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By Nicole Harris
You can see Tova’s work at Arts at the Armory on Saturday, February 26th a 8pm! Tickets are by donation (pay what you can) and available RIGHT NOW! Get yours today! Nicole Harris: This is your first time choreographing for NACHMO Boston. What are you most excited about? What makes you the most nervous? Tova Teperow: I am excited to challenge myself to choreograph to house music. In the past I always selected music that told its own story through lyrics or big sweeping changes in the music, but choreographing to a steady house beat with little variation requires the choreography to do more of that work. I am nervous to challenge myself to make a piece so quickly! N: You work as a pediatric occupational therapist for students with visual impairments and disabilities. How has your dance training helped you better communicate and connect as an OT? How have your students/patients informed you as a dancer and dance maker? TT: I definitely think that being a dancer has helped me be a better occupational therapist. My dance training has given me a high level of body awareness (my dance teacher growing up used to say that you should dance all the way through to your pinky finger) and an ability to easily break down movements into smaller pieces. These are both critical skills for occupational therapy. Also, working with kids who are blind has taught me to be even more specific in my communication when teaching motor patterns for tasks, and I think this has translated to better communication with dancers when in rehearsal.  Alive Dance Collective by Olivia Moon Photography N: You have been with Alive Dance Collective since its inception. In what ways has the collective helped you grow? What makes the collective unique? TT: Being with Alive for this many years and being able to see it grow has been such an amazing and moving experience. I think that one way Alive has helped me grow is in being a better collaborator with other dancers to create movement. What makes Alive so special is that there has always been a very high level of emotional trust and vulnerability in our group. When a member wants to choreograph a piece that is very personal, everybody immediately rallies around that person and is ready to help them tell their story. N: I hear your piece for NACHMO is inspired by sunsets. Can you tell us a little about what you’re making and how it came about? TT: My piece is inspired by sunsets. The last few summers I have been particularly enamored with them and have gone out of my way multiple nights a week to go to a special spot where I can watch the sun go down and take a million pictures throughout. The cyclical nature of the sun setting and then rising and setting again but never the same way twice, the way a sunset seemingly starts small and then fills up the whole sky, and the bittersweet feeling of it finally becoming dark, are some aspects that have inspired my movement. 
Nicole Harris: This is your first time participating in NACHMO Boston. What are you most excited about? What makes you the most nervous? Geetika Bajpai: Yes this is my first time. Honestly, I am taking this first time with NACHMO as an "educational experience" since I am still new to the MA area (didn't get to know a whole lot and mingle due to covid since I moved here in Feb 2020), getting to know the fellow artists and their journeys, and getting involved in the dancing community is really a big deal for me. These are the things I am most excited about. I hope I can find dance partners who would be willing to dance to some bollywood tunes and create fusions of indo-western sorts ;)
GB: Yes, I began the group sometime in July 2021. The dancers that have participated in my group are all working women with full time jobs with kids/families to take care of. We all take time out from our busy lives just for the love of art. The name "Bawri" in a nutshell describes this love or passion for dancing. "Bawri" means crazy for or passionate for .. and in this case it's dancing. So Bawri is a group of women passionate for dancing. N: You started Bawri in July of 2021. How did you come together? What challenges did you face beginning while we are still in a pandemic? GB: I started looking for events to perform and given the pandemic situation, not many opportunities are out there to begin with for live performances. I am kind of shy to be on digital platforms (which I should), as in making insta reels or Youtube videos, basically not so big on creating my own stage through social/digital media. I love performing live with a live audience, even when the number of audience is less, pretty old school that way :) . Finding this kind of opportunity has been challenging with the pandemic and, also because I am new to the area. Another challenge was to find dancers who were willing to commit to practice for events and meet consistently for the same. Finding a location for practice that would work for all of us to meet and practice was another challenge. Given all this, I still consider this endeavor as somewhat successful as we got to perform at 4 events in short 6 months. I hope to find more events and connect with more dancers in future for performances.
GB: This is a great question. It's been extremely tough to manage both simultaneously, honestly. But it's doable at-least now, after being somewhat setteled with higher educational endeavors with my name search leading to a google scholar profile :). Both science and dancing is about creativity and this creativity is the common denominator in the two. In science, a lot of creative thinking is needed to solve the tough questions and be able to apply the knowledge in creative ways. Isn't dancing the same? Be able to flow creatively and apply the movements in creative ways to create a peice. Another common denominator is being "immersed" I feel both science and dance require being immersed into them. The deeper you go, the more there is to explore/learn and it never ends. N: We recognize how important mentors are to artists at all stages of their careers. Who are your mentors and how have they impacted your trajectory?
GB: Many mentors shaped my artistic journey. My Kathak guru, the late Shri Reva Vidyarthi, had a huge impact in my early years as I began the training as a child. My arts teachers at junior high and high school years were very encouraging. My dance teacher in the early 2000s when I had joined a hip-hop professional dance troupe in New Delhi was very supportive. Hip-Hop was new to me totally at that time and he showed incredible patience and belief in me. I was fortunate to learn and perform at various events in Delhi. After starting higher education, a sort of formal training has been on and off but many artists have provided inspiration indirectly. I consider all of this equally important.
Learn more about Zack here. Take the #MonkeyhouseNACHMOChallenge, learn more about NACHMO Boston, and discover where you can see these incredible artists’ work by following Monkeyhouse and NACHMO Boston on social media! Nicole Harris: I believe you will be working on something for your grad school thesis during NACHMO this year. Can you tell us about it? Zackery Betty Neagle: Yes, the work I am exploring for this NACHMO season is in conjunction with my grad school thesis. This will be 1 section out of 7 that will be a representation of the bioregion of New Hampshire through concert dance. Through research, explorations, adaptations, and conversations I am putting together an evening's length work highlighting New Hampshire's history, art's culture & community, agriculture, economy, and geography. There are seven regions to New Hampshire and this will be a synopsis of one section of the state! A goal would be to take this work to each of the regions and revitalize some Theatre's, Opera Houses, or Town Hall stages to show the ability & impact dance has!
