PDP 2007-2008 Season
About PDP
Write on Dance: Journal
Community News
Resource Directory
Home
2007-2008 Season
PDP at OHS | dance TAG | classes & workshops | presentations
Philadelphia Dance Projects concentrates its Fall ’07 season on dance education. We will ring in the new year with a Guest Artists Series of Workshops, Classes, Performances and Meet the Artist Events that focus on contemporary creative artists from New York, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Philadelphia. All the artists featured define their dance with highly individual approaches incorporating a mix of style, choreography, improv, theater, voice and music.
Guest Dance Artists at OHS Fall 07:
Tracy Vogt, principal dancer with Philadanco and Clyde Evans, Jr. Director/Founder of Chosen Dance will teach 10th grade students at Olney High School as part of PDP’s Guest Dance Artists at Olney High School Project. Students will have the opportunity to interact with some of Philly’s finest dance artists through over 12 classes October through December. In Winter/Spring '08 Guest artists will include Tracy Vogt, Clyde Evans, Jr. and Tania Isaac.With PDP sponsorship students will also attend offsite performances by national touring companies at local performing art centers.
The PDP Dance Guest Artists at OHS is supported by grants from Lincoln Financial Foundation and Rosenlund Family Foundation
Dance TAG:
PDP is sponsoring Dance Teaching Artists Group (TAG) which has emerged from an initiative begun in 2007 with LINC/Philadelphia (www.artistlincphiladelphia.org). Mady Cantor, Bryn Mawr College Dance Department is Coordinator. Artists at all stages of their teaching - rookies, veterans, people currently working, those looking for work, especially artists in schools and community situations are invited to attend these FREE Sunday afternoon sessions.
Dionne Kamara, Sunday, October 14, 2007 1-4PM
Sara Narva & Mady Cantor, Sunday, December 2 1:30-3:30PM
Dawn Pratson, Sunday,March 16, 2008 1:30-3:30
Miriam Giguere, Sunday, May 4 1-3PM
At Jeanne Ruddy Dance Studio
1515 Brandywine St.
FREE
Please RSVP: info@philadanceprojects.org or 215.676.1540
Guest teaching artist workshop with Dionne Kamara, NYC
Dionne Kamara will lead a two part workshop that will include
two complete sample classes in a "footnoted" style where she will
be teaching the material, and simultaneously explaining the
thinking behind it. Drawn from the approach of Seattle-based
dance educator Anne Green Gilbert and other sources, Dionne
teaches through dance concepts and elements in a five part lesson
plan (warm-up, exploration of the concept, developing skills,
creating,and cool-down/reflection)that integrates teacher directed
and student centered learning.
The first sample class will be a modern dance class that can be tweaked for different age groups. In the second Dionne will teach dances from Guinea, West Africa using the same teaching method.
Sunday, December 2, 1:30-3:30PM
Liz Lerman's Tool Box shared by Sara Narva
Sara Narva has extensive experience using Liz Lerman
Dance Exchange's Tool Box, an extraordinary teaching resource
geared to creating meaning through movement. She will lead
the group through movement experiences drawn from the
Tool Box that can be used for dance composition and technique
classes and for connecting movement to academic curricula.
It is applicable to many levels and teaching situations.
Resource Swap led by Mady Cantor
Please bring a resource you’ve found successful to share
with others. Mady Cantor, Dance TAG Coordinator, will share
her “treasure trove” of CDs, props, books and videos which she
has found invaluable as dance teaching resources.
PDP DANCE TAG Field Trip
Tuesday, October 30, 8:30AM
See “master” teacher Tracy Vogt lead a class
at Olney High School. Those interested will meet
PDP Director who will take everyone to OHS.
The class is early (!), so we will observe the class
and then go for breakfast (PDP’s treat) and
discussion with Tracy. For more details:
info@philadanceprojects.org or 215.676.1540.
