A craving for Popkin

Since one of my dearest friends performs in Lionel Popkin's There Is An Elephant In This Dance--brought in from the West Coast and opened, last evening, at Danspace Project--I won't write a review. But I can urge you to go to see this delectable, dreamy, poetic, luminous thing, continuing tonight and Saturday at 8:30. Expect the unexpected!

Performances by Popkin and Carolyn Hall, Ishmael Houston-Jones, Peggy Piacenza. Original music by Robert Een, performed by Een with percussionist Hearn Gadbois and singer Valecia Phillips. Costumes by Jean Landry. Lighting by Kathy Kaufmann. Video by Kyle Ruddick and Cari Ann Shim Sham*. All deserve a shout-out!

Information and tickets or 866-811-4111

Olive Bieringa: Body and Soul podcast (UPDATE)

Olive Bieringa of The BodyCartography Project, based in Minneapolis, talks about plans for next month's SEEDS Festival of arts and ecology. Now set to launch its second summer at EARTHDANCE in Massachusetts, SEEDS is an international, interdisciplinary festival, forging connections between innovative artists and scientists.

Special update from Olive Bieringa: The curators and Earthdance staff are in the process of reshaping the festival in order to attune to the changes that are coming up. In the upcoming weeks leading up to SEEDS, we will modify the format. For more details, look at the website: www.earthdance.net/seeds, or call us at 413-634-5678. Thank you.

SEEDS
The BodyCartography Project


MP3 File [Play]

Battling boroughs step it up!

YouthNoise, in partnership with Nike, the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, and the Global Youth Leadership Institute, is launching Step It Up: Battle of the Boroughs, a city-wide contest where dance teams from all five boroughs compete for up to $10,000 in cash and prizes, including a team grant, a Nike ID session in which the winning team will be able to design their own team shoe and the coveted NYC Battle of the Boroughs trophy to be featured on Gamechangers.com, YouthNoise.com/playcity, and Liveleadershipnow.org.

Heralded as the Super Bowl of dance competitions, the Battle of the Boroughs gives young dancers the opportunity to showcase their talent and encourages participants to declare a cause for their communities. Issues like Inequality, Education and Violence are among the few causes participants can declare to help support their communities.

The competition is organized in three phases. The first phase is auditions, in which teams register online, volunteer for a community service project and compete for the semifinals on June 4, 2009; the Battle Zone. The semifinalists that make it to the Battle Zone will create video PSAs that will be hosted on YouthNoise.com/playcity.  Finally, the teams chosen to move on will compete in the Battle of the Boroughs on June 30, 2009, where the final teams will create, develop and launch a borough-wide campaign around their causes and compete for the grand prize!

Young people from all over New York City now have the opportunity to participate in a one of a kind dance competition while representing and advocating for their surrounding communities. Register now for the Battle of the Boroughs and Step It Up for a cause to change your community!

Click here for registration information.

Chi Kung in the park

Practice Chi Kung with Laura Shapiro:

Saturdays at 10:30am in Central Park, starting June 6th
Sundays at 4:30pm in Prospect Park, starting June 7th

Often translated as "life force energy practice," Chi Kung uses separate gentle movements, specific postures and the breath to circulate and revitalize energy, improve balance and coordination, increase flexibility, and cultivate inner strength of body, mind and spirit.

The full benefits reveal themselves with ongoing regular practice. After the movements, postures and breathing become familiar, their repetition allows the nervous system and the muscles, the mind and the emotions to calm down. Releasing tension and busy-ness, the practice of chi Kung generates feelings of peace, harmony and well-being.

Laura Shapiro is a choreographer/performer with over three decades of experience teaching people of all ages and abilities. Recent work includes teaching for Fu Yu International Foundation, DOROT Wellness Program for Seniors, Center for Kinesthetic Education (children and adults), McBurney YMCA (adults 20s-80s), private classes for groups and individuals.

For further information, exact locations and directions, please contact 212-946-1537 or quicksilverdance@yahoo.com.

For weekly weather and location updates, please call 212-946-1537 on the Friday evening before the Saturday class, and on the morning of the Sunday class.

Tuition by donation, according to your ability to pay; suggested donation $15/class

Give me five minutes more...

Sasha Fornari (videographer, photographer) and Fabrice Calmels (drop-dead gorgeous ballerino), the guys behind 30 Seconds of Dance, bring you itty-bitty, teensy-weensy dance videos that are like those potato chips, you know, "Bet you can't eat just one!"

Check this out: 30 Seconds of Dance. And if you have any ideas for them, send your suggestions to 30secondsofdance@gmail.com.

When the going gets tough

Tight Times Loosen Artists’ Creativity
by Robin Pogrebin, The New York Times, May 19, 2009

And how about that sound design!

Amazing N.Y. subway breakdancers caught on iPhone
by Dong Ngo, Crave, CNET News