by Nicole Harris

Next up, Choreography Mentee, Elizabeth Powers!  You saw the piece she created as part of the Choreography Mentorship Program at NACHMO Boston in January.  You'll have the chance to see it again on stage tomorrow.  We're excited to see what Elizabeth brings to the company in the future!

Elizabeth is also dancing in work by Sarah Feinberg and Elyssa Berg.  Here she is talking about the two pieces she has in tomorrow's concert.

re{ACT} re{BUILD} re{COLLECT}
Friday, July 27th @ 8pm
665 Salem St, Malden, MA
Tickets available here for only $10 if you use the VIP Code MH10.  
VIP tickets are not available at the door so get yours today!​

Nicole Harris:  You have two pieces in this concert that you created as part of two different choreography programs this winter.  What were some of the highlights of your experiences with each program?
Elizabeth Powers:  Many of the best parts of each program are the same! Both gave me as an emerging choreographer free space along with lots of freedom and little pressure to make something new. A highlight from OnStage Dance Company’s residency program was that I had the opportunity to bring together dancers who I new from different dance communities as well as meet other dancers from the OnStage community. A highlight from the Choreography Mentorship Program with Monkeyhouse was all of the opportunities for feedback and reflection on the work I was making. Additionally with this program I was given mentorship in all kinds of areas of the field including working with a lighting designer, finding/licensing music, costuming mentorship, and more.

N:  Will you be making any changes to the two pieces from their first performances?
EP:  Definitely! Every time I see my work I think of something new to add, alter, or take out. The main structure of each piece will stay the same but I definitely made several small edits to both. Additionally, since there are elements of improvisation between each piece, there is no question that the pieces will not be exactly the same as they were in their original form, which is what I love about dance :)

N:  What is a favorite rehearsal moment for each piece?
EP:  A favorite rehearsal moment for the OnStage piece was the moment when all of the pieces finally went together. There was a time in the process when we had so many bits of material that we had been playing with, but they didn’t seem to work together. Trying one combination that finally worked was a great moment. A favorite rehearsal movement for the Monkeyhouse piece would have to be the first time we played with creating the duet between Sam and Olivia. It was just so much fun to watch them explore their silly and playful movement that was fun and thought provoking to watch.

by Elizabeth Powers

​As part of the piece that I am setting on Monkeyhouse for NACHMO Boston I have been working with improvisation within performance. Living in this world has given me the opportunity to watch how improvisation scores change as they are being done and how they can be edited from a choreographer’s perspective in order to facilitate the most interesting movement generation.
 
I love the concept of improvisation because it allows for the movement that is being performed to be unique and new to everyone. I believe that audience members respond in a way that is reflective of the performers experience. I have also found that when choreography is set and drilled in an effort to clean for a long period of time, it can become boring to the dancers performing it. Dancers often get so used to moving in a certain way that the movement can become comfortable or monotonous. As an observer and a choreographer, I am finding that allowing room for chance and change in every run of a dance has begun to invoke a feeling of exhilarating anticipation while simultaneously leveling the playing field, as no individual party knows exactly what will happen each time the piece is performed.
 
Possibly one of the unconscious reasons that I have been drawn to improvisation is that I like to see what people come up with, and particularly how many different ways one idea can be interpreted. I really admire individuality and uniqueness in people and I enjoy seeing work where the idiosyncrasies of each performer are valued. Especially as an emerging choreographer, I think that using strategies that showcase individual performers strengths, personalities, and backgrounds, allows me to uncover what it is that I like to see and put into my choreography. By incorporating improvisation scores into performance, I get to be excited and surprised with every run through and performance, which is a thrilling experience as a choreographer.

​Today's interview is with our own Choreography Mentee, Elizabeth Powers!  Learn more about her and see the awesome movement she's been creating on Instagram!

To learn more about NACHMO Boston you can find them on Facebook and Instagram!  You can also support this year's NACHMO Boston programming here!
Want to be part of National Choreography Month?  Take the #MonkeyhouseNACHMOChallege. Every day we will be posting a new prompt on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Follow along on social media to get the prompts and see some incredible dances! ​Share your own videos (no previous choreographic experience required!) using the #MonkeyhouseNACHMOChallenge hashtag in order to be featured!

