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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Celebrate with Dianne McIntyre

Dianne McIntyre (photo by Larry Coleman)
When American Dance Guild presents its Performance Festival 2012--a tribute to distinguished dance artists Elaine Summers and Dianne McIntyre--it will offer McIntyre the chance to call together a "family" reunion in celebration of the 40th anniversary of her company, Sound in Motion. McIntyre writes,

In addition to presenting Life's Force (1979), on September 6 and September 8, with twenty dancers who have worked with her from 1972-2012, she writes, she will "gather with even more people, probably in Harlem to mingle, network, catch up, have meetings between people of different generations and document stories and memories. This gathering and documentation is important to me, because there is not much available about my history and the amazing artists--dancers and other artist collaborators--I have had the chance to work with and the influence of that work on the dance scene.

"Some of the dance artists I know right now who will be involved in this celebration are (in order of the years I met them in Sounds in Motion and later) Dorian Williams-Byrd (1972), Lonnetta Gaines (1973), Mickey Davidson (1975), Cheryl Banks-Smith (1978), Alde Lewis (1976), Francine Piggott-Butler (1976), Robin Wilson (1979), Jawole Willa Jo Zollar (1980), Aziza (1983), Laceine Wedderburn (1983), Kathleen Sumler (1984), Marlies Yearby (1985), Malik Lewis (1985), Charles Wallace (1986), Shireen Dickson (1996), Telly Fowler (1999), Catherine Meredith (2006), Maria Lucas (2006), Sarah Yarrington (2011), Kalila Smith (2011), Yusha-Marie Sorzano (2012)."

For complete ADG festival information, click here.

American Dance Guild Performance Festival 2012
September 6-9

Thursday, September 6 at 8pm (followed by reception)
Friday, September 7 at 8pm
Saturday, September 8 at 8pm
Sunday, September 9 at 7pm

Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater
The Joan Weill Center for Dance
405 West 55th Street (at 9th Avenue), Manhattan
(directions)

MADE HERE? Yes, and now available at Hulu!

Vernon Reid and Gabri Christa (photo by Chiara Clemente)

HERE's innovative video documentary series MADE HERE--directed by Chiara Clemente and featuring theme-based interviews with performing artists who make New York New York--has come to Hulu!

Mildred Ruiz-Sapp and Steven Sapp (photo by Chiara Clemente)

See it here--yeah, I know, an unavoidable pun--presented in partnership with TenduTV.

Tap royalty at Jacob's Pillow: Be still, my heart!

Gregory Hines, Dianne Walker, Jimmy Slyde
recorded June 22, 1996
A one-time-only gala performance in 1996 provided the occasion to bring together three extraordinary tap artists. Gregory Hines (1946-2003) helped revitalize the tap genre in the 1980s, appearing on Broadway and in films such as White Nights and The Cotton Club. Dianne Walker, also known as "Lady Di", is a Boston-based artist who is among the few internationally-recognized women in tap. Her mentors included Leon Collins, with whom she ran a popular Boston school in the 1980s. Walker has also been closely associated with Jimmy Slyde (1927-2008), who was born and raised in Boston. Slyde danced with many leading big bands including those of Count Basie and Duke Ellington. All three of these artists appeared in the movie Tap, but this Pillow footage represents a unique record of them dancing together. Dianne Walker and Jimmy Slyde were most recently seen at the Pillow with Savion Glover in 2005.

Music: Bross Townsend Quartet

Just a sample of the many treasures and pleasures you can find at Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive. Visit now!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Latin American sounds at Lincoln Center Out of Doors

Sergio Dias (Photo: Darial Sneed)
Guest blogger Darial Sneed offers her photographs and reflections on a great show at Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park Bandshell:
After Thursday’s rain cancellation, Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival returned Friday with a South-of-the-Border-themed program.
Brazilian guitarist and composer Sergio Dias, in traditional attire, opened with a rousing guitar and vocal rendition of Brazilian songs. Dias is best known as a founding member of popular rock band Os Mutantes. The crowd enjoyed the rare treat of Dias’ first solo performance since 2006.
Wil-Dog El Gavachillo (photo: Darial Sneed)
Wil-Dog El Gavachillo with Banda Viento de Oro pulsated with punk rock beat and rhythms. The charismatic bassist Wil-Dog Abers--of Los Angeles-based Latin band Ozomatli--donned a hat and with pumping fists assumed his alter ego “El Gavachillo”. He was backed by the Mexican-inspired brass band, Banda Viento de Oro, making its first New York appearance.
Colombia's Los Irreales de Ondatrópica (photo: Darial Sneed)
Nidia Góngora of Los Irreales de Ondatrópica (photo: Darial Sneed)
Eagerly anticipated was the new Colombian group Los Irreales de Ondatrópica, fresh from its debut at the London Olympics. The 12-member group, which just completed a new CD at the fabled Discos Fuentes studios, includes Colombia music legends and rising stars. Performing traditional Cumbia updated with electronics and hip-hop drums, the band’s energetic, undulating pulse brought many in the audience to their feet, swaying and dancing enthusiastically. Vocalist Nidia Góngora was captivating as she playfully flirted with male band members and the audience.

It was a foot-stomping evening of Latin-based music under clear, crisp skies.
--Darial Sneed

Friday, July 27, 2012

New InfiniteBody policy re: Kickstarter campaigns

Dear InfiniteBody readers,

In recent months, I've received a good number of Kickstarter appeals by email or Facebook message. Often these come with personal requests for me to help out by publicizing Kickstarter campaigns on this blog.

Initially, I was reluctant to post any of these announcements, because there are numerous active campaigns out there. I neither wanted to be expected to post every one I received or heard about, nor did I want to be seen as playing favorites by promoting projects that might personally interest me. I worried about this.

