Five College Dace departmet ewsletter 2012 2013 Editor: Jim Colema (FCDD Chair) Cotributor: Joaa Faraby Walker (FCDD) Desiger: Roby Rodma, Five Colleges, Icorporated Noprofit Org U.S. Postage P A I D Hampshire College coect to the madess iside you ohad Nahari THE ohad ahari PROJECT I do t sleep much it s a kow fact that sleep is required more for the brai tha the body because the brai eeds sleep to dream. But I dream all the time. I dream whe I m awake, whe I create work, with my eyes ope. So who eeds sleep? Ohad Nahari For a very log week late last August, 32 Five College dacers retured to campus early to egage i a gruelig, revelatory dace experiece, practicig Gaga techique ad learig Ohad Nahari s powerful, miimalist master-piece Echad Mi Yodea. The dacers bega each day with Gaga, a wildly exploratory, image-based movemet techique developed by Nahari for his Israel-based Batsheva Dace Compay. What today is very fudametal to Gaga is the ability to articulate the scope of sesatios ad the small details, the small gestures, the attetio to detail, says Nahari. Each morig, Ariel Freedma (past compay member ad stager for this project) led the dacers through a liberatig, improvisatioal maze of movemet images: decorate yourself iside ad out... there are moos uder your toes... fid a tremor that turs ito a memory... as you walk, leave your ski behid... Hampshire College cast member Ailey Picasso-Hobi writes, The process allowed me to liste to my body, to explore how it works. It also helped illumiate my patters ad push me outside of my comfort zoe, stretchig my physical limits. The exercises also allowed me to fid the pleasure i movig... It remided me of why I dace. Afteroos ivolved learig the 13 short phrases all begiig from ad returig to a seated positio i a chair whose drivig repetitio gives the piece its mesmerizig, icatatory power. The movemet demads a upredictable mix of explosive abado, subtle iflectio ad exactig rhythmic precisio. The fial performaces were praised for their exhilaratig, dramatic ad believable huma catharsis. As Mout Holyoke College cast member Poora Swami summed up, the piece, stood testamet to the fact that itese feelig ca be evoked i dace without the use of arrative. Five College Dace Departmet Dace Buildig, Hampshire College 893 West Street Amherst, MA 01002 (413) 549-3600 www.fivecolleges.edu/dace (both photos) Top: Echad Mi Yodea opeig Bottom: Echad Mi Yodea auditio 1
FCDD Studet ad Alum News Kate Aberethy (MHC 08) lives i Philadelphia ad works for the Cultural Data Project, a olie tool that stregthes arts ad cultural orgaizatios. She cotiues to dace ad choreograph, ad is workig with Melissa Rodis (AC 08) o a piece for this year s Philadelphia Frige Festival. Rose Abramoff (AC 09) made a piece for heyow dace, a group that presets art i home spaces. She daced i Lumiarium Dace Compay s Mythos:Pathos, ad is workig toward her PhD i forest ecology at Bosto Uiversity. Aretha Aoki (SC MFA 08) has show work at Daspace Project, Movemet Research, Ceter for Performace Research (CPR), CATCH ad New York Live Arts (2011/12 Fresh Tracks Artist) as well as other places ad spaces i NYC, MA, Vacouver ad Motreal. Aretha is curretly i rehearsal with Levi Gozalez ad tourig Niicugi by Emily Johso. Sarah Silver Stephe Petroio: CHOREOGRAPHY AND THE THINKING DANCER Matt Karas Natioally reowed choreographer ad Hampshire College alumus Stephe Petroio, lauched the FCDD s ew aual Istitute for Choreography ad the Creative Process, with a week-log Jauary-term residecy etitled Choreography ad the Thikig Dacer. Petroio is regarded as oe of the most cuttig-edge America cotemporary choreographers ad has maitaied a atioal ad iteratioal presece with his compay, Stephe Petroio Dace, for over 25 years. Rosaly Sulcas of The New York Times writes, He is oe of the few cotemporary dace makers who have created a istatly recogizable style fresh ad upredictable ifused with emotioal texture ad wit... jarrig ad just right. The Istitute/residecy was directed by FCDD faculty member Costace Valis Hill, ad icluded daily techique classes, repertory workshops ad two lecture/film screeigs with Petroio reflectig o key works, creative collaboratios ad the drivig forces behid his dace makig. Christiaa Axelse (MHC 03) collaborated with theater artist Seth Powers o Moey Thiks I m Dead at Mabou Mies; toured to Vacouver ad Chicago with zoe juiper; received a grat from the Brookly Arts Coucil to preset her dace theater piece Tudra at the Ivisible Dog Art Ceter i Brookly; ad started a ew project with Michou Szabo/The Mill. Katie Bags (MHC 11) graduated with her MA i psychology from MHC. She ow heads to Athes, GA to begi a PhD program i educatioal psychology ad istructioal techology with a focus i school psychology. Pele Bauch (HC 96) received a Commuity Arts Fud grat through the Brookly Arts Coucil for the creatio ad performace of Gilded Mammoth, Bewilderig Sea. Christie Beett (SC MFA 96) is the Assistat Dace Director for the Office for the Arts Dace Program at Harvard. A highlight of her role is her work with visitig artists. This past year she was thrilled to egage artists Joh Jasperse, Potus Lidberg, Adrea Miller, Josh Rhodes, Desmod Stephe Petroio teachig class Collee Thomas i residece NYC-based choreographer