Rehearsing For What's NEXT

Today was our first day back to rehearsal with Mordine and Company after about a month off.  Whew!  One month off feels like 6.  Trying to replace 8 hours of rehearsal per week with other forms of movement is not easy.  I always come back just a little winded, but pick up speed by the second week.

Side note:  Over the break, I got to see Delfos Danza at The Dance Center. Some of the pieces were arrestingly beautiful and they all had astonishing lights.  Go Mexico!

Back to NEXT...
So our next show is called NEXT and is at Hamlin Park on May 16-17th, 2013.  Then I move to Washington D.C. like, the next day.  It's going to drive me a little crazy, but I did it in Miami, I can do it in Chicago.

NEXT is all about up and coming choreographers in Chicago being mentored by our own Artistic Director, Shirley Mordine.  So, the show will be a dance film by company member, Monica Thomas, a group work by Shirley, and 2 trios by the "mentees".  I can tell you that so far, one is about organic food and the other is about health care.  Very timely.

So, we're now shuffling around our schedules (outside of our regular rehearsal times: Mon/Wed/Fri 10am to about 2pm) and seeing who is available when to rehearse where with what mentee and then, away we go!  Thank goodness it's all paid rehearsal because extra rehearsal time means less regular day-job-y work.  Or in my case, a turned-down teaching gig here or a turned down extra shift at The Dance Center there.

Which brings me to another side note: When possible, gravitate towards companies that pay hourly for rehearsal rather than a big chunk of money for a performance.  Rehearsal is like sleep.  It takes up a BIG chunk of your working hours and you need to get paid for that.  Some (not all, but many) choreographers who just pay for the show waste lots and lots of rehearsal time.  They're also the ones who usually get free/cheap space.  If you do work for a choreographer that prefers to pay on a show day, make sure they have a rehearsal schedule set up before-hand (get that shit in writing) and then divide the final pay by the hours you are scheduled to rehearse.  If you're not making minimum wage, you either better be just starting out and building your resume, truly enamored of the choreography, or doing the choreographer a favor so that they'll dance in your piece for free too.

The end.

Oh, wait.  I'm also totally coming back to Chicago for Mordine's big show with Mucca Pazza at The Dance Center in October, 2013.  Just click on the link and TRY to tell me that's not rad.  So, if you're from the area, I'll be around September in the teens through the show and I'm available to teach masterclasses.  Hit me up.