Reaching back, pushing forward

 "One hand holds me in the past. 

One hand pushes me into the future. 

The moment right now is the present. 

It is a gift."

Photo by Thomas Kay Photography. A moment from Dark Adaptation. 

Happy Winter Solstice!

In this season of reflection, I'm taking time to share some of the moments of the past year - where JCWK Dance Lab has been and plans for where the company is going. The mission of JCWK Dance Lab is to Create Joy, Connection and Wellness through Kinesthetic stories so, through that lens...

Joy - Each of JCWK Dance Lab's rehearsals, performances, workshops and classes have provided me with moments of joy. We've had over 50 hrs of rehearsal; led nine public workshops; hosted six episodes of The Greater Reading Area Dance Exchange on BCTV.org; and shared four live, in person performances. I've had so much fun and learned so much!

Connection  - JCWK Dance Lab presents The Greater Reading Area Dance Exchange on BCTV.org. The latest episode aired last night. In it, I reflect on some of my earlier work and the through lines that continue. If you missed it, you can watch a similar reflection from 2021 by clicking here. 

Wellness - I'm thrilled to be working with David Leventhal and the Dance for PD team again! JCWK Dance Lab artists are currently training in Dance for PD (Parkinson's Disease). I'm developing partnerships with local hospitals, wellness organizations and senior centers to offer this and Dance for Wellness in 2023. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more, click here to watch a demo and let me know. Thank you to Berks Arts and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts for supporting this training through the Creative Enterpreneur Accelerator Program!

Kinesthetic stories - Performances are scheduled and are coming up! We've been researching Stephen Grieco's Dark Adaptation and that premier performance is schedule in April for Reading,  PA. Click here to learn more about the research and the music! I have a solo show in March with my dear friend, Dr. Mara Parker in Chester, PA. Stay tuned for more updates or check out all of our upcoming activities by clicking here. 

On what are you reflecting? To what are you look forward in the new year? 

Sending you light for all of the transitions of this season! 

National Joy Day

 Today's National Joy day. 

Joy is the first cornerstone of JCWK Dance Lab. 

How do you create Joy?

How do you experience Joy?

Moving together, connecting with ourselves and our communities, developing physical and mental wellness and sharing stories allow us to create Joy!

Join us in the dance!

#GivingTuesday

 Today's #GivingTuesday. 

I've been a bit overwhelmed by all of the emails and ads to buy, get, and do over the past few days. 

JCWK Dance Lab is fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas and donations can be tax deductible. But, instead of financial support I ask this of you today:

Dance for Wellness on BCTV

 For October's episode of The Greater Reading Area Dance Exchange (GRADE) on BCTV.org, I led a Dance for Wellness demo. Create some space and let's get moving! 

Emerging - pre-show post

 "But for many of us, there is no form of self-expression that makes us feel more vulnerable than dancing. It is full body vulnerability." ~Brene Brown

Right now, I feel like, in a way, I'm personally emerging. This weekend, I'm presenting work with JCWK Dance Lab and The Crossing Paths Movement Collective in Bethlehem, PA. It's the first time I'm stepping onstage in a traditional theatre setting since February 2020. I'm a bit nervous and a lot excited. 

Many of the "normal" pre-performance jitters have been rising, as are some new, post-pandemic apprehensions. Can I still do this? Should I? Does it matter? "Yes!" to all of those questions, but I'm not as practiced as I used to be in calming them down. My trainig has taught me to trust my process and all of the artists involved who are making this performance come to life. I release my breath and prepare to emerge. 

JCWK Dance Lab artists Arielle Ridley, Cady Monasmith, and Woosoon Kim have been in the studio with me researching, rehearsing, and creating for several months. I'm grateful for their trust and their dedication to this process. 

Composer Stephen Grieco has provided me with incredible music and research into celestial bodies through his album, Dark Adaptation. Again, I'm grateful he's entrusted me with this aural story. 

The other producers of The Crossing Paths Movement Collective are Sarah Carlson, Malcolm Shute, and Nick Daniels. I've worked with Sarah and Malcolm many times over the past decade. I trust their work and their voices and am excited to be able to share the stage with them!

Chris Connelly is our Technical Director for this performance. I've also worked with him on several projects at Alvernia and trust his lighting design and direction. This is the first time we're working together outside of the academic setting. I can't wait to collaborate with him in this way! 

As I personally and professionally emerge into this next step of my journey, I'm grateful for the relationships that Time has built and strengthened. Although dance is full body vulnerablity, it is also full-body joy, connection, and story sharing. 

What are some of the ways you're emerging? I'll return with more from the other side...

*Post was written prior to the weekend, but didn't publish...

Crossing Paths in Bethlehem

 

JCWK Dance Lab is thrilled to be presenting with the Crossing Paths Movement Collective this weekend in Bethlehem, PA. 

For tickets and more information, please click here. 

Check out the preview videos: 

Domino has Dropped!

Happy World Ballet Day!

During the late part of 2021, musical artist Mikaela Krall, lead of the band Dipped, approached me about a collaborative project. Dipped was releasing a new album in 2022 and Mikaela had a unique vision for one of her songs as a dance/ video project. 

As collaborations work, we meet. We talked. We got to know each other through our artistic voices. We dreamt. We planned. We worked. 

We tried some things. They didn't work. 

We tried some other things. 

Mikaela focused on the music. I focused on the dance. Independently, we worked. We came back together. 

Covid. We needed to be flexible in our process and timing. 

The project grew and changed as it took on its own identity and we added more voices. We listened to the work; reflected; continued. 

In February 2022, we performed Domino to a live audience as part of the Reading Fringe Festival. In May, we created the video. 

On October 22, the video dropped. 

Watch it here: 

I'm incredible proud of the dedication, perseverance and creativity of this team. Thank you!