Honoring Women’s History Month, we will be creating dance as part of the Open Dances series; drawing upon the iconic imagery within legendary artist Nina Simone’s acclaimed song Four Women.
My skin is black My arms are long My hair is woolly My back is strong Strong enough to take the pain inflicted again and again What do they call me My name is AUNT SARAH My name is Aunt Sarah
My skin is yellow My hair is long Between two worlds I do belong My father was rich and white He forced my mother late one night What do they call me My name is SAFFRONIA My name is Saffronia
My skin is tan My hair is fine My hips invite you my mouth like wine Whose little girl am I? Anyone who has money to buy What do they call me My name is SWEET THING My name is Sweet Thing
My skin is brown my manner is tough I’ll kill the first mother I see my life has been too rough I’m awfully bitter these days because my parents were slaves What do they call me My name is PEACHES
Open Dances is free and open to the public. This event will be videotaped.
Dorchester Art + Housing Collaborative is wheelchair accessible. With respect to other participants, please refrain from wearing scented products. Real time Captioning (CART) will be provided.
#Collaboration – honing the space for more truthful mutual exchange.
this year, noted disabled dance artist, Alice Sheppard and i have committed to be in thoughtful collaboration. A collaboration upholding truthful exchange. One that calls us to have respect and dignity for the body in the work and the process. Allowing each other to be fully present and empowered. We don’t call each other out; we call each other closer to the mission. A collaboration that builds community beyond ourselves and the work.
metabolic matter moving from the interiors of muscle memory
impermanence intuited
exuding its beauty within formlessness
a temporal space undoing habitual desires as
flesh
weight
bones
give way
yielding an evolving composition of decomposition.
DANCE OF DECAY@ the Fasseas White Box Theater at The Drucker Center, Menomonee Club for Boys and GIrls, 1535 N. Dayton St. Chicago, IL 60642 map
FREE Parking Available
Admission: $12 general, $10 students/Seniors, and $20 for Tickets for Two (available only 7 pairs through FanFuelded). Tickets are available at the door or: FanFueled.com (sale starts one month before the show)
For more info on DANCE UNION & DANCE OF DECAY Contact: danceunion1 (at) gmail.com, 312-330-4171
It’s been a little over a month since my mother has passed. One of the many things i miss is her dancing. Unafraid to release all inhibitions, she ‘cut many a rug’. Of any event this week mom would have loved to attend, it would be “Dancing Under The Stars” : a special evening presented by Chicago Dancing Festival in partnership with Chicago SummerDance. Partnership is the theme of this event. A communal partnership. An intimate partnering. Mambo style!
learning the basic step.
Arriving a bit late, i was compelled to catch up on the ‘lesson’ being taught by Del Dominguez & – his partner for this instruction – Laura Flores. note not Laura Flores, the acclaimed Mexican actress, but the equally charismatic co-founder of Mixed Motion Art: a space for dance & fitness. Actress Flores (whose birthday happens to fall on the same day as this event, the 23rd) probably wishes she could Salsa, Mambo & Cha-cha as well as dancer Flores!
Back to the lesson. Throngs of folks peppered the specially-laid outdoor dance floor, eager to learn the ‘basic step‘. The basic step in this case involves stepping forward on one foot, stepping back on another with some transitional lift of the feet between or as Del would count out “1-2-3, 5-6-7”. Singular at the moment, each person was assuredly focused on capturing the footwork. All ages represented. All skill levels. All determined to get every nuance of the “1-2-3, 5-6-7”. Even in their seats on the outskirts of the dance floor, people looked on and ‘moved’ with the dancers.
“How we doing?” Del asks to the community. Smiles, giggles, some shaking or nodding of heads and further explorations of the step were the response. In protocol with social dance forms, often one is taught first the ‘vocabulary’ or basic step, before the more intricate moves are added. Sans music, he and Laura continued on to ‘coupling’.
