal or conceptualizing a personal project, I try to never just focus on the physical aspect of dance. As I continue to photograph movement, I find more and more that capturing the internal life of dance lies in the small, subtle details: the position of a hand or hair mid-jump; the effects of stage lighting on the shapes of a dancer’s body; how facial expression completes a phrase of movement – these are only a few aspects which, when photographed, enhance not only the physical element, but emotional energy of the art form.

To learn more about Karli and her work, visit www.karlicadel.com.

Photo Credit: C. Bay Milin.

C2C Internship Applications!

2011-12-26T16:07:00.000-05:00

Do you enjoy reading about artists on the C2C blog? Are you curious about the process of being a choreographer? Are you looking to add some writing credits to your resume? Have you always wanted to be on television? Do you like to meet new exciting people?

Monkeyhouse is kicking off our second round of internships in conjunction with the C2C blog. This program will give you the opportunity to study with Monkeyhouse on the art of the interview, meet artists from all over the world and make a name for yourself as a writer in the process!

Help us Connect YOUR Community to Choreography!
Click here for more information on how to apply!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

Barnes & Noble Bookfair In Store Adventures -- Pt IV

2011-12-01T15:00:00.000-05:00

Check out this student run a cappella group from Natick High School at the Barnes & Noble in Framingham TODAY at 6pm! Catch a sneak peek of them here:

Keep an eye out for more information about Seven's Not Enough soon!
Learn more about the Barnes & Noble Bookfair!

Barnes & Noble Bookfair In Store Adventure Part III

2011-12-01T13:00:00.000-05:00

Join members of TAProject at Barnes & Noble in Framingham TODAY from 5-7 as they show off their tap dancing talents!

Get more information about the Barnes & Noble Bookfair!

Barnes & Noble Bookfair In Store Adventures -- Part II

2011-12-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

Check out members of Natick High School Drama as they perform Winter's On The Wing which premiered at Remember '11 last weekend.

(Thanks to Steven Knott for these awesome photos!)

Barnes and Noble Bookfair Day One -- Part II

2011-12-01T09:00:00.001-05:00

Get your purchases gift wrapped by a Monkey TODAY from 9-1 at the Barnes & Noble in Framingham! For more information on the Bookfair, click here!

Barnes & Noble Bookfair Day One

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Here's the deal: For anything you buy online at Barnes & Noble from TODAY to Monday (using the code #10605954) a percentage will go to Monkeyhouse. It's that simple.

Are you sick of holiday gifts that don't do much more than sit on a shelf? Here's a way to make those holiday expenditures reach even further. Head on over to bn.com/bookfairs, enter the Bookfair ID #10605954 and a percentage of your purchases will go towards Monkeyhouse's Developing Dance Literacy Campaign. Just think, not only will your loved ones love the books you get them, but they'll be part of creating something amazing!

Join us in the Framingham store TODAY! We will be wrapping purchases from 9-1 and performing with Seven's Not Enough, Natick High School Drama and Impulse Dance Center's TAProject from 5-7.

Eva Dean Dance @ First Night Boston

2011-11-30T13:39:00.000-05:00

As you probably remember, Monkeyhouse is a huge fan of Eva Dean, who appeared with us as a Guest Artist for First Night 2011. We were thrilled when we got her e-today and discovered that she will be bringing her amazing crew of performers up for First Night 2012. Better hop to it and snap up your First Night Button. Is anyone else surprised that we have reached the end of this year already? .

Eva Dean Dance at First Night Boston!

Photo by Yi-Chun Wu, Dancers: Cristal Albornoz and George Hirsch

Eva Dean Dance is performing magical excerpts from PETER PAN to original music by David Kahne. Other "mesmerizing" dances performed are a nocturnal samba and illuminated Poi Ball dances. Suited for ages 3 to 93.

Time: Saturday December 31, 2011 3:30pm - 4:00pm and 4:30pm - 5pm
Location: Hynes Convention Center Rm 302, 900 Boylston St. Boston, MA 02115

for map click here

For links to reservations and schedule click below

3:30 pm show

4:30pm show

"...mesmerizing choreography...and energizing in that it all looks so fun and free"

Pia Catton

Wall Street Journal

To learn more about EDD visit www.evadeandance.org

Body Talk: How Dancers "Should" Look

2011-11-28T12:00:00.002-05:00

As I stood in line outside Boston’s Hyatt Regency hotel with hundreds of other people, my fleece jacket unequipped to handle the steady drizzle that the morning sky deposited on New England on May 28, 2009, I kept asking myself how I had been motivated to get out of bed at 4 a.m. and join the mob of dancers and wannabes auditioning for the sixth season of “So You Think You Can Dance.”

It was something I never thought I would do, or even want to do, but I had been encouraged by two of my dance teachers – one of whom drove me there at 6 a.m., the other of whom waited in line with me and also auditioned herself – and I decided, with a television debut and job opportunities as potential rewards, that I might as well break out of my shell and have a new experience.

Two exhausting days later, I proudly put that experience under my belt and almost forgot about it until four months later, when I watched my fifteen minutes of fame on television from the comforts of my own college dormitory. I was traveling the next day – for a dance gig, no less – so I didn’t get to read any reactions from my debut TV appearance until I was sitting in a hotel lobby in Maryland, where I encountered, among other things, the following quotations from amateur blogs and professional publications alike:

“Seriously, it's like he's tapping in a pair of canoes with hubcaps nailed to the bottom. I like that he taps to hip hop, but Ryan lacks the ‘surprisingly graceful tall guy’ thing.”

“Adorable 18-year-old Ryan Casey didn't go to Vegas, which is pure discrimination in my book. It has nothing to do with gender or race or sexual preference, he's just 6'8''. So basically, he's a walking freak of nature. But the dude can tap like crazy, the only problem is that he has way too much body and can't control it all at once, so his hands flail about as if independent from his body.”

“… His upper body looked like the product of a mating session between an accountant and one of those evil trees from The Wizard of Oz.”

I was not so much offended – I went on that show, after all, with complete confidence in my ability and my unique quality of movement, not simply the misplaced confidence of those people who have been deluded into thinking that they possess some kind of talent that the sane among us recognize is absent – as I was dismayed at the ignorance of these writers and viewers (Dare I deign to call them critics?). Since when did my failure to meet what we might call the standard, or stereotype of The Dancer make me a “freak of nature”? How is it possible to have “too much body”?

I am not ashamed to admit that controlling my limbs, and learning to use them in an effective and artistic way (The Boston Globe referred to me as “adorably floppy” this summer in a rag doll duet choreographed by Michelle Dorrance) has long been, and continues to be, a challenge I encounter as a dancer. But it is not so much a challenge to be conquered – in the sense that I should have my limbs amputated; or I should find a different profession; or, as a pair of self-proclaimed reviewers smarmily suggested in one of their YouTube videos, I should take a ride in the clothes dryer and shrink myself – but rather, one to be met and worked on so that, as in Dorrance’s “The Rag,” my physique becomes a commodity rather than a hindrance – a goal I worked hard at in my years of training at The Dance Inn.

During the episode in which I was featured, the show played back, in slow motion, a portion of my solo, to point out the few seconds in which my arms had flailed during a step. It was as if to say, See? This is wrong. This is not what a dancer should look like. Indeed, it goes without saying that a show as universally popular as SYTYCD determines, unfortunately, or at least plays a large role in determining, what dance is and what it looks like. It presents certain dancers and choreographers and styles and themes, and, broadcasting them nationally, presents them as what is current, popular and cool in the dance world.

True dancers may recognize that this depiction of Dance and Dancers is inaccurate, glamorized, exaggerated, etc. When asked whether or not they watch the show regularly, some dancers respond, “Of course; I’m a dancer!” And others will say, “Of course not; I’m a dancer!” But the public does not know. The public will believe that dance is as it appears on SYTYCD, just as an actual trial mimics what they see on legal dramas and crime programs. Those are the people who come up to me after performances and ask if I have been tested for Marfan Syndrome, or tell me that when I stepped onstage, they didn’t think I would be able to dance, because my height “just didn’t seem like it would work.”

To be fair, and not to spend an undue amount of time harping on the misrepresentation of dance on SYTYCD (which the New York Times recently discussed), this narrow-minded, almost dictatorial depiction of what a Dancer should look like runs rampant in dance studios and classes. The tried and true setup of any dance class places students in front of a mirror, which for many becomes a tool not just for telling them if they are doing the steps right, but if they look too skinny or too fat, pretty or ugly, attractive or not. (One might think of Plath’s famous mirror stating mildly, “I am not cruel, only truthful.”)
While studying this summer with Billy Siegenfeld, Artistic Director of Jump Rhythm Jazz Project, he handed out a diagram from Teaching Young Dancers Muscular Coordination in Classical Ballet (1975), by Joan Lawson (see right ------>).

This diagram clearly claims to dictate what a Dancer should look like. It asserts that a Dancer’s body should and must ultimately be different than the body of a normal person in very specific ways.

The first flaw to this idea is, as I said, that it projects a very narrow conception of what a dancer is. A tap dancer does not strive to make their body look like that. Nor, I imagine, does an African dancer. Nor a salsa dancer. Nor a line dancer. Despite being a book aimed toward ballet dancers, it presumptuously (and rather arrogantly, I think) seems to presume that a ballet dancer is a Dancer and, transitively, ballet is Dance. This is not so.

Think, for a moment, of the last wedding you attended – or, really, any wedding you’ve attended. Think of several, if you can. Typically, when people make their way onto the dance floor, there are a few who stand out. Some do, surely, because they resemble Elaine on Seinfeld doing the little kicks, but when your eye is drawn to someone and you find that you enjoy watching them, why is that? It not likely because they have great turnout, or they are kicking their face, or they have a nice arabesque: it’s because you like the way they move. Whether or not they have had any kind of formal dance instruction doesn’t matter. They have a quality of movement that is genuine and fitting and appealing, and they are dancing.

Can’t they be called dancers, too? Well, yes. But, according to Lawson, they are not Dancers.

I have a friend currently studying in the esteemed dance program at Oklahoma City University who was recently told by the department, not for the first time, that she needs to lose weight in order to be at a certain weight that the department requires. If she fails to do so, expulsion from the program would not be out of the question. I find this disgusting.

