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  MONKEYHOUSE

C2C Blog

ChoreoFest Interview: Getting to Know Monkeyhouse's Aisha Cruse

8/29/2016

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Person lies on ground, Holds a colorful blanket, A smile on their face
photo by JK Photo
We are incredibly excited to announce that Aisha Cruse is going to be representing Monkeyhouse at ChoreoFest this year.  It's been wonderful to watch Aisha grow as a choreographer over the last few years and we are glad we are able to give her the opportunity to create something new during one of our favorite festivals.

ChoreoFest takes place Friday/Saturday September 9/10!  Get more information and your tickets to this year's ChoreoFest concerts here!
N: This is your third ChoreoFest but the first as choreographer.  What are you most nervous about regarding this year's ChoreoFest?
AC: I'm always pretty anxious about setting my work on other people. When I'm the one performing, when I'm inside my own work, I'm not nearly as self concious about how the movement and ideas read. When I'm putting on the director's hat, I get so much more critical of my ideas. I'm definitely nervous that I'll trip myself up.

N: What's your favorite memory of a previous ChoreoFest?
AC: Oh my gosh that moment when the yarn ball hit Sam in the head during dress rehearsal my first year. It was too perfect. There was no way to reproduce it, so we sort of accepted it as a one time perfect moment.

N: 
ChoreoFest is a controlled situation to create work in in terms of time and topic.  What the first thing you hope to do once you get your dancers in the studio?
AC: Get comfortable. Really though, I'm going to be focusing on getting everyone comfortable with each other and with me. The parameters of the festival make it so that the more comfortable we are and the more trust we have in each other, the faster we can get things done. 
N: You will be working with dancers from Endicott College's Dance Program.  How did your relationship with them begin?  How are you feeling about potentially working with dancers you've never met before?
AC: I first got to work with some Endicott students earlier this year when Karen asked me to work on the exquisite corpse piece. The group I worked with will probably have some overlap with the group at Choreofest, and this is why getting everyone warm and relaxed and comfortable is so important and so challenging. We won't all know eachother, and building a rapport before we start building a dance will probably make things a lot smoother.
N: Karen Krolak will be on hand as "choreographic guru" for the entire festival.  How have you incorporated outside voices/mentoring in the creation of new work in the past?  What's a question you often have about your work for someone outside of the creation process?
AC: Karen has given me constant feedback in the time we've been working together, but coming off the Pilobolus workshop I think the thing I'm going to ask the most is "What do you see?" In the past I've been very precious with my work, and I'm hoping Pilobolus has broken me of the habit. I want to ask about the moments that stand out and and build on them, and it will be interesting to see whether what I think is interesting and what Karen thinks is interesting matches up or diverges.

N: If you could pick any performer from any time to set a piece on who would it be and why? 
AC: I'm reinterpreting this question because what I actually want is for  Martha Graham to set a piece on Pilobolus (any iteration, really, they're all pretty spectacular). Her dancing has such an intensely sculptural element; even though they're vastly different schools I feel like they would have made amazing choreography together. So I guess I'm saying I want to set a piece on Pilobolus, but as Martha Graham. #lifegoals 

N: Who are your mentors? 
AC: Karen Krolak and Nicole Harris have been such driving forces in my life, I don't think I would ever have done ChoreoFest as a choreographer if they hadn't asked. To be fair, Karen and Nicole are less "you can do this" coaches than "can you do this by friday" coaches. They know you can do it, or they wouldn't ask.

N: What's something that you feel you learned from them that you want to pass on to people you mentor?
AC: Perfection is boring. If your choices are perfect or unique, pick unique. There are no mistakes. They're usually the best part of a dance.

N: Where can people learn more about you and your work?
AC: Monkeyhouse can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as well as here at MonkeyhouseLovesMe.com.  I can be found on Instagram and Twitter as well as on my Dance Every Day YouTube channel!
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Getting to Know Laura Neese

8/26/2016

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Dancer in red dress,  Person behind lifts, legs split,  Looking up at armDarrah Carr Dance Company- Laura Neese, Timmy Kochka photo by Erin Baiano
In celebration of Laura Neese's birthday here's the interview we did with her back in 2014

I have met some incredibly interesting people in the process of these interviews and Laura Neese doesn't disappoint!  You can catch her work at the CoolNY 2014 Dance Festival on Friday, February 7th at 9:00pm & Sunday, February 9th at 6:00pm.  
All performances are held at the WHITE WAVE John Ryan Theatre, 25 Jay St., Brooklyn, NY and are FREE! -Nicole

N:  The piece you'll be performing at the CoolNY Dance Festival involves "shoe-less" tap dancing combined with modern vocabulary. As both a modern and tap dancer myself I am always excited to see work that combines the two! I also saw that you have a background in Irish dance. Can you talk a little about ways you work to combine these backgrounds as you create new pieces?
LN:  I find something inherently individually expressive about tap/percussive improvisation. If you ask me to just dance, I’ll spiral my torso and explore spine articulation like a good modern dancer, but my feet will probably start a nonmetred, illegitimate, un-time step… (something to do with the mixed up tap and Irish dance history in my training, and the natural inclination of people to tap their feet to music..)

