Farewell Performance

Our performance at Woolly Mammoth had a great turnout, and there were even people sitting on the floor in front of the first row. I think all of the dancers were excited about having a full house. It was also great being right in downtown DC. It felt like we were reaching new members of the DC community who don't live in Northern Virginia but are interested experiencing art. I've written a little bit about each piece of the show:

The first piece I was surprised to find myself a little bit shaky. Once we got in the groove of it though, I relaxed and had fun. My only regret is dropping my hanger at the end of the wrist shaking section. Fortunately I didn't hit anyone in the audience!

The next piece, Branch, is a cardio workout. There are many entrances and exits in this piece, and the challenge of this theater was the lack of wing space. We had to remain onstage, against the wall, looking composed at all times. Mike and I did pretty well on the lift I've taken over from Dana – if I had more time I would have worked on not gripping his arm so tightly. He really did a great job working with me to make me feel comfortable though. He is so strong!

I loved how people started laughing during Brianne's line "When you're lonely, you can always go downtown". It was fun dancing that duet/quartet at the show because it had a very different energy than in rehearsal. We could tell that the audience appreciated the humor of the work.

The solo that I created for Sound Walk came about through matching the syllables of the text with movement. Even though I don't understand much Spanish, I feel like I identify with my "character" (as I suppose I've come to think of her). In my movement, I am trying to enhance her words. And in the end I feel like one of the messages of Sound Walk is the unifying force of dance, and the way that communities can connect non-verbally.

Even though I've performed with JFD many times, I still get attacked by a case of nerves during a show, which sometimes prevents me from dancing as full as I would like. The nice thing about Monday's show was how much I was able to enjoy it and really sink into the movement. Jane gave a very nice send-off for me at the end of the show, which I was not expecting at all! It was such a pleasure dancing with all of my fellow company members and guest artists. Thanks to Jane for all her hard work. I hope to see you all again soon!

-- Nellie Rainwater

Sound Walk Composition

To create the music for Sound Walk, I followed Jane into her community dance classes, set up some microphones and captured the sounds her students were making while they danced, shuffled, stepped, clapped, laughed and talked. Foot sounds, chairs squeaking, Jane instructing and encouraging, and the joy that bubbled out in laughs and whoops as they twisted and turned, stepped and clapped, became the fabric of the compositions.

Each location had its own energy and presented me with a unique direction to pursue. For Circles, as I listened repeatedly to the audio tracks recorded at JK Polk Elementary, melodies began to emerge from the tapes. The combination of children running and laughing, shoes squeaking and stomping somehow created a distinct melody that to me sounded like it was being played by violins. I merely echoed that melody with real violins. The melodies were, plain and simply, given to me.

The themes in Interview and O’Clock were my musical reaction to what I was hearing in the recorded sound clips from Ft. Henry Gardens Affordable Housing Corporation after-school program and Walter Reed Senior Center. For Inner View, recorded at Walter Reed, I wanted a sweet, enveloping background to embody the intimacy of the voices of the women that I interviewed. The exuberance of the children from AHC is captured in the shortest piece, O’Clock that is punctuated by the slapping, rhythmic intensity of a Flamenco guitar.

The schools and community centers of Walter Reed, Ft. Henry Gardens AHC, Arlington Mill, Langston Brown Senior Center, and JK Polk were all represented in My Name Is. I chose to use only recorded sound clips to design the composition and create “music” without any traditional instruments. I wanted this piece to be a full reflection of the cacophony of sounds inherent in her dance classes, and the voices of the people that encompass the community to which Jane Franklin is so very dedicated.

-Gina Biver

New blog

Welcome to our new blog page! Check in frequently for posts about upcoming performances, workshops, and behind the scenes info about the company. Jane Franklin, Artistic Director, company members, board members and collaborators will all be adding their input to our blog page, so there will be plenty to read. Check back soon...

-Fiona