Winter Events!

by Aisha Cruse

The Holiday season is nearly upon us, and the new year is right around the corner. Take in some great dance shows that are Nutcracker alternatives, and look ahead to the new year of dance in Boston!

Thu, December 10 @ 6:30pm & 7:30pm
Sat, December 12 @ 2 pm
Through Sun, January 24
Silas Renier in Merce Cunningham's Changeling
Presented by ICA Boston
At the ICA Boston, MA
FREE with admission to the museum
The Black Mountain College exhibition at the ICA is bringing Merce Cunningham's early works to life. December is the kickoff for two months of performances by the Boston Conservatory students under the direction of former Cunningham dancer Silas Riener. From the ICA website: "Boston Conservatory students perform excerpts from early Cunningham dances including Dime A Dance, Springweather and People, Septet, Nocturnes, and Minutiae, accompanied by pianist Stephen Drury. For the December and January performances, the students will be joined by Riener, who will perform the recently reconstructed Cunningham solo Changeling, and joined by Drury performing music by Christian Wolff and John Cage."

Thurs, December 17 @ 7:30PM
FILAMENT : Luminarium 5-Year Retrospective
Presented by Luminarium Dance
At Oberon, Harvard Square, Cambridge
$15-$20
Luminarium turns 5 this year, and Monkeyhouse could not be more excited about it. Make sure you come out to see their one-night-only retrospective show, featuring 11 favorites selected by fans. If you missed out on past Luminarium shows and want to see the best of the best, go buy your tickets now! This is at Oberon, so audience must be 18+.

Fri & Sat, December 18 & 19 @ 8:00 pm
12 Dancers Dancing
Presented by Honey Blonder
At Dance Complex, Cambridge, MA
$20 Adults/ $15 Children and Senior
Thirteen Boston based dance companies celebrate the season! Featuring performances from Rainbow Tribe, Bside, Sydni Lockeby, Boston Community Dance Project, Embrace, Cambridge Dance Company, Brookline Academy of Dance, Contemporarily Out of Order, Alive Dance Collective, CreationDance, Forty Steps Dance, Steffani Bennett, and Monkeyhouse friends Ryan P. Casey and Dance'n Feet! This is also a charity event, so if you bring a new toy for the toy drive you'll get a dollar off your ticket!

Sat, January 23 @ 7:30pm
An evening of Jazz and Tap
Featuring The Tall Tribe and the Paul Arslanian Trio
The Dance Hall in Kittery, ME
$20 advance /$25 at the door
Monkeyhouse loves Ryan P Casey! Take the opportunity to get out of the city for a night and head up to Kittery Maine (full disclosure, I really like jazz music, and I think live music and tap is one of the best ways dancers can experiment with interactive accompaniment): "Join The Tall Tribe (tap dancers Gay Nardone, Ryan Casey, and Drika Overton) and The Paul Arslanian Trio with special guests for an evening jazz and tap, from classic repertory to ground-breaking original work. Infectious fun and positive energy!"

January
NACHMO!
Presented by Intimations Dance
At the Dance Complex in Cambridge MA
It's almost time for that kick in the choreographic pants, National Choreography Month Boston! All January long choreographers selected by Intimations Dance will be creating new work. Last year the final performance was in the first week of February, and there were classes, workshops, and events all month long in January. We don't have exact dates yet, but keep checking back at the link above. I can't wait!

Fri & Sat, February 12 & 13 @ 8 pm
DANCE! DANCE! DANCE! DANCE!
Featuring Daniel McCusker Dance Projects : Navarasa Dance Theater : Jean Appolon Expressions : Wendy Jehlen and Lacina Coulibaly
Presented by the ICA Boston
At the Institute for Contemporary Art Boston, MA
$15 ICA members + students / $30 nonmembers
Want to see 4 incredible local dance companies perform on the same evening? The ICA is fulfilling your wishes. Given Monkeyhouse's commitment to building and growing the Boston dance community I am unreasonably excited by this event and by the event description: "An exciting evening highlighting the diversity of dance in the Boston region ... featuring Daniel McCusker Dance Projects, Navarasa Dance Theater, Jean Appolon Expressions, and a duet by Wendy Jehlen and Lacina Coulibaly. Including a 15-minute performance by each company, DANCE! DANCE! DANCE! DANCE! will conclude with a discussion among the four choreographers in which they will discuss how different forms of dance of informed their own work."

November Events!

by Aisha Cruse

Sun, November 8 @ 12:30pm & 1:30pm
Amherst Storybook Project
Presented by Luminarium Dance Company
at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, MA
Free!
Luminarium debuts its season-long project with the Amherst community with its book launch and family-friendly performance with Q&A at 12:30 and 1:30pm in the museum theater. You can learn more about the incredible breadth and scope of the project, as well as see some of the original images on Luminarium's website; click the link above!

Fri, November 13 @ 8:00 pm
Sat, November 14 @ 4:00 pm
Entangling
Featuring ANIKAYA
Presented by Boston Center for the Arts
At Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA,  Boston, MA
$20 general admission
Inspired by the phenomenon of Quantum Entanglement, in which two atoms become linked to each other, Entangling explores how we are inextricably and consequentially connected to each other. This piece seems to be a natural extension of Anikaya Dance Theater's mission statement to break down the perceived boundaries between people, cultures and artforms. A collaboration between US-based choreographer Wendy Jehlen and West African-based contemporary choreographer and dancer Lacina Coulibaly, Entangling, investigates the interlacing of the internal, physical energy between two human beings.