Look, as another example, at Bob Fosse. It is well-known that he wore a hat because he didn’t like his baldness – a trait that became a trademark of his dancers. He wore gloves because he didn’t like how his hands looked. Another signature Fosse trait. His style capitalizes on the inverse of many balletic principles: a pigeon-toed stance, bent arms, butt sticking out, cocked wrists. He created a technique that rejects so many long-held, deeply inculcated beliefs about what dance is supposed to look like, and the dance world continues to cherish him and his legacy.
What I’m ultimately getting at, via my hodgepodge of anecdotes and examples, is that the conception of a dancer ought to change. We should get rid of the pretentious idea of a Dancer that is governed too much by balletic principles that, while important, are not the cynosure of all dance philosophy, technique or education, as many people would have us believe. We should look beyond, or at least look critically and carefully, at the image of a dancer that is presented on television via programming like SYTYCD. We should focus less on the idea of what we feel a dancer is supposed to look like, and be more open to the notion that anybody can dance and be a dancer (Whatever happened to the proverb, “If you can walk, you can dance”?).

What do you think?

Is society/media unrealistically, or unfairly, portraying what dancers should look like?

How can dance educators address some of the negative effects of these depictions?

How can we help change the ways in which the image of the Dancer is presented?

Please share your thoughts, comments and ideas below!

Getting to Know Josh Bergasse

2011-11-23T21:50:00.002-05:00

As you know, this year we kicked off our C2C Intern program. (You've been hearing from our Bloggers-In-Residence Ryan Casey and Sarah Friswell for a few months now!) Here is the first interview done by Sarah Grace, a high school senior and student of mine in the Natick High School Drama program. Sarah has a strong interest in dance and theatre so when I heard that Josh was once again doing fabulous things I asked if he could take time out of his busy schedule to chat with Sarah. After you read about her conversation (and enjoy the day of the turkey!) head on over to Natick High School to see Sarah and the rest of the wonderful cast of Remember '11 as they take the stage to pay tribute to the NHS auditorium this weekend. Enjoy! -Nicole

Josh Bergasse is an accomplished choreographer and dancer, having performed in several Broadway musicals and choreographing for shows like NBC’s new series "Smash" and FOX’s "So You Think You Can Dance." I had the opportunity interview Josh about his many experiences in the professional dance world.

SG: What sparked your interest in dance and theater?

JB: I grew up at my mother’s dance school outside of Detroit. My mom had a theater background so my studies involved a lot of theater. I put my first pair of tap shoes on when I was three years old.

SG: Do you have any favorite styles of dance, to perform, or to choreograph? Are there any particular dancers or choreographers that have inspired you?

JB: I love so many styles of dance. I don’t really have a favorite. I have some that I’m more proficient in or better trained in, such as jazz or theater. Some of my inspirations: Robbins, Fosse, Astaire, Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, Jack Cole, Balanchine, Hermes Pan, Michael Kidd.

SG: How did you first get into the professional dance world?

JB: My first professional job was a national tour of West Side Story. I played BabyJohn and was the Dance Captain.

SG: Since West Side Story, what was your favorite project?
JB: One of my favorite projects was being in the original cast of Hairspray on Broadway. I was a swing which is a great way to learn the inner workings of the show. It wasn’t bad to be in such a hit show either.

Currently, Josh is serving as the choreographer for NBC’s new television series, “Smash.” This fictional series revolves around the creation of a Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe, and is set to premier in February, 2012!

SG: How did you get involved with Smash?
JB: I became involved with Smash through Michael Mayer, the director of the pilot and episodes 2 & 3, as well as one of the creative consultants for the series. Michael and I worked together years ago in the out of town tryout of Thoroughly Modern Millie (he directed, I was ensemble/dance captain).

SG: You've done a lot of work on stage, so what are some of the challenges of choreographing for a camera instead of an audience?
JB: Smash is true to the theater world it's set in, so there aren't many obstacles in choreographing for the camera, more like bonuses. My assignment is to choreograph great numbers that stand on their own on stage, then we film them beautifully and make them multidimensional. I think the biggest challenge would be working with the schedules of all the different departments, not to mention shooting an episode at the same time that you're prepping another episode.

SG: Do you have any other projects besides Smash going on right now? Where do you see yourself in a year, in ten years?
JB: I do have other projects that I’m prepping for in the future, but Smash is taking 99% of my time right now. In 10 years, I’d like to see myself relaxing on a beach in the Caribbean islands, or maybe Hawaii!

SG: Do you have any advice for aspiring dancers?
JB: My advice for dancers is to study all styles, learn to sing, find out what you’re good at and market it.

SG: And aspiring choreographers?
JB: My advice to young choreographers is to choreograph as often as possible and get your work out there... it’s no use if nobody sees it!

Thanks, Josh!

Check it out!

2011-11-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

Check it out!

Monkeyhouse has launched a new website!!
How exciting!

Great Ideas for the Holidays and MORE!

2011-11-20T16:47:00.010-05:00

Last week I told you about GoodDining, a new program from GoodSearch where you can eat out at your favorite restaurants and a percentage of your bill will be donated to Monkeyhouse. Now I want to let you know about some other new, sneaky and exciting ways to help your favorite non-profit. We've raised almost $10,000 so far! Think of all the good you can do!

1. Who do you GoodShop for?
We have been talking about GoodShop for years now, but as we get closer to the holidays and you start all that shopping you want to keep GoodShop in mind. A percentage of your online shopping from clothes to groceries to electronics from thousands of retailers will go to Monkeyhouse if you shop via GoodShop. Just head over to their website, say that you are GoodShopping for Monkeyhouse, browse the coupons available for the stores you already shop at and start buying! Your donation will automatically go to Monkeyhouse. If you're like me and tend to forget about GoodShop until it's too late then you want to get this handy-dandy GoodShop toolbar! It will tell you when sites you're on are available on GoodShop, what percentage will go to Monkeyhouse and even how many coupons are available. It's as easy as pie!

2. Barnes & Noble Bookfair
Here's the deal: For anything you buy online at Barnes & Noble from December 1st-5th (using the code #10605954) a percentage will go to Monkeyhouse. It's that simple. Are you sick of holiday gifts that don't do much more than sit on a shelf? Here's a way to make those holiday expenditures reach even further. Head on over to bn.com/bookfairs, enter the Bookfair ID #10605954 and a percentage of your purchases will go towards Monkeyhouse's Developing Dance Literacy Campaign. Just think, not only will your loved ones love the books you get them, but they'll be part of creating something amazing!

Join us in the Framingham store on December 1st for interactive dance activities and impromptu performances by Monkeyhouse and Friends (including the Natick High School Drama Department, Seven's Not Enough, a student run a cappella group and more!) buy a book to donate to your local library and even get your purchases gift wrapped by a Monkey!

3. Become a Year Long Supporter of Monkeyhouse!

As we head into Season 11 we want to offer you the option of becoming a year long supporter of YOUR favorite part of Monkeyhouse. Whether you want your donation to go towards infrastructure or to help your favorite company member, by clicking the DONATE NOW button next to your choice you will send a small donation once a month to help support Season 11--Outside Voices.

Check out all the places you can make a difference by heading over to our new website!

GoodDining

2011-11-16T13:23:00.001-05:00

You've heard of GoodShop. Now those awesome people over at GoodSearch have created GoodDining.

Here's the basics:

1. Register by clicking here.
2. Eat out at thousands of bars and restaurants around the US & Cananda
3. Up to 6% of your bill will go to Monkeyhouse without you paying an extra penny!

Keep an eye out for more sneaky donation options soon!

Thanks 2 YOU (part 1)

2011-11-15T14:02:00.000-05:00

by karen Krolak

As cornucopia begin popping up on doorways all over town and Christmas music starts sneaking in on the radio, I find myself reflecting back on all the Monkeyhouse events of the past year. Thanks to our loyal crew of donors, we have accomplished several major goals this year. To celebrate, I thought it would be nice to share some personal photos of highlights and fun memories. This goofy gem was captured during a warm up for First Night but it reminds me of all the Saturday afternoon musings at Springstep that keep Monkeyhouse's creativity flowing.

The process of developing pieces is often longer than expected and filled with dead ends. I feel very fortunate to be able to work with such patient, inventive dancers who fill our rehearsals with laughter. Even though you can only see their lower limbs, this photo shows the clear personalities of each of my four favorite dancers. Nicole Harris ever ready to launch someone else into the air. Courtney Wagner boldly bounding on to her back. Caitlin Meehan, the only dancer I have ever met who slides less in a pair of socks, gracefully leaning away from a counterbalance with our acrobatic powerhouse, Nikki Sao Pedro. I truly cherish these simple exchanges in the studio together. Thanks to everyone who contributes to Monkeyhouse and keeps this creative ritual thriving.

Dance Around The World: Bharatanatyam

2011-11-07T08:17:00.029-05:00

by Sarah Friswell

This month, we'll travel to southern India and discover a little more about a temple dance called Bharatanatyam (Bar-ah-tah-nah-tee-yum).

www.indiandancer.org

Bharatanatyam is a dance form that is performed in temples in southern India. It originated between 400 and 200 BC in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Dance and music were extremely important parts of ritual worship.

The women who perform these dances are called Devadasis and it is said that they were "married" to a deity or to the temple itself. The Devadasis' lives were devoted to honoring the temple and all the deities in it.

Originally the dance form was passed on as a living tradition from the dancers and gurus (teachers) to the younger generations. It was done only in temples by the Devadasis and gurus until the 20th century when there was a renewal in the popularity of Indian culture. Today, Bharatanatyam is done in classrooms, on stages, and at festivals and the different dances of Bharatanatyam can be found in the Natya Shastra, an ancient book that describes Indian performing arts including dance, theatre and music.

Bharatanatyam is known for its preciseness and perfection of the movements. Different postures are called karanas. These karanas are also what many sculptures in Hindu temples are based on. There are eight universal emotions, or rasas, that are supposed to be used in every performance. The eight emotions are love, pity, anger, disgust, heroism, awe, terror and comedy. Mudras, or hand gestures are also used in the dancing to help represent emotions.

During the performance, carnatic music is used, which is a very precise form of Indian music. The dancing is a visual embodiment of the music with incredibly exact choreography from head to toe, including eye movements. The costumes are just as intricate as the dance and music, and the Devadasis put on dramatic makeup to make their facial expressions stand out even more.

