Out of Darkness - Photo exhibit with Brian Mengini

Out of Darkness is Brian Mengini's latest project. Working with him is always really special because in addition to being an incredible dance photographer, he creates some projects that are emotionally powerful and socially meaningful. I'm honored to be a part of this project, dedicated to his mother and step-father as they battle his step-father's cancer together.

For this shoot, Brian gave me the direction that he was interested in strength and vulnerability. He had no specific moments he wanted to catch; he just wanted me to improvise with the intention of the project and we would see what happened.

Although I needed to be aware of my space, my light, the slightly slipperiness of the background, and the lines I was creating for a visual pathway in space, I appreciated the ability to physically investigate and work through some of my own emotional and physical challenges that have been circling in my kinesphere. Dancing brings a unique moment of awareness - internally and externally. And although this was Brian's project, I am grateful to share an element of my own stories, even as they continue to unfold.

A loud rock station played on the radio and engulfed the space, but I had a separate, internal soundtrack.

The subject matter was serious, but I had a lot of fun with Brian's little boy. He was so full of curiosity and wonder and life! Thanks, Brian, for the opportunity to celebrate challenges, pain, and uninhibited joy! 

Come see the exhibit - August 1st, 6-9pm at his studio! It's open to the public and should be a lot of fun!

Here's the link to his website:
Brian Mengini

It's the biggest European Festival..!

...and KYL/D is going!

KYL/D is ONE of THREE US companies invited to participate in this super awesome, amazing festival of dance! Please help us get there! (All contributions big and small are appreciated! Thank you for helping us share the artistry of KYL/D with the world!)

Upcoming Performances - Philly, NYC, & Germany

So much dancing excitement happening in the next few weeks! Please share some time and space and creative energy with me!

In Philly - I'm continuing to perform and explore creative space with Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers (KYL/D) and the Nora Gibson Performance Project (NGPP). Both companies will be performing at the Koresh Come Together Festival at the Suzanne Roberts Theater in Philly. This is the second year that the Koresh Dance Company has brought together over 20 Philly-based companies to perform at this incredible venue. Last year, the community vibe back stage was so incredibly supportive - I'm excited to be a part of this again! KYL/D is performing two different works - one on Wednesday, July 23rd and the second on Saturday, July 26th. NGPP is performing on Friday, July 25th, and Nora has us back en pointe! Here's more information on the performance and tickets: Come Together Festival 2014

In NYC - Lincoln Center!! KYL/D has been invited to perform at the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival! We're part of three weeks of world-class performances in the plazas. We perform on August 7th at 7:30pm and it's Free! We've been digging deeper into Be/Longing 2 and I'm really excited to share this work at this level. Here's more on the performance: Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival

In Germany - KYL/D is one of three US companies to be invited to the international tanzmesse festival in Germany. This is KYL/D's (and my) Eurpoean debut! We're sharing Mandala Project, which is a piece that we've also shared with the people of Indonesia in 2011, and Philly in 2011 and 2013, and NYC in 2012. As we're re-investigating this piece, Kun-Yang has been challenging us to find a deeper connection to the mandala, to our communities, and to the way that we "talk" about our work through our movement. Personally, I love this piece! Through the audience feedback and the performance process, Mandala Project has revealed to me the ability and power of live performance to create connection and community between performers, between performers and audience, and between audience members. I'll be sharing more about this process as we journey closer - stay tuned! 

http://igg.me/at/kyld/x/8111406 

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July!

Earlier this week, I took a Zumba class in Spanish, a Chinese Dance workshop, and learned the Foxtrot and the Rumba, all in one day.

Language barriers (I'm learning Spanish, but I'm not fluent. And I don't understand Mandarin.), different movement vocabularies, and various social and cultural backgrounds didn't prevent people from coming together to dance. To celebrate the joy of the moving body and the freedom to gather in a safe space!

