Word of the Day!

by Karen Krolak

As we get more in depth with the goings on at Monkeyhouse I thought it would be helpful to explain a little Monkeyhouse vocabulary and provide some insight into our programs.  Don't worry, there won't be a quiz!

MUSINGS - What is a Musing?  Where did they come from?  Who participates?

Musings are an ongoing series of workshops that provide a time, space, and dancers for choreographers to sketch out ideas. While some ideas may eventually get developed into a piece, this process is different from a rehearsal. 

In 2008, I dreamed up some dance phrases but I wasn't sure if or how to expand them into a piece. So I rented Green Street Studios and invited a group of dancers to meet with me. I emphasized that this was a time to play. No one would be required to remember choreography from week to week and there was no performance to prepare. I was surprised that about 6 dancers agreed to attend the first three Musings. None of my movement phrases from those sessions ever coalesced into a piece but the research process lead her to create a trio named ingeniculation which premiered at First Night. Caitlin Meehan also credits a comment that Jason shared at one of those early Musings with sparking her solo,a,b,c,d, none of the above. In addition all the dancers talked about how much they enjoyed having time to play without pressure. We knew that this was a Monkeyhouse innovation that we needed to cultivate. 

Monkeyhouse is the only company we know of that dedicates regular time to support this type of choreographic exploration. It has helped many of our younger dancers to gain the courage to try out their own choreographic ideas, and has become a useful way to discover whether new dancers or outside choreographers will be a good fit for our creative process. In recent years we have invited other dance companies to join our Musings which has promoted a spirit of collaboration within the Boston dance community, helped other dance artists to navigate creative obstacles, and energized our company. 

Often the Musings start with a question, such as "What are some ways that you can fall a across the floor as if you were falling through a deep hole?" "How can you get someone to up from the floor without touching her?" or "What happens when you send pairs of people out into the downtown Medford area with one person blindfolded and the other as their leader/guardian?" (Yes, that happened.) As we are gathering ideas for the site-specific piece at Endicott, for example, we have investigated questions about how a group shapes an individual or an individual shapes a group during our open Musings with the Endicott Dance Ensemble.

Have you got an idea you'd like us to Muse on?  Let us know!

Good Things!

• A belated congratulations to Josh Hilberman on the birth of his son, Felix!
• Speaking of babies, congrats to the Heather, Jerry & James Gant for the soon to be new addition to your family! 
• Congratulations to our two senior interns, Danny and Marie who were both accepted to their top choice colleges for next year!  Danny will be attending Emerson College and Marie will be attending American University.  We are so proud! 
• Oh, and David, who just started up his internship again, was just cast as Robert in BC's production of Drowsy Chaperone!  What talented interns we have!
• Congratulations, Jason, on a fabulous job with the set design for Company One's "We Are Proud to Present a Presentation..."!

My Favorite Things

by Courtney Wagner

Months later, we are still hearing about people's favorite moments from the Against the Odds festival. This one came from company member Courtney Wagner!

My favorite part of ATO this year was getting to perform the blindfold duet with Caitlin. After working on the idea and some of the material for over a year and a half it was great to see it come together for performance. Since we first started work with the blindfolds in September 2011, I have loved being able to explore the possibilities I feel they offer. There is something about working with the blindfold that I find relaxing and very freeing. Not being able to see where I am or what I am doing helped me let go and be less afraid to just explore and create, especially when I had a partner in Caitlin or Nikki to guide me. Caitlin and I developed a nice chemistry through rehearsing the piece, and I think we were able to keep the choreographed movement fresh while still being able to improvise. Because I couldn't see, even well rehearsed and choreographed phrases had the potential to be altered in performance, and I liked the edge this gave to my performance. I also liked hearing the feedback and response from audience members about how it looked, especially with our costumes and Jason's lighting (which I'm sure was fantastic!). We got a lot of positive feedback and I am excited to be able to perform it again someday!

Good Things!

It's amazing how many good things we can find if you just stop for a moment and look for them.  We are always excited to share your good things too, so please let us know what sort of stuff is going on in your life!

* Our Production Manager Jason Ries won an IRNE and a NORTON Award for set design for his work on Company One's The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity!  Congratulations, Jason and everyone at Company One!