This beautiful art form is now thriving as it leaves the temples and takes the stage at venues around the world. You can check out an amazing video of Bharatanatyam here.

From Sole to Soul: A Choreographer's Journey, Part 2

2011-10-24T12:00:00.001-04:00

By Ryan P. Casey

As proud as I was to have created and performed my original tap choreography with my original poetry, I had not initially envisioned a solo piece. I had sacrificed my original vision to produce something that was, at the time, more feasible given time and budget constraints. The solo turned out to be more successful than I had imagined, but I was still itching to get to work with a group of dancers and incorporate other styles besides tap.

Earlier this year, my opportunity arrived. Boston’s own Urbanity Dance announced that they were seeking a ‘wildcard choreographer’ to set a piece for their spring show, “Mixtape” – someone whose background was not necessarily in dance. I was already familiar with the company, having been to some of their previous shows to support Lori LoTurco, a company member who had been my jazz teacher for many years, and having recommended them for a segment on The Steve Katsos Show, on which I had previously made an appearance. Eagerly, I submitted my proposal and was thrilled days later when director Betsi Graves Akerstein called and offered me the position.

My excitement was matched only by my anxiety. Urbanity, while featuring dancers with rich backgrounds, is primarily a contemporary dance company. And my dancers would not just be using my recording, but also reciting portions of the poem aloud. I not only had to craft an entirely new structure for the routine, playing with which lines and stanzas would be spoken and which would stay in the recording, but I had to develop a very clear vision of what I wanted to see so that the dancers could help me choreograph in a style that was not my own. And I had only seven hours in the studio over the course of a weekend to work with them.

I reverted again to the “first thought, best thought” strategy, going through the poem and writing down precisely what I had first envisioned when I had written it. As I now had six contemporary dancers to work with, rather than just myself tapping, I had the opportunity to take a more visual approach to my choreography. In some cases, it was much easier to adapt themes or ideas from my solo for an ensemble. For example, the walking motif that formed the backbone of the original piece was more effective when I had a group of dancers who could easily bring to life the image of a crowded Manhattan sidewalk. As I did not have to focus on the rhythms of their feet, I could experiment with the rhythms of their upper bodies and their legs and how those more visual rhythms told the story. I was also able to develop a cast of characters by costuming the dancers uniquely and giving them individual, pedestrian movements to repeat throughout the routine. The sensations of confusion, overstimulation, and isolation that pervade an urban setting were easier to depict with an ensemble of dancers. I maintained my tap roots with a body percussion section as a reminder that the crux of the piece was still rhythm, even though the dominant style of dance had changed.

Perhaps the most effective choreographic decision derived from Betsi herself, who found a brilliant way to utilize the Boston University Dance Theatre to adequately set the scene. During my piece, the shades were raised on the windows on the stage’s back wall, revealing the sidewalk and street behind it. The lights from cars and buildings outside, and the shadows and movements of pedestrians – including curious ones who peeked in to see what was happening – provided the perfect backdrop to a piece about assimilating into city life.

I was fortunate to work with a cast who were willing to explore with me, offer their own ideas, implement my cues quickly and creatively, and learn their parts as both dancers and slam poets.

Company member Kate Patten Cook reflected on the experience:

“It was unlike any choreographic experience I've been involved in. I'm used to being told what moves to do to which parts of the music, and how those moves should work alongside of the tempo and melody. With Push, we had no specific moves, no music, no tempo, and no melody. I was scared at first to dance through the silence. I was scared to have to improvise and invent more than I'd ever had to working on a piece in the past. I was scared that we might not be able to work through the whole piece in a way that was outside of all of our comfort zones in a short period of time.

“But almost instantly, things started coming together. We learned to hear the rhythm and the beat and even the melody of the words that were being spoken. The more time we spent with Ryan, the clearer his vision became. Some of the phrases we tried didn't work, so we threw them aside. Ultimately, each one of the dancers had some creative input in what we did with our bodies. And Ryan wove it all together.

“The experience of speaking onstage while dancing might have been the scariest bit of all. I hadn't been in a play since the third grade, and had never had to talk while dancing in the past. At first, I felt discombobulated - and exhausted - to force words out of my lungs while turning, swooping and kicking. But bit by bit, we all go the hang of it. It was an experience of discovering a new layer of strength as a dancer and performer. And I loved it.”

In retrospect, I think both the solo and the ensemble piece have their respective strengths. They both approach the poem in different ways, emphasizing different themes while staying true to my original purpose. And there is still so much to explore that neither piece covers. I would love to set this piece on an ensemble group of tap dancers; or to create a duet with a contemporary dancer in which I represent the Pedestrian and s/he represents the City; or to do the same with a group of tap dancers and a group of modern dancers; or to revamp my solo so that I can say some of the poem aloud. The poem itself offers so many creative avenues to follow that I have not yet begun to investigate. For now, though, I am pleased with both pieces.

What do you think about each piece? Is one more powerful or engaging than the other? Does one stand out to you? What else could I do to interpret the poem and my ideas onstage?

Monkeyhouse Workshop @ Mass Dance Fest

2011-10-17T16:00:00.001-04:00

The hurricane that swept up the East Coast in August, forced the Massachusetts Dance Festival to postpone its events. We are delighted that Monkeyhouse will be able to lead our partnering workshop on the new date, October 30th.

Massachusetts Dance Festival Workshop Schedule

Workshop I - 10:30-Noon

Intermediate Ballet - James Reardon
Classical Indian - Mouli Pal

Workshop II - 12:15-1:45

Advanced Beginner Tap - Thelma Goldberg
Modern Partnering Intermediate - Karen Krolak

Lunch Break - 1:45-2:45

Workshop III - 2:45-4:15

Modern - Annie Kloppenberg
Hip Hop - Sarah-Kay Jerome

October 30, 2011

University of Massachusetts

Amherst, MA
The Mass Dance Festival Studios

are in the Totman Building on Eastman Lane on the campus.

Enter in the back door off the parking lot.

Each workshop is only $15

Season 11 - Outside Voices

2011-10-17T11:25:00.000-04:00

Monkeyhouse, an award winning nonprofit that connects communities to choreography, needs YOU to take us all the way to eleven.

Against all kinds of odds, we have survived since September of 2000 on brash ingenuity and a shoestring thanks to the amazing support of donors, volunteers, and dancers. But, if YOU want us to continue to counteract society’s sedentary tendencies and get communities moving with meaning, YOU need to invest in our double long season of 2011-2013 celebrating Outside Voices. Please donate now to help us raise $25,000 this fall to launch this ambitious season. (We have already raised $2100!)

Your support is critical to our success. Monkeyhouse’s programs defy easy categorization and therefore we must rely on visionary donors to bring them to fruition. For example, consider these highlights from the last year:

Æ, our collaboratively created site-specific piece for Dance in the Fells, lured hundreds of people up the steep path to Wright’s Tower in Medford, MA. We were so honored when Dance in the Fells was awarded a Gold Star from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Moving for Meaning, an afterschool program for kids at the Healey School in Somerville, sprang out of a conversation after the first Somerville-Tiznit Sister City trip. Our Somerville students, most of whom do not speak English as a first language, are gaining public speaking skills, acquiring a better grasp of English grammar, connecting to students in Morocco and exercising.
Against the Odds: Stories of Adaptation, Interpretation and Survival, Monkeyhouse's first mini-festival, gathered together over 40 artists over the course of 4 weeks to examine the intersection between sculpture, stage combat, body percussion, puppetry, architecture, and choreography. Months later, people still contact us to bounce around ideas for new pieces or to share stories about how Against the Odds nudged them to explore their world differently.

By donating to Monkeyhouse today, YOU will be an early investor in our next two seasons. After evaluating the first decade, we have realized that we can accomplish more by taking the long term view of our organization and activities. As we delve into the theme of Outside Voices, Monkeyhouse will be inviting other Boston based artists to set work on the company, introducing blog readers to choreographers/dance styles from around the globe, and expanding Moving for Meaning to incorporate deaf students in Morocco and possibly a Passamaquoddy school in Maine.

YOU can usher dance activities to the streets of suburbs and cities, provide mentoring for artists, and encourage economically challenged children to excel.

YOU will be at the center of the conversation about how choreography can be used to solve problems in communities, fill the gap between languages, and overcome challenging medical conditions.

This extraordinary season is all about YOU and we are grateful for that – thank you for being a part of our journey.

With endless gratitude,
Karen Krolak
Monkeyhouse Founder/Artistic Director

Dance Around the World: The Asante People

2011-10-15T15:29:00.000-04:00

By Sarah Friswell

Two summers ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Ghana in West Africa. It's commonly referred to as "Africa for beginners" since it has been a very stable and peaceful country for over 10 years. While in Ghana, I had hoped to learn about the dance culture and rituals and I stumbled across tons of awesome dancing. Kumase, the second most populated city and the center of the Asante (ah-shan-ti, ah-san-ti) culture was bursting with markets and art of all sorts.

Photo Credit: Brie Zupko

The Asante people are ruled by an Asantehene, an elected king. At one time, a qualification of his election was that he was a good dancer. The Asantehene is called "master of the music and the drums" or "master of the dance", since drums and dancing go hand in hand for the Asante people. The most accomplished drummers have the ability to make their drum "talk" to the dancers and communicate what the dancer should do with his/her body.

The Asantehene is expected to dance in front of his people to display his royalty and to honor the ancestors, who are very important in Asante culture. There is one dance, played by the fontomfrom drum, that beats out a challenge to the Asantehene as if to say, "Some men fight, some men run away. Which kind of man are you?". The Asantehene then returns the challenge with his own choreographed display of strength as he jumps, hops, stamps, turns, and sways. He makes motions to say, "These are my people, I gather you together. I sit on you, I am your chief". He does not move fast because they say a king is more majestic when he moves slowly.

Once the Asantehene has danced, chiefs, leaders, and anyone who wants to pay homage, may dance in the drum circle. These dancers must proceed with caution though, because they have high standards to live up to. If a dancer does not dance at the highest level or chooses inappropriate dance movements, the drummers may use drum censorship. This means they will just stop playing and the dancer will get humiliated in front of all the onlookers.

So dance in central Ghana is used as a celebration, a homage to ancestors, a visual display of power and royalty, and a display of respect to those above you. I was lucky enough to dance with some women in a village called Bolgatanga in the Upper East region. Thankfully, I proved to be good enough, but I think they just enjoyed watching my very "strange" movement style.