ZBN: Since completion of filming with Turning Key Dance, we learned working with Jules the power of "YES and"; as both Jules and myself are Artistic Directors, we're used to making decisions solely based for our companies, however getting to collaborate on movement and angles and storyline, it was like we had a blank canvas and we each got to splatter paint of our own colors to create our work! Playing off of one another's ideas and energies. It was a wonderful artistic and friendship building experience!  Image by Sam Krueger N: NSquared has kept busy during Covid. What have you been up to? ZBN: NSquared Dance has been quite busy during COVID, aside from filming with Turning Key Dance, NSquared has been performing in several showcases in New Hampshire & Mass and has grown to be a fully established entity in Manchester, NH. Furthering our roots in New Hampshire, we are in the process of becoming a Non-Profit and look forward to sharing more concert dance works with Northern New England and the Boston area. Sharing the JOY of dance!
ZBN: We're great friends with NACHMO participant Amanda Whitworth and also Brett Bell. Luminarium Dance, and Bosoma are another of the NSquared Dance's favorites! karen Krolak, Nicole Harris, and Brenna Banister are fabulous artists for making this all happen and we are grateful for their creativity and encouragement! There is such diversity within the contemporary/ modern dance language and each choreographer has their own dialect which makes the performances and creations exceptionally special to watch, especially during this month of creativity!
You can learn more about Aftab here. To meet the rest of the artists, take the #MonkeyhouseNACHMOChallenge, and learn about upcoming performances follow NACHMO Boston and Monkeyhouse on social media!
Aftab Dance Group: In the Spring 2019 we performed in several Persian New Year events in the New England area (including the annual Persian Parade in NYC)! As we usually take a break over the summer and then start up again in the Fall, we then performed in Winter of 2019 at two local "Shabe Yalda" (Winter Solstice) events with new choreography. We had fully prepared for a Spring performance season with brand new choreography for 2020, but unfortunately the pandemic started right as Persian New Year events were kicking off (March) and all our remaining shows were canceled. We proceeded to take some time off and just filmed some videos outdoors until Fall 2021, but we are now excited to get back into rehearsing and performing! N: You have challenged yourselves to take on many different forms of Persian dance over the years. What is the thing that unifies all the forms? What draws you to one form over another? ADG: Over the history of the group we have taken on many different styles of Persian dance (Bandari, Baba Karam, Azeri to name a few), but we typically perform a fusion of modern and traditional styles as this is our strength and our audiences enjoy it. If a dancer joins the group with experience in a specific style or expresses interest in trying something new we explore ways to incorporate it into our routines!
ADG: We hope to expand our audiences to the greater dance community in Boston this year! This year our biggest challenge, like many others, is to create new pieces that are stage-ready while navigating the ever-changing landscape of what "performance" season looks like.
Aftab has long had a presence in the Persian community in Boston, but we have not had as much exposure to the larger dance community in the city. We are excited to continue branching out and to share our culture and choreography with everyone. We hope everyone enjoys all the work we put into our costumes and performances.
Learn more about Alex here. Learn about all of the NACHMO Boston 2022 artists, take the #MonkeyhouseNACHMOChallenge, and keep up with when you can see these artists work by following NACHMO Boston and Monkeyhouse on social media! N: You have done a whole lot since I interviewed you for NACHMO last year! Can you tell us a bit about the work you are currently touring? AN: Yes! NACHMO 2021 feels like so long ago and so many things have happened since then. I’ve been using it as a marker for my year so I’m glad it’s always in January. The work in question, 10 Recalling-20, is a collaboration between myself and Ashlea Sovetts, a South Carolina based dancer/choreographer. We both are Winthrop University alums and roomed together abroad many moons ago so the pandemic and reconnecting on Zoom is really how this piece started. We interviewed ten individuals varying in age, backgrounds, religions, orientations, and occupations about their experiences in 2020. Nodding to the fact that it was 10 individuals recalling 2020, we named the piece such and have taken inspiration truly from the stories told, gestures used, and connected the themes from each interview. One of things that still strikes me about the interviews was my favorite question we asked each of them: “What is one word to describe your year?” None of these participatns knew each other and they were all interviewed separately, however, three of the ten answers with “roller coaster.” It became a major theme of the work and inspiration for the entire second section of the piece. We premiered at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival in October and have been working our way up and down the east coast performing and presenting the process at the National Dance Education Organization Conference, the World Dance Alliance Assembly, and the Dance Studies Association Conference. We’re planning to bring it home to Boston in May alongside a few other artists for CURE8 Cambridge, another new venture of mine.
N: Ah yes, ‘Subtly Alice’ from last year’s NACHMO was such a shining light for me creatively. I had never made a dance on film and had really only dabbled in the process back in college with a film student, so it was a nice challenge for me. That process relied heavily on editing as we didn’t have as much time in the studio as I would to create a live piece. I was surprised in what we were able to accomplish with three rehearsals, well let’s call them filming sessions, and how I was able to meld my process to fit different schedules, maintain social distance and dive back into dance in person. N: This year you are working on a solo for yourself. Can you talk about what your goals are and why you are using NACHMO to reach them? AN: Something I learned in the last year is the importance of solo work. I was able to reconnect with a colleague of mine at the Equinox Dance Festival where we both were teaching master classes and presenting work. She mentioned that solo work, while rigorous and intentional, is something that you should always have in your back pocket. Realizing there is a work I’ve always wanted to build out, I’m using NACHMO for the mentorship and really the accountability to create a new solo work. My goal for this piece to process aging and birthday rituals as I close in on my 30th birthday this month.
