Here's the information:
Tickets can be purchased here: http://danceboxoffice.com/product_details.php?item_id=52
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Etc. Performance Series performance
I'm performing "Notes from Unexpected Lessons" again this week at the Etc. Performance Series at the CEC Meeting House Theatre. Stay tuned for reflections on the process, but until then, I'll be in the studio working, in preparation...
Here's the information:
Tickets can be purchased here: http://danceboxoffice.com/product_details.php?item_id=52
Here's the information:
Tickets can be purchased here: http://danceboxoffice.com/product_details.php?item_id=52
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Past projects, future adventures
Check out these videos and mark your calendars! There's a lot going on!
With the Nora Gibson Performance Project:
http://vimeo.com/44611673
Love this version, too!
http://vimeo.com/47634096
The InHale Performance Series is this week! We're in our FIFTH YEAR of presenting emerging and established artists from the local, regional, national, and international scene!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYnTysMFqcE&feature=youtu.be
Tickets can be purchased here: http://danceboxoffice.com/product_details.php?item_id=50
"Angels of Freedom"
Angels is a series created by Brian Mengini dedicated to the fallen military.
Here's a link to the book release party: http://bmengini.com/angels-of-freedom-book-release-party/
Stay tuned...
With the Nora Gibson Performance Project:
http://vimeo.com/44611673
Love this version, too!
http://vimeo.com/47634096
The InHale Performance Series is this week! We're in our FIFTH YEAR of presenting emerging and established artists from the local, regional, national, and international scene!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYnTysMFqcE&feature=youtu.be
Tickets can be purchased here: http://danceboxoffice.com/product_details.php?item_id=50
"Angels of Freedom"
Angels is a series created by Brian Mengini dedicated to the fallen military.
Here's a link to the book release party: http://bmengini.com/angels-of-freedom-book-release-party/
Stay tuned...
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
So You Think You Can... Get it RIGHT?
...Get it RIGHT?
I don't know what that means.
But... okay. Try.
Now... wait. Try again. Really. You have to do it more than once. Especially if you just learned it and/or are doing "it" for the first time.
Insert your "it" here. A tendu. A piroutte. An inversion. A time step. A business presentation. A language. A classroom. A Dance. Yes, with a capital "D". (and an A in capitAl. Check out the difference between capital and capitol at http://dictionary.reference.com/ )
This post comes after a moment with a young dancer... I had just taught her a new phrase and after a minute or so of experimenting with it, she noticed I was watching her. Almost defensively she stated, "It's not in my body yet."
"Of course not. I just taught it to you. You're figuring it out. That's what you're supposed to be doing. Figure out how your body can negotiate the movement. Make it yours... but you need to spend some time with it... So, keep working."
She looked at me as if I had three heads before nodding and returning to her kinesthetic investigations. (Surprised that I would give her permission to experiment? Be patient? Witness her exploration?)
Later that evening, I was cross-training at the gym. One of the dance competition tv-shows was playing on a big screen next to one of the political conventions. The irony was not lost on me.
Watching both, side by side, I was not shown by the producers the years and years of work, research, sweat, tears, frustrations of these people. I was just shown a brief thirty to ninety seconds of very well rehearsed material. And that was the performance. The product. No wonder my student got defensive in class. Our society is being taught that we only have ninety seconds to impress our audience... whomever that might be.
Granted, first impressions are important in business transactions and social meetings, but when we're looking at education or an artistic process (or running the country), ninety seconds is not enough time to develop an understanding and relationship with a given subject.
Again, I don't know what "getting it right" means. Only that a lot of people are fixed on making sure that other people know what wasn't right. So, please take the time you/I/ we need to research and investigate and question and come up with several different answers.
I don't know what that means.
But... okay. Try.
Now... wait. Try again. Really. You have to do it more than once. Especially if you just learned it and/or are doing "it" for the first time.
Insert your "it" here. A tendu. A piroutte. An inversion. A time step. A business presentation. A language. A classroom. A Dance. Yes, with a capital "D". (and an A in capitAl. Check out the difference between capital and capitol at http://dictionary.reference.com/ )
This post comes after a moment with a young dancer... I had just taught her a new phrase and after a minute or so of experimenting with it, she noticed I was watching her. Almost defensively she stated, "It's not in my body yet."
