Wild Space performance Past Present

Last night I took a trip in time with Wild Space Dance Company at the Milwaukee County Historical Society in their performance "Past Present". Beautiful architecture encompassed beautiful dancing. The space located at 910 N. Old World 3rd St. was originally a bank building that has been restored to showcase it's past  for the use of a present museum. Artistic Director, Deb Loewen, delivered a very intimate look into the building's history, architecture, and function.



It is sometimes difficult to watch Wild Space because the movement isn't your typical approach to dance. The movement is filled with repetition, simplicity, and character. Often dance is approached with the purpose of entertaining; Wild Space stretches the capabilities of dance to really inform and leave an impression.







Photo Taken from Wild Space on Facebook



I love how Wild Space tends to take the audience on a tour in most of their performances. We as audience members got the chance to adventure around the building in groups to different installation pieces performed throughout the museum. It was a great way to see the building, but also a wonderful exhibition to get a taste of the different characters that come out of it's history. The dancing really seemed to involve even the ghostly spirits of the structures past. It was a treat to see Wild Space Dance. I left feeling that my thoughts on dance had been challenged, and with insights to a historical monument that I otherwise would have never had the opportunity to see.

Here Comes Trouble 2011

I'm on a roll at the moment with my blogging; I hope I can keep it up.



Photo taken by Mark Frohna



Well, I wanted to talk a moment about a production called "Here Comes Trouble" that I helped with by choreographing a piece, "Zillas". It took place at Danceworks this past weekend, and was a blast! It was a huge honor to have had the opportunity to put on a piece with three amazing dancers (Nastassja Bates, Emilie Rabbitt, and Janel Weeks). The piece was a collaboration of some of my crazy ideas about movement along with the dancers'. I tried hard to create a piece that really expressed the characters and drama that come out of a wedding in reference to all the wedding reality TV shows I have become addicted to.... "Bridezilla", "My Fair Wedding", "Rich Bride Poor Bride", and soooo many more. I find it to be a huge guilty pleasure to watch other weddings, and I also find it really hard because I'm planning my own wedding. It's hard to see all these lavish, beautiful ideas, and not salavate at the mouth! I really hope to one day take this short piece, and make it into an evening length work filled with my voice and opinions on the subject. (There are many. Most are in reference to how expensive everything seems to be along with how unfair it is that not everyone can legally marry the person they love based on gender)

I really loved that in the piece I could definately see myself portrayed in small amounts by the three dancers who I told specifically to portray very different characters from a little lost and confused to a bit ditsy and optomistic to just being controlling and a diva. If I had the chance to produce the piece again, I would love to see it with more dancers because these characters are just the beginning. It would be really wonderful to get a chance to see the piece progress, and I need to give a huge thank you to Sarah Wallish who directed the show for "Here Comes Trouble". Sarah along with Danceworks DanceLAB director Liz Tesch made a large effort to make the show possible from taking care of the lighting and sound along with promoting and really giving us a space and an audience to test out our work. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.



Photo Taken by Mark Frohna



  

It was so exciting to choreograph a piece on others for the first time, and have it be performed at Danceworks. I am always greatful for the Danceworks support and contribution to dance in the Milwaukee area, and hope to see them around for a long time.



New Dancemakers: In the Flesh

Another opportunity I had last semester was to perform in the New Dancemakers: In the Flesh show at UW-Milwaukee. I had the pleasure of working with two choreographers Nastassja Bates and Beth Mudroch. They were each very different in the ways that they make dances, and I learned so much from these two ladies. The overall process for the show was crazy because there were about 26 choreographers and three programs; it was bound to be a little stressful. I found the show weekend to be hard and hectic with long hours and lots of costume changes, but it was also really exciting too.

Nastassja Bates choreographed a dance inspired by women in the military called "Lady Machine". It took a lot of sweat and timing from myself and Rachel Elliot, my partner in the dance, to really perform this piece to it's true strength and unison. For me, the dance really stretched my capabilities because I definitely prefer smaller more intimate movements in my body over the large, stronger choreography that Bates put together. There were drills and jumping jacks, but also inner battles with ourselves and each other. Her eye and ear made for an exhausting, exhilarating dance. In rehearsals, there was never a need for a warm-up because it was installed in the piece. We wore fatigues on stage, and that just made me sweat even more! I have not served in the military, but I most certainly am thankful for the service of the men and women who do come together to protect and support our country.

In "You will never understand me" choreographed by Beth Mudroch, I had a chance to enter into a different culture -- the Deaf culture. The dance took us to the Wisconsin School for the Deaf where we saw a High School homecoming game, and got to experience what it felt to be in an environment where we didn't understand what was going on. I am actually quite familiar with the feeling since my study abroad in Morocco, and my travels to France. The dance made me more sure that being deaf is like being French or German; it is  a community and a culture rather than an ailment or disease. I will never fully understand, but I can sure try. Mudroch used film and dance to try and convey her message. With the help of four dancers including myself, Nadia Whitley, Bianca Ware, and Chris MacGregor along with film maker Daniel Kelly, the piece was a lot of hard work. I thought Mudroch did a wonderful job giving a peek into Deaf Culture in her piece, and it was a pleasure to participate in a piece that could be the start of something huge. I know now that I have a greater appreciation for the Deaf community, and perhaps there will be more people who saw the piece who have a better understanding or desire to better understand Deaf culture.

If you missed the show, I'm sorry because the overall event was phenomenal. It's truly amazing that all the pieces were performed and organized so well with so many choreographers presenting. Professor Luc Vanier, Music Director Seth Warren-Crow, Production Manager Iain Court, Stage Manager Colin Gawronski, and Program Manager Kayla Premeau had much to do with the organization and the success of the show. It could not have been done without them, and the stage assistants who aided them.


One final note to Nastassja and Beth -- A huge thank you to you both for making me apart of your pieces. I will remember the experience for the rest of my life.

Movement & Media Collaboration

I've got some catching up to do because there were a few performances this past semester that I didn't get a chance to write about.

Starting with a performance I had at the Milwaukee Art Museum. The show for MAM after Dark on November 19, 2010 was an explosion of media and dance being used in different ways during the exhibition of the Museum's European Design, the Chakaia Booker installation, Art of the Table event, and the Robert Therrien installation in Windhover Hall. It's a mouthful to say, but it was exciting to participate. The performance happened in cooridination with a class called Movement & Media Collaboration taught by Luc Vanier (Dance) and Cecelia Condit (Film). Both professors have some intresting takes in both the fields of film and dance. They took charge of our participation in the event, and were our guides.

It was very stressfull, and I found it difficult to keep in mind all the elements of dance along with the use of media. I collaborated with a film major Joe Calamia who was willing to work with movement and dance, and he jumped right in. It gave me a chance to play with some video shooting and editing as well. His movement preference were very different from my own, and we used the contrast within the piece. It was essentially an improv game where we were two individuals stuck in an elevator with specific rules as to what movement game was taking place, and it focused on our relationship within the space and with eachother. We had projections outside of the elevator that we had hoped would draw people in that would portray our different movement characters. If I were to do the piece again, I would make a point to find a way to integrate the media within the space. It would have added an extra extrodinary dynamic to the piece.


Video of our MAM After Dark piece


Overall, the Art Museum was an unbelievable place to perform, and I would love for the opportunity in the future to make pieces for another event.