Take A Deep Breath - Art That Moves

Take a Deep Breath - Art That Moves

Torpedo Factory Arts Center
105 North Union Street
Alexandria VA
April 27th at 7pm
Free.
“Take a Deep Breath” explores the emotional connection to place. There are remote landscapes only known through photographs or through the imagination. Close to home, there are places experienced so frequently that a second look is warranted. Jane Franklin Dance brings both perspectives to life.
A Vivid Sense of Place engages the possibilities of wide open space. This dynamic work, with music by Washington DC composer Steven Rogers, transforms verbal descriptions of untouched landscapes in Iceland, Scotland, Kalahari Desert and the Andes into raw and untamed movement.
Double Take is a dance that compares two experiences of ’seeing.’ Each viewer determines a preferred meaning..the live performance in connection to video or in connection to the interior architecture itself.

Help Jane Franklin Dance? -
We've been approved for
Take a Deep Breath -- Art That Moves @ Torpedo Factory with Kickstarter and have less than 30 days left to reach our $1,000 goal to help fund dancer's stipends and performance expenses. If we don't reach the goal by May 6th at 2:45 we don't receive any of the money. To become a Backer, simply make your pledge at Kickstarter safely and easily for any amount from $1.
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SUPPORT JANE FRANKLIN DANCE

Jane Franklin Dance is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3)organization. Your tax deductible contribution helps us to continue community projects, grow artistically and expand dance education. The company has been recognized as an integral part of the area's cultural life with work that crosses artistic disciplines, and with dance education and community projects for seniors and youth. We are grateful for your support which helps us to make dance visible and available to the community. Contribute

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MAY BENEFIT

Arlington Arts Center
3550 Wilson Blvd
May 15 at 7:00 pm
Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 at the door.

Zip Through a Tight Space - Performances, light supper, wine tasting and a silent auction. Items from: Atlas Performing Arts Center, Ballet NOVa, Capitol Fringe Festival, Cultural Development Corp, Dance Place, Fast Snail Creative Greetings & Design, Potomac Riverboat Company, Serenity Day Spa, Tempo Restaurant, Washington Suites Alexandria, and Wolf Trap Center for the Arts to name a few!

Do you have a conflict which prevents you from attending our May 15th event?
You can still place a bid on any Silent Auction item through May 13th by email info at janefranklin.com or phone at 703-933-1111.

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SUMMER CAMP
The Mouse of Amherst - Session 3 July 11 - 15
It's Show Time - Session 4 July 18 - 22

Express yourself and find your passion in the performing arts in two engaging full-day dance camps during July. Explore basic dance concepts, creative problem solving, physical story telling and poetry in a fun and interactive way. Click the links above for more information or to enroll online.


THE MOUSE OF AMHERST, adapted from the book by Elizabeth Spires

"this was a wonderful, imaginative show. I took 4 year old and 7 year old girls. They sat with rapt attention for the entire show! Excellent, imaginative choreography and very clever visual presentation and music. We look forward to the next show." R. Interdonato, Goldstar patron

See performances of The Mouse of Amherst at
Artisphere, 1101 Wilson Blvd, Arlington May 7 at 11:30 am & 2:00 pm
$8 Adults/$6 Children
http://www.tickets.artisphere.com/ or by phone: 888.841.2787
Free parking with validation all weekend. Use N. Kent Street garage entrance. Rosslyn Metro (blue/orange) is two blocks away.
Henrico Theatre, Henrico VA May 15 at 2:00 pm

Adapted from the book by Elizabeth Spires, this engaging dance/theatre performance will spark imagination and delight children and adults. The show features Bryan Leister’s video projections created using gaming technology and original music by local composers Steven Rogers and Mark Sylvester.

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Awards:

Jane Franklin Dance has been selected to receive the American Association of University Women Elizabeth Campbell Award for Advancement of the Arts in Arlington on May 7th!
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Forty +

Benefit for Fistula Foundation
UUC of Fairfax
2709 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton VA
April 30 at 7pm
Free


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Incidence has been selected for Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival, May 22
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Jane Franklin Dance,
3700 South Four Mile Run Drive,
Arlington, VA 22206


Our telephone:
703.933.1111

Dance Sampler

Other news first, Jane Franklin Dance was selected to perform Incidence as part of the Reston Arts Festival on May 22. Please catch our free, outdoor performance at 12:30 and 3:00 pm.

We performed last Sunday March 6 as part of INTERSECTIONS: A New America Arts Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. The overall feeling is mixed...I was completely wrapped up in the artistic process but once again fell way short on the business end. The marketing, marketing, marketing. With 17 performers we performed for an audience of 52 people in a theatre that seats 168. Embarrassing? yes, what else would it be? You can blame the rain but mostly I blame short comings regarding convincing people to come out and see us. The concert consisted of works for Forty+ , the older dancers, and for the company. Too mixed to market? Not clear enough about just exactly we were presenting? Nobody interested. Maybe a little of each.