ad performig artist Collee Thomas created a ew esemble work, Awry, o Smith College ad Five College dacers. The piece premiered o the Smith College Faculty Dace Cocert i November. Thomas bega her professioal career with the Miami Ballet ad wet o to work with reowed cotemporary choreographers such as Doald Byrd/The Group, Bebe Miller Dace Compay, Bill T. Joes/Arie Zae Dace Compay, ad The Kevi Wy Collectio, amog others. She is curretly o the faculty of Barard College ad serves as artistic director for ColleeThomasDace, which tours atioally ad iteratioally. Awry by Collee Thomas I make exactly what I wat. My tastes are perversely complicated, ad I have to be satisfied with the stage picture, which is usually much more complicated tha what people wat to see. I have to ride the lie of what is goig to sik me or ot, i terms of desity, ad I geerally love to go too far. Stephe Petroio Cotiued o page 3 2 Five College Dace Departmet ewsletter
UMass ad FCDD host the 2013 New Eglad ACDFA Coferece Richardso, Patrick Corbi ad others to work with Harvard dacers. Nicole Bidler (HC 99) performed ew work i the DraftWork series at Daspace Project i NYC. She also performed i Joh Cage s Sogbooks, ad produced ad curated the Deborah Hay Solo Festival at thefidget space i Philadelphia. Nicole ad artistic parter Gabrielle Revlock received fudig for their ew project The Dace Apocalypse. Nicole ad life parter Curt Haworth taught a improvisatio itesive i Bueos Aires, ad at the Earthdace Movig Arts Lab i August. 450 dacers from 37 colleges ad uiversities desceded upo the UMass campus March 14 16 for The Rites of Sprig: 2013 ACDFA New Eglad Regioal Coferece, co-hosted by UMass Dace ad the FCDD. Studets ad faculty relished three days packed with performaces, master classes, ad uique opportuities to meet ad work Coferece director with peers from across New Billbob Brow givig Eglad. The coferece was opeig remarks so amed because the Joffrey Ballet was i tow performig Nijisky s 100-year-old revolutioary ballet The Rite of Sprig at the UMass Fie Arts Ceter o the opeig ight of the coferece, a evet that ACDFA participats had the opportuity to atted. Over the course of the coferece, adjudicators Larry Laveder, Professor of Dace at UNC-Greesboro; Kathy Casey, Artistic Director of Motréal Dase; ad dacer, choreographer ad teacher Licia Perea offered feedback o 48 daces choreographed mostly by studets, but also by faculty ad guest artists. I additio to the four adjudicated cocerts, a iformal, o-adjudicated cocert allowed 15 more studet choreographers to showcase their creatios. I a ew twist o the traditioal ACDFA coferece schedule, research papers ad scholarly lectures were also preseted. Fifty master classes were offered i a wide variety of disciplies, icludig Ballet, Moder, Jazz, Tap, Africa Dace, Classical Idia Dace, ad Thai Bodywork for Dacers. Advaced ballet dacers were ivited to participate i a master class with the Joffrey Ballet. Participats also had the chace to auditio for both the Bates Dace Festival ad the Six Week School at the America Dace Festival. The three days of performig, learig, ad etworkig cocluded with a coferece sed-off with facy chocolates. Food For Thought The purpose of poetry is to remid us How difficult it is to remai just oe perso For our house is ope, there are o keys i the doors Ad ivisible guests come i ad out at will Czeslaw Milosz, poet West Africa dace class with Sekou ad Marily Sylla at the ACDFA New Eglad Regioal Coferece Somatic Iquiry ad the Socially Coscious Body Hampshire College aluma Martha Eddy, RSMT, CMA, Ed.D., Fouder ad Director of the Movig O Ceter ad The Ceter for Kiesthetic Educatio was i residece at Hampshire College ad the FCDD i October, where she taught several master classes ad gave the aual fall FCDD lecture: Somatic Iquiry ad the Socially Coscious Body. I her lecture, Eddy discussed her research ad teachig i the field of somatics ad recet applicatios to fields such as early childhood educatio, eco-somatics, violece, trauma ad cacer prevetio. Martha Eddy lesley powell Mary Rose Bladio (HC 12) spet the summer after graduatio workig stage crew at MassMOCA. I the fall, she bega rehearsig with BodyStories: Teresa Fellio Dace i NYC. This culmiated i a performace i a pedestria walkway i Times Square. I October, she reprised the opeig solo from her Divisio III at Judso Church at their evet STUFFED. Chai Bockwikel (HC 11) performed i a collaborative ew work at the Foudry i Berkeley, CA. Rebeccah Bogue (SC 08) preseted her selfproduced ballet À Tes Souhaits at the Ailey Citigroup Theater i April. Aliso Bory (MHC 97) completed her MFA ad PhD i dace at UC Riverside ad is ow buildig the dace program at Davidso College i North Carolia from scratch. She cotiues her research i cotemporary autobiographical performace ad occasioally makes dace/performs, mostly with AGA Collaborative, a experimetal group formed just over a year ago. Kimberly Bradt (HC 01) was the recipiet of a Space Grat from Brookly Arts Exchage (BAX). She created a ew dace, Spirit Stereogram, which was performed at BAX. Nick Bretley (AC 06) wo the title of Kig at the Alegria de Samba competitio i Oaklad ad has sice bee performig throughout the Bay Area with SambaFuk! Nick also performed the lead role i World Dace Fusio s productio of The Jewish Nutcracker i December, ad is a compay member of Nicole Klaymoo s Embodimet Project. Cotiued o page 4 3
