Editorial
Choreographer & Dancer: A Personal Relationship?
Last week we ran an interview with Margi Cole about choreography and her upcoming showcase, which features dancers from her company making their own dances. Today we highlight both the dancer and the choreographer, to give you a closer look at the overall process.
Kaitlin Bishop is the choreographer here, and she has created a solo delving into the basic human emotion of sadness. The piece looks at how early childhood experiences with sadness dictate its existence (or lack thereof) in our adult lives and how we react to it, in it and through it.
Kaitlin Bishop
Here are some of Kaitlin’s thoughts on the piece….
Where did the idea for this piece come from?
I think the idea for this piece has been slowly incubating in the back of my brain for a few years now. The work I’ve choreographed in college and for TDC is always rooted in a journey, be it a journey I’ve completed or a journey I’m currently experiencing. I’ve always been a very introspective person, keeping a journal even as a very young child, so thinking about and acknowledging my feelings is second nature, however, as I’ve gotten older, and have recently gotten married, I’m now not only recognizing emotional states but I’m really starting to analyze them, their range and scope, and question the true cause of them – if there is one. Sharing my daily life with another person has really been pretty fascinating in that I now have a witness to my daily emotional experience – someone who makes observations and asks questions, in a way forcing me to articulate how my internal thoughts & emotions manifest themselves externally.
Is there a reason you chose to make it a solo piece?
The idea and experience behind this piece is so personal, not just for me, but for Maggie, and essentially for every person who has ever experienced feeling sad. Everyone relates to sadness (and its varying degrees) so differently. Sadness is such a singularly personal and internal experience and journey, I couldn’t imagine attempting to capture that in anything other than a solo piece. When I watch dance, I’m always looking at and responding to the relationship between the dancers. When I see a (good) solo, I see a person existing in space, inhabiting their experience for me bear witness. I think if I added another person to that space, it would become about something else – not just this single person’s experiences within herself.
What was it like to choreograph this work?
It’s actually been very energizing and exciting in the process so far. Maggie and I have such an open and honest dialogue about our respective experiences of sadness (and causes thereof) in our lives, and also through this process, how ideas are being manifested physically and visually, etc. It’s pretty exciting to go into a rehearsal and have absolutely no reservations or fear about what we might discover, either in the work or in ourselves.
Can you explain your process?
We started rehearsing in the beginning of March, but we started discussing the piece in January. I had a (long) list of questions I created based on my own experiences throughout my life, questions I’ve been asked myself, conversations we’ve had in the past, etc, for Maggie to answer that served as the jumping off point for this whole process.
From there, we just kept making observations and asking more questions and having more e-mail conversations, until I went back and extrapolated the ideas, phrases, and stories that really resonated with me. Bringing those discussions into the movement invention process has involved a lot of improvisation and movement investigation, teaching each other our movement vocabulary, stripping it down, and then building it back up. I create work similarly to how I write: with the overall framework of what I want to convey set, and then allowing the movement vocabulary to develop and flesh out the experience, making changes and going in new directions as the process and underlying ideas dictate.
Prior to this—what experience did you have with choreographing dance?
Having grown up teaching and choreographing dance in a typical studio setting (jazz, tap, ballet, etc), I graduated college a little burnt out on the idea and not really interested in pursuing my own choreographic opportunities to any great extent. Working in a collaborative environment with The Dance COLEctive really satisfied that urge for the past several years too. I created a work for last year’s COLEctive Notions concert when I challenged myself to do something that scared the crap out of me and had such a great time, it really seemed to light a little fire in me. Plus, it would just be silly to pass up the opportunity and resources that Margi’s giving us in this process. It’s incredibly rare to be given the space, time, and energy that Margi’s giving us to do this.
What was it like to choreograph for Maggie?
Choreographing for Maggie is 90% of the fun. We have such a special friendship, and that has really served as an incredible foundation for the piece we’re creating together. To be able to so openly delve into our thoughts, feelings, and experiences and then really explore a physical embodiment of those discussions has been incredible. There’s no one I trust with this piece more than Maggie, and it’s actually been a great learning experience for me as well, to listen to her own thought processes and ideas as we’ve investigated movement ideas and such. It just adds to the personal reward of creating when there’s so much reciprocity with the dancer embodying the work, especially given the sensitive and personal nature of the subject matter. I don’t think there’s any fear or insecurity in this process for either of us, which makes it all the more exciting.
