Movement Memories Adventures in Morocco

Last month, I performed a workshop at St. John's on the Lake in Milwaukee, WI. called Movement Memories Adventures in Morocco. It consisted of about 15 participants from that community, and we all contributed stories and dreams to a dance piece about traveling. We began with a comforting warm up that got our bodies and minds connected in the activity with music from Camille who is a singer from France that uses movements to change the sound she is creating. I find her music to be playful and edgy while with a sense of calm. It certainly brought our warm-up to a different place and time.
Then I asked them to share their experiences traveling or dreams to travel. We then created an adventurous dance that went from France to Soviet Russia, Morocco to Hawaii, and our own back yard. The stories were fascinating, and the movement that grew from them was hilarious and sometimes touching. I got so caught up in all of this that I lost track of time completely. I think I could have improved different timing because after we did the dance then I also did a brief presentation on Morocco and my adventures. I don't know. I have mixed feelings because I did enjoy hearing all of their stories and wishes. Also, It is a pleasure to share and relive my memories of Morocco. I had a blast, and even got to do a little belly dancing to the music of Samira Said whose music I was introduced to during my time in Morocco.

The biggest challenge was seeing everyone in the group because they all had different abilities. St. John's has a large community of people who can live freely on their own with little assistance and then people who need a little more care. In the future, I think it would be helpful if I switch where I'm sitting throughout the workshop so different areas have equal attention.

Photo Taken from St. John's website

It was a little nerve racking, but I had great assistance from St. John's staff especially Angela Crimmings who I worked with closely. She had great advice including having a little more volume. I tend to be soft spoken at times, and it doesn't work! Crimmings was very encouraging though, and said a comfortable volume will come with experience. It's kind of funny though because I generally like to talk a lot, but in important situations I become all quiet.

I hope to present again at St. John's. The community environment is friendly, respectful, and open. I enjoy their company with their abundance of knowledge and experience.

Interview with Joseph Kuczkowski (Uncle Joe) Owner of Collins Woodwork

My Uncle Joe has always been a carpenter for as long as I have known him. I have seen him build beautiful, extraordinary things from wood. He actually began his interest in carpentry when he started working for his neighbor Mr. Collins at 12 years old. Starting pay was $1 an hour in 1973, and he quickly received a raise to $2 after his first week. I never knew this information about Uncle Joe until this interview, and I find it very interesting that at a young age he knew who he wanted to be. I suppose I was the same way when I was younger, except, I wanted to be a star on Broadway! Little differences...

Image taken from Collins Woodwork Website

Over the years of working at Collins Woodwork, Uncle Joe took over the business, and now is the business owner. I think it must have been challenging, but my uncle has learned how to balance his personal and professional life well. He told me his biggest confrontation was that he forgot how to smile, and had to relearn over the first 5 years that he owned the business how to smile again. With fears of the economy and being true to oneself, I can empathize with that sentiment because I know that I can become a little caught up in my own fears. Specifically, I fear failure. To control one's fear is a huge step in owning a business. I hope that I make many mistakes, and face failure with the successes.

Another lesson I learned from our interview was to leave problems that are work related at work, and not carry them home. We all have to take some "Me Time", and for my Uncle that has always been reading a book in the bathtub. I don't know if he really wanted me to write about his bathing habits, but I thought it was important! I have so many ways to take "Me Time" whether it be watching TV, stalking people on facebook, or going out to eat by myself with a good book. It is great to just enjoy in simple activities. What do you do to escape the everyday obstacles? I'm sure we all have our place for "Me Time". It makes for a healthier individual.

Now. Collins Woodwork is a small business with a big impact. It is just different from a bigger hardware store that deals in bulk rather than keeping close with customers. My Uncle made sure to tell me that the customers and coworkers are what make a difference, and we are nothing without other people. I find this so true in what I do with my dancing, and I feel like it would be a loss if I couldn't share my love with the people around me.

Joe Kuczkowski is most definitely an artist with wood and business. He creates life experiences out of his business, and his business thrives because of his life experiences. Collin's Woodwork Cabinetry could be better called Collin's Woodwork Artistry!

Thank you Uncle Joe for always being so loving and caring, and allowing me to take up some of your time for an interview.