On another note, VCA found a bookkeeping error and we received an additional GOS amount this month (I wish that would happen every month).

Dance Sampler is moving ahead and here's the news! (photo above Ari-Den Dance Company, photo by Maggie Pickard)

Performance April 2nd at 5pm and 8pm

Dance Sampler celebrates the Washington DC dance community with a showcase of works by six distinctive choreographers. The performances take place in the intimate Melton Rehearsal Hall at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, 641 D Street NW, Washington DC. Including works from: Wayles Haynes, an articulate and limber male solo Nancy Havlik (Dance Performance Group), urban isolation explored through text and pedestrian movement Diana Movius, a balletic vocabulary for 5 women breaking out of hurried routines Meghan Pilling, a group work that explores aspects of grief Orit Sherman (Ari-Den Dance Company), the dynamics of the inner world of life inside a cell Jane Franklin Dance rounds out the program with humorous compromise in a male/female duet Tickets: $25; or $20 with advance purchase. call 703-933-1111 or order online at www.janefranklin.com Photo Credits: Maggie Picard, Paul Gillis Photography, Rachel Pearl, and Tony Powell

http://www.janefranklin.com

Dance Sampler Update

We are accepting applications through February 18 so it is not too late to apply. The deadline was extended. Please get in touch if you have any questions: http://www.janefranklin.com/performances/dance-sampler or call 703-933-1111.

thanks so much.

Jane

Dance Sampler: Call for Choreography

Hi all - This is a new development; and one I had been thinking of for a while. A few years ago I ran a "Dance Sampler" at Gunston Theatre One. We did it as a day of classes with performances in the evening. I've decided to try this idea again, but this time in a Washington DC venue, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. I know that sometimes choreographers don't have enough opportunities to show work. The first showing is almost "Day 1" of developing a work; other times it might be that a good work has been performed only once or twice but merits another showing. That is where Dance Sampler comes from. A secondary purpose is to get someone to come and see the work....it's the tree falling in the forest thing with nobody there to see or hear it did it really take place? This is the announcement and application you will see posted on our web site and at other listings. Happy new year and please consider this opportunity.

We would like to tell you about Dance Sampler, a festival coordinated by Jane Franklin Dance. Dance Sampler celebrates the great variety of dance that the DC community offers, all in a fabulous showcase of distinctive DC dance artists. We are looking for all styles of dance for the festival and hope that you will submit your excellent work to be a part of it. Since you are a DC Area arts organization or artist, even more the reason to get involved in this endeavor!

Choreography by Vincent Thomas; Paul Gillis Photography

Dance Sampler is a two evening festival on April 1 & 2, 2011 at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Melton Rehearsal Hall, presented by Jane Franklin Dance. We are looking for choreography of various topics in a variety of styles and with original takes on individual viewpoints. Subtitled “Your Brain in Real Life” we would like to know your opinion; how you operate, or think. Please include the following information along with a DVD copy of the piece you intend to perform. You may supply a YouTube link in place of a DVD.

Choreographer ________________________________

Title________________________________________

Date performed________________

Number of dancers _______________

Content Description or concept

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Submission deadline is February 11, 2011.
Selected choreographers receive performance space, publicity and marketing, technical support, and a $100 stipend.
Choreographers and dancers must be available for a cue to cue technical rehearsal on April 1 and for both performances.
The performances take place at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Melton Rehearsal Hall, 641 D Street NW, Washington DC.
For additional information call 703-933-1111 or go online www.janefranklin.com.

Submission fee $25. Please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope for return of materials along with this submission form to:

Jane Franklin Dance, 3700 S Four Mile Run Drive, Arlington VA 22206.

All applications will be reviewed by a panel of three dance specialists. All submissions will receive panelist feedback. Please let us know if you prefer no panelist comments.

Thank you for submitting your work.

The Mouse of Amherst

We are jumping into three more shows of The Mouse of Amherst this weekend. Actually, it feels good. The dancers have had time to get more assured about their roles, small changes have made a big difference, and all the technology part is much easier to handle.
We have 3 boys in our cast which is a large deal since most dance productions are over-run with hundreds of girls and maybe one or two boys.
I really like the small theatre in at 3700 S Four Mile Run Drive - Theatre on the Run. The lighting, the audience proximity, just the way it looks. It's a comfy little theatre and we are happy to be there. I am so grateful for my collaborators - of course Bryan Leister who has done a phenomenal job with gaming technology to take the production to location's inside the Dickinson house, as well as outdoors, in a garden, or in a larger landscape. It is all so fanciful and wonderful. My composer friends Mark Sylvester, Steven Rogers and Paul Musso have provided inspiring and thoughtful sound and music that energizes the dancers and the whole production.
The story by Elizabeth Spires is inventive and interesting, even if you are an adult.
Come on out and see our show. You won't be disappointed.
Dec 4 at 11 am and at 1 pm
Dec 5 at 1 pm
Theatre on the Run
3700 S Four Mile Run Drive
Arlington VA 22206
Tickets online at www.janefranklin.com
703-933-1111
or at the door
$15 general
$10 children under 10 years
A few half-price tickets are available at Goldstar

It's that time - what time is that?