* Three of our interns, Katelyn, David & Marie knocked 'em dead in Natick High School's production of The Drowsy Chaperone at the beginning of the month!

* Speaking of interns, Laila & Elyssa performed the pieces the created with us at Natick High School last week!  Congrats, ladies!

* Caitlin premiered her piece at Endicot College's Dance Ensemble show last weekend! 

  

*  Courtney has finished her first grad school semester.  She has been such a busy woman!  We're proud of you, Courtney!

*  Blogger in Residence, Ryan Casey, in addition to performing all over the place this month (including two Boston performances!) is graduating from NYU!  Congratulations, Ryan!

* David Parker was awarded the 2013 John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship. The John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship award winners are given the opportunity to use creative freedom to their full advantage. Each year, the winner of this award is given to a person who has moved their profession forward. David's comical but beautiful choreography got him one of the 200 fellowship awards.  

To learn more about David Parker and the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, click here!  

* This year, Michelle Dorrance was awarded the annual Jacob's Pillow Award. Every year, one lucky choreographer is given $25,000 to use towards improving their, already amazing, dance company. Michelle is the founder of a tap company called Dorrance Dance, where she was recognized for her classic-modern fusion. To learn more about Michelle Dorrance and the Jacob's Pillow award, click here! 

What are your good things this month?  Share with us HERE! 

An IRNE Award for Jason RIes

Pictured Mike Webb and Jake Athyal Photo Credit Liza Voll

 by karen Krolak

On Monday night the Boston Center for the Arts cyclorama was abuzz with local theater luminaries celebrating the annual IRNE awards. Early in the evening, Jason Ries, Monkeyhouse's Production Manager and all around Lighting Guru, won Best Set Design for Company One's The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity. 

In his acceptance speech Jason focused on the collaborative efforts of the cast and the design team. He mentioned how impressed he was by how much people on the project genuinely cared about each other especially considering that the play is amped up on testosterone and wrestling. 

Director Shawn LaCount told me later that, " Working with Jason on Company One's production of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity was a pleasure and it is no surprise that the local theater awards honored him for his outstanding work." He continued, "Jason is a phenomenal collaborator. He is the kind of theater artist who helps break down walls of ego and pretense among a group of designers. He brings a 'whatever-it-takes' attitude and understands the need to strive, together, for excellence. Jason is a problem solver and positive thinker." I know that I am biased but I could not agree more. It is thrilling that Jason's creativity and dedication were recognized again.

Keep your fingers, toes, and any other appendages crossed because both Shawn and Jason have been nominated for Norton Awards for the same production. We will keep you posted on those announcements on May 13th. 

24 Hour Choreofest!

by Nikki Sao Pedro Welch

photo by Michelle Boule

I was beyond excited when Karen Krolak asked me to be one of the choreographers for the 24-hour Choreofest hosted by Luminarium Dance Company! I was even more thrilled when she told me I would be co-choreographing with Jason Ries! This particular festival was very different from any show I have been a part of.

For 24 hours we;

-were locked in the Dance Complex in Cambridge,

-were only allowed to bring one suitcase filled with potential props, costume pieces, and accompaniment, shower items, and anything else we felt we needed

-had to create a piece from a concept that was picked out of a hat,

-had to come up with new material, costumes, and music

-only had tech in the actual performance space for ten minutes!

- had to perform 2 SHOWS the next day

It was and intense, inspiring, and such a positive experience!!

Other companies that were involved included, The People Movers, 1,000 Virtues Dance, Synthesis Aesthetics Project, and Luminarium, amongst other dancers/choreographers.

At the start of the Choreofest, we all arrived around 7:30PM to discuss "house keeping," meaning, check in times, tech times, and most importantly, picking our concept. The artistic directors of Luminarium Dance asked that we add to the concept list already filled with suggestions from Facebook fans. Jason, Sarah, and I took advantage of this and added many interesting and "Monkeyhouse-esk" ideas. When it was time to choose, others pulled, "addition," "secret." "imperfection," and "ordinary." When it was our (Monkeyhouse) turn to pull a concept we got none other than, "GIANT SQUID EYE." Jason, Sarah Feinberg (dancer), and I all looked at each other puzzled at first but then we were eager to take on the challenge.  Shortly after concepts were picked, all companies were assigned to their work space and magic began...

