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Visiting Choreographers Van Loon, Wilder and Mapp Discuss Collaboration

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Choreographic Fellows Kristin Van Loon and Arwen Wilder of HIJACK and DTW Partnership Project Artist Juliette Mapp took a break from researching their individual works to discuss the process of collaboration with FSU School of Dance Students.

Kristin Van Loon, Arwen Wilder and Juliette Mapp discuss collaboration with Jennifer Calienes during an FSU School of Dance Forum.

Van Loon and Wilder who specifically addressed their approach to collaboration as part of their residency talked about their nearly 17 years of collaborative projects while Juliette Mapp shared her collaboration process with Media Artist John Jesurun on her project The Making of Americans.

Juliette Mapp Engages Students, FSU History Professor and Labor Union Representative

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

As part of her research for The Making of Americans Mapp engaged with the Tallahassee community as well as FSU scholars and students. Mapp's work at MANCC was based on her family of Albanian immigrants who settled in Gary, Indiana after the Second World War to work in America’s largest steel mill. As part of obtaining a solid historical context Mapp met with Dr. Suzanne Sinke an Associate Professor who specializes in migration and gender studies in the FSU History Department. Mapp and Dr. Sinke discussed the historical influences that may have impacted Gary Indiana and it's residence after the Second World War. Gary Indiana and Mapp's immigrant family were heavily influenced by the rise of labor unions which was the topic of her second Entrypoint discussion with Dr. Rich Templin the Legislative and Political Director for the Florida American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). In addition to exploring issues related to her work in development Mapp discussed her choreographic process and selection of creative collaborators with FSU Dance Students during her discussion with the MANCC class taught by Dr. Jennifer Atkins.

Juliette Mapp and collaborators talk with Dr. Atkin's MANCC Class.
(L to R) Molly Leiber, John Jesurun, Juliette Mapp, Jennifer Atkins.

Local Knitters, Hula Hoopers, Roller Girls, Painters, and Tango Dancers Workshop with Emily Johnson

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

While in residence at MANCC, Emily Johnson wanted an opportunity to work with five Tallahassee groups. Though the members of each group did not have to know each other, they shared a common activity. Local Painters, Hula Hoopers, Roller Girls, Knitters, and Tango Dancers came to the Black Box Studio for a series of gestural workshops. Johnson and her collaborators worked with each group to find a common movement impulse. To accomplish this goal, Johnson guided everyone through structured improvisational directives. Describing the process, participant Ashley Ivey noted, “She approached each step of the process with a certain amount of wonder and reverence that was surprising and lovely to witness. She had us break down the process of knitting verbally and then close our eyes to demonstrate each of the steps. There are a couple of different accepted methods of knitting and that made it a bit more difficult perhaps. She watched us for a while and then asked us to isolate and explore certain movements. In the end she asked us to keep mentally going through the whole process even though we only acted out certain parts of the movements to keep something of the rhythm of the action.” Though each knitter approached the task in an individual way, Johnson was able to extract a movement that the group shared unconsciously.

After this discovery, Johnson experimented with staging the group as performers who inform and contribute to the “cellular” structure of Niicugni. In this way, each group’s gestures were transformed into profound symbols for the individual’s contribution to the workshop, the dance, the group, and the larger society. Reflecting upon the opportunity to engage with Johnson in this Entrypoint, Ivey felt that, “The work-in-progress was extremely beautiful. I feel really lucky to have had the experience.”

Miguel Gutierrez Moderates "Mind/Body Problem" Panel

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

As part of his residency, Gutierrez moderated a cross-disciplinary panel discussion entitled “The Mind/Body Problem.” Gutierrez invited a diverse group of panelists to address questions regarding the function of perception, experience, and sensation in shaping our knowledge of self and other. Hosted in Montgomery Hall’s intimate Black Box Studio on Tuesday, April 11, 2011, panelists included: Michelle Boulé, Dance Artist, Teacher, and BodyTalk Practitioner, Betty Davis, Founder of Big Bend Ghost Trackers and Historic Monticello Ghost Tours, Christine McVicker, Ghost Tracker, Psychic, and Tarot Card Specialist, Richard Shusterman, D. Phil., Director of the Center for Body, Mind, and Culture at Florida Atlantic University, and Dan Wagoner, Choreographer and FSU School of Dance Faculty.