Sunday, March 16 1:30 - 3:30
DAWN PRATSON
Eurhythmics: Music and Movement
Eurhythmics is the study and development of musicianship through movement. Taken further, its principles and practices can be used to link music and dance in class settings. In this workshop Eurhythmics specialist Dawn Pratson will lead us through interesting, useful and fun experiences that link dance improvisation and composition with music learning in the areas of rhythm, melody and form. They can be applied to upper elementary through adult classes.
Dawn Pratson is currently a music educator at the Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School in Center City. With an extensive background in both music and dance education and performance, she is seeking ways to integrate music and dance/movement into a single curriculum for elementary and middle school.
Sunday, May 4 1-3PM
MIRIAM GIGUERE
Creating Dances with Children:
Making a Performance with Students’ Original Ideas
This workshop will explore ideas for leading students in creating their own original dances. The methods presented are based on the recent dissertation research of Miriam Giguere, who conducted a study which looked closely at how students think and reason as they are involved in the creative process in dance. Miriam will guide us through her approach, which is applicable to students ages 9-18, and will also present the study findings and their implication for curriculum design.
Miriam Giguere holds a BA in psychology and an MS in Education from the University of Pennsylvania and a PhD in dance from Temple University. Dr. Giguere has directed the dance program at Drexel University since 1992. Before coming to Drexel, Dr. Giguere performed and toured nationally and internationally with professional modern dance companies Ann Vachon / Dance Conduit, South Street Dance Company, Body Language Dance Company, and Terry Beck Troupe. Ms. Giguere is a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts fellowship recipient and frequent Artist in Residence for Philadelphia and surrounding area public schools. A frequent presenter on the integration of dance into academic curriculum at universities and national conferences, her research has been published in Arts Education Policy Review, Journal of Dance Education, and Selected Dance Research, Vol 6.
Dance TAG is made possible with a grant from the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation.
PDP DANCE TAG Stipends
Stipends of $200 are available to Dance Teaching Artists
to enable them to enrich their teaching practice through the
purchase of resources or attending other professional
development opportunities. Up to ten Dance TAG participants
are eligible. TA’s must attend at least 2 TAG sessions.
Submit a brief proposal and resume, to Philadelphia Dance
Projects, stating what the funds would be used for and
why needed. Artists may use funds toward purchase of DVD’s,
CD’s, books, printing of class handouts or other.
Please contact Terry Fox, PDP Director for more info.
215.676.1540 info@philadanceprojects.org
The PDP Dance TAG is supported by a grant from the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation.
PDP Classes & Workshops:
PDP Hosts the Cosmos,
Mascher Street’s Dance Technique Series
Fridays, 10:30AM-12:PM, October, November,
February, March & April
at Philadanco, 9 N. Preston St.
Info at www.mascherdance.com
PDP ’08 Guest Artists Classes/Workshops Series:
Classes / Workshops: $10 ($5 w/Cosmos or DanceUSA/ Philadelphia cards or students)
LEVY/dance
Wed.-Fri Jan 16-18,
10AM-11:30AM
Join LEVYdance for a company class at Philadanco 9 N. Preston St.
January 19, 1-3PM
Technique Class with Ben Levy and LEVY/Dance
at The Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine St.
This class centers on momentum, physical movement and agility, expressiveness of the body, and isolation of the joints. With emphasis on finding different dynamics inherent in movement, we work to expand our physical spectrum to include nuance and specificity. After exercises that expand foot articulation, core strength, alignment, and extension, we continue with phrase work, moving in and out of the ground, while contrasting elements of attack, release, and abandon.
MIGUEL GUTIERREZ
Saturday, February 9, 1-3 PM
at the Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine St.
What Is This Class ?
“Old school technique class with new school questions. Improvisation is dead so let’s improvise all the time. Let’s imagine things that don’t exist and dance with them too. This is a warm-up for being a contemporary dance artist whatever that means. Real techniques, invented techniques, practicing presence, practicing hope, ‘releasing’, sweating, thinking, feeling, moving for no reason and finding out why. Exercises are boring but sometimes important. Phrases are patriarchal but sometimes fun. Smart movers make good art. I am the teacher and I will do what I can.”