AN: In so many other fields it is engrained that it’s all in who you know… well I’ve found it is the same in the arts. Maybe even more important. It was exciting last year to be able to meet some new people, see new dance and for some NACHMO participants watch the piece evolve for the Malden Dance Mile. I’ve also come into a mindset that nothing is ever truly finished. With 10 Recalling-20, every time Ashlea and I come into the studio there are new ideas, stronger ways to convey our message, and other avenues to explore. Strength needs time, and time creates strength. Ashlea and I have found a balance as a duo in collaboration and I’m always keen to mix in more of this in my life. Peer-to-peer mentorship is bigger than just creating something for NACHMO, it’s creating relationships in the greater Boston area and furthering the field of dance with deep meaningful conversation. N: Like Monkeyhouse, you are a Malden resident. We have been thrilled to see the arts community here growing since we first arrived. What do you love about this community and how do you hope dance can thrive here moving forward? AN: I’ve been living in Malden for going on three years now and I have loved to watch it grow! I really love the support of the local politicians like Mayor Gary Christenson. He’s always there for things, supports the arts, and I’ve caught him playing Pokémon Go on his breaks from the office, which I think is so funny! It’s been really affirming to see the stuff popping up in the center of town and the new forthcoming community arts center. Very exciting!
AN: So many locals I love! In the last few months, I’ve danced with and grown to know and love Rachel Linksy. She has such a wonderfully keen sense of herself and is always down to play. I’ve also been working more closely with Lonnie Stanton who inspires me every day to think somatically, be open to process, and invite others in.
Nicole Harris: You will be collaborating with a painter and a musician on your piece for NACHMO this year. Can you tell us about that? Abigail Ripin: We are playing somewhat of a game of broken telephone where we create art across our own mediums of expertise. I've sent both the musician and painter a video of a piece of choreography I created. Using this choreography as inspiration, they are creating music and a painting, respectively. They will share their work with me, and I will use it to inspire my next piece of choreography. I will then show the painter this choreography, and he will paint something inspired by it. We are planning to repeat this exchange a few times. N: You have extended out an invitation to work with new dancers. How has the process of finding dancers gone? How has it been working with new dancers? AR: I have been very lucky to have received a lot of interest from dancers who want to participate in my piece. I am looking forward to starting rehearsals and building a cohesive group dynamic. This is the first time I've assembled a group of dancers for a project in almost 4 years, so I am grateful for the dancers who are eager to contribute their time and talent, and I am optimistic for the potential of this work. I'm really excited to create on a group of 5 to 8 dancers and just play director and choreographer. It has been a very long time since I have not performed in my own work, so I'm looking forward to taking a step back and just focusing on creating. I'm also excited to connect with local choreographers through the mentorship tracks and see how my collaborations progress. 
Learn more about Cassandre here. To learn more about NACHMO, take the #MonkeyhouseNACHMOChallenge, and learn about where you can see these artists’ work, follow NACHMO Boston and Monkeyhouse on social media! Nicole Harris: What will you be working on for NACHMO this year? In what ways will you be pushing yourself in new directions? Cassandre Charles: This year I will allow myself to embrace stillness and smallness in my process. I’ll be continuing on the Dance on Film track for, This Black Artist, A Digital Visual Journal. This TIME based dance film is my arts journaling experience, prompted by working with NACHMO last year. I am pushing myself to have complete choreography for a “transition” vs. using improv to “tell a story”. I would love to see words like “and” “therefore” and the sound of breath in my body. ‘I am asking my body and brain to use the breathing, dance and reiki training I have received, (and continue to receive) to come together with joy and gratitude in choreography and self healing. And I want to dance!’
CC: My film was shown at the virtual 8th Annual We Create Festival (June, 2021) the Festival of You, Us and Them, The Dance Complex (September, 2021), and the City of Malden Winter Festival (December, 2021). N: You have been BUSY in the last year! Tell us a bit about what you’ve been up to and what you have coming up! CC: I reconnected and performed with my neo-burlesque troupes, Lipstick Criminals and Slaughterhouse Society. It was fun to choreograph a 90s hip hop piece for the Crimz show and sociopathic clown act for the Society in October. It was a chance to just have fun and be silly after being away from each other for so long. Luckily, both troupes have members who are casted in The Slutcracker, a burly holiday tradition that usually keeps us very busy during the season. We had a smaller cast this year and all were vaccinated. Unfortunately, we followed suit of many theatre shows and cancelled our last closing weekend performances after a Covid exposure. Our producers were always about safety first. We were required to be vaccinated and they provided rapid tests. But, like much of indoor stage life, the pandemic is driving the artists’ calendar. It’s a lesson in accepting the new normal in exhibiting dance. After a long, unexpected time-off, (thanks quarantine life) I am looking forward to using my Fall 2022 Monkeyouse @ ArtsAssembled Space Grant to work on filming for the NACHMO February event. I’ve peeked at the prompts and think this a perfect time for a ‘transition’ reel in my dance film journaling that challenges my choreographic skills.
CC: For me the difference I have noticed is the “when” I want to practice or produce in each medium. As I continue to view my dance journal I see that I am able to draw and dance, but not dance and draw. I don’t let myself go on the latter. Perhaps because I am a visual learner, to “see” a movement or shape then embody it is easier. I am excited about using NACHMO to explore dance then drawing as a prompt for creating work. I think it will help me let go of worrying about technique and just dance! N: We love our local community! Who are some of your favorite local choreographers? And why? CC: Marsha Parrilla, Danza Organica - I have learned a huge amount from Marsha’s workshops and was honored to be part of her first and most recent We Create Festival, celebrating women of color. Marsha has truly been a social justice warrior through her company’s work. Her dance aesthetic is strong and graceful, and she is generous with her curriculums in cultural storytelling and research. Jenny Oliver, Modern Connections - Jenny’s choreography makes me feel like this is what I am supposed to do in the world. Her classes are fun, hard and you will walk away each time so proud of yourself because she has told you to “live” when you perform her center choreo. She answers every question and when you are lucky enough to see her perform, it is magical! Jean Appolon, JAE Expressions - Jean takes me back to first Saturday dance classes in Haitian Folklore. I did not know all the connections to healing this grounded dance style has as a child. I learn and practice through JAE. His company members are just as kind in teaching and welcoming the community to move into healing. I am SO excited to see Wisty Andres on the list of NACHMO participants. Wisty is a beautiful dancer with such control of their body. I have experienced their choreographic genius as a dancer, and their healer’s spirit in their mindful workshops. And have to shout out Boston choreographers McKersin Previlus, LaKai Dance and Ronnie Thomas, Mystique Illusions. Both have a quality of movement that back up their beliefs and dance styles. It was an honor to see their growth as company founders and creative directors. They also promised I could jazz hands in their shows, a flare I think is underused.