How would you characterize the entire experience?
So far, the experience of creating this piece has been amazing. The discussions, the discoveries, the challenges, have been so fun. What I think will be interesting (and slightly scary) to see will be what it’s like to have this piece viewed by others. Right now, Maggie and I have this very open and safe space we’ve created for each other in this process, and I’m very aware of the fact that at some point, others will see this, will see me, essentially, and the ideas behind this work are so incredibly personal for me, it’s more than a little terrifying to have it available for public consumption.
And now for a perspective from the other side…the dancer, Maggie Koller, talks about what it was like to work with Kaitlin…
Maggie Koller
What did you think of the choreographic process for this solo piece?
I found the process to be very interesting! When Kaitlin views dance, she finds herself more appreciative of work that gives her time to establish an emotional connection with the dancer(s) on stage. So, we’ve spent a lot of time creating the sort of normal, day-to-day personality and movement vocabulary of the character to help the audience connect with this person before we ask them to be with her while she finds herself in more compromised emotional states. Kaitlin also has a very interesting view of space and how she (or the work) applies meaning to the various areas of the stage. I was in the quartet she set on TDC last year, so I’ve gotten to work with her in this capacity before. This process has been even more fascinating for me because it’s just the two of us! I get to see more deeply into her head and understand her unique points of view on dance making.
What was the most difficult part of the process for you?
Perhaps this is an obvious answer, but I think the fact that this work is a solo makes it challenging. After being in the company for 6 years, Kaitlin and I are well versed in the “Margi style,” which includes a great deal of partnering and relationship development. In a solo, you don’t have anyone else to build a relationship with, so we’re really having to work to tell the story with a single body in space. Secondly, that single body is mine! So I am fully responsible for communicating Kaitlin’s vision, and it’s really important to me to bring that vision to life.
What was the most fulfilling part?
Probably a combination of the subject matter and the development of the work as a solo. The span of negative and positive emotions people experience, whether as a reaction to events or encountered habitually, is something Kaitlin and I have spent a lot of time discussing over the course of our friendship. It’s been really interesting to continue those discussions with an end goal of translating our thoughts and experiences into movement for her work. I am also finding this solo process to be quite satisfying. I really appreciate being put in a position where I’m expected to manifest such specific requests and corrections. Every breath, focus change, direction of energy, and the force I put into each moment has been analyzed and dissected repeatedly by both of us to make sure the way I move is true to Kaitlin’s vision and true to the emotional states we’re exploring.
What was it like to work with Kaitlin as a choreographer?
I love working with Kaitlin! She and I are really great friends and share a unique connection as human beings, so having this time and space to work together has been truly wonderful. I really feel comfortable moving in front of her and am totally open to her feedback. Analyzing, emailing, journaling, and talking about all that we’ve explored to get to where we are with the work has been very engaging. I’m honored that she trusts me with her vision.
BIOS:
Maggie Koller received interdisciplinary dance training at the Academy of Movement and Music in Oak Park, Illinois. She earned her BA from Beloit College with a double major in Dance and Psychology, graduating with departmental honors, Summa Cum Laude. Maggie is currently in her sixth season with The Dance COLEctive (TDC). She has also danced with Chicago-based companies The LIVE ANIMALS Performance Collective, Ayako Kato/Dance Union, and The Space/Movement Project (TS/MP), for which she acted as co-director and CFO. Maggie has choreographed for TDC, TS/MP, The Open Space Project, The Inconvenience, OPRF’s Orchesis, and is involved in an ongoing performance collaboration with musical artist AM Brother. Maggie also has a full-time position as a Creative Planner for Central Coast Agency, a creative think tank for advertising, content, user experience, and design.
Kaitlin Bishop came to Chicago in 2002 to pursue her dream and passion for dance. A graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a BA in Dance, Kaitlin has had the privilege of working and performing with such dance makers as Krenly Guzman, Nicolle Wood, Molly Shanahan, Angie Hauser, Colleen Halloran, Jeff Hancock, Sandra Kaufman and Liz Burritt. Kaitlin also serves on the Board of Directors and heads the Fundraising Committee of The Big Hearts Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for canine and feline cardiac disease. This is Kaitlin’s sixth season with The Dance COLEctive and she thanks her family and friends for their unwavering love and support.
