Alaskan Beauty
MGDC was in Anchorage, performing this past weekend.
Nature there is gorgeous!
sky
I wish I could ski...
But I surely will go back there anytime!!!
VISIONS and VOICES: Altria/ABT Women’s Choreography Project
Guggenheim Museum: Works & Process Feb 1 & 2 at 7:30pm.
I really like these events. Every time I visit, I feel close to the artists.
Yesterday’s program was
“VISIONS and VOICES: Altria/ABT Women’s Choreography Project”
ABT II’s director, Wes Chapman was the moderator.
There are two parts to this project:
One is to have women choreographers choreograph on the studio company, the other is mentoring for ABT women dancers to discover and learn how to choreograph. My partner, Stephen Pier is the mentor/director for this part of the project. Yesterday (and today at 7:30pm) they showed what they had learned.
The other part had ABT II dancers dancing Aszure Barton’s Barbara. Aszure was there for discussion afterward as well.
It was very exciting! I will visit again tonight and write more about it.
Stretch and Breathe 2
I am constantly looking for music for teaching dance classes… when I teach at MG School, Ailey School or master class, we usually have accompanists. When I took my first modern dance class( it was Graham technique class) at the Ailey school, I was blown away with taking class with live music. I was in heaven.
In Japan, my dance teacher always used LP records. Yes LP records. not CD, nor MD, nor casette tape… But that was nice too. I loved looking at the record cover. Most of the times it were jazz music and some classical music. That is right, she did not have any modern dance music…
After getting used to have live music, I realized how important to have a live music for dance classes. Musci could change movement, mood, dynamics and music itself is a creation too. A lot of ballet classes around NYC are with an accompanist. and it is so nice to take and watch.
Dance training is a hard repetitious training, but having good music makes completely different way to look at.
When I teach, if I have to use recorded music, I use few cds. Geoffrey Armes’s “Habibi Stretch and Breathe” is one of the most used in my class. He is one of THE BEST in NY that means one the best in the world!! I love teaching classes when he is playing for me. It makes difference. It is important for me to have a steady and clear rhythm since I teach beginners a lot. It is interesting to see when dancers start thinking about shapes or use of mascle in the body, a lot of time they forget music. Or simply ears are closed…may be? Coordination is very important. to gain it, music have to be very clear for them to hear. So I use this cd a lot.
Recentrly Geoffrey sent me his new cd! I am in heaven! Beacuse I have been using his Habibi Stretch and Breathe but for a long time. and now new one(s)!
I listened. Sit on the floor and play.
“Spirit Dwelling” and “Stretch and Breathe 2/Berlin Dance works”
Geoffrey’s music becomes a collaborative partner to you. With his deep understanding of the dance movement, its dynamics, complex rhythms and relationship with breath, he will take you somewhere not just a dance studio.
Great for dance classes and yoga classes. or just streching in your living space…
I am going to Japan in the end of December and will teach two places in Tokyo area, and I am very excited to use this new ones for my classes!!! Of course it will be so nice to have him with me in Japan but …
Last year, Kristin organized what people recommend for Xmas present. I wonder if she is doing it this year? I defenitely put these two cds for that. Also I still really like the book I recommended last year too…What do you think?
well I did not do Xmas shopping yet this year, I have to run now!
long pause again…
Well since last entry( July22) I went to teach at Atlanta Ballet School’s summer camp, Chicago Dancer Festival( MGDC danced “Cave of the Heart” in August( this was a beautiful festival!!!) I went to Metropolitan Museum in NY, visited my husband’s father in Laramie, Wyoming, saw “Democracy in America: national campaign” at the Armory, saw “A tale of Two Cities”, tour to Greece, saw “Burn This” at the Juilliard School Acting division. and more.
I had a lot…I will try to put pictures later.
And now we are getting ready for Beijin tour (11/24-12/1) Nothing worst that having birthday on the airplane…
I was thinking about for a new entry but had hard time downloading pictures, I don’t know why but this made me away from writing. Today, I saw Benny’s entry and I really like the idea of introducing your fellow dancers , and also David’s wonderful entry from Russia, Veronica’s beautiful young dancers…
so I thought I will try again. Not pictures this time but some thought about “dance” .
