Don't Miss Nora at the MFA

by karen Krolak

Ok, who wants to see a film about one of my favorite dancemakers, Nora Chipaumire, on Saturday morning, February 27th at 11AM at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston? I am serious. I would love to get a group together to go. Email me at monkeyhouselovesme@gmail.com if you are interested.

Nora by David Hinton and Alla Kovgan (US/Mozambique, 2008, 25 min) is a documentary that "is based on true stories of the dancer Nora Chipaumire, who was born in Zimbabwe in 1965. In the film, Nora returns to the landscape of her childhood and takes a journey through some vivid memories of her youth. Using performance and dance, she brings her history to life in a swiftly-moving poem of sound and image. Shot entirely on location in Southern Africa, “Nora” includes a multitude of local performers and dancers of all ages, from young schoolchildren to ancient grandmothers, and much of the music is specially composed by a legend of Zimbabwean music - Thomas Mapfumo. "

While I have not seen this film yet, I have heard that it is stunning. Nora taught at Summer Stages Dance in 2006 and I relished every moment of her class. Her choreography melds modern and African movement vocabularies together and her fluid power is simply mesmerising.

I am a also a fan of Alla Kovgan, one of KINODANCE's core artists. Alla is a Boston-based filmmaker who was born in Russia and her films have been presented at Sundance as well as festivals around the world. Some of you may even remember that she created some films in collaboration with Alissa Cardone for a concert I curated in the spring of 2000 at Green Street Studios in Cambridge.

Nora preceded by Oslo Opera House
11 am — 12:25 pm
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Remis Auditorium
MFA Members, seniors, and students $6; general admission $7

Congratulations to Aparna Sindoor

by Karen Krolak

As I was getting ready to teach at Impulse Dance Center on Tuesday night, I noticed that Aparna Sindoor, was on the cover of this month's Dance Magazine. Oh my stars and chickens, I was thrilled because I can't remember the last time that a Boston based choreographer was on their cover.

Aparna Sindoor is the third local choreographer, however, to be featured in Dance Magazine this year. Both Lorraine Chapman and Kinodance were included in the magazine's 2008 25 to Watch list. Having presented Kinodance's choreographer, Alissa Cardone's, work in a concert I produced in 2000 and been awed by Lorraine's work ever since I moved to Boston 12 years ago, I've been fortunate to witness the development of both of these artists. Kudos to Dance Magazine for recognizing some of the highlights of the Boston's dance community.

As a Board Member for the Boston Dance Alliance, I encourage everyone in the area and anyone who comes to visit to check out their website to discover our city's diverse spectrum of talented dance artists.