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.

Peter DiMuro on ChoreoFest

by Aisha Cruse

ChoreoFest triumphantly ended just over a week ago, with much sighing and yawning and applause. And though the performances have concluded, the conversations continue! I was lucky enough to get to ask Dance Complex Executive Director Peter DiMuro a few questions about ChoreoFest and choreography at the Dance Complex, ChoreoFest's annual home.

A quick bit of background; a few weeks before the festival, the Dance Complex invited the ChoreoFest participants to take part in a Choreographer's Workshop lead by Peter, which was part of a longer event called Summer Sizzle. I eagerly accepted, and spent an amazing three hours building and deconstructing movement.

Given the Dance Complex's continued support of ChoreoFest, and knowing that Peter would be attending the performances, it made perfect sense to ask him some follow-up questions on the workshop and on ChoreoFest. Peter graciously and eloquently accepted.

Aisha Cruse: What made you invite the ChoreoFest participants to the Choreographer's Workshop?
Peter DiMuro: ​I often feel, that as young dance-makers, we're thrown into the world post-college or post-training with very little preparation as to what it means to "make dances". We're taught to make phrases, make-up movement. In technique class, there are combinations- often in straight lines across the floor. Even if we get to take a composition or choreography class, there is so little time to "undo" the majority of the time we spend in our training- isolating the technique from the "communication through movement".
I had seen the Choreofest through video and live snippets over the past few years, and felt that we might be able to help frame the intense 24 hour period with a mind set (and body-set!) that could de-rail the trained impetus to "gotta make up movement.." vs. "what are we communicating".

Aisha: The workshop we attended was part of a larger week-long event, which included an opportunity for choreographers to make and show work. Can you tell us a little about what
​ ​your goals were during the event and if it will be happening again?
​Peter: Each year we do two seasonal festivals- Winter Wonder and Summer Sizzle. This year, Summer Sizzle seemed to take on a new thread of creation- there was a choreographer's track as a through line, as well as some body/mind/moving somatics classes with Pam Pietro. I think with the choreo track and Pam's classes, the parallel in "how" we think about dance is the key ingredient: if we don't question the way we move, think, bundle and unbundle bodies and ultimately change (the hard part!!!), then we don't really have a chance to change the way we move, the way we create/craft dances.
As The Dance Complex continues, we will also keep reinforcing sustainable ways of thinking/doing- in our own Festivals like Winter Wonder and Summer Sizzle, but in on-going workshops we produce throughout the year- the CATALYST Classes, for instance.​

Aisha: ChoreoFest is incredibly happy to have the continued support of the Dance Complex. What kind of involvement does the Dance Complex (or do you) want to have with ChoreoFest in the future?
Peter: Since arriving here 2 summers ago, I feel like I am just understanding what the community holds as gifts to us- us at The Dance Complex but also for the whole community. It would be great to be involved with a workshop prior to the ChoreoFest as we did this year; I think it would/could get more means of interrupting patterns, ways of thinking.
I could see some of the works continuing on- and being presented in workshop or performance here say a few months later- what seed ideas are worth keeping or evolving into more?​

Aisha: Were there any moments while watching the performances that you saw or felt a connection to the skills we covered or discussions we had in the choreographer's workshop?
Peter: Of course the egotist in my wants to say, Sure! Everything connected! I'd love to ask the choreographer's the same question : how did they - or now, with reflection a few days later- interrupt the creative process patterns, movement patterns, spatial patterns, when under the gun like that.
I do think in watching that I saw the overall form of the dances- from each individual choreographer- be less connected to a known form (first a duet, now a solo, now a trio...now group unison- the kind of choreography that speaks to fulfilling some list of known ingredients). The dances felt more organically formed. And I sensed ownership by the dancers dancing- my own methods include a lot of work to get those performing to "own" movement right from the get-go, and not as a layer on top of "adding the performance", so this always is something that pops out.
It might be the nature of the 24 hour finite-ness that choreographers sense that they share creation/ownership in the process of making..​.or maybe partly the workshop that un-did some unspoken rule of the choreographer creating top down.
And I saw less unison! (That tool of the devil!) and when unison occurred, it felt less out of nowhere.
I'd encourage an examination of what, objectively with a few days passing, worked- even the unintentional aspects in performance, form, movement generation- and see if there is some way to set the likelihood that these can occur again..and that requires reflection and changing pattern....(It's always back to that! Dang!)

