February Events!!

by Aisha Cruse

If the bleak Boston winter has got you down, never fear! February is full of vibrant dance! And if you're looking for something to do Valentine's Day weekend, you have no shortage of options!

Sun, February 7 @ 6 pm & 8 pm
NACHMO Boston
Presented by NACHMO Boston and Intimations Dance
At the Dance Complex in Central Square, Cambridge

$10

I hope everyone out there enjoyed January's choreographic kick in the pants! NACHMO Boston culminates at the end of this week with an evening jam-packed with all-new dance! Featuring 20 choreographers (including perennial Monkeyhouse favorites Ryan P. Casey and Nikki Sao Pedro- Welch) spread out over two performance times, your only problem is which time slot to see. Personal suggestion: see both! Admission is only $10!

Sat & Sun, February 12 & 13 @ 8 pm

The Glorious Mediocre with Kat Nasti
Presented by Boston Center for the Arts
At the Calderwood Pavilion in Back Bay, Boston
$20/ $18 BDA members

The Choreographers Residency program at the BCA continues enabling artists to produce really stellar work. Choreographer Kat Nasti describes The Glorious Mediocre as a "memoir of the mundane". Through a mash-up of Broadway and modern dance, she reflects on her own childhood in a rather unspectacular town and explores the fruitless pursuits of mortals with song, dance, and a healthy amount of sarcasm.

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."

February 12 thru March 6
Fri & Sat @ 8 pm, Sun @ 4 pm
The Cuba Files
Presented by Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre
At The Sanctuary Theater in Harvard Square, Cambridge

$42
Set entirely to music by Cuban composers, The Cuba Files goes back to Jose Mateo's Cuban roots, featuring two ballets choreographed in 2004, Escape and Arroz con Mango, and the premier of a new ballet. There is also a special discounted price if you buy tickets for all three spring performances, so go check out the website!

Sat & Sun, February 19 & 20 @ 7:30 pm

Avalanche
Presented by MoveWorks
At the Dance Complex in Central Square, Cambridge

$25/ $20 student & BDA members
I love it when out-of-town companies come to Boston to premier their work. MoveWorks evening-length show features three pieces; The Job, The Contaminant, and the world premier of Avalanche, a celebration of cold, ice and snow. In the depths of the Bostonian winter, it might be nice to be reminded that sometimes the cold is beautiful. Also featuring a special guest performance by Gabrielle Orcha and performance art by a local Boston cast!

Sat, February 27 @ 8 pm
Urban Bush Women: WALKING WITH ‘TRANE
Presented by FirstWorks
Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence, RI
$18-75 includes $3 restoration fee
I had the good fortune to take a semester long class with a former Urban Bush Woman in college, and it remains one of the best learning experiences I've had as a dancer.If you have the opportunity to make it down to Providence for the performance, DO IT. These women are incredible dancers, and this show features live music composed by the Grammy Award-winning George Caldwell in tribute to John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme".

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.

Featured Events

You may have noticed that we've changed things up with the Monkeyhouse newsletter, which we're now putting out quarterly rather than monthly. This means I'm also looking at events three months ahead of time, picking what I think will be the best of the best. I'll still do a monthly event post, with shows that don't get announced until closer to the performance date, but I thought the advance-planners among us might appreciate a spotlight post of the next 3 months. Here are my picks!

Fri, July 31 @ 8 pm
Sat, August 1 @ 8 pm
Bittersweet 

with Carey McKinley, dance theatre and Carolyn Lewenberg, sculptor
Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, Back Bay

$15

I'm a big fan of the BCA Dance Residency program; it affords choreographers and dancers the opportunity to create stunning interdisciplinary new works. Carey McKinley has created a new work with sculptor Carolyn Lewenberg in which they will "create and ultimately destroy, an environment using bittersweet vines, bodies and moving images." I'm kind of excited by the description because even though it tells you what's going to happen I still have no idea what the piece is going to look like. Go see it if you like being surprised.