Things have been fast and furious here....yet there is snails pace that hangs over the numerous details and negotiations and that means slow progress.
Our performance for children, The Mouse of Amherst, is repeating the first weekend in December. We are struggling with reworking some parts of it, incorporating some music by Steve Rogers to take the place of a couple of songs with no copyright. Two of the dancers drive down from Baltimore.....it is a long drive heading into all the traffic etc which is of course most of the time.
Speaking of Steve Rogers, it has been immensely powerful to work with his music. I liked it from the first few notes I heard. We are doing 4 segments of it for "A Vivid Sense of Place" when we perform it in its first theatrical setting at Woolly Mammoth this weekend. I have no pants for Daniel....other than his own rehearsal garb...but that is beside the point. It was a great joy to work on this piece, music, visuals from Freya Grand's landscapes, and three very dedicated and fully invested dancers - what could be better? That's Daniel Zook, Brianne Barrow Little, and Wayles Haynes that I am talking about.
But alas, things can't stay peaceful for long. Daniel is not able to do the concert in January at Artisphere and must be replaced. We have to do the dance - "A Vivid Sense of Place" as it is the title work for the whole concert in January, having to do about location. If you are a male dancer and want to learn a good piece, performed by first rate dancers, just let me know.
Speaking of peace....you know dance is about people, wow and is that tricky. Sometimes I wish I could just go into my studio with pen and write, or with paint and paint, but like most things, I know that too is difficult but the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
But other than working with people, I am pretty much okay with dance....just kidding. If I had enough money to pay people like they are supposed to be paid, all of this would not be an issue!! Which reminds me...we have approached our Winter Fundraising time of year. The year started off a little bit bleak, and really not very much money at all with grants as we have had in the past. We are really looking for ways to bring in some income with our performances for children, and activities for older adults. But if you can help at all, this is definitely a good time. Believe me your money will really help; or just come to a performance....if you are strapped for cash yourself, get your ticket on Goldstar for half price. Everybody should know about Goldstar. I have gone to Broadway shows on Broadway, Kennedy Center shows for half price and great seats. Look into it. There's nothing like a good deal to get you out of the house. And that's a good thing for types like me who like to hide behind the computer or watch seasons of tv shows by using the online Netflix.

Another Staunch Fan

I have known Jane Franklin for a number of years, but I had not the pleasure of seeing her work until recently. My first experience came with an invitation to observe a rehearsal of the Forty+ ensemble. I arrived at the rehearsal room to be greeted by four women plus Jane stretching in preparation to dance. Several other ladies, some with gray hair, arrived and took their places quietly as the group began a warm up. To me the warm up alone was a pleasure to watch with its smooth and subtle movements. Then the group began to practice their current piece. The music surrounded me and the women as they moved lithely across and around the room. The piece isn’t perfect yet and it was interesting to see Jane work out a step and then work it with the ladies. There was no verbal criticism, just the sense that everyone was there to give the best they could at that time and eventually the piece would be ready for public performance. I left hoping to come back another time and eager to share my very pleasant lunch break.

On Friday evening, September 24, I arrived at Show of Hands on Del Ray Avenue in Alexandria not sure what to expect. Show of Hands is a wonderful arts and crafts consignment shop full of beautiful and unique treasures. They had opened an area at the back of the store so that the dancers could give all those attending a Season Preview. We were teased with excerpts from various pieces that are planned for performance in the coming months. Most delightful to me and to the two small children sitting next to me, was the excerpt from the “Mouse of Amherst.” Four “mice” cavorted about the space, grooming their imaginary whiskers, wiggling their noses and rolling to their backs with their feet waving in the air. I was totally intrigued and ready to gather up children to enjoy this wonderful story of a mouse that lives in the house of New England poetess, Emily Dickinson. I hope I can find many little friends to enjoy this terrific performance in October. There were other excerpts, all delightful, lovely to watch and provocative to the thinking. I’m hoping to be at many of the performances. Jane, you and your dancers have another staunch fan.

Linda M. Vitello, Board Member

Photo by Maggie Mudd Photography