Margi Cole — On Choreography
This month on 4dancers you’ll notice posts on choreography. Today we have Margi Cole, Artistic Director and Founder of The Dance COLEctive, a Chicago-based company that has been around for over 16 years…
Margi Cole
When did you first take an interest in choreography and what drew you to it?
Believe it or not my interest in choreography started young. I organized neighborhood kids and actually produced performances in the garage at a neighbors house. Funny to think about now. I think I really enjoyed gathering and organizing groups of people.
How do you see the role of the choreographer in the dance world?
This is a hard question. I guess the privilege of being a choreographer is creating the opportunity for others to see something new. The power to create an image or explore an idea that resonates with someone long after the live performance.
What is your own choreographic process?
I work very collaboratively. Usually I come in with an idea and some plans around how I want to explore that idea whether it be through the development of movement vocabulary, research, personal writing exercises and conversations about our own experiences. I share this with the group and then we go on from there. The process is informed by everyone’s participation and my role inevitably as the editor.
“COLEctive Notions 2012” is coming up in May, and it’s a showcase for choreography from members of your company. Can you talk a bit about how you helped mentor the choreographers through the process of creating works for this program?
First, they had to submit a proposal where they put forward their ideas in writing. While this seems simple, it is often a great challenge to clarify ones ideas in writing. It is an important and necessary tool. From there they work on their own for an extended period of time. When they are ready they invite me in for feedback, ask me questions, look to me for direction and confirmation that their ideas are working. I encourage them through the process and help them see it to the final stages for performance.
What are the greatest challenges for new choreographers in terms of creating a work?
Having the resources they need to create work whether it be space or the knowledge of how to assemble a group and produce a performance or access to a “mentor” to help them explore their ideas and ask them questions throughout the process.
Is the relationship a reciprocal one? Do you learn anything from the choreographers?
Absolutely! It is so interesting to see what they value in terms of craft. Watching them helps me to further define my own aesthetic and watch them deepen their own. It is pretty awesome!
What is the most surprising thing you have learned since you have been choreographing dances?
The power of a strong visual image. How important it is to be honest in the process with yourself, your collaborators and your audience. That the options for creativity are endless and that fills me with fear and wonder!
BIO:
Margi Cole graduated from the Alabama School of Fine Arts, received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Columbia College Chicago and a Masters of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As a teacher and guest lecturer, she has taught for numerous educational and professional organizations such as the Alabama Ballet, the American College Dance Festival, Ballet Tennessee, Northwestern University, Columbia College Chicago, and various other institutions throughout Illinois, the Midwest, and the Southeast. As a choreographer, Margi has been commissioned by The Alabama Ballet, Springfield Ballet Company, Sanspointe DanceCompany, the Birmingham Museum of Art, Girl’s Preparatory School of Tennessee, Beloit College and Columbia College Chicago.
As a performer, Margi has danced with well-known choreographers and companies, including Ralph Lemon, Joe Goode Performance Group, Liz Burritt, Stephen Koplowitz, Ann Boyd, David Rousseve, Bill Young, Douglas Nielsen, Timothy O’Slynne, Paula Frasz, Colleen Halloran, Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak, Mordine & Company Dance Theatre, Renee Wadleigh, and Ellie Klopp. In August 2011, Cole traveled to Finhorn Scotland to join 19 international performers to participate in the Deborah Hay Solo Commissioning Project.
Awards and acknowledgements of Margi’s accomplishments include making the list of “Teachers Rated Excellent by their Students” four consecutive semesters while on faculty at the University of Illinois, receiving two Dance Center of Columbia College Choreographic Mentoring Scholarships, two Illinois Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowships, a 2005 Chicago Dancemakers Forum grant, a American Marshall Memorial Fellowship, and winning a Panoply Festival Choreography Award for Contemporary Dance in Huntsville, AL.
Margi is active in the Chicago dance community, serving on grant panels and in public forums as an arts administrator, dancer and choreographer. In 2011, she was integral in organizing both the Dance/USA and Marshall Forum annual conferences in Chicago. Cole is currently a Chicago Dancemakers Forum Consortium Member and is part of the Marshall Memorial Fellowship Selection Committee. She is currently on faculty at Columbia College Chicago, where she has served as a Lecturer and Associate Chair. Most recently she was name on of The Players in New City’s “Fifty People Who Really Perform in Chicago” List.