Throughout the night we improvised and did our typical Monkeyhouse musings, watched others in their creative processes, gathered factual information about the Giant Squid Eye from valid resources (Wikipedia :) ), played twister at 4:00AM, and we were able to create a 7-minute piece in 7 hours. Our piece included text, lights attached to our body, partnering, and many other components. I can honestly say that the actual process of creating did not have many obstacles and Jason, Sarah, and I all contributed to make the piece come to life. The only taxing part of the experience was creating and performing on 1 hour of sleep. However, I was extremely proud of everyone involved for creating such great work and putting on a great show!

If Monkeyhouse had the opportunity to take part in the Choreofest next year, I would definitely do it again!

Monkeyhouse @ 24- Hour Choreography Festival

by karen Krolak

Ok, I am simply agog over Luminarium's first ever 24 hour Choreography festival. Six companies are going to be locked in the Dance Complex in Cambridge overnight to create a group piece by the next afternoon. 

Don't worry, this is not 24 hour Catwalk and no one will be crowned a winner or loser. This is, however, a chance to glimpse into each company's choreographic process. There will be a live video feed so you can see how Monkeyhouse's Nikki Sao Pedro and Jason Ries face this artistic challenge.

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.) 

Awesome Opportunity to Choreograph for Urbanity!

by karen Krolak

Have you ever had an idea for a dance piece but lacked the resources to create it?  Well then, dash over to Urbanity Dance's website and check out their Wildcard Choreographer position. There is no previous dance or choreography experience required and the resulting piece will debut at MIXTAPE at Boston University's Dance Theater on April 29-30, 2011.

The only qualifications that they outline for this gig are:

Creative mind

Interest in seeing your vision come to life!

The ability to demonstrate/explain your ideas to the dancers

Recommended that applicants can think spatially

*excellent candidates may have interest or experience in design, art or movement.

This is a rare chance to stretch your brain in a whole new direction. So take a chance, apply by February 28 (kwaq7aj', Monkeyhouse's resident canine choreographer's first birthday). Since the Packers were  able to swoop in and win the Super Bowl last Sunday, this could be the year for wildcards to shine. 


Ok, I am getting ready to leave for the opening night of Between Two Things at Green Street Studios. I am so excited to witness how the pieces evolve with an audience. There are still a few tickets available but reservations are filling up quickly.

After the Q and A, I will dart over to Davis Square to join Jason Ries at the opening night party for Actors Shakespeare Project's Cymbeline. Jason has been doing double duty as Production Manager and Lighting Designer on this show. Whew, what a week it has been around here.

Cool New York Photo of the Day

Caitlin and Nikki work on spacing for Fidelius while Jason works on a lighting design with the other Jason and the rest of the fabulous Cool New York Dance Festival tech crew!

Double Falsehood

by Nicole Harris

After a very eventful afternoon of trying to get myself ready for Christmas (I just bought six rolls of wrapping paper.  I've never owned this much wrapping paper in my life.) I am sitting down to a quick dinner before heading over to Harvard Square to see a staged reading of Double Falsehood that Jason Ries directed. 

It has come up in conversation a few times recently how similar choreography and directing can be and it made me realize that a number of us here at Monkeyhouse have taken an interest in directing recently.  (You might remember that Karen was the Assistant Director of Othello at Actors' Shakespeare Project in March.)  I am excited to see what Jason has put together!

Whether you're interested in Shakespeare (Double Falsehood has recently been added to the Shakespeare canon), a fan of Jason's, or just looking for somewhere to stay warm come join me at Fire & Ice in Harvard Square!

6:00 - 7:00pm Hors d'oeuvres & cash bar
7:00 - 8:15pm Reading of Double Falsehood
8:30 - 9:30pm Q&A with cast & mingling!

