Thursday, June 26, 2014

Laban Inspired Dance and Ophelia


This Thursday, Friday and Saturday (6/26 - 6/28) are the last days of show for Taffety Punk's run of Enter Ophelia: Distracted at CHAW.
"Enter Ophelia, distracted combines the striking intensity of actor Kimberly Gilbert with the refined and investigative choreography of Erin Mitchell, immersed in a sea of music and sound to expose the inner and outer workings of Ophelia's self."
As a bonus, on Saturday night (6/28) I am presenting a re-worked excerpt of my piece Space-Time:
"Event Horizon (solo) and Gravity (duet) are from a suite of dances called Space-Time that explores the relationship between astrophysical phenomena and human relationships. Energetic vacillations, spatial foci, and the images we create when we make decisions, form relationships, break ties, and move each other through life drive these pair of dances through space.  The creation of Space-Time is the creative arm of Katie’s heuristic research on Laban’s theories of the flow effort, his theories on its psychophysical manifestations and Sopoci Drake’s specific theories on their connection to 4-dimensional space that she’s been developing since 2009."
I'd like to invite all Labanites out to analyze the show.



Saturday, May 24, 2014

Nice Write Up From Philly


Philly was certainly a warm and welcoming town for Mountain Empire and our Telephone Dance Project was well received for the Salon Show and for the H-O-T Series. We made some new friends and can't wait to go back!

Read about our exploits courtesy of ThinkingDance.net


Thursday, May 1, 2014

May 2014 D.C. Area Dance Events Guide

Wayne McGregor | Random Dance
WEEKEND ONE May 1-4

5/1-5/3, Wayne McGregor | Random Dance
Kennedy Center
“Random Dance brings their multimedia work FAR, with score by Ben Frost and jaw-dropping visuals, including a computerized pin board of 3,200 LED lights.”

5/3-5/4, JOMDC Companies in Concert
5/3 at 6:30pm & 5/4 at 4pm DanceFusion Jazz Project, Jazz Factor, Raqs Jameel & Vibe Tribe!
5/3 at 8:30pm & 5/4 at 2pm Groove Elements, Soles of Steel & Rhythmix!
Atlas Performing Arts Center
“Join Joy of Motion Dance Center as they celebrate another season of Dance! Don’t miss this noisy celebration of dance!”

WEEKEND TWO May 5-11

5/6 at 7pm, Master Class: KEIGWIN + COMPANY
Kennedy Center
“The Explore the Arts master class series gives you an opportunity to take classes led by some of the most talented and creative artists in the world of dance.”

5/7-5/8, National Symphony Orchestra: NEW MOVES: symphony + dance: Thomas Wilkins, conductor; KEIGWIN + COMPANY / From Schuman to Bernstein
Kennedy Center
“Enjoy selections from Bernstein's On the Town and On the Waterfront with KEIGWIN + COMPANY in new choreography by Larry Keigwin, plus Schuman's New England Triptych and a new concerto with Sue Heineman, principal bassoon.”

5/9-10 at 8pm, John Jasperse presents From once between
American Dance Institute
“From once between is a new evening-length work by Jasperse in collaboration with composer Jonathan Bepler.”

5/9-5/10 at 8pm, Sean Dorsey Dance presented by Dance Place
Joe’s Movement Emporium
“The Secret History Of Love reveals the underground ways that LGBT people managed to survive and find love in decades past, despite tremendous obstacles. 1920’s speakeasies, wartime love affairs, police raids and steamy underground cabarets explode onstage in this powerful work by transgender trailblazer Sean Dorsey.”

5/10-5/11, National Symphony Orchestra: NEW MOVES: symphony + dance: Thomas Wilkins, conductor; New Ballet Ensemble / From Gershwin to Ellington
Kennedy Center

5/11 at 6pm, Ballet Company M presents their Spring Concert
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
“Ballet Company M presents their Spring Concert! Come out to see acclaimed works from Swan Lake, La Bayadere, as well as original choreography by their members.”


WEEKEND THREE May 12-18

5/12-5/13, National Symphony Orchestra: NEW MOVES: symphony + dance: Thomas Wilkins, conductor; New Ballet Ensemble / From Gershwin to Ellington
Kennedy Center

5/16-5/17, National Symphony Orchestra: NEW MOVES: symphony + dance: Thomas Wilkins, conductor; Jessica Lang Dance; with Leila Josefowicz, violin / From Adams to Copland
Kennedy Center

5/16-17 at 8pm, Tere O’Connor presents Bleed
American Dance Institute
“With each piece lending its own unique dancers, ideas, and approaches, Bleed forms a serendipitous new choreographic language.”