"Of course not. I just taught it to you. You're figuring it out. That's what you're supposed to be doing. Figure out how your body can negotiate the movement. Make it yours... but you need to spend some time with it... So, keep working."
She looked at me as if I had three heads before nodding and returning to her kinesthetic investigations. (Surprised that I would give her permission to experiment? Be patient? Witness her exploration?)
Later that evening, I was cross-training at the gym. One of the dance competition tv-shows was playing on a big screen next to one of the political conventions. The irony was not lost on me.
Watching both, side by side, I was not shown by the producers the years and years of work, research, sweat, tears, frustrations of these people. I was just shown a brief thirty to ninety seconds of very well rehearsed material. And that was the performance. The product. No wonder my student got defensive in class. Our society is being taught that we only have ninety seconds to impress our audience... whomever that might be.
Granted, first impressions are important in business transactions and social meetings, but when we're looking at education or an artistic process (or running the country), ninety seconds is not enough time to develop an understanding and relationship with a given subject.
Again, I don't know what "getting it right" means. Only that a lot of people are fixed on making sure that other people know what wasn't right. So, please take the time you/I/ we need to research and investigate and question and come up with several different answers.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Riding the wave and digging the trenches
I wish I could heal the world through plies.
Or at least really, really. share the power of the understanding of the undercurve.
The undercurve? The bottom part of the kinesphere-ical motion. The bottom of a circle. The digging of the trenches when you're on a swing, trying to stop yourself from going too high or swinging around the bar and becoming inside out. (I'm dating myself with the ancient reference of Nickelodeon's Inside Out Boy. I'm probably dating myself with a reference to Nickelodeon... Google it. Youtube it. He swung over the bar. Something you don't do if you're digging trenches and engaging the undercurve. Total overcurve. with superpowers. But there are super powers in the undercurve.)
As a young dancer, I didn't understand the undercurve. What was the purpose of going down? I was interesting in going UP! Higher. Into the raked audience! Weren't we taught to project even into the nosebleed seats?
But it's not all up. And without the down the up can't be as high.
Again. Dance reflects life. Dance is life. Dance is a way to understand the human experience.
The undercurve and the overcurve. Exact opposites existing in the same sphere. In honestly, one cannot exist without the other. There is no height without the grounding from which to leave. It's a balancing of opposites and an examination of physics. "For every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction."
And this serves true in the body of the emotional and psychological world too. We can turn to the physical, dancing body for truth. The lower we can engage the undercurve - the support that may not been seen by the audience; The bottom of the plie; The bottom of the inversion; The bottom of the tendu; The plie before the turn - the leap- the lift - the more fully the overcurve is realized and physicalized (in the flesh and bones body, the emotional body, and the psychological body). These require an intense experience of the opposite before the height of the overcurve can be achieved and explored. Likewise, the "low" points of the emotional and mental state can be experienced and complemented by the overcurve... the "high" points. Each in balance. One exists with the other.
There are many other examples of this. The sprinter's prep before leaving the block.... The 2012 Olympics just closed. What other examples did you see in these tried and true athletes - masters of their bodies and physics?
In this time, I am witness to change.
Change is a constant and the undercurve is followed and complemented by the overcurve. Only to be circulated into another opportunity (necessity) for an undercurve.
Have you ever watched a captive dolphin show? They perform this beautifully. I'm told they jump as they do in the wild... circling down before exploding out of the water. Have you seen this in real life? It's truly magical. (So is the human body. And the plie).
My dear friends and readers. In these times of challenge and change, return to the grounding of the undercurve.
Perhaps this post is more about the relation to dance and life more than it is about dance class or performance itself... but one cannot separate the body from the lived experience. And the body cannot be separated from the dance. Our bodies tell and hold our stories. Dig deeply.
See you at the barre. And in the modern dance class. And the jazz class. (And the tap, hula, West African...) And the performance. Let's investigate in our studio laboratories and report back. What are your research findings?