I’ve noticed in processes and improvisations, (& on the ferry) that my feet really want to speak up. For this new work, I wanted to listen and explore this impulse as a part of my creative work.

Though it reads differently than the emotionality of shape, audio imagery – the mathematical logic or illogic of rhythm, spontaneity, and the way that reverberates in the body – I think can create an experience just as rich with feeling. Right now I’m experimenting to see how I can incorporate this part of me into my work.

My work with Darrah Carr Dance, and guest choreographer Sean Curran, has also been influential in opening me up to the possibility of combining elements of dance forms. Darrah’s work combines traditional Irish and contemporary modern dance, and Curran’s work for the company is always imbued with strong rhythmic sensibility.

​N:  You are a founding member of KitchenSink Collective. When I was reading your website I notices that each of the co-founders has a title (mathematician, wordsmith, body whisperer, master schedule machine). Can you tell me a bit about the collective, its founders, and their titles?
LN:  KitchenSink Collective is a creative experiment that keeps the members grounded in the process of creating and performing contemporary/modern dance while we each attempt to navigate our individual artist & human lives. In an environment in which our artistic work -unpaid, as a general rule- is usually project-based, inconsistent, competitive, and of course expensive to make if you want to do it yourself, we have found a means of working together to help keep us all engaged and motivated to dance, despite chaos of our “other lives.”
Dancer on black floor Head on floor, elbows in air One leg crossed over
photo by Eric Bandiero
We met at Dance New Amsterdam, actually. Without having previously known each other well, we started to make a dance -just to make one- which led to more dances, which snowballed into a regularly meeting company or “collective,” and bringing other dancers in along the way. It has been a remarkable baptism by fire.

We all contribute our resources and talents to make it possible to offer each other not only consistent involvement in a rehearsal process as a performer, but also the opportunity to explore choreographic ideas with a company of supportive bodies. We pass the choreographic baton in rotation, and capitalize on our individual skills to keep the organization going- hence our nifty titles… though we each may do a little bit of everything.

Claire (our “master schedule machine,” and an arts administrator in her other life) is one of the most detail-oriented people I’ve ever met; Joanna (“mathematician,” our financial manager) has a gift for data and numbers – and a math degree. Katie (“body whisperer”) is a Pilates instructor with remarkable knowledge of the body and intelligent recommendations for various dancerly ailments- a gem in rehearsal. As “wordsmith” I write and edit text for company use… I’m somewhat fastidious about apostrophes.

I’m very grateful for the opportunity to work with these remarkable women and for their having fallen into my life, (or I into theirs?)
Headshot of person Short brown hair, grey eyes, smiling Against red brick wall photo by Laura Neese
N:  We had a very brief conversation about the insular-ness of many dance communities. While struggling to acquire very limited resources it's easy to take on a "me against the world" attitude. What are some ways that you have tried to fight against that mentality for yourself and those around you? What do you see as the benefits of creating a broader, more communicative and sharing dance community?
LN:  KitchenSink definitely helps ameliorate some of the “me against the world” feelings… though as an outer borough dwelling artist (of that obscure, “pretentious,” modern dance kind of art) the issue can become quite pernicious. However even in Staten Island, the borough most underserved in arts education and venues, I have found a resilient though somewhat fragmented arts community. Knocking on doors, finding out about and participating in creative events (especially those that bleed outside of your own discipline) I have found to be invaluable in a) meeting new, interesting people, with new, interesting perspectives, b) leading to new opportunities, c) finding people really do appreciate your strange art form if they have a reason and chance to see it. d) new reasons to share what you do with other people and to help people share what they do…. And it keeps going.

Diving into explorations of other arts- taking workshops in different things- helps me to recognize the continuity of the creative process across mediums, recognize strengths and weaknesses of different modes of working, and to remember to not take myself too seriously (though to take the craft seriously).

Some of my most interesting dance related experiences as a performer, choreographer, and otherwise creative conspirator have occurred in non-traditional dance settings: collaborating with musicians, filmmakers, theatre practitioners, photographers, and “normal” community members.

I believe it is important to not only keep dialogues going within the dance community, but also to extend the invitation beyond the dance regulars. Face it, we get esoteric, we get stuffy, we get into patterns of what is “in” and “isn’t.” We get stuck in ruts. And we get frustrated when no one shows up.

If we individually want to improve our art making – and stay interested & interesting - I believe it is vital to experience many other kinds of art as a spectator or participant. (Maybe art is painting, or storytelling, or a craft, or acting, teaching, computer programming?)