Sat, August 1 @ 8 PM
Sun, August 2 @ 2 pm
Mon & Tues, August 3 & 4 @ 7:30 pm
ECHO
B. Dunn Movement Dance & Theater Company
At the Multicultural Arts Center, Lechemere
Free!I have a lot of feelings about this show. This is an interdisciplinary dance performance exploring the effects of displacement of black bodies from the African Diaspora of the Trans Atlantic Slave trade through generations until contemporary times. It's goal is to open a dialogue about cultural knowledge and lineage. This is the kind of dance that seeks to transform the audience far beyond the span of its time on stage. You have to reserve a seat to see the show, but it's completely free.

Fri, August 7 @ 8 pm
On Tap! Beantown Tapfest Faculty Showcase

Presented by Beantown Tapfest

at the Arsenal Center For The Arts, Watertown

$36

Started 6 years ago by Julia Boynton, Beantown Tapfest is a week-long festival of workshops, classes, and events, including talks and student showcases, all at the Deborah Mason School of Dance in Somerville. The faculty show, featuring all the instructors from the festival, is a who's who list of amazing of tap dancers: Michelle Dorrance (NY), Josh Hilberman (Belgium), Sarah Reich (LA), Barbara Duffy (NY), Sean Fielder (Boston), Khalid Hill (NY), Ian Berg (Chicago), Rocky Mendes (Boston), Aaron Tolson (NY), Ryan P. Casey (Boston), Demi Remick (NY), companies Speaking in Taps and Boston Tap Company, and the tap-savvy jazz trio of Paul Arslanian-p, John Lockwood-b and Ron Savage-d.  

Wed - Sat, August 19-22 @ 8:15 pm
Sat & Sun, August 22 & 23 @ 2:15 pm 

Liz Gerring Dance Company
At the Doris Duke Theatre at Jacob's Pillow
$35, $25 ($19 if it's Friday and you're under 35)

Liz Gerring Dance Company performs Glacier, their evening length performance that has received glowing praise from The New York Times and the dance world at large. Winner of the 2015 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award, choreographer Liz Gerring creates beautiful, captivating work, and I expect this show to be nothing less. And a friendly reminder that Jacob's Pillow  festival ends in August, and I strongly encourage you to check out the full list of performances and the schedule of Inside/Out events, which are always free.

Fri & Sat, September 18 & 19 @ 6 pm
2015 US Championship and Provincetown Dance Trophy

Presented by Kalin Mitov
At Provincetown Town Hall, Provincetown MA

$25-$35

Thinking about an end-of-summer escape to Ptown? Check out these two same-sex partner Ballroom Dance Tournaments. The goal of these tournaments is inclusiveness, along with all the flashy costumes, thrilling footwork and incredible grace of ballroom dance. And what with the Supreme Court decision, audience and competitors alike have a little extra reason to cheer this year.

Fri & Sat, October 16 & 17 @ 8 pm 

Doug Varone and Dancers
Presented by World Music/CRASHArts

Institute for Contemporary Art Boston, Boston Waterfront

$48

Doug Varone and Dancers present, among other works, the Boston premiere of ReComposed, inspired by the pastel drawings of Joan Mitchell and set to Max Richter's newly constructed version of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. Check out the pre-performance talks with BDA Executive Director Debra Cash, and stick around for the post-show discussion with the company on the 16th.

Tues, October 27 @ 8 pm

Thurs - Sat, October 29-31 @ 8 pm

SPEKTRƎL

Presented by Luminarium Dance

At Multicultural Arts Council, Lechemere

Monkeyhouse loves Luminarium! We got a sneak peak at their upcoming evening length work during their 5th anniversary gala, and it was as eerie and ethereal as the title implies. Don't miss it!

October 22 - November 1st

Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler, a ballet by John Neumeier 

Presented by Boston Ballet

At the Boston Opera House, Downtown Crossing

The Boston Ballet will be the first North American company to perform John Neumeier's contemporary ballet. Set to the entirety of Mahler's Third Symphony, the dance is meant to capture the intensity of the music, while using it to explore life, death, grief, beauty and love. 

August Events!