Over time, I did post a few--even quite recently. But today, I'm announcing that I will no longer post Kickstarter announcements on InfiniteBody.

I support your efforts to fund important creative projects. If you share your appeals via social media, I'll be happy to re-post or re-tweet something that personally strikes me as "insanely great." And I wish all of you the very best.

Thanks for understanding and respecting this policy decision.

Eva Yaa Asantewaa
InfiniteBody

Transformation: Questions from The Field's Jennifer Wright Cook

I'm so glad that this is the kind of arts blog that already has the word "transformation" in its list of labels (tags). No need to add it fresh! :-)

I just read an e-newsletter from The Field's executive director, Jennifer Wright Cook, who is about to take a month-long sabbatical for the purpose of engaging with "me" time, transformational time. She writes:
Today, as I prepare for my seventh year sabbatical (yup, one month of transformational 'me' time, this August!), The Field's inspiring history and our artists' fresh desires, challenges, successes and even fears have got me percolating on the potency of transformation. I urge you to take some time this hot summer to ponder your potential for transformation too. Who or what has transformed you? Who or what have you transformed? You just may be surprised by your own transformational history and how it informs your future (and ours too)!
She also offers this TED talk by noted graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister as food for thought.

I wanted an official August sabbatical this year, too--it is my birthday month, after all--but will only have a weekend getaway (for birding at Pennsylvania's Hawk Mountain) towards the end of the month. However, I love the questions she's asking here, and wanted to offer them for your consideration, too:

Who or what has transformed you? Who or what have you transformed?

You don't need a lot of time off--ideal though that might be--to give some thought to these questions. We could be asking them of ourselves every day.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Good times. These. Are. The. Good. Times.

To read the news from across the states and abroad, you wouldn’t think so. These are certainly not good times for everybody.

But Nile Rodgers–that giant of popular music--knows that every day that you draw breath is a precious day, as he deals with nerve damage from an aggressive cancer now in remission. And every day that this gifted artist brings joy to an audience lost in his music is a good day for him and for us.

Nile Rodgers at Lincoln Center Out of Doors (Photo by Darial Sneed)

Case in point: last evening at the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival (Damrosch Park Bandshell), where DJ KS*360 (aka Kwikstep of the Full Circle hip-hop empire) primed the party pump before Rodgers and his Chic Organization took the stage. As the head-spinners and Hustle dancers cleared out, I expected a lengthy wait for the main act. But Rodgers quickly took over. Everybody dance! Clap your hands, clap your hands!

The first several rows of folks immediately lurched up, of course, and would not sit down. So, I ditched my press seat and headed for the dance pit--backpack, water bottle, notebook, pen and all. I found a good spot to see, to write, to dance myself into a sweat, and soon wondered why anyone would bother hanging out back in those seats.

(Photo by Kevin Yatarola)

The weather graciously smiled on Rodgers and us. No blistering heat, no rain. Yowsah, yowsah.

Before long, we felt the old tug of that spare yet funky, insistent, intoxicating chugging (Rodgers on guitar, Jerry Barnes on bass, Ralph Rolle on drums, Rich Hilton and Selan Lerner on keyboards), that swirling, flute-y tenor sax (Bill Holloman) and rip-roaring trumpet (Steve Jankowski). I need your love. Please don't make me beg.

Rodgers and The Chic Organization, including vocalists Folami Ankoanda-Thompson (at right) and Kimberly Davis-Jones (Photo by Darial Sneed)
[See more of Darial Sneed's concert photo set here.]

"See that round building?" Rodgers said, pointing at a spot high behind our heads. We all looked around at an imposing tower with curved (if not quite entirely round) details in its design.

"28B." He gave the building's street address, too, which I'm not sure I got right. "We and David Bowie were up in that tower"--the other person in "we" being his great musical partner, Bernard Edwards, who died in 1996. "Chic is not a cover band. All these songs you hear us do, we did for everyone in the first place."

He was talking about little items like "Let's Dance" (for Bowie), "I'm Coming Out" and "Upside Down" (Diana Ross), "Like A Virgin" (Madonna), "We Are Family" and "He's The Greatest Dancer" (Sister Sledge) and an unbelievably massive number of worldwide hits. Throw in the entire slate of music written, arranged, produced and/or played in by the creative partners or each one alone for artists like Robert Palmer, Duran Duran, Rod Stewart, Luther Vandross, INXS, Steve Winwood, Debbie Harry, Grace Jones and so many more, and it's easy to come to the conclusion that without these guys, popular music--spanning and fusing a number of genres--would be unrecognizable.

When me and Bernard were sitting around the studio for hours on end, we always said we were lost in music....
And I remember being lost in that tune--caught in a trap, no turning back--playing and dancing to that particular Sister Sledge song as if I were in an endurance contest with the vinyl LP. We both survived.

It was a great show at Damrosch Park and a great party. I treasure Nile Rodgers and wish him good health and many more years of happiness in his work.

*** 

The always handsomely diverse Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, now in its 42nd season, runs through August 12. For a calendar of events, click here.

New Web site from Charmaine Warren

My esteemed and richly talented colleague Charmaine Warren is debuting her Web site. Visit and learn more about her multifaceted practices--dance, dance education, arts consultation, yoga instruction and writing on dance. Click here!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Theater group Organic Magnetics recruiting interns, volunteers

Organic Magnetics seeks interns for its upcoming programs.
Organic Magnetics (OM) is an emerging theater arts organization that creates live installations and educational programming connecting dance, music, drama and design sustainably.