For more on Peter's work, please visit his website, PDM:Public Displays of Motion.
You can also find him on Facebook.

ChoreoFest Interview: Kimberleigh A Holman!

by Nicole Harris

photo credits available at http://kaholman.com/about/

ChoreoFest ends TODAY!! We are mere hours away from the first of this years ChoreoFest performances, and we're rounding out our final choreographer interviews. Our penultimate interview slot goes to our friend, collaborator, ChoreoFest organizer and one third of this year's choreographic super group, Paranarium House, Kimberleigh A Holman of the incomparable Luminarium!

Nicole Harris: What made you want to make the move from being a dancer to a choreographer?
Kim Holman: I've sort of always been a creator (as opposed to a dancer, though I enjoy moving), as I love cause and effect and watching the outcome of various experiments. The joy in a performance for me is not performing for an audience but watching something from the depths of my mind exist by itself on stage at the same time as an audience.

Nicole: What are you most nervous about regarding ChoreoFest?
Kim: At present I don't feel nervous about ChoreoFest, but last weekend I woke up in a panic and cold sweat at 4:30am worrying that I'd let everyone down by not making anything at all. That was the first time I've ever had such an anxious dream! I think since we are merging companies this year (Luminarium, Monkeyhouse, Paradise Lost), I'm slightly nervous at the idea of having so many bodies in one room with a finite amount of work time. Sure, I know most of the others in the room, but we've never worked together. There's something exciting, worrisome and beautiful about that.

Nicole: Have you participated in ChoreoFest before? If so, what is your favorite memory of that experience? What advice do you have for new ChoreoFest choreographers? Are there things you hope to do differently this time?
Kim: Of course, I'm 4 for 4! There are too many favorite moments for me to pinpoint one - if I had to it might be the singing coffee pot - but I will say that the best stuff happens in the common spaces (around food, in tech, in discussion). My advice to newbies would be to embrace opportunities outside of the workspace/studio. You might be feeling stressed, but take time to chat with others, share your concerns, let others into your studio to help. I'm changing my mind. My favorite memory is the failure that was the Year One ChoreoLympics. Never again will we ask a room full of exhausted frustrated creators to participate in organized games at 4am.

Nicole: Since this is a very controlled creative space (in terms of time and topic) where do you see yourself starting when you get in the space?
Kim: This year we have controlled time and topic, and the new experience that is Paranarium House! Tyler, Nicole and I met to talk about how we would approach making a new piece in a very collaborative new manner, and created a game plan. We will be using a lot of experimentation, sharing, writing and noisemaking with the three of us acting as facilitators. This might be the first time in my life where I have no idea what will happen and what the product might look like. Exciting!


Nicole: In creating a new work, what in the relationship between you and your dancers? Do they participate in the creative process? If so, how?
Kim: In past years of this festival my dancers have been integral to the creative process and I'd imagine it would be the same this year, just in a larger context. I enjoy starting a new ChoreoFest piece by working through concepts with experimentation and improv to see what might happen. Each new experiment is a refinement of what came before. I work similarly outside of ChoreoFest, though I tend to bring more specific ideas or choreographic material to try out.

Nicole: Knowing that Karen Krolak will be on hand as "choreographic guru", what things do you hope she can help with in the overnight process?
Kim: It will be amazing to have an outside set of eyes (clad in brand new ChoreoFest glasses, no less) to step in when we get deep in the process. Because the timeline is so condensed at ChoreoFest, it's so easy to get buried by ideas and lose sight of your initial impulses. Having someone around to ask questions and share what they are seeing will be so helpful.

Nicole: Who are some of your favorite choreographers?
Kim: I'm going to try to keep this random list somewhat concise: Andrea Miller, David Parsons, Bob Fosse, Mark Morris, Akram Kahn, Gene Kelly, Lloyd Newson/DV8 Physical Theatre... really anyone that makes dance with some driving force/passion behind it.

Nicole: Who are your mentors? How are you paying forward the things your mentor gave you?
Kim: As far as making dance and living life as a creator go, the wonderfully giving Karen Krolak has been invaluable to me in recent years and I certainly consider her a mentor (gosh, hopefully she accepts!). I think one of the sticking themes that I carry away from conversations with Karen is to not be limited by practicality in the face of a great idea, a sort of wild spin off on where there's a will, there's a way.