Being from Boston, a predominantly white city, I saw a need to focus solely on Black dancers & choreographers in my first archival project. Boston’s black dancers deserve a space to know their works are exhibited with the best intentions and stored in ways that will preserve them for true historical research and reference in all the mediums possible.
It will also be a space for honoring our lost and living legend of multidisciplinary artists, who can be researched at the BPL. I want to support and honor black artists of all mediums. Please join my website or follow me on instagram for project highlights and how you can help Cassandre bring The Black Arts Sanctuary to public and private institutions across Massachusetts and beyond. Insta: @charleyarts Cassandre Charles The Black Arts Sanctuary
Learn more about Brenna here. Learn more about NACHMO, take the #MonkeyhouseNACHMOChallenge, and learn about where you can see these artists’ work by following NACHMO Boston and Monkeyhouse on social media! Nicole Harris: NACHMO Boston has stretched itself in a whole lot of ways in the last few years. After needing to switch to creating dance films last year there are now three different tracks available for choreographers this year and choreographers are coming to NACHMO Boston from all over New England! What are you most excited about with all of this growth and change? What roles are you hoping NACHMO can play for the artists in our community? Brenna Banister: I love that NACHMO Boston has grown and adapted over the years that I've run it. It feels like every year we're able to offer something more that benefits the choreographers we work with. For me, the excitement is in hearing how NACHMO Boston has impacted people in their choreographic journeys. We hear time and time again about how mentorship has offered so much to people, how they've met and deepened connections with other artists through NACHMO, and how this is an important time they take to set aside and create. Mostly, I hope that NACHMO creates community within Boston. I hope for artists to find people they can connect with and who enhance their artistic exploration. Whether that's someone they talk to about dance frequently, artists they collaborate with, or someone they just check in with now and again. All forms of connection are valid and offer us as artists a chance to deepen our work and practice. It's my opinion that often artists get lost in a small bubble or their own internal space, and growth and expansion happen when we connect with those around us
Where do you find the creative energy with everything else you do to keep NACHMO Boston up and running during the month of January? Where do you turn when that creative energy is running low? BB: It feels really ambitious to create while running NACHMO Boston! For the first few years I ran NACHMO I absolutely refused to also choreograph. However, I think due to my injury (mentioned later) and so much time of inactivity, I'm itching to do something creative right now. I also always find that NACHMO inspires me. The mentorship sessions keep my spirits and creativity up. Even the sessions where I don't show my own work offer me so much inspiration and motivation. Additionally, using the Creation track this year takes some of the burden off. I can create as much as works for me, and not feel pressure to come up with something that feels very "complete" and ready to present. Finally, working collaboratively with my dancers helps to keep ideas flowing and sharing the process with them allows for me to have rehearsals where I come in less prepared and see where the movement takes us!  Photo by Olivia Moon Photography N: You have been dealing with an injury for the last few months. How do you plan to tackle choreographing alongside this new obstacle? What are you most excited about for this new approach? What are you most nervous about? BB: Yes; in October I ruptured my Achilles tendon. I 10/10 would not recommend! I still won't be able to move much in January- walking is my expected limit. I plan to build my piece very collaboratively, which is an approach I've grown to love. However, this time I won't really be able to contribute my own movement. I'm excited to see what the dancers develop and watch them create instead of creating alongside. It will be fun to see their movement develop! As for nerves, I don't have many! I feel pretty connected to the dancers I'm working with so I feel confident that they'll be able to interpret my ideas without me being able to move and that they'll offer many of their own wonderful ideas!
BB: It's been so great to rotate Alive Dance Collective choreographers for the past few NACHMOs! I think it gives a chance for our group to get that kick in the pants and start the year off with someone different each year. Additionally, I'm so excited for added mentorship requirements. I hope that mentorship helps members of Alive find their voices and bolsters their confidence, while also connecting individual members of our collective with more members of the Boston dance community. N: Last year you shared your love for Evolve Dynamicz, Ruth Benson Levin & Lynn Modell, Kristin Wagner, Monkeyhouse, Sasso and Co, Public Displays of Motion, and Ryan P. Casey. Who are some local artists you specifically met through NACHMO that you love? And why? BB: I meet so many people through NACHMO! Jessica Roseman is someone who I got to know much better through Mental Health Happy Hours last year. She's a lovely person and I love how she works to make movement accessible to broader communities. I was able to attend one of her Nourish days at LexFarm and was so inspired! Also, Anne Goldberg-Baldwin is a NACHMO connection for me and I'm so fascinated with how her film last year combined her background in figure skating and dance. It was so beautiful! 
Learn more about NACHMO Boston, take the #MonkeyhouseNACHMOChallenge, and learn about how to see these artists’ work by following NACHMO Boston and Monkeyhouse on social media! Nicole Harris: This is your first time participating in NACHMO Boston. What are you most excited about? What makes you the most nervous? Dani Robbins: I'm most excited about participating in NACHMO because of the timeline--I think a huge part of a creative practice is sometimes making yourself available to create small projects quickly and with less self-judgment than projects with more luxurious timelines. There's an important set of skills buried there--following your intuition, making choices quickly, removing the second-guess impulse, celebrating your taste. I'm thrilled to be participating in NACHMO because I think so many of those deeper creative skills come to the surface in a collapsed timeline like one month. Now following my own advice on that is what I'm most nervous about... N: You run a dance program at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, ME. From what I understand it’s a fairly unique program. Can you tell us about it? DR: I'm really lucky to be teaching as an adjunct at College of the Atlantic right now. COA is a tiny liberal arts school where every student receives the same credential: a degree in Human Ecology. This makes for really well-rounded students that take everything from contemporary dance technique, to marine biology, to conflict resolution or poetry. I'm working to make the dance curriculum as interdisciplinary as the model of the college. Dancers and choreographers write, draw, and heal. They are political, they are scientists, they are active citizens. I try to replace the term "dance practice" with "embodied scholarship practice" as much as possible.
