 | Happy Birthday to everyone who celebrates in January including: Jonathan Lee, Sabrina Schwartz, Kelsey Griffith, Heather Pagella Gant, Andy Jacobs, Eve Agush, Archibald Edwards, Sarah Style, Taye Diggs, Frank Sinatra, Etta James, Maria Tallchief, Gwen Verdon, Alvin Ailey , Anna Pavlovna Pavlova, Clayton Raithel, Debbie Allen, George Balanchine, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, José Limón, Kristin Sudeikis, Leonard Reed, Lester Horton, Lynn Schwab, Megan Bartula, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Penelope Wendtlandt, Risher Reddick, Shannon Sullivan, Shelley Neill, and Samantha Mullen. If you don't know who all these fabulous people are make sure you take a minute to check out some of the links! Whether they are famous choreographers or local supporters our birthday boys and girls do some really amazing things. Want to be on the birthday list? Click here and let us know when your birthday is! |
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 Happy Birthday to all our friends who are celebrating in November! Monkeyhouse Loves You!
Eva Dean, Mia Paschal, Brian Eastman, Chuck Green, Donna Rosenberg, Jon Taft, Aaron Copland, Soufiane Karim, Nick Boraine, Ryan P. Casey, Courtney Wagner Peerless, Rick Frank, Remy Marin, Savion Glover, Aaron Ximm, Kyla Barkin, Susie Telsey, Eleanor Powell, Benjamin Britten, Laura Scanlon, Kora Radella, Alexander Godunov, Busby Berkeley, Michelle Schlief, Mandy Patinkin, Isabella Carmenate, and Connor Shea. If you don't know who all these fabulous people are make sure you take a minute to check out some of the links! Whether they are famous choreographers or local supporters our birthday boys and girls do some really amazing things. Want to be on the birthday list? Click here to update your info and let us know when your birthday is!
Nicole Harris: Can you tell me about the work you’ll be performing as part of the OnStage Summer Performance Series? Lisa Costello & Nicole Zizzi: The work we are showcasing will be performed to the composer Roberto Cacciapaglia’s album titled Quarto Tempo. We are experimenting with how to bring visual diversity to a set of music that is more or less similar and coherent. We are also hoping to engage in a storytelling through movement by means of contemporary dance that is not literal in its purpose. We love to experiment with ambiguity in our movement vocabulary and choreography so that the audience can interpret our choreography in their own ways. We want each of the audience members to be able to connect to our work in their own ways so we don’t like to be too obvious in our intentions and meanings. However, we obviously pull our inspiration from very specific places, so it is always interesting to see how the audience interpretations align with our own inspirations. So we are very excited for the informal nature of the show and the ability to interact with the audience afterwords! The OnStage Summer Performance Series is a good place for us to experiment with our newest ideas and get feedback from a diverse audience.
L&N: Since January, we have both choreographed each of our own separate pieces and we think they have both been successful in their own ways! Our individual movement styles are very similar but it has been interesting to see how our choreography can be different. We both have similar choreographic processes in the way we use notebooks and notations, but the way they come out on the dancers bodies really show our individual personalities and that has been really cool to see! We compliment each other in our differences, which is why we ultimately decided to work together when we first founded Evolve. So it has always been something we knew, but it has been so fun to see how that has manifested itself physically! We’ve decided to highlight our differences by inviting additional guest choreographers to set pieces on us for this show. We are really testing the waters on our different movement and choreography styles have be brought together in a cohesive way. It’s almost like our differences are exactly what has inspired the whole concept of this show. N: Nicole, you had just recovered from hip reconstruction surgery in time to perform for NACHMO Boston. As dancers we are always hesitant to talk about injuries and setbacks, however, we all face them. What were the challenges you faced in getting yourself back on stage, especially after the prescribed “recovery time” was over? What did you learn from the time you were out of commission? What recommendations do you have for other dancers facing physical setbacks? Nicole: The prescribed recovery time technically wasn’t even over until mid-June, so I would say the biggest challenge was the time it took to recover. I had about a year and a half period of pain before the doctor’s could actually diagnose me with Hip Dysplasia. I won’t go into that story but if anyone is interested I have been keeping a recovery blog! https://www.nicolezizzi.com/never-give-up I think the biggest thing I learned from the whole 2 year process from pre-diagnosis to surgery and recovery was that you should never doubt yourself. If you feel like you’re in pain, listen to your body and, even more so, advocate for yourself! If the doctor’s aren’t