Hansel and Gretel opens this weekend

 

November is flying by. 

This weekend, Berks Opera opens Hansel & Gretel at The Miller Center for the Arts on the campus of Reading Area Community College. 

In an attempt to promote the show, stay active on the socials, and still keep my head above water with all of the projects going on (end of the semester and classes at Alvernia, student shows, JCWK Dance Lab shows and touring...) I created a few images with details of Hansel & Gretel. 

The background image is by Maya Burdick, who is also performing in the show. The text I grabbed from Berks Opera's website, and played with a few digital effects to share info. 

For more details, click here. 

Alvernia Theatre presents The Inspector General

I'm back in the theatre with Alvernia Theatre this fall. 

This semester, Alvernia Theatre is presenting "The Inspector General" - a comedic drama that ironically (or not) explores a bit of deception, trickery, group think, and mistaken identity. 

I've created three dances for "The Inspector General" and provided some physical coaching for character development, non-verbal communication, and performance. 

Alvernia Fine and Performing Arts Chair, Dr. Nathan Thomas, directed the play and provided incredible mentorship and guidance for the students. 

Here's a moment from the performance: 

I particularly enjoyed the challenge of playing with rhythm and limited space for this dance. Great work, performers! Thank you, Dr. Thomas! 

JCWK Dance Lab and Berks Opera

JCWK Dance Lab's collaborative adventures continue throughout November. 

I'm excited to be working with Berks Opera as part of their upcoming production of "Hansel & Gretel". 

Here's some behind the scenes footage of our process:

Moments caught from UNSEEN

The beginning of November had me and JCWK Dance Lab returning to Bethlehem, PA and The IceHouse. 

Working with Sarah Carlson/ DanceLink, Karen Fox/ Bella Deluxe Entertainment, Malcolm Shute/ Human Landscape Dance, and Mijka Smith is getting to be both a homecoming and creative collaboration. 

Additionally, I'm thrilled to get to know new audiences, new dancers, new tech folks, and to make new friends. Thank you for everyone who joined us over the weekend! 

Here's a quick video from the weekend - 

Happy Halloween!

 Happy Halloween from JCWK Dance Lab and our Dance for Wellness classes!

Continued Research, New Explorations

JCWK Dance Lab is touring to Bethlehem in November! 

We're sharing the stage with several other regional artists in "UNSEEN: Dances the Move into Dreams." 

We presented "Eroded" several weeks ago in Philadelphia and each performance experience allows me and the dance artists to deepen into the movement and the intention of the work. 

For this project, I'm looking at the metaphor of the body as earth. Grief breaks down aspects of our physical and mental bodies. Erosion weathers the surface of the earth. Both change the entity and the wearing away reveals other things that are hidden. 

I've also been playing with AI and social media tools to improve my own communication and marketing skills. Here are a few preview videos and images I created for this particular performance: 

All things Nutcracker on the GRADE

Fall means a lot of things - brilliantly colored leaves, temperature changes, Halloween, and the start of Nutcracker season. 

For October's episode of JCWK Dance Lab presents The Greater Reading Area Dance Exchange on BCTV, I sat down with Nathan Bland and several dancers to talk all things The Nutcracker. 

Nathan Bland is the Artistic Director of Berks Ballet Theatre. We had so much to chat about, we could do another episode. Until we get to that, check out this quick promo about the Greater Reading Area Dance Exchange and watch the full episode!

JCWK Dance Lab partners with Reading Parks and Rec

JCWK Dance Lab is embarking on a new journey in partnership with Reading Parks and Rec. 

Dance Artists Arielle and Autumn are working with local youth to create Joy, develop brain/ body and interpersonal Connection through dance in preparation for the annual holiday parade. 

Here are a few behind the scenes moments of the new adventure: 

Finding Joy at Penn State Rec Fest

 

Thank you for sharing Philly Fringe 2024!

Thank you for sharing in our Joy and in our Tears!

It was a huge milestone for me to be back in Philly and at KYL/D's CHI Movement Arts Center this year. 

On National Dance Day.

On International Day of Peace. 

On the Fall Equinox. 

On September 21. (Yes, go ahead and dance to the Earth, Wind and Fire song. I'll include it for your convenience below.)

But first, here are a few moments from last weekend:

Tears in the Waves at Philly Fringe 2024

 

Click here for tickets and more information. 

We're sharing new work with some long-time friends in Philly this weekend! Join us on National Dance Day for an evening of movement and reflection! 

Tears? 

Tears?

Things are not always as they appear. 

And sometimes things that look the same have different meanings. 

Behind the Scenes at the River Dance Festival

JCWK Dance Lab was invited to participate in Roxey Ballet's River Dance Festival in August. 

