Somerville Tiznit Sister Cities 2011

by karen Krolak

Tiznit, Tiznit, Tiznit! I am thrilled to announce that I have been selected to participate in the Second Somerville Tiznit Sister Cities program. Just as Monkeyhouse is wrapping up Against the Odds, Stories of Adaptation, Translation, & Survival, I will be skedaddling off to Morocco again to meet up with some partners for Moving for Meaning. Then just after Easter, a delegation from Tiznit will arrive in Somerville. And, we thought things might get quiet after Against the Odds. Hee hee.

I realize that I left people hanging with the posts on Moving for Meaning but I will be sure to remedy that before too much longer. Goodness, Monkeyhouse has been bustling this year.

Dance Interactive Launches Today

You can view a snippet from Ted Shawn's Kinetic Molpai on Dance Interacative; photo courtesy of Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival Archives

by karen Krolak

As part of Against the Odds: Stories of Adaptation, Translation, and Survival,  we have discussed how challenging it can be to preserve choreography.  At our SPORKS, we have examined how dances get altered by how a performer ages or how a new dancer approaches a piece. In our newest pieces, Adumbrate (Part 1 & 2), Monkeyhouse delves into how students become living legacies. But as SPORK participants point out, that process can be quite similar to the children's game, telephone.  I keep hearing people repeat a variation of "So how can audience members gain a better sense of dance history without a time machine?"

Photo by Ruth David. Courtesy of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Until today, the only way to gain access to historical footage of most dance companies would be to travel to a few select libraries or dance festivals to view their archives. Thanks to Norton Owen and the innovative staff at Jacob's Pillow, however, you can now view a stunning array of footage from the last 80 years online. So I encourage you to skip over to Dance Interactive and poke around. As a Jacob's Pillow alum, I was able to meander through the site during its Beta testing and I can assure you that it is chock full of tasty morsels. For starters I highly recommend checking out Bill Irwin, Pearl Primus, and Erick Hawkins. This is an amazing resource for teachers, students, choreographers and audience members. Is it any wonder that Barack Obama recently bestowed a National Medal of Arts on Jacob's  Pillow?

(Psst...Don't worry if you aren't feeling ambitious enough to explore on your own. On April 8th and 15th, we will be projecting the website in the Springstep's atrium so you can view some of these artists as you prepare for Monkeyhouse's performance. )

SPIRIT - Another Springstep Festival

Monkeyhouse was intrigued and excited when we heard about Spirit: Native Music and Dance from Hawai'i and the Mainland. There are so many parallels to our moving smorgasbord, Against the Odds: Stories of Adaptation, Translation, and Survival. We would love to get a group together to go to the performance and/or the round table so please contact us if you would join us. And don't forget that you can win tickets if you enter the Against the Odds Drawing.

SPIRIT
Native Music and Dance from Hawai'i and the Mainland
A weekend of events featuring Hawaiian Hula ensemble Halau 'o Keikiali'i, Pascua Yaqui Tribe member Edwardo Madril, and Thawn Harris from Rhode Island's Narragansett tribe. 

Friday, April 1 - Round Table Discussion
Saturday, April 2 - Performance
Saturday, April 2 - Gallery Exhibit Opening Reception
Sunday, April 3 - Workshops



Performance
Saturday, April 2, 2011
7:00pm
$20 in advance ($25 at the door)
Purchase Tickets

The First People of Hawai'i and the Mainland come together in this stunning performance of Native dance, music, and storytelling.

Back for their third residency at Springstep, Hawaiian Kumu Kawika Alfiche and Hula ensemble Halau ‘o Keikiali’i honors the deep relationship between New England and Hawai'i in this enchanting presentation of traditional and modern hula dance and music.

Joining the Halau will be Pascua Yaqui tribe member Edwardo Madril of Four Winds Dance, presenting the amazing Hoop Dance and other dances of the Plains Indian culture, and traditional storyteller from Rhode Island's Narragansett tribe, Thawn Harris. 