DR: To be honest, my rural location in Bar Harbor has been the singular largest challenge to my work as an artist for the past four years. It's difficult to make a 6 hour round trip to take class, see a show, or connect in-person with a larger dance community. However, I feel that I'd choose being a rurally-based artist again and again, because it has pushed me to develop a creative community for myself. That often means reaching beyond circles of "dance people" and engaging community members who might not have a long history with contemporary dance. That's where some serious magic happens, and it's allowed me to foster relationships with families, schools, students, seniors etc. I'm excited about the opportunity NACHMO provides to connect with the larger New England dance community, as that's something I really crave. I'm finding that being a rural artist just means casting your net for community a little further. N: You were artist in residence at Acadia National Park. Tell us about your experience! DR: I was really lucky to participate in the Acadia National Park Artist Residency program back in 2019 alongside a close collaborator of mine. We spent lots of time doing sensory-based work in the National Park (lots of tourists wondered who the folks laying on the rocks were...) I think the residency really challenged us to consider our relationship between our bodies, colonization, and the concept of "property." I feel grateful to have had that space as an emerging artist.
N: There are so many incredible local choreographers here. Who are some of your favorites and why? DR: One of my favorite Boston-based choreographers is Betsi Graves. I feel really lucky to have studied with Betsi as a young dancer through Urbanity Dance. I really think of her as a whimsical genius--she builds a captivating world for each dance to live in with its own delightfully bizarre logic. I also love to share space with Scott McPheeters, who is based in Biddeford, Maine. Just a radiant human. His movement really captures the expansive joy of dancing. N: We recognize how important mentors are to artists at all stages of their careers. Who are your mentors and how have they impacted your trajectory?
DR: One of my closest mentors is actually a Boston-based dancer, teacher, choreographer, Jaclyn Thompson Waguespack. Jaclyn and I met when I was really young, and in a very tender place in terms of my relationship to dance. She offered me a pathway through dance that was healthier and served my growth as a whole person. It's been a huge gift to grow together as artists.
Learn more about NACHMO, take the #MonkeyhouseNACHMOChallenge, and learn where you can see these amazing artists’ work by following NACHMO Boston and Monkeyhouse on social media! Nicole Harris: We are thrilled that NACHMO Boston is expanding into NACHMO New England! We are so excited to have you with us this year. What are you hoping to get out of this process? What will you be working on? Amanda Whitworth: I’m hoping to meet new artists and to prioritize joy in my own process. I’ll be working on animating soft sculptures where the body is fully or partially obscured. N: This is your first time participating in NACHMO Boston. What are you most excited about? What makes you the most nervous? AW: Most excited about expanding my community and being part of a creative movement that gets us talking and working. I don’t feel nervous, just glad to be connected.
AW: The cohort of artists at RDDI have helped me think about the kind of work I really want to make. That work is emergent, collaborative and not made for the proscenium. I’m collaborating with two badass women; Christina Pitsch, an mixed-media installation artist and Vivian Beer, a designer who works primarily in metal. We have given ourselves complete permission to play with whatever ideas we want. Together, we will show three short “experiments” that fully or partially obscure the human form. It’s definitely a WIP, very weird (hopefully in a delightful way) and not exactly intended for the stage - FUN! N: We recognize how important mentors are to artists at all stages of their careers. Who are your mentors and how have they impacted your trajectory? AW: I use the feedback and support from a “brain trust” to center my own process. That looks like a group of artists, friends, colleagues who I trust and check in with. Because dance shows up for me in non-performance ways, that brain trust includes folx from different disciplines and sectors. This diverse feedback helps me think about ways dance lives (for me and others) to sharpen creative projects and also as tools or modalities to support innovation in healthcare and education. N: There are so many incredible local choreographers. Who are some of your favorites (both from Boston and New Hampshire!) and why?
AW: It’s impossible to pick favorites so let me shout out NH based artists/companies: Sarah Duclos/Neoteric Dance, Nick Neagle and Zack Betty/N-Squared Dance, Joan Brodsky/NH Dance Collaborative, Aaron Tolson/Speaking in Taps, Amy Fortier/Ballet Misha, Lissa Curtis/Safe Haven Ballet.
Between now and the performance in February we will be sharing interviews with the 30+ choreographers who are taking the NACHMO Challenge with us this year! First up is Brett Bell, who is back with us for his second NACHMO in 2022! Nicole Harris: We are so excited to have you back for NACHMO again this year! What are you hoping to build now that we’re (hopefully) looking at live performance once again? Brett Bell: I am hoping to build a beautiful piece for the stage. My dancers are so talented and I’m thrilled to have them.
N: You do a lot of teaching all over the Boston area. What draws you to education? What do you hope your students take away from your classes? BB: Education is life, there is more to teaching just movement. I hope my students take away a sense of discipline and the importance of repetition. These are important life lessons that will keep you moving in the right direction.  N: What else are you working on these days? Can people see your work any time soon?
BB: I’m working on building my youtube channel in the hopes of my work will get out there for people to see. I would love to have more opportunities to create with other artists and build a decent repertoire. I’m also closely working with Jeryl Palaña on a new project she is developing which I am excited to be a part of.  Happy birthday to all our friends who celebrate in December!
Amanda Untracht, Amy Foley, Barry Duncan, Brianna Unsworth, Carly Krolak, Corey Hutchins, Darren Buck, David Makransky, Frank Sinatra, Jenna Dewan, Jennifer Beals, Jennifer Kuhnberg, Jessica Roseman, Jon Lavalley, Jose Greco, Khalid Hill, Mara Blumenfeld, Marty Allen, Natalie Schiera, Nicole Ohr, Ralph Farris, Robert Joffrey, Rowan Salem, Rudolf Laban, Ruth Faris, Sammy Davis Jr., Sarah Grace, Thomas Durand, Todd Shanks, and Vanessa Martinez de Banos  Happy Birthday to all of our friends who celebrate in November!