listening, find doctors who will listen. I ended up with the most amazing support team from the doctors and nurses at Boston Children’s (who treat the Boston Ballet dancers!) to my physical therapy team at Girl Fit in Newton and finally my “mental skills coach” Kelsey Griffith out of the Micheli Center for Injury prevention at Boston Children’s. Each and every one of my care team members were fully invested in my recovery. I also had the most amazing friend by my side the entire time and that, of course, was Lisa. :) She came to visit me while I was in the hospital and danced for me when I couldn’t express my emotions through dance. I was fortunate enough to never have to leave the dance world because she helped me stay involved in every possible way I could. I unfortunately did have to give up a dance teaching job due to the injury, but Lisa and the rest of Evolve really made sure I was still involved in the dance community. I choreographed and improvised and even taught chair choreography while I was still on crutches. My biggest recommendation to any dancers facing any kind of physical set back is to surround yourself with people who support and care about you, who are able to listen to you when it feels like the world is caving in, and most importantly who are able to remind you that there ARE ways to keep dancing even if not the way you had before. N: What are three amazing things that have happened since NACHMO Boston? L&N: Since participating in NACHMO Boston, we have had some amazing advances through Evolve. After applying for the past three years, we were accepted to the Boston Contemporary Festival for the first time! A very big accomplishment for us as directors and as dancers. We have also hit double digits with our number of dancers. We now have 10 dancers and we feel very proud to know that two short years ago we were only a company of 2. Lastly, we are so happy to announce our first out of state collaboration with fellow company, The D’Amby Project, in New York. Keep your eyes peeled for the final product!
N: Monkeyhouse believes in the importance of both giving back and paying forward. Who are some of your mentors? How are you paying forward what was given to you?
Nicole: My biggest mentor was my dance professor in college Missy Pfohl-Smith. My university unfortunately did not have a dance major, so of course it made sense for me to study physics….(makes a lot of sense, right?) …. Anyways, Missy really encouraged me to bring in my interest of physics into my dance studies. She always encouraged me to be genuine and authentic in my artistic endeavors and that has been one of the most important life lessons I have ever learned. I ultimately decided to stray from the field of physics, but recently started my Masters in Architecture and I plan to one day own my own design firm in conjunction with Evolve. :) I am always striving to stay true to myself no matter how out of the ordinary that may be! Lisa: My biggest mentor is my former dance teachers, Karen White and Terry Paretti. They taught me every style of dance and instilled a pure love for the artform that dance can be. They also supported and encouraged me to pursue my dream of having a career in dance once I graduated from high school. I learned so much from them, I take the joy and love for dance that they taught me and pass it on to my youngest students at age 2 all the way up through my adult company members each day. I cannot thank them enough for shaping me through my early years into the dancer I am today.
Nicole Harris: Can you tell me about the work you’ll be performing as part of the OnStage Summer Performance Series? Jenny Oliver: This performance includes sections from our upcoming evening length concert, ‘Hot Water Over Raised Fists’ that will be further developed during our DanceMaker’s Residency at the Boston Center for the Arts and premiered in June 2019. HWORF was originally inspired by my desire to create meaningful dialogue around the broad issue of water rights and protest. The Dakota Access Pipeline protests and the water injustices in Flint, MI have stayed with me for the past 2 years. These issues became the nexus of the two themes of my show. The first theme water, exploring its importance, the destruction it can provoke & the sustainability it provides. The second theme is protest, investigating why it is needed, how it is used & the longevity it provides. We are in the beginning phases of exploring the development of these ideas and this concert includes excerpts resonant of a flip book of different manifestations of the two themes through a visceral experience using modern dance combined with a mix of jazz and eclectic music. While allowing us to share our perspective about water and protest this concert also allows us to fulfill our mission of Philanthropy through Dance. A large percentage of the ticket sales will go towards the Rasin Foundation’s De-Worming Initiative that it provides to the community of Leogane, Haiti. As a Board member of the Foundation I am eager to create an intersection between art and health in a tangible way. We are currently serving 1,000 children and 168 peri partum women providing medication to help prevent intestinal parasites that potentially lead to death.