We shared "Bloom" with music by Marty Bonk. The studio theatre at Mill Ballet School was beautiful! Thank you for the opportunity, Roxey Ballet! 

Listen to Claire

Ya know those moments when you're not really sure if you're doing the right thing or in the right place? 

I get those, too. 

For a little over a year, JCWK Dance Lab has been engaging with The Heritage of Green Hills in a weekly Cultural Exchange. The residents openly share their feedback with us and often provide insight and bits of life wisdom. 

Sometimes, they sit with us. Sometimes, they watch our process through the large windows of the studio. We often wave, smile, and try to let them know we see them. 

But we don't always know who's watching us. 

Thank you, Claire, for this encouragement. 

Thank you for being In Nature with us!

Over the weekend, JCWK Dance Lab partnered with Reading Theater Project and the Reading Public Museum to share the four year of In Nature's Studio. 

Dancers, musicians, actors and playwrights take inspiration from the current exhibits in the Museum outside into the Arboretum. 

Thank you for everyone who share the afternoon with us! 

Dance, Dragons, and new Research

We're thrilled to be partnering with Reading Theater Project and the Reading Public Museum for In Nature's Studio, again. 

And during our process, we rehearsed onsite. In the process, we found more friends and collaborators using the museum for creative space. 

Dancing Mindfulness and JCWK Dance Lab's Cultural Exchange

 Every Wednesday, JCWK Dance Lab engages in a Cultural Exchange with The Heritage of Green Hills. 

The "W" in JCWK Dance Lab stands for "Wellness." To me, that incorporates both mental and physical wellness. In each rehearsal, we take time to Connect individually and as a collective with these aspects of ourselves. 

Dance artist Cady is trained in "Dancing Mindfulness" and led the company and our friends at The Heritage in a Dancing Mindfulness practice. Cady explains more in this video:

We Remember

 

Any given Wednesday

 JCWK Dance Lab's Cultural Exchange with The Heritage of Green Hills is a highlight of my week! Our (me, the dancers artists, and the residents) hearts, minds, and bodies are opened and challenged in positive ways when we come together to move and share stories. 

In May, each of JCWK Dance Lab's artists are leading an aspect of our time together. I'm grateful to be a student again and learn from them! 

Check out some of Arielle's choreography:

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

 

There is always a reason to dance. 

Moments from "Regeneration." pics by Brian Mengini. 

Honored to create Joy at the Caron Celebration of Excellence!

 

Thank you, for inviting us to create Joy at this special event. It was an honor to dance for and connect with everyone in the room and involved in the process! 

Thank you to our program sponsors!

 Thank you, friends!

Greater Reading Area Dance Exchange and Regeneration

 

The Greater Reading Area Dance Exchange is an outreach program of JCWK Dance Lab designed to bring awareness to dance opportunities in Berks and beyond. 

In this episode, the dance artists share their personal journeys and experiences with the process of JCWK Dance Lab's "Regeneration". 

Read more here. 

#wowwednesday - three composers featured in Regeneration

 It takes a village! 

Three unique composers have lent their talents to JCWK Dance Lab and our communities through their artistry. 

Check them out here and listen to their work on April 20-21!

Regeneration - featuring visual artist Elaine Soltis

 Elaine Soltis is a visual artist with an extensive creative background. She's most recently been reflecting on climate change through her work. I've been following Elaine for several years and finally got the nerve to ask if we could use her work as part of the collaboration of "Regeneration." 

She said "yes"!

Check her out here, at her GoggleWorks studio, and at Regeneration!

Regeneration promo video

 I continue to be impressed by the people who are around me. 

JCWK Dance Lab artists have mad skills on and off the dance floor. 

Shout out to JCWK Dance Lab Arielle Ridley who created this awesome promo video for our upcoming show, Regeneration. 

JCWK Dance Lab creates joy and healing

 Breaking news! 

JCWK Dance Lab creates joy and healing in "Regeneration". 

Click here to read the preview article for JCWK Dance Lab's latest creation/ performance/ adventure/ collaboration. 

Thanks, George Hatza for writing it and BCTV.org for publishing it! 

(I'm so excited about this!!) 

Click here to read more about the journey and get tickets. 

Science, agriculture, community building and dance?

 

Making the GRADE with Regeneration

I'm fortunate to have multiple ways to share the work I'm doing - including the Greater Reading Area Dance Exchange on BCTV. 

JCWK Dance Lab artists joined me in the studio to talk about "Regeneration". It was fun being both a part of the process and trying to be an outside interviewer. 

Backstage with "Regeneration" on BCTV

Thanks so much, to David Edgar Guest and our friends at BCTV for hosting us. Backstage is a long-running program that goes behind the scenes of local productions. 

Learn more about the program by clicking here. 