Mon, November 16 @ 7:00 pm
Onstage Dance 5th Anniversary Gala
Featuring and Presented by OnStage Dance Company
At OBERON, Cambridge, MA
Free! Standing room only; VIP seating $15
We had the great pleasure of meeting some of the members of OnStage Dance Company during ChoreoFest back in September, when they made an amazing peice to the prompt "The snozzberries taste like snozzberries", so I'm pretty excited to see them at Oberon. You should definietely join me. From their website: "OnStage Dance Company invites you to celebrate FIVE incredible years of dance. Featuring: "Greatest Hits" performances throughout the evening, special guests, award presentations, games, giveaways, raffles and MORE! This event is FREE and open to the public. In an effort to continue building a strong local dance community, we encourage local dancers and dance companies to attend."

November 20 @ 4:00pm through November 22 @ 8:00pm 
The Festival of You & Us & We & Them
Presented by The Dance Complex
At The Dance Complex, Central Square, Cambridge, MA
FREE; other ticketed events range from $5- $25 dollars
The Dance Complex marches on in it's mission to bring dance to the community and grow the dance community in Boston with The Festival of You & Us & We & Them.  Mostly free and open to the public, this weekend- long festival will have workshops, performances, and a flashmob class (really), and will also make use of the Dance Complex's temporary street level performance patio, standing in for the much anticipated unveiling of Studio 7 (PS check out dancecomplex.org for information about Dance Building Building Dance Phase II and how you can help!) So far, the list of artists sharing work includes Adrienne Hawkins, Brian Feigenbaum, Margot Parsons, Brian Crabtree, David Sun, DeAnna Pellechia. New works in progress from dancemakers in aMaSSiT Creative Labs of The Dance Complex include Audrey MacLean, Kathy Hassinger, Kristen Wagner, Jenny Herzog, Sarah Eley and Colleen Walsh. Check on the Dance Complex main page closer to the festival for a complete list of events!

Fri & Sat, November 20 & 21@ 8:00 pm
Sun, November 22 @ 3:00 pm
This is Tango Now 
Presented by World Music/CRASHarts
At Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, MA
$40, $36 World Music/ CRASHarts members
This is Tango Now returns to Boston yet again, so if you've missed their previous performances, now is a great opportunity to get acquainted with this incredible company. "Formed by renowned, Tony-winning tango artists Fernanda Ghi and Guillermo Merlo and musician Alfredo Minetti, This Is Tango Now represents a unique approach to tango, reflecting an unconditional passion for the art form. Featuring a stellar company of 12 dancers and musicians performing the world premiere of CARMEN . . . de Buenos Aires, this breathtaking new production of Carmen blends tango and flamenco with an original score based on Bizet’s beloved melodies." As always, ICA events are accompanied with pre- and post- show discussions, so check out the Friday night performance for a Q&A with the company.

NEA Grantee of the Day - Somerville, MA

(Part of an ongoing series that demonstrates how some of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Direct Grantees have influenced Monkeyhouse's growth.)

by Karen Krolak

City of Somerville, Massachusetts/Somerville, MA/$25,000 -
What the Fluff, indeed! You have to love a city that celebrates "the genius of Archibald Query" otherwise known as Marshmallow Fluff. Two and half years ago, Jason and I relocated to Somerville and we were lured in large part by its unusual smorgasbord of festivals and its commitment to the arts.

Somerville is one of a handful of communities in the Commonwealth that provides fellowship grants for artists and this year I was honored to be given one. There will be more on that in a subsequent post but for now I am just going to focus on a few of the ways this city inspires me on a regular basis:

1. Fruit trees and artists, e.g. Daniel Maher, and Mudflat Studios, sprout up around every major square.
2. Our mayor, Joseph Curtatone played trumpet in high school and launched a new Jazz Festival.
3. This city is teeming with talented choreographers including:Alissa Cardone, Emily Beattie, Nicole Pierce, Jody Weber, Wendy Jehlen, and Aparna Sindoor
4. Somerville Arts Council hosts Art Beat each July and the Illuminations tour in December.
5. Brass bands rule the streets during the Honk! Festival.

Politics are dancing (part 2)

by karen Krolak

It is odd how patterns begin to emerge some days. After learning about Rahm Emanuel's dance background last night, this afternoon I attended the The Second Annual Artists Under the Dome Event at the Massachusetts State House (where I bumped into Martha Mason who will be mentoring Green Street Studios 2009 winter Emerging Artist Program). As part of the festivities, I stopped in to see my State Senator, Patricia Jehlen. Unfortunately, the Senator was unavailable, but I did learn that her daughter is Wendy Jehlen, a well-respected, local choreographer (who coincidently performed at the Somerville Theater during Art Beat right before Monkeyhouse two years ago in a concert that Alissa Cardone helped to organize.)

Since Senator Jehlen is Chair of Elder Affairs, her aide generously advised me on some resources for Monkeyhouse's Dream 2 Dance At Age Project. She immediately understood the importance of this initiative because she has taken adult dance classes with Dicki Johnson Macy. I am so thrilled that I was able to participate in the Artists Under the Dome because I would have never guessed that there were so many dance fans in the State House.

Thanks to the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development, the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, Treasurer Tim Cahill, the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, the Joint Committee of Community Development and Small Business, and the Artists Foundation for creating this informative introduction to legislative resources for artists.