Kyla Barkin, Gracie Baruzzi, Busby Berkeley, Nick Boraine, Benjamin Britten, Isabella Carmenate, Ryan P. Casey, Aaron Copland, Andrea Underhill Curtin, Lane Dansereux, Eva Dean, Brian Eastman, Rick Frank, Savion Glover, Chuck Green, Alexander Godunov, Soufiane Karim, Laura Kinlin, Remy Marin, Jenny Oliver, Mia Paschal, Courtney Peerless, Jordan Pierce, Eleanor Powell, Kora Radella, Donna Rosenberg, Connor Shea, Michelle Schlief, Jon Taft, Susie Telsey, Aaron Ximm  Happy Birthday to all our friends who celebrate in August!
Alexandra Caporale, Alyssa Harris, Andrea West, Angelina Benitez, Bril Barrett, Courtney Blanch, Denise Sao Pedro, Derek Roland, Dorothy Christian, Drew Jameson, Ed Ryan, Elana Furtado, Elizabeth Powers, Emma Foley, Enid Beaton, Erin McDonough, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, Felipe Galganni, James Gant, Jeremy Wechsler, Jessica Muise, Jillian Grunnah, Jilly Richcrick, Jordan Rosin, Joseph Maimone, Joshua Legg, Kelly Long, Laura Neese, Laurie Sales, Lisa La Touche, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Michael Wonson, Mikki Shoji, Olivia Blaisdell, Samara Seligsohn, and Sarah Duclos Monkeyhouse Loves You!  Happy birthday to everyone who celebrates in July, especially
Aisha Cruse, Andrew Nemr, Arleigh Rothenberg, Catherine Buell, Dorothy Mahoney, Edgar Degas, Ginger Rogers, Jason LaVoie, Jessica Friswell, Joanna Macone, Jon Wye, Katelyn Alcott, Kim Holman, Lisa Conley, Marie Libbin, Mary McCarthy, Michael Flatley, Nicole Adams, Nicole Zizzi, Ninette Paloma, Pam Vlach, Rachel Solem, Randall Rosenberg, Renee Harris, Ruth Birnburg, Thelma Goldberg, Theresa Fellion, and Twyla Tharp Monkeyhouse Loves You!  Happy birthday to everyone who celebrates in June! Monkeyhouse Loves you!
Arie Steiner Hockman, Bob Fosse, Brenna Banister, Caleb Howe, Deb Pierce, Elisa Nikoloulias, Elizabeth Krolak, Fay DeAvignon, Fred Kelly, Gabe Nesser, Harold Cromer, Henry LeTang, Hjordis Blanford, Jeff Shade, Jim Peerless, Kristin Wagner, Laila Fatimi, Lucie Baker, Martha Clarke, Mary Sousa, Melissa Dollman, Micheline Heal, Nikki Felix, Pat Krolak, Patrick Flynn, Paula Abdul, Rebecca Whittington Ross, Rita Krolak, Rosie Steinberg, Sean Cummings, Shannon Sweeny Curran, Shari Kaplan, Terri Beaton, Tom Christian, Tyler Cantanella, and Xander Weinman, Be sure to check out the links above to learn more about some of these amazing people! Want to be featured here? Let us know when your birthday is! By Nicole Harris N: How was the NACHMO experience? What was something that went really well? What was something that went a little sideways? BB: I have been choreographing for over 10 years and every experience has its ups and downs. For NACHMO, I felt it was such a new experience creating dance on film that everything felt wrong, but in a good way. I was challenged to use tools that went familiar, and unsure of where to start and what the outcome would be as a whole. I am pleased to say I would do this over and over and over again, and take what I have learned from NACHMO as I continue to create for as long as I can.
N: What sort of changes (if any) did you make between the NACHMO Boston informal showing and the Malden Dance Mile? BB: The changes between the informal and MDM showing I made, were use of space. I needed to consider the audience receiving more of a personal experience. Taking away the frontal view, and giving a visually uncomfortable take of searching for happiness.
BB: YES, this is very important. We must lift each other as artists because what we do is valuable and could have great impact on our communities. Im a FAN FAV of my dancers/ Boston based creators, Jeryl Palana and Deidre Lewis. These two fantastic women have continued to support me as I have supported them. To name a few more, Angie Conte, William McLaughlin, and Joe Gonzalez.  By Nicole Harris N: In addition to being the NACHMO Boston regional director you were inspired to choreograph a piece this year! What made you excited about your idea? BB: I initially started off the year not intending to choreograph. My first year as regional director I also choreographed and danced in a piece, and it was far too much for one month! However, once the month got rolling I was so excited by what everyone else was doing that I wanted in. A prompt put forth by NACHMO HQ this year was to dance with a piece of paper constantly connected to your body and the ground, and I found that very appealing. That was how the first phrase of my piece was created and I went from there!
I’ve also learned that organizing is key, having help makes everything more exciting (yay Monkeyhouse!), the Boston dance community needs more positive experiences with what mentorship means, and that choreographers are always excited by this opportunity. My favorite part of NACHMO is seeing new connections being formed! N: This year’s NACHMO was different than past years. What was one of your favorite moments? What was something that went a little sideways? BB: It was certainly different but so wonderful! I loved forming connections in the small groups of the Mental Health Happy Hours. It was amazing to form real, deep connection in a time when connection was so hard to come by. I also loved all of the group mentorship sessions. Each one was unique, but the current running through all of them was how kind and thoughtful people were about offering insight and feedback to each other. I left each session feeling inspired and full of admiration for the community that was created.
I try to pay these gifts forward by having a door open to talk about dance and life with the younger generation that I was lucky enough to get to know through a few years of teaching dance. Plus, by offering mentorship opportunities at NACHMO Boston with the goal that they feel as safe and fortifying as mine do. N: It is important to us that we continue to lift up other artists in our community. Who are some of your favorite Boston area choreographers? Why? BB: There are so many! Evolve Dynamicz, Ruth Benson & Lynn Modell, Kristin Wagner, Monkeyhouse, Sasso and Co, Public Displays of Motion, Ryan P Casey, and more!  N: We are so thrilled to be in Malden! Do you have any connections to this fantastic city?
BB: I unfortunately have not spent a lot of time in Malden, except for one time in Summer 2020 when my partner and I kayaked in the Mystic River. It was a beautiful day towards the end of the summer and was a new spot for us. I'm looking forward to returning to kayak again at some point this year!