Organic Magnetics premieres a live installation at Fort Tryon Park, August 3-5 and 7-12, 2012.
Ghosts of Manhattan traces New York City's cultural evolution over five hundred years, from native land in 1512 to global metropolis in 2012. This is an interactive walk-through theater experience of New York City in 5 centuries.

We need a few dedicated interns and volunteers!

Interns will assist theater professionals in technical rehearsals, load in and strike and the theatrical run of
Ghosts of Manhattan. This internship will be a quick and intense experience. Interns are needed daily from July 30 to August 14 for the run of the installation. Interns will be paired with mentors, having the opportunity to learn about all areas of the production including directing, lighting, sound, video and administration. Interns will receive brief training and are expected to be quick on their feet and respond to needs as they arise. This is an excellent opportunity for anyone exploring a career in theater arts that wants to help an arts organization pull off a spectacular community based production. This is an unpaid position and can lead to future opportunities with OM.
To apply for an internship, click here.

Many volunteer opportunities are available. Volunteers are needed the for every performance of the live installation to assist with crowd control, technical needs and supporting the performers. You can volunteer one time or repeatedly depending on your desires and availability. This is an unpaid position.

Summer (Donna, that is) into fall with BAAD!

BAAD! (Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance) seeks choreographers who love to love Donna Summer for a special evening devoted to the late disco diva. Here's their announcement:
BAAD! is honoring Donna Summer as part of the 2012 BlakTino Performance Series by putting together an evening of dance at BAAD! on Saturday, October 13 at 8pm. We hope you can join the group of Bronx choreographers influenced and inspired by her music genius.
BAAD! can offer you an honorarium of $125 for a ten minute -->or less piece<---- (aprox.) as well as 4 free hours of rehearsal and discounted tickets. (2 complementary tickets and 10 $10 tickets)

Please indicate which song you will be choosing, below is the list of taken songs in an effort to not repeat songs.
We love originally mixed tracks and remixes also. Just let us know what you are thinking of.
McArthur Park
Love to Love You
I Feel Love
Works Hard For The Money
Could it be magic
Medley of love
State of Independence

Carlo Quispe
Project Manager
BAAD!
718-842-5223
carlobaad@gmail.com

NEWFEST LGBT film festival starts Friday

NEWFEST, New York City's festival of LGBT films, starts this Friday at Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater. Click here for complete program schedule and ticketing details.

Sherri Kronfeld: Should theater makers critique theater?

Many thanks to my colleague in Philadelphia, Lisa Kraus of thINKingDANCE, for recommending this piece. 

Where is our Tiki Barber? Theater Makers As Theater Critics
by Sherri Kronfeld, HowlRound, July 22, 2012

Eileen Myles: the politics of writing now

Many thanks to my colleague Lise Brenner for sending the link to Full Stop's provocative interview with writer Eileen Myles.

The Situation in American Writing: Eileen Myles
Full Stop, May 18, 2012

Sherman Hemsley, 74


I remember this like it was aired just yesterday! RIP, Sherman Hemsley.

Sherman Hemsley, ‘Jeffersons’ Star, Is Dead at 74
By Mel Watkins, The New York Times, July 24, 2012

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Welcome to CollectiveDWNM's Open House

CollectiveDWNM’s first OPEN HOUSE
Dance artists, fans, advocates, writers, media professionals of all kinds,
we welcome you!

Join Collective for Dance Writing and New Media

HOLD THIS DATE:
Monday, September 10, 2012 (6pm)
hosted by
Gibney Dance Center
Studios 3 and 6
890 Broadway (19th/20th Streets), 5th Floor, Manhattan

Meet Cory Nakasue and Eva Yaa Asantewaa from CollectiveDWNM’s Executive Committee.

Enjoy snacks and an informal presentation by our special guests (to be announced).

Learn how you can play a role in our exciting upcoming projects.

Sign up for CollectiveDWNM annual membership or internships with great benefits.

Your RSVPs to collectivedwnm@gmail.com by August 31 will help us plan this event and are greatly appreciated, but walk-ins are welcome. Bring friends and colleagues!

See you on September 10!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Give STREB some ACTION! Now!

Emmy-award winning documentary filmmaker and activist Catherine Gund (What's On Your Plate?) is currently working with Elizabeth Streb on a film about the life and work of the world-famous "Evil Knievel of dance."

You can learn more about their project here and support it, through Kickstarter, here: STREB: HOW TO BECOME AN EXTREME ACTION HERO. They are more than halfway to their goal of $40,000.

Deadline: August 12, 10:23EDT

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Dance: an American treasure

America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures: the First 100
Dance comprises an entire world of spiritual and secular ideas, stories, emotions, and human experience, understood and expressed through movement. The rich history of dance in America serves as a reflection and a record of the nation's increasingly diverse, dynamic culture.

In the Fall of 1999, the Dance Heritage Coalition solicited nominations for America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures: the First 100. Over 900 nominations from across the full range of American dance artistry, forms, and traditions were submitted and vetted through a three-stage process of selection committees made up of experts from across the country.

The list of America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures: the First 100 is intended to heighten public interest in the magnificence and richness of America's dance heritage and the imperative to document and preserve it for future generations.
Read more at 100 Treasures. 

And also at: http://www.danceheritage.org/treasures_launch_announcement_pr.pdf

Party down with Harlem Stage

The Fats Waller Dance Party
with Jason Moran and Meshell Ndegeocello

Back by popular demand for their second year with a 5-piece band and live dance installation by Maija Garcia/Organic Magnetics

Saturday, July 28, 5pm 
Bring your blankets to sit on while you rest from dancing! There will be family activities, cuisine from local vendors and raffles including a chance to win a pair of tickets from American Airlines.
Opening acts:
Amma Whatt, KimberlyNichole & Urban Word NYC
DJs:
I Love Vinyl—Amir, Ge-ology, OP!, Scribe & Jon Oliver

VIDEO of Jason and Meshell performing This Joint is Jumpin'

Location:
Annunciation Park (Amsterdam and W. 135th Street)
Main Entrance at Wesst 134th and Amsterdam

Gates open and I Love Vinyl DJ sets start at 4PM
Concert at 5PM

NO folding chairs, outside food and beverages, coolers, glass bottles, pets, umbrellas, bikes or alcohol allowed in the park.