_{L to R: Gutierrez, Shusterman, Boulé, Wagoner, Davis, McVicker}

Ann Carlson and Mary Ellen Strom Provide Insight

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

MANCC and the Center for Creative Research (CCR) at NYU worked together to provide an illuminating dialogue opportunity through SKYPE for MANCC Choreographic Fellow Katie Faulkner with CCR Founding Fellow Ann Carlson.

Faulkner's residency focused on research strategies integrating video, choreography, and community into her current site-specific work, BRINK, to be built in partnership with the city of San Francisco. She and her collaborator, Media Artist, Michael Trigilio were in the early stages of working together and sought the advice of Ann Carlson and Mary Ellen Strom, who have extensive working knowledge of community-based arts practice and collaboration. Strom and Carlson offered strategic advice regarding the nature of collaborative relationships, issues surrounding site selection / installation, and the delicate balance between the artist's and the community's authorship of the site. In addition to sharing their collective wisdom, Strom and Carlson offered invaluable encouragement and support for Faulkner's decision to work in a new artistic direction.

After the session concluded, Faulkner reflected upon the “need for intergenerational dialogue between artists,” and the myriad ways in which this mentorship opportunity would leave a lasting mark on her creative research and the development of BRINK.

Faye Driscoll Engages Scholar, Students and Local Musicians

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT

As a MANCC Choreographic Fellow (March 16 - 31, 2011) Faye Driscoll engaged with an FSU Scholar, FSU School of Dance students and local Tallahassee musicians in her research Entrypoints. In an attempt to uncover the processes that shake up the notion of self and lead to transformation, Driscoll and performer Jesse Zarrit met with Psychology Professor and Director of FSU Women’s Studies Dr. Joyce Carbonell. Driscoll, Zarrit and Carbonell discussed issues of gender, gender transformation and male/female roles in relation Driscoll's work in progess. In addition, Driscoll partnered with FSU dance students to investigate the question ‘What is the power of real transformation?’ The students that worked with Driscoll were taking a course offered by FSU School of Dance Professor Jen Atkins whose focus is the examination of MANCC visiting artist's work. Driscoll and her collaborators turned one of the School of Dance studios into a “transformation booth” where students could explore transforming themselves. Finally, Composer and Musician Brandon Wolcott worked with Driscoll and local Tallahassee musicians to explore the sound and multimedia aspects of the work-in-progress.

Tallahassee musicians Caleb Selman, Forest Lee and Jaime Santana work with Driscoll and Wolcott.

Jasperse Shares "Canyon" in Work-in-Progress Showing

Tue, 31 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Canyon Informal Showing L to R: Kennis Hawkins, Burr Johnson, James McGinn, Erin Cornell

On June 23, 2011 John Jasperse invited the Tallahassee community to an Informal Showing of his latest work-in-progress, Canyon. Jasperse shared a working draft of the material he and his collaborators had been developing in residence. The showing featured an hour’s worth of movement invention amidst Tony Orrico’s visual design/installation explorations in the Black Box Studio, as well as a sketch of what will become Hahn Rowe’s original score. Following the showing, Jasperse opened up a dialog with the audience regarding their perceptions and sensory experiences of the work.

An Open Letter to the Parents of Dance Students from Ann Carlson

Mon, 30 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

During her residency Ann Carlson burst into classrooms (a surprise to students) across the Florida State University campus and performed short excerpts from her body of work. After each "classroom burst" Carlson held short dialog sessions with the students. During one such session Carlson described her convictions about the value of dance as an art form in society. In response an FSU dance student described his personal difficulty in convincing his parents of the value of his dance degree. In reply Carlson offered to write to the parents of dance students everywhere to express her support. Carlson's letter follows:

An Open Letter to the Parent(s) of Dance Students:

Your daughter or son is studying dance. He/She has embarked upon a difficult, yet amazing and important field of study. I am writing to send you appreciation, gratitude and confidence that your support of them dancing is a powerful act, both for them as an individual and for the health and well being of our contemporary culture. They are embarking upon an investigation of one of the most important aspects of being alive and being human - living in a thinking/feeling/moving (and dancing) human body.