Watch some Asante dancers and drummers here.

For more reading on the Asante people, I suggest Dancing by Gerald Jones.

The old Asantahene Palace, now a museum
Photo Credit Angel Chinea

From Sole to Soul: A Choreographer's Journey, Part 1

2011-09-30T12:00:00.001-04:00

By Ryan P. Casey

When I made the great transition from suburban Massachusetts to Manhattan in the fall of 2009 to begin my studies at New York University, I was thrilled to learn that my Fifth Avenue residence hall, unlike the others, had its own dance studio. While some of my peers were out drinking and carousing, I envisioned myself spending late nights sweating it out in the studio, the thrill of new rhythms and musical explorations a more practical and useful endeavor than beer pong. I was rather disappointed to discover that the studio was no bigger than my own room, with a slippery tile floor, crooked ballet bar, and no sound system. And it was typically invaded by study groups or student theatre companies. While I did fulfill my dream of late-night choreography sessions, shuffling in my sneakers to avoid a wipeout, I knew I needed a better space in which to practice.

I soon decided to cash in on some of the hours of studio time I had accrued from my part-time position at the American Tap Dance Center. I penciled myself into the schedule for two hours and showed up on a Friday afternoon with the full use of a brand new studio at my fingertips – or toes, really – complete with sound system and sprung wood floor.

But after half an hour, I was bored. Finally, I had the perfect practice space, space I had earned, and I was uninspired to use it. I found myself putting on different songs and growing thoroughly disappointed with my improvisation. I would experiment with choreography I had planned in my head or in my sneakers and find that it didn’t fit the music or was not interesting at all. I ended up letting my iPod play while I walked around in frustration, trying to let myself be inspired by something, anything. What was wrong with me?

Five years ago, in high school, when I had set out to choreograph my first solo, I hadn’t encountered any mental barricades like this. My teacher, Thelma Goldberg, and I had selected a song together, and agreed that I would work alone in the studio every day for a week and then show her what I had created. It was a slow process, I remember, and not just because I spent a lot of time raiding the studio cabinets, trying to find something to eat (all I could find were strawberry NutriGrain bars, though I could hardly complain). But at the end of the week, I had a pretty good rough draft of my routine, which turned out to a big hit at Tap City that year. Okay, so there are no granola bars in the ATDC studios. But that could hardly explain my lack of motivation.

Part of it, I know, was related to a revelation I had had in Barbara Duffy’s improvisation class earlier that year: I am a very self-conscious tap dancer. No doubt this characteristic is a result not only of my generally anal ways, but of my continuing quest, sparked by Thelma, to be the best dancer that I can be. I had earned a reputation for being a very clean, clear tap dancer, and I felt pressured to live up to that expectation all the time. As a result, I was being too careful, ironically limiting my abilities in my attempts to perfect them. It was when Barbara encouraged me to let go, let loose, BREATHE, and ignore my mistakes for once that I realized I do not have to be careful in order to sound good; my technique is polished enough that I am confident I always will.

After experiencing this same frustration and failure a second time, leaving halfway through my scheduled three-hour session, I decided that I was truly bored with myself. I was not seeing my technique improve; I was not creating anything new and interesting; and I was effectively wasting my time in the studio. As discouraging and upsetting as it may be to fail others, I think it feels worse to fail yourself, and ultimately I was doing just that. Where was my mettle, my drive, my confidence? Surely I had not abandoned them back home in Lexington, MA.

While struggling with my lack of productivity, I was also battling the typical demons of the first semester of college: homesickness, loneliness, an obnoxious roommate, and the absence of purpose and identity in my new environment. As these were not emotions that I knew – nor, it seems, was able – to confront through my dancing, I resorted instead to words.

Playing the stereotypical struggling writer, I found myself, one brisk fall afternoon, sitting at the window of a Starbucks on the Upper West Side. From within the toasty, coffee-scented confines of my favorite hangout, I scribbled in my notebook, a gift from my best friend after graduating high school. I had a front row seat to an urban comedy of people hunkering against the wind and grappling with unwieldy umbrellas on Broadway, while I somewhat guiltily sipped hot cocoa that, while satisfying my caffeine craving and keeping me warm, did little to quell the first-year jitters dancing inside me. For several hours, I expunged my emotions through my pen – writing in cursive; crossing out; rewriting in shorthand; tapping the cap contemplatively against my front teeth, adorning the margins with question marks and alternative words. When at last I had drained my cup of cocoa, I had completed the final draft of my poem. Eager, in what I now recognize as a puerile, self-indulging sort of way, to share my distress with the world, or whatever small percentage of it would read what I had to say, I published the poem online.

“I see a dance in the making with your voice and a musician as accompanists,” Thelma wrote. “Beautiful... an image I can imagine and embrace! Thank you for sharing!”

“I agree...merge the dance with the poetry. It can be done,” one of my cousins concurred. “So, go to a recording studio in New York and record one of your poems, then choreograph to your own voice.”

But the poem I had written, as proud of it as I was, was too short to become a dance. So, what could I write about? The answer could not have come to me at a different time. As a pilgrim to Manhattan and a new student at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, I began to envision not just one dance, but a series of dances inspired by my impressions of and experiences with the city. I started writing other poems, sketching a storyline, and contacting fellow dancers and musician friends who might be interested in collaborating with me.

When applications for my school’s arts festival were posted, I recognized my first opportunity to experiment with and present my ideas to the ideal audience. Its acceptance gave me the confidence that my idea was feasible and had a future, and that I could take charge of my own creation and develop it further with successful collaboration.

Prior to the arts fest, I had only seen a few attempts at fusing tap with poetry, but never in a setting where the two forms were performed simultaneously so that the rhythms of one could interact with the rhythms of the other. As a dancer who has been trained rhythmically in all disciplines for so long – for which I am endlessly grateful to the instruction of Billy Siegenfeld and Jeannie Hill, and to Thelma, for introducing me to them – I thought that this was a severe injustice to both art forms, which are inherently rhythmic.

A big part of this project, therefore, derived from my desire to create something that was uniquely mine, and to discover who I am as an artist in the process. Fusing writing with dance seemed to be the best way to showcase my skills both as a writer and a dancer, as well as an appreciator of all kinds of dance, and respect the rhythmic roots therein.

My following sessions in the studio were more productive and rewarding than ever. Following Brenda Bufalino’s advice, “First thought, best thought,” which I hold as a key tenet of the creative process, I choreographed a solo to the first New York-related poem I had written, “When Push Comes to Shove.” My advisor, Kathryn Posin, helped me through the process, and her late husband John helped me produce a professional recording of the poem. The experience forced and allowed me to find an authentic voice for myself – literally. Aside from hating my own voice, like most people, I also dislike reading my own work – but with this project, I had no choice. Recording the poem reconnected me with my work, brought a new level of personal meaning to my writing and my routine, and was a process of self-discovery and experimentation.

The final product was a success. Praise from friends, family, and faculty assuaged all fears I had had of whether the audience would understand or appreciate what I was trying to accomplish. It renewed my inspiration and confidence as a soloist, and allowed me, as Barbara Duffy had encouraged me, to let go and explore more of myself, rather than feel caged in by some recorded jazz groove or Michael Jackson song. So pleased was I with its reception that I immediately proposed an independent study for the following semester that would allow me to produce more pieces in the same style. Little did I know just how far out of my comfort zone it would take me. . . .

Stay tuned for Part 2 next month!

Musing Photo of the Day

2011-09-23T11:56:00.000-04:00

I am very excited that Sarah is back in the Boston area and will be joining us for Musings! She is fearless with that blindfold on and was a great addition to our adventure!

Musing Photo of the Day

2011-09-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

It looks a lot like Sarah is about to catapult Caitlin into the sky. And Caitlin's got her wings ready to go!

Musing Photo of the Day

2011-09-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

Even while blindfolded we still find a way to turn ourselves upside down! Luckily Caitlin was on hand (with eyes uncovered) to keep everyone safe!

Springstep was all decked out for a wedding that night so we had an especially sassy rehearsal space with the paper lanterns on the ceiling!

Musing Photo of the Day

2011-09-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

We've been doing a lot of improvisations where one person is blindfolded during Musings lately. I took lots of photos this week!

Courtney could hear the camera clicking so came over to investigate. Check back tomorrow for another sneak peek into Monkeyhouse Musing time!

Musing Photo of the Day

2011-09-17T23:31:00.001-04:00

Don't worry, kids! I don't have a blindfold on! I can SEE!

Keep an eye out for more photos from today's Musing all week!

A Little Bit of Improvisation

2011-09-16T16:44:00.000-04:00

Last weekend Monkeyhouse headed out into Medford for a little blindfolded improvisation. Led only by the information given to them by their partners, Karen and Courtney were blindfolded and let loose to climb, shuffle, hang, roll and otherwise discover the neighborhoods around Springstep in a whole new... light?