I have been thinking about why I dance, why I like dance… and these are some thoughts…
I like dance:
*that thraws challenges us to think about. ( Thinking about early 1920-1940’s. It was nesseccary. I don’t like to watach somebody’s satisfaction dance, I hope you understand what I mean )
*that gives energy. ( without energy, dance becomes dead movement)
*that makes you quetions ( To make us to think about who we are and what are we doing, and why we dance and waht for)
*that gives opinions.( to make us think and search our own ideas/opinions)
*that makes you wanting to dance. ( this is simply making us to want to dance)
*that is pure physical.( I love physical challenge. especially like MG,Merce’s work)
*that is “theater”.(even it is abstract, there is a story or theme and it is a total theater)
*that is very musical.( I love music, so dancing with music is must for me)
I like dancers:
*who search ( who you are as person —who you are in the work )
*who think ( some time too much thinking is not good but not thinking at all is not good)
*who watch other dancers dance ( you can learn a lot from it. And you can steal it from the best! too. as some masters quotes)
*who are honest about their being.( not pretending who you are and what you know. if you do, it will show anyway )
*who are sincere towards technique and works and what you do.( without technique, where can you go? Release movement works if you have some stable thing to brake from. For the works, I keep thinking works of Masters who passed away, how can we preserve their works. Their choreogrphies are like script for Play. Like Shakespear, actors have scripts and their interpretation may varied but words are same. How do you know or how do you find the intension of their works. Can we do that in dance? This is my biggest questions…I know this is a HUGE questions. )
*who are not selfish.( Unless you are dancing solos all the time, you are with other dancers. There are a lot of give and take in dance. Also selfishness really stinks on stage. Even you are dancing solos all the time, you don’t need to be selfish. )
*who are “real” not “fake” ( You have to fake it if you don’t have a good base, and that means you have to have a good training.But in the end, you can not really fake it…)
*who enjoy dancing.( See somebody having good time makes me simply happy)
*who are discipline and a hard worker.( I believe you have to be very discipline and wanting to become a dancer. even you have a nice body to dance, you have to work hard.Sylvie Guillem said it in her documentary too. Sometimes I see dancers who have beautiful body but no passion, those dancers dance are not interested in to watch…MG has a quote for this. I will find it and put it on later)
I am sure I have more to say but for now, this is just a thought that came up on my head now.
If you have some more, I would love to hear what you think about it…
and I will (try to) start my interview with my fellow dancers in MGDC… soon.
water water at Jacob’s Pillow
The end of May, we performed “water water” at LaMama theater. This time we performed at Inside/Out at Jacob’s Pillow.
I danced Muna’s new solo “for Her”, Muna danced ” for Stella” ( work in progress), Water water and Duet from Water Mysteries.
In this picture, Muna is sitting the audience area( wood blocks are the seat!) over looking the stage. On stage is rehersal of “Water water”.
Tech run of “Water water”
above Ted Shawn theater, wathercock is a dancer…
this is a back stage area for Inside/out. it is really a back of the stage( behind the stage) and it is pretty low. I could stand straight without hitting my head but I am 5″2′.
and of course while we were there, this is the Pillow!
Long pause…
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
It has been a long pause since I posted my last entry…
“Water,water”, a dance that I did about 25 years ago, which we performed at LaMaMa Theater.
After LaMaMa, I went to join MGDC for our residency at the Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs to put MG’s master piece “Clytemnestra” back. Of course it was a residency so we had summer program dancers too. Technique classes, repertory, choreography and media classes are part of this residency. I ended up setting “Panorama”on these 37 dancers. They performed with us at SPAC on June 13. So it was a crash course of this wild dance…
Skidmore residency with Clytemnestra set desigh by Isamu Noguchi
Anyway, during this residency, yes we were putting Clytemnestra back together. But the students were leaning some parts, then making their own dance inspired by this piece. It was a very intersting process. and that process was captured on their blog at Clytemnestra Project.
Stephen Pier rehearsing his new ballet “Nameless Garden” in Nagoya
Then MGDC went to the American Dance Festival, unfortunately I was not cast for this so I went to Japan for a week. My husband Stephen was in Nagoya, Japan choreographing a new dance and setting a ballet on Ballet Studio M-deux. They also performed my new work, too. So I needed to see it. Stephen’s new piece “Nameless Garden” was inspired by his visit to Kyoto’s Moss Garden and Rock Garden. It is a beautiful piece with many images that I had too. I really wanted to see the perofrmance, all together with costumes and lighting, I am sure it was magical…
Berlin’s Staat Oper
Well my visit to Japan was just a week (5 days really) then off to Berlin, Germany for 2 weeks. We performed at the Staats Oper in Berlin. 5 shows in the first weekend, 8 in the second. Yes it was a lot of dancing…I am pretty beat…
Berlin’s Old and New, I like Berlin, it is an alive city…
Berlin in the evening…
So now I am back in NYC, rehearsing with Muna Tseng (Water,water) again, and we are going to Jacob’s Pillow tomorrow. We will have “Inside/Out” performance at 6:30 pm. It is a free performance so if you are close, stop by!!! We will perform a part from “Water Mysteries”, “water,water” and 2 new solos. I will dance one and Muna will dance the other.