Nichole Causo (HC 91) was commissioed by the America Philosophical Society to develop Retur Retur Departure i respose to artist Atoia Cotro s exhibitio Tempus Fugit: Time Flies. The duet was daced with Joh Lua as part of the Philadelphia Frige Festival. Milea Dabova (AC 07) is a Core Actor at Double Edge Theatre i Ashfield, MA where she led the dace research for The Grad Parade of the 20th Cetury, which premiered at Area Stage i Washigto, D.C. i February. She also serves as the compay s Marketig ad Techology Associate. Eva Dea (HC 82) Eva Dea Dace has bee busy i hostig dace classes ad ope rehearsals. The compay will perform i the Agaist the Odds mii-festival i Bosto ad the Prague Frige Festival i the comig moths. Jess Edkis (MHC 07) works as Creative Producer at Performace Space 122 i New York City, ad is a Master s cadidate i performig arts admiistratio at New York Uiversity. Emma Elizalde (MHC 11) has bee workig at a charter school i Sa Fracisco, but is movig back to the East Coast this fall to pursue a Master s degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Educatio. rae avier The oly pla that I have is to discover the plas I do ot have Ida Cohe Iteratioally rekowed Israeli choreographer Ida Cohe was i residece as a Copelad Fellow at Amherst College ad the FCDD throughout the year. He taught master classes, workshops, ad, with his compay, developed ad premiered his latest, eveig-legth work, Mad Sire. Political, persoal ad exquisitely musical throughout, it ihabits Mozart s solo piao soatas with visceral movemet images of teder commuio ad usettlig dislocatio. As a part of Cohe s Nestig project, site-specific works were preseted i Kirby Theater s foyer before the show, performed by ad created i collaboratio with Five College studets. Cohe was bor ad raised i Israel i Kibbutz Mizra, whose commual lifestyle cotiues to iform his artistic life ad work. Sice 2005, he has bee performig, creatig ad teachig as a iteratioal award-wiig choreographer. A psychological sesibility, a kee sese of musicality ad a profoud uderstadig of cultural cotext, led Cohe s work a rare combiatio of aalysis ad compassio. Cohe has toured with his work iteratioally ad bee ivited as a guest artist ad teacher worldwide. Food For Thought I the begiig, we are simply ifused with movemet ot merely with a propesity to move, but with the real thig. This primal aimateess, this origial kietic spotaeity that ifuses our beig ad defies our aliveesss, is our poit of departure for livig i the world ad makig sese of it... We literally discover ourselves i movemet. Maxie Sheets- Johstoe philosopher From Mad Sire To me, it is about fidig the ukow; this is what really excites me. Life has this way that we wat to pla everythig because it gives us a sese of cotrol. But we are ot i cotrol ad life is always to be uplaed. I fid it thrillig to face the ukow ad this is always the case whe I am embarkig upo a ew creatio. I do ot really have a pla. I oly have a seed of ispiratio, somethig I wat to ivestigate, somethig that touches me but I do ot kow how it is goig to look. Ida Cohe Katie Faulker (HC 97) was featured o the Uiversity of Utah s ew dace blog, Life as a Moder Dacer. Erica Forrece (MHC 01) Iives i Brookly ad works as a Busiess Maagemet Specialist withi TIAA- CREF s Idividual Busiess Maagemet & Itegratio team. She ejoys takig yoga ad dace classes i her spare time. Jillia Gruah (SC MFA 09), Audrey LaVallée Belager (UM 04) ad Adria LaRocco (UM 10) helped raise over $4,000 for ALS Research as part of a collaborative arts beefit i November with their ew dace compay SPUNKadCOdace. Other SPUNKadCO happeigs iclude: a residecy at the Thorto Academy i ME, ad a showig at the Gree Street Studios New Works Program i May. The compay will be performig at Bosto Uiversity i September. spukadcodace.com Merli V. Guerra (MHC 09) performed i Deborah Cotiued o page 5 ROOMS: The Sokolow Project UMass soloist Jaxo Hall Miss Sokolow cares if oly to the extet of poitig out that the world is bleedig. I fid hope i such pessimism. Clive Bares Moder Dace pioeer Aa Sokolow s masterpiece Rooms was restaged o FCDD dacers this fall by logtime compay member Jim May, with UMass Assistat Professor Paul Deis servig as project coordiator ad rehearsal director. Dace historia Elle Freed writes of Sokolow, She was a powerful idividualist eve amog the first geeratio of great America dace artists, such as Martha Graham (with whom she daced before settig out o her ow), the parters Doris Humphrey ad Charles Weidma, ad José Limó. Her work was groudbreakig i both form ad cotet. She was a cosummate formal choreographer who sourced movemet from the immediate preset ad reduced it to a essetial kietic image, powerfully expressed ad uiversally uderstood. The piece was performed at UMass, Hampshire College, ad, i February, as part of the Harkess Dace Ceter s showcase at the legedary NYC dace veue, the 92d Street Y. 4 Five College Dace Departmet ewsletter