Inside SPUNKandCOmpany

2011-09-15T13:34:00.000-04:00

by karen Krolak

Word on the web is that SPUNKandCOmpany's debut this weekend at the Dance Complex has already sold out! If this interview with Artistic Director, Jillian Grunnah, whets your appetite for dance, be sure to get on the waiting list now.

karen Krolak: So what prompted you to start a company this year?
Jillian Grunnah: It was the collaboration with the dancers during the Green Street Emerging Artists February "edition" that spurred the choreographic necessity to start something. We gelled so well and all seemed to want the same thing at the same time. The energy that we all brought to the table was so real and ripe that we knew we had to jump on it. I was bit by the choreographic bug a long time ago, but the time is now. I feel more confident and ready to make a commitment to producing work on a regular basis.

kK: I am so glad to hear that you gained so much from the Emerging Artists experience and I seem to remember reading that you are going to include your piece from the Green Street Studio concert in Eleven. Is that right?
JG: That is correct. After working on Thick/Thin a bit more, harnessing the relationships between the women on stage, and adding a new "dancer," I feel like I can't wait to show this piece again. It is one of my favorite out of the many I've made. It's very layered, and I hope that people who've already seen it can look at it and find something new this time.

kK: Excellent! I am excited to see how it has evolved. After reading your post about participating in Emerging Artists program, Arthur Fink sent along several great questions about the process of building Thick/Thin. He wondered how your mentors interacted with your artistic project? He wanted to know if it was it with any intention or message or with your fascination with any kinds of movement or presence? I realize that it could be awkward to talk about the specifics of your mentors in this case since I was one of them. However, could you talk about it abstractly to address his questions?
JG: Sure, the mentors provided feedback that fueled my thought process more than my movement analysis. I needed assitance with building a strong concept and reaching a specific goal towards developing female friendships on stage. The mentors were the outside eyes that my subjective and narrow ones couldn't be.

kK: Arthur also asked, "Is the mentor a critic, or something else? Does the mentor become a collaborator, or just (not just) another source of light and enlightenment?"
JG: The mentor is at once all of those things. In any kind of art, it is almost impossible to remove the subjectivity, as we all come from very different backgrounds and with different baggage, if you will. The mentor certainly provides a critical perspective, but it is hopefully one that inspires and encourages the choreographer to reach a deeper level in her work. As the mentor views the work over and over, she becomes a collaborator as she becomes more invested and educated in the developing work.

kK: What do you think SPUNKandCOmpany will add to the Boston Dance Community?
JG: I hope that the company brings a fresh vitality to the scene in the raw physicality of what we do and that it provides another mode of storytelling through dance. We exist because we are all dancers and dance makers. We start from a very collaborative place, and we hope that reads in the work. Dance does not have to be authoritative; in fact it's extremely communal. We hope to be a laboratory of sorts for dancers/dancemakers, sort of like singer/songwriters.

kK: I am curious to know more about your collaborators. How did you select people for your company?
JG:We were all close artistic friends who had a drive to work on our own schedule outside of full-time jobs and who had similar aesthetic, athletic, and creative ideas. We felt comfortable dancing with and giving feedback to each other. The company, just like the first dance, grew out of a very natural place and organic process. It just felt right. We are all, minus one, the original dancers/choreographer of Thick/Thin, an ironic tale of female friendship in itself!

kK: Well, congratulations on launching SPUNKandCOmpany and I will see you Saturday after the show.
JG: THANKS, Karen!

Dance Around the World: The Haka

2011-09-09T11:59:00.002-04:00

by Sarah Friswell

As I thought about what to blog about this month, it dawned on me that my passion (lately) has been cultural survival. So I'd like to share a bit about some unique cultural dances that I've found interesting during my studies of dance at the University of Tampa and beyond. I hope you enjoy!

Photo Credit Sarah Friswell

This past May, I had the pleasure of traveling to New Zealand. While I was there, I saw beautiful landscapes, met wonderful people, had fantastic food, and saw some great visual and performing arts. The indigenous peoples, or tangata whenua, of New Zealand are the Maori people, and their culture is often shown alongside modern New Zealand culture. They have used dance for a few thousand years in ways we would never think of.

Woman and men both danced with and used poi (ball on a cord) to keep their wrists supple for maneuvering weapons in battle. It was a very good way to increase flexibility and coordination. Poi can be on a short cord or a long cord and they are swung in varying patterns to rhythmic music and singing.

The most famous Maori dance is the haka. It is a dance used for many reasons, although most people think of it as a dance of war. The predominant performers are men, but women also sing in the background.

Early on in Maori history, the haka was used to intimidate when two tribes would meet, similar to hip hop battles today. It ensured that each party was alert and aware of the other so that neither could be taken advantage of.

Haka is a dance used to show strength and dominance. The men stand upright in an open stance and rhythmically pound their feet on the ground and/or pound on their bodies to show strength and to intimidate their opponents. The facial expression is what most people remember about the haka. The performers/warriors open their eyes very wide, frown and show their tongue, as if to tell their opponents that they will eat them if they make a wrong move.

The haka is said to be derived from Ra, the sun god. He had a child with Hine-raumati, the essence of summer, and they named their child Tenerore. It's said now that the shaking of the hand, or wiriwiri, represents the sun glistening on the water and they say that is Tenerore performing for his mother.

To read more about the history of the haka, click here.

Today, the New Zealand national rugby team, The All Blacks, perform the haka at the beginning of their matches to intimidate their opponents. While I was in New Zealand, I had the opportunity to speak with community leaders in Napier who teach the haka to young Maori boys who are involved in gangs. They said that it's important to show the boys a look at their own history and teach them traditional ways. When they learn these traditional lessons, they feel proud to be Maori and most of the boys have chosen to let go of all gang ties and help to rehabilitate others.

You can watch an example of the haka here.

For more information about the haka and dance in New Zealand, check out these links!
Maori Performance Art
Maori Dance and Culture
Kahurangi Maori Dance Company
The All Blacks Haka

Photo Credit Brianna Vaughan

Another Call for Choreographers

2011-09-08T12:58:00.000-04:00

Since we have been discussing mentoring, Boston choreographers will be thrilled that the Dance Complex is hosting another Shared Choreographers' Concert (SCC) this October as part of the organization's 20th anniversary festivities. Don't miss this chance to be mentored by Brian Crabtree, Kelli Edwards and Rozann Kraus (Read up on her mentoring philosophy here!) in preparation for a fully produced concert in the Julie Ince Thompson Theatre on October 21st and 22nd. This is a wonderful opportunity for both novice choreographers and for more experienced artists who could benefit from critical feedback. Proposals are due on September 14th, so do not dither.

In your proposal describe:

the dance style
the number of dancers
the main concept of your piece
include your contact info (email & phone).
any time constraints you have during the early afternoon on 09/18, the day of the first showing

Please note that your piece can not exceed 10 minutes. Send your proposal to scc.dancecomplex@gmail.com by September 14. For more information on this program, check out the Dance Complex's website.

Cultivate Memories (part 3)

2011-09-03T10:36:00.000-04:00

by karen Krolak
Returning again to my impressions from Selene Colburn's and Paul Benney's Bethlehem Walking Tour at Cultivate 2011, I was amused by this trio of pictures. In each one the landscape was giving movement instructions. Something that was even more interesting since I could not fully accomplish them. The door in the first photo was locked. Alas, no one had mentioned that I should bring a horn for the second one. And my phone did not have coverage to look up the website of the sticker on the window.

How often is our behavior choreographed by the environment around us on a daily basis? What happens when we can't or don't want to obey?

Again, I have no idea if this is related to what Paul and Selene intended their piece to evoke. These questions just sprang from my observations about the things that captured my attention during the experience.

Joffrey Call for Choreographers

2011-09-01T15:44:00.000-04:00

photo by Herbert Migdoll

by karen Krolak

Listen up everyone. You have exactly one month to get your application in for Joffrey’s Second Annual Choreographers of Color Award, designed to recognize promising young choreographers of color. The three winners will be notified by November 1, 2011.

Selected choreographers will receive:

30 rehearsal hours to set their pieces on the Joffrey Academy Trainees,
$2,500 stipend,
the opportunity to work directly with Joffrey Artistic Director, Ashley C. Wheater, and Academy Artistic Directors, Alexei Kremnev and Anna Reznik,
and housing for the duration of the two-week residency if your permanent residence is more than 100 miles from Joffrey Tower,

Choreography created for the Joffrey Academy Trainees will be presented at the Joffrey Tower and the Harris Theater for Music and Dance and must be:

original work developed by the applicant,
minimum of 10 minutes and maximum of 12 minutes long,
and created by applicants 18 years of age or older who are naturalized or permanent residents.

photo by Herbert Migdoll

To apply, interested choreographers must submit the following by mail:

a DVD with a five-minute or less excerpt of their choreography with a brief written description;
a letter of intent describing their interest in the competition and the kind of work they will create;
a headshot and curriculum vitae with three references;
and, a general application, which can be found online at joffrey.org/choreographersofcolor.

There is no submission fee. Materials can be mailed to:

The Joffrey Ballet,

Attn: Choreographers of Color Competition Selection Committee

10 E. Randolph Street

Chicago, IL, 60601.

Cultivate Memories (part 2)

2011-08-25T20:40:00.002-04:00

by karen Krolak

These images were all taken from the same section of Selene Colburn and Paul Benney's Bethlehem Walking Tour at Cultivate 2011. As we braved our way through the field, all three seemed to evoke the same sensation of finding a path and yet they seem to tell very different stories. I enjoyed how even the woman's tattoo resembled a mysterious map.

Monkeyhouse Master Class @MDF

2011-08-24T12:15:00.000-04:00

by karen Krolak

Amherst will be brimming over with opportunities to explore a wide spectrum of dance this weekend when the Massachusetts Dance Festival arrives at UMASS. You can sample everything from Classical Indian to Jazz Fusion during the day and then catch an equally diverse concert that evening.

Come join me for a partnering class designed to cover the basics of weight sharing at 12:15 PM. Then, after lunch and a rousing round table discussion, you can check out Ryan Casey, Monkeyhouse's new Blogger-in-Residence, as he gets people tapping. All workshops will be at the UMass Amherst Totman Building. For more info, scoot over to the festival website.

Cultivate Memories (part 1)

2011-08-23T10:13:00.000-04:00

by karen Krolak

For several years now, I have been curious about how we remember choreography, the systems people use to record or capture movements. Is it more important to document the exact shape of the steps or should we focus in on the emotional energy of the experience? What can pictures tell us that words would fail to illuminate and vice verse? Do we understand something better with multiple viewings or do we simply start to over analyze it?

As Selene Colburn and Paul Benney guided us along a Bethlehem Walking Tour at Cultivate 2011, these questions began to skirt around the edges of my attention. Although I normally would not think to take pictures during a performance, Arthur Fink's camera emboldened me and that diorama by the fountain begged to be photographed. Over the next few days, I will share some of moments/textures/movements that caught my interest on this walk. At the same time, I would love to hear other people's thoughts on recording choreography. Please feel free to share any comments, suggestions or questions of your own.

Jillian Grunnah on Mentoring

2011-08-22T18:39:00.002-04:00

As August winds down, local choreographers who had flocked to summer workshops, residencies, and performances in cooler climates begin to migrate back to Boston. For example, Jillian Grunnah recently returned from in Italy and is already preparing for the launch of her newest creation, SpunkandCOmpany. Her company is composed of six dancer/choreographers who lend, not only their technical skill, but also their creative input and energy to every dance.