Food and drink will be available for purchase.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Movement Research to continue at Judson Church

Great news from our friends at 

APPLICATION DEADLINE ALERT: AUGUST 16

We are beyond pleased to announce that Movement Research at the Judson Church will continue!  

We have received the go-ahead to program dates from Fall 2012 - Spring 2013.

We want to thank you deeply for the amazing support you have given us, and the passionate appreciation for mr at judson that has been so evident in the past few months. 

Please note: Due to the delay in receiving confirmation from Judson for the upcoming year, we are having one application date. We apologize if this is inconvenient and thank you for your understanding of the circumstances. On the application sheet, please be sure to check off when you are available to show your work. More  flexibility around dates is extremely helpful to our application and scheduling process this year.
  
On to the fun stuff:

Applications for the entire year of programming, Fall 2012 through Spring 2013, are due on August 16, 2012. The guidelines and application form are available on our website. Click here for the guidelines, and click here for the application form.

This is a very short application period for us, so we greatly appreciate everyone spreading the word far and wide.

Questions? Email info@movementresearch.org, or call (212) 598-0551 and speak to a staff member.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Bessie Awards 2012 press conference (AUDIO)

Lucy Sexton, Director
Lane Harwell, Chair, Bessies Steering Committee
2012 Press Conference at French Institute Alliance Française
Wednesday, July 18

To listen to an mp3 of the complete Bessies press conference, click here. [40:32]

Highlights
Opening performance by hip hop dancers Noel Rodriguez and Noah Cabrera from KR3TS, the company of 2011 Bessie winner Violet Galagarza
Juried Bessie Award to choreographer Souleymane Badolo by the 2012 jury--choreographers Lar Lubovitch, Yvonne Rainer and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. Badolo will be presented by Nazareth Dance Festival, an inaugural Bessies partner. In addition, a new Bessies partner, DanceForce, a statewide network of dance activists dedicated to linking artists and communities across New York State, will help to generate residencies, performances and educational events around the state for Badolo.
The Bessies will return to Harlem's historic Apollo Theater on Monday, October 15 at 8pm. "How could we not have the Bessies back at the Apollo?" asked Mikki Sheppard, the theater's Executive Producer. "We intend for them to be there forever!" Sheppard also announced that Bessie winner Badolo has already been engaged to present a major work at the Apollo in October 2013.
Click the audio link above to hear announcements of nominees for each of the following categories:
Outstanding Production (of a work performed in a larger capacity venue of more than 400 seats)
Outstanding Production (of a work that stretches the boundaries of a traditional or culturally specific form)
Outstanding Production (of a work performed in a smaller capacity venue of less than 400 seats)
Outstanding Production (of a work not technically considered dance but happening in and influencing dance in New York)
Outstanding Revived Work
Outstanding Visual Design
Outstanding Sound Design or Composition
Outstanding Emerging Choreographer
Outstanding Performer (of a work performed in a larger capacity venue of more than 400 seats)
Outstanding Performer (of a work that stretches the boundaries of a traditional or culturally specific form)
Outstanding Performer (of a work performed in a smaller capacity venue of less than 400 seats)
Outstanding Performer (of a work not technically considered dance but happening in and influencing dance in New York)

The Bessies: The New York Dance and Performance Awards,
produced in partnership with Dance/NYC
For further information, click here.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Intern for Collective for Dance Writing and New Media

Intern Positions Available for Collective for Dance Writing and New Media

Intern for the new advocacy organization, Collective for Dance Writing and New Media.

We’re looking for 2-4 smart, creative, community-minded interns to help us build this dynamic initiative in the dance and dance-writer communities. (See our Vision and Mission Statements).

ADMINISTRATIVE PROJECTS

Interns will work in support of a variety of essential projects in the following areas:

    Communications: publicity, website management, e-newsletter editing and production, social media management, blog editing, podcast hosting/production, speakers bureau management

    Events: planning, coordination, facilitation and support

    Finance: financial administration and development

    Membership Services: outreach/recruitment, benefits, members-only trainings and other members-only events

We’ll be happy to arrange a weekly schedule and selection of tasks (plus assistance at occasional events) that will be comfortable and useful for you. You need not have a background in journalism or dance writing to qualify for this internship, but this opportunity will be ideal for candidates with interest in dance or other arts.

TIME COMMITMENT AND BENEFITS

In exchange for a six-month commitment, starting this August, you will receive a one-year membership in CollectiveDWNM entitling you to free admission to all of our events and workshops, including members-only events and trainings; an option to include links to your writing on dance and performance in our website blog, our social media feeds and newsletter; our members-only bi-weekly newsletter.

APPLICATION PROCESS AND REQUIREMENTS

Deadline: Your application must be received by Friday, July 27, 6pm.

To apply for a CollectiveDWNM internship, please send an email to:

Eva Yaa Asantewaa at collectiveDWNM@gmail.com with SUBJECT: Internship Application.

In the body of the email, please include your:

●    Name
●    Street address
●    Phone number(s)
●    Email address
●    Areas of competence and/or interest (including any tech/new media skills)
●    Days/hours available
●    Optional: links to samples of your writing online, if available

Please attach a pdf of your resume or include a detailed bio in the body of your email.

