The Malden Dance Mile was created in 2019 by Monkeyhouse and OnStage Dance Company to introduce more dance to the Malden community. Each spring Monkeyhouse has partnered with artists and organizations to find new ways of introducing aspects of dance and choreography with live performances, workshops, film screenings, and more.

Now in its fourth year, the Malden Dance Mile
will take place at Malden City Hall Plaza on
Saturday, May 13th beginning at 6pm.

This year’s festivities will be all about the creative process with a focus on methods of adaptation, allowing participants to witness works being made, try their hand at their own choreography, and experiment with ways of consuming dance beyond just sitting in an audience in a theatre.
mus·ing
/ˈmyo oziNG/

noun
  1. a period of reflection or thought.
Monkeyhouse holds monthly sessions with dancers and dancemakers called Musings, where artists can experiments and play with new ideas without the pressure of deadlines or performances.

We invite you to join us for a look inside the Musing process to watch Monkeyhouse artists working on movement research for their newest work, _____[10].

Alongside a group of dancers from a range of backgrounds and styles there will be an open Musing time with prompts from the book The Intimate Act of Choreography by Lynne Anne Blom, led by one of the authors mentees, karen Krolak.

Throughout the evening there will be artists watching and documenting the movement through writing and drawing to look at alternate ways of viewing and consuming dance.

Audiences are invited to participate by moving, watching, writing, or drawing!

To close out the evening Monkeyhouse will present a series of dance films projected onto a large screen including work from NACHMO Boston artist Jenny Oliver and aMaSSiT artist Laura Sánchez.
Please note: Monkeyhouse may receive a commission when you click on our links to make a purchase.

_____[10]

Dictionary of Negative Space by karen Krolak
Ever wondered where dances come from? Using research for Monkeyhouse’s newest work, _____[10], watch a dancer explore questions of accessibility and mobility. 

Improv: Thawing

You are frozen stiff. You begin to thaw in one part of your body and then that refreezes. Then another part thaws. As thawing occurs, memories flood in, coloring the movement that precipitated them - memories of warmth, silliness, struggling, wistfulness. Sometimes the thawing overlaps and sometimes you are completely frozen again. At times the thawing is very slow; at other times, instantaneous. Once thawed, the body part may want to try out various movements before it refreezes.

Improv: Dance-A-Graph

Pick your favorite drawing and improvise on it. (You can add an image and work with that as stimulus if you want.) Remember: beginning-middle-end, all about one thing, a high point. Try a different drawing.

16 Ways to Manipulate a Motif

​​Repetition
Retrograde
Inversion
Size
Tempo
Rhythm
Quality
Instrumentation
Force
Background
Staging
Embellishment
Change of Planes/Levels
Additive/Incorporative
Fragmentation
Combination

8:00pm - Film Showing

Featuring work by:
Jenny Oliver - Shared thanks to NACHMO Boston
Laura Sánchez - Send feedback and support Laura’s work!
​Monkeyhouse

Directions

City Hall Plaza
​215 Pleasant St, Malden, MA
Public Transit
Malden City Hall Plaza is located across the street from the Malden Center stop on the Orange Line. It is a two minute walk from the train to the plaza.

Walking directions from Malden Center to 215 Pleasant St, Malden, MA


Driving
Street parking is available along Pleasant St or for free at the Jackson Street Garage.

Driving directions to 215 Pleasant St, Malden, MA
​Driving directions to Jackson Street Garage, Malden, MA

Meet the Artists

karen Krolak
Nicole Harris
Caleb Howe
Sarah Feinberg
Lila Ruth Klaus
Shira Weiss
Christopher Croucher
Cassandre Charles
Jenny Oliver
​Laura Sánchez

Meet the Supporters

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Malden Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency and the
​Mass Cultural Council’s Project and Festivals grant.
Please take a moment to thank the folks who are supporting the Malden Dance Mile and the arts in Malden, including the Mass and Malden Cultural Councils (links in logos above) and the state government who votes to fund those agencies!
The Malden Dance Mile & NACHMO Boston are part of Monkeyhouse’s Covid Collaborations
​Special thanks to the Miner Nagy Family Gift Fund

Meet the Organizers

Monkeyhouse is an award winning nonprofit organization based out of Malden that is dedicated to connecting communities to choreography. We are interested in finding ways that choreography impacts everyone and the ways that we all move with meaning every day.

​NACHMO (National Choreography Month) is your yearly kick in the pants to create new work! NACHMO Boston is co-hosted by Alive Dance Collective and Monkeyhouse and strives to grow connections in our dance communities and offer both budding and established choreographers a chance to create and present. Participants take on the challenge of creating a new work during January (National Choreography Month), supported by choreographic prompts, mentoring sessions, and connections to the dance community.

Special Thanks

The Malden Dance Mile originated as a collaboration between Monkeyhouse and OnStage Dance Company.
​We are forever grateful for Jennifer Kuhnberg and the OnStage Dance Company community.
A huge thank you to Kevin Duffy, the Mayor’s Office, and the City of Malden for helping us get the Malden Dance Mile on its feet this year and every year!
​We are so lucky to be part of this community!
Additional special thanks to Jason Ries, Brenna Banister

Accessibility

All Malden Dance Mile sites will be accessible for those with mobility devices.
​
Films will be closed captioned. Some chairs will be provided for those who are unable to sit on the ground. Please let us know if you will need a chair.

Do you have an access need we can meet to make this event more accessible to you? Please let us know!