If we, individually, invite other people who would or could be interested in dance -if they were exposed to it- into the conversation, would the field not be richer indeed?

N:  People in the arts often develop strong mentor/mentee relationships. Did/do you have a mentor throughout your career? Do you have a person or people that you have taken the mentorship role for now that you're a more established artist? How do you feel those relationships change your work?
LN:  My first, and perhaps most influential mentor in dance was my first teacher Rosemary Cappozalo. She was passionate about clean, healthy, refined technique, but also about the idea of generosity in performance. Performance without love behind it didn’t mean anything.

I didn’t know at the time, but she instilled in me a subconscious understanding of this at an early age. She trained me in basics of teaching, and inspired me to take the art form seriously, and notice the positive impact arts can have in communities if allowed to thrive. Although she’s no longer here, I often think of her when I’m stuck, or frustrated, or need guidance.
Dancer in long skirt Arms stretched, one foot points on floor  Facing to the back
photo by David Cruse
Now as an educator myself I function as a mentor at times for specific dance students, (and academic tutees). For these individuals, I usually find myself acting as a confidence coach. Whether they are performing on stage or on an exam I recognize that students need to find the desire and determination within themselves to put in the necessary work, and then trust their own abilities to do it. This sort of consistent engagement with students is a reminder to appreciate process in general.
Four dancers jumping In front of brown couches they All smile hair flowing
KitchenSink Collective- L to R Caroline Martin, Laura Neese, Claire Baum, Katie Vason photo by Bryan Winter
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ChoreoFest Interview: Getting to Know Boston Community Dance Project

8/19/2016

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Getting to Know Nicole Laliberte

8/17/2016

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Picture
Photo by Robert Coghill
Originally Posted September 2015
We're only 4 days away from ChoreoFest, the one and only 24-hour dance festival! Today we bring you the next installment of our ChoreoFest choreographer interviews, a chat with first time ChoreoFest participant, Nicole C. Laliberté!

Nicole Harris: What made you want to make the move from being a dancer to a choreographer?
Nicole C. Laliberté: I have always choreographed. As a little girl I would stage shows in my basement for my dear, patient parents. My best friend Lisa and I would perform. I had my first public showing of my choreography when I was in the 4th grade for a school talent show. I set a solo on Lisa to Blondie’s “Heart of Glass,” and one on myself to Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” complete with multi-colored sequin tube top, LOL!
​
Later, as I pursued my formal dance training at The Boston Conservatory, I realized two things 
that prompted me to start removing myself from my own work:
1. Being in the work prevented me from seeing the overall piece, its structure, spatial 
design, cohesiveness….and also from being able to give dancers prompts / feedback for nuanced performance.

2. I sadly realized that although I had a powerful performance presence, my little body had 
too many anatomical limitations to achieve the look I wanted. I would focus so hard on 
extensions and pointed feet, thinking I had really done well, and then I would see myself 
on video and cringe. This is still emotional and deeply personal for me to discuss; in fact, I’m not sure I should be disclosing this fact as I don’t want it plastered all over the web. I 
chose to work with dancers who had the technical capacity and performance aesthetic
that I wanted for my works.


NH: What are you most nervous about regarding ChoreoFest?
NL: Well, I suppose keeping tensions down as we all become more sleep deprived, especially since I am working with some of my dancers for the first time, and this group is definitely working together for the first time. So I am unfamiliar with their personal triggers and preferred learning styles. Working with new people in a new group is always challenging for optimal 
communication, and this setting adds much deeper challenges due to its nature. Keeping calm 
and gentle communication open is key to a successful and enjoyable experience for all.
On a humorous but very real note: I am concerned about bringing too much stuff and the horrors 
of trying to get all the stuff from my little Mazda into The Dance Complex on a traffic filled 
Friday evening. I’m one of those people who thinks it best to bring something “just in case” 
rather than to be caught without. 

NH: Since this is a very controlled creative space (in terms of time and topic) where do 
you see yourself starting when you get in the space?
NL: I will most likely start with some guided improvisation to help all of us get more comfortable 
with each other. Depending on the topic, I may ask the dancers to engage in a written 
exploration as a means of movement generation. Writing or no writing, unless I have an extremely strong personal connection to the theme, I would like the initial movement generation 
to come from each of the dancers. We tend to better remember and most fully execute that 
movement which naturally emanates from within our own bodies.


NH: In creating a new work, what is the relationship between you and your dancers? Do 
they participate in the creative process? If so, how?

NL: Please refer to the information provided in response to the previous question. Additionally, I like to verbally engage with the dancers as to their thoughts and valuable insights about the creation of meaning in the work. Often I will ask the dancers what feels most comfortable or natural when finessing the details of the movement.

NH: Knowing that Karen Krolak will be on hand as "choreographic guru", what things do 
you hope she can help with in the overnight process?

