Break at the Barre

The week between December 24th and January 2nd is often referred to as "the dead week."

Two major holidays occur within a matter of days. 

Most kiddos have off from school. 

Many people don't want to be at work, or aren't. 

Duration of sunlight gets a little bit longer everyday, but winter has just officially started. 

One year ends. Another begins. 

It's a time of transition. 

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To honor this transition, JCWK Dance Lab partnered with the Pennsylvania Dance Education Organization (PADEO), Alvernia University, and musician Richard Maddock to bring you a Break at the Barre. 

It's my hope that the dancer in you will take a moment (or 32 minutes) during this time of transition to 

1) remember the Joy of dance

2) Connect with your imagination, your muscle memory, and your breath

3) pay attention to both your physical and mental Wellness

4) take advantage of this guided practice to explore your own Kinesthetic story

This practice is also focused on physically transitioning within the confines of a traditional ballet barre. I often say that I'm "bad" at transitions and that's why I practice them so heavily in my work. I've written that the world could be healed through plies. 

Let's start with one dance and one dancer. 

Let's start with you and this Break at the Barre. 

 

Welcome home for the holidays on the GRADE

Where is home for you? 

What do the holidays mean to you?

Home is Berks County, PA for me and many others. 

The holidays mean The Nutcracker Ballet for many dancers. 

I get really excited when artists who have achieved a level of international recognition acknowledge having roots in Berks County. 

Complexions Contemporary Ballet principal dancer, Jillian Davis, is one of those artists. She returned to Berks as a guest artist in Berks Ballet Theatre's annual "The Nutcracker" with the Reading Pops. 

Jillian was kind enough to sit down with me and share some of the layers of her story with me on JCWK Dance Lab presents The Greater Reading Area Dance Exchange on BCTV.org. 

Check out this promo: 

 

Watch the episode: 

Tiny Dances, Big Impact

 JCWK Dance Lab performed at DanceLink's Ten Tiny Dances at the Bethlehem SteelStacks on Dec. 16th. Dance Artist Arielle Ridley and I revisited a piece she performed in 2021, "No Thing."

At the time, we were still in Covid land. A lot has changed since then and it was fun to remember where we were in our bodies and in our mental/ emotional states. 

Thank you, DanceLink, for the opportunity to build our communities. It was such fun to meet new artists and audiences and to reconnect with some long-time friends. 

Thank you, Reading Theater Project and Sean Sassaman for giving us permission to remount the work. "No Thing" was originally created for RTP's "Mixed MESSages". Sean Sassaman wrote and recorded the soundscore. 

Thank you, Arielle, for continuing on this journey with me! 

New York, New Adventure

JCWK Dance Lab is heading to NYC for the International Human Rights Arts Festival. We've been selected to perform on the Climate Change Action evening. 

It's been quite a few years since I've been to NYC. I'm excited to be joined by this group of artists. Check out what they're excited about: