Thursday, May 27, 2010

Constant Preparation

Though it appears quiet at the studios this week with the company on a much-deserved vacation, there’s actually a constant undercurrent of preparation for Liz Lerman’s new piece, The Matter of Origins. Behind the scenes, it takes a lot of people to make the vision of a dance into reality: people to design the set, the lighting, the video, the costumes, the sound; someone to help with historical facts and help shape the piece; people to actually build the set and make the costumes; various managers to keep rehearsals, performances and schedules running smoothly; and a crew to operate everything in each theatre we visit.

All these people have lots of meetings and need to talk to each other constantly about how the final piece should look, sound, and feel. Over time, and through many phone calls and emails, bits and pieces emerge. Each time we rehearse we come away with more – music or text that we really like, stunning video sequences, choreography we know involves eight stools and two chairs that will need to be designed and built... The whole process is truly a collaborative effort.

This week has provided a good opportunity to organize DVDs of rehearsal footage and paint the cubes that are part of the set. We're grateful to have the time to do these things now, because come the middle of July, The Matter of Origins is going to kick into high gear and barrel along at warp speed until we reach the premiere at the University of Maryland on September 10 and 12.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Community Forum with Washington Adventist Health

Tonight we had 15 members from community organizations in the metro DC area come to a forum to contribute their ideas for Washington Adventist Hospital's proposed Center for Spiritual Life and Healing. No better way to discuss the integration of body, mind and spirit than to use them together with the help of some DX classic tools: Blind Lead and Build A Phrase. To learn more about these tools visit www.danceexchange.org and click on TOOLBOX.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

What we did in Sheboygan

Here is the five-minute introduction created by Dan Klopp of Keyhole Films for the community work we created at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in February and March of this year. Enjoy!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Sore and happy.

A big big big thank you to everyone who made the trek to Olney Theatre this weekend to see New Works/New Voices. We had a great show--incredible performances by the company and the community participants who made an appearance in the final piece of the evening, Still Crossing. AND we had a lovely party for our cast, audience, board members and sponsors after the show!

We're on a break from rehearsals now until June, but we'll be posting periodically about what we're up to until then. Coming up in June: rehearsals for Martha's work Wind Studies, Liz's work Nocturnes, a residency at a retirement community in Milwaukee, and preparation for our Summer Institute in July.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Tonight!

New Works/New Voices is tonight at 7pm at the Olney Theatre Center in Olney, MD. If you haven't purchased your ticket yet, you can get it here, or by calling the box office: 301-924-3400. Join us after the show for a reception with the company and community participants. See you tonight!


Community participants rehearse Liz Lerman's Still Crossing at last night's dress rehearsal

Friday, May 14, 2010

Read all about it.

Cassie, Keith, and EJ talked to the Gazette last week about the variety of rep in our show on Saturday at Olney Theatre. Read the full article here, then buy your tickets to the show here. We'll see you Saturday!


The company in Cassie Meador's Drift
Photo by John Machtig

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Preparation...


for a long day in the theatre: pears, kombucha, yogurt, croissants, mango-orange smoothie

From the wings

Last night at tech rehearsal for Still Crossing


Do you have your tickets for New Works/New Voices yet? Get them here.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Blueprints preview

A short clip of Keith Thompson's Blueprints of Relentless Nature. We'll be performing the full work in New Works/New Voices at Olney Theatre this Saturday at 7pm. Get your tickets here.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

What we do on the weekends

Sometimes, we perform to packed houses in huge theaters. Sometimes, we perform on pavement at a farmer's market for an audience that isn't quite sure why we're dancing between the produce stands. Last Saturday was the first dance event at the Arlington Farmers Market and we had such a great time performing excerpts from Cassie's piece Drift. Here you'll see Ben and I living out some of our "I wish my life was a musical" fantasies. (Note: the cart doesn't usually fall over.)


You can see a 20 minute excerpt from Drift in New Works/New Voices at the Olney Theatre on Saturday, May 15 at 7pm.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Meet the DX: Shula

Shula Strassfeld packed up her life in Toronto in 2007 and moved to DC to join the Dance Exchange. In addition to performing with the company, Shula is very involved in our work combining dance and spiritual practice. I caught up with her this morning before rehearsal.

Talk a little bit about your dance background.
I didn't start dancing until college--no one believes it. I had always wanted to dance. Then I was in Boston, taking the GREs, and we had a lunch break during the test. I walked past the Capezio store in Harvard Square and went in, bought a leotard and tights, and didn't go back for the last half of the test. I just thought: I want to try dancing, and if I don't do it now, I'll never do it.

When did you first meet the Dance Exchange?
I took a workshop with the Dance Exchange when they came to Toronto in the mid 90's. I'd known about the company for...forever, I think! My first real interaction with them was at their New York audition in 2005.

What do you remember about the audition?
It was great! I walked up and down the street in front of the Ailey Studios for about twenty minutes before I got up the courage to walk in the door. Matt, Martha, and Peter ran the audition and we had a really good time for a couple of hours. I was quite shocked when I got called back. It was the most enjoyable audition I'd ever done--everyone was so nice!

What was your first performance with the Dance Exchange?
I danced in the 30th Anniversary concert at the University of Maryland's Clarice Smith Center in 2006.

Do you have a favorite moment from a performance or residency?
One of the first community residencies I did was in Japan. There was a man in the group who was in a wheelchair. His speech was very hard to understand. Very limited mobility. We got a sense that he was very smart, but he couldn't hold on to the sequence [of movements]. I did a duet with him in the show, and I had to keep coaching him when the audience couldn't see. Afterwards, he had someone write a letter for him about the experience. It was read at our closing circle and had everyone in tears. It was the first time in his life he was noticed. He was really recognized as a human being--so incredible.

What is your favorite place you've visited on tour?
All of them! Well, not all of them--most of them! I really loved both of the Japan trips. Ireland was gorgeous. Lawrence, Kansas, all of all places! There is so much wonderful community that happens among the company when we go places. Arriving in Indiana in that limo! And Arizona was wonderful, too. It's a great life!

You do a lot of work combining dance and spiritual practice, like teaching a weekly Hebrew School class at Temple Mica using Dance Exchange methods. What does it mean to be able to do this kind of work?
Mostly it just means I feel whole. I don't have to compartmentalize my life and keep dance in one place and spirituality in another.

You are known for your collection of sweaters. My personal favorite is the blue one with the different kinds of dogs on it. How many sweaters do you have?
You have to understand that I come from a place where for at least half the year, you wear three sweaters layered on top of each other! I have two drawers full and one shelf in my closet. If I see a really nice sweater, I have to have it. I'm not that way with any type of clothing except sweaters.

You can see Shula dance in New Works/New Voices at the Olney Theater on May 15th at 7pm.

Photos: Shula in Liz Lerman's Darwin's Wife at the Corcoran Gallery of Art
Shula enjoying a crepe on tour in Dublin, Ireland

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Monday, May 3, 2010

Taking it back.

We started learning Liz's work Still Crossing today. Our cast features 4 "olders", 6 "youngers" and community participants. We'll be posting pictures and video from rehearsal tomorrow, but to further familiarize you with the piece, here is the New York Times review of the 1986 premiere in New York.

Cassie studying Still Crossing video in rehearsal today

Sunday, May 2, 2010

New Works/New Voices at Olney Theater Center

On Saturday, May 15th at 7pm, the Dance Exchange will perform in Olney, MD at the Historic Olney Theater.
New Works/New Voices will feature excerpts from Cassie Meador's Drift and her brand new work-in-process called How to Lose a Mountain, alongside Keith Thompson's Blueprints of Relentless Nature and Liz Lerman's Still Crossing, originally choreographed for the centennial of the Statue of Liberty. This classic work from 1986 will hit the stage for the first time in four years featuring movers from throughout the metro area. Also on the program: a sneak preview of Liz's newest work, The Matter of Origins. Get your tickets here.

Dancers in Keith Thompson's Blueprints of Relentless Nature
Photo by Jeff Machtig, John Michael Kohler Arts Center

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Today at the Arlington Farmers Market

Just a few pictures from our performance of Drift excerpts at the Arlington Farmers Market this morning. We had a great time dancing in the sun!

Martha and Thomas relax in the shade before our first performance

Set up for the table scene

Students participating in DX's partnership with Through the Kitchen Door pose with Drift choreographer Cassie Meador and adjunct artist Wayles Haynes