7:30 PM
Meet the Artist, Miguel Gutierrez
Miguel Gutierrez Bio
Sunday, February 10, 11AM-Noon
DEATH ELECTRIC EMO PROTEST AEROBICS AKA DEEP AEROBICS
A new workout form being invented, disseminated, and, eventually, one hopes, no longer needed by Miguel Gutierrez. It is for anyone who has ever had the interest in combining the joie de vivre that is the vigorous bouncing of one’s anatomical/ spiritual/ energetic molecules with the existential absurdity that is living in a world/ country/ economic system of injustice, war-mongering and cultural ineptitude. Oh wait, that’s you! Come in costume. Taste the sweat.
1-4 PM
Workshop: The Big Mess or Practices for Returning to a State of
Wonder...
at the Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine St.
”What if we don’t divide the experience of investigating our work as dance artists into the neat categories of “technique,” or “improvisation,” or “composition?” What if we accept the totality of our abilities and deficiencies and know that our work is defined by both of these things (and more and more) and what if that is perfect? What if trying to do something that you don’t understand is the best idea that you could possibly hope to have for one week? What if it doesn’t matter what “level” you are at as a dancer/creator/performer? What if we call this experiment The Big Mess and see what the hell that means?”
February 23, 1-3PM
Workshop with Ellen Fisher
at the Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine St.
This workshop will concentrate on each individual's power of expression through dance and voice. All levels are welcome to engage in a creative exploration of our physicality using voice and body. The workshop will offer warm-up exercises , group improvisations and small performances to share with each other.
7:30 PM
Meet the Artist, Ellen Fisher
Ellen Fisher Bio
March 8 & 9
Kathleen Hermesdorf w/musician Albert Mathias
at the Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine St.
Saturday, March 8, Noon-2PM, Motion Techniques
Motion Techniques is a vigorous and detailed class focused on the act of motion from the inside out, encouraging sensation, articulation, efficient power and full-bodied investigation. A warm up of breath and energy work, improvisation, technical experiments and methods of physics, floor, air and inversion leads to extended phrase work exploring three-dimensional choreography. Collaborating with live, visceral music, the class progresses from the internal to performance, offering a dynamic and supportive training ground for engaged and expressive dancing.
Sunday, March 9, 10 AM-Noon, Motion Techniques
1-4 PM, Workshop
Workshop: WILD/WISE Investigate the intersection of technique and improvisation with a focus on the act of motion from the inside out, the outside in and in between. Explore the freedom of spontaneous composition and the discipline and repetition of technical practice, as well as the discipline and repetition of improvisation and the freedom of technical prowess and finesse. Test your body, mind and premises in regards to training, integration and virtuosity.
March 29, 1-3PM
Technique class w/SCUBA artists
Jose Navarrete, Karen Sherman, Kate Watson Wallace
at the Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine St.
PDP Presentations in '08:
January 18 7:30 PM, informal showing of new work, Ben Levy LEVYdance
February 9, 7:30 PM, Meet the Artist
Miguel Gutierrez
February 23, 7:30 PM, Meet the Artist
Ellen Fisher
at the Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine St.
Saturday, March 8, 7:30 PM, Informal showing of work, Kathleen Hermesdorf w/ musician Albert Mathias along with guest dance artist Marianela Boan/ BoanDanz Action
at the Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine St.
$10 ($5 w/Cosmos or DanceUSA/ Philadelphia cards or students or seniors.)
Info/resv: 215.546.2552, info@philadanceprojects.org
March 28 & 29, 8PM, SCUBA ’08
Jose Navarrete, Karen Sherman, Kate Watson Wallace
at Conwell Dance Theater
NE Corner of Broad & Montgomery Sts., on the campus of Temple University
Tickets: 1.800.298.4200 or www.liacourascenter.com
SCUBA, national network for dance, is a partnership with the ODC (Oberlin Dance Collective) Theater
in San Francisco,
Velocity Dance in Seattle, The Southern Theater in Minneapolis
and Philadelphia Dance Projects.