fcdd Welcomes... Erica Wilso-Perkis The UMass dace program ad FCDD welcome Erica Wilso-Perkis as Guest Artist i Jazz Dace ad Choreography for 2013/2014. Erica received her BFA i Dace from Columbia College i South Carolia ad MFA i Dace from Florida State Uiversity. She has served as full-time faculty at the Uiversity of Illiois, Waye State Uiversity ad Columbia College Chicago, ad is the fouder of CouterGroove Dace Compay, which spawed such otable choreographers/dacers as Soya Teyah (SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE) ad William B. McClella (Dayto Cotemporary Dace Co.). Erica s iovative dace work has bee performed by umerous college dace compaies ad professioal compaies icludig Eriso Dacers, Ormao Dace Compay, Colorado Dace Theater, MoDaColab ad others. Most recetly, Erica was commissioed by the Natioal Associatio of Latios ad Cultural Arts (NALAC) to create a eveig of cotemporary dace hoorig the biceteial of the 1910 Mexica Revolutio. We look forward to Erica brigig her uique jazz dace techique, HouseJazz, to the Five Colleges. Gloria Trevio Abel Dace Compay s Callig to You, a moder dace productio that was ivited to tour Idia by the Idia govermet i December. For her day job, Merli is the Productio Maager of Art New Eglad magazie. She ad Kimberleigh Holma (MHC 09) cotiue to produce work through their dace compay, Lumiarium, ad will be performig at the UMass Fie Arts Ceter o October 3. Meawhile, Merli s Quilt Vigettes film series mergig quilts with dace is goig atioal, begiig with museum exhibitios i Lowell, MA ad Sa Jose, CA. merliguerra.com/dace or lumiariumdace.org. susaa thompso Joaa Faraby Walker I February, the FCDD welcomed Joaa Faraby Walker as its ew departmetal Admiistrative Coordiator. I additio to all of her regular duties, she took very skillful charge of the creatio of a 42-page program for the America College Dace Festival coferece, joitly hosted by UMass Dace ad the FCDD i March. Joaa received her MFA i Performig Arts Maagemet from the Uiversity of North Carolia School of the Arts i 2011. Most recetly, she was Busiess Office Associate at Stoeleigh-Burham School i Greefield, where she also taught a daily dace class for studets. Prior to that she served as Summer Admiistrative Director for The Performace Project i Northampto, Educatio Iter at Jacob s Pillow Dace Festival ad Geeral Maager at the North Carolia Theatre Coferece. Nacy Spoor Guter (MHC 97) rus Cetralia Ballet Academy, a school she ad her husbad fouded i Cetralia, WA. They have received some attetio for their boys program sice about a third of their studets are boys. Ashley Hesel- Browig (HC 07) has a ew website: dacewithashley.org Zoé Herot (MHC 12) daces with the Cotietal Ballet Compay i Mieapolis. She was commissioed to restage her piece Becomig Udoe o MHC studets for last fall s Faculty Cocert. Jodi Falk The FCDD is thrilled to welcome Jodi Falk to a ew two-year positio as Five College Visitig Lecturer i Dace; Coordiator of Commuity Outreach ad Dace i Educatio. Begiig i fall 2013, she will teach oe course, each with a uique focus, o a differet campus each semester. She will also help the FCDD develop a framework to esure that its icreased offerigs i dace educatio ad commuity outreach cotiue beyod her residecy. Jodi has bee a dacer, choreographer, dace educator ad cosultat i the arts i educatio for over 25 years, teachig studets ad teachers of studets i the US, UK, Israel, South Africa ad Nicaragua. She was the Foudig Director of Dace at the Pioeer Valley Performig Arts Charter Public School ad the Director of Choreography for several years at the Laba Cetre i Lodo where she also desiged commuity-based practices for the Commuity Dace Post-Graduate Diploma Course. Her work with special eeds populatios led her to work with such groudbreakig compaies as CadoCo i the UK ad Remix Dace Project i South Africa. I describig her guidig philosophy Jodi says, Every perso has a ialieable right to kow, experiece ad embrace dace ad movemet as a primary laguage ad as a way of beig i the world. Food For Thought We flich from the immediate pressures of mystery i poetic, i aesthetic acts of creatio... the secodary is our arcotic. Like sleepwalkers, we are guarded by the umbig droe of the jouralistic, of the theoretical, from the ofte harsh, imperious radiace of sheer presece. George Steier from Real Preseces Emily Jawadekar (MHC 10) resides i Northampto where she teaches dace ad piao to kids, ad yoga to both kids ad seiors. Nia Joly (MHC 11) worked as a Admissios Couselor at MHC last year, ad was commissioed to create a ew work, Geuie Jig, o MHC studets for last fall s Faculty Cocert. She performed her work Gobbledygook at the 2012 ChEck Us OuT Dace Festival i NYC s Cetral Park. Nia recetly moved to Washigto state. Nicole Kedaroe (SC MFA 10) lives i Atlata, GA where she works as the Commuity Programs ad Adult Divisio Maager for the Atlata Ballet Cetre for Dace Educatio. Nicole also teaches at the Cetre for Dace Educatio ad is a member of T. Lag Dace, a Atlatabased cotemporary dace compay. Sam Keey (SC MFA 04) is a Associate Professor at SUNY Fredoia, where she has bee teachig sice 2007. The IHale Performace Series i Cotiued o page 6 5