There are an abundance of opportunities to explore as a result of this area of study. Dance education is a foundation and a spring board to many professions and possibilities. Perhaps even more important than what area of dance or what endeavors they choose, by learning to live deeply, passionately and respectfully in their dancing bodies, they will have a gift few citizens experience, and one that will last all their lives. Through your support, your son/daughter is a living reminder that we as humans are here to experience joy, whether in a simple reach of an arm or in a complex set of motions designed to reveal the mystery of being.

They might be making dances for themselves or other dancers, for the theater, for the out of doors, for the built environment. They may go on to teach dance or create dance companies, stage political interventions, choreograph for musicals, for the cruise ship, television or film. They may exercise their knowledge through writing about dance or performance, engaging other readers and movers and thinkers, like themselves. They might utilize their kinesthetic knowledge in the context of our nation's policy making and/or someday in their own parenting. The contexts are endless and indeed, they will design and create their own opportunities for dancing, ones that today don't even exist (in outer space, no doubt).

I was once like them and continue to enjoy a fantastic life in this field as a choreographer and performer. Thank you for supporting them in this very important endeavor. Rest assured, through your support - they (and you) are moving culture forward.

Sincerely,

Ann Carlson
Choreographer
MANCC Living Legacy Artist 2011/2012

Ann Carlson Shares "Ash and Artifact: What the body knows" in Informal Showing

Sun, 29 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Ann Carlson performs Blanket

On September 13th 2011, Ann Carlson held an informal showing of her research-in-progress for Ash and Artifact: What the Body Knows. Drawing from works she choreographed over the course of her career, she performed six solos that were not developed originally with the intent of being performed in one evening. FSU College of Music’s Eppes String Quartet accompanied the performance live.

Among the pieces shared were Balcony, Blanket, Grass, Bird, Rodeo, and Premiere, which were created between 1984 and 2003 respectively. In keeping with her retrospective research, the performance collapsed time, as audience members were made conscious of her physically embodied history, as well as the works themselves (which also harbor histories) through the lens of the present. Carlson noted, “All of time exists in the present, and we have access to all of time in this moment.”

In addition to performing, Carlson shared contextual information on each solo and answered questions related to her research. For example, she revealed that she did not allow herself to reference any notes or media materials, while attempting to re- embody the works. Carlson noted that choosing to reconstruct the dances without aids challenged her to question where and how the body stores movement over time, as well as how a performer is able to access the information that has been stored.

New York Live Arts Partnership Artist David Neumann presents work-in-development “Restless Eye”

Sat, 28 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Informal Showing Restless Eye

On October 27th, 2011 David Neumann invited the Tallahassee community to an Informal Showing of his latest work-in-development, Restless Eye. Neumann shared a working draft of the material he and his collaborators had been developing in residence. The showing featured a number of movement segments and incorporated text written by Sibyl Kempson. Following the showing, Neumann discussed his original impulse for making Restless Eye, his interest in starting with the “unlikely”, and making tasks or choreographic events inside the work.

Neumann’s residency and resulting showing were made possible in part by an institutional partnership between New York Live Arts (formerly Dance Theater Workshop) and MANCC. The partnership, now in its fourth year, provides artists additional resources to develop work at MANCC that will premiere at Live Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Meredith Boggia, a Producing Associate at Live Arts, attended the Tallahassee showing and spoke about the partnership "Live Arts is thrilled and honored to continue collaborating with MANCC. This partnership continues to thrive because both MANCC and Live Arts are deeply dedicated to supporting artists in all stages of the creative process, which is essential to the development of new work and growth within the field of dance and performing arts."

The work will premier at New York Live Arts on March 24, 2012.