Fri, July 31 @ 8 pm
Sat, August 1 @ 8 pm
Bittersweet 

with Carey McKinley, dance theatre and Carolyn Lewenberg, sculptor
Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, Back Bay

$15

I'm a big fan of the BCA Dance Residency program; it affords choreographers and dancers the opportunity to create stunning interdisciplinary new works. Carey McKinley has created a new work with sculptor Carolyn Lewenberg in which they will "create and ultimately destroy, an environment using bittersweet vines, bodies and moving images." I'm kind of excited by the description because even though it tells you what's going to happen I still have no idea what the piece is going to look like. Go see it if you like being surprised.

Sat, August 01 @ 6:30 pm

It's...A Summer Cosplay Celebration!
Presented by Penumbra:Exchange
At Arts at the Armory
$15 adult /$10 child
For anyone out there that has a costume of their favorite character, come do something awesomely nerdy with your Saturday night. This anime and video game themed costume party includes performances from several local dance companies, including Calamity Co Dance, Concept Artists, Intimations Dance, Move And Inspire, and Paradise Lost. I can't speak for everyone, but I know Paradise Lost has an amazing piece inspired by a popular video game; I also happen to be performing in it!  Anyone in costume is automatically entered in a raffle to win prizes from local video game developers Demiurge Studios, as well as prizes from other local businesses. See you there!

Sat, August 1 @ 8 PM
Sun, August 2 @ 2 pm
Mon & Tues, August 3 & 4 @ 7:30 pm
ECHO
B. Dunn Movement Dance & Theater Company
At the Multicultural Arts Center, Lechemere
Free!
I have a lot of feelings about this show. This is an interdisciplinary dance performance exploring the effects of displacement of black bodies from the African Diaspora of the Trans Atlantic Slave trade through generations until contemporary times. It's goal is to open a dialogue about cultural knowledge and lineage. This is the kind of dance that seeks to transform the audience far beyond the span of its time on stage. You have to reserve a seat to see the show, but it's completely free.

Fri, August 7 @ 8 pm
On Tap! Beantown Tapfest Faculty Showcase

Presented by Beantown Tapfest

at the Arsenal Center For The Arts, Watertown

$36

Started 6 years ago by Julia Boynton, Beantown Tapfest is a week-long festival of workshops, classes, and events, including talks and student showcases, all at the Deborah Mason School of Dance in Somerville. The faculty show, featuring all the instructors from the festival, is a who's who list of amazing of tap dancers: Michelle Dorrance (NY), Josh Hilberman (Belgium), Sarah Reich (LA), Barbara Duffy (NY), Sean Fielder (Boston), Khalid Hill (NY), Ian Berg (Chicago), Rocky Mendes (Boston), Aaron Tolson (NY), Ryan P. Casey (Boston), Demi Remick (NY), companies Speaking in Taps and Boston Tap Company, and the tap-savvy jazz trio of Paul Arslanian-p, John Lockwood-b and Ron Savage-d.  

Friendly reminder that Jacob's Pillow  festival ends August 31, so if you've been meaning to go, now is the time! Check out the full list of performances and the schedule of Inside/Out events, which are always free.

Wed - Sat, August 19-22 @ 8:15 pm
Sat & Sun, August 22 & 23 @ 2:15 pm 

Liz Gerring Dance Company
At the Doris Duke Theatre at Jacob's Pillow
$35, $25 ($19 if it's Friday and you're under 35)

Liz Gerring Dance Company performs Glacier, their evening length performance that has received glowing praise from The New York Times and the dance world at large. Winner of the 2015 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award, choreographer Liz Gerring creates beautiful, captivating work, and I expect this show to be nothing less. 

Wed - Sat, August 26-29 @ 8 pm

Thurs, Sat, & Sun, August 27, 29 & 30 @ 2pm
Martha Graham Dance Company

90TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

At the Ted Shawn Theatre at Jacob's Pillow
$75, $65, $45 ($19 if it's Friday and you're under 35)

There is a part of me that gets so excited at the prospect of seeing Martha Graham's company that I found myself smiling involuntarily at the Jacob's Pillow event page: "This spectacular program includes Martha Graham's dramatic classic work Embattled Garden, Echo by Greek choreographer Andonis Foniadakis, Depak Ine by Nacho Duato, and the momentous world premiere of AXE, by the eminent choreographer Mats Ek." At least click the link to look at the photographs, which are stunning.