Philadelphia, the Zodiaque Dace Compay of the Uiversity at Buffalo, the Irish Classical Theatre Compay, ad Buffalo Cotemporary Dace all recetly produced her choreographic work. Her choreography has also represeted SUNY Fredoia i two ACDFA Gala Cocerts. Sam performs with Terry Beck Troupe, a dace/theatre compay based i Fredoia. Erika Kietz (AC 95) is a busiess writer with the Associated Press i Mumbai, Idia. Brett Lefferts (HC 00) released a ew album, Soic Sactuary, o his label, BML Records. The album was recorded live at the aciet Odd Fellows buildig i Dabury, CT. Nadia Lesy (HC 99) premiered her short film, Atlas, which showcases the multimedia Parkour performace group Bullettru i a productio loosely based o traditioal Greek mythology. Beth Liebowitz (UM 10) premiered her first choregraphic work i NYC festival A Farm Show with her compay Beth Liebowitz & Artists. The piece, Iisfree Costructed, is ispired by The Lake Isle of Iisfree by W.B. Yeats ad deals with recallig memories. Beth cotiues to create work with fellow aluma Adria LaRocco (UM 10) for their dace compay LeeRoc Dace. The duo showed work i Bosto ad NYC i fall 2012, ad performed for their fourth year at the Built o Stilts Festival o Martha s Vieyard i August. I Jue, Beth performed i a showcase at the City Ceter Studios i NYC. She s bee accepted ito the Masters program i dace/movemet therapy at Sarah Lawrece College. Dace ad the Liberal Arts Those well acquaited with the FCDD kow that remarkably well-rouded studets are educated here studets who focus o dace with passio ad itesity, while also devotig themselves fully to other academic iterests. Massachusetts ative Rachel Aylward (UM 13) kew she could pursue studies i both dace ad busiess at the highest level at UMass ad the FCDD. Comig from much farther away (Bagalore, Idia) Poora Swami (MHC 15), felt that the Five Colleges would be the perfect place to pursue a self-desiged special major i creative writig, dace, ad theatre. Ailey Picasso-Hobi (HC 14) wated to focus equally o dace ad molecular biology ad believed that Hampshire s desig-your-owcocetratio ad FCDD opportuities would eable her to do this. Roger Creel (AC 13), a geology ad Eglish double major who will be joiig the Louisville Ballet this fall, was completely thikig about dace whe he chose Amherst College. He was excited about the prospect of dace opportuities o all five campuses. Although Megha McDoald (SC 13), double major i dace ad eurosciece, hopes to choreograph professioally, she did ot wat to limit herself to coservatory traiig. She wated a rigorous well-rouded academic educatio that icluded may opportuities to dace. All of them agree that their academic studies erich their dace studies, ad vice versa. McDoald said of eurosciece ad dace, How could they ot erich each other? Dacig does somethig to the brai that we are t really aware of yet, ad cited a study showig that seior citizes who dace o a regular basis were show to have a lower risk of demetia. Creel metioed the iterestig juxtapositio betwee studyig geology, which deals with the logest periods of time that you ca possibly imagie ad dace, which celebrates the fleetig ad ephemeral. Swami said that her work i every departmet iforms her work i the others, metioig the way her choreographic skills helped her brig greater uace ad physicality to her stagig of a Samuel Beckett play. Aylward, who studied both marketig ad dace, already has a job lied up i New York City where she will be usig both her movemet skills, as a yoga teacher, ad her marketig skills to support herself while she auditios to become a professioal musical theatre performer. Whe asked if this hybrid mix of studies is fulfillig, the aswer from all five studets was a resoudig yes. All spoke of how rewardig it is to fid a balace betwee scietific/scholarly pursuits ad the visceral/artistic rewards of dace. They are grateful that they have ot had to choose betwee dace, which McDoald said, is everythig I love about life, ad their other iterests. Istead, they ejoy the best of both worlds, ad are livig proof of the ivigoratig power of pursuig oe s passios. They are lookig forward to career paths i which such a balace will cotiue to thrive. Clockwise from top: Rachel Aylward, Roger Creel ad Poora Swami Food For Thought As everyoe kows, the mid ca operate i completely differet laguages dream, music, higher mathematics ad dace is oe of those laguages. Its logic is ot discursive but lyric. Like music, it is a force field, a orchestratio of lies of force, lies of eergy, ad that is the oly way to start uderstadig it. Dace is ot a story; it is a sog. Joa Acocella, dace critic Dia Liu (MHC 12) fouded Dace Uited i NYC. The missio of the orgaizatio is to coduct free after school dace sessios i NYC for studets from low-icome immigrat families. daceuitedproject.org FCDD Faculty, Staff, Musicias News i both Kiebago ad Movemet Research s Critical Correspodece. Last fall, he was a fellow at the Smith College Kah Iterdiscipliary Istitute ad preseted a lecture etitled Neuro-Fascial Plasticity: A Approach to Dace Traiig. airuddh khotari Rebecca Ludgre (MHC 06) produced the idepedet feature film Gracelad, directed by Ro Morales. Rebecca Malcolm-Naib (MHC 87) teaches dace at both Bry Mawr ad Swarthmore Colleges. Martha Maso (MHC 88) is co-ower ad parter of Upward Spiral Studio i Cambridge, MA. She has bee teachig classical Pilates sice 1993, but is ow more focused Cotiued o page 8 Chris Aike (Assistat Professor, Smith