Finally, don't miss the NACHMO Boston Concerts at the Dance Complex on Friday, February 9th and Saturday, February 10th!

N:  You are participating in NACHMO Boston as part of the Choreography Mentorship program here at Monkeyhouse.  What most excites you about creating choreography?
E:  ​I think that the most exciting part of creating choreography for me is watching a piece tell me where it’s going. I tend to base what I do off of the dancers that I have and how they respond to various tasks and structures. Sometimes I start off with a concept and other times I start off with one specific movement but however it happens, whatever is presented at the end is rarely indicative of that original idea. I am always amazed by the transition that occurs throughout the process of creating a piece and love that I can count on the process to inform me about what’s supposed to happen next.
 
N:  You have been working on how to include improvisation structures in your choreography.  What is it about that idea that appeals to you?
E:  One of the things that I appreciate most about dance is its presence. Any movement is literally occurring the second that it is being done and then it is gone. Even in dances that are highly specific and choreographed with every detail in place, there is always a factor that will make it different each time it is performed. In college I was encouraged to allow different things to happen with each performance as a way to not get stuck in the choreography that we had been practicing for months. By incorporating improvisation structures into my piece I am looking to max out this concept. I am hoping that the improvisational elements will facilitate a feeling of exciting uncertainty within the dancers regarding what is coming next that it will read for audience members.

N:  What are you most excited about for this year’s National Choreography Month?
E:  Honestly just having the opportunity to make a dance and move with people that I care about. I am super excited about the cast that I am working with and having the support and guidance of Monkeyhouse has made this process so positive. I love that NACHMO is in January because it gives us the opportunity to start off this new year by making and sharing art. I am also super excited to attend the NACHMO final performance and see what all of the other choreographers have been up to this month!

N:  Can you talk about the dancers you’ll be working with?  What are you looking forward to and what are the challenges of working with this particular group?
E:  The dancers that I am working with are connected to Monkeyhouse in various ways but most come from different dance backgrounds. What I am looking forward to and the challenges of working with this group are almost the same. Other than working with Karen and Nicole as either students or company members, there are not many past experiences that all dancers have in common. While this can be a challenge in figuring out how to explain certain tasks or improvisation structures, it also allows me as a choreographer to highlight the individual strengths of each dancer. Additionally, when dancers from different backgrounds come together and work on tasks, what comes out of them is often not at all what I anticipated which is really exciting to see from a choreographers perspective.

N:  Who are some of your favorite choreographers? 
E:  There are so many! Two of my favorite choreographers whose work I was fortunate enough to see live when I studied abroad in London are Akram Khan and Hofesh Shechter. I’m a big fan of Heidi Henderson and Doug Varone as well. I also greatly appreciate the classic work and specifically the methods of creating movement of Trisha Brown.

By Elyssa Berg

Choreography, when combined with different mediums can create incredible results. It allows for a chance to create something in which each element would not be able to stand alone. Dance for film is an example of just that. When you combine film work and dance you are able to create things that can not be created for the stage, which opens up many doors creatively. 

As a choreographer, I have found a great interest in creating not only work for the stage but also for film. The process can be quite different than that of creating a piece for the stage. When I find myself creating or preparing a new piece there is a lot more preparation time involved. You have to think of each moment in the film; the shot, the movement, what the environment is like, how the shots and the cuts are driven by the music, and much more. This involves a lot less studio rehearsal and a lot more planning and testing when it comes to the actual creation of the piece. 

For myself, the most exciting part of choreographing for dance film is having complete power of exactly what the audience is seeing. By deciding the frame of each shot you are in control of what the audience's exact focus is, which is not always achievable when creating work for the stage.

You also have control of the entire environment that affects the film. This gives you great artistic power in your creation. You choose the lighting, the location, the weather or time of day you want to film in, and you can add elements that might not be accessible to the stage. For example, in dance films that I have created I have used elements that interest me such as water, dirt, and architecture. All of which I wouldn't easily be able to use in work that I want to present on a concert stage. Each of these choices of the environment is another choreographic decision that you would make and through these the lines of what is considered dance/movement can begin to blur.