Dancers: Exploring Identity, Passion & Injury
by Emily Kate Long
Emily Kate Long, Photo by Avory Pierce
This installment of “Finding Balance” is an exploration of the psychology of dancers’ passion and how that passion affects the way we cope with time off—balancing the dancing self and the non-dancing self.
I view my life as having two parts: the time I spend dancing, and the time I spend doing everything else. I am always a happier and more confident person when I feel I’m being artistically productive, and I know I’m not alone in this: any dancer who has had to take time away from the studio due to injury, a scheduled layoff, or the loss of a job knows the frustration and uncertainty that can accompany the interruption.
My schedule (maybe yours too!) dictates four- to nine-week stretches of rehearsal alternating with two- to fifteen-week periods of layoff. The emotional high of performance always lasts a few days into the layoff, but then I get slammed by this intense fear of how out of shape I’ll feel when rehearsals for the next ballet start. I experience feelings of inadequacy because I’m not busy enough. I become paranoid about weight gain and loss of skills, and insecure because I attach a lot of my self-esteem to how well or poorly I dance on any given day. Even with the best intentions to make good use of my time off, it’s definitely a struggle to stay positive and productive when I don’t have a structured rehearsal day.
Why the anxiety? Undoubtedly, dancers are passionate about what we do, and to varying degrees we define and identify ourselves by our work in the studio. In a paper I read recently (Clint Galloway, resource 1, below), athlete identity is characterized by three aspects, present in an individual in different proportions depending on the person. If we substitute “dance” for “sport,” the following list can very aptly apply to dancers as a measure of “dancer identity:”
3Musings: Every Body Dances
by Kimberly Peterson
When I first began college at Texas Woman’s University, there was a slogan – a motto of sorts for the department: Every Body Dances.
Not everybody dances, but Every Body Dances. The distinction is important – because it necessarily includes every body: type, shape, size, age, and ability. This belief is so integral to TWU’s Department of Dance, that it radically changed how I approached movement, creativity, my body and my journey as a dance artist.
Ability is something most dancers pride themselves on: the ability to execute movement well, the ability to perform, the ability to manipulate their bodies to do as they desire. However, ability is a spectrum – and the loss of an ability need not negate the ability of an entire body. And it certainly does not consume the identity of the person.
Adaptive dance seeks to allow for differences in ability while creating high caliber performances. In essence, it treats all dancers, regardless of ability, as dancers and works within whatever levels of technique, skills, performance they bring with them. It is a deceptively simple concept – and marvelous to behold!
Two fascinating examples of great work come from DV8 Physical Theater and AXIS Dance Company.
DV8 Physical Theater is a UK based movement troupe. The clips below are from their Film The Cost of Living and feature David Toole, who is a remarkable mover and actor.
What I find most engaging is that David Toole makes full use of his abilities. He’s not attempting to look like he has legs, he simply moves without them – furthering the creative development of movement within the pieces he dances in. I find the perspective shot from David’s level to be highly interesting, and find the movement his body attains extremely engaging. The perspective of these shots highlight the relationship between the dancers’ bodies and space which, in some instances, is much more interesting to me than the actual movement. (Video 2) David displays a level of physicality and commitment to his movement that is equally impressive!
AXIS Dance Company, who you may remember as a guest performance from So You Think You Can Dance, has stunning work involving a wheelchair.
The fantastic movement made with the bodies they have, highlights their ability rather than the differences between them. The movement varies in tempo and intensity, dynamically pushing the limits of what is “safe” into realms that are both interesting and captivating. I was especially excited to see that they utilized the full range of possibilities with the chair: using the chair off balance (1:27, 1:31, 2:16), utilizing weight sharing (:45-:51) from both partners (3:15), both physically initiating (1:14) and receiving partnering (1:20), and was especially excited to witness the chair in use for counter-balance (1:00) and the initiation of bodily momentum (3:00). The choreographer, Alex Ketley, really utilized Rodney Bell and engaged his whole body, which includes the use of a wheelchair.
However, there is no condescension, no “inspirational” tone. There are just artists, doing what they cannot help but do – dance beautifully. However, this lack of “inspiration” is important. While it is always enlightening and exhilarating to see amazing work, we do the dancers a disservice if we only focus on what ails them – or what makes them different. What is most important in a dance work, has to be what the work is saying to you, the communication and dialogue happening between you, the dancers and the choreographer. We take away the beauty and magic of that moment by reducing the whole to the sum of their parts.