June Events!

By Aisha Cruse

Fri & Sat, June 5 & 6 @ 8 pm
Sun, June 7 @ 5:30 pm
going forward...some digression
Presented by Across the Ages Dance Project
At Green Street Studios (185 Green ST Cambridge, MA)
$25
Across the Ages Dance Project is dedicated to bringing together new and established choreographers to set work on an inter-generational group of dancers. Their 5th annual concert features work by Adriane Brayton, Peter DiMuro, William McLaughlin, Lynn Modell, James Morrow and Erica Schwartz. Monkeyhouse pretty firmly believes that you should never stop dancing, and ATAD seems to wholeheartedly agree.



Sun, June 7 - Sat, June 13
Dance for World Community
Presented by Jose Mateo Ballet Theater
In and around Harvard and Central Square

Free!
The Dance for World Community festival is pretty awesome, and brings dancers from all over Boston to stages in Harvard Square for showings that are open to the public and totally free. The exact performance schedule isn't posted yet, but in the past they've had everything from Ballet to Tango to Hip-hop featuring dancers of all ages. The Festival performances are on Saturday; Sunday will have a TalkAboutDance discussion, and the Dance on Film festival will happen Monday through Thursday at 8pm. The whole thing culminates in a dance party on Mass Ave between Central and Harvard, so if you can't make anything else, at least come dance in the street!

Jacob's Pillow summer-long dance festival kicks off next week and I strongly encourage you to check out the full list of performances and the schedule of Inside/Out events, which are always free. But for June, I personally recommend:

Sat, June 13 @ 8 pm
Sun, June 14 @ 2 pm
Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host
Ted Shawn Theater at Jacob's Pillow
$45- $75, limited quantity of $19 35-and-under tickets
If you ever listen to NPR, then you've probably heard This American Life host Ira Glass. This show came to Boston last year and I unfortunately couldn't go, but if I can find my way to Jacob's Pillow I would go for this show. Dance and Radio are sort of mutually exclusive art forms, but dancers Monica Bill Barnes and Anna Bass have come together with Mr. Glass to build a show around the one place where these mediums overlap - story telling. Let them sweep you away with their humor and grace.

Fri, June 19 @ 8:30 pm
Dancing in the Streets: The Team
Presented by the Somerville Arts Council
At Conway Basketball Court (Somerville Ave & Central Street, Somerville, MA)
Free!
The Team, headed up by Michelle Marroquin, will be preforming two 20 minute pieces, Business Casual and Mammals Dancing, which they describe as "two dances about control, desire and comfort." Not gonna lie, the full descriptions are weird, but in exactly the sort of way that makes me want to go see them.
Also, this is one event in a series, so definitely check out ALL THE EVENTS because they are ALL FREE.

Fri & Sat, June 26 & 27 @ 8 pm
The Good Parts of Being Alive
Featuring Anna Reyes Dance
Presented by the BCA Dance Residency
Mills Gallery at the BCA
$15
If you've ever been to a Movement at the Mills show, you might have the barest inkling of what this evening entails. Dancer and Choreographer Anna Reyes has teamed up with Video Artist Tamara Al-Mashouk to explore how outside influences change the behavior of two people in love. The audience builds their own experience and relationship to the piece by walking through the Mills Gallery and exploring the installation and the performance from different angles, creating a completely unique, totally subjective experience. If you're drawn to immersive art, this is the show for you.

