Upcoming Events!

by Aisha Cruise

If you've been fretting about how to spend your precious final summer weekends, rejoice! There's tons of dance happening just outside Boston this August, so if you've been meaning to plan a weekend get-away, feel free to use these events as impetus to get out for the end of summer!

Sun, August 11 & Sun, August 25 @ 2pm

JMBT School Open House
Presented by Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre
LOCAL! Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre (400 Harvard Street Cambridge, MA)
Join the Jose Mateo Ballet Theater for an afternoon of free trial classes for children ages 3-9 and adult beginners, refreshments, and a chance to win tickets to José Mateo Ballet Theatre's The Nutcracker! 

August 11, 12, 14, 17 & 21

Eva Dean Dance's Peter Pan & Stardust Dances

NYC FRINGE Festival, 14th Street Y

The impetus for Peter Pan and Stardust Dances comes from an interest in magic, joy and wonderment.  Featuring a variety of dances from the Eva Dean repetoire, they will also be premiering a new piece, Peter Pan (Shadow), set to music from David Khane's Peter Pan Ballet score.  Eva Dean and David Khane plan to work together on a full production of his Peter Pan Ballet, so consider this an advance-preview of magical larger work. If you were looking for an excuse to visit the north east's other major city, this is it!

August 15-18 

Cultivate 

Bethlehem, NH

This incredible dance festival is a grass-roots effort, designed to nourish and support community by 1) creating a space for contemporary dance to take root, develop and flourish, and 2) encouraging a conversation to develop between artist and audience.  Check out the web page for an adorable video and more information, and then plan a day trip to Bethlehem, because these people are awesome.

Thurs, August 15 @ 8:00

Sat, August 17 @ 6:30

Hapless Bizarre, Doug Elkins Choreography

The Yard @ Chillmark, Martha's Vineyard

Doug Elkins (Fräulein Maria) returns to The Yard with a merry band of dancers, actors and clowns to explore the sharp intersections between physical comedy, choreography, flirtation and romance. Expect near misses of physical action and attraction with high flying kicks and turns eliciting a range of emotions. This new work will be paired with "Mo(or)town/Redux," an homage to Jose Limon's "Moor's Pavane" set to a top 40 sound score, first previewed at the Yard in 2011. Do you need a better reason to head to Martha's Vineyard?

Sat, August 17 @ 2:00 & 4:00

24-Hour ChoreoFest 2013
Presented by Luminarium Dance
LOCAL! Dance Complex (536 Mass Ave Cambridge, MA)

Monkeyhouse loves Luminarium!  Our own Nicole Harris will be participating in this year's choreofest, which promises to be every bit as wild and wonderful as last year! Dancers stay up all night building short pieces to perform the next day, and come up with some brilliant pressurized dance!

This year's Jacob's Pillow Festival is coming to a close, and they're going out with a bang!  I could seriously just list everything on the website for August because it all looks wonderful, but the final performances promise to be truly spectacular. 

Don't forget their free outdoor performances are continuing every week in August!

FREE! http://www.jacobspillow.org/festival/insideout-schedule/

Ticketed http://www.jacobspillow.org/festival/events/ticketed-performances/

August 21-25

Martha Graham Dance Company

Jacob's Pillow, MA

"In honor of the 100th anniversary of the original iconoclastic dance The Rite of Spring, created by composer Igor Stravinsky and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky, America's most celebrated modern dance company re-stages Martha Graham's acclaimed interpretation." This is worth every minute of the 3 hour drive.

August 21-25

Abraham.in.Motion in Pavement

Jacob's Pillow, MA

"Kyle Abraham is a dancer, choreographer, Artistic Director of Abraham.in.Motion, and recipient of the 2012 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award.  In his newest work, Pavement, he layers urban and classical dance influences, bold imagery, and gripping, voluptuous movement."  Also totally worth the drive, and probably a good reason to take a long weekend in western Mass.  

August 24

Jacob's Pillow Festival Finale

Jacob's Pillow, MA

The penultimate performances by Martha Graham Dance Co. and Abraham.in.Motion will be followed by a Finale after party with the dancers, drinks and an awesome DJ.  Tickets range from $50-150 and will get you in to either show and the Finale party.  And fits perfectly into an extended weekend away.  (You're welcome)

Do you have an upcoming event you think our folks would like?  Click here to contact Aisha!

