Images from Chor-i-dor at ArtBeat 2009

The drizzle in Somerville today should wash away all the remnants of the chalk from Chor-i-dor at ArtBeat 2009.

These images, however, capture some of the elements of psychogeographic choreography experiment.

Thanks the hundreds of festival goers who participated either by interacting, observing, or inspiring us, we had a magnificent afternoon dancing and drawing.

There are several batches of pictures to sort through and more moments to share in upcoming posts. If you have any impressions or images of your own to share, please send them to monkeyhouseblog@gmail.com.

(Chor-i-dor is sponsored in part by the Somerville Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.)

An Experiment at Art Beat

by Karen Krolak
Remember how I was raving about the joys of living in Somerville, MA and I mentioned ArtBeat? Well, it is today in Davis Square and I will be conducting a choreographic experiment there entitled Chor-i-dor. As part of this process, Nicole Harris, Caitlin Meehan, Sarah Feinberg, and I will be performing at the end of the afternoon.

Chor-i-dor :
An ArtBeat Experiment
Inspiring dances of the not-so-distant future

by Karen Krolak,
2009 Somerville Choreography Fellow
& Artistic Director of Monkeyhouse


Questions and Answers about Chor-i-dor

Q: Umm, what will you be doing?
A: I will be watching unsuspecting people and informed participants (like yourself).

Q: Why are you doing that?
A: Well, I am working on a project this year to see how this city, Somerville, moves people.

Q: So are people supposed to start jumping and twirling like they are on America’s Best Dance Crew or So, You Think You Can Dance?
A: You could but you certainly don’t have to do so. I define choreography as the art of moving with meaning, something you are probably doing right now.

Q: So what are we supposed to do?
A: You don’t have to do anything. However, you can journey along the path under this pergola and respond to the environment around you. If you see signs or instructions, feel free to follow them or ignore them. Oh, and be aware that you might be photographed.

Q: And then what?
A: You can check back later in the day and see if something you did has been commemorated on the path to inspire others or to see an improvised performance based on people’s responses today.

Q: So is that all?
A: No, you could observe how others respond to Chor-i-dor or you could sign up to take a stroll through Somerville with me during the summer.

Q: Hey, that could be fun. Where do I sign up?
A: Send us an email at Monkeyhouseblog@gmail.com and Monkeyhouse will contact you about dates and times. Thanks for your interest!

(Chor-i-dor is sponsored in part by the Somerville Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.)

NEA Grantee of the Day - Somerville, MA

(Part of an ongoing series that demonstrates how some of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Direct Grantees have influenced Monkeyhouse's growth.)

by Karen Krolak

City of Somerville, Massachusetts/Somerville, MA/$25,000 -
What the Fluff, indeed! You have to love a city that celebrates "the genius of Archibald Query" otherwise known as Marshmallow Fluff. Two and half years ago, Jason and I relocated to Somerville and we were lured in large part by its unusual smorgasbord of festivals and its commitment to the arts.

Somerville is one of a handful of communities in the Commonwealth that provides fellowship grants for artists and this year I was honored to be given one. There will be more on that in a subsequent post but for now I am just going to focus on a few of the ways this city inspires me on a regular basis:

1. Fruit trees and artists, e.g. Daniel Maher, and Mudflat Studios, sprout up around every major square.
2. Our mayor, Joseph Curtatone played trumpet in high school and launched a new Jazz Festival.
3. This city is teeming with talented choreographers including:Alissa Cardone, Emily Beattie, Nicole Pierce, Jody Weber, Wendy Jehlen, and Aparna Sindoor
4. Somerville Arts Council hosts Art Beat each July and the Illuminations tour in December.
5. Brass bands rule the streets during the Honk! Festival.

NEA Grantee of the Day - Alonzo King's LINES Ballet

(Part of an ongoing series that demonstrates how some of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Direct Grantees have influenced Monkeyhouse's growth.)

by Karen Krolak

Alonzo King's LINES Ballet /San Francisco, CA /$50,000 -

On my recent trip to San Francisco, my first stop was the former Odd Fellows Hall on the corner of 7th and Market. This eccentric building with its antiquated elevator is the home of Alonzo King's LINES Ballet and the San Francisco Dance Center. I am always amused by the tendency for Odd Fellows buildings to evolve into dance spaces, e.g. the Dance Complex in Cambridge, MA.