Accepting that no body is the same, that no mind thinks alike, that no one interpretation of movement can encompass the whole of the experience – this is what makes our medium a lived art, an experience rather than a stagnant piece.
Every Body Dances.
0Paul Taylor Dance Company — Up Close
by Christopher Duggan
When Paul Taylor Dance Company invited me photograph their dress rehearsals, I was really excited to make photographs in the amazing (and enormous!) David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. I had never photographed in that theater before and have always wanted to. It’s a symbol of great performance art, the highest standards, the home of New York City Ballet and synonymous with “uptown” dance. To have the chance to photograph the incredibly talented dancers of Paul Taylor Dance Company on this stage made me smile from ear to ear.
The company’s PR representative welcomed me into the theater and pointed to where I was to photograph from: the back of the house. The New York Times and two other photographers were already set up–but it was FAR from the stage, behind the tech table, center orchestra; seemingly a football field’s distance from the dancers. This just wasn’t going to work for me.
I asked if I could sit any closer. Mr. Taylor would be sitting center orchestra just in front of the tech table, and I was instructed not to sit anywhere in front of him so as not to distract him or disturb his sight-lines.
But front row orchestra left was fair game and I took my position. This made me much happier. I was as close to the dancers as I could be and I was now envisioning my angle for the shoot. My intention was to cut off limbs and to really get intimate. The Paul Taylor dancers are superb technicians, gorgeous at every turn. I wanted to see their sweat. Something like: “Paul Taylor: Up Close.”
I was happy with my results, finding toil and drama and personality in the dancers, even in that enormous theater.
Contributor Christopher Duggan is the founder and principal photographer of Christopher Duggan Photography, a New York City-based wedding and dance photography studio. Duggan has been the Festival Photographer for Jacob’s Pillow Dance since 2006. In this capacity, and as a respected New York-based dance photographer, he has worked with renowned choreographers and performers of international acclaim as well as upstarts in the city’s diverse performance scene.
Christopher Duggan
He has created studio shots of Gallim Dance, Skybetter + Associates and Zvidance, among others, and in 2011 alone, he has photographed WestFest at Cunningham Studios, Dance From the Heart for Dancers Responding to Aids, The Gotham Dance Festival at The Joyce Theater, and assisted Nel Shelby Productions in filming Vail International Dance Festival.
Duggan often teams up with his talented wife and Pillow videographer Nel Shelby (http://nelshelby.com). A New York City-based husband and wife dance documentation team, they are equipped to document performances, create and edit marketing videos and choreography reels, and much more.
Christopher Duggan Photography also covers Manhattan’s finest wedding venues, the Metropolitan and Tri-State areas, and frequently travels to destination weddings. The company’s mission is straightforward and heartfelt – create timeless, memorable images of brides, grooms, their families and friends, and capture special moments of shared love, laughter and joy.
His photographs appear in The New York Times, Destination I Do, Photo District News, Boston Globe, Financial Times, Dance Magazine, Munaluchi Bridal, and Bride & Bloom, among other esteemed publications and popular wedding blogs. One of his images of Bruce Springsteen was added to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s celebrated photography collection in 2010. His company has been selected for inclusion in “The Listings” in New York Weddings magazine.
2One Dancer’s Journey: A Little Advice
For those of you who are just tuning in, this series, “One Dancer’s Journey” follows Todd Fox through his in-depth answers to the questions we typically pose in our interviews with dancers and choreographers. We’re up to question #4….
by Todd Fox
Todd Fox
4. What advice would you offer other dancers?
I could literally write a book as an answer to this question but that has already been done many times so I will only touch on a few points of interest.
Get over the insecurities and pound that pavement, today!
I frequently hear from young aspiring professional dancers who tell me how they didn’t go to an audition or send out their pictures and resumes for consideration on a gig because they thought for sure it just wouldn’t happen–so why waste time trying. This has never made any sense to me; students will spend years of hard work in the studio improving and expanding their technique/abilities but when it comes time to learn and expand into the actual profession, suddenly they become insecure.