Since Jillian participated in the winter Emerging Artists Program at Green Street Studios, I decided to pick up the thread of our series on mentoring with her. I asked her to ruminate on her experience as a mentee and to riff off of Kendra Heithoff 's request for more in-depth mentoring relationships.

By Jillian Grunnah

The most valuable part of the GSS Emerging Artist Concert was the factor of accountability to yourself as an artist and to the work you are creating. Having a mentor keeps you focused and constantly pushes you to think outside of your own creativity and values. Knowing that someone is there to see your work through to the next place keeps the wheels turning. I was not allowed to become complacent or satisfied too quickly with my work. I think having that outside set of caring and knowing eyes allows a choreographer to feel supported yet challenged.

I think that it was difficult having two mentors. Although I appreciated the diversity of opinion, I think that it would be more beneficial to have a longer, closer process with one person. Maybe instead of a two-month process, it becomes half a year or even an entire year. My only fear is being solely influenced by that mentor, but I would hope to have someone who has similar aesthetic and conceptual values as I do, or at least is open to approaching different types of work and to really becoming invested in the development of my work. I felt like I experienced something like this in graduate school at Smith College in western Mass; although even there, it felt sometimes scattered and not as focused as I'd hoped. The mentor/mentee relationship is difficult in an artistic process because while it is important to be pushed, held accountable, and given new perspectives from which to work, the creative process for me has always been very individual and isolated. I guess that I sometimes fear that I will attempt to please the mentor instead of working from an authentic place.

Mark your calendars:

SPUNKandCOmpany
presents

ELEVEN
Friday / Saturday
September 16 & 17, 2011
8:00 pm

choreography by
audra carabetta
jillian grunnah
eileen kielty
miriam lundgren
tara mccrystal

Julie Ince Thompson Theatre at the
Dance Complex
536 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA

Tickets / $10 / can be reserved by email:
spunkandcodancecollective@gmail.com, or by calling 312.315.4181

Summerfest @ Springstep

2011-08-20T09:06:00.001-04:00

As you know Monkeyhouse loves being an organization in residence at Springstep. If you haven't had a chance to check out this amazing center for dance and music, hustle over here on Sunday for an inexpensive day of sampling classes.

Sunday, August 21, 2011
1:00 - 5:00pm
Suggested donation: $5 (for entire event!)

Kids Free

Rain or shine!

Get moving at Summerfest on August 21st! Sample from over 15 different dance and fitness classes for adults and youth, watch art demonstrations, take advantage of deals on fall classes and memberships, let your kids loose in the Craft Corner, see the debut of Springstep's flashmob, and more! Click here to view the full schedule of events!

1:00-1:50pm
Flamenco
Royal Scottish Country Dancing (Live Music!)

Sing-A-Lingo Spanish Through Music (Ages 18 mos - 5 years)

1:55-2:45pm
Modern, Jazz, Blues (Lecture/Demonstration)
Creative Dance for Kids
Country Western Line Dancing

Argentine Tango

2:50-3:40pm
Hoop Dancing
Dance Floor Fundamentals
Music Together Sing-along (Ages 0-5 and caregiver)
Country Western Line Dancing

3:45-4:35pm
Swing
Zumba
Music Together Sing-along (Ages 0-5 and caregiver)

4:40-5:30pm
Salsa
Bollywood

And don't forget, Fall classes begin on Tuesday, September 6!

See full schedule of fall classes.

Springstep

98 George P Hassett Drive

Medford, MA

More Images from Impulse Dance Camp

2011-08-19T14:20:00.000-04:00

by karen Krolak

Although these pictures are all of pieces created by the other teachers at last week's Dance Camp at Impulse Dance Center in Natick, I love how they capture the spirit of the movement. I hope everyone finds a way to weave some live art into your weekend. Jason and I will be hopping over to Charlestown tonight to see Orfeo Group's Love Song (directed by Risher Reddick whom you might remember led a rocking Fight Choreography workshop as part of Against the Odds) and then scurrying up to Cultivate tomorrow.

Images from Impulse Dance Camp

2011-08-18T17:14:00.000-04:00

by karen Krolak

Dance improvisation can totally intimidate kids initially. Last week, however, I met a group of students who immediately embraced the awkwardness and unpredictability of these exercises. I was teaching at Impulse Dance Center's Dance Camp and I was thoroughly impressed by the way these dancers ignited their own imaginations.

After one improvisation with folding chairs, I asked the girls to describe their experience. One girl began, "My chair started as my purse but then it became my home." Another chimed in, "Mine was a pair of wings and then a gun." By harnessing their creativity, we quickly whipped together a quirky little piece called Angels with Metal Wings in less than two hours. It was filled with phrases generated by the performers woven together with small bits of my own choreography.

I was so proud of the both the process and the end product that I thought I would share some images here. I wish these photos could communicate their earnest efforts to teach each other the sections they created or their effervescent attitudes. Knowing how easy it is for tweens to fall prey to petty competitiveness, I was thrilled by their concern for everyone in the group.

Huge thanks to everyone who showed up to encourage these lovely young women.

Kick*ss class @ Cultivate

2011-08-17T17:46:00.000-04:00

by karen Krolak

Although I won't be at Cultivate 2011 in time for this workshop, who can resist a class called “Seriously Awkward” Contact Improvisation? While all the titles are tempting, this description begged to be shared and opens up some interesting questions about how and why we dance. Hope to see some of you up in Littleton, NH.

Rebecca Bryant:
“Seriously Awkward” Contact Improvisation
In this workshop, we will use seriousness and awkwardness to our artistic advantage: We will take contact improvisation seriously by setting aside the sometimes recreational emphasis of contact in favor of technical, compositional, philosophical, and performative discourse, thereby framing contact first and foremost as a highly evolved art form.
Unlike many contact workshops that focus on increasing each dancer’s comfort level, we will cultivate the awkward. The often unacknowledged stylistic emphasis on smooth, flowing contact dancing will be replaced by illogical, stilted, quirky, and surprising movement. We will find a fuller palette of expression and artistry by diversifying our physical choices as well as our notions of what contact improvisation encompasses.
We will draw from structures created and utilized by the Lower Left Performance Collective, including: The Fussy Dance, The Four Winds, and Event Dancing. As an integral part of this workshop, we will watch each other to observe the results of exploration and to incite and inform our own dancing.
class:    “Seriously Awkward” Contact Improvisation
time:    Friday 10am-12pm
place: Great Hall, WMS
cost:    $25 (or, included in any Fest Pass)
for:       Movers with some previous contact experience, especially those interested in performing
more:    visit Cultivate on Eventbrite to reserve your spot!

Pssst...did you notice that one of the photos in the Cultivate poster is from Dance in the Fells? That is because Sarah Smith, who we interviewed about the BDA Open Call last fall will be performing at Cultivate. Anyone else have It's A Small World echoing in their brain now?

Still time to Cultivate

2011-08-17T14:40:00.000-04:00

by karen Krolak

Never fear, there is still time to register for Cultivate 2011. Seriously, hop in a car, catch a bus, or for the love of Gorgonzola, somersault if you must.

Come on, glance over the roster of participating artists this year:

Analia Alegre-Femenias (Iowa/ Puerto Rico)
Katherine Keifer Stark (Philadelphia, PA)
Selene Colburn (Burlington, VT)
Paul Benney (Burlington, VT)
Pamela Vail (Lancaster, PA)
Katherine Ferrier (Littleton, NH)
Vicki Brown (Tucson, AZ)
Amy Barr (Iowa City, IA)
Kathy Couch (Northampton, MA)
Rebecca Bryant (West Lafayette, IN)
Don Nichols (West Lafayette, IN)
Olase Freeman (Providence, RI)
Kathryn McNamara (Providence, RI)
Sara Smith (Amherst, MA)
Sarah Baumert (Boston, MA)
Kitty Clark (West Virginia)
Amanda Hamp (Decorah, IA)
Tori Lawrence (Philadelphia, PA)
Emily Anderson (North Conway, NH)
Arthur Fink (Portland, ME)

and try to convince me that you are not salivating. Whether you are drawn to workshops, performances, or walking tours, I am certain that it will be well worth the hike to New Hampshire. When you are finished drooling, you can gather more details on this fabulous, fledgling dance festival on Cultivate's ever articulate website. You better hustle, though, events start in less than 48 hours.

Friday, August 19

9-10           REGISTRATION
10-12       “Seriously Awkward” Contact Improvisation Rebecca Bryant (GH)
12-2           lunch + artist mingle WMS
2-4           Dance in the Classroom Paul Benney (CE) / No-Fuss Ballet Pamela Vail (GH) / Seeing Dance Like a Photographer Arthur Fink (T)
4-6           Initiation and Follow-Through Katherine Kiefer Stark (GH)
6-7           dinner at WMS
7:30          Performance in Theater
9:30          Artist/Audience Linger + Mingle at Cold Mountain Cafe (DT)

Saturday, August 20

8-9           breakfast at WMS
9-11           Mindful Moving Kitty Clark (GH) / The Solo Self Amy Barr (T)
11-2           lunch+ mingle+ visit to Farmer’s Market (DT) | Bethlehem Walking Tour Selene Colburn, Paul Benney (DT)
2-4           Open Source Forms Amanda Hamp (GH) / Kid’s Class! Leap, Tumble, and Roll Paul Benney(CE)
4-6           Latin-Modern Fusion Analia Alegre-Femenias (GH)
6-7           dinner at WMS
7:30          Performance in Theater
9:30          Artist/Audience Linger + Mingle at Terra (DT)

Sunday, August 21

8:30-10    brunch at WMS
10-12        Embodied Democracy Katherine Ferrier (GH)
12              closing ritual and final linger+mingle (TBA)

Locations of Cultivate Events
GH           Great Hall at WMS
T               White Mountain School Black Box Theater
CE           Creative Edge Dance Studio
DT           Downtown Bethlehem

BDA's Open Call Audition

2011-08-16T12:37:00.000-04:00

by karen Krolak

Thanks Sarah Friswell for rustling up advice on auditions with your triptych interview with Hector Flores, especially since Boston Dance Alliance's Open Call Auditions are sneaking up soon. The Open Call is a magnificent way to get an overview of the Boston Dance Community and to network with other dancers, companies, and choreographers. Last year 90 dancers and 29 choreographers participated.