Watch here: 

Crowd sourcing... what would you choose?

We're relying heavily on our community for "Regeneration". So many people are coming together to make this production happen and supporting JCWK Dance Lab in ways big and small. 

So, we're looking to you to help us with some marketing. What do you think? Let us know!

Music, Movement, and Poetry create a mosaic March 28

It's coming quickly! The collaborative of me, Dr. Mara Parker and Dr. Jessica Guzman takes the stage at Widener University's Kapelski Recital Thursday, March 28th at 4pm. 

Read the article on PhiladelphiaDance.org here. 

Read the article on BroadwayWorld here. 

Join us! 

Behind the scenes Backstage on BCTV

Backstage is a program on BCTV hosted by long-time Berks theatre genius, David Edgar Guest. Here's a glimpse of our time behind the scenes with David and the BCTV crew - Thank you!

February Fringe Drop

 For the past 9 years, Reading Theater Project has presented the 5-Minute Fringe Festival. It's an opportunity for the community around RTP to create something and receive feedback during the process. It's a chance to take a risk and try something "bite-sized" in a low-stakes, but high-respect experience. 

I've been participating since 2019, when I took a chance and asked during a snowy January night, "does this make sense as a journey?"

"This" became "Shed" and began my appreciation for RTP as an organization of individuals invested in community, communication, and artistic integrity.

Since 2019, I've invited a plethora of dancers to join me in the journey. Here's a bit of the most recent process of JCWK Dance Lab, RTP's 5-Minute Fringe, and my latest work: 

Greater Reading Area Dance Exchange - dance and pt combine

Dance training provides a host of transferrable skills, and one career dancers pursue outside of performance is physical therapy. I saw down with dancer and physical therapist Morgan Giannini to talk about her journey to develop a balance of being a physical therapist and active dancer in Berks County. Thanks, Morgan for making the GRADE (Greater Reading Area Dance Exchange)!

Save the Date - March 28

 

Save the date! Dr. Mara Parker and I are collaborating again in 2024! Poet Jessica Guzman will be joining us in this mosaic of performance and art. 

When: Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 4pm

Where: Kapelski Recital Hall on Widener University's campus. 

Cost: Free and open to the public

*************

Here's a behind the scenes pic of one of our collaborative zoom meetings: 

January slow down

When was the last time you took a moment to slow down?

January is a time when we often feel pressure to "start." 

New Year Resolutions. Habits. Work projects. Summer planning. 

JCWK Dance Lab has a lot happening in the next few months. 

The Fine and Performing Arts Department at Alvernia is also celebrating some important milestones. 

We're not quite through the first month of the year, and it feels like time is FLYING!

****

During my research this week, I stopped and asked myself just to slow down. 

Here's 8 minutes of slow movement work, focused on weight shifting and balance, sped up to 25 seconds. 

Yes, I recognize the irony. 

Perhaps, you'll take this short video as inspiration to slow down, too. 

Dancing at Home Favs

It's a snowy day on the East Coast and many organizations have canceled or gone virtual for the day. 

There are a ton of virtual movement practices online. Here are a few of my favorite, stay-at-home-but-stay-active links:

• Learn more about Dance in Berks County with JCWK Dance Lab presents The Greater Reading Area Dance Exchange on BCTV.org.
• Catch up on Dance Professional Development with lectures and movement workshops from the Pennsylvania Dance Education Organization.  
• Our friends at Dance for PD created this online resource for dancing at home. Click here to check it out! 
• Take a bellydance fitness class with SharQui! Click here to learn more. 
• Amy Novinski and I danced together for several years with Nora Gibson Contemporary Ballet. Amy is a leading teacher for Adult Ballet classes in Philadelphia. Check out her online library here. 
• Kathryn Morgan is a professional ballerina who also has her own community of dancers. Check out her YouTube channel for virtual ballet classes. 
• Liz Reyonalds and I went to grad school together. She teaches yoga and Pilates to a variety of populations. Check out her home workouts here. 

Have you tried any of these? What did you enjoy?

Do you have other links to share? Let me know! 

Let's keep moving together!

Pic of JCWK Dance Lab by DJ Barrage/ Perspective Unlimited

Snow Dance Brain Dance

Oh, the weather outside is frightful,

But you can make inside so delightful!

Connect your brain and body - ready? Go!

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

The JCWK Dance Lab team and I created this Snow Dance Brain Dance to give you a chance to 

1) Connect your Brain and Body through BrainDance

2) Use your imagination to create some Joy

3) Get moving

What'd you think? Let us know! 

International Human Rights Arts Festival 2023

 

Thank you, to our friends at the International Human Rights Arts Festival for presenting JCWK Dance Lab in the Climate Change Action evening! What an honor to share creative space with you!