Then I will go to Atlanta Ballet’s Summer Program. I will be teaching for 2 weeks. Some classes are 1 hour, so I am thinking this year I will teach more standing up and cross over exercise. Past years I tried to teach floor work, but it is very hard… I will not entirey cut the floor work but give them a little more moving in class than sitting on the floor in a cold studio… in the south, it is always cold inside since the outdoor tempture is pretty high. but that is so bad for your body. you have to have a lot of warm up clothes… I should pack them too!!!
After this, MGDC will be a part of a new festival in Chicago in August 17 . I should get more info regarding this. but I will be dancing ” Cave of the Heart” Legend of Media. It is a beautiful dance by MG with a set by Isamu Noguchi. I think we share a program with a few other dance companies. I will let you know when I know more about it… but until then,
HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!!!
WATER WATER BY Muna Tseng
I danced this piece “WATER WATER” in 1984 for the first premiere in NYC. and then in 1986 at 14 Street Y.
So it was 24 years ago….this time, few original dancers are back together to perform this. We start tomorrow night. Some of us are not dancing any more, but coming back to do this performances. It is such a fun dancing your friends who we started together back then… we went on to do something different and our path is not same anymore but even 24 years of blank, we could work together. That is great.
http://lamama.org/
Aszure Barton and Artists in “A Travelling Show.”
Duo Theater in East Village, is a pretty space. Built in 1889, as a ballroom, this space was a home of Roy Rogers( I think…I saw a lot of posters).
Very nice !
Aszure Barton is a most succeceful woman choreographer now in NYC, and her company’s performances this weekend. It is one act show of about 1hour 5mins. 5 dancers were very different from each other and their movement and quality was very different but when they move, very precisely as her choreography, amazingly together and they were TIGHT!!!
I had a previledge of dancing her work with MG”s season at the Joyce last September, ” Lamentation Variation” inspired by MG’s short study film of her master peice “Lamentation”, her choreography is very detail oriented and you have to be so precise to move… I had a great time!
this is Aszure(R) and one of 5 dancers, Banning Roberts who is the Juilliard Grad and ex-Cluberg Ballet dancer and now freelance lives in Paris!
anyway, this “A Travelling Show” added one more show on Sunday Matinee this coming April 13, highly recommended!!!
I don’t want to talk about too much since some of us might go to see it this week weekend!!!
From the Left to Right: Stephen Pier, Courteny Blackwell, Bannning and Williams Briscoe( who was another one of 5 !) these three of them were all Juilliard Grad. and Stephen and I somehow feel like “Parents”…
oh well.
DRA GALA at High School at Friends Seminary
It was March 12, 2008.I know it was almost a month ago.
My friend’s sister goes to this school and here is the Gala performance that her sister and her friends started to raise fund for DRA last year. Last year they had a dancer from Bill T. Jones and this year was us, MGDC.
from MGDC, Oliver Tobin spoke about DRA, opened the program and MG’s Satyric Festival Song was the opener for this evening.
It was such a fun night.
This performance was formed with students from this school at Friends Seminary, dancers are from 8 years old to senior in High school. Those 8 year old dancers, themselves choreographed short dance! Amazing!
There is a dancer teacher who takes care of all age students. Wow I could not believe how much energy they have. when everydancers are there, waiting to start, well it was vibrating energy…
what they see and what they created was timely intresting. Their movement and try some serious dancing and more. One girl who danced Indian/Ethnic dance mixture who does not study with anybody but came up the idea to dance this, and now she is thinking about attending some classes. A tap dancer who performed improvisation was amazing too. He was proffesional level. It was very toughing that one girl with crathces was dancing with her friends. She danced everything her friends are doing. Lay on the floor, pick up other dancer, and running around. They were all equal. Dancers are having fun and you can tell they are having great time.
When I was dancing Satyric, I heard somebody said, “it is scary…” I don’t know may be the LOOK that I made was that way??? Oh well, but they responded very interestingly well.
Last year they raised $2000 for this gala, and this year they raised $1600! This is great but it does not matter how much they made. It is great that those students( dancers) did something for NY community and they were aware what is in our field and the field that some of them are going in need a lot of support. and they are actually doing something very important.
So I give them BIG 10!!!
Gray Area / Dance Masterworks of the 20th Century
I need to wrtie about it… it will come soon…just bit busy…
“Gray Area”
“Appalachian Spring” (Martha Graham) by the Juilliard dancers.
This Juilliard’s concert was so inspiring. They danced very well. Appalachian Spring, Dark Elegies by Antony Tudor which I love, and There is a time by Jose Limon.
Yes I will write about it later…