If you have any questions, please write to us at collectiveDWNM@gmail.com.

Thanks very much for your interest. We look forward to hearing from you!

Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Founder
Member, Executive Committee
Collective for Dance Writing and New Media
PO Box 210 Cooper Station
New York, NY 10276
collectiveDWNM@gmail.com

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Study "The Body"

The Body

a course instructed by Terri Gordon-Zolov

The New School

15 sessions: Tuesdays, 4-5:50pm, beginning August 28

Noncredit tuition: $650
"You do not realize how the headlines that make daily history affect the muscles of the human body," the dancer Martha Graham once commented.  This course examines the relationship between politics, social tensions, and cultural values and muscles, movement, and skin--a relationship that has made the body one of the most visible signs of 20th-century culture.  We study deployments of the body in Europe and the United States, covering the historical and contemporary avant-garde; body culture and life reform movements; war and propaganda; and cabaret, dance, and performance art. How can we "read" the body? How do representations of the body reflect and support prevalent notions of race, gender and nation? In what ways do images of the body critique and subvert cultural norms? We study literature, history, art and cultural documents, including articles in the press and political manifestoes; fictional works by Kafka, Apollinaire, Junger, and Carrington; artworks by Hans Bellmer, Frida Kahlo, Cindy Sherman, and Orlan; and theoretical texts by Freud, Foucault, Kracauer, Sontag, and others.  We also spend class time viewing paintings, photography, and performance art. (3 credits)
Terri Gordon-Zolov, PhD, Columbia U.; assistant professor of comparative literature. New School Bachelor's Program; co-editor of "Citizenship," special issue, WSQ (Women's Studies Quarterly) (Spring/Summer 2010); has published articles on Josephine Baker, cabaret, performance art, and postwar film; recipient of The New School's Distinguished Teaching Award, 2003.

For registration information, visit The New School online.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Tap City 2012: Tapping at the marina

Max Pollak

Tap It Out
at World Financial Center marina
Friday, July 13, 2012
American Tap Dance Foundation's Tap City 2012 
ATDF Artistic/Executive Director, Tony Waag

all photos (c)2012, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

To see more photos from this set, click here.

Tap It Out
Tony Waag, conducting
Tap It Out
Tony Waag
Tony Waag
Cartier Williams
Cartier Williams
Lynn Schwab
Lynn Schwab
Lynn Schwab
Tony Waag

All photos (c)2012, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
To see more photos from this set, click here.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Ronald K. Brown's Evidence

Ronald K. Brown's Evidence, A Dance Company at The Joyce Theater: Click here to read my review for Dance Magazine.

Obama, Occupy, outrage: an interview with Jesse Phillips-Fein

Unbind it!, a work by Jesse Phillips-Fein (photo by Jesse Phillips-Fein)
own,Owned, a work by Jesse Phillips-Fein (photo by Eva Ostrowska)
CLICK AUDIO LINK (21:00)
an interview with Jesse Phillips-Fein, curator
From Obama to Occupy: Works of Outrage from 2008-2012

***

BAX / Brooklyn Arts Exchange announces
an open call for submissions for the guest-curated showcase


FROM OBAMA TO OCCUPY: Works of Outrage from 2008-2012

curated by Jesse Phillips-Fein

A sequel to the hit Requiem for W, Overture for O: Works of Conscience from 2000 - 2008, From Obama to Occupy: Works of Outrage from 2008-2012 will present performances works that addressed Obama Administration policies and corresponding political events of the past four years. This showcase aims to generate thoughtful, provocative, risky, and respectful critical reflection on Obama's first term.

We are seeking works made from 2008-2012 in dance, theater, music, spoken word, multimedia, and performance art, that engage with Obama as a phenomena, his Administration's' policies, and political events reflecting key challenges of the past 4 years. Works should be from 5-15 minutes in length. Excerpts from longer works are permitted.
Deadline for submission: Friday, July 27th, 5pm (received)

Artists will be notified by September 1st. 

To apply, visit http://www.jotform.us/BAX/Apply-ObamatoOccupy.

Shows are Friday & Saturday January 18 & 19th, 2013 at 8pm at the BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange. Visit http://bax.org/tech-specs/ for technical specifications of the Theater @ BAX. In addition, artists must be available for workshops on Sunday September 30th, 4pm - 7pm and Sunday November 18th, 4pm - 7pm.
ABOUT JESSE PHILLIPS-FEIN
Jesse Phillips-Fein grew up and is based in Brooklyn, NY, where she choreographs, teaches dance, and produces shows and community events to engage the performing arts in political dialogues. Require for W, Overture for O: Works of Conscience from 2000-2008 marked the end of the Bush era by celebrating how artists responded to the policies of the Bush Administration while encouraging continued action for justice. Hosted by Shanté Paradigm, the evening featured performances in dance, music, and poetry on themes including 9/11, the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan, gay marriage, Hurricanes Katrina & Rita, and the now evident disastrous effects of debt-driven consumerism. The pieces move beyond simply bashing President Bush and heralding President-elect Obama. Instead, they provided reflection how we survived and commemoration for those who didn't, critical thought about the role of artists in activism, and information about how to become involved in local organizations that are working on issues of social justice. Artists included: Alexandra Beller, Tara Betts, Sabrina Chapajiev, Drastic Measures, Guta Hedwig, Remi Kanazi, Rachel Lane, Sapphire, Paul Singh, Spiritchild & Gina Young.

