3/17/12
3/14/12
Another March Master Class
by karen KrolakMonkeyhouse's Nikki Sao Pedro has developed a fabulous dance department at Endicott College. (In fact, I am setting a new piece on her students for a concert in April. More on that in a future post) Performing in her Cambridge Connections Concert in 2010 was thrilling for a bevy of reasons. Personally, I truly enjoyed when one of my former students from Impulse Dance Center, Natalie Miccile, took the stage with Phunk Phenomenon (some of you may remember Phunk from Season 6 of America's Best Dance Crew).
Watching students grow up in my classes is humbling, inspiring, and frankly one of the best parts of teaching. Natalie's enthusiasm for dance was obvious to anyone who met her as a child and I am so proud that she has found a style that highlights her strengths and her fierceness. She is teaching a master class with two other Phunk dancers this weekend at Impulse Dance Center. It is open to anyone 8 and up, so if you have caught early spring fever and are itching for an excuse to bust a move, head over to Natick on Sunday.
HIP HOP MASTERCLASS
Instructors: Natalie Miccile, Erin Mclaughlin, & Crystal Starkey
Sunday, March 18th
1 pm - 3 pm
Break’n…Pop’n…HIP HOP…
Open to ages 8+
$18 per person CASH ONLY
3/12/12
Dance Around the World: Candomblé Ritual
By Sarah Friswell
This month, we travel to Brazil where African roots influenced the rituals of the Candomblé religion.
In South America and the Caribbean, African drums were never censored as they were in the United States. This lead to dance being an important part of social and religious life for Africans and Afro-Brazilians. This drum and dance influence was strongest in Brazil because that was the center of the slave trade in South America. Slave owners in South America, as in the United States, were greatly outnumbered by their slaves. To prevent uprisings, South American slave owners decided to allow certain religious rituals instead of banning them in order to keep their slaves at bay. Candomblé was a popular Afro-Brazilian religion, much like Voudun, or Voodoo, of Haiti.
In one ritual, women dressed in white hoop skirts dance in circles in a Candomblé temple. The women, "daughters of the saints" dance for orixas (or-EESH-ahs), or spirits that can influence an individual's life. The women have trained extensively for at least seven years to be able to perform these sacred dances.
Before the dancing begins, the women offer an animal sacrifice to the orixas. Then they begin to dance to different drum rhythms. Each rhythm is created for a specific spirit and each woman dances to invite a specific spirit to come into her body. The aim of this process is for the dancer to go into a trance, falling on the floor and becoming possessed by the orixa she is dancing for.
The orixas "join" the ceremony by entering the bodies of these women because they enjoy the dancing and festivities so much. Once the woman has become possessed, they are moved into a special room for their deity. Each room is decorated in clothing and symbols that will please the deity.
The dances are all spontaneous, yet they follow specific guidelines for each deity. For example, "vigorous, stamping steps for the male god associated with war; fluid, dreamy movements for the goddess of streams and rivers; and so on"(Jonas 183). The traditions associated with Candomblé and African traditional religion spread throughout South America. Their influence can be seen in present day Carnival celebrations in Brazil, a nationwide celebration of the merging of African and Portuguese tradition.
Read more about Candomblé rituals in Dancing: The Pleasure, Power, and Art of Movement by Gerald Jonas.
Watch an example of Candomblé dancing here.
This month, we travel to Brazil where African roots influenced the rituals of the Candomblé religion.
In South America and the Caribbean, African drums were never censored as they were in the United States. This lead to dance being an important part of social and religious life for Africans and Afro-Brazilians. This drum and dance influence was strongest in Brazil because that was the center of the slave trade in South America. Slave owners in South America, as in the United States, were greatly outnumbered by their slaves. To prevent uprisings, South American slave owners decided to allow certain religious rituals instead of banning them in order to keep their slaves at bay. Candomblé was a popular Afro-Brazilian religion, much like Voudun, or Voodoo, of Haiti.
Photo Credit: Adam Monk Photography
In one ritual, women dressed in white hoop skirts dance in circles in a Candomblé temple. The women, "daughters of the saints" dance for orixas (or-EESH-ahs), or spirits that can influence an individual's life. The women have trained extensively for at least seven years to be able to perform these sacred dances.
Before the dancing begins, the women offer an animal sacrifice to the orixas. Then they begin to dance to different drum rhythms. Each rhythm is created for a specific spirit and each woman dances to invite a specific spirit to come into her body. The aim of this process is for the dancer to go into a trance, falling on the floor and becoming possessed by the orixa she is dancing for.
The orixas "join" the ceremony by entering the bodies of these women because they enjoy the dancing and festivities so much. Once the woman has become possessed, they are moved into a special room for their deity. Each room is decorated in clothing and symbols that will please the deity.