NL: Probably technological assistance with computer audio editing. I have a new laptop that I really don’t know how to use with its Windows 8 platform (grrr), and an old laptop that (at best) 
functions at the speed of a snail trying to get up a molasses covered hill in winter.

NH: Who are some of your favorite choreographers?
NL: Oh boy…Alvin Ailey, George Balanchine, Mark Morris, Alonzo King, Jill Bahr, Dwight 
Rhoden, Desmond Richardson, Bill T. Jones, Ulysses S. Dove… is that enough?


NH: Who are your mentors? How are you paying forward the things your mentor gave you?
NL: Oh my god, I could go on forever here…but first and foremost I must honor the memory of my recently departed mentor and colleague, Dr. Jan Van Dyke of Greensboro, NC. I can’t believe she is gone. She is being honored with a memorial this coming Sunday August 22nd, held at the UNCG Dance Theatre and livestreamed on the web. I can’t say enough about or adequately summarize how much I learned from Jan as a teacher, choreographer, administrator, and woman of dignity in the arts and academe. 
Last week I was teaching young student choreographers during an intensive at The Dance 
Academy in Fall River. I gave them the same first day lesson that Jan used in Choreography II, 
The Craft at UNCG, for which I was twice her TA. We wrote rhythms on the board and 
discussed time values of different musical notes, and how many beats per measure, and how to vary rhythm and apply it to movement to create new and interesting variations. It’s actually a 
very difficult concept to grasp for most of us, but invariably successful in the end. The school 
director was impressed when she saw the material and commented that they were learning so 
much from me. I told her that it was all Jan, or JVD as we lovingly called her.
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Translation of Getting to Know Felipe G.

8/15/2016

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Originally Posted 06/04/2014
Last year we interviewed tap dancer Felipe Galganni.  I thought we would re-share his interview with you but this time in his native language.  You can find the English version of this interview here.  I also strongly recommend you check out this beautiful piece of choreography!  Thank you, Felipe, for providing the translation!


N: Quem são seus coreógrafos favoritos (sapateado e outros estilos)?

FG: Chikako Iwahori, Brenda Bufalino, Max Pollak, Lynn Schwab, Michelle Dorrance. Eu também adoro o Bob Fosse.

N: O contato com Heather Cornell teve uma grande influência na sua vida. Como a dança dela se comunicou com o seu trabalho?
FG: Tive o primeiro contato com a Heather num workshop no Rio de Janeiro em 2010. A cidade de São Paulo não é um local onde temos muitas aulas com estrangeiros, por isso eu aproveitava todas as oportunidades que surgiam.
Eu me apaixonei quando conheci a Heather. Sua doçura, sua humildade e o jeito com que ela ensina sapateado e música me inspiraram para realizar um curso intensivo de verão em NY. Dois meses antes de viajar, decidi vender meu carro e me mudar para os EUA. E desde então, estou aqui.

N: Você cresceu estudando outras modalidades de dança além do sapateado americano. Você continua fazendo essas outras aulas? Você sente que ter estudado outros estilos de dança colaborou com seu sapateado?
FG: Eu cresci vendo e dançando samba como a maioria dos brasileiros. Estudei jazz, sapateado, ballet e contemporâneo. Nunca fui um grande bailarino, mas a dança me ajudou a desenvolver habilidades básicas, como os giros e o equilíbrio. Além disso, me ajudou a considerar meu corpo como um todo no sapateado, e não só os pés.

N: Recentemente, você me contou a história sobre o seu primeiro par de sapatos e sua primeira aula de sapateado. Você pode dividir essa história com a gente?
FG: Claro! Quando eu tinha 14 anos ganhei um dinheiro de presente de aniversário da minha família e decidi comprar meu primeiro sapato. Eu "praticava" em casa e até fiz uma performance na escola, mesmo sem nunca ter feito uma aula.

Então, quando eu tinha quinze anos, finalmente encontrei uma escola de dança que tinha sapateado na grade. Eu me lembro que não era muito barato, mas meus pais apoiaram a minha vontade.

Quando cheguei na aula a professora me perguntou se eu já havia sapateado antes. Eu disse que sim, e ela me pediu se eu poderia mostrar meu passo favorito. Fiz um estilo único de dança, que até hoje não me lembro o que foi, mas sapateei (risos). Anos depois ela me lembrou deste fato e rimos muito. Seu nome é Valeria Petroni, e ela foi uma excelente professora nos meus primeiros anos de sapateado. Sou muito grato por ter aprendido tanto com ela.
N: Você pode me falar da comunidade de sapateado do Brazil comparada com Nova York?
FG: Como mencionei antes, sou de São Paulo e a comunidade é muito pequena. Eu estava sempre viajando para cidades próximas, ou trazendo profissionais para dar aulas na cidade. Já passei por situações em que tive que explicar para as pessoas o que era o sapateado, porque elas nunca tinham ouvido falar na dança. O que é compreensível, pois é uma forma de arte americana. Entretanto, a comunidade tem crescido muito nos últimos anos e e ela conta com meu total apoio.