Image taken from Collins Woodwork on Facebook

Photoshoot with Ernesto Villarreal

Pilgrimage Dance on Facebook

Really quick! I wanted to promote a photographer, Ernesto Villarreal, who recently helped me out tons with some movement shots for my website. He did an excellent job; was profession, prepared! I was able to be laid back around him, and we got just tons of wonderful photos from an afternoon of dance.

You can view more photos at Ernesto's website http://www.pbase.com/firenight/pilgrimage_dance__sandy_beneke

and learn more about this skilled photographer!

Big Thank You to Ernesto Villarreal!

Observation at St. John's on the Lake

As I have an upcoming workshop at St. John's on the Lake, I made a visit to observe one of their regularly scheduled events. It was a movement/art class instructed by Kelly Anderson who is a dancer & choreographer in the Milwaukee area. You may remember I blogged about working with her in my Missed Connections post.

In the group, Anderson worked with some TimeSlips concepts where she presented them with a photo and they came up with some really creative responses. We went on a wild adventure with ideas such as a war over a mysterious empire waged by a 600 year old princess to a ragtime piano played by a couple of long-necked critters. TimeSlips is a great way for people to initiate sharing of experiences and creativity. The model is to take a photo and find a story -- any story. I had forgotten how wonderful it was to work with pictures to generate thoughts and ideas which could create movement.

Picture taken from Time Slips Website

Though the group was small in size with 8 participants including myself and Anderson, it gave a nice level of intimacy. I think the group contributed more possibly because of the sense of safety within the group along with the comforting confidence within Anderson. The challenge with less people in a group comes when the participants are more on the spot to perform. Anderson's overall approach to the individuals at St. John's was relaxed, informative, and open. There was a level of connection that she had with the clients that she had a laid back demeanor, but all the while still sharing information and open to new thoughts.

I am even more excited now for my own event coming up involving traditions and culture. It would be beneficial if I could use some of the storytelling philosophies from TimeSlips with my own special twist. I hope I can have a similar effect working with memories and movement. Confidently, I am always thrilled to work with the St. John's participants because they all offer so much!

Election Day!!!!

OK... It has been way to long since I last posted so I thought I would use this blog to mention a little politics.

As an artist, I am made very aware of the lack of support arts receive. "Why would I pursue something that has little support within the community and for which is often overlooked?", you might ask.

Well to be quite frank, I love it (dance, music, film, visual art, theater, poetry, fashion, and any form of expression). My forté is in dance, but I appreciate them all. They also all interrelate at some point or another. Dancing to music; creating music through dance. Filming dance; dancing to a film.... so on and so on! There are endless possibilities.

Not only do I love art at surface value for the end product, but I also benefit from the process of creating art. It is sometimes really hard and frustrating at times, but it makes me even more aware of my own voice and opinion because it is constantly being challenged and changed. It is exciting!

Now, you're maybe wondering, "OK, that's great! What does any of this have to do with Election Day?"

I thought about not voting today. No... last week, I decided I wasn't going to vote today. Between all the propaganda seen on TV and heard on the radio, I was at a standstill. Why on Earth would I vote for anybody they way the tear each other apart? Then I realized or rather was told by a number of people in my life that it is important to vote.



Napoleon Dynamite



If I chose to not make myself knowledgeable about the candidates and not vote today, how could I take myself seriously as an artist. If I didn't even make an effort to participate, I would be devaluing myself and my voice. I don't pay too much attention to politics on a regular basis because I would probably shoot myself in the face out of frustration, but it's not because I am incapable of comprehending the candidates and the debates. I found a really wonderful website called Project Vote Smart that helped me in looking through all the candidates and rating them according to how alike their positions were to my own.



Use it! It takes only a few minutes depending on your Internet connection... 

Please care! 

I didn't care, but then I thought about what would happen or not happen because of my silence.



Even though change isn't going to happen over night, I must make a stand to express what I want for the future of my government. Even though I am not well represented within government, it is a right to represent one's individual self; it's the only platform I have that connects me to the government. Even though I don't care about either party in particular, I want a balanced government that works together to make decisions that impact ME! (It's all, pretty much about me)

For all of you that vote today, Happy Election Day regardless of if you identify as a Republican or Democrat. For those who are making a choice not to vote, recognize that there isn't even a small percentage of your voice being heard and your opinion being important!

