#geochoreography for MAY - Get Caught Reading Month!

We are incredibly excited to kick off our #geochoreography adventure!  It all started when the Connecting Point Dance Company, one of the youth companies from Impulse Dance Center in Natick where Karen and Nicole work, took a trip to NYC in April.  Karen and Nicole put together "travel adventure" books for them filled with challenges, projects and ideas to keep them busy while on the road and once they got to New York, got them looking at the city in a new and creative way.  When they returned with their findings the rest of the Rep Modern class wanted to participate, too.  So, two more books were born.  One for the pair of students traveling overseas over April break and one for the gang staying in Natick.  The more books we made the more we realized that this could be a great way to get EVERYONE looking at the world like a giant arts residency!

For our first month we are partnering with the Clary and Cimermanis Little Library and their Get Caught Reading Month campaign!  All of our #geochoreography prompts (posted to our social media each Friday) are book related.  We also challenge you to take a photo or video of you reading!  (Bonus points if you are dancing while reading!)

Just in case you aren't on social media, you can find all of May's prompts here!  Post your responses in the comments or on any social media using #geochoreography!  We will feature as many responses as we can!

Thanks in advance for being part of this exciting adventure!

Gwendolyn The Graceful Pig: The Use of Text in Dance

Gwendolyn the Graceful Pig, written by David Ira Rottenberg, is the story about a pig that wants to learn how to dance. The story follows Gwendolyn and her friend Omar, a pig that wants to play football, and their journey to gain the grace and beauty they need in order to be successful. After being invited to multiple libraries and schools to read his book, Rottenberg thought that he could make his book more successful by inviting a dance company to dance, act, and simply tell the story as he read. The Connecting Point Dance Company took the task at hand, and created an fun, entertaining, and interactive story for the children. 

This year has been my second year of performing “Gwen,” and I was lucky enough to play the clumsy protagonist herself, joined by Melanie Joseph, the lead of Omar. Being able to play the main character of a story, even if is requires a pig nose and ears, is a lot of fun, especially when you know that what you are doing is making the audience, filled with big eyes and adventurous hearts, laugh and smile. Gwendoline and Omar start off clumsy and awkward, but gain their elegance and grace after a day at the studio with a group of ballet dancers, taught by their teacher, Natasha, "the greatest ballet teacher in 'ze' world!" (I do advise you to go back and read that last quote with a Russian accent; It will make a lot more sense.) The clumsiness of the two pigs is the biggest hit with the children, the second being when Gwendolyn comes out to perform her final solo, the children astonished by her beautiful, “bright, [red] tutu.”

Throughout my internship, I have been using text to create movement phrases. Specifically using poetry, I take lines, words, the sound of the poet’s voice, etc, to create and rework movement phrases that I create. In similar ways, as the performers of “Gwen,” we use lines from the book, specific words, and the way David Ira Rottenberg talks as cues on how to act to fit the story. I have found it extremely interesting how one can take literature, and text, and recreate it with the body, specifically through dance. For instance, with “Gwen,” we as the performers are simply acting out the story as it is told. In comparison, I have been using poetry by taking actual words and using different sounds, shapes, letters, moods, and emotions to create various visual representations of what the poem states, or what the poet says. When working with the Emily Dickinson poem, I used one specific line to create a phrase using letters used in that specific line. The line I chose, "One does not need a chamber to be haunted," I used my body to create the letters O, D, N, H, T, and B. Similarly, when working with Sabrina Benaim's poem, "Explaining My Depression to My Mother," the word mom is used repetitively. Using the word "mom," I created five different variations of an original phrase, which originated from using the letters m, o, and m, over and over again.

Get To Know Laila!

By: Elyssa Berg

Laila Fatimi is 17 years old and a Senior at Natick High School. She will be graduating this spring and attending the University of Maine in the Fall. She has been dancing at Impulse Dance Center in Natick, MA for the past 15 years where she is a part of the Connecting Point Dance Company and the TAProject; two performing companies from the studio. Laila has also started her own business, Designs By Laila, that incorporates Henna designs into everything from tattoos to skateboards and sneakers. Here are some of the highlights from the conversation that we had together.

So I understand that you have been dancing at Impulse Dance Center for the past 15 years. Why don’t you tell me about the experience you’ve had from learning from the same teachers for such an extended amount of time.