To be a humanitarian is a duty that all privileged people should be aiming for. As defined by Merriam-Webster: a Humanitarian (n) is a person promoting human welfare and social reform. (adj) relating to or characteristic of people who work to improve the lives and living conditions of other people. These are the motivators for the work I want to produce. As Zora Neale Hurston is quoted as saying “If you are silent about your pain, they will kill you and say you enjoyed it.” My aim is still not remain silent about the things that affect my life and instead share my perspective with the world. The more variety of voices providing perspective, the richer the conversation and understanding can be. N: Your company’s mission, in part, is to create research based choreography. Can you explain what that means and how it may differ from other choreographic processes? JO: Creating research based choreography has been a wonderful experience and one that is new to my practice. In other works that I’ve made the focus has been heavily on movement, athleticism and the spectacle of the music. I’ve since shifted my approach to one that I’ve been exposed to through working with other choreographers that I admire and one that fully resonates with what I want to be saying as an Artist. Being able to immerse myself in the stories, facts, outcomes and potentials of the subject that I am focusing on has helped me to approach my dancers in a way that helps them create the relationships onstage that are full and robust. Once I have collected my research, I try to find ways to share that information with my dancers and discuss the most authentic representation on stage. Throughout my process with the dancers, we’re in constant dialogue about movement and how our relationships to each other are reflecting the overall message of the piece. Using this method is still new to my practice but experimenting with this approach has brought fulfilling challenges elevating my choreographic lens and enhancing the depth of my dancers.
Nailah Randall-Bellinger is a major mentor. She was my college professor who showed me a world of dance that I didn’t know existed. Almost 20 years later and she is the person that I call on as a friend and artistic advisor when creating work and discussing issues that effect that creation process. Bob Thomas was another college professor of mine who spoke truth to power about the realities of dance and career. He often helps me with strategizing to make money and inspires me with his ability to think way outside of the artistic box. He has often been a sounding board and friend to me over the years. Last but not least, Marlene Edouard, she has become my second mom and the person who introduced and guided me through the Haitian culture and tradition, not only of dance but life as well. She trained me in Folkloric Dance and opened many doors for me in Boston while encouraging me to dream bigger and execute larger. Through the work of my company and the classes that I teach both in the community and through the schools and universities that I work for, I am providing a space for people to discover dance and themselves. By creating critically thinking individuals who, hopefully, will continue to pay forward everything that I share with them my intention is to raise the artistic bar in this city.  Photo by Ernesto Galan N: Who are some of your favorite choreographers and why?
JO: Ulysses Dove!! His works are some of the first that I saw that really moved me to want to dance fully and share stories through movement. Particularly, VESPERS, still has me awe struck and butterfly filled. After watching his interviews I felt more connected to his work. He states “I am interested in passion. In every embrace, every second of life (should be) lived so fully that there can be no regrets, no retreat, no looking back.” -Published in Connoisseur magazine Other choreographers that I admire are Katherine Dunham for her anthropological approach to black dance, Pearl Primus for her choreographic works that reflected her research of black dance and culture in Africa and the Caribbean. Fatima Robinson for her edge and creativity in commercial dance and more recently Reggie Wilson for his approach and process to creating black dance using research based methods. I often find myself being motivated by the works that these people have created and the dedication that they gave to the art form.