Food inspired by the cultures being presented will be for sale, along with beer and wine beginning at 6:15pm. Come at 5:30pm to enjoy a gallery opening reception featuring Native New England artists (more information below).

Workshops
Sunday, April 3, 2011
9:30am - 3:00pm
Full schedule and prices

Choose from 9 different workshops:
- Beginning and Interemdiate Hula Kahiko (Ancient Dance)
- Advanced Hula Kahiko (Ancient Dance)
- Keiki Hula (Children's Class)
- Beginning and Interemdiate Hula Auana
- Advanced Hula Auana
- Lei Making
- Lauhala Weaving
- American Indian Dance with Edwardo Madril (Children's Class Ages 8+)
- American Indian Dance with Edwardo Madril (Adults)

Native Gallery Exhibit
Opening Reception
Saturday, April 2, 2011
5:30pm (Free)

Browse a stunning selection of traditional and contemporary artworks created by Native New England artists.


Round Table Discussion
"Creating Art and Maintaining Traditional Boundaries"Native Artist Exchange - discussion co-hosted by NEFA
Friday, April 1, 2011
5:00-6:30pm

Halau 'o Keikiali'i, Edwardo Madril, Thawn Harris, and other native New England artists and performers gather to discuss the challenges of maintaining traditional boundaries in a contemporary world. This event is open to the public.


This project is made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Art's Fast Track Grant and the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the NEA, with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies.

The Against the Odds Rockstar of the Day - Marty Allen

by karen Krolak

Sock Puppet Manor's Bob Lollybottom

Even though Marty Allen has been mixed up in Monkeyhouse in multiple ways almost since we started, I still can't figure out how to describe him. I remember how Amelia O'Dowd (another Against the Odds Rockstar of the Day) used to rave about his student projects at Mass College of Art and yet struggle to categorize what exactly he was creating. Suddenly, I feel that I should not have teased her quite so much about this...karma is a kick in the pants.

Recently, Marty's genius has been focused on sock puppets. He has toured the nation with Uncle Monsterface, a band that will rock your socks off and transform them into future musicians. Frequently, you can find him hawking charming sock puppet portraits on New York street corners too. (They are quite an addictive way to build an art collection. I purchased a few when he started selling them at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center (yet another Against the Odds Rockstar of the Day) and they are proudly interspersed between my wedding photos in the entryway to our condo.) In less than 100 hours, he will unleash Sock Puppet Manor, an online sock soap starring Dr Vampire and Phineas Von Cliven. Bwa ha ha ha ha.

You might recognize him as the vainglorious voice reading my quirky text in Odds, one of the quartets we will be presenting tomorrow night at Against the Odds. Our show will also open with Caitlin Meehan and Nikki Sao Pedro performing Zizz, to Uncle Monsterface's Go! (Neither of these pieces were in last week's show and this week is your only chance to see Zizz during this festival. Curiosity is contagious you know.)

So seize a moment this weekend and seek out this marvelous mastermind.

 http://www.sockpuppetmanor.com/

Against the Odds: 

Stories of Adaptation, Translation & Survival

March 18th-April 15th

Springstep, 98 George P. Hassett Drive, Medford, MA

For more information and to purchase tickets please visit our website!

 

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

Thank you to Springstep for its support of this event.

The Against the Odds Rockstar of the Day - Jason Ries

by karen Krolak

Yikes on a bike, Jason Ries has been a whirlwind of creativity and activity recently. Somehow he manages to whip back and forth between projects without toppling the metaphorical tower of hats perched on his head. I adore the way that he draws artists together and how he manages to engage so many people in his projects.

For example, did you hear about the rousing Spork he led last Friday night after the first production of Against the Odds: Stories of Adaptation, Translation, and Survival? Even after an afternoon lugging in lighting equipment, followed by teching a full show in just about an hour, and running lights and sound for said performance, he managed to coax everyone into staying and sharing their thoughts. We discussed everything from "pants that piss you off so much that it improves your performance"  to being "the Grandmother of mentors of this room." As people offered up questions or observations, the orange walls of the Medium studio echoed with laughter, which Julia noted is one of Monkeyhouse's favorite survival tools. Having sat through many post show discussions, I realize what a huge challenge it is to get people comfortable enough to talk but Jason made it seem effortless.