Learning from the same teachers for so long, at Impulse Dance Center in Natick, MA I have learned so much. I have learned everything from different styles of dance, to intricate technique, and life lessons.  One of the most important things I’ve learned, that is the most relevant to me at the moment (being a graduating senior), was said last year by Karen Krolak. She said, the more amazing memories made with a person, the more painful it is to say goodbye. Impulse is like my second family and I’m honored to be a part of such a great community!

I see that you’ve had a number of jobs over the past few years, have any of them impacted or tied into your dancing?

Yes, I actually think that my dancing has impacted my jobs. For a couple years, I worked at Corrado’s Subs in Natick Center. It’s obvious that making subs and dancing are very different, but I quickly learned that remembering sandwich orders is similar to remembering choreography. Now that I have been working on my own business, Designs by Laila, I have to be very organized, outgoing with customers, and on top of my work. Being at Impulse Dance Center almost every day, having school, and having homework have all helped me in learning the balancing act.

So over the years you have been to many different conventions. What would you say has been your favorite convention that you’ve been to and how did they differ from each other?

My favorite convention that I have been to has been the PULSE on tour convention in Boston. Learning from many world famous choreographers has shown me what being successful takes. It also was an awesome feeling to be in a room with hundreds of dancers who have had a totally different dance education than I have, meaning I had different strengths and weaknesses from the person next to me, which you can learn a lot from.

How do you think performing so much at such a young age has influenced you professionally?

I have learned how to present myself professionally, how to be respectful and how to be punctual. There is a lot that goes into a performance and if you are not on point something in the performance process could go wrong, or you could not be asked back to perform.

What would you say has been your favorite experience while performing in the Connecting Point Dance Company?

My favorite performance experience was at 12 Dancers Dancing in December 2011, at the Dance Complex in Cambridge, MA. I performed a piece called ‘Mad World’, created by Arie Hockman, with the rest of the Connecting Point Dance Company. I loved performing with a such a small group (three). It gave us a chance to connect as dancers, in a beautiful dance that is still my favorite piece that I have ever learned! It was also the first time that I felt so much passion and connection towards a piece. I also had a great time getting ready for the piece. The Connecting

Point Dance Company and Arie Hockman, the company’s director, drove into Boston for about a week straight. We would grab some coffee from the cafe down the street, put our pail white makeup on, and perform. I think this gave us more time to bond and get to know each other as more than just dancers.

Monkeyhouse's Intern: Elyssa Berg

by Laila Fatimi

Elyssa Berg is a senior at Natick High School who is going on to major in Dance and Choreography and hoping to minor in Exercise Science or Nutrition at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA this coming fall. In this interview, she talks about the large parts in her life and what she has taken from her experiences so far that will help her down the road. 

LF:What do you feel was the most important thing you learned from growing up at Impulse Dance Center?

EB: Well, growing up at Impulse, I can say that it has definitely shaped who I am completely. I’ve spent most of high school held to a high standard of discipline that has taught me a lot. Being on time, never slacking off, always on task and focused, I could basically keep going on for a while. Not only have I learned how important being a role model for the people around me, but I have also learned how to work with the people around me. Being able to help others grow and have them help me grow and improve is an amazing process that never ceases to feel rewarding. Being part of the two performing companies,The Connecting Point Dance Company and the TAProject, I was able to learn how to act professionally not only when at venues that we are performing at but also in rehearsal and in class.

LF: What was your favorite performance you’ve done? And Why?

EB: I would have to say that my favorite performance would be Circles III, where I performed Arie Hockman’s “Red Means Go” with the Connecting Point Dance Company. Performing at Circles III was one of the first times I felt like I fully performed a piece and gave it my complete all. It was such an amazing feeling to be satisfied with what I have done on stage. For the first time I was able to forget about what I’m doing and just dance.

LF: I understand you attended the Bates Dance Festival Young Dancers Workshop and the Urbanity Contemporary Summer Intensive, this past summer. Did you learn any new techniques and styles from the programs? 
EB: With every teacher that you study with, there will always be a variation of style and I was able to experience a lot of that while learning from so many people in such a short amount of time. It was interesting how fast I found myself able to adapt to the styles of the teachers. Two teachers definitely stand out to me with very different styles and techniques. One was in Kyle Abraham’s Repertory Modern class that I took for three weeks at the Bates Dance Festival. His style was quite contemporary with a little kick. It felt like there was somewhat of a hip hop influence in his style which was very different to anything that I have previously experienced. Also taking class from Kat Pantos and Urbanity’s Contemporary Intensive was very unique. Her style was hard hitting and intense movement that required a great deal of strength and endurance. Because I had never studied contemporary intensely, this was my first exposure to the technique and style that was challenging and very different to anything that I have studied before.