If you have never attended before, be sure to check out the Dance FAQ's section on their website. You might also want to peruse this interview with Courtney Wagner about her experience at the 2009 Open Call. Her relaxed attitude attracted my attention that day and consequently landed her a gig with Monkeyhouse.

When: Sunday, September 18

11am – 5pm
Doors open at 10 am for registration and warm up

AUDITION TIME

11AM - Ballet Dean Vollick

12:30 PM - Modern Yo-el Cassell

2PM Improvisation Liz Roncka

3PM Jazz TBA

4PM Hip-Hop Carl Alleyne

Where: Brookline High School Performing Arts Building

115 Greenough St

[Entrance on Tappan Street]

T accessible – Green D Line Brookline Hills Stop

[high school on left]

Parking available

For map, please CLICK HERE

*Choreographers must be Boston Dance Alliance members to attend.
For more information e-mail BDA: info@bostondancealliance.org

Broadway Auditions: A Real Life Story - Part III

2011-08-11T21:16:00.000-04:00

by Sarah Friswell

Here's Hector Flores one last time, finishing up his stories from his New York City auditions.

SF: Even though you do this all the time now, do you still get nervous when you audition?

HF: I don't usually get nervous. The people you audition for are on your side. They want you to be the best so they can stop searching. I only get nervous when I have to audition for someone who is really important and/or recognized in the business. For example, when I was auditioning for In The Heights, I had to dance directly in front of Andy Blankenbuehler. You just have to use those nerves and turn them into positive energy.

SF: Did you ever feel like giving up?

HF: Did I ever feel like giving up? So many times! This business is hard and most certainly not for the faint of heart. You are going to constantly hear "No", "You're not what we're looking for", or "You're just not good enough". It gets to you sometimes, but this is my dream. Every time I feel like I want to give up, I go out and see a show. It can be on Broadway, Off Broadway or anything really, and it fully recharges my batteries and reminds me of why I am a performer.

SF: Since we've been talking about mentors recently, would you say you have someone specific you've looked up to during this process?

HF: I don’t have a specific mentor. I think you learn from everyone. Michael Staczar (theater professor at the University of Tampa) taught me about keeping it together. My agent taught me to not worry about things, and other actors have taught me a lot too. I’ve met people on Broadway like Dan Domenech, the lead in Rock of Ages on Broadway currently, and he said don’t put a time limit on your goals and don't give up. I’ve heard that bit of advice from several people. You just need to surround yourself with positive people. You can’t let other people’s jaded attitudes deter you from following your dreams. You can be a nobody one week, and then, six weeks later, be on Broadway and be a star that everyone is talking about. You have to be willing to fight for this, and it can be worth it. If you want to see the struggle, watch the movie Every Little Step - it details everything about the audition process.

SF: So what are you focusing on now as your career goals? Acting, singing, dancing?

HF: All three, sort of. I'm focusing on acting first but I’m a musical theater actor, and you can’t do a musical if you can’t dance. You need to have rhythm because you will be moving to music. Anything that is underscored is considered choreography and is the responsibility of the choreographer. I just worked as the dance captain in my production of Altar Boyz and I eventually want to get into directing and choreographing. I have done a little bit of children’s choreography with the Charlotte Players in Florida and it was a great experience. I've had a great time working with choreographer Tammy Colucci for Altar Boyz. She's a great resource and has her own company called Dance Jamz, based out of NYC.

Thanks Hector for a great interview, and we'll look forward to hearing more about your blossoming career in the future!

Broadway Auditions: A Real Life Story - Part II

2011-08-07T22:49:00.002-04:00

by Sarah Friswell

Here's more from Hector about his experience auditioning in New York City for the past year!

SF: What was it like the first time you auditioned in NYC?

HF: Oh my goodness, my first few auditions in NYC were awful! I was nervous and I didn't know the standard procedures. My first audition was for a production of RENT. I got there bright and early and waited all day, but because I was so far down on the Non-Equity list, I didn't even get to audition! I was irate, but it was a learning experience I had to have.

SF: What was a really memorable audition for you along the way?

HF: Picking my most memorable audition is hard. I would have to say the invited dance call for In The Heights. When I saw In The Heights on Broadway, I fell in love. That show has about three or four rounds of dance calls and then there are more rounds of vocal auditions. Unfortunately for me, I was cut in the third round, which was a vocal round. But they worked us out in the two dance rounds prior! The combination was taught at a very fast pace and the choreography of the show is very specific. I was so invested in booking the show and when I wasn't called back for another round, I nearly cried. Two days later I happened to bump into one of the instructors from the audition and she told me to stick with it and keep auditioning. She said it took her three years of auditioning for In The Heights before she booked it and that really motivated me to keep trying.

SF: What is your best advice for someone trying to do what you're doing?

HF: The best advice I could give someone is to not get discouraged and stay in classes. You can never have too much technique. If you don't use it you loose it, so stay in dance class to keep your skills sharp!

SF: What have you learned through the audition process?

HF: The audition process has taught me that you can’t expect to just make it in this business. A lot of the times you’ll go and audition for the same casting director multiple times before they even know who you are and realize that you may have something to offer. So it takes a long time to get recognized. I also learned that you can’t be desperate for the job. If you’re desperate, you put too much weight into it and it makes you too nervous and you’ll never perform up to your potential. It has to not matter to you if you get it or not, because then you’ll be yourself and you'll be a more natural actor.

Look for one more post about Hector's stories coming soon!

Broadway Auditions: A Real Life Story - Part I

2011-08-04T09:49:00.003-04:00

by Sarah Friswell

I have known Hector Flores for about five years now, since both of us participated in the dance program at the University of Tampa. Hector has always been a very hard worker, and upon graduating, packed up and moved to New York to pursue his dreams! He came out to Dedham for a play reading of Spring Fling with the Fiddlehead Theater Company recently, so I thought it would be fun to talk to Hector about what he's done in the past year to get himself into "the biz".

Photo Credit Rob Sutton

SF: Hector, since this is your first interview with Monkeyhouse, can you tell us a little more about your background in the field of performing and dance?

HF: I have been singing and dancing since age nine and I did my first full scale musical as a sophomore in high school. We did Damn Yankees. I had never seen or heard about musicals until I saw RENT when I was nine. I got hooked on dancing, started performing in high school, and then decided it was what I wanted to do with my life. I knew I had a knack for dancing because I picked that up the fastest. I studied performing arts in college at The University of Tampa. While in Tampa, I danced with a Burlesque company and after graduation I moved to NY to work as a performer. Within a year I've done a general management internship, signed with an agent, performed in a theatre festival and been in a show called Altar Boyz (Juan and dance captain) at the Cultural Arts Playhouse.

SF: Since you're so new to this business about how often would you say you audition for various shows?

HF: I'd say it averages out to about four to five times per week, although some weeks it can be upwards of eight or none at all.

SF: Where do you find the auditions you go to?

HF: There are a few ways to find auditions. Backstage Magazine is very popular, but I often use Playbill.com because its free. I also have an ActorsAccess account which is also free and you can create one easily on actorsacess.com. I'm signed to Avalon Artists Group, which is a full service talent agency, and my agent sends me out to auditions as well. You will find there is no "right" way to do things in show business. There are a lot of avenues you can take and you just have to find the one that works for you.

Find out more from Hector about what his first NYC audition was like, and other stories, in the next post!

Meet Ryan Casey!

2011-07-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

by Nicole Harris

Ryan Casey is relatively new to Monkeyhouse, yet he has made a number of appearances on the blog recently. We are excited to hear what he has to say as a Blogger in Residence over the next year as he spends it studying journalism and furthering his already impressive tap career in New York City. Not only is Ryan an outstanding tap dancer he is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. Honestly. Ask anyone who has ever met him. Ryan, welcome to Monkeyhouse!RYAN P. CASEY, a youngARTS scholarship recipient and Presidential Scholar in the Arts nominee, is currently an undergraduate student at New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Inspired by Savion Glover’s appearances on Sesame Street, he began studying tap and jazz at the age of five at The Dance Inn in Lexington, Massachusetts. He spent seven seasons with the Legacy Dance Company, under the direction of Thelma Goldberg, where he was profoundly inspired by the Jump Rhythm Jazz technique of Billy Siegenfeld, and served as Dance Captain of the New England Tap Ensemble, directed by Riverdance alumnus Aaron Tolson. He has danced in solo and ensemble pieces throughout New England as well as New York, Baltimore, and Miami, and was featured on So You Think You Can Dance. Ryan is currently engaged in fusing tap dance with spoken word poetry, and his has performed his solo piece, “When Push Comes to Shove,” in Boston, New York, and Canada. His choreography has been featured at the Dance for World Community Festival, the Massachusetts Dance Festival, and with Urbanity Dance. He is also a proud alumnus of The School at Jacob's Pillow.

Meet Gaby Mervis!

2011-07-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

by Nicole Harris

Like Sarah, Gaby has been around Monkeyhouse for a long time. She was our first summer intern and, in fact, was the person who started this very blog. Now that Gaby has graduated from college we are incredibly excited to have her as one of our Bloggers In Residence. She'll be spending much of the next year in Israel so keep an eye out for her international voice as she starts posting!Gabriella is a recent graduate from Goucher College with a degree in Dance Administration and minors in Psychology and Management. At school, she served as the Hillel President, as well as the Overnight Coordinator for the Ambassadors Organization and Admissions Counselor Assistant. Additionally, she spent the spring semester of her junior year studying at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. She loves to dance, learn, and be silly. She has had incredible involvement with Monkeyhouse including volunteer for many years, intern during the 2008 summer, and performer in the Boomtown Festival that same summer. She is excited to be involved with the organization in yet another aspect and is looking forward to bringing an international perspective to the blog, as she will be living in Israel for the next ten months.

Want to know a little more about Ryan, Sarah, Gaby, Sarah and Sabrina? Check out their bios on our website! Keep an eye out for more news from them soon as they start their posts next month!

Meet Sabrina Schwartz!

2011-07-25T09:00:00.002-04:00

by Nicole Harris

Monkeyhouse owes a lot to Impulse Dance Center. We rehearsed in their beautiful studios for many of the early years and both Karen and I have been on the faculty there for a combined total of over 25 years. In all that time we have had the pleasure of working with so many amazing young people. From eight year olds discovering modern for the first time to teenagers in a youth tap ensemble, we have seen them all. Many of our former students have gone on to work in the arts and with Monkeyhouse. In fact, three of our new interns were once Impulse students.