Add Some Dance to Your Summer!

Here are a couple places you might run into us or some of the other great performers we know in the near future!  This is just a small selection of performances available this summer.  Visit Jacob's Pillow & Summer Stages for even more Massachusetts performances!

07/09-08/04 -- FELA on Broadway
If you asked us to list our favorite choreographers almost all of us would likely have Bill T. Jones in the top five.  Don't miss his amazing show, FELA, as it returns to Broadway for 32 performances only!

07/12-07/14 -- TapTheYard
Join David Parker & Michelle Dorrance as they bring together some of their favorite rhythm makers (including Blogger in Residence Ryan Casey!) during the first tap and rhythm festival at The Yard on Martha's Vineyard.
 
07/16-07/19 -- Boomtown Festival
Monkeyhouse loves everyone over the the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge and we're thrilled that this year Princess Pamplemousse will be dancing it up with the one and only Marty Allen (of Uncle Monsterface AND Sock Puppet Portait fame)

07/25-07/29 -- Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company
Speaking of Bill T., don't miss his company at Jacob's Pillow!

Friday 07/27 @ 9pm -- Tyranny of Dave in Brooklyn!

Join Monkeyhouse supporter, collaborator and long time friend David Wechsler as he performs at Freddy's Bar and Backroom in Brooklyn!  You might even hear a few songs you recognize!

Saturday 07/28 @ 12pm -- David Parker & the Bang Group! 
FREE!!
Check out David and all your favorite Bang Group dancers for FREE!  Bring the family!

Saturday 07/28 @ 3:30 -- Summer Stages Choreographer's Project Showcase

While you're at the ICA checking out David Parker stick around and see works by Sean Curran, Mariah Steele, Teresa Fellion, and Annie Kloppenberg!

Sunday 07/29 @ 10pm -- Pinataland in Brooklyn!

While you're in Brooklyn, check out Dave's band and fellow Monkeyhouse supporters at Barbes!  You don't want to miss this!

Friday 08/10 @ 4pm -- Physical Poetry from Imperfect Bodies w/Karen Krolak

Join Karen at the Cultivate Festival in Bethlehem, NH for this exciting movement workshop!

Sat 08/11 @ 2 & 4pm -- 24 Hour Choreo-Fest

Jason Ries, Nikki Sao Pedro-Welch and a few Monkeyhouse guests will be locked in the Dance Complex overnight to create a new piece as part of Luminarium Dance's new project, 24 Hour Choreo-Fest.  Check out what they come up with!

Saturday 08/11 @ 7:30 -- Cultivate
Head on up to Bethlehem, NH to see the premier of Caitlin's new solo, Disarmed, performed by Nicole as part of the Cultivate Festival!

08/22-08/26 -- Doug Elkins' Fraulein Maria!

If you like David Parker you're LOVE Doug Elkins.  You don't want to miss this fabulous show at Jacob's Pillow!

International Women's Day

by karen Krolak

International Women's Day first came to my attention four years ago when I arrived in Orvieto on March 8th for Simone Forti's Logomotion workshop. As the holiday has gained popularity in the US, I am reminded of the magnificent hours I spent walking, talking, and dancing with a kickass crew of choreographers/artists from all over the globe. So in the spirit of International Women's Day, I am delighted to introduce you to three of the women who wowed me with their creativity and kindness during that trip.

Marina Tsartsara's - Originally from Greece but now based in England, Marina's interdisciplanary creations "explore digital-live interactivity, kinaesthetic effect, the use of the senses in performance and the relationship between dance and film/video, amongst other areas of interest." As it turns out her visual art performance entitled Wherever I look opens today at the Avinyo Theatre in Catalonia. Please go if you happen to be in the area and send me a message with all the lush details.