5/17 at 2pm, Connect the Dots Dance Company presents Sleeping Beauty
Atlas Performing Arts Center
”The performance will feature a ballet workshop, a ballet performance and a ballet craft.”

5/17 at 8pm & 5/18 at 4pm, Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion: Live! The Realest MC, presented by Dance Place
Ira Aldridge Theater, Howard University
“Live! The Realest MC, is a new ensemble dance work inspired by the duality of Pinocchio’s plight to be a “real boy.” The piece investigates gender roles in the black community and societal perspectives on the quest for acceptance in the world of hip-hop celebrity.”


WEEKEND FOUR May 19-25

5/23 at 7:30pm, The American Embassy of Dance presents: For the Love of Tap
Atlas Performing Arts Center
“Join American Embassy of Dance as we commemorate the 35th Anniversary of National Tap Dance Day, with performances by local artists and dancers from across the Nation.”


WEEKEND FIVE May 26-31

5/28 at 8pm, Modern Moves, in partnership with Dance Place
Reston Community Center
“Three of D.C.'s most prominent choreographers - Daniel Burkholder, Daniel Phoenix Singh and Erica Rebollar - come together to create an eclectic evening of thrilling and fascinating modern dance.”
What do you know?  I'm in this one!  Come see me :-)

5/29-6/1, Step Afrika! presents Green Is The New Black, presented by Dance Place
The Catholic University of America Hartke Theatre
“What if we could take the energy of stepping, harness it and reuse it to power devices and communities? Green is the New Black is a new work created by Step Afrika! that will explore, through the use of piezoelectric technology, our capacity to capture the “power” created through stepping and convert that power into electrical energy.”


5/30-5/31 at 8pm, Christopher K. Morgan presents By The Inch
American Dance Institute
“CKM&A concludes their season in their artistic home at ADI with an evening of mixed repertory that features two world premieres and a special anniversary reconstruction.”

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

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."

The audition times are:

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

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

April 2014 D.C. Area Dance Events Guide



Washington D.C.




New York City Ballet: Emeralds
Photo © Paul Kolnik

The Kennedy Center
4/2 – 4/6, New York City Ballet: Jewels at the Opera House
Tickets: $25-$95
“Boasting "an impressive new generation of dancers" (The New York Times), the company performs Balanchine's dazzling full-length Jewels, plus a program of works by Christopher Wheeldon, Justin Peck, and Alexei Ratmansky.”



Atlas Performing Arts Center
4/5 - 4/6, Camille A. Brown and Dancers
Tickets: $20-$35.50
“Camille A. Brown has sought to defy the boundaries between dance and theatre.  Brown has been commissioned by the Ailey Company, Ballet Memphis, and the August Wilson Dance Ensemble, among others. Storytelling through dance and engaging social issues that persist among past and present, Camille A. Brown & Dancers present Mr. Tol E. RAncE, a piece inspired by the Spike Lee film, Bamboozled (2002) that explores the sustained racial archetypes of black performers while celebrating their tenacity and perseverance.”



Dance Place
4/5 at 8pm, Companhia Urbaba de Danca, Edgewood Arts Center
Tickets: $8-$22
“Founded in Brazil in 2004 by dancer Tiago Sousa and choreographer and Artistic Director Sonia Destri Lie, Companhia Urbana de Dança is an ensemble of street performers working to foster the human experience through dance. Destri’s boldly original mix of contemporary Brazilian dance and hip-hop infuses both forms with new rigor, meditative one moment, explosive the next.”



The Kennedy Center
4/6, 8pm One Mic: Breaking Form: global urban contemporary dance at the Eisenhower Theater
Tickets: $19-$50
“Hosted by Jonzi D, this showcase of hip-hop dance features Project Soul (South Korea), SĂ©bastien Ramirez and Honji Wang (France), and Companhia Urbana (Brazil).



Joy of Motion
4/12 – 4/13, Dissonance Dance presents Black To Silver, The Jack Guidone Theater
Tickets: $18
“Black to Silver: A Black LGBT (now in its 2nd year), is a multidisciplinary arts production that examines and explores interpersonal relationships, identity and love within the African-American LGBT community.”



The Kennedy Center
4/15 – 4/20, American Ballet Theatre: Mixed Bill: Don Quixote and Works by Fokine, Ashton and Gomes, at the Opera House
Tickets: $25-$109
“ABT offers a feast of choreographic fireworks with its spirited staging of Don Quixote--praised for its "glorious passages of choreography" (The New York Times)--plus works by Michel Fokine, Sir Frederick Ashton, and Marcelo Gomes.”