N: For NACHMO Boston this year you created a piece on the ice. Can you tell me a bit about your history with ice skating? How has it complimented and contradicted your experience as a dancer? AG-B: Sure! It's interesting, my dance background actually began as a supplement to my skating career. I started taking ballet at the age of 9 (rather late!) to help with my posture, extension, and coordination on the ice, and I became increasingly interested in various dance forms as I continued my competitive track in figure skating. As my competitive career came to an end, I started to transition more and more to dance as a practice, and when I moved to NYC for my Masters in Composition, I gave myself over to training as a dancer quite heavily, working in disciplines from ballet to GAGA and many places in between. I took some needed time away from the ice to engage with my movement research more fully, but soon returned to coaching and sharing on the ice. It's been both a compliment and a contradiction, I have to say. On the one hand, they are very much one and the same, in which the blades come off and it becomes dance. On the other hand, there are many qualities that cannot be achieved on the floor that are unique to the ice and vice versa. That's part of the fun of it though- there are so many possibilities that can easily translate, while others become a real challenge, and that investigative challenge is particularly exciting to me. It can be easy to slip into the mindset of partitioning the two into separate categories, but I am working concertedly to integrate my movement practice and blur that distinction. Another category to add here is my background as a composer, which I have previously allowed to be its own separate entity in my life as well, but one that I would like to invite into the same space as my movement practice. I teach composition at Berklee College of Music, and I was always afraid to share the movement side of myself with my colleagues out of fear that I would not appear as a "serious" composer, but the more I live in my creative world, the more I realize these components of my life are one and the same. It was great fun to finally sample some great sounds from the ice in the sound design in this film. I want to push further in this regard, and this NACHMO experience was a step along that pathway.
N: A lot happens in a short amount of time during NACHMO. What was something that went really well? What was something that went a little sideways? AG-B: Speaking of a short amount of time, that's what I had to film! There is a window in this one particular ice rink that I coach at before the sun comes up, and as I stayed one morning to skate on my own, I noticed this ethereal, otherworldly light that refracts as the sun peaks through that window. It is a magical glow that makes the fluorescent lights disappear for a bit, but it's a very narrow window of time that only lasts for about 20 minutes or so. Therefore, we only had about 20 minutes to film everything, which was rather nerve-wracking! I guess that thing that was so great was also the most elusive to manage.
N: Who are your mentors? What makes those relationships special to you? What are you doing to pay forward the gifts they have given you? AG-B: Wow, where do I start? They have all given a piece of themselves to me and walk with me everywhere I go, whether I am creating work myself, teaching, or collaborating with others. I have many, and I endeavor to share the best that each of them has given me in my work and with the next generation of artists. I wish to give a special mention to my composition teachers, Reiko Fueting, Nils Vigeland, Marjorie Merryman, and Peter Child. They very much empowered me to imagine beyond what I had made on the page and where an idea could go. In my dance and figure skating training, I have many mentors: Frances Patrelle, Adrienne Hawkins, Mary Wanamaker, Beth Duxbury, Nathan Birch, Doug Webster, Sheila Barker, Brice Mousset, Manuel Vignuole...the list goes on. These people have given me so much support and so many tools to draw from, and at times have given me a kick in the "tuck-ass", in Frances "Uncle Frankie" Patrelle's words, to believe in myself and never be satisfied.
N: A lot happens during NACHMO Boston, this year more than most. In what ways did and didn’t your piece become the thing you thought it would at the start of the month? CC: I could not possibly have anticipated what developed from the unique circumstances of this year’s choreography challenge. My original intention was to set a work that was completelychoreographed, solid and repeatable, mainly because most of my work over the last few years has been largely improvisation-based. I also intended it to be filmed entirely outdoors. However, one thing I could not have anticipated was that I would end up being exposed to and contracting coronavirus very early on in the endeavor. That completely derailed the process but led me to examine how to conserve energy and work efficiently with the circumstances I was given. It forced me to be creative in ways that I would otherwise have resisted. It required me to set aside expectation entirely and strive for what made sense in the moment rather than trying to force something into existence. That’s where the idea of using a guided mediation came about. In the piece When We’re Stuck Inside, I was literally stuck inside, unable to go anywhere and frankly too exhausted to have gone anywhere anyway. But I am an energy healer and guided meditation plays a major role in my healing work. I decided to create a meditation as the soundtrack in an effort to suggest that one way to find joy is to find or create it in the mind. When I was able to film outside again, I used it as an opportunity to explore the relationship between inside and out that could signify finding the sense of joy as in a dream. It seems to have worked better than I intended because a number of people who saw the work in progress told me that, rather than feeling the piece as a suggestion, they went on the journey through the meditation as it was happening, feeling relaxed and happier afterward. The most unexpected part is that this led to an expanded project around this idea that is now in the first stages of production! I can’t say too much yet but I’m bursting with excitement over the possibilities of the first iteration and many more to follow!!! Now I definitely didn’t think my piece for NACHMO 2021 would become that, but here it is and I am so grateful!