Artists from 4 cities participate in exchange activities including performances, classes along with formal and informal exchanges and interaction. For audiences and local artists it is an opportunity to see what is going on creatively with peer artists from other US cities.
The selected Philly artist will tour to San Francisco and Seattle. Through SCUBA Philadelphia Dance Projects endeavors not only to expand performance opportunities to local artists but place them in a wider arena of national dance artists through the development of relationships with others artists and presenters. The name SCUBA alludes to assisting emerging and/or not nationally recognized accomplished artists with diving into touring.
MOTION PICTURES’08
6th Annual Festival of Dance Film/Videos
June 18 , 19, 20
At UArts Drake Theater, 1512 Spruce Street (enter on Hicks St.)
and At Connelly Theater, UArts Terra Building 211 S. Broad St Phila PA
Admission: $8 $20 All Access Pass
$5/show DanceUSA/Philadelphia and Scribe Video Members
June 20
Outdoor screening, rooftop parking garage
Whole Foods, 10th & South Streets, Phila PA
Admission; FREE
Information/Reservations: 215.546.2552
This year Motion Pictures’08 features a local premiere, a tribute to a Philly dance legend, the most international offerings ever and our first outdoor screening. This year’s Motion Pictures opens with a premiere of Subcircle’s “HERE” by Pew Fellow’07 choreographer Niki Cousineau in collaboration with award winning husband Jorge Cousineau. Along with a Portrait of Niki by Glenn Holsten. Highlights of Motion Pictures’08 also include: - a new documentary where Pina Bausch for the first time talks about how she creates, offering insight into how she became an icon for a generation of artists pursuing dance theater. -“Shorts Blast” film/videos 2 minutes to 22 minutes from local Philly artists and artists around the world. - A poignant portrait of the late Philadelphia Tap Dancer, LaVaughn Robinson - and “Idlewild” the 2006 movie with Outkast and choreography by Broadway choreographer Hinton Battle.
Motion Pictures’08 Program
At UArts Drake Theater,
1512 Spruce Street (enter on Hicks St.)
Wednesday, June 18 6PM “HERE” (2008/Phila) 35m.
A premiere by Niki & Jorge Cousineau
In their new dance film, HERE, Subcircle continues their ongoing exploration of the unseen dances just below the surface of our everyday world. Niki and Jorge Cousineau expose the choreography that moves inside daily mundane places where all move as one.
"Pew Arts Fellows ’07 Portrait" Glenn Holsten Phila/2008 10 m.
A video portrait of Niki Cousineau choreographer and Pew Arts Fellow 2007
Artists will be present to discuss “HERE.” with short: Pew Fellows Portrait by filmmaker Glenn Hosten
Wednesday, June 18 8PM “Pina Bausch” (2006/Germany) by Anne Linsel 44m.
Before choreographer Pina Bausch and her Tanz-theater Wuppertal were known around the world, her new, unusual and original body language was not exactly embraced by audience. In the early days tumultuous reactions were not unusual. Pina Bausch speaks about the beginnings of the Tanztheater and the inescapable path she felt she had to follow. She talks about rehearsals, her pieces (more than 30 by now), her co-productions with other cities and countries and being on tour. Some of her dancers, the set designer Peter Pabst and the costume designer Marion Cito, all of whom have been with Pina Bausch for decades, talk about working with her.?Shot in Venice at the Teatro Fenice, in Lisbon and Brussels, and in Wuppertal with choreographic excerpts.
With short “La Vie est Belle” animation by Tristan Duhamel of France. 3.13m.
Grafitti characters painted by Jérôme Mesnager dance all over the walls and streets of Paris, animated by Tristan Duhamel.
Thursday, June 19 9PM Shorts Blast
At UArts Drake Theater, 1512 Spruce Street (enter on Hicks St.)