The Washington Ballet
4/16 - 4/27, Peter Pan, The Kennedy Center, Eisenhower Theater
Tickets: $25-$125
“Take a high-flying adventure to Neverland with the The Washington Ballet's NEW Production of Septime Webre's dazzling Peter Pan. A swashbuckling coming of age tale that pits Peter and the Lost Boys against Captain Hook and his outrageous band of pirates, this whimsical adventure is told through vibrant dance. Peter Pan is a story about growing up that never seems to grow old.”



Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company
4/19, 1pm and 2:30pm, Premier of new work, The National Portrait Gallery, 1st Fl
Tickets: Free
“Choreographer Dana Tai Soon Burgess,Dancing the Dream artist-in-residence, has created a second site-specific work in response to the exhibition.”



The Washington Ballet
4/23 – 4/25, Tour-De-Fource: Balanchine!, The Kennedy Center, Eisenhower Theater
Tickets: $35-$12
“Only three performances! The brilliant next chapter of Tour-de-Force, a gala-style program of provocative and engaging, showstopping classical and contemporary ballets including Swan Lake, Flames of Paris, D-Construction and more. George Balanchine's Theme and Variations, the evening's centerpiece, evokes the great period in classical dance when Russian ballet flourished with the aid of Tchaikovsky's music. Only available to subscribers, Tour-de-Force is a season highlight not to be missed.

 

Washington Performing Arts Society

4/25 – 4/26 at 8pm, MOMIX Botanica, GWU Lisner Auditorium
Tickets: $28-$48
“With an eclectic score ranging from birdsong to Vivaldi, Botanica shows off the endlessly renewable energy of the superb MOMIX performers, with costumes, projections, and custom-made props and puppetry adding an extra dose of fantasy to the elixir. This is dance at its most organic and inventive. The seasons will never be the same. Co-presented with GW Lisner Auditorium and CityDance”
http://www.wpas.org/calendar/view.aspx?id=2355



Joy of Motion
4/26 – 4/27, Tappenstance In Concert!, The Jack Guidone Theater
Tickets: $12-$15
“Join JOMDC's resident adult tap company Tappenstance for our annual rollicking tap concert that'll have you keeping the beat in your seat! From 80's icons the Go-Go's to 00's R&B sensation Blu Cantrell, from North African Samba to Jackson 5 disco, you'll travel the world of music through the soles of our feet. Be sure to bring your tap shoes and show off your rhythms during intermission in our improv circle. 


 

MARYLAND

 
 
Cirque Ziva
Photo Credit: Amitava Sarkar
Strathmore
4/9 at 8pm, Cirque Ziva, The Music Center at Strathmore
Tickets: $26-$47
“Eye-popping fast-pace fun for the whole family! “Breathtaking! Cathedrals of contortionists in backbend rise before your eyes, body by body. Human obstacles, which tumblers flip over, widen in person-size increments. The thrill is escalation. These acrobats from China…keep topping themselves” (The New York Times). Catch the show before it debuts in New York City!.”

 
 

The Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts

4/12 - 4/13, Shared Graduate Dance Concert, Dance Theatre

Tickets: Free
“This concert features provocative choreography by Master of Fine Arts students in dance, focusing on new works in development. As the first opportunity for them to put material onstage and see what develops, it often contains the seeds of movement ideas that will be featured in their MFA Thesis programs — an unguarded exploration of their talents and interests.”
Dance Exchange
4/17 from 7-9pm, Showing and Critical Response Process feedback session w/ guest artist-in-residence Jessie Laurita-Spanglet, Dance Exchange in Takoma Park, MD
Tickets: Free
“This season, Dance Exchange brings the Critical Response Process HOME, offering our three Guest Artists-in-Residence the opportunity to share their dance-making with the DC-area community and to receive valuable feedback to shape and fine-tune their artistic products.”… “Facilitated by Dance Exchange staff and artists, these evenings will not only give audiences a chance to learn about these Guest Artists, but also the opportunity to see CRP in action.”
 