N: Faz três anos que você mudou do Brasil para os Estados Unidos, e falando com você eu diria que seu inglês é muito bom. Você pode contar um pouco de como era dar aulas quando seu inglês não era tão afiado? Qual tipo de ferramentas você usava para se comunicar quando as palavras lhe faltavam
FG: Eu me lembro quando dei a minha primeira aula nos EUA. Foi para a Lynn Schwab na Steps on Broadway. É difícil quando você precisa explicar coisas que está acostumado a dizer em outra língua. Eu me senti frustrado e trabalhei duro. Enfrentei o desafio, e aprendi muito perguntando para os próprios alunos quando não sabia.
Honestamente, meu inglês ainda não é perfeito, e ainda tenho que aprender bastante. Por exemplo, na aula de hoje, a única maneira que encontrei para explicar o que queria foi dizendo: “Imagine você usando uma fralda”. Depois, eu afirmei: “Hora de colocar a fralda!”. E, claro, no final da aula, eu lembrei: “Não esqueça de trazer sua fralda na próxima aula”. É divertido!
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ChoreoFest Interview: Getting to Know Bridges Dance Theatre

8/12/2016

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Picture
photo by Carolyn Jepsen


This year's ChoreoFest is sneaking up on us fast!  Here's a quick chat we had with ChoreoFest choreographers Jennifer Webb and Carolyn Jepsen of Bridges Dance Theatre.

Get more information and your tickets to this year's ChoreoFest concerts here!

​


N:  What are you most nervous about regarding ChoreoFest?
BDT:  We are keenly aware that we will be working within a creative space that is controlled by both time and subject matter. Our areas of concern are A) the structure of the choreographic process itself and B) time management. Our work incorporates many artistic mediums (dance, text work, writing, and multimedia), which would normally be layered into a performance piece one by one at comfortable pace.  What would normally be a multi day process will now be shaved down to a multi hour process.

N:  Since this is a very controlled creative space (in terms of time and topic) where do you see yourself starting when you get in the space?
BDT:  After we pull our prompt we plan to discuss thematic material as a group, using the ideas generated to put everyone to task. The company will then be divided into subgroups of writers, dancers and technicians to begin gathering kernels of material that will provide the foundation of the performance piece.
N:  In creating a new work, what in the relationship between you and your dancers? Do they participate in the creative process? If so, how?
BDT:  All art is collaborative. In order for a work to be powerful all participating artists must have a voice and ownership in the creative process. We feel that the best choreographers use their own movement vocabulary to aide dancers in finding their own pathways, rather than dictating how things must be executed. We plan to start this dialogue with a series of guided questions that will give all performers reasonable parameters to work between.
Picture
photo by Carolyn Jepsen
N:  Karen Krolak will be on hand as "choreographic guru" for the entire festival.  How have you incorporated outside voices/mentoring in the creation of new work in the past?  What's a question you often have about your work for someone outside of the creation process?
BDT:  We love and respect outside voices! Having a different individual with an informed set of eyes reviewing your work is critical to the process and success of a piece. Typically, we like to receive “blind feedback,” meaning that anyone viewing our rehearsal process for the first time will not be given much, if any, direct information regarding our vision for the piece. This gives the opportunity to truly see the work without pretense, allowing us to find out where we have clear moments, distortion, other potential avenues to utilize, etc…Only after feedback has been given will we divulge our intention for the piece.

​​N: Who are some of your favorite choreographers?
BDT:  Top 6: Twyla Tharp, Mark Morris, Bob Fosse, Alvin Ailey, Paula Josa-Jones, Bill T. Jones, Dada Masilo, Lamine Thiam. Ok, we lied…that’s a top 8…and Pilobolus has to be thrown in just for fun!
Picture
photo by Carolyn Jepsen
N:  If you could pick any choreographer from any time to set a piece on you, who would it be and why?
BDT:  Carolyn: Dada Masilo, South African dancer and choreographer…her work fuses the stories and technique of classical ballet with contemporary and traditional South African dance to create truly innovative performance works whose choreography never compromises. Her style is fast-paced and vibrant, at times feeding off of current events to shed new light and relevance on the challenges that are faced by many marginalized groups in the world today.
BDT:  Jenn: Alvin Ailey because I admire the strength, grace, athleticism and incredible storytelling experience of this company.