LF: Did you like any particular style more than others?

EB: I would say that studying with Kyle Abraham was my favorite experience with a new style. Not only does he have an amazing company, Abraham In Motion, that I got to watch perform and also take class with the company members, but I was able to fully immerse myself in a style so much out of my comfort zone that I ended up falling in love with. Being surrounded by his company members for the three weeks, taking classes with them, and then being able to have Kyle set a piece on my class, I was able to experience his whole creative process and experience his style to the greatest extent.

LF: You have been a teacher’s assistant for 6 years now. Have you learned anything from teaching?

EB: I have to say that I am really grateful to have the opportunity to assist classes at Impulse Dance Center. When I first began assisting classes I began with the younger children, usually around 7-8 years old. Watching young dancers grow and learn is such an amazing experience that is completely fulfilling. Later on I moved on to the older children when I began assisting ballet classes. Not only am I able to learn how to direct a class but assisting classes helps me to become a better dancer. I’m able to notice corrections that have to be made which really helps in my body awareness. All the corrections that I am able to give to the students I find that I am focusing on for myself in my own classes. Also being the example in a ballet class means that my technique has to be on point all the time. I take the class that I assist as seriously as any of my other classes and am able to work just as hard as I would during any other class.

The Against the Odds Rockstar of the Day -- Ashley Chandler

by Nicole Harris

When I was a teenager I was a class assistant for a young intro to dance class at Impulse Dance Center.  One of my sassy little dance students was a very small (and very loud) Ashley Chandler.  I have been on hand for almost all the milestones in Ashley's dance life, both big and small.  From the day she joined the Connecting Point Dance Company to the year I made her wear yellow overalls in tap class (I never lived that one down) to an infinite number of Monday afternoons with her as my class assistant to her Dance Adelphi performances.  I have always been proud of all of Ashley's accomplishments and I am honored that now, with a professional dance career of her own, I will be performing with Ashley on the opening night of Against the Odds on Friday, March 18th.  Please come out and see what a beautiful, strong and spirited dancer Ashley has become.

Ashley, thank you for being there through many milestones in MY life.  I love you.

For more information on Against the Odds and to buy tickets click here!

Against the Odds is supported in part by the Medford Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Mass Cultural Council.

Thank you to Springstep for its support of this event.

Two upcoming auditions for teen dancers

Impulse Dance Center has been a huge supporter of Monkeyhouse from the very start. There are so many reasons why we love this studio, e.g. Karen has been teaching Modern there since 1996 and Nicole grew up taking classes there and eventually taught Tap and Jazz at Impulse.

Before we get too mushy, though, we wanted to let you know about some upcoming auditions that are open to any qualified teen dancers in the Metro West area. Be sure to check out the summer class offerings if you want to get a leg up on auditions!

AUDITIONS For THE CONNECTING POINT DANCE COMPANY
WHEN: Sunday, August 30, 2009 6:15 P.M.

WHERE: Impulse Dance Center- 5 Summer Street, Natick, MA

This audition is open to both males and females

Wear dance attire and bring all dance shoes


The Connecting Point Dance Company is a performance ensemble trained in Classical Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern and Hip Hop that performs at community events in the Metrowest and Boston area.

Requirements for audition: must be age 14 or older and have current or previous dance training at or above an Advanced Intermediate level. Must be willing to work hard and attend weekly dance technique classes and a Company Repertory class at Impulse Dance Center. This is for the serious, committed dancer looking to go beyond dance class training.
Questions or more information call (508) 653-2171

AUDITIONS FOR THE TAProject

Under the direction of Shannon Sullivan

When: Sunday, August 30, 2009 5:00 P.M.

Where: IMPULSE DANCE CENTER 5 Summer Street Natick, MA 01760

Beginning its eighth season, The TAProject is a performing ensemble who create, understand and perform complex tap rhythms. They work on a Tap Repertoire to share the language of tap in schools and other venues. The TAProject meets weekly for a mandatory Repertory class in addition to their regular Tap technique class.

REQUIREMENTS FOR AUDITION: You must be an Advanced or above tap student (this includes students entering Advanced in the fall of 2009) or have the equivalent tap dance skills.

This audition is open to both males and females. Wear comfortable clothes and you will need tap shoes
Questions or more information call (508) 653-2171

Photo Credit: Paradise Photo & Video
Dancer pictured: Connecting Point Dance Company Member, Andy Jacobs