What's in a Name?

For the title of my business and my senior project at UWM, I came up with Pilgrimage Dance. It was inspired by various places that I perform in with this business including: libraries, schools, senior centers, and community centers. I find that I myself am on a journey not only to these places, but to share and encourage dance within many communities and learn something about myself at the same time. A pilgrimage for me is a search for knowledge, and at times, it is a spiritual search as well. In many religions, people often make a pilgrimage to a holy land.

Now, I'm not sure there is any particular place that is the holy land for dance! It seems to me that every place has inspiration from it's history to it's people to dance and create dance.

When I was coming up with the title, I also thought about how dance moves and a pilgrimage is specifically locomotor movement from one place to another. In my mind, I find it interesting that a pilgrimage is actually one really long dance! It's an abstract thought, but I think it describes my work. I am a nerdy dancer who interrelates dance with all areas of life and community. They are not interchangeable! There can be no growth without the freedom to move. There can be no life without growth. And there can be no dance without life.

Still Learning

My senior project for the Dance Department at UWM was to begin my own business that allowed the community to experience dance in a new light. The great part of this "assignment" was that it could potentially affect the rest of my life. I didn't know when I entered UWM as undecided that I would be where I am now with my studies and certainly couldn't have imagined the wealth of knowledge I would receive.

School has taught me to be versatile, and has trained me to be strong in adversity. I have had opportunities to take classes with brilliant teachers, and meet guest artist from around the world. As friends and colleagues, my peers have been competitive and supportive in the same instance. I have made many close friends from all over. I experienced life in a completely different culture than my own through a study abroad in Morocco. I will always take with me the people I have met throughout my life whom I have had the pleasure to call my friends. So now what do I do with the lessons I have learned and the connections I have made?
I form my own niche! Creating my own business that involves all aspects of my education, I feel that this project showcases all that I've learned these past four years of study. It also gives me a chance to work with many different people.

Working through college has allowed me to make mistakes and learn from them financially. Every position has had it's challenges, and I have had many great coworkers filled with advice and good company. How do I become more than an employee, but self-employed?
I become aware of business and personal finances along with marketing and licensing.

My family may not always understand my aspirations and goals, but they try their best to be there for me. I have learned from them to respect everyone I come in contact with and always keep intact my backbone. We most certainly have our arguments, but we always work through them. How can I repay my family for all their years of love and care?
I love them right back, and make them proud. Maybe one day they'll let me buy dinner!

My husband has his hands full with me since I tend to complicate life. Being in love with a man who works harder than anyone I know, you can be sure, I learn a lot from him. If his love has showed me anything, it is that I cannot let my fears rule me. Can I handle the obstacles to come?

With a great love by my side and a lot of hope, I can't look back. All I can do is try, and continue learning.

A look at Frederick Ashton

Photo Taken From Barnes & Noble

Frederick Ashton was a dancer, choreographer in love with Ballet. He lived from 1904-1988, and while he was born in Ecuador, he is most famous for being the artistic director of the British Royal Ballet. I am currently reading “Reading Dance” edited by Robert Gottlieb, and it includes an excerpt from the famed choreographer as he describes what he believes a choreographer to be… “First of all, he is to the ballet what a playwright is to a play; but whereas the playwright writes his play and generally hands it on to a producer who animates it for him and puts it on the stage, a choreographer does all this himself. Usually he is his own librettist also, so that in a sense the whole fount of the creation comes from him.”

Now, it is my opinion, and I state this with the deepest respect for this man’s work… But what about the dancers, the musicians, the lighting specialists, the costume designers, the people who have affected the choreographer in some way shape or form?

I realize he is trying to raise awareness to the actions of choreographers in the production of a piece of art work, but I think he forgets about the world around him for a second in this statement. Choreographers are people who take the world and wrap it in dance. They can sometimes seem in full command in the fact that they give direction to the work that they do, but they have dancers with varying capabilities and talents. They have musicians and composers that they collaborate with to fill the stage with sound to draw in the audience even more. They have so many people behind the scenes who dedicate themselves to their art of lighting and staging magic. They have designers of set and costume who tie the movement to an even more visual theme. And they have life experiences from people that have entered or left their lives.