Every aspiring professional dancer needs to realize that auditioning and seeking out employment opportunities in this industry is a learning process unto itself. Just like learning technique, there are dos and don’ts, tips and tricks, and all sorts of trials and errors you will have to go through to learn how to secure employment as a professional dancer. The ratio of being turned down will always outweigh the actual offers of employment–it has been that way since the dawn of the industry and it’s something you are just going to have to deal with.
Everyone has insecurities and nobody likes to be told they are not right for something they really want to do but you have to at least try, otherwise you will never succeed. This industry is filled with stories about professional dancers who ended up getting amazing jobs and opportunities they never thought would happen but because they took that first step and actually tried, it somehow managed to work out. It is imperative that you leave no stone unturned throughout your journey to become a professional dancer…
0Dance In The UK: Adult Ballet
by Jessica Wilson
Jessica Wilson
Having seen a huge influx of dance and the performing arts in the media over the past few years – think Andrew Lloyd Webber’s search for his next big hits, Dancing with the Stars, and Black Swan – the number of adults indulging in ballet classes has increased profoundly. A survey conducted by YouGov in 2011 in the prelude to the Dance Proms at the Royal Albert Hall found that just over 1 in 5 British adults have become interested in dancing as a result of shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and So You Think You Can Dance, not considering those throughout the rest of the world. It seems the ballet bug is here to stay, having turned a fad into a trend!
The appeal of ballet runs far and wide, and today seems to have taken on a more of a popular culture persona as more people are becoming aware of ballet and its benefits. Pirouetting against the stereotype, ballet does not have to be girly and strictly disciplined; there are a huge variety of ballet and dance class choices in the exercise world today, meaning that there is an option for everyone. No sooner had gym culture taken over our lives, dance cults began to make an appearance, such as Zumba, reinforcing the notion that engaging in physical activity does not have to involve a treadmill.
Not only does ballet engage and stimulate the mind, it also provides participants with an environment which is of alternative appeal. Tapping into your artistic side really does have its benefits, for adults as well as children!
The Royal Academy of Dance teachers of London have affectionately referred to this recent ballet trend as “Black Swan Syndrome” – despite such dark inferences throughout the film – considering the number of adults they have seen sign up for ballet classes in the wake of the blockbuster movie. Some may argue that the increasing commercialisation of dance may cause it to lose its intrinsic artistic value, yet if the combination of the media with promotion of dance is able to entice more adults to dance in such a profound way, something must be right! Indeed there has been a significant increase of dance-related films that have emerged over the past few years, in addition to screenings of dance performances in numerous cinemas, putting dance well and truly on the map.
2Finding Balance: Recommended Reading For Dancers
by Emily Kate Long
Emily Kate Long, Photo by Avory Pierce
Being the daughter of a librarian has its advantages. My mother was head of collection development—in layman’s terms, the book buyer—at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, for over twenty years before she retired last May. She is also a closet bunhead. I have her to thank for the bulk of my personal dance library: Jock Soto’s memoir, Stephen Manes’ Where Snowflakes Dance and Swear, Kavanaugh’s Nureyev biography, the anthology Reading Dance, Homans’ Apollo’s Angels, No Fixed Points by Reynolds and McCormick, and several volumes by Gretchen Ward Warren. She showers me with books faster than I can plow through them, and most of these treasures are at least the thickness and weight of a brick. As a result, I have become a literary grazer. This installment of Finding Balance is my “Recommended Reading List: Works for Enrichment and Escape.” Enjoy, and please comment with your personal favorites!
Where Snowflakes Dance and Swear: Inside the Land of Ballet by Stephen Manes was waiting in a package at my doorstep one January evening when I got home from rehearsal. Delight! Manes spent a season as a fly on the wall at Pacific Northwest Ballet. Reading inside details of the dance world from an outsider’s perspective is both amusing and informative. Manes is a thorough storyteller, examining each aspect of the ballet—organizational machine, community institution, and artistic creature. I wish there could be a new book every season.
I was less than halfway done with Manes’ stellar work when Mom brought me Jock Soto’s Every Step You Take. Of course I couldn’t help but peek inside. Anecdotes, reflections, and recipes fill this easy-to-read, yet profound, memoir. Now forty pages in, I’m having a hard time setting this one aside. It’s like sitting and having a conversation with a living legend.
0Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s World Premiere – Little mortal jump
by Catherine L. Tully
Alejandro Cerrudo, Photo by Todd Rosenberg
This week, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Spring Series will feature a world premiere from choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo—Little mortal jump.
