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.