Nicole: Where can people learn more about you and your work?
Kim: LuminariumDance.org, or my brand new site kaholman.com. The best idea would be to come check out a Luminarium show, however, and there are lots of chances to do just that this fall.

Reversible Review of Secrets & Motion

Barry Duncan has become an avid dance enthusiast since he began collaborating with Monkeyhouse. We are thrilled when he participates in our performance packs and are always eager to see the palindromes he produces in response to the concerts. His reversible reviews often capture the subjective and visceral experience of watching choreography. Monkeyhouse thinks that they add an exciting layer to dance writing and so have offered to publish them as an ongoing feature of our blog. And, don't worry if you missed Luminarium's Secrets & Motion at the Armory, you can still catch it at Boston University Dance Theater on November 1 & 2. For more info, click here.

by Barry Duncan

SECRETS

(LUMINARIUM)

MOTION

pm

a

last

I

fire

paper

I

faded

light

ur

time

sees

its

era

rot

deep

sin

I

sat

left

one

no

hush

to

me

so

phases

I ran

I keep

I peek

in

arises

ah

pose

moths

uh

one

not

felt

as

in
I

speed 

to

Ra

rest

I 

see

semi

truth

gilded

a

fire

paper

if

it's

a

lamp

Copyright (c) 2013 by Barry Duncan

24 Hour Choreofest!

by Shannon Sullivan 

 

Back in May, when Nicole Harris asked me to jump on board Luminarium's 24- hour ChoreoFest I was very excited.  My initial thought was that this was a fabulous opportunity to work with Nicole. I also love performance venues that provide opportunities to bring different dance forms together.  

As August 16th quickly approached, however, my enthusiasm was equally matched with trepidation.  One of the major factors that I left out when I made my decision to join this project was the fact that I do not pull all-nighters.  How in the world was I going to function well enough to choreograph into the wee hours of the morning and also tap the next day?  I would love to say that the creative process carried me into the wee hours with endless enthusiasm, but my short and more realistic response is that I accepted that I was going to be tired, I tried not to wallow in my tired state, but I was indeed exhausted by the end of our performances.

Photo by Ryan Carollo

Aside from fatigue, the second greatest challenge that I faced was creating a dance piece while our music was simultaneously being composed.  David Wechsler, the composer for our piece, was actually working from his studio in Chicago.  This made transmitting ideas and sharing in the creative process a bit more difficult than if we were all collaborating in the same space.  I had never worked in this manner before.  Typically, I use recorded music or if I am performing with live musicians, we are "working it out" and sharing ideas in the same environment.  As someone who is truly inspired by music and the energy of live musicians, this forced me to approach the creative process from a totally different angle.  I'm not sure that I liked creating in this way, but I can say that David did a brilliant job composing and in the end, I loved the union of both the music and dance.  

 

Lastly, though I have known Nicole for years and have always applauded her work, I have never had the opportunity to choreograph with her and it was a wonderful experience.Though we have walked in many of the same dance circles, we each have a very distinctly different style and "voice" in tap dancing.  It was a pleasure to learn from Nicole and to gain a glimpse of her choreographic process.  I hope to someday do this again in a more relaxed environment.

My final thoughts and what I'll take with me after watching Luminarium's 24-hour ChoreoFest performance was that we have many very talented dancers and choreographers in Boston.  I appreciated that we were all able to share the same stage in this adventure and I hope our paths will cross again. 

Good Things!

  

*  Congratulations to Courtney Wagner and Jim Peerless on their recent engagement!

*  Monkeyhouse has a new intern, Danny Foner!  Keep an eye out for more information about him soon!

*  Longtime friend and supporter Leon Hovsepian just became a father, TWICE!  Congratulations, Leon!  And welcome twins, Leo & Logan, to the Monkeyhouse family!

*  Speaking of interns, four of our graduates headed off to college last month!  Best of luck to you Laila, Elyssa, David & Katelyn!  We can't wait to hear all about your adventures!

*  In addition to raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for The Jimmy Fund, the amazing Zach Galvin, sang the national anthem at Fenway Park last week!  Check out all the amazing work he's done with the Jimmy Fund Walk and maybe even get your walking shoes on!

*  Luminarium and Monkeyhouse Mused together!  In early August members of the two companies joined together share our creative processes and it was great fun for all!