Photo Shoot with Nora Tadic

Photo Taken by Nora Tadic for more photos visit Pilgrimage Dance on Facebook

Houston Ballet presents Contemporary Masters

Photo taken from our seats at the CWM Pavilion

Last Friday, my husband and I went to see the Houston Ballet perform it's "Contemporary Masters" ensemble at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. whew... that's a mouthful! It displayed beautifully the company's range of classical, traditional ballet along with the very inventive, contemporary forms of dance.

My favorite piece of the evening was called "Falling Angels" choreographed by Jirí Kylián. It was profound and provoking. I felt like I was watching a montage of the beauty and ugly in all of us. The dancers were so graceful and elegant, yet, they pushed the image of the pretty ballerina in a very human way. They went through discoveries on the stage for instance showing movements where they put their arms inside their leotards resembling bearing a child. It took the audience on a journey through a life and the strife for perfection one feels. With the women on stage fighting themselves for something unattainable, I watched a theme for perfection come alive.

The lighting was simple, but magnificent. I am not entirely sure of the how, but I know Joop Caboort the lighting designer did a fantastic job. There seemed to be strips of light on the stage in different locations at different times of the solo sections. It helped highlight the soloist, but more interesting actually was when the other dancers moved in the darkness with bits of them slipping into the light. It was so simple, yet, radiant. The light bounced off the dancers when they would enter the light adding a heightened awareness to the performers in the background along with the soloist.

It was such an enjoyable evening. I find that going to the ballet turns me into a kid at Christmas. When we first arrived at the pavilion, I was nearly jumping with excitement. The seats were free too! We sat in the grass seats just on the outskirts of the pavilion which is huge. I wasn't so sure at first how it would effect the view of the performance being so far from the stage, but I soon realized with the first piece what amazing seats we had. As the dancers on stage twirled and dipped, the kids that were sitting all around the grassy area of the arena got up and began dancing on their own. It certainly wasn't expected from the performance, but watching the little girls and boys look to the stage and then try their own moves was very touching. I felt so lucky to have the opportunity to see the Houston Ballet perform, and would gladly go again.

Married, Moved, and More...

Just sitting in our one bedroom apt in Tomball, Tx., I thought I would take some time to type.

Where did the past year go? It has been an absolute whirl wind. Last year around this time, I was working at the Grad School office at UWM getting ready for my last semester, preparing a Pilgrimage Dance workshop Step Up Style, and feeling about the same as I do now -- excited, anxious, stressed, happy. If I have learned anything about myself, it is that I am never and always content with life. It makes for some confusion, but it certainly brings about great adventures.

I still can't believe I have graduated from college with a Dance BA. It's probably the most crazy event when I think about it, and I thought about not attending the ceremony which was actually a pleasure! I would love to go on to grad school at some point, but really want/need to focus on paying off the slightly massive amount of dept I have ensued over the years. Oh goodness, when I first received my loan bills this past month, I definately had a moment of anxiety. I really believe I can work through it all. I have to! Still, school was well worth all of the loans and papers and exams and performances because it has instilled in me the ability to dream and explore.

Now... right after graduation, I busted out the wedding binder, and got to work. Wow! Never want to plan a wedding ever again...

It was an incredible day when it came (July 23, 2011). Really it's been unbelievable, and I love being able to say that I am married to my bestest friend who happens to light up my world. The ceremony was far more than I had imagined, and the after party was a blast. The Wedding night ended with both of us wanting to do it all over again the next day.

One week later... Texas!

We moved into an apartment just North of Houston in a town called Tomball. Work and the sense of adventure brought us here, and even though it is scorching out now, I can't wait to call friends and family in February to hear how the weather is in Wisconsin!

Cruel? Maybe, but they can always visit! We actually have a decent sized living room that is connected to the dinning room and kitchen. It is a very open setup. And probably the biggest perk is that there is a little nook in the kitchen for the washer and dryer! Oh.... and a walk in closet in the bedroom! Love! I'm just looking around, and it is already starting to feel like home. I've already hung up some artwork pieces, and we have some food in the fridge, dishes in the cabinets, and clothes in the closet.

