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What is happening?
We will be sharing some of the research process for a new project we are building called _____[10]. We are thrilled to invite you into the process that we’ve been working on since last year and to talk about things like accessibility, collaboration, eulogies, and funerals.

Can you remind me again…what does choreography mean?

Well, we at Monkeyhouse define choreography as moving with meaning.

How do I participate? Do I need to do homework before I come?

Join us of Friday, June 9th at 6:30pm at The Foundry in Cambridge!

No preparation is necessary! Just come with curiosity!

But… what is a Skort?

skort
/skôrt/

noun
  1.  a garment resembling a short skirt but  
  2.  having individual leg sections usually
  3.  covered by a flap in front.
noun
 a short showing of works in progress
Skorts are short showings of works in progress. They allow us to ask questions about the work as it’s being built and you to have input in what’s being made while sharing a sneak peek into the choreographic process!

Since our earliest days Monkeyhouse has valued feedback from friends, fellow artists, audiences, and YOU! But we quickly discovered that even some of our biggest fans didn’t feel comfortable talking about our work or dance in general, so we began a series of programs that aimed to demystify dance, which is where Skorts were born.

Okay. What is _____[10]? (And how do you say it?)

From the Dictionary of Negative Space by karen Krolak
_____[10] (pronounced with a small pause and then the number, although you can also just call it 10!) is an entry in the Dictionary of Negative Space about a ceremony performed in a language that you can not speak or understand, and it is the jumping off point of this entire project.
Cassandre leaning back on a walker with her arms outstretched to the sides.
Photo by Shira Weiss

Hmm, why is there a podium and a walker?

Great question! karen lives with a rare chronic health condition that causes unexpected bouts of intense thoracic pain. She often uses a walker to help her manage to keep moving when she has pain. When karen was invited to the Dancing Disabilities Lab at UCLA, Rafi Darrow presented a workshop inspired by the Hebrew term, chavruta - n. Learning partnership; joint study session. "The person with whom one studies religious texts" In this workshop participants imagined that their access devices were study partners and karen built a choreographic phrase specifically for her walker.

​Ok, but that does not explain the podium.

Yes, so sometimes karen optimistically leaves her walker at home. When her pain strikes she looks for something with wheels like a shopping cart or a luggage cart. While at UCLA, karen noticed a podium on wheels.  During a session after Rafi’s, karen wondered about transferring the phrase she made to her walker to a podium. How were these two objects alike? How did each object shift the meaning of the exact same movements? Who do we expect to use a walker? Who do we imagine behind a podium? Those questions were part of what fueled her creative research for _____[10].
Cassandre surfing on her stomach on top of a wooden podium, arms and legs floating
Photo by Shira Weiss

​You mentioned earlier that she doesn’t know when she is going to have pain. What happens if she has pain today?

Thanks for thinking of that but don’t worry. We deal with this all the time in rehearsal and will adjust things accordingly.

Okay, back to the Dictionary of what now? Does that up there say that karen WROTE a DICTIONARY?

The Dictionary of Negative Space is an interdisciplinary lament for the words that the English language lacks for lamenting. Just like grief, it manifests in a wide variety of surprising forms including entries, illustrations, and in person events like this. Oh, and there is a book version that you can buy. 

Monkeyhouse has been partnering with the Dictionary of Negative Space since its inception (coincidentally, or not, almost exactly 5 years ago today) to create a variety of illustrations and interactive opportunities for some of the entries.

How do I get there?

This Skort will be held at
​The Foundry, 101 Rogers St, Cambridge, MA.
Public Transit
The Foundry is a 10 minute walk from the Kendall Square/MIT stop on the RED line or the Lechmere stop on the GREEN line. It is a 25 minute walk from the Community College stop on the ORANGE line.

Driving
There is no specific parking for The Foundry but there is a fair amount of street parking in the area. You may want to arrive a few minutes early in case you need to search for parking!

Driving directions to 101 Rogers St, Cambridge, MA

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Sponsors

This program is supported in part by a Live Arts Boston grant, The Mass Cultural Council’s Innovation Fund, and NEFA’s Collective Imagination for Spacial Justice program.

Special Thanks

The Foundry, karen Krolak, Nicole Harris, Jason Ries,
Cassandre Charles, Sarah Feinberg, Shira Weiss,
Lila Ruth Klaus, Christopher Croucher, Caleb Howe,
S&H Builders, Catherine Siller, Kim Holman,
The Dictionary of Negative Space, the Malden Dance Mile, Russell Dudley, UCLA’s Dancing Disability Lab, 

Accessibility

The Foundry is fully accessible to folks using mobility devices and the bathrooms are gender neutral.
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Do you have an access need we can meet to make this event more accessible to you? Please let us know!