Hands touching angled in the air. Pressed not too tightly to allow for subtle shifts of body. Tipping with turns to be mastered. Men leading women. women with women. young girl leading younger girl. Women leading men in the men’s leading of women. All embracing the directions of the lead teaching partners. “Leading a partner…” Del advises is “less ‘swagga’, more attention to the person you are leading…. Be chill.” His smooth delivery of the next line undercuts its sting to the ego of some of the men ‘handling’ their female counterparts – “Not like you’re jumping rope”. Furthermore, both he & Laura offer that there will be time to “show off” later. To use your hips and add your own ‘flava’. But for now “just flow.”
1-2-3, 5-6-7. the momentum of the steps pick up speed. and so does the intricacy of the partnering. “1 of 3 things could happen…” Del cautions when instructing on how the man(leader) would turn themselves after guiding the woman(leadee).
1. You could ‘break’ the shoulder.
2. Put your Butt into it {“Don’t do that!” Laura interjects}
0r 3. Lower your hand.
#3 being the preferred option as long as you understand how to lower the hand, effectively releasing your partner’s hand; only to gracefully retrieve it and continue to Mambo. Ironically, Del ‘tweaks’ his shoulder while working through each of these options. “All for art” he quips, shrugging it off as they call out for “musica!”
the mechanics of the mambo.
“Earl” the “Maestro” slows down the tempo with a ‘Cha-cha’ inspired rhythm. The instructors suggest that this is the entry way to the Mambo. Soon the communal dancers will be able to “jazz it up!”. As the instruction comes to a close, the partners move methodically and sometimes mechanically through each ‘lesson’ of the hour. An accomplished & beautiful communal exchange has occurred. Everyone who has been witness or dancer inside this experience has something to take away. Del and Laura leave the platform. The dance floor clears out. People move off to the side to partake in food or beverages, rest or persevere through the steps; hoping to get inspired by the dee-jay set that will take place momentarily.
During this transition, genderization of the partnering is eschewed in favor of fun infused playfully-coupled dancing. Lips pressed, one young woman, relentlessly practices with her female partner; finding the connection to the internal rhythm of the beat to the steps of her feet. Incidental moments of heel tapping betray the connection, but she is determined. Others break from the moment by goofing off and mock dancing movement from other periods in time such as the ‘Jerk‘ or the ‘Robot‘. An African contracted poly-rhythmic movement exchange happens not far from eyesight, while – gum in mouth- a flustered young woman still works to get the “1-2-3” of the Mambo. Around her people picnic. Less cellphone than engaging one-on-one or group live conversations permeate Grant Park’s Spirit of Music Garden. Some choose to ‘catch up’ with each other and recollect on past ‘lessons’.
“It didn’t matter if you messed up” Nikki points out. A resident of Auburn-Gresham, she brought her aunt tonite to share her love of “Latin music” and of course to dance. Nikki got “hooked on dance” watching ‘Dancing With The Stars‘. This is her 2nd time coming to SummerDance. i ask if she has heard of the Chicago Dancing Festival and is met with an ‘of course’ look; schooling me on when and where the upcoming event – Celebration of Dance – will be.
Rosie, Nikki’s aunt, lives in Walnut California, famous for Disneyland…”well I am about 10 minutes away”. She reminisces about dancing with her husband who has passed away some years ago…loving how they took cruises together and “made fools of [themselves] at the disco lounge.” A moment passes. In my mind some tears release. We take in the late comers to this event; though they may have missed the lessons, these people are ready to dance! With smoldering looks and summer crisp linens, one man saunters onto the floor, inviting into this festive atmosphere exciting coupled possibilities the evening shall bring. The music emerges and the dance floor is becoming alive again. “She looks like she wore her salsa shoes [for this occasion] and dress” Rosie observes. Before long, niece and aunt take to the floor and dance. “1-2-3, 5-6-7” Who needs a ‘4’ or ‘8’ when you are enjoying being with each other as these two are. i am reminded of my mother seeing them inside their joy. Another moment passes. real tears are released.