You would have never guessed that he had opened another show, Actors' Shakespeare Project's Living in Exile, the night before. According to Terry Byrne at the Boston Globe, Jason's "spare, but enormously effective lighting" suggests "wind and storms and turns shadows into extra characters that loom over the action and then disappear." The Boston Events Insider gushed "lighting designer Jason Ries's choices are shrewd and compelling. Simple changes from cool to warm light help transport us from tranquil beaches and pools to raging fires and battlefields."

So as you start hatching plans for this weekend, remember that you have two options for seeing Jason's brilliance: Against the Odds and Living in Exile (Closes on March 27! So hurry.) 

Everybody Loves Lynn Schwab! -- Part II

by Nicole Harris

I am very excited that the one and only Lynn Schwab will be in Boston this weekend!  And even better, she's teaching class and YOU can come take it!

Photo: Lois Greenfield

This past Friday I premiered The Shed (choreographed by Lynn Schwab) and I will be performing it again this upcoming Friday (Buy your tickets now!)  On Saturday (March 26th) Lynn will be teaching two classes at Springstep:

Body Percussion

2:00-3:30

Beg/Int Tap

3:30-5:00

Classes are $18 each ($12 for students/seniors/BDA & Springstep members/Medford residents) 

Purchase your classes now!

Against the Odds: 

Stories of Adaptation, Translation & Survival

March 18th-April 15th

Springstep, 98 George P. Hassett Drive, Medford, MA

For more information and to purchase tickets please visit our website!

 

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

Thank you to Springstep for its support of this event.

Against the Odds Drawing

Throughout Against the Odds we will be selling tickets to the Against the Odds Drawing.  Each weekend two lucky winners will win a pair of tickets to a local arts event.  All tickets will be entered into the Grand Prize Drawing for a chance to win tickets to The Fashion Show, an amazing evening of hope and fashion where everyone is a survivor, to benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.

Tickets are $2 each or SIX for $10 (That's buy five get one FREE!) and can be purchased at any Against the Odds event.  Help support Monkeyhouse and all these amazing local artists!!

What else can you win?  Good question!

Against the Odds Drawing #2

Winners Announced Saturday, March 26^th

THERE ARE TWO CHANCES TO WIN!

Enter to win a pair of tickets to: 

LOIS' TAP LANE 

All-Star Tap and Jazz Salute

        

Friday, May 13 @ 8:00pm

Regent Theatre

7 Medford St, Arlington, MA

OR

SPIRIT:

Native Music and Dance from Hawai'i and the Mainland

Saturday, April 7^th @ 7:00pm

Springstep

98 George P. Hassett Dr, Medford, MA

Donated by Josh Hilberman & Springstep

***

Against the Odds Drawing #3

Winners Announced Saturday, April 9^th

THERE ARE TWO CHANCES TO WIN!

Enter to win a pair of tickets to: 

Hotel Cassiopeia 

By Charles Mee

        

Thursday, May 5-Saturday, May 21

10 Channel Center Street, Fort Point, Boston

OR

Memories and Fantasies

Contrapose Dance and

Kelley Donovan & Dancers

June 10^th – 12^th

Calderwood Pavilion

527 Tremont St, Boston, MA

Donated by Fort Point Channel

***

Against the Odds Drawing #4

Winners Announced Saturday, April 16^th

THERE ARE TWO CHANCES TO WIN!

Enter to win a pair of tickets to: 

Emerging Artists Program 

By Green Street Studios

        

July 8^th-9^th

Green Street Studios

185 Green Street, Cambridge, MA

OR

D is for Dance

Dance Complex Faculty Concert

May 14^th-15th

Dance Complex

536 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA

Donated by Green Street Studios & Dance Complex