A dance film doesn't always have to look like what we may all think of as "dance". A dance film could be every day movements, or actions, or maybe it has nothing to do with bodies and instead the movement of objects, nature, or even animals. The one constant in all of these possibilities is the filming of movement. To me this is quite exciting as it gives viewers a different perspective of what dance can look like. This is also a chance for artists to reach a wider audience as films and videos, especially in this time of technology, are more accessible than going to a theater to see a performance. 

With the New Year just days away, it is time to get ready for National Choreography Month (NACHMO)! I am super excited to be setting a piece on Monkeyhouse for NACHMO Boston. For anyone who is unfamiliar, the premise of NACHMO is to get people making choreography in January. The task is to create a new piece within the month. As one of Monkeyhouse’s Choreographic Mentees, I have been well prepared to take on this challenge, so I thought I would share a bit about what I have been doing so far, before the actual creating even begins.

The most influential opportunity I have had so far is Musings. Monkeyhouse Musings are opportunities to play with choreographic ideas in an atmosphere free from pressure. I have both lead and participated in Musings that have resulted in all sorts of different creation. For the piece I will be making in January, I plan to build upon several of the ideas I started playing with in these musings. Also in musings, I have played with ideas that turned out to be not so great. This was just as valuable because, now I do not have to spend rehearsal time trying out ideas that I am not interested in using for this specific project. Musings are an ideal way to spend time before starting as well as during a specific choreographic process. The risk-free atmosphere of musings has been the best preparation for me to begin a rehearsal process.
​
As I look forward to the beginning of making something new, I am grateful to have people who have done all of this before by my side. From applications to the non-movement parts of choreographing like set-design and costuming, Karen and Nicole are here for it. They have both participated in NACHMO before and have been new people in the professional dance world.

So, if you are like me and are about to embark on the journey of creating a new dance, I would recommend that you take some time to consider what tools you can use to prepare for this journey. Obviously not everyone has the privilege of attending Monkeyhouse Musings, but you can do the next best thing. Practice making choreography in an environment that does not pressuring you to make something amazing. If that doesn’t work, watch someone else’s process. I have learned as much if not more from participating in a musing someone else has lead compared to what I have learned in the musings I have lead. Also, find someone who can be in it with you. I’m so lucky to get to work with Monkeyhouse, mostly because they are filled with different perspectives. Extra eyes are always good to have.

I can’t wait to see all of the exciting new work that is made next month for NACHMO! Happy 2018!

by Elyssa Berg

Are you a very organized person? Are you spontaneous? Maybe you really like structure or details. Whatever your personality may be, this can greatly effect your artistic process. Finding the process in which you are most successful when creating takes a long time, and it constantly changes. 

Your artistic process is your own form of research or self study that you use to create a new piece. This could be in any art form or medium; dance, music, ceramics, writing, anything and everything! More established artists may have a very specific way in which they create work that they have been developing for many many years, but the most exciting thing is that even for them it is always constantly developing, no matter who you are. 

Personally, I have found my artistic process has greatly shifted in the past few years, especially from my time in college. Looking at the four years that I was at Virginia Commonwealth University studying dance and choreography, my creative process was dramatically changing all the time. Since i was in school, many times i have been asked to create work in a way that I wouldn't have otherwise. That was the greatest thing that I could have experienced!

Being asked to try on different processes and see what comes out of them is an exciting and scary thing. It can push you to create wonderful things that you may never have expected yourself to create. But with that also comes the flip side. At times when you're asked to create in a different way than what your aesthetic may have led you, it can also be a disaster. And thats okay! I have created many things that I didn't necessarily feel were as successful as they could be, or that really spoke to who I am as an artist, but that's all a part of the process. 

The best thing that you can do for yourself is try anything and everything. Don't be afraid to do something that doesn't work. If you do, you know that you were curious and brave enough to give it a go, and now you know that you might not necessarily ever do again. Asking yourself to step outside of your comfort zone and challenge yourself is a difficult thing. I have found that I have easily been able to do that through  Monkeyhouse's. 