Dance in the Fells Photo of the Day

Photo Credit: Michael Hoy

Dance in the Fells Photo of the Day

Photo Credit: Michael Hoy

Dance in the Fells Photo of the Day

Photo Credit: Michael Hoy

Dance in the Fells Photo of the Day

Photo Credit: Michael Hoy

Monkeyhouse's Jason Ries and The Coveted Crown

by karen Krolak

As you may remember, Monkeyhouse's Production Manager, Jason Ries, cranked out a rather sassy set for (ASP) Taming of the Shrew last fall. Well, this October he is kicking off ASP's season by tackling Henry IV. Directed by Patrick Swanson, The Coveted Crown Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 is an action-packed, two play blitz presented in repertory at Midway Studios. According to the press release, it will examine the meaning of greatness and will climax in an historic combat pitting the hero against his alter ego. Somehow, Monkeyhouse's Man-in-Motion will also sneak an appearance at Dance in the Fells: 5 Pieces, 5 Places between the opening of Part 1 on October 2 and Part 2 on October 9. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that he doesn't end up on the PUP list.

Hmmm...one senses that Jason's pre-season cheesehead fever is contagious. Speaking of which, if you want to check out an open rehearsal this Sunday and still catch the Packers opening game against the Eagles, ASP has you covered. Things are a little tighter if you are a Patriots fan. Rehearsal starts at 11AM, downstairs at the Garage in Harvard Square.

The Coveted Crown:

Henry IV, Parts I & 2

with a prologue & epilogue from Richard II & Henry V

by William Shakespeare

directed by Patrick Swanson

September 29 - November 21
Midway Studios

15 Channel Center Street
Fort Point Channel

Open Rehearsal Sunday 9/12 11:00am
Downstairs at The Garage in Harvard Square
RSVP HERE

Production
Artists:

Directed
by: 
Patrick
Swanson**

Assistant
Director:
 Melanie
Garber

Scenic
Designer: 

Jason
Ries

Costume
Designer: 
Seth
Bodie

Lighting
Designer:
 Scott
Clyve

Properties
Designer:
Elizabeth
Locke

Stage
Manager:
Phyllis
Smith*

Production
Manager:
Jason
Ries


*Member
of
the
Actors'
Equity
Association, 
the
 union 
of
 professional 
Actors 
&
 Stage
 Managers
 in
 the
 United 
States


**Member
 of
 the
 Stage
 Directors 
and
 Choreographers’
 Society


For Tickets:

866-811-4111

or

www.actorsshakespeareproject.org

For more information, including directions, click HERE

4 & 6 Play Subscriptions are still available - Join us!

Hooray for Orfeo!

by karen Krolak

Were you one of our dedicated fans who hauled yourself out on a sweltering afternoon last summer to see Monkeyhouse perform What's the Big Idea? at Orfeo's Festival in the Park? If so, do you remember how thankful we were that it rained right before showtime as it lowered the temperature of the stage enough for us to dance barefoot with out scorching our soles?

Did you stick around to see Orfeo Group's version of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)? If so did you hear that Orfeo's production received an Elliot Norton Award last night! Congratulations Orfeo Group!

Oh, and congratulations to Actors' Shakespeare Project too! Their production of Much Ado About Nothing was nominated for Outstanding Production for a Mid-sized Company. Psst...did you know that Monkeyhouse's Production Manager, Jason Ries was both the Lighting Designer and the Production Manager for that show? And, are you aware that Actors' Shakespeare Project will be opening Timon of Athens this Saturday? If already knew about that, did you realized that Bill Barclay who is directing Timon of Athens, performed after Monkeyhouse at Orfeo's Festival in the Park? Isn't it lovely how that just came full circle?

Stories from the Somerville-Tiznit Sister Cities (part 5)

by karen Krolak

Part of a continuing series on Karen and Jason's trip to Morocco with 28 other people from Somerville...including Mayor Joseph Curtatone.

It is strange to remember that a month ago we were waiting for a bus at the Casablanca airport. Uff, I had such ambitious plans for writing about my trip. Between all the holidays and getting prepped for the Cool New York Dance Festival, however, I have fallen a bit behind.

Our camera's lens froze up almost as soon as we arrived so Jason and I had to rely on our phones for snapshots. These photos remind me of the formality, or perhaps ceremonious tone, of our activities. Somehow I had not expected to be

greeted by the Governor at the Agadir airport. He lead us to a private lounge area where we were served refreshing mint tea before being whisked off to dinner.

