Helping Nonprofits - Suggestion # 2

Matching donations - If you can't give as much this holiday season, take a few minutes to chat with someone in your HR department. They can explain your company's protocol for matching employee donations. This could double or sometimes triple the impact of your gift. So even if you can only give half of your usual donation, the nonprofit will still receive the same amount.

Some places are even willing to match donations made by spouses or retired employees. For more information on corporate giving policies, you might want to consult this extensive list. Even though that list is six pages long, it does not include every American company and may not be up to date, so please double check with the folks in HR.

To demonstrate the power of matching programs:

One of Monkeyhouse's major donors works for Google. (It is amazing to have a genius rooting for you :).) We were thrilled when he discovered that Google would provide a 100% match to his family's substantial annual donation. By magnifying the power of this donation, Monkeyhouse was able to purchase its first company computer, an operating expense most grants would not cover. Without this new Mac, however, we would not have had a work station for our first paid intern. Every day we feel the reverberations of how Google's generosity strengthened Monkeyhouse's infrastructure. Thank again Google.

Helping Nonprofits - Suggestion # 1

In case you missed it, yesterday's Boston Globe featured a front page article that articulately examined the effects of our economic crisis on the nonprofit sector. In September, the Globe also published this article on the subject.

We know that many people are looking for ways to reign in their spending and yet still support the organizations that they believe in. So, Monkeyhouse is dedicating a few blog entries this week to offer you some assistance. As an organization with a very limited budget, we understand your dilemma and have a few simple suggestions that may help.

Today we want to remind you all of GoodShop.We have covered them before in the blog and in our October e-news because they are a simple way to donate that doesn't cost you a dime. If you go to GoodShop before going to online stores, eg. ebay, amazon, itunes, expedia, etc, a portion of your purchase price (up to 37%)will be donated to the organization of your choosing.

The Dow just slipped under 10,000 for the first time in 4 years. In spite of the cinnamon scented breezes of apple cider doughnuts, Autumn is going to be tough this year. Thanks for supporting any nonprofits this fall (especially Monkeyhouse!!!)...they need you now more than ever.

Sabbatical Synopsis - (part 2)

Continuing on in really no particular order...

* Closed out the season at Jacob's Pillow with Celeste Miller and the other Choreographers' Lab participants,

* Reflected and stretched my way through another birthday at Kripalu with one of my remarkable sisters-in-law,

* Sat so close to the stage at the Sadler Wells Theater in London that I made eye contact with some of Pina Bausch's dancers during Rite of Spring,

* Trekked out to Earthdance to pick up Janine Harrington (who I'd met at the workshop in Orvieto) as she explored the dance scene in the US,

* Glowed with glee when three former students, Ashley Chandler, Sarah Feinberg, and Gaby Mervis dance alongside me in their professional debuts during Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center's Boom Town Festival,

* Cruised around Cape Cod in a convertible with the two people who first encouraged me to dance: Mom and Dad,

* Shared a sumptuous meal with several fascinating people at David Parker's Show Down at Rialto,

* Herded people into the Ted Shawn Theater with my giggling prowess on the Glockenspiel and then overheard Wendy Perron, Editor of Dance Magazine, remark "They choose the right person for that job!",

*Was named Wholphin subscriber of the week,

And...

Monkeyhouse at First Night Boston 2009!

Woo Hoo! Monkeyhouse is thrilled to announce that we were recently invited to perform at Boston's First Night 2009.

We will present new pieces inspired by Karen's artistic adventures during her sabbatical
at John Hancock Hall
at 7:30-8:00 PM and 8:30-9:00 PM
We are busy organizing things at the moment but we will have more information about it for you very soon.

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.

Jacob's Pillow Choreographers' Lab Follow Up

by Karen Krolak

My goodness! I have had some difficulty organizing all of my thoughts about the Choreographers' Lab. It was a tremendous and intense learning experience where I was surrounded by 14 other amazing artists:

Ojeya Cruz Banks
Martha Brim
Anne Bluethenthal
Julie Johnson
Mafa Makhubalo
Kate March
Alison Marshall
Dawn Robinson
Amanda Selwyn
Mila Thigpen
Steven Wright
Bill McLaughlin
and
Celeste Miller

I don't know that I have ever had the privilege of studying with such a well rounded and supportive group. When I applied, I was a bit afraid that I would be the oldest person there since so many people who attend the Pillow's programs are still in college. However, we ranged in age from 55 to 23 and almost half of the other choreographers were older than I am. People drew from dance experiences in Canada, England, Italy, South Africa, New Zealand, Ghana, and the US to discuss the variety of methods to engage communities through choreography.

Celeste Miller has an uncanny ability to get people to invested in each other's progress. Fortunately, the group is staying connected, continuing to collaborate on projects and to create artistic adventures together. So, I have decided to spread out interviews with this group throughout the coming year and hopefully that will give people a sense of how the program inspired us individually.