“Horizon of Exile” (2007/UK/Spain) 22m. Isabel Rocamora
A journey of two women across stark desert landscapes is punctuated by voice testimonies of Iraqi exiles. Set to a soundtrack by Jivan Gasparyan with the hypnotic voice of Surma Hamid, an Iraqi exile now living in London, the bodies betray a strange trespass, travelling as though haunted by an irrepressible past.
“Kabukimenco” (2007/Phila) 6m. Kathy Rose
A choreographic phantasmagoria of rhythms, patterns and intense color create a regal ceremony
“Flying Lesson” (2007/USA) 4.37m.Phil Harder
A sweet sail one foot above Brooklyn, accomplished by dancing duo Chamecki and Lerner. Dance On Camera Winner of the 2008 Jury Prize
“Raven Study” (2007/USA) 4.3m Charlotte Griffin A dancer and a musician quite literally find transformative power in their art.
“Life Force #3” (2007/Denmark) Lene Boel
A hooded man discovers industrial spaces of tunnels and machinery, while an invisible force gradually takes control of his body.
“Rooper” (2008/Phila) 2.5m. Kim Arrow
If Dr. Dolittle was a dancer he might try to dance like a kangaroo.
“Dance For Camera” (2007/Phila) 2m.Gabrielle Revlock
A droll take on videographers grappling for their best shot of dancers. Taken at a Scribe Video and PDP “Dance & The Camera Workshop” with Carmella Vassor Johnson last spring.
“River Woman” (2007/Austalia) Bernadette Walong
“Attic” (2008/Phila) Zane Booker
“Portrait Of A Dancer” (2007/Phila) Laura Zimmerman
Four dancers portray one “every-dancer” in a choreographic sequence.
“La Vie est Belle” (2004/France) Tristan Duhamel
Friday, June 20 6PM
“LaVaughn Robinson -A Dancing History” (2003/Phila) 40m. Brian Dornfeld
At Connelly Theater, UArts Terra Building 211 S. Broad St
An endearing portrait chronicling the artistic life of beloved Philly based hoofer
LaVaughn Robison. He recounts his life as a world-renowned Tap artist, an influential teacher and perceptive commentator on life and the cultural scene.
With shorts: Pew Fellows Portrait of Kate Watson Wallace by Glenn Holsten where
2007 Pew Fellow explicates her work in this vignette with a startling shoot of Wallace’s unique site performance, “Car.”
“Unspoken” (2007/Phila) 5m. Laura Deitch
Choreographer Charles Tyson is the subject in this artist portrait exploring the relationship between performance, storytelling and dance.
Friday, June 20 8:30PM at outdoor screening at Whole Foods “Idlewild” (2006,USA) directed by Brian Barber 120m.
This American Musical film, written and directed by Bryan Barber, stars André Benjamin and Antwan A. Patton, who are best known under their respective stage names André 3000 and Big Boi of the hip hop duo OutKast.“Idlewild” contrasts OutKast's hip-hop/funk/soul sound with choreography by Broadway choreographer Hinton Battle, against a story about a Juke joint in the fictional Depression-era town of Idlewild, Georgia in 1935. The great cast also includes Terrence Howard, Paula Jai Parker, Paula Patton, Cicely Tyson, Ben Vereen, Patti LaBelle, Ving Rhames, Macy Gray, Faizon Love, Bruce Bruce, Malinda Williams, Jackie Long and Bill Nunn.
Motion Pictures is also a touring partner of Dance Film Association and will feature selected films from the 2008 edition of the Dance on Camera Festival which premiered at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in January 2008.
Philadelphia Dance Projects gratefully acknowledges support
from the William Penn Foundation, Philadelphia Cultural Fund,
Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation,Lincoln Financial Foundation,
Advanta Foundation, Rosenlund Family Foundation, Dolfinger McMahon Foundation,
The National Endowment for the Arts, Individual donors
and organizational partners Philadanco,
Temple University/Conwell Dance Theater, Scribe Video Center, nEW Festival, UArts School of Dance and Whole Foods, Inc.