For the Malden Dance Mile, I entirely re-filmed the piece but spent a great deal of time planning and implementing the production. Having the opportunity to hone the piece after the first showing was such an incredible learning experience. It’s still not perfect, (when will it ever be really) but I took to heart the suggestions given in the workshops and mentorship opportunities that NACHMO Boston provided this year which I feel elevated the piece in ways I had never considered before. And let me pause here to say how grateful I am for the grace and skill with which NACHMO Boston handled the challenges of this format. N: Who are your mentors? What makes those relationships special to you? What are you doing to pay forward the gifts they have given you? CC: I am lucky to have had some wonderful teachers and mentors in my life as a dancer. I went to Bard College as an undergraduate to major in dance. I met some wonderful teachers there, two of whom I would like to mention in particular because they are no longer with us and I often think of them when I dance: Lenore Latimer and Aileen Passloff. Both of those wonderful women inspired me to dance with authenticity and honesty to who I am as a human being. I can never thank them enough for what they taught me in the short time I knew them. The rest of my professors in the dance department at Bard College all had a hand in making me the dancer and choreographer I am today. Peggy Florin, Jean Churchill, Maria Simpson, Leah Cox, Stuart Singer, Marjorie Folkman…each of these wonderful teachers and more all gave me something important. They inspired me, challenged old thought patterns, supported me while I learned to dance on pointe (even if they weren’t thrilled about it at times), and pushed me to discover what my way of dancing through the world is. In a completely different way, my Master’s Tutor at the Glasgow School of Art, Michelle Hannah, challenged me as an artist. Without that challenge, I might never have thought to push beyond what I thought of as dance performance, stretching into the world of fine art performance as well. Her support was invaluable in that process. And then there’s Dance Prism Ballet Company. Dance Prism, and its Artistic Director Mary Demaso, have become like an extended family to me. Though I have come and gone back and forth over the years that I have been dancing with the company, every time I walk through that studio door it feels like coming home. I am so lucky to call Mary and the wonderful group of dancers at Dance Prism my friends. Truth be told, I don’t know that I can ever do enough to pay forward what these wonderful dancers and teachers have given me over the years. The best I can do today is to keep making work and bringing dance into the world. Hopefully, someday I can inspire someone the way they did for me.
That being said, I have had some incredible experiences over the years with organizations like The Dance Complex, Dancing Queerly, Luminarium Dance Company, and of course Monkeyhouse. The works I have seen, classes I’ve attended, workshops I’ve taken and auditions I’ve been to have all been integral to the process of understanding who I am as a choreographer and dancer.
By Nicole Harris  Photo by Victoria Awkward One of the best parts of this year’s NACHMO is that, because it’s entirely virtual, people can participate from wherever they are. I was thrilled when former Monkeyhouse artist, Elyssa Berg, chose to choreograph something! She moved to NYC a few years ago and it’s exciting to be able to work with her again! Learn more about Elyssa and NACHMO, and play along with the #MonkeyhouseNACHMOChallenge by following us on Instagram! N: What have you been doing since you moved to NYC? (P.S. We miss you!) EB: Thank you, I miss you all too! Since moving I have been doing a variety of different things. Fitness has been a huge focus for me the past three years. I have been teaching for barre3 at the Long Island City studio where I am also a mentor to the instructors. For some time I was teaching Movement Education at a private school in Queens until the pandemic hit. I have also continued to take dance classes and have done some freelance work performing since I have moved. N: How have you been handling quarantine? What have you been doing to keep moving and creating during this year? I know you started a new business that seems to be wildly successful…! Can you talk a little about it? EB: Quarantine has definitely been a huge challenge for myself and I know it has been for many others too. Being in NYC, it was really difficult to shift life and adapt to living inside your small apartment. With so many people living around you even going for a walk at times felt almost impossible. As difficult as it has been thus far, it has also been a tremendous year of uncomfortable but necessary growth. My employment has changed a lot since last March but I was able to adapt to teaching fitness classes online through Zoom. That has definitely kept me moving and given me some consistency during this time which I am so grateful for. During quarantine I decided to open my own Etsy shop, String and Dowel. It consists of macrame pieces and handmade home decor. I taught myself how to create macrame a year ago as a way to create holiday gifts for friends and family and I honestly never stopped! I have even started to explore dip dying yarn and redoing furniture which have both been really fun ways to experiment and create without any expectations of the outcome.  Photo by Lindsay Wenning N: What will you be making for NACHMO? Will you be working with dancers or on your own? EB: I will be creating a solo for NACHMO. I am going to be choreographing, dancing, filming, and editing myself. I have created some dance films in the past with the help of other moving bodies but I am excited to approach this piece very differently than I have in the past. N: You have performed for NACHMO before but this is your first time choreographing. What are you most excited about in this process? What are you most nervous about? EB: Yes, I am very excited to be choreographing this time! I am most excited just to get back into the process of creating movement. I have been finding different ways of creating throughout other aspects of my life and I had recently taken a step away from dance, especially through 2020, so I am excited that NACHMO is serving as my way to get back to doing what I love. That makes me both excited and nervous at the same time. Since I am creating this piece for myself it makes it feel a lot more personal and vulnerable and that can always be a little scary to share.  By Nicole Harris
N: You have done many virtual performances in the last year, between 24hr ChoreoFest and OnStage’s most recent season. What are the joys you are finding in this format that you wouldn’t get in live performance? AF: For 24 hour ChoreoFest, I found joy in creating a duet that could never be performed in a conventional theater. In this duet, I was projected onto a screen in the room where my collaborator was dancing in, allowing us to look like we were in the same place, while we were miles away. The duet that I created was inspired by the ending of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, a story that I wouldn’t have been able to approach if not for the virtual format. For OnStage’s Season 19, it was inspiring to be able to dance in nature at the Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, MA. While it took a couple of rehearsals to learn how to dance on grass, I have never performed in a more beautiful space than that!  Photo by Olivia Moon Photography N: This year’s NACHMO is different than anything we’ve done in the past, with all events entirely virtual. How will you change your process to deal with the obstacles 2021 brings us? What is the first thing you did at the start of the month? AF: My goal for NACHMO is to embrace the fact that we are all dancing in our homes. Because of that, I started this month with playing around with dancing on my bed and other places of my house. It took a little bit of time to understand how to work in a narrow hallway or a bouncy bed, but these experiences certainly opened up the movement vocabulary of my piece.
N: Who are your mentors? What makes those relationships special to you? What are you doing to pay forward the gifts they have given you? AF: Larissa Ursprung is my constant sounding board and mentor. She’s usually the first person I run my dance ideas by and sometimes, like for 24 hour ChoreoFest, I get to collaborate with her! Being a member of OnStage has also provided a community of dancers who mentor each other. The OnStage choreographers often provide feedback and help each other think through their pieces. N: It is important to us that we continue to lift up other artists in our community. Who are some of your favorite Boston area choreographers? Why? AF: Wendy O’Byrne of Contemporarily Out of Order is among my favorite Boston area choreographers. I find her way of incorporating a story into her choreography compelling. Natalia Maldari is another one of my favorite Boston area choreographers. I appreciate how she juxtaposes traditional ballet vocabulary with novel movement.  |
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