Without knowing the outcome of this November election, there is still need to reflect on how artists have responded to Obama and the political events of the past four years.  Through celebrating what artists created, we can discuss the new challenges for political debate and presidential critique that Obama's term brought. Obama's election highlighted racial discourse, from contentious debates about a "post-racial society", to racist attacks in the popular media, stifled response from the political Left, and the differing emotions, expectations, and disappointments, that his term had for white people and people of color. From Obama to Occupy: Works of Outrage from 2008-2012 generates a space for art to be a powerful platform to engage deeply with the contradictions and questions that Obama's presidency raised.

ABOUT BAX

Founded in 1991, BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange is a is a multi-faceted community performing arts center located in Park Slope, Brooklyn offering an annual presenting season, artist services, and educational programs for youth and adults. BAX receives support from city, state and national public and private foundations. Our programs have been featured in several Brooklyn, NYC, and national publications, celebrating our continued support of artists of all ages.

Tap City 2011-2012 Awards

Last year, the American Tap Dance Foundation missed the chance to give out its annual tap community awards (given since 2002). It made up for that lapse by doubling up the awardees last evening at a fun and often moving ceremony at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

The program commenced with ATDF head Tony Waag's slide montage of past winners of the Tap Preservation Award and Hoofer Award as well as inductees to the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame. The fourth honor afforded ATDF recipients is known as the Toe Knee Award--a play on Waag's name, his sometimes nickname and that little Broadway thing--which recognizes stalwart supporters. Waag surprised his two sisters--Stephanie Waag Blackmon (who was on hand) and Cindy Roush, as well as Boston-based tap instructor/producer Thelma Goldberg, with the coveted Toe Knee.
Two of the vaudevillian Whitman Sisters, including Alberta "Bert" Whitman in male drag

A video or slide show or music and dance performances prefaced each of the other awards. Highlights were many, including Sally Sommer's loving tribute to Hall-of-Famer Charles "Cholly" Atkins (1913-2003), notable not only for the cool wit of his performing but also his expert dance coaching of many of Motown's hottest acts; a dramatic slide show tracing the history of vaudeville's remarkable Whitman Sisters act, about whom, regrettably, there is no film documentation; Michela Marino Lerman gifting jazz and tap show producer Cobi Narita (Cobi's Place), a Tap Preservation Award winner, with a shimmering solo; and Max Pollak's Rumba Tap ensemble serving up a vivacious new Afro-Cuban voice-and-dance number before longtime dancer/colleague Chikako Iwahori, presenting Pollak's Hoofer Award, spoke of his formidable intensity and generosity. A momentarily overwhelmed Pollak recovered enough to quip, "Being the only Austrian who has ever gotten this award makes me want to have a beer with you all."

A trio of angels--"Charlie's Angels," from Jason Samuels Smith's recent Joyce Theater show--dropped in to rock the house, praise their champion and hand him a well-deserved Hoofer Award. It was a treat to see Chloé Arnold, Michelle Dorrance and Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards in action again so soon after the Joyce gig and to hear their stories. (Arnold on meeting Samuels Smith for the first time: JSS: "You tap?" CA: "Yeah, I tap." JSS: "We'll see.")

For more information on ATDF's remaining Tap City 2012 events (through July 13), click here.
TAP CITY 2011-2012 AWARDEES

2011 International Tap Dance Hall of Fame
Cholly Atkins

2012 International Tap Dance Hall of Fame
The Whitman Sisters Legacy

2011 Toe Knee Award
Stephanie Waag Blackmon and Cindy Roush

2012 Toe Knee Award
Thelma Goldberg

2011 Tap Preservation Award
Jacqui Malone

2012 Tap Preservation Award
Cobi Narita

2011 Hoofer Award
Max Pollak

2012 Hoofer Award
Jason Samuels Smith

Monday, July 9, 2012

Don't miss Jena Strong.

Don't Miss This
by Jena Strong

reviewed by Eva Yaa Asantewaa (InfiniteBody)

The photo on the back of poet Jena Strong's Don't Miss This shows her amusingly askew but forward, a woman with a wry smirk, scrinched up eyes, dynamic asymmetry. She looks like a rascal--fun, smart, trouble. Maybe the trouble first. I discover that she has named her WordPress blog Bullseye, Baby! and, like any other blog name, there must be one hell of a story in that and that might become clear later, but it certainly fits the face.

On Bullseye, Baby!, I'm greeted by a photo portrait of Strong that spans the top banner. Only it's sideways--or, I guess, she was lying down--and the radical cropping and narrowness of it hems her in. I get, right away, that any kind of cropping or narrowing or hemming in does not go well with the energy emanating from this personality. So that banner photo is a little disturbing.

Looking further afield--because photos, and peering into them, beyond the surface image, matter to me--I discover someone else's blog (name now forgotten) that features an interview with Strong and a small photo of her rocking what might be some kind of yoga pose. It's a jaunty and, yep, sideways position. What the...?

Strong's self-published Don't Miss This, a memoir in poetry, confirms these initial impressions of the irrepressible. The Vermont-based writer shares intimate material--the stuff of everyday family life, the arc of relationships, the potentially disruptive discovery of self--yet she is never insular. A child and woman of the world, she always has its often troubling conditions on her mind even as she keeps her beloved daughters in sight ("This is the Faith"). Her work is as confident, brazen even, in its universal vision and embrace as anything by Walt Whitman. In poem after poem, she balances an honest inward insight and familial gaze with an instinctual and easygoing connection to the natural world, the seasons and timelessness. Inside poems like "The Clearing," she embeds that comfy, rural sense of having all the time in the world with a darker awareness of time passing--with a river's breadth and heedlessness--out of one's control. In poems like "Always is Never True," it's clear that she chooses to understand herself as a force of nature, too.