Katherine Ferrier - Katherine simply amazes me. We actually met at an Improvisation Workshop on Bennington's campus in 2003 and it was purely coincidence that we reconnected in Italy. Her show, Textures: New Mixed-Media Collage Work by Katherine Ferrier, will open on March 16th at the Maia Papaya Cafe in Bethelhem, NH. (Again, please send me details if you are lucky enough to see it!) In between dancing, painting, quilting, teaching, and writing, she somehow found time to launch and curate Cultivate, a seasonal showing of contemporary dance works with support from the Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire.  The call for applications to present workshops or perform at this fabulous fledgling festival just went up this week. I will post more on that later.


Ok, I have one more to tell you about but as the temperature in Boston breaks records, I find myself longing to wander around today soaking up inspiration. I have one more woman to write about after I return.  In the meantime, if you want to get to know even more feisty female choreographers, check out Dance Magazine's Growing List.

Cultivate Memories (part 2)

by karen Krolak

These images were all taken from the same section of Selene Colburn and Paul Benney's  Bethlehem Walking Tour at Cultivate 2011. As we braved our way through the field, all three seemed to evoke the same sensation of finding a path and yet they seem to tell very different stories.  I enjoyed how even the woman's tattoo resembled a mysterious map.

Kick*ss class @ Cultivate

by karen Krolak

Although I won't be at Cultivate 2011 in time for this workshop, who can resist a class called  “Seriously Awkward” Contact Improvisation? While all the titles are tempting, this description begged to be shared and opens up some interesting questions about how and why we dance. Hope to see some of you up in Littleton, NH.

Rebecca Bryant: 
“Seriously Awkward” Contact Improvisation
In this workshop, we will use seriousness and awkwardness to our artistic advantage:  We will take contact improvisation seriously by setting aside the sometimes recreational emphasis of contact in favor of technical, compositional, philosophical, and performative discourse, thereby framing contact first and foremost as a highly evolved art form.
Unlike many contact workshops that focus on increasing each dancer’s comfort level, we will cultivate the awkward.  The often unacknowledged stylistic emphasis on smooth, flowing contact dancing will be replaced by illogical, stilted, quirky, and surprising movement.  We will find a fuller palette of expression and artistry by diversifying our physical choices as well as our notions of what contact improvisation encompasses.
We will draw from structures created and utilized by the Lower Left Performance Collective, including: The Fussy Dance, The Four Winds, and Event Dancing.  As an integral part of this workshop, we will watch each other to observe the results of exploration and to incite and inform our own dancing.
class:    “Seriously Awkward” Contact Improvisation
time:    Friday 10am-12pm
place: Great Hall, WMS
cost:    $25 (or, included in any Fest Pass)
for:       Movers with some previous contact experience, especially those interested in performing
more:    visit Cultivate on Eventbrite to reserve your spot!


Pssst...did you notice that one of the photos in the Cultivate poster is from Dance in the Fells? That is because Sarah Smith, who we interviewed about the BDA Open Call last fall will be performing at Cultivate. Anyone else have It's A Small World echoing in their brain now?

Still time to Cultivate

by karen Krolak

Never fear, there is still time to register for Cultivate 2011. Seriously, hop in a car, catch a bus, or for the love of Gorgonzola, somersault if you must.

Come on, glance over the roster of participating artists this year:

Analia Alegre-Femenias (Iowa/ Puerto Rico)
Katherine Keifer Stark (Philadelphia, PA)
Selene Colburn (Burlington, VT)
Paul Benney (Burlington, VT)
Pamela Vail (Lancaster, PA)
Katherine Ferrier (Littleton, NH)
Vicki Brown (Tucson, AZ)
Amy Barr (Iowa City, IA)
Kathy Couch (Northampton, MA)
Rebecca Bryant (West Lafayette, IN)
Don Nichols (West Lafayette, IN)
Olase Freeman (Providence, RI)
Kathryn McNamara (Providence, RI)
Sara Smith (Amherst, MA)
Sarah Baumert (Boston, MA)
Kitty Clark (West Virginia)
Amanda Hamp (Decorah, IA)
Tori Lawrence (Philadelphia, PA)
Emily Anderson (North Conway, NH)
Arthur Fink (Portland, ME)

and try to convince me that you are not salivating. Whether you are drawn to workshops, performances, or walking tours, I am certain that it will be well worth the hike to New Hampshire. When you are finished drooling, you can gather more details on this fabulous, fledgling dance festival on Cultivate's ever articulate website. You better hustle, though, events start in less than 48 hours.