College) preseted ad taught dace improvisatio at the Bates Dace Festival, Movemet Research at Judso Memorial Church i New York, ad Colorado Uiversity, as well as i Frace ad Caada. Dace Teacher Magazie published a iterview with Chris i The New Moder: Eight Dacers Talk About How They Teach Cotemporary Dace. Aother iterview i which he discussed his ecopoetic approach to dace improvisatio was published Jea Baxter (FCDD Productio Maager) Jea s recet MBA has give her ew tools ad ideas, ispirig a array of strategies to further improve FCDD cocert productio. I additio to all her dace productio work this year, Jea also started a ambitious project to brig state-of-the-art LED lightig to Hampshire s studio theater. It has bee a great success ad she predicts that this iovative idea will mark the begiig of a ew era i theatrical lightig aroud the coutry! I oe of her may other lives, Billbob Brow ad Meg Va Dyck i Kiesio Logic Jea was awarded the Thaks years. Through etworkig, Badge II from the Girl Scouts metorig, ad ecouragig of America this year, the highest her girls i skills of collabora- award a adult ca receive. tio ad cooperatio, she s set Jea has metored Girl Scouts up the model for leadership ad their leaders for over 22 ad maagemet i Girl Scouts. These same models have bee the key to the success of Jea s productio metorig of FCDD studets for may years. 6 Five College Dace Departmet ewsletter
tomas schworer Rodger Blum (Professor ad Departmet Chair, Smith College) celebrated his twetieth year at Smith College by creatig two ew works for the Fall Faculty Dace Cocert. Vitruvia Me, was a 30-miute two-track video istallatio created o dacers from the Momix ad Pilobolus compaies. More Clearly i Dreams was a 45-miute origial dace/ theatre work based o the writigs, paitigs ad drawigs of Leoardo da Vici. He cotiues to develop further video istallatio works usig sigle-track video ad maipulated fabrics. This summer, Rodger will retur to rural cetral Ohio where he participates i a retreat desiged to metor ad further artists workig i visual mediums. Jim Colema (Professor, Mout Holyoke College) cotiues to chair the FCDD. This year he was project maager ad rehearsal director for the Ohad Nahari Echad Mi Yodea project, ad he will serve i a similar capacity for a repertory project with Adrea Miller s Gallim Dace ext Jauary. He studied dace photography with Maxie Gree last summer ad is preparig for a show of his dace photo work ext year. I Jue, he collaborated with computer artist Joh Slepia o a ew, iteractive video/ dace piece. Paul Deis (Assistat Professor, UMass), alog with six UMass dace majors preseted Daiel Nagri s Spaish Dace, ad a excerpt of Aa Sokolow s Rooms as Uiversity Dacers made their New York City debut with a well-received performace at the veerable 92Y Harkess Dace Ceter. Rose ad Charles Flachs (Professors, Mout Holyoke College) are foudig members of the Coucil of Orgaized Researchers of Ballet (CORPS). Last summer, at the CORPS aual coferece, which featured special guest Alozo Kig, Rose received the Outstadig Agie Hauser Service Award - for the secod time! Last summer icluded teachig at the Pesylvaia Academy of Ballet ad the Coecticut Cocert Ballet. They direct MABETA, a oprofit performig group dedicated to dace educatio ad the revitalizatio of Holyoke. This year s performaces, with repertoire icludig Charles Flachs ew ballet, La Valeur de la Leço, ad Rose Flachs stagig of classical ballets, beefited PassportHolyoke, Wistariahurst Museum ad Providece Miistries. The Flachs are members of PassportHolyoke ad ow ad direct the Massachusetts Academy of Ballet. Paul Deis Terese Freedma (Professor ad Departmet Chair, Mout Holyoke College) was the loe seior faculty member at MHC for the year. Last fall she restaged her duet Surfacig o two differet casts for performaces at MHC ad HC. She served as a paelist for the Coecticut Artist Fellowship program this sprig, ad served her fial year as director for the New Eglad regio of the America College Dace Festival Associatio. I February, Terese was pricipal choreographer for a major iter-arts performace project at MHC, Midwiter Dreams, for full orchestra, choir ad dacers. Agie Hauser (Assistat Professor, Smith College) Agie Hauser completed the creatio of ad premiered the ew work A History with Bebe Miller Compay. The work is a eveig-legth duet with Hauser ad Darrell Joes that premiered at the Wexer Ceter for the Arts ad toured to Yerba Buea Ceter for the Arts (Sa Fracisco), RedCat (LA), Kraert Ceter for the Arts (Urbaa, IL), New York Live Arts (NYC) ad other atioal veues. Adrew Boyto i the New Yorker wrote Hauser ad Joes are tremedous performers. A History allowed the audiece to bask i their talets, both fully committed to every momet, ad i describig Hauser wrote right i frot of us the radiat woma, brigig everythig she has ever kow about dace to the stage i that momet. Peter Joes (Lecturer ad Musicia, Mout Holyoke College) was i residece at The Bates Dace Festival for his twetieth seaso this year. Peter was hoored to have Reie Harris of Puremovemet set the first movemet of his 3 B-Boys & a Girl to his compositio Crossig. He made a score for faculty member Paul Matteso for the MHC Fall Cocert, ad is curretly workig o a score for the New