N:  Who are your mentors? How are you paying forward the things your mentor gave you?
BDT:  Jenn: Chuck Brown, Janet Taisy-Craft, Robb Fessler, KJ Hubner, Carolyn Jepsen, Craig North

Carolyn: Laurel Browne, Wendy Dwyer, Doug Ingalls, Peggy-Rae Johnson, Bob Lawson, Jenn Webb

The people in each of these lists have many common threads connecting them to one another. The overarching theme that we keep returning to as we discuss their work and influence is “Let your passions overwhelm your fears.” We’ve inherited an element of bravery and grit that directly informs our work as performers and teaching artists, and we pass this on to anyone who works with us.  Over the years we have been given many lenses to work with, resulting in a fierce passion for the body stories that are capable of scouring the soul for truth. We put that truth in non-linear form within the body, with as much authenticity and transparency as possible. We have been taught to give value to and to hold space for voices and stories that might not otherwise be touched. It is our goal to continue to pass on the tools we have been given to any who find them useful.


N:  What other events do you have coming up?
BDT:  We are currently in pre-production for an evening-length work featuring the music and writing of Jim Morrison, to debut in the spring and summer festival circuits in the Greater New England area.  We are also currently rehearsing a work featuring emerging youth writers that centers around children who have been caught in the folds of war throughout history, premiering in early 2017.

N:  Where can people learn more about you and your work?
BDT:  Instagram, Twitter, Facebook
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ChoreoFest Revisited: Nicole Laliberte

8/9/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
Photo by Robert Coghill
​​ChoreoFest is one month away!  We are busy partnering up with the Endicott College Dance Department in preparation for the festival, but not too busy to catch you up with one of last year's ChoreoFest participants, Nicole Laliberte!  You can find the original interview here. - Nicole
N: Have you used the piece you created during ChoreoFest? In what way?
NL: Unfortunately no, while I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of the process, the subject matter did not touch my heart in a way that propelled me to pursue the piece further.

N: What advice do you have for this year's participants?
NL: Get movement generated first thing. Less talking about it...more doing it.  Attempt to be asleep by 3am. Bring lots of Ibuprofen. Dress for heat. Be prepared for petulant Wi-Fi.
N: What is your favorite memory from last year's festival?
NL: The Ah-Ha moment of using old TV show themes, namely Peanuts and Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood...and having them work when we tried them with the movement!


N: What have you been up to in the last year?
NL: I have been deeply blessed. The Choreofest kicked off an unprecedented string of opportunities for Freedom Dances that truly re-birthed the company here in RI / Boston. For one, I met a fabulous dancer, the incomparable Whitney Cover, in the mandatory workshop with Peter DiMuro. Not only did she perform with me for the 24 Hour Choreofest, but I have been lucky enough to continue working with her, and to have her dance the lead role in a very emotional and challenging work - in 2 different sets of performances. The work would not be the same without her!


We did the Dance Works in Process at AS220 in October 2015.


In January 2016, Freedom Dances and Heather Brown Dance co-produced a 3-show concert as part of a Production Residency at AS220 in Providence.


In February, 2 of my works were performed in the Boston Regional Youth America Grand Prix.


​In June we performed "Ruffled" at Dance For World Community in Harvard Square and the Festival of Us, You, We, and Them at the Dance Complex.

July was spent re-staging "Verge - Part 1 - Greatness", and "Verge - Part 2 - Despair" for the Providence Fringe Festival in which we performed 2 evenings.
I am starting my certification training in the Feldenkrais Method in Newton onAugust 19th - something I have wanted to do for years!

N: Where can people see you/your work these days? Any upcoming performances?
NL: Adrienne Hawkins invited us to dance in the upcoming Friends and Family shows at the Dance Complex. We will be presenting "Ruffled" on August 19th and 20th. I am honored by the invitation!
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Getting to Know Felipe Galganni

8/8/2016

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In celebration of Felipe's birthday this month I moved his interview over to the new blog. Read the interview in his native language here! -Nicole
Originally Posted 08/15/2013
Earlier this summer I spent some time in New York City working on Tap It Out with the amazing Lynn Schwab and the folks from the American Tap Dance Foundation. While there I had the opportunity to get to know an brilliant young tap dancer and a all around fabulous guy, Felipe Galganni. Since moving to New York from Brazil three years ago Felipe has been busy teaching, choreographing and performing all over the city. While in town I got to see the premiere of his piece "Reverie in Rio", performed by Felipe himself alongside Lynn Schwab and Chikako Iwahori and singer Jackeline Ribas. Here is a little conversation with Felipe about his work, moving to the United States and dancing in a foreign language! Also, Felipe celebrated a birthday last week, so make sure you send your love!

N: Who are your favorite choreographers (tap & otherwise)?
FG: Chikako Iwahori, Brenda Bufalino, Max Pollak, Lynn Schwab, Michelle Dorrance. I love Bob Fosse.

N: I know that meeting Heather Cornell had a big influence on your life. What is it about her work/dancing that speaks to you?
FG: I met Heather in January of 2010. I am from São Paulo (BRA), and she was teaching a workshop in Rio, so I flew to take that. São Paulo is not the most tap dancing city in Brazil so every time someone came to the area I tried to go.