Or at least really, really. share the power of the understanding of the undercurve.
The undercurve? The bottom part of the kinesphere-ical motion. The bottom of a circle. The digging of the trenches when you're on a swing, trying to stop yourself from going too high or swinging around the bar and becoming inside out. (I'm dating myself with the ancient reference of Nickelodeon's Inside Out Boy. I'm probably dating myself with a reference to Nickelodeon... Google it. Youtube it. He swung over the bar. Something you don't do if you're digging trenches and engaging the undercurve. Total overcurve. with superpowers. But there are super powers in the undercurve.) |
| (from http://www.swingsets.us/) |
But it's not all up. And without the down the up can't be as high.
Again. Dance reflects life. Dance is life. Dance is a way to understand the human experience.
The undercurve and the overcurve. Exact opposites existing in the same sphere. In honestly, one cannot exist without the other. There is no height without the grounding from which to leave. It's a balancing of opposites and an examination of physics. "For every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction."
And this serves true in the body of the emotional and psychological world too. We can turn to the physical, dancing body for truth. The lower we can engage the undercurve - the support that may not been seen by the audience; The bottom of the plie; The bottom of the inversion; The bottom of the tendu; The plie before the turn - the leap- the lift - the more fully the overcurve is realized and physicalized (in the flesh and bones body, the emotional body, and the psychological body). These require an intense experience of the opposite before the height of the overcurve can be achieved and explored. Likewise, the "low" points of the emotional and mental state can be experienced and complemented by the overcurve... the "high" points. Each in balance. One exists with the other.
There are many other examples of this. The sprinter's prep before leaving the block.... The 2012 Olympics just closed. What other examples did you see in these tried and true athletes - masters of their bodies and physics?
In this time, I am witness to change.
Change is a constant and the undercurve is followed and complemented by the overcurve. Only to be circulated into another opportunity (necessity) for an undercurve.
Have you ever watched a captive dolphin show? They perform this beautifully. I'm told they jump as they do in the wild... circling down before exploding out of the water. Have you seen this in real life? It's truly magical. (So is the human body. And the plie).
My dear friends and readers. In these times of challenge and change, return to the grounding of the undercurve.
Perhaps this post is more about the relation to dance and life more than it is about dance class or performance itself... but one cannot separate the body from the lived experience. And the body cannot be separated from the dance. Our bodies tell and hold our stories. Dig deeply.
See you at the barre. And in the modern dance class. And the jazz class. (And the tap, hula, West African...) And the performance. Let's investigate in our studio laboratories and report back. What are your research findings?
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Dancing into the fall
There's a new schedule up at the CHI Movement Arts Center, home of Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers for the fall:
http://kunyanglin.org/School-p2.htm
I'm going to continue leading barre, but we're shifting it to Fridays from 1:30-2:15pm. "Lunch at the barre"!
I'll also be leading barre on Thursdays in September from 6-6:45pm.
Interested in my teaching?
Several weeks ago I had a wonderful class with MM2 Modern Dance and Katelyn Capato was kind enough to share her reflections:
http://mm-2.org/blog/?p=656
(One of my personal favorites: "Yes, a ballet class for modern dancers! As modern moving artists, it is still important for us to keep our bodies connected to our core in strong technique." YES!!!!)
http://kunyanglin.org/School-p2.htm
I'm going to continue leading barre, but we're shifting it to Fridays from 1:30-2:15pm. "Lunch at the barre"!
I'll also be leading barre on Thursdays in September from 6-6:45pm.
Interested in my teaching?
Several weeks ago I had a wonderful class with MM2 Modern Dance and Katelyn Capato was kind enough to share her reflections:
http://mm-2.org/blog/?p=656
(One of my personal favorites: "Yes, a ballet class for modern dancers! As modern moving artists, it is still important for us to keep our bodies connected to our core in strong technique." YES!!!!)
photo credit: Steven Weiss
And if you're thinking about coming to barre, but really want to know more about it, you can read Kristen Kaschock's review in thINKingDANCE:
See you in the studio!