Nicole Harris: Can you tell me about the work you’ll be performing as part of the OnStage Summer Performance Series? Noa Barankin: The theme of the show is "Rhythm Re-imagined" (which is also the title). In my work, the audience will be able to see new uses of props and technology, for the purpose of making rhythms and integrating them with dance and movement. In particular, the cast is made of all tap dancers. However, we are also drumming (on and with various objects), and doing body percussion. There is some integration of modern dance, as well as tap dance classics. I also like to call what I do - "visual rhythm", because it is rhythm that you can see. Most of our pieces are stand-alone, meaning that you can take them out of the context of the full show and they can be performed on their own. A lot of thought was put into making these pieces come to life, and the details are noticeable - from the choice of the prop to the way we use it and integrate it with the sounds of tap dance or percussion.
N: Who are some of your favorite choreographers and why? NB: Ummmmm all of them? I love all artists and learn from what I see. I absorb. Possibly Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire for their lack of fear in tap, and the endless incorporation of props and special effects in their dances. I'm ALL about props (as you shall see in the show!!) N: Monkeyhouse believes in the importance of both giving back and paying forward. Who are some of your mentors? How are you paying forward what was given to you?
Another mentor is Doron Raphaeli, who gave me my first professional paying job as a dancer. It was in Tararam, a drummimg company, where before that I have never laid my hands on a pair of drumsticks. As artists, we need that person in our lives, who gives us that trust. I'm paying it forward to my cast by doing the same - creating opportunity and teaching them something new.
The third one is Sean Fielder, through which I encountered most of my cast, and who gave me the opportunity to join the Boston Tap Company - my introductory dance path as a newbie in Boston. There is also Pam Caira, director of Step by Step dance studio, which is where we rehearse, and I cannot omit her name from this list by any means because she's a source of inspiration and a real supporter of DrumatiX. It's through her help and support that I am now able to bring drumming classes to the studio, for young dancers to get a taste of DrumatiX and explore a whole new world of rhythm making.
Musing Prompt #46.329 (premiere) Improvisation Prompt by Karen Krolak Performed by Caleb Howe, Elyssa Berg, Nicole Harris, Olivia Scharff and Sam Mullen Music by Twink the Toy Piano Band Special Thanks to Aisha Cruse Ukiyo (premiere) Choreographed by Nicole Harris Performed by Sarah Friswell Cotton, Olivia Scharff, Nicole Harris Costumes by Nicole Harris Special Thanks to Kelsey Griffith, Impulse Dance Center Ukiyo (Japanese) - the “floating world”; a place of fleeting beauty and living in the moment, detached from the bothers of life. [220] (premiere) Choreographed by Karen Krolak in collaboration with Sam Mullen Performed by Sam Mullen Music by Twink the Toy Piano Band Sam would like to thank Karen for the encouragement, freedom of expression and constant support. www.DictionaryofNegativeSpace.com
4 things (2018) Choreographed by Elizabeth Powers in collaboration with the dancers Performed by Michelle Boilard, Michela Doherty, Sarah Feinberg, and Elizabeth Powers Music by Mystified Costumes by Elizabeth Powers
Voetstoots (premiere) Choreographed and Performed by Caleb Howe and Nicole Harris Music by Francois Couture Sound Design by Nicole Harris Umbrella Design by Karen Krolak Special Thanks to Karen Krolak and Peter-John de Kock Voetstoots (Afrikaans) - refers to something, usually sold, with all its faults and without guarantees - “As is” * Created as part of Monkeyhouse’s Choreography Mentorship Program
karen Krolak: Lots of people loath collaborating. What drew the two of you to want to build something together? Caleb Howe & Nicole Harris: We improvise well together. We’ve had a lot of opportunity to experiment with movement together over the last year and while we are both happy with what comes out of those exercises, this was an opportunity to see what could happen with a more prolonged process. Caleb has never choreographed before, and so collaborating gave him the opportunity to build a piece without having to take on everything at once. kK: Can you describe how this piece grew out of specific Musing exercises? C: When you first made the umbrellas during the first generation of what later became the Dictionary of Negative Space, they had a very different intent than the prompts you gave when you brought them into rehearsal back in March. You handed an umbrella to me and asked Nicole to coax me out from underneath it. We were the only two in attendance which gave us the opportunity to do a lot in a short amount of time. Working with the same partner over and over again allowed us to build an understanding of how the umbrella moves even as the specifics of the prompt changed. N: When we left the studio that day both Caleb and I were interested in continuing to play with the ideas you had introduced. Knowing you and what you know of the roles depression and anxiety can play in both mine and Caleb's lives, I am not surprised that you selected those particular prompts for us. When we got in the studio this spring we tried to stay true to the idea of finding the ways you can help support another person, even when that means temporarily setting your own problems to the side. The idea of the umbrella expanded and the journey of the characters developed, but the seed of the piece continues to be that same exercise of two people supportively coaxing each other. kK: Caleb, how did the umbrella shape your movement choices? C: Much of the movement that Monkeyhouse is drawn to tends to be very grounded, either on the floor or with hands on the floor. The umbrella does not like to be upside down and so it restricts choices and required me to find more upright movement. While I do have some background in ballroom dance, the choice to use it here came much more from the restrictions the umbrella posed than simply relying on what I knew. kK: Nicole, this is the first time the you have collaborated with Caleb on choreographing a piece, how was the process different than other choreographers in Monkeyhouse?