Musings are a chance for you to bring any and every idea you have to a room of artists willing to try what you are offering. With such a supportive community you have the chance to try things that you have never tried before, and you have a chance to observe what the other artists add to your ideas. This has been a new part of my artistic process that has really helped to elevate my artistic process.

I have gotten to try out a lot of ideas during musings, some that I have decided to continue studying and trying for a longer period of time. One of these ideas has been the use of light in connection with dance. I have been able to play with different forms of light such as; lamps, handheld lights, natural light, light that peeks through doors, pretty much any form of light that I could find at the moment. This has led to a lot of magical moments in the studio. Trying out new situations that have really planted a seed for my newest artistic endeavor. I plan to continue to grow this idea as I work with monkeyhouse in creating new work. 

Like all ever changing artistic processes, each moment is exciting and different. My greatest hope is that my search within this process is that it is filled with many trial and error moments that continue to help me establish what works for me.  I am still on that journey of constant change and exploration within my artistic process and I will always be, which is a really exciting thing. 

Photo by Paradise Photo. Graphic by Nicole Harris

A conversation between the two choreographers for this years choreographic mentorship program; Elizabeth Powers and Elyssa Berg.

​EB: You just recently finished school at Roger Williams University this past May, what have you been up to since graduation?
EP: I am currently living in Providence, RI and working as a teaching artist in a middle school where I work with teachers to integrate arts into the academic curriculum. I'm taking classes and dancing in various projects around the Boston and Providence areas. I'm also working on creating some new work that pushes me into a different mode of creating movement. 

EB: So now that you have a chance to pursue new ideas what are you finding yourself most interested in exploring as a choreographer?
EP: As a choreographer a lot of my interests come from thoughts. I am really interested in people and how they work. I think that dance and movement facilitate exploration of these sorts of topics. I am also interested in exploring the possibilities of improvisation. I like to create improvisation scores that involve challenges or problems that have to be solved by doing the improvisation. Personally I use this method as a way to get myself to create movement that is different from what I usually do. I find that improvisation allows dancers to constantly be pushing the limitations of movement without getting stuck in a pattern, or at least provides the option of editing a score to create an escape from the pattern. I am also interested in using improvisation within the structure of a final piece. I get sick of doing the same thing all the time and am interested in the ways that a piece can be different every time that it is performed while it is still the same piece.

EB: It sounds like you are trying to push yourself to constantly change and try new approaches and tools, where do you find most of your inspiration for these new ideas comes from?
EP: A lot of my inspiration comes from watching dance. When I need to come up with an idea for a piece, going to see a good show always brings me into that mindset and gives me ideas to play with. I'm also inspired by relationships and observations throughout daily life. I find that the movement that is constantly occurring everyday is often as interesting as any movement that we classify as dance, when it's put in the appropriate context.

EB: You are about to begin the process of creating a piece for NACHMO, as you start this process and other processes what would you say is your biggest challenge in creating a new work?
EP: My biggest challenge when creating work is probably choosing what to focus on. I often have a lot of completely random ideas and so choosing which ideas to focus on is a challenge. I like to let ideas develop and pull my work in a certain direction, but before I can do that, I have to choose which ideas to give that power to. Sometimes I'll let a piece go in one direction for a while before deciding that isn't where it is supposed to go, so being open to giving a piece multiple chances to identify itself is important to me. 

EB: Do you have any plans for the near future? Are there any goals or things you would like to accomplish in the next five years or so?
EP: Honestly the only thing that I know I still want to be doing in five years is dancing. I want to be creating and sharing work regularly. I want to work with populations who have varying abilities as well as share the power of movement with anyone who could benefit from it. I want to be moving in a different way than I am right now. There are so many different ways to move and in my 22 years of life I have just scratched the surface.