Friday, August 19

9-10           REGISTRATION
10-12         “Seriously Awkward” Contact Improvisation Rebecca Bryant (GH)
12-2           lunch + artist mingle WMS
2-4            Dance in the Classroom  Paul Benney (CE) / No-Fuss Ballet Pamela Vail (GH) / Seeing Dance Like a Photographer  Arthur Fink (T)
4-6            Initiation and Follow-Through Katherine Kiefer Stark (GH)
6-7            dinner at WMS
7:30          Performance in Theater
9:30          Artist/Audience Linger + Mingle at Cold Mountain Cafe (DT)

Saturday, August 20

8-9            breakfast at WMS
9-11           Mindful Moving Kitty Clark (GH)  / The Solo Self Amy Barr (T)
11-2           lunch+ mingle+ visit to Farmer’s Market (DT) | Bethlehem Walking Tour Selene Colburn, Paul Benney (DT)
2-4            Open Source Forms  Amanda Hamp (GH) / Kid’s Class! Leap, Tumble, and Roll Paul Benney(CE)
4-6            Latin-Modern Fusion Analia Alegre-Femenias (GH)
6-7            dinner at WMS
7:30          Performance in Theater
9:30          Artist/Audience Linger + Mingle at Terra (DT)

Sunday, August 21

8:30-10    brunch at WMS
10-12        Embodied Democracy Katherine Ferrier (GH)
12              closing ritual and final linger+mingle (TBA)

Locations of Cultivate Events
GH           Great Hall at WMS
T               White Mountain School Black Box Theater
CE            Creative Edge Dance Studio
DT            Downtown Bethlehem

Katherine Ferrier and Cultivate

by karen Krolak


I am so fortunate to have some amazing people as friends. For example, in the summer of 2003, Nicole Harris and Amelia O'Dowd floored me with an incredibly thoughtful gift. They scrimped and saved to send me to a magnificent dance improvisation workshop in Bennington, Vermont. I am not sure that I ever thanked them enough now that I think back on it.

One of the first people that I met that week was Katherine Ferrier, who writes, teaches, quilts, and choreographs. I was delighted when we crossed paths again at Simone Forti's Logomotion workshop in Orvieto, Italy in 2008. She is such a gentle magnet who always attracts a fascinating collection of artists. For instance, even though she has only lived in New Hampshire for a year, she has already stitched together a mini-festival of dance. If you are in the area or within a few hours' drive, I highly recommend that you join her.



Dancers, educators, dance students and dance lovers of all ages are invited to
a day of learning, sharing and showcasing
Saturday, August 14, 2010
White Mountain School
Cultivate is a partnership of the Arts Alliance's Extending the Dance Map initiative,
funded in part by Dana Foundation and the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts.
Visit the Arts Alliance website for additional details, to preregister for the workshops and to reserve tickets for the evening performance. Evening tickets are $10 per person, $20 per family.

The day begins with a series of workshops (for everyone from young dance students to school-based teachers to professional dancers) and culminates with an evening performance of works by participating artists. After the performance audience members are encouraged to linger and mingle over conversation and food at Social 2055, a new restaurant on Bethlehem's Main Street.

Participating artists include:

• Tiffany Rhynard (Middlebury, VT), Guest Artist at Middlebury College
• Pamela Vail (Lancaster, PA), Assistant Professor at Franklin and Marshall College
• Lisa Gonzales (Chicago, IL), Assistant Professor at Columbia College, Chicago
• Katherine Ferrier (Littleton, NH), Independent artist/educator
• Suzy Grant (Chicago, IL), Dance graduate of Columbia College and independent artist/producer
• Sally Bomer (Peterborough, NH), Lecturer at Franklin Pierce College
• Emily Anderson (North Conway, NH), Bennington College Dance student and New Hampshire native
• Vicki Brown (Tuscon, AZ), Composer, performer, musician with Movement Salon, AZ
• Emily Beattie and Eric Gunther (Boston, MA)