Next on the events to come is to infiltrate the dance community here in houston! There are free seats to the Houston Ballet performance this Friday at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. I have been checking them out for the past months along with other dance companies, and I am thrilled to explore them more in person. I don't know where Pilgrimage Dance will go from here, but I very much so wish to continue on my endeavors of sharing dance here in Texas. It is a huge challenge, but one that I am willing to work hard at achieving.

Ok... Sharing a little bit of the wedding bash. My apologies for being a little pitchy, but what can I say Tina Turner is kind of tough!

Movements of Morocco - Waterford Public Library

Back at the Waterford Public Library, I put together a little something building on my experience in Morocco.

A workshop introducing the art of belly dancing and the culture brought about 30 participants of all ages together to learn about culture and movement.

Filling the room with books about Morocco, Africa, and Belly Dancing along with tea and trinkets that I brought back from my studies, I really tried to recreate a medina atmosphere that I saw in Morocco. It didn't quite capture the colors, smell, and feel of a Moroccan souq, but I was able to present some new information about the history of dance and photos from my adventures.

We started with a simple warm up as it is a healthy way to grab every one's attention and wake up the mind and body. Then I briefly went through some of the basic steps one might see in a belly dance performance. It was entertaining for me as well to see some of the participants really open up to the movement, and there was a great deal of laughter.

Giving their bodies a break, I let them go around the room and explore while drinking tea. I had gathered some videos to present Morocco and Belly Dancing in a different media. The intermission also gave me a chance to change, and reappear with one of my outfits that I bought in Morocco for belly dancing. A more conservative costume, it covers my stomach, but is very beautiful. I love the drama of the sleeves which drape and accentuate the movements of the arm, and upon entering the room, I then fielded questions from everyone about my travels and the culture.

For the finale, I had everyone circle around me while I performed for them and with them. I had some who weren't shy at all which made me smile. Overall, it was a wonderful time, and a lot of research and hard work. If you're at all interested in knowing more, keep following me as I plan to write another blog after this one informing everyone about the history, art, and resources for belly dancing and dance in Morocco.


Huge thank you to the Waterford Public Library and all their help and support!

Ed Burgess - Thank You!

Photo taken from Peck School of the Arts website

Over the recent loss of an inspiring professor, choreographer, and dancer, Ed Burgess, I am shaken with anger and sadness. He was fearless and strong. I don't even truly comprehend that he is gone. How could he just not be? I remember the last time I saw him we were in the Dance Dept office just catching up on each other's ongoings, and I asked him if he every wanted his own dance company someday. I will take his answer with me for the rest of my life because it is so Ed. He just simply said not really; he never wanted to be too definitive with who he was as an artist because he felt that he was constantly changing and evolving with however he felt. He enjoyed the freedom! I deeply respect him in more ways than one because he was such a free, expressive individual. Ed Burgess was an amazing professor who not only had goals for us on the syllabus, but goals for himself as well. As a student, I wanted so desperately to make him proud, and as he had high expectations, it was sometimes frustrating. But I remember always feeling empowered and free after one of his Modern dance classes.  I deeply regret never telling him so and I hope he knew how thankful I was for him and his approach to dance and life.

There is a Tribute by Third Digest that gives a really deep insight into the life and passing of Ed Burgess to commemorate such a beautiful man.


Thank you Ed! I gave myself a good butt kicking work out this morning thinking of you!

Dance in Houston, Tx Part 7

Taken from CORE website

CORE Performance Company is another group that I am very interested in learning more about. The three key things that I picked up from their website were their emphasis on performing, presenting artists from all over, and connecting everything with the community (in particular communities that don't often have the opportunity to dance).

It looks like they will be dancing this weekend at the Modern Atlanta Dance Festival, and have a performance coming up on April 29th "In the Mood... for Dance".

I am so excited about everyone of these groups, and I hope to get the chance to be apart of the dance community in Houston.

Dance in Houston, Tx Part 6

Ok.... my research would not be complete without having a shout out to the Houston Ballet. It has a rich history since 1955 and a dedication to excellence and innovation. As much as my strengths do not lie in ballet, I have a lot of appreciation and respect for the dance form. I might be able to catch their version of "The Taming of the Shrew" because I might be visiting in June before moving out there.

Taken from the Houston Ballet website

Dance in Houston, Tx Part 5

Suchu Dance in Houston also seems like a riveting dance company. The most post modern dance group I have found so far, I am so excited to be finding such a diverse dance community.