Residency Opportunity for Choreographers

by karen Krolak

Quicksilver Dance during BCA residency

Hey choreographers, here is yet another fabulous opportunity to create work! The Boston Center for the Arts is accepting applications for the 2013-2014 Dance Residencies. While the residency does not cover transportation or local housing costs, it is open to dance artists from outside of the Boston area. I have heard both Mariah Steele and Contrapose Dance rave about how much they enjoyed being selected for these residencies. Resident artists receive:

• Four to five weeks of free rehearsal/performance space for an intensive creative  process. Companies will have unlimited rehearsal time within Calderwood Pavilion operating hours: weekdays 9 am - 11 pm, Saturdays 10 am - 11 pm, Sundays 12 pm - 8pm.
•  The opportunity to perform new and existing work in an alternative theatre space.
• A stipend of $1000 to be used at the resident company’s discretion.
• Assistance from Technical Director with lighting design and production  labor.
• Access to lighting and sound equipment for showcase performance including risers, pipe & drape, approx. 18 lighting instruments, PA system for sound.
• Support for public program development and execution.
• Inclusion in BCA program listings and website.

One company will be choose for each Residency Session: 

Monday, October 21 – November 24, 2013 (5 weeks)
Monday, January 6 – Sunday, February 2, 2014 (4 weeks)
Monday, May 19 – Sunday, June 22, 2014 (5 weeks)

Applications must be received by Monday, May 20, 2013 by 5:00pm. For more information go to http://bcaonline.org/performance/dance/dance-residency-call.html

Another Exciting Opportunity for Teen Dancers

by karen Krolak

Back in April, Monkeyhouse interviewed Andrea Blesso about the Movement at the Mills program at the Boston Center for the Arts (BCA). This year the BCA also created a dance residency program where artists/companies are given time to rehearse and develop new works. As part of the application process, artists must propose a workshop, informal performance, or open rehearsal that will invite people into their creative process. When I saw this teen workshop developed by Annie Kloppenberg announced on the Dance Action Network, I knew many of my students at Impulse Dance Center would be interested.

If you are free this Saturday, I highly recommend participating (if you are a teen dancer) or attending the performance at 4. Keep your fingers and toes crossed and perhaps, I will even have a chance to interview Annie in the next day or so.

Contemporary Dance Workshop and Performance For Teens

with Boston Center for the Arts Dance Resident Artist Annie Kloppenberg

and NYC-based Company members Kendra Portier and Alli Ruszkowski

with Boston Project Dancers

Saturday, June 26th
workshop 1:00-3:30
performance 4:00
Calderwood Pavilion, 2nd floor,
527 Tremont Street, Boston 02116
$25 per student

Workshop Description:

In this workshop, dancers will first take a short master class with company artists and will then have the opportunity to learn repertory and engage in the creative process of making and performing a version of the company’s current work, “Expert Witness.”

This workshop is targeted toward teens with dance experience. Class will learn choreography and build structured improvisations based on Kloppenberg’s current work in progress “Expert Witness”. Workshop dancers will experience the collaborative working process of a
professional company. Then will create a new version of “Expert Witness” to perform in a post-workshop performance for friends and family at 4:00.

Class will focus on developing articulate, dynamic, and expressive bodies in a dialogue between rigorous technical practice and targeted improvisational exercises. Movement phrases play with control, abandon, and their intersection, emphasizing principles of weight, efficiency, specificity, and torque to illuminate the patterning of movement rather than the action of it alone. Dancers will explore virtuosity and subtle performance textures, increasing dynamic range and depth. We will dance out, dance big, sweat, and have a great time.

Class is appropriate for teen dancers with experience or interest in modern/contemporary dance.

Please email anniekloppenberg@ gmail.com with any questions.
Pre-registration is suggested to ensure your spot! Email Andrea Blesso at ablesso@bcaonline. org to register.

Instructor Bios:

Annie Kloppenberg’s recent choreography has been supported by residencies or commissions from the Boston Center for the Arts, Dance Theater Workshop, The Taft School, OhioDance & Dublin Arts Council, and presented at such venues as the Judson Church, Green Street Studios, and Dancespace Center (now DNA). She has been a project dancer with the Bebe Miller Company, performed in work by Sara Pearson & Patrik Widrig, Shani Collins, Rebecca Rice, Heidi Henderson, Karl Rogers, and Ashley Thorndike, among others. Annie performs and teaches nationally as a member of Like You Mean It, an improvisational ensemble. Annie has taught throughout the greater Boston Area and is on faculty at Colby College.