PS. The CHI Movement Arts Center (CHI MAC) is located at 1316 S 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147. One block south of the cheese steak giants, Pat's and Geno's, between Wharton and Reed.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Notes from Unexpected Lessons and the InHale Performance Series
I love the InHale Performance Series!
I have the opportunity to meet and work with so many amazing artists!
Our July 13th InHale was particularly special to me. We had an unfortunate situation where one of the performances had to drop out at the last minute. Kun-Yang suggested I present my solo.
I was excited at the opportunity to get feedback from my community, but also reluctant because I view InHale as an opportunity for other members of the community. But this was an emergency. And, several of my former students, now friends, for which this piece was created, were running tech. They graciously and bravely accepted the challenge a year ago of learning how to work and produce an evening-length dance concert. Many of them had previous tech and performance experience in the theatre, but dance is a whole different animal.
And I challenged myself - for several months I challenged these young people to explore dance as a lens to view the world. I need to do this work with them here. It was quite special. As I was performing, I received a text message from another former student now taking on a new challenge as an elementary school teacher with a report that her summer-class students had improved exponentially. Together, we're all creating positive energy and change.
Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2Qt3ORLHoA&feature=relmfu
Notes From Unexpected Lessons
Choreography & Performance: Jessica Warchal-King
Music: Tracy Scott Silverman (used with his kind permission)
Here's the review from the Dance Journal:
http://philadelphiadance.org/blog/2012/07/14/review-inhale-performance-series/
And here are some previous posts based upon this process:
http://jcwarchalking.blogspot.com/2012/07/creative-alternatives.html
http://jcwarchalking.blogspot.com/2012/07/building-community-through-dance.html
http://jcwarchalking.blogspot.com/2012/07/embodiment-project-reflection-by.html
http://jcwarchalking.blogspot.com/2012/06/raw-notes-from-unexpected-lessons.html
I an eternally grateful to the individuals who inspired this work and to those who have allowed me to share it.
I have the opportunity to meet and work with so many amazing artists!
Our July 13th InHale was particularly special to me. We had an unfortunate situation where one of the performances had to drop out at the last minute. Kun-Yang suggested I present my solo.
I was excited at the opportunity to get feedback from my community, but also reluctant because I view InHale as an opportunity for other members of the community. But this was an emergency. And, several of my former students, now friends, for which this piece was created, were running tech. They graciously and bravely accepted the challenge a year ago of learning how to work and produce an evening-length dance concert. Many of them had previous tech and performance experience in the theatre, but dance is a whole different animal.
And I challenged myself - for several months I challenged these young people to explore dance as a lens to view the world. I need to do this work with them here. It was quite special. As I was performing, I received a text message from another former student now taking on a new challenge as an elementary school teacher with a report that her summer-class students had improved exponentially. Together, we're all creating positive energy and change.
Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2Qt3ORLHoA&feature=relmfu
Notes From Unexpected Lessons
Choreography & Performance: Jessica Warchal-King
Music: Tracy Scott Silverman (used with his kind permission)
Here's the review from the Dance Journal:
http://philadelphiadance.org/blog/2012/07/14/review-inhale-performance-series/
And here are some previous posts based upon this process:
http://jcwarchalking.blogspot.com/2012/07/creative-alternatives.html
http://jcwarchalking.blogspot.com/2012/07/building-community-through-dance.html
http://jcwarchalking.blogspot.com/2012/07/embodiment-project-reflection-by.html
http://jcwarchalking.blogspot.com/2012/06/raw-notes-from-unexpected-lessons.html
I an eternally grateful to the individuals who inspired this work and to those who have allowed me to share it.
The Moving Beauty Series August 2012
Here's a video of Cassandra's latest performance of Excavations. I appreciate her willingness to keep exploring this piece. I learn something more about it with every performance. It's a constant work in progress, but I love seeing how her personal changes are effecting and informing the piece. And I can't wait to get back into the studio with her!
I'm always interested in feedback... Thanks!
Excavations
Choreography: Jessica Warchal-King
Performance: Cassandra Cotta
Thanks so much to the Moving Beauty Series gang in NYC for this opportunity!
I'm always interested in feedback... Thanks!
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