Nikki (left) & Rosie dancing under the stars
For Paula – one of the last people i encounter before heading back home – “there is no better backdrop than Michigan Avenue or being in good company” in speaking on why she came to ‘Dancing Under The Stars” or referring to co-worker and friend Ade; who sits and ‘fans’ her in between her dancing ‘shifts’. It was lovely to capture Paula in her mambo glory, as a fitting exit to my time here.
Paula in her dancing glory.
The dancing was far from over. The night seeming to have just begun. And the stars have yet to arrive. i travel to my apt heart full of the treasured wonder from witnessing the evolution of this dancing public; from just a basic step to meaningful and intimate partnering within an expansive communal force.
Back at my place, far from the crowd and my nervousness, i take my chance to dance the Mambo… in the quiet solitude, i speak the counts as instructed:
1-2-3, 5-6-7…1-2-3, 5-6-7…1-2-3, 5-6-7…one two three, five six seven…
There is a continuum…this continuum places within our reach: young people, elders, black, white, mixed, Asian, Latin/Hispanic & all of the above, dynamic & virtuosic, poised & sophisticated beings. All on the same stage. A world class stage. For all to see. And feel deeply what they saw. And tell others what they love. How they loved experiencing a reflection of their city expressed through the dance panorama that took place last night as part of the Chicago Dancing Festival. A reflection of Everyday Chicago articulated by Everyday Chicagoans. The dance eclectic? Yes: hip Africa post modern contemporary release idiosyncratic balletic cha-cha lyrical character defiantly undefinable. The dance electric? Most certainly. Like static cling, it clung to us. Hair raised on arms at times. Defying gravity. Residing still within my recesses.
It begins with a Touch of Soul. Because that is how the evening began. And what a beginning…the dancers eclectic, their dancing electric.
One of my foci to blog for the festival, i had the pleasure of meeting with Chicago Dancing Company commissioned choreographer Nicholas Leichter and some of the crew from After School Matters’ Hip Hop Culture Dance Ensemble : Shannon Brown, Dorian Rhea, William Harris and Kaina Castillo. Prior to the performance, we gather in the dressing room to discuss this communal exchange. Within a few minutes, i can already sense the communal synergy between choreographer and dancers. Though, at times, that distinction was blurred; as Nicholas is quick to admit how these young people threw in their own kinetic thoughts, shapes, moves into the composition. Throughout their process he encouraged, insisted that their artistic voice be heard. Be honored. Challenged. And he diligently cultivated it inside the rehearsals and within their “presence”. Any artist within the performance field knows how difficult it can be to be ‘present’. To be keenly aware of what’s & who’s around you at all times during a live performance exchange; such that if someone bumps into you or throws you off, the moment is still infused with your crafted spontaneous creativity. That takes skill. And hearing these young dancers speak about how inspiring it was to have Nicholas as a mentor, a reflection of what they desired to become, you got the feeling his presence only enhanced their luminous presence. Indeed, Nicholas wanted to make his ‘presence’ known in Chicago as well. He spoke briefly with Lar Lubovitch [one of Chicago Dancing Festival’s Artistic Directors] about the project and heard a little about the After School Matters program, but had yet to truly discover the kinetic possibilities within these Chicagoans. Then came the first rehearsal…”First day we didn’t know what to expect!” Shannon proclaims, the others immediately concur. “All the hype” they had heard about him, what they pulled from the internet, didn’t compare to seeing Nicholas preparing in the studio for the initial rehearsal. “Nic was feeling it!” As they watched him moving to the music, they got more excited. Even more nervous. “Before Nic came, i never knew i needed to work on my sassy, fierce, stuff” Kaina professes. “…How to throw myself [into the dance] and be able to whip my hair“. All with technique and control i might add. Nicholas succinctly and brilliantly conveys that in his detailed choreographic aesthetic. More than just a ‘hybrid’ the vocabulary defies the boxes it supposedly exists within. ‘Hip-Hop’ Urban? Even contemporary doesn’t seem to capture the multi-layered legacies he explores with his company of dancers in Ny; now with his ‘company of dancers’ in Chicago. To him it’s all about vibing off what’s/who’s in the room that informs the creative impulse inside the compositional landscape. With two working weeks, he takes them through an exhilarating experience heightening their kinesthetic abilities; utilizing everyone who wanted to be part of this process. By the end of the process, he has delivered a potent message to these artists; one that continues to resonate for them. “A new vision…Nic’s notion of ‘staying out of the box’….to come up with your own labels” (Kaina). “Recreated…[to be able to just] switch it up” (Shannon) [While]”After School Matters has given alot of teens a voice, an outlet, a chance to be heard”(Dorian), Nicholas has offered to them “a new box of crayons… So now [i] can go home and create [my own] picture…” (William)
A Touch of Soul’s (from left) Dorian, Kaina, William & Shannon with choreographer Nicholas Leichter
more to come on A Touch of Soul and Bolero Chicago’s premiere last nite at Chicago Dancing Festival…
Multiple bodies signifying multiple voices unified through moving language.