Kendra Portier trained and performed with BalletMet and later received a BFA in dance from The Ohio State University. Her professional work has been with choreographers such as Lisa Race/Scott Cohen, Jennifer Nugent, Hoi Polloi, Nicole Wolcott Dance, David Dorfman Dance, Vanessa Justice Dance, MVWorks, and collaborations with Launch Movement Experiment. Kendra teaches regularly as a guest artist at Dance New Amsterdam, is on faculty at Hunter College and Monroe Dance Academy, and runs Dancepantsnyc, a community-based investigation of movement philosophies. She has been a guest artist and/or presented work at DNA, 92nd Street Y, Triskelion Arts, OSU, Hunter College, Judson Church, Green Street Studios, and continues to actively pursue her own choreography.

Alli Ruszkowski has taught at Peridance, Monroe Dance Academy, and is a teaching artist in the Dance Exposure Project through Connecticut Ballet. She has had the pleasure of working with MVWorks, Vanessa Justice Dance, Launch Movement Experiment, Julian Barnett, and Fivefour. Alli received a BFA in dance performance from the Ohio State University in 2003. She has also had the pleasure of studying at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Bates Dance Festival, and American Dance Festival NYC.

Movement at the Mills (part 2)

by karen Krolak

We are continuing on with the interview we began yesterday with Andrea Blesso, curator for Movement at the Mills, at Boston Center for the Arts (BCA). This is part of an ongoing theme of delving into sit-specific choreography that we began on our first episode of C2C: Connect to Choreography on SCATV. Movement at the Mills' final installment for this season will feature Weber Dance, Sun Ho Kim & Dancers, and Kendra Heithoff on April 30th.

karen Krolak: Wow, how wonderful that Movement at the Mills has attracted hundreds of people each night. That is pretty rare for new experimental dance projects. Andrea Blesso: Well, Movement at the Mills connects the BCA and the participating dance companies with a new audience by providing free entertainment in an atypical dance performance setting. The audience may come and go as they wish and get their own size “sample” of dance. It also allows the audience to see new forms of dance without fully committing to a large ticket price or a full evening of work. A true crudités of dance. engages local dance companies in an informal, community performance at the Mills Gallery, specifically aimed at reconnecting the BCA with the Massachusetts dance scene.

kK: When is the next deadline for choreographers to apply?
AB: The Movement at the Mills program occurs three times a year with an ongoing application submission process. This program offers performance opportunities and free rehearsal space for local dance companies without significant financial burden.

kK: How does the process work? Do you select the the artists for each program?
AB: We have a panel that determines the selected participants for each Movement at the Mills performance. Once the companies are selected, via panel vote, I then build the performance from their repertory and proposed ideas.


kK: As a curator, what are some of the challenges that you face?
AB: One of the main challenges is finding the right mix of dances that represent each choreographer’s vision but compliment the other companies’ work. Movement at the Mills is a very intricate program with many logistics to balance – the technical limitations of the space, numerous stages with overlapping performances, and the encouragement of proper audience and dancer flow.


The hardest part of this program, I must admit, is building the performance layout. The layout must invite the audience into the Mills Gallery space and share the concept of the program itself while also presenting a clear and enjoyable performance flow across multiple stages. Other factors to juggle in the performance layout are the normal technical prop cues and creating a moment for the dancers to breathe. Since the performance rotates through two times, dancer energy level is a big consideration.

kK: It is amazing how seamless and organic everything felt when I attended the January performance.
AB: Much like dance movement itself, the more smooth performances appear, the more intricate they were to coordinate.

kK: Yes, that is so true. I am really surprised that the BCA devotes so much time to a program that doesn't generate ticket revenue.
AB: Since it is a free event, it will help build a new dance audience for future BCA dance programs, at which we may charge a ticket price. It also helps ease the BCA into the path of possibly producing future dance concerts. Since Movement at the Mills supports three dance companies per round, and is a series throughout the year, it has the ability to cover a wide variety of dance styles and appeal to a broad audience – as well as cover an expansive audience group by tapping into the participating companies’ fan base.

kK: Well, I am looking forward to seeing future installments of Movement at the Mills. Thanks for adding such a dynamic bridge to Boston's dance landscape.