A prelude--entitled Prelude--pulls us into Strong's world. She gives us the image of two Northern cardinals singing to each other. From that avian backdrop, we anticipate a human conversation that will possess, because it is human, a greater capacity for freedom, nuance and...unraveling. And so Strong, in tears, speaks of "...the space I wedged open/contracting" and concludes (her thought and her poem), "It's anyone's guess."

Don't Miss This traces a history of heterosexual love, marriage and parenting and the sudden realization that she is--to use Strong's word--"gay" that upended everything.

She is an engaging, captivating storyteller. Some of her moments made me catch my breath because...well, because they are sudden and so very there. In "Wingspan," for instance, she writes of "my enormous wingspan cramped, contained," and I flashed back to the energy captured in her photos. "Moon Dates" is--can I just say it?--perfect. A perfect Jena Strong poem. Lucid, poignant, full of imagery and feeling. I wanted to find someone to read it to. "Open Door," with its opening, swaying, swinging, many things saying hello, holds loveliness, an invitation.

Each of the book's three sections opens with a poem written by another author. Linda Pastan's haunting "What We Want" ("We don't remember the dream,/but the dream remembers us./It is there all day as an animal is there/under the table....") leads off everything before I/She Who Stays lines up behind Anna Swir's "Myself and My Person." II/Land Mine, which tracks the difficult aftermath of Strong's self-revelation and coming out--is prefaced by Yeats' "Second Coming," an extreme and awkward choice. As it happens, this section, devoted to Strong's rockiest times, contains the book's least accomplished work. III/What I'll Miss, introduced by David Whyte's deceptively simple, gorgeous "The Journey," presents weightier, denser, frankly better crafted work. Here Strong gives us a visceral sense of what it means to deal head on with what truth leaves in its wake. Her storyteller's voice returns in trusty coherence. Wearier, heavier, it is nevertheless back in full force.

Late in this section, in "What I'll Miss," while musing on what it might be like to leave this earth and her loved ones for good, she once again offers the invitation to not miss
Your shame, all those moments
when you wanted to hide,
to disappear, to retract and retreat--
these are your gifts.
Open them.
Look inside. Don't run.

You will find me here,
find yourself here, exposed,
clear as moonstone
letting the light through.

Don't miss this, I'll whisper.
Don't miss this.
For more information and to purchase Don't Miss This, click here, or visit:

Createspace e-store

Amazon.com
Kindle Edition

Ballet and a young girl's life





LIFE LESSIONS
a film by Maria Finitzo

A young girl struggling to master the art of ballet learns that life is all
about the choices we make. Life Lessons is a humorous look back at studying
ballet through the eyes of MARIA, an 11-year-old girl caught between her
mother's belief that there was much to be learned in a dance class (and by
God her daughter was going to learn it) and her wish to grow up like the
rest of her friends, spending her Saturdays shopping in downtown La Grange
and hanging out at the bowling alley.
Tuesday, July 10, 7:15pm (part of a screening program beginning at 6pm)

Anthology Film Archives32 Second Avenue (and 2nd Street), Manhattan
(map/directions)


Information and ticketing here

Michelle Boulé gets Elastic

You all know, from my brief note on Miguel Gutierrez' wonderful SENSEWALK #3: SPACE IS THE PLACE at the New York Public Library (see it here), that Elastic City's programming is cool. So I'm sorry that I'm getting this announcement to you at the last minute, but here it is anyway:

POCKET VIRTUOSITY by Michelle Boulé
What does it mean to be in one’s body? How does one’s body register and convey experience? How do we see ourselves and ask to be seen? Through simple movement scores and exercises from Michelle’s performance, teaching and bodywork practices, participants will traverse the depths of everyday movement, from the mundane to the virtuosic, to dig into, expand, and go beyond ideas of ‘self’ while moving their bodies in relationship to time, environment and each other. The group will write, move, look and laugh through this way, leaving with a platform for more questions and understanding about seeing and being in one's body.

Come as you are, skilled or unskilled, with curiosity and willingness. This way holds 10 people.
TODAY! Monday, July 9 at 7pm
Also Wednesday, July 11 at 7pm

Starting Point: 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn (steps of the Brooklyn Public Library)

Duration: 100 minutes

Admission: $20

Age: 16+

Space is limited. Only 10 participants admitted.

For complete information and to purchase admission, click here.

Keep up with all things Elastic City here.

The Sooooooulll Train!



MoveStream @ Dance Camera West 2012 
Jeannette Ginslov interviews J Kevin Swain, Director of The Hippest Trip in America: Soul Train

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Jason Samuels Smith's tip of the taps to Charlie Parker

Read my Dance Magazine review of Jason Samuels Smith's tap show at The Joyce Theater. Click here.

And ignore that photo. All that hair is gone now. New summer look, I guess!

Friday, July 6, 2012

I'm holding office hours in August & September! Come visit!

Guess Who’s in The Greenroom

Well, the answer is...ME!

Eva Yaa Asantewaa (photo by Deborah Feller)

I'm delighted to announce my participation in Guess Who's in The Greenroom, a program of the Gibney Dance Center that offers free half-hour, 1:1 consultations with leaders in the dance field.

And, happily, you'll have your choice of two dates to consult with me:

*Thursday, August 9, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

*Thursday, September 6, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

*See below for RSVP instructions.

Here's my topic:

Pitch Your Show to A Dance Writer: Does Your Promotion Work?

Bring existing materials (press release, brochure, postcard, mission statement--whatever you'd use to promote and pitch your show) or just talk to me about your upcoming project, and I'll help you find strategies to improve your chances of getting noticed and covered. Time permitting, I can also take a quick look at your Web site, photos and brief video clips to assess how well each serves your efforts.

These two events are offered by Gibney Dance Center in partnership with Collective for Dance Writing and New Media.