The dances are all spontaneous, yet they follow specific guidelines for each deity. For example, "vigorous, stamping steps for the male god associated with war; fluid, dreamy movements for the goddess of streams and rivers; and so on"(Jonas 183). The traditions associated with Candomblé and African traditional religion spread throughout South America. Their influence can be seen in present day Carnival celebrations in Brazil, a nationwide celebration of the merging of African and Portuguese tradition.
Read more about Candomblé rituals in Dancing: The Pleasure, Power, and Art of Movement by Gerald Jonas.
Watch an example of Candomblé dancing here.
3/8/12
International Women's Day
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.
3/5/12
Summer Stages Dance Feast
by karen KrolakIf you would like a taste of Summer Stages Dance, mark your calendar for March 25th. They have set up a smashing series of master classes and decadent dance related activities from 12- 6PM at Concord Academy in Concord, MA. Diverse flavors of dance, live music, and interactive activities will be on the menu, along with delicious edibles from local restaurants. The day will culminate with an all-star finale performance by Summer Stages master faculty (Psst...David Parker and the Bang Group will be performing their duet in the velcro suits!!! That alone is worth the ticket price.) and special guest artists. Best of all, you can sample as much as you wish from this smorgasbord for just $25!
Artists include:
Sean Curran, contemporary dance
David Dorfman, modern dance, and disco funk line dancing
Margaret Tracy and Boston Ballet, Intro to ballet, and intermediate/advanced ballet
Nani Agbeli, dance/drumming from Ghana with 8 drummers
Darrah Carr, Irish step and ModERIN fusion
Brandon Albright, hip hop and break dance
Catherine Gallant, Duncan technique
Gina DeFreitas, DeAnna Pellecchia and Lynda Reiman, Aerial Dance
ABADA Capoeira Boston, Brazilian capoeira
Elaine Fong, Taketina and Trash Can Taiko
South Indian bharatanatyam, Navarasa Dance Theatre
Olivier Besson, Contact Improvisation
Leslie Salmon-Jones, Afro-Flow Yoga™
David Parker and the Bang Group, Making Dancesge based movement workshop
Edisa Weeks and Delirious Hair Designs, Hair Art
Alissa Cardone, Butoh/Ima
Christopher Janney, Soundstair
Lexington High School Jazz Combo, live music and Swing dance instruction
Nell Bryer's "After Disappearance," Media Lab Experience
And more!
Tickets to this family friendly all-ages festival are $25 in advance and $30 at the door, and include all classes and activities, and admission to the final performance. Children 12 and under are $10 in advance and $15 at the door, and group rates are available.
Sunday, March 25, from 12-6pm
Finale performance begins at 5:00
Purchase tickets online.
Finale performance begins at 5:00
Richard Colton & David Parker Mentor SSD Choreographers' Project
by karen KrolakLast week, we covered a few of the opportunities for choreographers in the Boston area. Here's another one that is open to folks all over the country, the Summer Stages Dance Choreographers' Project Fellowship. Summer Stages Dance in Concord, MA, is celebrating their 15 season with a gaggle of amazing artists. Who wouldn't want to spend three weeks surrounded by David Leventhal, Risa Steinberg, Dan Wagoner, David Parker, Richard Colton, and Sean Curran?
Choreographers’ Project Fellowship
Applicants must be at least 21 years old.
Applications Due: April 2, 2012
Notification of Awards: April 16, 2012
The Choreographers’ Project gives promising emerging choreographers the opportunity to develop new work in a supportive environment. Fellows select a cast of dancers from the Summer Stages Dance Workshop and have access to rehearsal space in the evenings and on weekends. David Parker and Richard Colton mentor the fellows daily, and the weekly Choreographers’ Project Seminar class provides an additional forum for feedback on developing work. The fellows’ work is presented in the Choreographers’ Project Showcase, a professionally produced evening performance that is open to the public.
Fellowship awards include the following opportunities:
- Mentorship by workshop faculty and resident artists
- Access to all Summer Stages Dance classes and select performances
- The opportunity to bring one dancer/collaborator
- Studio space and rehearsal time with dancers drawn from the Workshop
- Weekly seminar classes that include informal showings of the new work, and culminate in a dialogue about the developing work with faculty and guest artists
- Open rehearsal and a fully produced public performance of work created during the residency
- Subsidy for housing and meals
For more information on Choreographers’ Project fellowships, call 978.402.2339
3/2/12
Deadline Extension for GSS Emerging Artist Program
by karen KrolakIf you are in the process of rapidly finishing your application to Green Street Studio's Emerging Artist Program, take a deep breath and relax for a minute. They have extended the deadline to Monday, March 5 at 5:00PM. Be on the lookout for info on the Summer Stages Dance Choreographers' Program later on this weekend. Don't worry, that deadline isn't until April. Isn't it exciting to have so many options to develop your work?
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