Mexico Arial dace compay Project I Motio. He s also i the fial stages of completig a log overdue sog cycle. Daphe Lowell (Professor ad Departmet Chair, Hampshire College) traveled to the UK last summer to research its rich diversity of programs i Commuity Dace. She looked at udergraduate ad graduate degree programs i Commuity Dace, certificate programs i specific sub areas youth at risk, iclusive dace, dace i healthcare ad choreographers ad dace compaies who specialize i this field. Her research tour icluded meetigs with Veroica Jobbis, Head of Professioal ad Commuity Developmet at Triity-Laba, Avril Hitma, Artistic Director of the iclusive dace compay Magpie Dace, Ke Bartlett, Creative Director of the Foudatio for Commuity Dace i Leicester ad others. She retured with may ideas for future projects at Hampshire ad i the Five Colleges. Paul Matteso (Assistat Professor, Amherst ad Mout Holyoke Colleges) woud up a very successful first year of his joit appoitmet at AC ad MHC, featurig multiple performaces ad the creatio of may ew works, by embarkig o a 14-day silet Vipassaa retreat i Barre, MA. He premiered his ew trio Take it OVER with fellow dacers Jeifer Pollis ad James Morrow as part of the La MaMa Moves festival i Jue i NYC. He cotiued collaboratios with Je ad Jim i July ad premiered a ew piece with NYC-based dace artist Raja Kelly at The Bates Dace Festival i August. Both works will be performed i the fall at Amherst College ad at Gree Street Studios i Bosto. Marily ad Sekou Sylla (Marily is Five College Lecturer, Smith College; Sekou is FCDD Musicia ad Master Drummer) have created ew works at UMass, Ursius College i Pesylvaia, ad Northfield Mout Hermo school. They also performed at the Jacob s Pillow Dace Festival. Other evets iclude a residecy at the Uiversity of Delaware where they created a ew work for the dace departmet ad a weeked residecy at Kripalu Ceter for Yoga ad Health. Lester Tomé (Assistat Professor, Smith College) desiged a ew course, Salsa i Theory ad Practice, that combied semiar sessios ad studio work. He published the article Music i the Blood : Performace ad Discourse of Musicality i Cuba Ballet Aesthetics i Dace Chroicle. Supported by a J. Picker Fellowship from Paul Scolieri, Lester Tome ad Caroly Merritt at From Aztecs to Tago Rose Flachs ad Alozo Kig Smith College, he coducted research o Afro-Cuba ballets from the 1920s. I November, he lectured i Seoul as a guest of the Korea Society of Dace. He fouded the workig group for Lati America, Latio at Caribbea Dace Studies of the Society of Dace History Scholars, ad received a Mello Foudatio award to participate i the Iterdiscipliary Dace Studies Semiar at Brow Uiversity. Lester was appoited as a visitig research fellow at Harvard Uiversity s David Rockefeller Ceter for Lati America Studies for 2013-14. Wedy Woodso (Professor, Amherst College) had a busy year as oe of the pricipal orgaizers of the Copelad Colloquium: Art Food For Thought i Place/the Place of Art, a year-log iitiative by faculty i theater ad dace, visual art ad music to ecourage artistic collaboratios across the AC campus as well as to brig may guest artists from aroud the globe to Amherst. I collaboratio with soud desiger Jake Megisky, Wedy developed a soud istallatio project etitled Rimlight which was exhibited several times over the year. She also created a ew dace/theater duet Way poit for, ad i collaboratio with, Ro Bashford ad Paul Matteso, which was performed at Kirby Theater i April as part of a Faculty Collaboratios cocert. She is curretly workig o a ew full legth video ad performace piece etitled Dora. Every creative act ivolves a leap ito the void. The leap has to occur at the right momet ad yet the time for the leap is ever prescribed... To leap ca ofte cause acute embarrassmet. Embarrassmet is a parter i the creative act a key collaborator. If your work does ot sufficietly embarrass you, the very likely o oe will be touched by it. Paul Matteso A Bogart, director marlee wog charles flachs 7
Cotiued from page 6 o teachig GYROTONIC ad GYROKINESIS. She will soo be licesed as a Master Traier i both of these modalities ad will hold her first teacher traiig ext fall. upwardspiralstudio.com Kaitli McCarthy (MHC 09) lives i Seattle where she choreographed ad produced a show called Hot Mess at the Velocity Dace Ceter i February. Kaitli also created I made you this mixed CD for Full Tilt 2013 from Evoke Productios. She writes critical reviews for the blog Seattle Daces: seattledaces.blogspot.com Leah Moriarty (UM 09) daces with Movemet for the Urba Village, a cotemporary West Africa dace compay based i Brookly. They performed at BAM Fisher i February. Leah was also the Assistat Leader of ThisWorldMusic s Ghaaia Drum ad Dace Summer Itesive i Kopeyia, Ghaa this summer. Terre Parker (MHC 02) is a experimetal dace artist who creates itergeeratioal performaces for idoor ad outdoor eviromets. After workig with Aa Halpri i CA from 2003 to 2010, she ow lives i South Deerfield ad teaches ad performs i the area. Emily Pechet (MHC 06) fiished her MFA i combied media from Huter College. Rya Platt (AC 01) is a PhD studet at Corell Uiversity. He has bee awarded a Germa Academic Exchage Service (DAAD) fellowship for dissertatio research i Berli, where