Gibney Dance Center
890 Broadway, 5th Floor (between 19th and 20th Streets), Manhattan

*Reservations are required. Reserve your free half-hour by emailing allie@gibneydance.org

Eva Yaa Asantewaa's writing on dance has appeared in Dance Magazine, The Village Voice, SoHo Weekly News, Gay City News and other publications since 1976. She has interviewed dance artists as host of Body and Soul podcast. She served on the New York Dance and Performance Art (Bessie) Award Committee for three years and has been a panelist and consultant to various arts funding and award programs. Ms. Yaa Asantewaa is a former radio producer/host with WBAI/Pacifica, specializing in programming on the arts, spirituality and LGBT and women’s issues. She blogs on the arts for InfiniteBody. She is the founder of Collective for Dance Writing and New Media and serves on its Executive Committee.

LMCC announces all-Manhattan grant programs

Lower Manhattan Cultural Council - Grants

Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) is pleased to announce its 2013 grant cycle. Each year, LMCC offers three grant programs to support arts and arts education programming in Manhattan: The Fund for Creative Communities (The Fund), Manhattan Community Arts Fund (MCAF) and Creative Curricula (CC). Together, the programs provide over $500,000 annually to support over 200 projects and enliven communities from Inwood to the Battery. These grants support both individual artists and nonprofit organizations to develop and lead arts projects in their Manhattan communities.

The Fund and MCAF grants are funded by New York State and New York City to help Manhattan-based artists and organizations cultivate new community-based projects and programming. Both grants award up to $5,000 to grantees and enable arts projects to reach public audiences. Past projects have included film festivals, mural projects, children's theater, chamber music, capoeira training and performance, art in community gardens, Chinese opera concerts in community centers and site-specific dance performances. The Fund’s support focuses on small to mid-sized nonprofit organizations seeking to develop and sustain arts programming in Manhattan, and MCAF supports individual artists and small nonprofit organizations that often have little access to government funding. In many cases, MCAF is the first grant the recipient has been awarded and acts as leverage for an artist or organization seeking funding in the future.

Creative Curricula is an arts-education grant funded by the New York State Council on the Arts to support new and emerging arts-based programming in Manhattan’s public school classrooms. For the 2013 grant cycle Creative Curricula has increased the amount of funding available for projects and has also expanded the range of projects eligible for funding. Grants are now available for up to $5,000.

“When people think of the arts in Manhattan, museums and large-scale institutions may first come to mind; but there are literally hundreds of incredible arts programs happening in every neighborhood—in parks, plazas, schools, theaters, galleries and community centers,” says Kay Takeda, Director of Grants & Services at LMCC. “LMCC’s grant programs are designed to encourage and sustain these activities and to seed new ideas for arts projects and programs. Access to arts and culture is an essential part of what makes this city so livable, and so vibrant every day.”

Information Sessions

LMCC will offer a schedule of 14 grant information sessions in which prospective applicants can meet with LMCC staff and learn more about the application process and program requirements. Attendance at one of these sessions is a requirement for all new applicants, all Creative Curricula applicants and for any Fund and MCAF applicants who have not attended a session since 2009. Sessions begin in July and continue into early September, and will take place at various locations including El Museo del Barrio, Artists Space, St. Peter’s Church, Joe’s Pub and HERE Arts Center. There will be a session in Mandarin Chinese on July 18 at 4pm at Chatham Branch Library and a Spanish-translated session on August 22 at 6pm at Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance.

Complete program information and application forms are available on LMCC’s website, www.LMCC.net/grants.

About LMCC


Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has been a leading voice for arts and culture Downtown and throughout New York City for nearly 40 years, producing cultural events and promoting the arts through grants, services, advocacy, and cultural development programs. www.LMCC.net.

LMCC's Manhattan Arts Grant Programs are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council; and Wells Fargo.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Dance/NYC's new online upgrades

An announcement from Dance/NYC
 Greetings to our Online NYC Dance Community:
New things are happening at DanceNYC.org. We are growing at a rapid pace (with 75% more registered users this year over last), and our commitment to simplicity, transparency, and serving every person in NYC dance continues. We thought you-as a registered user-might be interested in knowing about some of our most recent developments.

See Something Different
Over the next few weeks, we will issue an upgraded See Something Different, our weekly e-newsletter powered by PatronManager. If you have performances or announcements on the horizon, the time has never been better for posting a free listing or a low-cost ad.

Free Listings
Committed to open access, we are keeping all listings free. You can list performances and events, auditions, choreography, volunteer, and employment opportunities. We are not increasing ad prices, and continue to offer nonprofit rates and special discounts for Dance/USA members.

Ad Packages
To save time and make promoting your work easier, we have streamlined ad options to an e-newsletter feature and a package including multiple web site banners. You can now format (enlarge, shrink, or crop) your promotional images. A new premium registration at 5 annually gets you unlimited dance calendar highlights (pop-up window, image, and video).

DanceNYC.org

You may have noticed other web site upgrades, from updated program descriptions to improved navigation and cleaner design. We have made video content available for our recent events to help you engage online. Through partnerships with Fractured Atlas, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, and the online barter network OurGoods, we are bringing you space and legal resources and encouraging new collaborations and combinations.

Join us in growing the online NYC dance community by forwarding, posting, and tweeting this news. Follow Dance/NYC on Facebook and Twitter at @DanceNYC.

With thanks for all you do for dance. Onward!

Lane, Lacey and the Team at Dance/NYC

PS. Some more good news: Dance/NYC received a new Bloomberg Philanthropies' Arts Advancement Initiative grant to keep building its online services. You can join Bloomberg Philanthropies and help us fulfill a matching requirement ($5,000) by investing now.