Flamenco rhythms echoed off the walls and girls with taut hairdos raced to get to a ballet class as I searched for the room where Anne Bluethenthal was rehearsing. Each week hundreds of recreational and professional dancers from a wide range of disciplines study, choreograph, and rehearse in these six quirky studios. Though my contact with this organization was brief, I am awed by Alonzo King's dedication to the larger Bay Area dance community. Is it any wonder that Monkeyhouse's 2008 summer intern, Gaby Mervis listed him as one of her favorite choreographers?

NEA Stimulus Funding

by Karen Krolak

While out in San Francisco, I was thrilled to discover that the Exit Theater had been awarded one of the coveted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Direct Grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. As you may know, the Exit Theater hosts the San Francisco Fringe Festival, where Monkeyhouse performed in 2001 and 2002. In 2003 Monkeyhouse was also featured in DIVAfest, an Exit Theater initiative to support plays and new work by female artists.

The Exit's four stages in the Tenderloin district have been a vital hub for San Francisco's arts community for the last 26 years. Artistic Director and Founder, Christina Arguello continually creates opportunities that encourage collaboration and foster artistic experimentation. Hundreds of directors and companies including Mary Zimmerman, Banana Bag and Bodice, Mark Jackson and Sean Owens, have presented pieces under the auspices of this nonprofit.

When I returned home, Susan Hammond forwarded an email to me listing all of the organizations in Massachusetts that received these grants. I noticed that the City of Somerville was awarded $25,000 and that the Boston Dance Alliance received $50,000. That's when I realized how important these grants were to Monkeyhouse, even though we had not even applied for one. Monkeyhouse depends on an ecosystem of arts organizations to survive and I thought it might be useful to illustrate how some of the other grantees have influenced our growth. So for the next few weeks Monkeyhouse will devote a posts to this topic and call the series NEA Grantee of the Day.

TAP CITY

Summer's finally here and with it Tony Waag's TAP CITY festival. This week tap dance has taken over Chelsea Studios here in New York City with classes, residencies and workshops for dancers of all ages and levels. In the evenings there are tap jams, showcases and performances. For me, the highlights of the week so far have been: participating in a residency with Michelle Dorrance, who used our four days of classes and end of week performance to nod to Michael Jackson with a tap dancing Thriller tribute; getting to watch another MJ tribute at the Tap Youth/Tap Future showcase last night with Chloe Arnold's Pre-Professional Program; and a Tap Talks & Films panel on choreography with Brenda Bufalino and Barbara Duffy, moderated by Michelle Dorrance.

And then of course there's tonights "Main Event" featuring performances by many fabulous tap dancers including Jason Samuels-Smith, the Tap City Youth Ensemble, Michela Marino- Lerman, Derick K. Grant and the premier of Lynn Schwab's "Cross Fibers" (which I'll be dancing in).

Unfortunately the show tonight is sold out, so unless you are one of the lucky ones who already bought tickets you'll have to wait for the video to hit the archives at the Performing Arts Library... If you want more information about TAP CITY check out the American Tap Dance Foundation's website.

Rehearsing @ ODC

by Karen Krolak

Wow, so there are tons of drool inducing discoveries tucked into unsuspecting spaces in San Francisco. for instance, Spencer on the go!'s French food truck serves succulent escargot lollipops and lavander infused lamb stew out of a carwash parking lot. At the moment, though, I am reveling in the streamlined beauty of ODC's new building during a tech rehearsal for Anne Bluethenthal's Pluto in Capricorn.

As their website explains:
The two building campus includes eight studios, 3 performance venues, and several office suites. The Commons is home to a world-class dance company, ODC/Dance, a professional, pre-professional, and recreational dance training program, ODC School and Rhythm and Motion Dance Program, a Healthy Dancer’s Clinic, a Pilates Training Center and a nationally regarded presenting program, ODC Theater.

Heavens to Betsy, Boston's really needs something like this.