I hope to get a chance to see some of this crazy bunch of dancers while I'm in Texas.

Take from Jacob's Pillow 2009 Announcement

Dance in Houston, Tx Part 4

Dominic Walsh Dance Theater! Ok... so I may not be a ballerina, but there's just something I love about watch contemporary ballet! I probably don't have a chance in hell at working with this company, but I will gladly go support the contemporary ballet and thought provoking works. Come to find out... Matthew Bourne has choreographed on this company makes it even better. It will always be a dream for me to see Bourne's version of Swan Lake.
Well, anyway... Dominic Walsh has a performance coming up May 5-7 wish I could be down there to check them out.

Dance in Houston, Tx Part 3



Taken from Sandra Organ Dance Company



There is also the Sandra Organ Dance Company in Houston. It doesn't look like they offer classes, but they offer outreach programs along with performances in the community. In looking over their site, I got a really strong sense for the emphasis on stretching the expectations of dance in performance. They say they blend dance with music and spoken word which is always an interest in my own choreography. I would be interested in seeing the work "Si Se Puede" which has been postponed till later in the year!

Dance in Houston, Tx Part 2

Another great option for Dance in Houston seems to be at the Houston City Dance Studio. They offer all types of classes including Ballet, Modern, Tap, Jazz, the works as well as creative movement for children!!!! Right up my alley... They seem to take a deep look at the culture and deep ethnic diversity of Houston.

Picture taken from Houston City Dance Studio

Dance in Houston, Tx Part 1

Alright... so I thought I'ld use my blog to help me collect research on various Dance companies in Houston, Tx as I will be moving down there in 3 or 4 months.

First, I have found the Houston MET Dance Center. I am really particularily interested in learning more about this group based on their strong emphasis on dance in education and enhancing the lives of others. The center offers Adult classes in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Tap with resonable package rates. They also have a performance coming up this weekend on April 15, 2011. I wonder how many performances they put on in a year.

Here's a quick video clip from them on youtube.

Dreaming at the Waterford Public Library

Over the past couple days, I have been working with the Waterford Public Library on two separate events - "Dancing Dreams" for kids ages around 4 and 5 and "In your Dreams Workshop" for ages 10 and up. It's been a wild couple of days, and these two events have been a lot of fun.

Hard, Hard, Hard work.... I learned a lot from the Dancing Dreams workshop. It is incredible how much children can teach us, and with over 50 participants, I had a lot of teachers. Never did I anticipate that many children attending, and if I had another group as large as that one, I would do things a little differently.

For instance, when you ask a group of 20 children to go around the circle and share a movement to introduce themselves it doesn't take nearly as long as it does for a group of over 50. I had a lot of help and support from librarian Tricia Cox who kept me on track and who always keeps up my confidence. The kids did great, and they stayed with me. They shared with me some of their dreams about being princesses, swimming with sharks and other animals, being transformers, seeing aliens, and future goals of being police officers and firemen.

But I might try a different approach. In the future, I will start with the reading of the story "Waking Up is Hard to Do" by Neil Sadaka then go into a warm up. Honestly, I think the kids were really excited to be read a story. Also, I wouldn't have them in a circle, but in lines facing me with enough space to move. The circle made it difficult to move freely with such a large group of young ones. Then I would probably have some of my own choreography about dreams to lead them with, and then ask for volunteers to make up some extra choreography about what their dreams may be.

OVER 50 participants!!!!! Even with a few difficulties, the kids really seemed to have a good time dancing and reading at the library.

Now with my other event for the teen program, I had a lot of fun as a guest in the workshop. I helped open their dream interpretation workshop with some breathing exercises which were a lot of fun. And I was surprised at all the laughing, and how it really opened up the group to relax and feel comfortable.

We then did some steps for relaxation that I picked up from my T'ai Chi class last semester with Tom Ryan. I got them to focus on themselves, and take some tools with them on how to deal with stress. Afterwards, the Librarian Emily Scherrer took charge as we all built our own dream journals, made dream pillows, and were introduced to books on how to interpret dreams.

The Waterford Public Library never fails to amaze me. Over the years, I have always been impressed, but have come to realize that even more so the library has never ceased to inspire me along with others.

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.