Cerrudo has the distinction of being named Hubbard Street’s first Resident Choreographer—a title he has held since 2009. His works are performed in dance companies around the world and he was recently honored with an award from The Boomerang Fund for Artists.
The choreographer took the time to share some thoughts with us regarding his latest piece, which is his 10th work for the company.
How would you describe your new work, Little mortal jump?
Little mortal jump consists of twelve very different pieces of music carefully put together and I have attempted to create a cohesive whole with them. This new work is a study on ever-changing moods and twists and finishes in a very different place than where it starts. This piece features some of the most complex partnering I have ever created.
Can you talk a little bit about your choreographic process? How did you go about creating this piece in particular?
My process is different each time I approach a new work, but I usually start by choosing the music and then imagining an atmosphere. For Little mortal jump I had an idea for each section that I then developed further. I have also used the dancers to bring in new ideas. I always adjust my concepts to each individual dancer that I work with rather than imposing my ideas regardless of the dancer and their abilities.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's Alejandro Cerrudo, Photo by Todd Rosenberg
How did you select the music, and what relationship does it have to the choreography?
I am always listening to music. It is my pastime. When I feel inspired by a specific piece, I start to imagine what I would do with it or how I would use it. Music is very important in all of my works. Only on very rare occasions do I actually only use music as a soundscape.
What did you enjoy most about choreographing this new piece?
For this piece I have used moments from my older works that are visually very different and have fused them together to create this new choreography. I have enjoyed allowing myself to be directly influenced by my past work and have created something very new – something that can coexist on stage together.
What do you think the greatest challenge is for you as a choreographer?
One of the greatest challenges is to make something that no one has ever seen before – and make it well.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Spring Series takes place March 15th – 18th at the Harris Theater. In addition to Little mortal jump, the program also features Israeli choreographer Sharon Eyal’s piece Too Beaucoup and LINES Ballet artistic director Alonzo King’s piece Following the Subtle Current Upstream.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in Sharon Eyal’s Too Beaucoup, Photo by Todd Rosenberg
Suspension in the Transverse Plane
by Kimberly Peterson
Recently I was linked to an amazing video that kind of took me by surprise. I haven’t had a lot of exposure with pole dancing and knew very little of what it could be – save the intentional erotica that movies and television portray it as. However, this video of Jeynene Butterfly completely changed my perception of what this form of movement could be. Don’t be shy, she’s not nude or anything.
The most fascinating thing (besides the sheer strength involved) for me revolved around the use of the Transverse Plane of movement – that is movement which happens horizontally. The suspension achieved by the use of the pole enables a full range of movement options unavailable in the same way by dancing vertically on the floor.
Now, if you are anything like me, you’ve found yourself once or twice in a studio, frustrated with always being vertical, but not excited by a long form “floor” dance. Seeing Ms. Butterfly got me thinking about other ways in which dance could explore the Transverse Plane.
I first had caught wind about Project Bandaloop a few years back, when they performed in Dallas. This group, out of California, focuses on suspension as a way to engage their surroundings and by doing so – explores the possibilities of movement in the transverse plane as well as exploring the realm of gravity.
There are many things which further excite me about Bandaloop, in that it takes dance out of the theatre and directly into the world. It blends the two, merging the artistic with the mundane, asking us to re-imagine our surroundings.
It is exciting to see dance being transformed by such innovative means. It makes me want to know what is next for the field – what may be possible – and how re-imagining something as simple as verticality can open up a new world of movement where limits are routinely broken.
Kimberly Peterson
BIO: Contributor Kimberly Peterson, a transplant to Minneapolis from the Dallas area, received her BA and MA from Texas Woman’s University’s prestigious dance program.
Drawing on her experience with producing dance works, Kimberly has served as lighting designer, stage manager, event coordinator, volunteer and an advisor in various roles. She has taught in various roles and her choreography featured at ACDFA, TCC South Campus and Zenon Dance Studios. Her recent internships with Theater Space Project and the Minnesota Children’s Museum have served to expand her skills in arts administration and development.
Her graduate research explored the parallels between the independent music industry and current methods of dancer representation. Fascinated with how art is represented and presented in society, she continues to develop this research while delving further into this complicated subject through her dance writing.
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