David Parker Awarded 2013 John Simon Guggenheim Fellowhip

By: Elyssa Berg

Congratulations to David Parker who has recently received the John Simon Guggenheim fellowship this year for his creative accomplishments! Every year, out of 3,500 - 4,000 applicants, there are 200 fellowships awarded to those who have demonstrated exceptional creativity in the arts. This fellowship provides a block of time in which the recipient can work with as much creative freedom as possible to continue to develop their work. Applicants include "advanced professionals" such as writers, scholars, scientists, composers, artists, choreographers, and more.


David Parker is choreographer and founder of, The Bang Group. This is a company that is strongly based on the focus of rhythmic potential in the body. You may know David for his comedic take on choreography that will be sure to keep you laughing and entertained. He is sure to push the comedic limits with pieces full of concepts that you may have never seen before. David expresses himself through this comedy as he is able to instill messages in his choreography that people are likely to take with them, along with a few laughs.


The Bang Group has internationally toured and also spent an ample amount of time at Summer Stages Dance Festival in Concord, MA for their past 12 seasons. You may know The Bang Group for their performance of Nut/Cracked ( a comedic take on the holiday classic Nutcracker) or Showdown. Through The Bang Group you can see everything from men on pointe shoes, to bubble wrap choreography, and even thumb sucking duets. David's creative mind will never fail to allow you into a world of his own; full of entertainment, laughs, and lots of rhythm.

Sabbatical Synopsis (part 1)

by Karen Krolak

Several people have asked me how I spent my sabbatical so I put together this list to give you a flavor of some of my favorite adventures. Thanks for all of you who encouraged this time away, I

* Lived in a palace in Orvieto, Italy while studying with Modern dance legend, Simone Forti (I awoke each morning to see the ceiling pictured on the left),

*Performed in Rome with a group of glorious improvisors from Italy, Croatia, Switzerland, Germany, England, Greece, Netherlands, and Turkey,

* Indulged in a Delicious Movement workshop with Eiko and Koma in the sumptuous ICA Boston theater overlooking the bay,

*Sussed out stories about slippers, boots, and sneakers as a professional blogger on Shoetube,

* Attended an Inter-collegiate Axe Throwing competition en route to Asheville, NC,

*Interviewed an emerging shoe designer in Iceland who envelops her soles in fish skins,

* Flung myself into the jaws of a giant model whale to create Christmas cards from Panama Beach, FL,

* Feasted with a collection of award-winning playwrights, directors, costume designers, and actors in Chicago, IL,

* Continued teaching my amazing students at Impulse Dance Center in Natick,

* Drooled over the dizzying displays of theater designs in the Collaborations exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England,

* Ran down to New York, NY for a day for a sneak preview of Beowulf - Two Thousand Years of Baggage before it opened in San Francisco in May,

*Hustled through the Russian Disco section of Nut/cracked with David Parker and the Bang Group (If you missed it last year, you can see it again Oct 22- 26 in Boston. You can also read about David's newest creation here),

*Planted carrots, tomatoes, peppers, corn, lillies, zinnia, dahlias, garlic, onions, strawberries, basil, dill, and some renegade squash in our garden,

* Discovered 3 fabulous dancers, Julia Marx, Nikki Sao Pedro, and Caitlin Meehan while working a Space Grant through Green Street Studios,

To be continued...

Nut/cracked Rehearsal Photos

The Natick Tab ran a full page of photos from a recent rehearsal of David Parker and the Bang Group's Nut/cracked at Impulse Dance Center in Natick, MA. If you are curious to get a sneak peek inside the process of creating this show, be sure to check it out.