Hello my friends,

My show Spacetime Suite is coming up at the end of September!

Join me, Dance Metro DC's 2016 Presentation Grant awardee, for this fascinating concert featuring a cast chalk-full of the DMV's most innovative dance-makers.

Sopoci Drake uses astrophysical phenomena as inspiration for this human experiment in movement.  Black holes become the backdrop for human decision-making, the orbits of celestial bodies mirror intimate relationships, and the collision of galaxies give us a reflection of the movements of humans across cities and countries.  Set choreography and improvisational scores are used to study the effects of flow on both the mover and the observer. Watch art and physics collide in this critically acclaimed work described as "seductive, lovely, inhuman" (ExpressMilwaukee.com) with Sopoci Drake's signature "decisive and controlled vocabulary" (MilwaukeeMag.com). 

Audition For Dance Place's New Releases Choreographers Showcase

Hi Friends,
I wanted to pass along a D.C. opportunity for all those dance makers out there in the DC/VA/MD area.  Our local dance-hub Dance Place has just announced their audition dates for the latest round of the New Releases Choreographers Showcase.  If you're an emerging choreographer, this is the place to be.  Here's the deets:

ReVision Dance Company

"If you don't already know, Dance Place has an annual showcase where we present new works by local artists, selected by a panel of judges. I performed in it last year and it was a real treat! It's geared towards emerging choreographers -- you get to show your work in the Dance Place theater free of charge, tons of exposure and DP provides all selected artists with an honorarium."

You can get more info right here: http://www.danceplace.org/top-news/audition-new-releases-choreographers-showcase-2014/

The audition times are:

Friday, June 13 @ 4:00-8:00pm
Saturday, June 14 @ 4:00-8:00pm

November D.C. Area Dance Performances

November Dance in D.C. and Surrounding Areas

Joy of Motion

Dance Project Fall 2013 

Nov 9-10 (Sat. 8:30pm, Sun. 7pm) in D.C. at The Jack Guidone Theater

“Dance Project is an annual choreography showcase of the best local dance companies. JOMDC created the Dance Project series in order to give rising artists a performance platform. This concert will feature the Audience Favorite Award, where the audience votes for their favorite performance. The winner will receive a handsome package including 100 hours of free rehearsal space or a 50% off theater rental at the Jack Guidone Theater. Don't miss the opportunity to give a local dance company a chance to RISE!”

Performances by:

Nate Bond

Dayo N Dance
Delicious Lawn Gnomes

Rachel Leigh Dolan

Kaution Dance Kru

LoBrace Dance Works

Kjerstin Lysne

Casey Maliszewski

Motion X Dance DC

Piernas Locas Project

RebollarDance

relEASE

The SAPAN Institute (performing Saturday only)

https://joyofmotion.secure.force.com/ticket#details_a0SG000000F4yEqMAJ

The Collective

The Collective and ClancyWorks in Concert

November 16-17, (Sat. 8pm, Sun. 3pm) in Baltimore at The Theatre Project

“This concert highlights the rich history of collaboration between ClancyWorks Dance Company and The Collective as well as both companies' continuing mission to engage the community and ultimately use dance as a catalyst for social change. By returning to Theatre Project for the third consecutive season in a shared performance, both The Collective and ClancyWorks have committed to presenting new, relevant work that is both accessible and engaging. The Collective will present new work from their current season's repetoire as well as share the stage with The Community Project 2013, featuring dancers culminating a six-week rehearsal process as community members learning a modern dance work.” 

http://www.collective-dance.com/performances.html

The Kennedy Center

The Suzanne Farrell Ballet 

Nov. 6-10 in D.C. at The Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theatre

“As ‘one of the most courageous projects in ballet today’ (The New York Times), the Kennedy Center's own The Suzanne Farrell Ballet--led by Balanchine's famed muse--returns with two mixed repertory programs.”

http://www.kennedy-center.org/events/?event=BOBSB

Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty - New Adventures

Nov. 12-17th in D.C. at The Kennedy Center’s Opera House

“Renowned British choreographer Matthew Bourne returns with his latest re-imagining of a ballet classic. Danced by his company, this haunting new production is a gothic romance; a supernatural love story that even the passage of time cannot hinder.”

http://www.kennedy-center.org/events/?event=DODSC

Dances Made To Order

Featuring three D.C. dance artists including Erica Rebollar, Boris Willis and Iliana Silverstein 

Nov. 13, online

“Every month, YOU choose the inspiration then sit back as three artists rise to the challenge of creating dance films in just three weeks!