This evening
We will witness them ‘living the dance’.
…Janet has a solo! From just having one nite’s rehearsal ‘under her belt’ to now proving how wonderfully individualized is the experience of being a community member of Bolero Chicago, she gets to have a ‘moment’. It’s one of many moments individual Chicagoans will have as part of the process of being a ‘dancer’ for the Chicago Dancing Festival premiere of Larry Keigwin & Company’s inclusive choreography. Janet will ‘put the button’ on the end of a phrase. The ‘button’ being a jump as fleeting yet signature of her vibrant persona onstage. She finds it refreshing that “so many [kinds of] people are moving together…A testament that everyone can dance.”
For some of the Bolero Chicagoans, this has been an extension of their dance lineage. For others simply pure expression of their love of moving. Veronica embodies both. 20 years of age, she has been dancing for 15 of them. It takes an hour & half to travel to rehearsal from Garfield Park, her current residence. Veronica is nonplussed; focusing on the intention of each move and how to “hit that beat“. Her connection to beat, to rhythm, stems from her earlier experiences and love for Jazz dance. She’s currently involved in Hip-hop but feels equally at home learning how to become a fluid ‘character’ inside Bolero; living the dance as one ‘type’ of Chicagoan inside a shifting urban landscape. “It’s about natural movement, taking the everyday” [and performing it] with flair.” i see this in the way Veronica ‘hits’ certain moves during last Wednesday’s rehearsal.
i also get to witness others move in ways that suggest their lineage as well. One Chicagoan, in a striking ‘pas de deux’ with her partner, shows her attention to detail, the lines in her body that have clearly been cultivated by years, if not decades, of training in ballet or contemporary technique. Another in the choice of footwear and how this dancer places them on; a symbol to anyone in the rehearsal, that she has danced before! Indeed each community member shapes the dance with their individuality, offering up mutable ‘characters’ or interesting personas. To me, this further suggests not only their quest to find the “character inside the dance” as Veronica puts it, but the ‘character of Chicagoan’.
What signifies the character of Chicago? Its uniqueness? and How will the “everyday Chicagoan” emerge from Bolero?
Tonite, we shall see what Larry, Ashley, Gary, {Chicagoans}Veronica, Janet, Ira and other community members of Bolero Chicago offer up for ‘answers’….