When I met Heather I instantly felt in love. Her kindness, humbleness and the way she talked about tap dance and music inspired me so much that I decided I wanted to take her summer intensive, here in NY. I think it's a Master thing, this power of inspiring people! Two months before I come I decided to sell my car and move to USA. Here I am since then.


N: I know you grew up studying other forms of dance besides tap. Do you still take any of those classes? Do you feel like having studied jazz etc. has had an effect on your tap dancing?
FG: I grew up dancing samba like most Brazilians. And academically taking jazz, later tap, ballet and contemporary. I was never a strong ballet dancer but I feel it was very important to develop some basics, like turns and balance. And even to "awake" the upper body as a tapper.

N: You recently told me a wonderful story about your first pair of tap shoes and your subsequent first tap class. Can you share that story here?
FG: Sure! When I was 14 years old I got some money from my family as a birthday gift. So I decided it was finally my chance to buy a pair of tap shoes. I was always putting them on to "practice" and even to do performances at school. Without having ever taken class at that point.
So when I was 15, I finally find a school that I could go by myself and take a tap class. I remember it was not very affordable for my family, but they know I really wanted to do that. So they supported me. When I got in class the teacher came to me and asked: "have you ever tap danced before?" and I said , very confidently "YES!"..."oh, so please show me your favorite step"... And I started my very unique style of tap. Later on she told me that it was the most funny experience she have ever had. Her name is Valeria Petroni, and she was an amazing instructor for those first tap years. I am very thankful of all I learned from her.
N: Can you tell me about the tap community in Brazil compared to New York?
FG: As I mentioned before, I am from São Paulo and the tap dancing scene is pretty small in there. I was always traveling to another cities, or bringing people to teach me and my tap friends. New York tap community is big! Just so you have and idea, in Brazil I had situations that I had to explain to people what tap dance is. The community is growing though. Go Brazil !!!

N: It has now been three years since you moved from Brazil and in talking to you you would think you'd been speaking English for much of your life. Can you tell me about teaching in the early years in New York when your English was much shakier? What sort of tools did you use to communicate in moments where language failed you?
FG: I remember the fist class I taught here in US. It was for Lynn Schwab at Steps. It's hard when you have to communicate in a foreign language to native people, and explain stuff that you're so use to in your first language. It was a little frustrating, but I had to work on that, not been afraid to say the words wrong, and also asking the students in the class and learning from them. But honestly my English is still pretty shaky, and sometimes language does failed on me. Like in today's class the only way I found to tell my students what I wanted to express was "imagine you're wearing a baby diaper" and then later on I said "put your diapers on"... and of course by the end of the class I reinforced: "Don't forget your diaper for next week". LOL. It's fun!
4 Comments

August Events

8/2/2016

2 Comments

 
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Fri, August 5 @ 6 pm & 8:30 pm
ON TAP - Beantown Tapfest Faculty Showcase
Presented by Julia On Tap
At the BU Dance Theater, Allston
​$36

"Presenting tap masters and emerging artists side by side in a variety of performances from riveting solos to full company pieces." Every year, Beantown Tapfest delivers some of the best Tap classes and performances you can get, and this year is no exception. Go to the site to check out the full line up and buy your tickets ASAP! 

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Mon, August 8 @ 7:30 pm
More Than Moves Festival 
Presented by Paradise Lost: A Movement Collective, Transition House & Featured Artists!
At Central Square Theater, Central Square, Cambridge
$15

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Wed, August 10 - Sat, August 13 @ 8 pm
​Thurs, Sat & Sun, August 11, 13 & 14 @ 2 pm
ETM: Double Down
Presented by Dorrance Dance and Jacob's Pillow
At the Ted Shawn Theater, Jacob's Pillow 
$39/$59/$75

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​Fri & Sat, August 19 & 20 @ 8 pm
Student / Faculty and Friends Showcase - 2.0
Presented by Adrienne Hawkins and the students and faculty of the Dance Complex
At The Dance Complex, Central Square, Cambridge
$15 advance/ $20 at the door
​
This is a great opportunity to see some of the companies that rehearse, perform, and teach out of the Dance Complex, and get to know your dance community a little bit better! Featuring companies Impulse Dance Co., Off Beat, Freedom Dances, Present Day Dance Theatre ,Mystique Illusion Dance Theatre, and performances by Repertory Classes taught by, Brian Crabtree, Erin Washington, Jody Weber, Johara, and Adrienne Hawkins.


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Wed, August 24 @ 6:15 pm
Women Making Work
Presented by the Inside/Out Performance Series 
At the Marcia and Seymour Simon Performance Space, Jacob's Pillow
FREE!

This awesome free performance features work from three women-led companies based out of New York City. Tiffany Mills Dance Company will be presenting excerpts from their work After the Feast; Nadine Bommer Dance will be showcasing their work American Cinema, which uses the film Team America as a jumping off point to explore movement through dancers and marionettes; Yin Yue Dance will be premiering a new piece featuring their signature precise movement and intricate soundscape. 