In this same space, there was no threat of violence or judgement. And the only suggestions of fear were a few hesitations of new dancers to begin... only to be released once the music and the movement began to flow. As I moved with these communities, the gift of this freedom overwhelmed me.

Thank you, to everyone who sacrificed, so that we may come together to celebrate, and to dance.

Musings on Dancing Horsecrabs - Imagery!

Mid-May through mid-June is a unique time at the Delaware Bay. Migratory birds are passing over head, tourists are beginning to line the beaches, and horseshoe crabs come to shore to "meet and greet" and lay eggs. The crabs are a keystone species for this region, as they & their eggs often become food for the thousands of migratory birds passing through the region. Minus the tourists, this cycle has been going on for hundreds of thousands of years.  

They're kinda ugly and scary looking at first. They move slowly on the sand, hidden by a hard shell. But, upon closer inspection, they're quite fascinating! 

I've been thinking a lot, lately, about perception. First impressions. What's visible vs. what's invisible. Questioning beauty. What's an acceptable dancing body. What's acceptable. Who determines that... How can the invisible become visible? Is it possible to have a strong, yet pliable exterior while remaining vulnerable, yet actively seeking and powerful internally? 

It's with this last question that the horseshoe crab revealed her truths to me. The answer is a resounding "Yes!" 

On a visit to the Delaware Bay, I watched these crabs be washed up onto shore. Externally, they rolled, tossed about by the surf. But! They were safe! Externally manipulated by their environment, but rolling with the tide, undeterred from their quest to make it to the sand. Internally, their bodies grasped and pulled and reached forward, constantly moving. When the waves turned them onto their backs, their internal limbs fought to right themselves.... sometimes needing an external helping hand. Or waiting for the waves to toss them onto their bellies again. 

What does this have to do with dance?

Dancing artistry requires that we be vulnerable - have our metaphorical bellies exposed to the elements. The small, soft body that we need to access our artistry is constantly seeking. Striving. Reaching. Our kinesphere becomes like the horseshoe crab's shell - protective, but pliable. Tossed in the sea of experimentation, yet, creating a safe, internal space from which our small body can reach and search and grasp. Creating space to seek. 

I'm playing with this idea in my own practice. Constantly seeking, allowing vulnerability to exist, yet knowing I'm safe and protected within my own kinesphere and within the studio space. Existing in the practice of dance that has endured hundreds and thousands of years, despite being tossed within the surf.

What do you find with this image? Report back! 

For more info on horseshoe crabs - click on this link from the Ecological Research & Development Group on Horseshoe Crabs  

For more info on the Delaware Bay's ecological system, click here

the hard exterior of the horseshoe crab

Lots of horseshoe crabs on the shore

The soft belly of the horseshoe crab

And this allows me a new opportunity to understand what Mary Oliver meant when she wrote "Let the soft animal of your body love what it loves..."

Where is "your place in the family of things"?

Ballet frappes again in the corporate world!

Frappe'  means "to strike" (pronounced frap-pay with a little accent over the e).

There's something in the virtual air these days! Taking the stage today - another(!) story about how a dancer's training has helped her in the corporate world.

Here's the link to How Ballet Helped Her Become a Top Exec at Google, via Americans for the Arts.

Check it out! Take a dance class! Hire a dancer!

Dance Training and Valuable Life Skills - Reinforced!

Leigh Thomas is a pretty high-powered woman! She's the CEO of DARE, a pretty high-powered tech company that uses creative solutions to help businesses. In I went from ballet dancer to CEO and this is what it taught me by Leigh Thomas she credits her ballet training as shaping her work ethic, discipline, drive, "obsession with detail", and "the power of emotional availability. I want my team and clients to feel I am there for them."

Even if you're not planning on making dance your career, or have find your journey leads you into a direction seemingly different than dance, the skills we gain as dancers are valuable and transferable. And it is "always useful to be able to break out into interpretive dance"!

Thanks for sharing, Leigh!

Check out my post - Dance Training = Valuable Life Skills