Compagnie Jant-Bi: Waxton

Last weekend, there was a terrific dance group called Compagnie Jant-Bi from Senegal who put on a one-night only show on Saturday through Alverno Presents. I was absolutely blown away by their performance of Waxton. The fierceness of the dancers was remarkable. They were so physically active throughout the dance and made me feel out of breath just watching. It reminded me a lot of going to see fireworks because the dancers would have moments of huge, fast, explosive movement along with moments of condensed, still, stable activity.

Picture Taken from Jant-Bi website

If you missed this dynamic company perform live, you have to check them out on the website linked above, and watch their clips on youtube. They are a real treat for anybody of any background. I found them irresistibly provoking and entertaining along with meaningful and witty.

Interview with Deborah Farris, Executive Director of Danceworks

The other day I had the chance to interview Deborah Farris, the Executive Director of Danceworks. As a college student, I was introduced to Danceworks through a jazz dance class that I took as a General Elective Requirement. It reminded me of how much love I had for dance when I was younger, and I decided to try to continue actively studying dance. I have taken many classes at Danceworks through UWM and on my own during the summer programs. One class I had as an early college student was a ballet course taught by Deborah Farris. It was rough! I remember being very challenged in the class as Farris helped me work through the basics of ballet.

Image found on the Danceworks Facebook Page

Now near the end of my Undergrad degree, I have taken the opportunity to sit with Deborah Farris and interview her one on one. She has some remarkable stories! Not only does she dance and have some great management skills; she also has talent in fields of visual art, theater, and singing. She told me that it was hard to find a niche because she had so many interests. Thankfully, UWM had an inter arts program to put all her interests to use where she earned her undergrad degree. Many of her interests are visible in Danceworks as a well rounded arts’ community. You can see these features throughout the building itself where Danceworks is located with artwork covering the walls and in the Dancworks Performance Company (DPC) shows that often collaborate with artists in other fields.

If you haven’t seen DPC in action, it is made up of hardworking individuals who are talented professional people. Farris attributes the growth of the company to the efforts of the entire staff at Danceworks who she says, “uniquely serve the purpose of performing, training, and getting people in the community motivated about moving”. She went further to mention that they each are a part of the core of Danceworks, and factor into all the great work Danceworks does for the community. From children to elders who sometimes have little or no resources, Danceworks integrates all art forms throughout Milwaukee to support the community. It wasn’t always easy, Farris told me. She said she had to learn a lot about grant writing.  In today’s economy, the pressure is always on to be able to support the arts financially.

Farris does an amazing job of managing the books of this growing organization, and it is not the first time for her either. Even though Farris never went to school for business, she learned through experience. Helping manage the books for a modeling agency when she was seventeen, she gained knowledge for numbers and organization. With her voice, she started performing at the Skylight Theatre and moved to New York where she performed Off and Off-Off Broadway and got sucked into the dance scene. She did even more traveling all over the U.S.; performing with companies until she settled into Chapel Hill, North Carolina and had a son. In North Carolina, Farris continued to be inspired by the arts in the area, but she also began book keeping for the Botanical Gardens which is a place she grew into with a business and finance management position. A new marriage brought her back to Wisconsin where she pursued her masters degree at UWM, and she became apart of the dance community in Milwaukee. When she started as Executive Director, it had its challenges such as building revenue streams, focusing the mission, developing the board, and coming down with pneumonia. In a vulnerable state, Danceworks pulled through, and Farris works hard to see that happen.

Farris is an incredibly versatile individual with a great group of people working with her at Danceworks. I have lots of faith that she will continue to be an asset in the dance/art community here in Milwaukee, and I marvel at the work she has done already. I know this company well as I have gone to many shows and taken classes with a few of their instructors, and have benefited from Danceworks being a strong entity in Milwaukee. It is a place where I began my study of dance, and I am very thankful to those who helped encourage me. Under the direction of Deborah Farris along with the help of the rest of the Danceworks staff, I hope to see dance and art continue to grow here in Milwaukee.

A huge thank you to Deborah Farris for being willing to take a moment to talk with me, I have a greater understanding of how it can be challenging to find a voice when there are so many interesting wonders in the world, and how integrating partnerships can make it possible to explore many fields of thought and study.

If you are interested in learning more about Danceworks or Deborah Farris, click the highlighted links above.