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ChoreoFest: Nozama Dance

8/2/2016

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Photo by Bill Parsons
We are so excited to share the first interview with one of the 2016 ChoreoFest choreographers!  Gracie Novikoff and Natalie Schiera are the co-directors of Nozama Dance Collective.  They took a moment out of their preparations for a show in mid August to talk to Nicole about who they are and their thoughts on ChoreoFest!  

Interested in learning more about ChoreoFest or purchasing your tickets?  Visit LuminariumDance.org!

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Gracie and Natalie - "Raw Artists Boston"
N: What are you most nervous about regarding ChoreoFest?

​ND: We are most nervous for the time constraint that comes with Choreofest. We typically take 2-4 weeks to create the skeleton for a new work, but we are confident that we can condense our creative process and build a work we are proud of in 24 hours. It is an exciting challenge!

N: Since this is a very controlled creative space (in terms of time and topic) where do you see yourself starting when you get in the space?
ND: To begin a new work, we take the concept and the piece of music and ask ourselves how those two make us want to move. We improvise to the music and picture ourselves in the time and place the concept lends itself to, and we build choreography based on the improvisations. Each new piece is a new world. We think about how choreography would naturally fit in this world, and who the dancers are portraying in this world. At times the dancers are humans, and in other worlds they are not. We think about if and how the dancers would interact, and if it makes sense for the dancers to be aware of one another's existence. When all of the elements come together into a cohesive world, we have a piece we are excited about.

​N: In creating a new work, what is the relationship between you and your dancers? Do they participate in the creative process? If so, how?
​

ND: We are so lucky that our dancers are our friends! Many of us trained together in college, and most of us were members of the same contemporary company at Boston University. We work together to create new works. We (Gracie and Natalie) are the directors, so the concepts and music choices are often ours. However, if a dancers has an idea, we are always ​excited to work with it and help the dancer to develop as a choreographer. In creating new movement, we (G&N) direct the improvisations to see what movements fit this new world. We pull from our dancers' strengths and how they interpret the concept before we set any choreography. It is absolutely a dance collective in that sense. 

N: Who are your mentors?
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Photo by Raw Artists Boston
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Photo by Short photo co.
ND: In college, Natalie and Gracie were dancers and choreographers with Dance Theatre Group, a contemporary company directed by Micki Taylor Pinney. In choreographing new works for Dance Theatre Group, Micki along with other faculty would give constructive feedback throughout the creative process. We were encouraged to think through the aesthetics of the piece, as well as how the choreography fit and how we could push the movement to be bigger and bolder. We greatly appreciate Micki's assistance during those years, and since the creation of Nozama Dance Collective in 2013, we have asked Micki for her guidance. Natalie and Gracie were the Choreographers in Residence at Green Street Studios in January-February 2015, and during those months we asked Micki to assist us with the creation of our two solos, "Vortex" and "Nightmare". We were encouraged to take a concept and create not just one, but multiple worlds in which that concept could live. We improvised movement, and then built variations of those movements. As a result, we have successfully created four pieces based on the movement created during those residencies. We are ever in debt to Micki's expertise, and we continue to seek her guidance. 
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Photo by Short photo co.
N: Karen Krolak will be on hand as "choreographic guru" for the entire festival.  How have you incorporated outside voices/mentoring in the creation of new work in the past?  What's a question you often have about your work for someone outside of the creation process?
 ​​
ND: Whenever we are lucky enough to have a mentor assist with our work, we ask whether or not the movement that we are presenting makes sense with the concept, the music, and the world in general. We want everything to be cohesive and make sense. We don't necessarily want to direct the audience to an exact emotion or an exact instance in time, but we want to create a world that the audience can relate to that can be easily followed. We want to take the audience on a journey that they will enjoy and be excited about. We also ask our mentors, "have you seen work like this already?", because we are consistently striving to create new choreographic experiences. 

N: Who are some of your favorite choreographers?  If you could pick any choreographer from any time to set a piece on you, who would it be and why?

ND: We are both currently obsessed with the work of Jaci Royal, the director and choreographer of  Royal Flux based in Los Angeles. Her movement is raw, athletic, bold, daring, and exciting. Her larger group pieces are captivating, and the stage pictures that she creates are incredible. As we create works that portray women empowering one another, choreography like Jaci Royal's is inspiring. We would be honored to have Jaci Royal set a piece on us!! 

N: What other events do you have coming up?

ND: We have our first full-length production, "Pushing Past Impulse" at Green Street Studios on Friday, August 19th at 8pm. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students/children. We are thrilled to produce our best works since our inception! Here is the Eventbrite link for tickets, and our post in the Boston Calendar.

N: Where can people learn more about you and your work?
​
​
ND: Here are our Facebook page, website, and Twitter page. Check out what we are all about!
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created by Natalie Schiera
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