VIRGINIA






Moscow Festival Ballet, Swan Lake
Photo: Larissa Pedenchuk

George Mason University4/5 – 4/6, Moscow Festival Ballet, Concert Hall
Tickets: $28-$56
 
“This masterful corps of dancers presents a delightful afternoon featuring the most exquisite jewels of the ballet canon. This remarkable collection of ballet selections includes the highlights from The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Don Quixote; Fokine’s poignant "Dying Swan" set to music by Saint-Saens; Petipa's most loved gems from Paquita; and much more. This outstanding company from Moscow was founded in 1989 by legendary Bolshoi Ballet principal dancer Sergei Radchenko, who brought leading dancers from across Russia together to forge a new company dedicated to staging new productions of timeless classics in the grand tradition of Russian ballet. ‘The dancers of the Moscow Festival Ballet spoke to the soul through the body.’ (Post and Courier)”

Monday, March 3, 2014

March D.C. Area Dance Events Guide


Atlas Performing Arts Center
2/22-3/8, Atlas Intersections Festival, Multiple Atlas Locations
“INTERSECTIONS presents performances in music, theatre, dance, film, spoken word and performance art that offer new ways to see ourselves and to celebrate our community and our world.”

The Washington Ballet
3/5-9, BRITISH INVASION: The Beatles & Rolling Stones, The Kennedy Center, Eisenhower Theater
“When The Beatles and The Rolling Stones invaded America back in the 1960's rock 'n' roll changed forever. Relive this revolution inTrey McIntyre's A Day in the Life, an energetic, thrillingly visual and emotional journey set to classic Beatles' tunes. Through poignant lyrics, hard-driving guitar licks and strutting dance, Christopher Bruce's highly-acclaimed rock ballet Rooster, is the penultimate ‘battle of the sexes.’”

Christopher K. Morgan and Artists (CKM&A)
3/14-3/15 at 8pm, Dissolving, The Alden
“CKM&A returns for its third season at The Alden with an evening of mixed repertory. On the program will be the company premiere of Christopher K. Morgan’s 2013 work Selective Sync (originally commissioned by American University) and the world premiere of "Dissolving".  "Dissolving" artfully explores themes of water pollution and conservation, incorporating locally accumulated and collected rainwater into the performance. Choreographed by Morgan, and in collaboration with guest choreographer Dance Exchange Resident Artist Matthew Cumbie, the work features an original score by composer Jonathan Kolm.  Other CKM&A repertory will complete the program.”

Joy of Motion
3/15 at 8:30pm, 3/16 at 7pm Glade Dance Collective presents Wavelength, The Jack Guidone Theater
“In Glade Dance Collective's fifth year, we present our first full evening of exclusively Glade works. Witness the premiere of pieces exploring personal stories of transformation by our own Lauren Borchard, Jess Hoversen, and Betsy Loikow. You'll also see excerpts from Connections, Glade's collective piece sourced from audience interactions. And an audience favorite, District. Defined?, returns, showcasing the vibrancy and music of life in D.C.”

Washington Performing Arts Society
3/21-3/22 at 8pm, Koresh Dance Company, Lansburgh Theatre
“Join Koresh Dance Company for an eloquent and explosive program featuring Koresh’s choreography to classical favorites juxtaposed with contemporary and world music in an exploration of common rhythms. Known for an exciting and emotional blend of ballet, modern and jazz, the program will include excerpts from Koresh’s latest work Come Together, choreography set to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and Bach’s Air, and much more.”

Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company
3/22 & 3/29 from 11:30-3pm, DTSBDC Open Rehearsal, The National Portrait Gallery, 1st Fl
“Choreographer Dana Tai Soon Burgess,Dancing the Dream artist-in-residence, has created a second site-specific work in response to the exhibition. The Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company invites visitors to watch rehearsals and give feedback. Comments will be incorporated into the final work, which will premiere at on April 19.”

Dance Place
3/22 at 8pm, 3/23 at 7pm Rennie Harris RHAW, Edgewood Arts Center
“RHAW, Rennie Harris’ second company, presents dynamic performances of street dance, including: Campbell locking, popping & boogaloo, B-boy/girl, house and hip-hop social dance. Downplaying the abstract while pushing a dramatic aesthetic, RHAW forges new paths for young hip-hop hopefuls, and presents hip-hop in its “RHAW-est” forms.”

Dance Place
3/29-30, Telephone Dance Project at the DP2 studio in Brookland Artspace Lofts
“Telephone Dance Project (TDP), a long-distance dance collaboration, brings their unique site-specific improvisational performances to D.C. in a weekend full of dance. TDP will host an Improvisation Workshop at Dance Place, a Site-Specific Dance Exploration at the National Portrait Gallery, and a Salon-Style Show at Brookland Artspace.”

Atlas Performing Arts Center
3/29-30, Sannidhi (Sacred Space) with soloist Aparna Ramaswamy at The Theresa and Jane Lang Theatre
“Acclaimed Bharatanatyam soloist and choreographer Aparna Ramaswamy‘s choreography and performance have been described as “a marvel of buoyant agility and sculptural clarity” (Dance Magazine), “thrillingly three-dimensional,” and “an enchantingly beautiful dancer,” (The New York Times).”