The following morning we attended a ceremony at the Culture Center and listened to several presentations about Tiznit and Somerville. I wish I had been able to get a shot of the beautiful billboard-sized banner that hung over the stage.

Our delegation reminded me of a mass of cotton candy as more and more people swept into our group. After every activity, new faces joined us on the bus and

swarms of reporters and photographers followed Mayor Curtatone and the rest of us as we toured sites.

Between the jetlag and the non-stop introductions, I was quickly overwhelmed with names. As my daners can attest, names are not my strong suit. At one point I met two gregarious students named Rachid and Redouan. Poor Redouan was so frustrated evry time he bumped into me after that. He would always ask if I remembered meeting him at the Culture Center and I would say, "Yes, your name is...is...not Rachid."

to be continued...

To comply with recent legislation regarding blogging, I should mention that my trip was sponsored by University of the Middle East project, The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in concert with Sister Cities International, the City of Somerville, the City of Tiznit and the Moroccan American Cultural Center. My G1 was a birthday present from a dear friend and loyal Monkeyhouse supporter at Google. Readers should know that my experiences would not be typical for anyone else.

Stories from the Somerville-Tiznit Sister Cities (part 4)

by karen Krolak

Part of a continuing series on Karen and Jason's trip to Morocco with 28 other people from Somerville...including Mayor Curtatone.

I am a fan of texture
and I find my G1 phone (thanks again, Richard)



captures great snippets of graffiti




&


intriguing layers.

to be continued...

To comply with recent legislation regarding blogging, I should mention that my trip was sponsored by University of the Middle East project, The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in concert with Sister Cities International, the City of Somerville, the City of Tiznit and the Moroccan American Cultural Center. My G1 was a birthday present from a dear friend and loyal Monkeyhouse supporter at Google. Readers should know that my experiences would not be typical for anyone else.

Stories from the Somerville-Tiznit Sister Cities (part 3)

by karen Krolak

I was feeling fairly droopy by the time we boarded our Royal Air Maroc flight to Casablanca and was not in the mood for the seat swapping chaos that erupted in our row. As soon as everyone settled in and snapped on their seat belts, I curled up for a nap. My eyes were shut before the overhead bins were. Thankfully, the scent of steak tips drew me out of my slumber. As I unfolded my tray table, the woman who had won the window seat next to me began to chat. I wasn't fully conscious when she introduced herself so I can not recall her name.

As I pulled the foil off my meal, she explained that she was looking forward to spending three weeks with her family in Liberia. Nine years ago, she had moved to Amsterdam and she described the awkwardness of being a bridge between these two cultures. "Luckily, I write," she proclaimed. "I have lived through a lot. When an unpleasant thought or memory comes into my head, I write it down so that I do not have to remember it," she continued.

Although she had never heard of Tiznit, she was extremely curious about the Sister Cities project. When I told her about Monkeyhouse in the middle of lunch somewhere over France, we unfortunately found that friction between traditional and contemporary art forms. Her eyes glanced down as she confided that she had never heard of a choreographer before she arrived in Holland. "I never realized that there were people who made the dances." she admitted with a tinge of embarrassment. I, however, was equally mortified by my ignorance of African dances and other cultures where dances were proudly passed down through generations.

We found common ground, though, once we started talking about choreography as moving with meaning. As I began describing projects Monkeyhouse has done with at risk teens, her broad smile beamed. She had a fifteen year old daughter who was finally able to join her in Amsterdam four years ago. Apparently, the culture shock had been much harder for her daughter. "If it hadn't been for her dance therapist, I don't know how she would have survived," my seatmate announced. "You should see what happens to her when she dances. I write but she can only express herself in movement. I wish women in my hometown had help like this but they would never go to therapy," she said.

At the time I wasn't sharp enough to respond. I have been wondering since then, however. Do you think social dances provide a cultural form of dance therapy? Do specific dances help people to express certain emotions or wordless ideas? Any thoughts?

to be continued...


To comply with recent legislation regarding blogging, I should mention that my trip was sponsored by University of the Middle East project, The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in concert with Sister Cities International, the City of Somerville, the City of Tiznit and the Moroccan American Cultural Center. Readers should know that my experiences would not be typical for anyone else.