he will work for the ext 1 3 years. His dissertatio is a study of the legacy of the avat-garde o cotemporary experimetal theatre ad dace. Patricia Key Reilly (UM 91) After takig a hiatus to raise her three childre, Patricia has re-lauched Patricia Key Dace Collectio (PKDC), a NYC-based moder dace compay that etertais ad educates its audiece through meaigful ad evocative daces. patriciakeydacecollectio. com Tara Madse Robbis (SC MFA 06) is a professioal dace artist based i Philadelphia. She recetly served as a Guest Artist at Buckell Uiversity, Slippery Rock Uiversity, SUNY Buffalo, ad Northampto Commuity College, ad will be at West Chester Uiversity this fall. She gave birth to her so, Dyla Nash Robbis, i December 2011. Jeifer Roberts (MHC 12) daces with Mariah Steele s Quicksilver Dace Compay i Cambridge. Je Roseblit (HC 05) was the Productio Maager at Mout Tremper Arts, a summer festival of cotemporary art i the Catskill Moutais. She cotiues to make her ow work. Michelle Ross (SC 05) graduated from the Pace Uiversity School of Law i 2010, ad opeed a law firm with aother attorey with offices i her hometow, Norwalk, CT, ad Mahatta. Michelle s practice focuses o immigratio law. She lives with her husbad Marcell ad two wacky dogs. Laura A Samuelso (HC 11) released a short video of her latest piece, Let Them Eat Cake, which premiered at the 2012 Boulder Iteratioal Frige Festival. Clare Schweitzer (MHC 12) tutors math ad avigates the dace scee i the Sa Fracisco area. She s also bee learig about arts admiistratio as a iter at Badaloop i Oaklad. She choreographed for her first residecy this summer i Berkeley ad performed with the Samatha Giro Dace Project i Sa Fracisco. JoAa Medl Shaw (MHC 69) is the Artistic Director of The Equus Projects, a dace compay that parters dacers with horses to create sitespecific performaces which merge the artistry of dace ad horsemaship. The compay also produces site-specific performaces without horses for urba ladscapes i NYC. The Equus Projects has toured throughout the U.S. ad brought its work to Swede i July. JoAa is o faculty at The Ailey School ad Marymout Mahatta College, ad recetly received the Fraces Mary Haze Fellowship from the MHC Alumae Associatio. Stephaie Simpso, Rebecca Hite, ad Stephe Ursprug (SC MFA 12) fouded Reject Dace Theatre (RDT), a cotemporary dace compay with a missio to cotiuously challege a audiece s perceptio of dace. I its iaugural year, RDT performed at Triity Rep i RI, the New Britai Museum of America Art i CT, Triskelio Arts i Brookly, ad several sitespecific pieces throughout NYC, icludig this year s WestFest i the West Village. rejectdacetheatre.com Jules Skloot (HC 03) performed with Katy Pyle ad the Ballez Compay i The Firebird, A Ballez at Daspace Project i NYC i May. Deaa Sow (HC 11) started Northeaster Uiversity s hybrid ursig program. Betty Thursto, log-time Admiistrative Assistat ad the heart ad soul of the Five College Dace Departmet for over 25 years, retired this year. Betty is a irreplaceable treasure who will be sorely missed by all! Her abidig care ad ubridled ethusiasm for the departmet wet way beyod her may admiistrative ad pragmatic duties. A tireless FCDD cocert-goer, she was also a close fried ad cofidate to faculty, studet workers ad studets from all five campuses. O suy days, you ca ow fid her o golf courses throughout Wester Mass, ad o weeked ights durig the school year, we hope to still fid her at FCDD dace cocerts. We will miss you, Betty! Amy Softic (SC MFA 06; UM 99) is workig toward a MA i dace/movemet therapy at Atioch Uiversity. She also teaches i the Theatre ad Dace Departmet at Frakli Pierce Uiversity. William Soleau (AC 77) is Residet Choreographer for the State Street Ballet i Sata Barbara, CA. William has created may ballets for the State Street Ballet over the past 12 years icludig: Carme, Carmia Buraa, Appalachia Sprig, Starry Night ad A America Tago. balletdaces.com Mariaa Valecia (HC 06) lives i Brookly where she makes daces, istallatios, fashio, ad edits a paper called Rhioceros Evet. rhiocerosevet.blogspot. com Christe Vayur (UM 12) is a member of the Bosto Celtics Dacers. Marya Wethers (MHC 12) New York Live Arts Program Maager, was ivited to retur to MHC as a speaker for the Craftig i the Life day sposored by the arts departmets ad the Career Developmet Ceter. Most recetly, she was reviewed i the NY Times for a ew solo she performed. Suzae Wiltge (MHC 99) lives i the Hampto Roads area of Virgiia. She s a foudig member of the collaboratio ArtPile, a group of dacers, musicias ad artists committed to fosterig a sese of commuity ad visibility for the arts i Hampto Roads. Yasuko Yokoshi (HC 83) received oe of the most substatial choreographer awards i the Uited States: the Residet Commissioed Artist award from New York Live Arts. Workig with her log-time collaborator Masumi Seyama, Yasuko created Bell, a dace-theater work that reimagies the classical Japaese dace Kyogaoko Musume-Dojyoji (A Woma ad a Bell at the Dojyoji Temple), reputed to be the most importat ad difficult work i the Kabuki theater repertoire. Alums! Stay i Touch with Us! Dear Alums: Please sed us your e-mail ad other cotact iformatio! Email us at fcdd@hampshire.edu 8 Five College Dace Departmet ewsletter