Last week during Bolero Chicago’s first rehearsal at Senn HS, Jerina from the west side, commented that she was “seeing dance in a different way”. Having come to support her sister and cousin who were inside the process, Jerina was surprised and impressed by the immediacy of this community of dancers emerging. “Interacting with different people could be awkward [but] they were clicking & hitting it off…There’s just something different…freeing…”
As stated in my previous entry, i too was impressed by this phenomenon. A phenomenon not by any means foreign to professional dancers, musicians, actors or artists who come together with a common goal: to create a new work, put on a play, develop a new composition or learn & inspire choreography. The fact that this was “everyday people” – as dancer/student Jacqueline & witness to this past Wednesday’s rehearsal called them – hasn’t eclipsed the wonder of instant comradery existing in the folds of this creative process for Bolero. Nor has it dissuaded the “everyday people [insert Chicagoan]” from inspiring choreographer Larry Keigwin to intricately craft a labyrinth of crosses, steps, phrases and groupings for the exquisite musical composition. “Larry is like a boy in a candy shop” Jacqueline expresses as we both witness him beaming as he looks upon the community of dancers embrace new moves he throws at them. and yes it’s a throw! At one point later in the rehearsal he delivers a rapid set of instructions , counts and mutterings that only a dancer would understand… did they get it? i sure didn’t. And yet in one quick release the Chicagoans move through his directions with a certain finesse, as if they were accustomed to him in much the same way his dancers Ashley and Gary have come to experience. Both company dancers are observing the ways Larry interacts with the community dancers and assist, guide and notate the elaborate development of the choreography.
‘Setting dance on pedestrians” is intriguing to Jacqueline. She is from Chicago but goes to school at the prestigious University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Encountering Larry at Bates dance festival this summer, made her want to witness how this process unfolds. Unfortunately, Jacqueline cannot be part of the performance because she leaves before Chicago Dancing Festival opens; however more new faces arrive into the space as the rehearsal begins, primed and ready to jump in. An energetic burst sends people rushing to create a ‘warm-up’ circle that mutates into a series of lines in order to review some phrases from their previous rehearsal. The “bow” dance flows as ‘End of Time” is cranked up…the community radiates warmth yet ‘koolness’ as they transition between steps. It’s clear they are enjoying grooving to Beyonce!
For Janet this is only her 2nd night…She came the night before and is excited to be present and moving. “So fun!” she proclaims… sweating & gleaming through the entire rehearsal. A full time dance teacher for Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Janet doesn’t perform as much as she did before; but when she heard about this project while at the Bates dance festival {yes much like Jacqueline}, she couldn’t resist the allure of Bolero Chicago…
Upon arriving onto the campus of Nicholas Senn High School, i am reminded of my last experience here – coming to a Chicago Cultural Plan’s Town Hall meeting. Prior to that meeting in February, had not spent much time in this part of Chicago – Edgewater area – and was keenly interested in who resided in this community. After that meeting i found multiple opportunities to be in this neighborhood; encountering a genuine warmth. A genuine embrace of creativity. Much like the consultants who organized the town hall meetings were invested in community engagement, it is as clearly intentional for both Chicago Dancing Festival and Kegwin & Company to draw Chicagoans into the creative process and performance with Bolero Chicago. Community engagement through dance making and joyous dancing. However like my first encounter, i was confused by Senn’s impressive size and varying entrances…if i could only find the magic open door to where the rehearsal will be?
Luckily ran into Ira, who is one of the Chicago participants. He too is looking for the magic door. Together we stroll around til we find it and enter into the gymnasium where the bulk of the rehearsals will take place. Am immediately welcomed into this process by staff from Chicago Dancing Festival, who fill me in on some bits of detail regarding their initial process of drawing in community members from Chicago (as well as Indiana!) into Bolero – four meetings (again much like the initial community engagement for Chicago Cultural Plan) where potential participants got a ‘taste’ of what would be their role in developing this work. Deeper into the gym’s space there is a loose circle formed by participants and two company members from Keigwin & Company – Ashley Browne and Gary Schaufeld. It’s an intriguing mix of people from various cultural backgrounds, dance experiences & ages. One festive young girl named Kyleigh and two men round out a very eclectic group of about 23 dancers…all are dancers at this point; whether or not they may have considered that title before. There is an informal casualness to the environment and the evolving group conversation in which i begin to hear words such as “Violence”; “Peace”. As these are thrown out Ashley responds by affirming the thoughts and sharing how this theme could potentially be included: “so there can be a section with tie dye …” Then a bit later another participant throws out : “Magnificent Mile” and again are affirmed with “shopping” as a correlation towards perhaps building another section. i find out later from Ashley, that these are responses to prompts she and Gary offered the circle to flesh out themes related to Chicago and being a “Chicagoan”. The looseness to the array of thoughts and insights synergizes as both Keigwin dancers take helm of the conversation and clarify the structure of this rehearsal and the piece. They talk about the music, how to ‘count’ the music in relation to the movements, the building of the piece; all the while drawing the other dancers into a compelling and inviting process of discovery & creating, sprinkled by bouts of laughter and kinetic fun.