As soon as the films are ready, we put them online for your instant viewing pleasure. It's super convenient and affordable art you

don't even need to leave the couch to enjoy.”

http://dancesmadetoorder.com/collaborators/

Dance Exchange

Master Class with Laura Peterson

Nov 14, 6-7:30pm in M.D. at Dance Exchange

“Dance Exchange is thrilled to offer yet another master class this month! This time we’ll be moving with the immensely talented Laura Peterson, Artistic Director of Laura Peterson Choreography based in NYC. This master class kicks off an exciting collaboration between Dance Exchange and the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center Millennium Stage, where Laura will be showing her work \'Forever\' on Friday, November 15 at 6 pm. Throughout the season, the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center Millennium Stage and Dance Exchange will work together to bring some exciting master class opportunities with artists from around the country into our community.”

http://danceexchange.org/calendar/

Laura Peterson Choreography 

Nov. 15, 6pm live broadcast

Information is scarce, but here ya go:

Excerpt:

http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/live/

Dance Meets Theatre - DX & Single Carrot Theatre’s worshop on Devised Work

Nov. 21, 7-9pm in MD at Dance Exchange

“Dance Exchange has a long history of working with Theater companies to create more meaningful work on stage and in the community. This season, we are partnering with our Baltimore-based theater friends of Single Carrot Theater to host a series of tool sharing workshops, as well as this HOME series evening of discussions on how to create effective and evocative devised theater work that incorporates choreography.”
http://danceexchange.org/calendar/

Dance Place

City Rhythms Festival

Nov 23-24 (Sat. 8pm, Sun. 4pm) in D.C. at The Atlas Performing Arts Center

"Feel the driving heartbeat of DC as we bring together the area’s foremost rhythmic dance troupes. Dance Place resident company Coyaba Dance Theater presents their Female Drum Ensemble alongside hip-hop artists Culture Shock and Baakari Wilder’s tap dancers. Shuffle and sway with Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble and their signature Americana style. Then pump up the volume as the internationally celebrated Step Afrika! takes the stage with rapid-fire, precision stepping and electrifying energy."

http://www.danceplace.org/events/city-rhythms-festival-2/

Contact me if you would like your event included in December's listing

Dance Classes and Auditions... Again

So, I just moved.  Again.  This time to Washington D.C. and I am starting once again to figure out where the dance is, who is doing it, how they're doing it, and why they might think I could be a good fit for their company.

I, of course, tapped all of my Chicago sources before my move to see if they had any advice.  They mentioned Dance Place, Dance Exchange, Danny Burkholder, and checking out what Baltimore might have in store.  Baltimore?  Isn't that, like, in a whole different state?  This was my first lesson about the DC area.  I'm not in the midwest anymore.  Going from state to state is really nothing when they're only a few miles apart.

So, I headed on over to the Dance Exchange for Friday class with one of the rotating cast of company members.  This Friday, it was Sarah Levitt and her gentle, body-psyche-friendly style of teaching.  We started with a partner exchange of skin/muscle/bone-level touch from stillness into movement, warmed up further with a unison phrase mobilizing the spine and some undercurves, traveled across the floor in a simple structured improvisation (which always makes me work the hardest) and ended with a more complicated unison phrase which you can see below (yes, I am the one in black... I wish they would've shown Sarah just a bit to the left, then you'd see what the phrase should ACTUALLY look like ;-)

This was a lovely way to end a week full of unpacking heavy boxes.  Another bonus was that the class was mixed ages, so I was able to see a variety of takes on the improvisation work.

Next up was an audition for The Collective, a Baltimore based dance company whose members work collaboratively to create dances.  The drive took me about an hour and twenty minutes, but it was my first time driving out of DC, and I am especially cautious when approaching an interview or audition.  Well, I got there in the knick of time, which was a miracle considering that The Collective is based in The Bryn Mawr School which is tucked into a residential neighborhood whose dance studio is wickedly difficult to locate.

The Collective's audition process was a Bartenieff-based class filled with structured improvisations.  I'm starting to see a trend here in this area.  I'm not complaining one bit, since I'm improv-trained, and I'm interested to see how many other classes are going to feel like this.

Overall, the process was pretty darn painless considering the hatchet cuts and cattle calls I got used to in Chicago.  The audition was populated with The Collective company members which helped give you an idea of what kind of mover they were looking for and it helped make the 10 of us auditioning feel the flow of a company class. Then they wrapped it up with a personal interview with the company and away we went!  I'll get an email next week sometime.

Up Next: Audition at the Dance Exchange on June 18th.  Hopefully I'll be dancing again soon!