*  Andrew Mudge's beautiful film The Forgotten Kingdom had its Boston showing last week.  Please go check it out if you can!  Congratulations on a job well done!

 

* Mara Blumenfeld, who gave Karen the original Princess Pamplemousse hat, is costume designing The Jungle Book at the Huntington Theater in Boston.

 

* South African actor, Nick Boraine is also in Boston this month for a five week residency with Global Arts Corps at ArtsEmerson. Monkeyhouse first met Nick when we both were performing at the NYC Fringe Festival in 2001. You can see him in free showings of the documentary, Truth in Translation ,and a workshop of a new project about the peace process in Northern Ireland.

 

* Our favorite palindromist, Barry Duncan was named Artist of the Month by the Somerville Arts Council!

 

*  Monkeyhouse reached over 400 "likes" on Facebook!  Thanks to everyone who spread the word!  We'd still like to keep going, so if you haven't already, tell the social media world why you love Monkeyhouse! 

 

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

Upcoming Events!

by Aisha Cruise

That crisp bite in the morning air leaves no doubt that autumn is almost upon us, and as Boston gears up for the 2013/2014 dance season, September offers up some unique performances and occasions:

Mondays 09/09 - 10/21 @ 9:30-11am
Monday Morning Modern w/Mariah
Green Street Studios
Come invigorate your week with Monday Morning Modern with Mariah!  Each class will include a thorough warm-up (floor & standing) designed to foster expanded range of motion and efficiency of movement, followed by center movement phrases in Mariah's distinctive style. Phrase work is technical, but organic and easy on the body, with a focus on theatricality, subtlety, detail and creative expression.  All levels welcome!

Some other great Boston studios starting fall dance classes:
The Dance Complex (for any dance you can think of)
Jose Mateo Adult Drop-in series (for classical ballet)
Cambridge Center for Adult Education(for ballroom, ballet, jazz and tap)
Brookline Ballet School (mostly ballet, but some fun exceptions)

September 13 & 14 @ 8pm
September 15 @ 2pm
Secrets & Motion
Arts at the Armory, Somerville MA
Last year, Luminarium brought you into the fanciful world of Mythos:Pathos. This September, be among the first to see the company's new feature production, SECRETS & MOTION, combining dance, light, and text to create a performance riddled with contemplative thought, and a little humor. Collaborating with photographer Larry Pratt and installation artist Hannah Verlin (Fun fact: Luminarium met Hannah at this year's Against the Odds festival!), Luminarium presents an evening deeply rooted in the secrets we keep, share, and dismantle, while transforming the space into a breathing work of art. There will be a reception after the Friday performance, so stick around for drinks and discussion about the performance!

September 12-14 @ 8pm
Sunday, September 15 @ 6pm
Lilith
Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown
A solo by Wendy Jehlen, "Lilith" explores the story of the first woman, who rebelled against Adam, and fled Eden. We view facets of her from the many perspectives that history, art and religion have viewed her - as the serpent who offers the apple to Eve, as a winged creature, a temptress, as an aggrieved mother a thousand times over. The creation of "Lilith" was originally inspired by the sculpture of the same title by Kiki Smith. The development of the narrative has been inspired and accompanied by the poetry of Keith Tornheim. 

Saturday, September 21 @ 7pm
Boston Ballet's Night of Stars
Boston Common
To kick off the 50th anniversary season, the Boston Ballet is offering this free performance on the Common, featuring the Boston Ballet dancers and the Boston Ballet orchestra.  I strongly recommend showing up early to get a good seat, because this event promises to have an enormous turn out.

September 28th @ 2pm & 9pm

Monkeyhouse 

DUMBO Dance Festival

25 Jay St, Brooklyn

Join Karen and Nicole as they perform two duets from Against the Odds alongside many other wonderful artists in the DUMBO Dance Festival!

Saturday, September 28 @ 8pm 

Sunday, September 29 @ 2pm 
Return
Aerplaye Dance
RISD Auditorium, Providence RI
"Return" features the work and dance of Aerplaye founder Heather Ahern. Appearing in concert with Ahern are Aerplaye's founding dancers: Jamie Arnold, Shura Baryshnikov, Sarah Hopkins, Kathy Gordon Smith, and Brittany Lombardi, with a cameo appearance by special guest Michael Bolger. The performance includes six dances from Ahern's diverse body of work; moving, and at times playful, dipping into performance art and referencing many genres of dance.

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.