Is this the first rehearsal? i wonder as i take in the communal exchanges between the dancers, as if they had known each other, not for a half hour, but as an established ‘community’ of friends inside a shared experience…a company of dancers ready to tackle the next bit of choreography…serious and invested. They have to be! this is a rigorous and intensive schedule. For two weeks they will meet for 4 hours a day , 6 days a week, then move onto technical rehearsal at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance with a performance the next day, 20th, AND teching and performing at Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millenium Park, on the closing event “Celebration of Dance” on August 25th. This in addition to their work/life schedules…wow Why do this? i ask this very question to Ira, whom i met earlier, and he shares with me his love for dance and dancing…While he may be obtaining his graduate degree in Law, dance has a special place in his life. Ira does not consider himself a ‘dancer’, but has taken classes in hip hop, ballet and contemporary jazz and recently danced salsa with Urban Vibe for 3 years. Why this? He saw a performance last year at Chicago Dancing Festival and vowed that if an opportunity like this arised, he would seize it! Well here it is! how timely for him and how grateful he is to be part of this process. “It’s Awesome!” he exclaims and repeats throughout our dialogue… So “awesome’ that , even though he may work a “8am – 5pm” job and this is finals week for him, Ira is committed. “I am glad they are being flexible” he states referring to Keigwin & company’s/Chicago Dancing Festival allowing him to come a bit later to rehearsal. Always key to communal exchanges like this is to be able to embrace the individual flow of the people’s lives while simultaneously moving towards a clear and well constructed piece.
For Dominique – mother to 3 year old Kyleigh – she wanted her daughter to have an experience that she has not had or would not do. “I’m introverted” she professes as she looks upon her daughter moving in and out of one of the dances being formed… “I wasn’t introduced to dance at her age”… so she believes it’s important for Kyleigh to be exposed to this process as a way of allowing her to express herself in ways her mother hasn’t. Dominque has never been to see an event of Chicago Dancing Festival before, but if her daughter (and her cousin who is also part of this project) will be performing, she will be there! With that thought she again looks over at her daughter who is now running in and out of the others, at her cousin trying out a suggested move and the overall bubbling commotion of dance being cultivated in this moment and smiles…
As the creative process unfolds throughout the evening, the beauty of communal discoveries and artistry of crafting emerges. Perhaps by means of the dancers getting to further ‘know’ each other, a name gesture exercise begins the next phase of rehearsal. The dancers are tasked with composing their names into a dance, letter by letter, within the timeframe of a Beyonce song! Go! They finish as the song ends and unite to ‘perform’ their name …’Say my name, Dance my name’ is the game they play as they move through their letters: “V – E- R-O-N-I-C-A” … “L-A-M-A-R” separately and in communion with the others. Gary leads the group through articulating some select names or parts of names such as “M-A-T-A”; turning these into phrases that merge with other names and, after breaking into smaller ‘teams’, become group mini dances. It is a great way for the dancers to express themselves individually and feel empowered to take on the act of crafting. They engage in immediate collaboration and affirm each one’s creativity and expression… Now the challenge to craft from the themes they had discussed earlier. Ashley reminds them of 3 themes they felt garnered a more thoughtful dance-exploration for Bolero Chicago – “road rage”, “baseball” and “pizza”. they are on it! They jump back into the smaller grouping and immediately immerse themselves in the collaborative act of developing these dance motifs…
The dancers busy crafting, Ashley takes a moment to share with me some of the history of Bolero and what she has witnessed already working with these Chicagoans… “They are very vocal” Yes! We Chicagoans can be…and “that’s a good thing” she interjects. Is it Lou Malnati’s or Giordano’s Pizza? What identifies Chicago? Cubs or White Sox? What are the ‘characters’ that you [as Chicagoans] may run into? such as the ‘preacher” in front of Navy Pier… How does this become inspiration for dance? “It’s all about [Chicago] culture” Ashley articulates as she moves in and out of our dialogue to assist Gary and the other dancers deepen their exploration of gestures or movements associated with each particular theme. By the end of this evening, 3 dances – “Pizza”, “Road Rage” and “Baseball” have been deliciously composed…to be abstracted, expanded or extracted as the communal process for Bolero Chicago moves forward…
Through the vision of Larry Kegwin & his company, the ‘dance’ of Bolero has inspired multiple communities throughout the country including NYC {3 times}, Santa Barbara CA, Denver, New Jersey and upcoming in Greensboro. The ‘identity’ of a place, space and people has transformed into unique art making. Beyond the performing of these works, friendships have deepened or been formed, groups continuing to gather far after the process ends, new communities built and bonded.