Movement at the Mills (part 1)

by karen Krolak

We dedicated our first episode of C2C: Connect to Choreography on SCATV earlier this month to the topic of site-specific work. To continue exploring this theme, we decided to chat with Andrea Blesso, curator for Movement at the Mills , about this exciting series at Boston Center for the Arts (BCA). Movement at the Mills' final installment for this season will feature Weber Dance, Sun Ho Kim & Dancers, and Kendra Heithoff on April 30th.

karen Krolak: Personally, what excites you about site-specific work as opposed to seeing dance in a more traditional setting?
Andrea Blesso: I feel that the dance world is in crisis right now. Between the limitation of funding and the loss of audience members with financial worries – it is getting tough to afford producing dance in traditional proscenium settings. I believe that site-specific work is the direction in which dance must go to survive. It also pushes dancers to explore movement outside of their training and develop new levels of audience connection. Which will bring new interest and breath into the discipline of dance.

kK: Are there any site-specific choreographers who really inspire you?
AB: It is very exciting to have Boston-based choreographers showing site-specific work. Most recently I have worked with lizroncka/Real-Time Performance Project and have watched Michael Jahoda’s White Box Project.

I am influenced by everything around me. Being married to an architect has invited me to see ‘sites’ from a different perspective, so I tend to let the actual site influence my movement and spark my creativity rather than my training or other choreographers.

kK: I know that you choreograph as well. Are you pursuing opportunities to create site-specific pieces?
AB: Although I consider myself a choreographer and improviser, most of my efforts are focused on creating dance opportunities at the BCA right now. In addition to the Movement at the Mills and Dance Residency programs, the BCA is incorporating dance as part of its high-level fundraising events. So not only am I directing the dance programs, but I get to lead and create site-specific dances for those fundraising events. Which is really fun!

kK: How did Movement at the Mills get started?
AB: The BCA is a wonderful organization that allows each staff member’s voice and ideas to be heard. When our Executive Director, Veronique Le Melle came on board in January 2009, she invited me to share my dance ideas. Movement at the Mills grew from there.

kK: Why did you want to develop this new project?
AB: Movement at the Mills is a unique program designed to meet clearly identified and unmet needs in the discipline of dance. In Boston, it remains difficult for smaller, local dance companies to find sufficient space in which to display their creative work. Movement at the Mills


kK: Can you describe the physical space for readers who have not been to an event there yet?
AB: The Mills Gallery is a fairly “raw” space - white walls, painted white plywood floor, and numerous small nooks throughout the gallery. This program is designed to use the Mills Gallery in an unexpected way and to showcase dance in an atypical performance setting. There are no stage lights or audience seating, as found in standard performances. Multiple stages will be performing throughout the evening to create an “exhibit” environment.

kK: Would you explain a little more about what you mean by an exhibit environment?
AB: Each Movement at the Mills session invites three local, independent dance companies to showcase complete or in-progress works. The audience is invited to walk through the space and view an “exhibit” of various movement styles; rather than artwork being displayed, it is dance that is displayed. Movement at the Mils is aimed to support young, high quality dance companies in the creation of new work or experimentation with existing work; to expand the public and artist’s vision of a standard dance performance format; to blur the lines between audience and performers.

kK: How have audiences responded to the first two installations of this series?
AB: Movement at the Mills has been pretty successful so far. The first ‘unveiling’ performance on October 29, 2009 had over 300 audience members and was a hit. The second performance on January 9, 2010 had approximately 200 audience members, in the midst of a snowstorm just after the Holidays. So we feel that there is a market for a program like this.

Check back tomorrow and we will continue on with information about how the program is curated...