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.

Acting it out

Our recent collaboration for 2010 Source Festival "A Great (er) Depression" brought many comments about how the movement successfully supported what the character was feeling as well as saying.

“Jane – Loved the piece you put together with Matt and Brad. Everything worked so well together. I mentioned to Matt that the choreography really blended so well to create that effect that we were in his characters mind. The dancers on the table in front of him, as if he’s projecting his internal anguish. The dancers shaking hands and grinning behind him, as if he senses the rest of the world moving forward and succeeding reinforced the fact that his character continued to do deeper within himself. Loved also the incorporation of the file boxes. So much good stuff. Look forward to seeing more of your work.” – Dan O’Neil, 2010 Source Festival attendee

A critic (a dance professor at GMU) wrote that the movement was distracting because it was not "acted out." More weight was given to the written word, assuming that the words have higher priority, that the staging was absolutely not connected to the dialogue.
This brought up the questions: Why should text be primary? Can more than one thing happen on stage at a time?
These questions have already been answered in dance history - especially with post modern choreographers and with Merce Cunningham.
In a previous article in the same blog, there was a long article about how the dance community lacks internal support and nurture.
This might be a place to start; that dance writers and professionals acknowledge other work with an open mind; and write about the content of the work rather than personal preferences.

2009-10 Season

We are looking forward to a good year of interesting performance venues and partners. I'm excited about a work we'll show on Oct 21 at Greater Reston Arts Center in collaboration with a visual artist Rebecca Kamen. Rebecca has created these terrific fragile sculptures that echo the construction of the elements in the periodic table. These 80+ pieces will be navigated using bodies and the unique setting of Greater Reston Arts Center which is circular/spiral. Later in the year, we plan to show a theatrical version with Bryan Leister doing a virtual rendering of the sculptures.
We are putting out information now about getting a Season Subscription which is a great deal on ticket prices. I'll supply several links:
SEASON SUBSCRIPTION ORDER FORM

In preparation for our Of Bones & Bridges project, we've been out on the Four Mile Run Footbridge.

More about Mar 21

Rich Kleinfeldt from Washington Saxphone Quartet came in for a few photos with us last week. As well as playing the NPR theme song (which is heard on NPR all through the US daily), Rich is quite talented with keeping his concentration while dancers leap all about. That's Brianne you see jumping into the frame.
I've been rehearsing with a group of women that comprise our Adult Repertory group - and funneling some of the same material into a reconfigured trio of company members - Andrea, Cait and Whitney. It's been challenging and inspiring to swap material between the dancers, and work with the limitations that are the basis for the choreography.
Hope you can come to see us at The Athenaeum on March 21 at 7:30. We truly look forward to this coming performance with live music. http://www.janefranklin.com/ for tickets - or just give us a call at 703.933.1111 for more information

Its in the Air

After finishing a very full fall season, we are entering a stage of new work. We'll be premiering work with the Washington Saxophone Quartet on March 21, 2009 at 7:30 pm at the Athenaeum in Alexandria. This marks our debut performance at the Athenaeum and we are grateful to be performing in this lovely space in the heart of Old Towne Alexandria. We welcome guest performers: a small group of adult dancers, children from Young Dancers Project, and of course the Washington Saxophone Quartet. The Athenaeum offers a close up experience for audiences and an especially great way to get know recent work such as "Incidence." The installation piece by Howard Connelly will look interesting in this location as the dancers will finally have the height, depth and width to be able to use the apparatus completely.
We are offering ticket discounts right now on our web site. One child is free with each adult general admission purchase. Please save the date to come see us on March 21.

Indistinct Boundaries

We are premiering a new piece with Bryan Leister on January 10 at 8 pm at Woolly Mammoth. Bryan is using black and white animations to explore the edge of perception between real and virtual. Indistinct Boundaries blurs the lines between expectations and what actually happens; between virtual and real. It explores the dynamics of polar opposites by animating shadows and by casting shadows of objects that are not there. Bryan Leister has generated the music mathematically through cycles and wave forms and has created animated organic structures based on mathematical algorithms that evolve over time. The dance, created in six parts, is an environment that amplifies and isolates the projections.
You can get tickets online at http://www.janefranklin.com/ or by calling 703.933.1111. We hope to see you there.