April Showers bring...

Shows!

We're deep into the Philadelphia performance season! Mark your calendars and get your tickets! Here's a quick rundown on what's reigning (raining...?) on the April calendar - and into the summer. (Click on the links for tickets and more info).

April 8th & 9th. Koresh Artist Showcase at Koresh Dance, Philly. April 8th - 6pm & 8pm. April 9th 6pm. We're sharing a new work inspired by the music of Carrington Kay. 

April 8th. Boundaries and Bridges presents Theatrical Bridges. An evening of film and theater inspired by building bridges in Chester, PA. 7pm at Widener University's Alumni Auditorium.

April 13th. KYL/D's Deconstructing ONE - Immortal Game at KYL/D's CHI MAC at 7:30pm. Get a behind-the-scenes look at Kun-Yang Lin's process of creating and reconstructing ONE - Immortal Game.

April 21st & 22nd. Nora Gibson Contemporary Ballet's NothingThatIsNotThere presented in conjunction with the Philadelphia Science Festival at the Performance Garage. (I'm not performing because I'm deep in the process of Becoming Mom, but I've been a part of Nora's work since 2009. More on Becoming Mom as a contemporary ballet dancer in another post...)

April 23rd. Widener University's Spring Chamber Music and Dance Concert. 3pm at Widener University's Kapelski LC1.

April 27-29th. Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers at Prince Theater. Use my artist code: Jessica8 for a special friends and family discount on your tickets! Read author/scholar/artist/incredible person Kimerer LaMothe's article from Deconstructing Santuario in Psychology Today and check out this interview preview I did with my super cool friend and colleague Nikolai McKenzie:

KYL/D's Artist Chat: Jessica and Nikolai from Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers on Vimeo.

May 12th & 13th. KYL/D's InHale/ ExHale Performance Series at KYL/D's CHI MAC, 7:30pm both nights. More info coming soon! Different artists will be presented each evening, including work by KYL/D's own talented group of creators!

June 9th. The Embodiment Project travels to NYC for the The Moving Beauty Series. 8pm at the Hudson Guild Theatre.

June 28th. The Embodiment Project's back in NYC at Dixon Place for 8 in Show.

Whew! I look forward to seeing you during these adventures! Check back for updates on the performances and process.

Dance "Hacks" - Part 2

Thanks so much to everyone who read and responded to my article and question about dance "hacks"!

Here's the article: Dance Advantage - Dance Hacks for Performance and Summer Training

And here are some of my fav responses from people, personally and virtually:

"Ibuprofen!"

"The night before a show, I rub my feet in Icy-Hot - mainly the arches so they're warm."

"I always have a theraband, make up remover wipes (for sweat in addition to make up), deodorant, and a mini first aid kit. And of course water and extra socks!"

"And two tennis balls placed in a sock for my tight calves and upper traps. I even take this on long airplane flights to massage my back while I'm sitting. A granola bar too!"

"Extra warm-ups! A sweater, leg warmers, and/or socks/ slippers."

"A journal and a pen. I have a digital device, but I also really like the ability to write things down. There's a different connection in my brain when I write with a pen as opposed to when I type."

What are some things that you carry with you?

Dance "Hacks" and Necessary Dance Bag Items - Post 1

Warning: This is the first of a series of posts.

I am lucky to perform different projects on a regular basis. I learn so much from performance.

From the performance itself:
What is the work communicating to an audience? What am I communicating to an audience?
What is the work saying to me, in real time?
How do I negotiate real-time, unexpected challenges? (A lighting error, the music goes out, another dancer makes an unexpected choice?)

From the preparation for performance:
What do I need to be ready for the performance, physically, emotionally, and psychologically?
To that end, I have shared these dance "hacks":
Dance Hacks for Performance and Summer Training

Hack: A clever solution to a tricky problem - according to urbandictionary.com.

What are your dance (or life) "hacks"?