EB: As you have had a long relationship with Monkeyhouse what would you say is your favorite part about working with the company?
EP: I love that I get to work with people who are so willing to try and to support. I can go into a musing with a weird idea or a hand gesture and come out with something really interesting. Also working with people like Karen and Nicole who have been teaching me dance since I was a kid is amazing because I know that they won't hesitate to push me out of my comfort zone but they will also help me make sense of things when they seem to be going nowhere. So, my favorite part of working with Monkeyhouse is being able to work with a community of dancers who will accept crazy ideas and make something out of anything that they are given. 

by Nicole Harris

We have been so lucky over the last seventeen years to have former students from Impulse Dance Center, Dover Sherborn High School, the Dancing Arts Center, Natick High School, Groton School, Endicott College and beyond who have returned to be part of Monkeyhouse in some way.  They've been board members, funders, company choreographers, audience members and guest artists.  They have participated in Musings and company class as well as been invaluable advisors to us in and out of the studio.  We are forever grateful to each and every one of them!

This past summer we created a series of Musings at Impulse Dance Center to give the alumni an opportunity to dance at a more professional level and to play with choreographic ideas in a low stakes setting.  (We'll be talking more about that particular program in a future blog post.  Keep an eye out!)  During that process we were inspired to create a new Choreography Mentorship for emerging choreographers.  Many of our former students have gone on to complete dance programs at the college level and came home with inspiring new skills, ideas and goals.  We want to help these emerging choreographers as they transition from an academic dance life to a professional one.  

We are starting this program with two of our Impulse Dance Center alumni, Elizabeth Powers and Elyssa Berg (who you might also remember as being a choreographic intern during her senior year of high school and a guest artist at Monkeyhouse's Misplaced/Displaced concert).  These two dynamic choreographers will continue to lead Musings for December and January as they refine a choreographic idea.  During the month of January, they will each create a piece of choreography for NACHMO (National Choreography Month) using dancers from Monkeyhouse.  

This is an exciting opportunity for emerging choreographers.  They receive studio space for both Musings and rehearsal; mentoring in choreography, design and all the administrative work involved in producing a new work; the opportunity to set work on a company and a whole lot more.  You will hear a whole lot about these two ladies and the work they are creating over the next three months.  But first, here's a quick introduction:

​Elizabeth Powers graduated from Roger Williams University in May 2017 with a BA in Dance and Performance Studies and a double major in Psychology. Elizabeth grew up dancing at Impulse Dance Center in Natick, MA where she studied a variety of dance styles before finding contemporary-modern and improvisation techniques to be her passion. Nicole Harris and Karen Krolak were two of Elizabeth’s teachers at Impulse who encouraged her to find her creative voice and push boundaries. They continue to do so today.
 
Throughout college, Elizabeth had the opportunity to study with and perform in works by Heather Ahern, Hilary Easton, Ori Flomin, Kellie Ann Lynch, Fritha Pengelley, and Christina Robson. She was graced with the mentorship of Michael Bolger, France Hunter, Cathy Nicoli, and Gary Shore. She was also able to spend a semester studying dance and performance in London, UK where she worked with choreographer Katie Lusby.

Elizabeth is currently working as a teaching artist in Providence, RI, where she works with middle school teachers to integrate the arts into their academic curriculum. She is also performing and choreographing for various events throughout the Boston and Providence areas. She is extremely excited to be exploring a new idea with Monkeyhouse.

Elyssa Berg began her dance training at Impulse Dance Center in Natick, Massachusetts. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Virginia Commonwealth University with a BFA in Dance andChoreography. In 2016, she studied abroad with the University of South Florida’s Dance in Paris Semester Program, under the direction of Michael Foley. During her time at VCU, Elyssa performed in works by Scott Putman, Melanie Richards, Judy Steel, as well as guest artists; Doug Varone, Liz Lerman/Dance Exchange, and Dawn Bazemore. In 2015, she performed in the official music video for Victor by Prinze George, a finalist in the LA Music Video Festival. 

Outside of VCU, Elyssa has studied at Bates Dance Festival’s Young Dancers Program as well as their Professional Training Program. Elyssa has been commissioned twice by Monkeyhouse to create work and has presented choreography in the Boston area as well as Richmond, Virginia.