N: Since I have primarily collaborated with you for the last 18 years, we have developed a shorthand (both verbal and physical) in working together which doesn’t exists yet with Caleb, so the experience was very different in that regard. I think my biggest challenge was making sure I supported Caleb, who hasn’t choreographed a piece before, in a way that didn’t impose my own agenda on the work or the process. kK: Caleb, what were some of the challenges you dealt with as you choreographed a piece for the first time? C: I don’t have any training as a dancer, The challenge for me building this piece was not having a movement vocabulary to draw upon, and having to construct each of the movements from scratch. N: Caleb described it to me as being similar to when a child learns to read or write. They don’t yet have the experience to recognize entire words but instead process each letter one at a time. I thought that was a really great analogy for what I saw in working with Caleb. kK: Nicole - how did you find the music for this duet? N: Before we knew what the piece was going to be we were playing Pink Martini’s “Hang on Little Tomato” in rehearsal. The movement instantly began to transform itself. However we knew we would not get the rights to Pink Martini’s music, so we slowly introduced other pieces of music discovered on Ilicensemusic.com until we found the right combination of what we were looking for, not too fast, no lyrics, not too heavy a swing. Once the music was selected I did a little editing to the beginning to help support the story we are trying to tell.
Nicole Harris: You are building a series of vignettes using four different dancers. Can you talk about who is in each section and what drew you to those people/pairings? Elyssa Berg: This decision came from watching how people interacted during Musings. I was able to work quite a few times with these ideas and throughout the sessions of Musings I was able to watch the pairings of people, seeing how they interacted with the light and each other. I chose the pairings in this way so that the connections appeared genuine and true to the relationship of the pairings. Nicole and Caleb are a part of the first section in which the feeling of the piece is curious and explorative. The second section includes Elizabeth and Sarah and the feeling is more playful which is very true to the relationship between the two of them and how they move together. The last section is a solo with Elizabeth in which I wanted the feeling to be isolated and contained. Thanks to Musings each decision was made based on how the individuals and their actions inspired me as they brought themselves to the work. N: You have built this piece very differently than you normally work. Can you talk about the differences (set choreography vs improvisation) and how you are feeling about the process of building improvisationally? N: You have led a series of Musings (a time for choreographers to play with ideas in a low stakes setting) over the last year in preparation for creating this piece. How have you used Musing time to help get you where you are now? What was something from Musing that was unexpectedly helpful? EB: Musings have helped me in feeling prepared to create. When you come into rehearsal with a big idea, of something you haven't done before, it can be very intimidating. The most frustrating part of building a new piece can be the trial and error process that you feel you don't have time for. It can feel like a lot of pressure to build something quickly with the resources that you have, feeling like everything you make has to be good. Musings gave me the chance to have all of the trial and error moments that you need before you start setting a work. Since there is no pressure in Musings you can try just about anything. You can go in with a small idea and just see what happens. A lot of unexpected things have happened during Musings that made their way into the piece. With all of this time to weed out the ideas that I didn't need I was able to focus on what I liked and what read the best. It was amazing to see how easy the building process of the pieces was after preparing through Musings.
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