Sabrina first came into my jazz class with a strict ballet background and I remember having to repeatedly remind this bright bubbly little girl that she should breathe while dancing! Like many of our students, as she grew up she took on more and more dance classes including tap, jazz, ballet and modern in addition to the theatre work she did outside Impulse. She has so much personality and joy in her when she dances and I can't wait for her to share that personality with you as a C2C Intern!

Sabrina is currently a student at Framingham State University where she is studying English and getting a minor in Secondary Education. Sabrina has also attended the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University where she studied acting for a year. Since she was young, she had a passion for dance, whether in class or on the stage. She has studied ballet, jazz, modern, character, and tap. Her favorite form of dance is modern because of its abstract expressive nature. She is extremely excited to join Monkeyhouse as one of their new C2C interns.

Want to know a little more about Ryan, Sarah, Gaby, Sarah and Sabrina? Check out their bios on our website! Keep an eye out for more news from them soon as they start their posts next month!

Entrevistar a Susana Pous

2011-07-23T15:58:00.000-04:00

DanzAbierta in MalSon; photo Carlos Furman

Durante el fin de semana, DANZA ABIERTA hizo su debut en los estados unidos y bailó MalSon, de Susana Pous, en Jacob’s Pillow. Después de leer mucho sobre la danza cubana en nuestra entrevista con Max Pollak, pensé que a la gente le gustaría leer la perspectiva de Susana. Gracias a Bari Rosenberg por traducir mis pensamientos a español.

karen Krolak: Usted ha descrito MalSon como una “carta de amor a Habana.” ¿Puede decirnos un poco sobre su decisión de mudarse de Cuba a Barcelona?
Susan Pous: Estuve en cuba como asistente de dirección de María Rovira Directora de Transit y descubrí cuba por primera vez y conoció a mi familia cubana, pues Equis Alfonso era entonces su nueva pareja.

Sentí una manera diferente de vivir el arte y la vida y me sentí seducida y después de dos anos de hacer frecuentes viajes decidí parar y probar Cuba por un ano, y así siguieron los anos y van ya 13 anos.

kK: En una entrevista con el coreógrafo de Nueva York, Max Pollak, fundador de RumbaTap, él explicó que la danza afrocubana “toca una fibra profunda y espiritual” en él. ¿Qué piensa Ud. es único sobre la danza cubana?
SP: Que el bailarín no esta tan lejos de ser una persona normal. Desde que nacen crecen alrededor de la danza. Todos los cubanos saben bailar y están muy conectados con la danza y el mundo de la espiritualidad.

DanzAbierta in MalSon; photo Carlos Furman

kK: Tan pocos americanos han experimentado Habana en persona y es posible que no sepan mucho sobre “Son,” la tradición música. ¿Qué puede decirnos sobre este ritmo, su papel en la cultura cubana, y sus asociaciones con el ritmo?
SP: El Son es la música y la danza tradicional cubana que se escucha hasta en el aire y que todos bailan y escuchan en la calle. Para mí lo más importante es que la palabra SON en catalán (mi idioma natal) significa SUENO, y me pareció una casualidad cuando quise hablar del mundo del sueño en un lugar donde esa misma palabra significaba ritmo y danza.

kK: Finalmente, su experiencia en el cine es muy destacado en esta obra de danza. ¿Qué espera Ud. que esta experiencia añada a la danza? Cómo equilibra la enormidad de la imagen con las dimensiones humanas de sus artistas?
SP: Ami siempre me ha interesado el mundo de la imagen por eso estudie en la escuela de Cine y cuando empecé a trabajar con Equis ahora mi esposo que es músico y director de audiovisuales empecé a descubrir que la imagen podía aportar muchas cosas y podía llevarnos a caminos diferentes, de todas maneras en la danza me interesa que la imagen no vaya por si sola sino que exista una relación, no simplemente una escenografía sino que este inmersa dentro del concepto.

Meet Sarah Grace!

2011-07-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

by Nicole Harris

For the past eight years I have been lucky enough to work with the Natick High School Drama Department on their fall musicals. I can not even begin to explain how extraordinary this group of young people is and how much I have loved being able to work with them. This past year I started offering a free dance class once a week throughout the rehearsal process to give the students who wanted a little more training the chance to pick up a few new skills or refine the ones they already have. Sarah Grace came to almost every class I offered and has gone out of her way to help students who struggle with a step or remembering what order to put them in. She has been a joy to work with in the theatre and I am THRILLED that she is going to be a C2C Intern this fall!

Sarah Grace, a senior at Natick High School, has been dancing since the age of three, studying ballet and modern dance at the Walnut Hill School, as well as jazz and lyrical at Broadway Bound Dance Center. She also enjoys musical theater, where she has had a lot of great dance and choreography opportunities. When she’s not dancing or acting, Sarah sings in three choral groups, competes with the Natick Speech Team, and teaches swim lessons. She is very excited for this opportunity to work with Monkeyhouse!

Want to know a little more about Ryan, Sarah, Gaby, Sarah and Sabrina? Check out their bios on our website! Keep an eye out for more news from them soon as they start their posts next month!

Meet Sarah Friswell!

2011-07-17T19:55:00.006-04:00

by Nicole Harris

Many of you know Sarah from the blog posts and interviews that she's already done. We are very excited to have her as one of our Bloggers In Residence this year. For those of you who don't know Sarah, here's a little information about her! Watch out for her first post soon!

Sarah Friswell is a recent graduate from the University of Tampa where she earned her BA in Sociology. She holds two minors in Applied Dance (teaching) and Dance Theater (performing). While at UT, she choreographed two integrated tap and lyrical pieces, an acapella duet performed outside on wooden boards and a piece set to live piano music with male vocals. Sarah also worked as the assistant tap choreographer for Professor Linda Lopez at the university. Aside from dance at UT, she was also a member of the casts of Candide and Sweet Charity. Starting this fall, Sarah will be teaching at Impulse Dance Center and she hopes to pursue her teaching and performing career in the Boston area.

Want to know a little more about Ryan, Sarah, Gaby, Sarah and Sabrina? Check out their bios on our website! Keep an eye out for more news from them soon as they start their posts next month!

Kendra Heithoff on Mentoring

2011-07-15T14:34:00.000-04:00

As we continue our series about mentoring, I thought it would be helpful to talk to someone about being a mentee. Kendra Heithoff, Artistic Director of sixoneseven Dance Collective, immediately sprang to mind because she has participated in several choreography programs in Boston.

Summer Street Photography

by Kendra Heithoff

As a young choreographer, I've had my share of mentor relationships. I can honestly say that I would not be the artist I am without these relationships. I can also say that the concept of mentorship and 'young artist development' gets thrown around almost as much as trendy catch phrases like 'being green,' 'collaboration' and the use of the word 'natural' in the food supply.

Obviously artists of all stages (mentors and mentees) need a solid community of artists whom they can turn to for support. It creates a vision beyond yourself and helps translate your ideas into tangible works of art that others can also appreciate. Here in our intimate Boston dance community, we need all the mentoring programs we can get. No one can argue with that.

In my humble opinion, what often gets overlooked is the time it takes to develop these kinds of mentor relationships. Having participated in both the Dance Complex's Shared Choreographers Concert and Green Street Studios Emerging Artist Program, I learned much from the concert mentors designed to help in the fast and furious process in which the dances were created. The mentor's feedback was absolutely helpful towards the particular piece I was presenting, but that's where it - and ultimately the relationship with them - ended. Not that I wouldn't have wanted to foster that relationship further, but the simple facts remain that these short term programs are designed to get people in and out and on to the next concert. Perhaps we are shortchanging ourselves.

Summer Street Photography

Relationships take time, and the intimate experience of sharing the process of making art together takes just as much time as an old friendship. There is no easy answer since programs like the ones listed above do an excellent job of connecting as many people as possible to a larger community of dancers, as well as provide an excellent space for sharing work with real live audiences.

I will be the first to say that I'm no better than anyone else, but, in the end, it all comes back to one thing: how willing we are to take the time to foster and maintain relationships.

PSY Obsessed

2011-07-13T12:17:00.002-04:00

by karen Krolak

When the lights popped on for intermission during PSY last night, I admitted to my mother, "It feels as if my spaceship has landed." Watching this stunning ensemble makes me dizzy with memories of the days I spent training with the Actors' Gymnasium in Evanston, IL. It is simply delicious.

From my interview yesterday, you may have gathered that I am especially fond of the Chinese Pole section performed by William Underwood and Héloïse Bourgeois. You also might have noticed that I had thought the character, Claire, suffered from narcolepsy before William reminded me that it was insomnia. I chose to leave my original perception in the earlier post because it opened up fabulous questions to ponder during the production: How could two opposite disorders could be confused? Does it matter if a viewer interprets things differently than that creators intended? What influences what we notice? Aren't choreographers, at least, supposed to get what dance means? (If anyone else wants to chime in wit some answers or observations, I would love it.)

Although I was too mesmerized up until the standing ovation, I mulled over my enigmas afterwards. Claire begins the section by carrying her pillow around trying to find a suitable spot to rest her head. At the first viewing I thought she was always armed with a soft cushion in case she nodded off unexpectly.Though I clearly understood her insomnia this time, each dramatic catch as she drowsily dropped from the pole still seemed narcoleptic. Was it because I could not see whether her eyes were open or closed? Perhaps my own exhaustion from an extra long journey to Brooklyn had colored my first impression. Or maybe I focused in on the husband's extraordinary tenderness and reliability and lost sight of key details about the wife. His eloquent devotion during this sequence does conjure up images from my marriage which could easily muddy my mental associations.

Whatever the reason, my internal debate made me so thankful that ArtsEmerson had brought the company back for a repeat engagement. All too often we only get a brief window in which to see each dance work and then it vanishes into the ether. Just like a treasured book or favorite movie, well crafted choreography is chock full of nuance that can only be noticed through multiple viewings. Knowing how it unfolds allows you to builds anticipation much like the chorus of beloved song and allows you to savor the nuggets of individual performances. I wish audiences had a chance to take advantage of this more frequently. Since PSY is here for a two week run, it could be possible for people to get there twice and Bostix does have half price tickets. Be on the lookout for me if you do go as I may well be developing a little addiction myself.