MARYLAND

Baltimore Dance Invitational
3/6-3/9, The Collective and guests, Baltimore Theatre Project
“The Collective presents the 2nd Annual Baltimore Dance Invitational bringing together artists from the surrounding region for three showcase performances.”

Dance Bethesda
3/8 at 8pm, Dance Bethesda, Round House Theater
“Seven performers have been selected for the annual concert. Selected professional companies and choreographers include: Agency 9 (hip-hop), Bethany Disque (contemporary), Christopher K. Morgan & Artists (contemporary), Company Danzante (contemporary), Company E (contemporary), Nomad Dancers (inspired by traditions of India, Persia, Central Asia, Middle East, and Turkey) and Word Dance Theater (modern dance)”

The Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts at University of Maryland, College Park
3/12-3/14 at 9pm, MFA Thesis Concert: My Tempest by Ana Farfan, Dance Theatre
“A Prospero whose spells do not work anymore, a Miranda who does not love Ferdinand and instead wants to become a magician herself, an Ariel who is not interested in being released by Prospero … these challenging situations for characters from Shakespeare’s The Tempest live in Ana Farfán’s choreography, My Tempest.”

The Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts at University of Maryland, College Park
3/12-3/14 at 7:30pm, MFA Thesis Concert: Pleated by Stephanie Miracle, Dance Theatre
“Based on make-believe worlds, sibling rivalry and living-room dances, Pleated is a lively, imaginative choreography for three women.
Daring physicality and humble gestures are (re)constructed from personal memories and old home movies, creating autobiographical work that explores the brutal and beautiful landscape of growing up with sisters.”

Black Rock Center for the Arts
3/15 at 8pm, ClancyWorks, Black Rock Theater
“Local award-winning modern dance company returns to BlackRock with the world premiere of BenchMarks – which explored organizational partnering and deepened the artistic scope of dance in Montgomery County. The concert will also premiere By George!, a stunning movement display inspired by George Lewis and his Ragtime Band, jazz funeral music of New Orleans, choreographed by Bill Evans. See You Around, choreographed by Claire Porter and Sabatino Verlezza, combines subtle comedic moments and dialogue to create a highly entertaining and amusing dance theater piece that is not only humorous but thought-provoking. Finally, the concert will feature Displaced, choreographed by Susan Shields, an award winning choreographer described by The Washington Post as one of DC’s “best-kept secrets”. The company produces choreography that is physically demanding, powerful, evocative and profoundly human.”

Dance Exchange
3/20 from 7-9pm, Evening w/DX Green Choreographer Paloma McGregor, Dance Exchange in Takoma Park, MD
“In our second year of the Green ChoreographerResidency program, we are excited for Paloma McGregor, NYC-based movement artist, to share her work with the DX and DC-area community. Paloma is currently developing Building a Better Fishtrap, a multidisciplinary performance project that explores water, memory and home, as well as examines what we carry with us, leave behind and reclaim.” 

Black Rock Center for the Arts
3/29, Ballet Hispanico, Black Rock Theater
“Led by Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro and founded by National Medal of the Arts recipient, Tina Ramirez, Ballet Hispanico’s work fuses Latin dance with classical and contemporary techniques to create a new style of concert dance in which theatricality and passion propel every move. Choreographers represent a multitude of nationalities including Venezuela, Cuba, Trinidad, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Spain, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia. The Company has offered over 3,350 performances to an audience of over 3 million, throughout 11 countries, on 3 continents.” 


VIRGINIA

George Mason University
3/7 at 8pm, Joffrey Ballet: American Legends, Baltimore Theatre Project
“Frequently referred to as “America’s Company of Firsts,” Joffrey Ballet was first to appear on television, first to perform at the White House, and even first to appear on the cover of TIME Magazine.  This company remains at the forefront of American dance after more than fifty years of sharing their art in both their hometown of Chicago and around the world.  Now, this sterling company takes our stage to present American Legendsfeaturing Interplay, choreographed by Jerome Robbins, Nine Sinatra Songs with choreography by Twyla Tharp, and more.”

Reston Community Center
3/9 at 8pm, Rennie Harris RHAW, The CenterStage at Reston Community Center
“RHAW, Rennie Harris’ second company, presents dynamic performances of street dance, including: Campbell locking, popping & boogaloo, B-boy/girl, house and hip-hop social dance. Downplaying the abstract while pushing a dramatic aesthetic, RHAW forges new paths for young hip-hop hopefuls, and presents hip-hop in its “RHAW-est” forms.”