Like the other Boleros, Bolero Chicago may well become a legacy in the making…
Dance has always been part of the vibrant cultural landscape of Chicago & my communal upbringing as a young person living on the south side in the 70’s & 80’s. Upon returning here after a 20 + year hiatus, i am excited to begin looking more closely at how dance has permeated the everyday culture of this distinguished city. What are the multiple ways in which dance can be experienced here? How can Chicagoans explore dance as a communal exchange? Enter Chicago Dancing Festival: “From August 20-25, 2012, the Chicago Dancing Festival will present six days of FREE dance programs by artists from Chicago and across the country, to an anticipated audience of 20,000! [The] mission is to elevate awareness of dance in Chicago and increase accessibility to the art form by presenting a wide variety of excellent dance that will enrich the lives of the people of Chicago, provide aspiration for local and future artists and raise the national and international profile of Chicago, furthering Chicago as a dance destination.”
Oft the most valued exchange in this contemporary society involves money. Communal exchange asks that one is not consumed with the expectation that they get their money’s worth, but look to the possibilities of what is being reciprocated, offered and experienced. With Chicago Dancing Festival providing an exciting array of events at no charge, this opens up the possibilities that any and every Chicagoan can experience dance in multiple ways; without the money variable. My particular focus will be on three interactions that highlight compelling dimensions of communal exchange:
– Bolero dance Chicago, Larry Keigwin & Dancer’s ultra community collaborative project that includes the ‘everyday Chicagoan’ will be presented as part of the festival’s opening program, “Chicago Dancing” at the Harris Theater, Monday, August 20 & again as part of the Festival’s grand finale program, “Celebration of Dance” at Pritzker Pavilion on Saturday, August 25.
Bolero Chicago prepares
– Choreographer Nicholas Leichter’s intriguing work with select young dance artists from the Chicago community program, Afterschool Matters, showcases alongside Bolero and other Chicago based companies including Giordano Dance Chicago, opening night of the festival, Monday August 20th at 7pm.
In looking at these multiple opportunities to experience the dance through communal exchange, implicit is the cultivation – even inside just the act of witnessing a performance – of a meaningful relationship. Temporally this may only last an hour or two, but nevertheless both artist and audience participant are left with lasting impressions. These moments go deeper into other aspects & possibilities of communal exchange for Chicagoan to experience.
How might one further define communal exchange?
For the past two decades i have been exploring communal exchange through my performative work with D UNDERBELLY, a network of artists of color from a vast spectrum of experiences. Within the core of this concept is consideration for the deepening of a vital relationship that draws upon the aspects of equity in which there are certain expectations to be met, governed by our responsive energy to each other and cultivation of a shared space for thoughtful interaction.
If one becomes part of a communal exchange there is a illuminating experience where both audience/participant and performer are active and vital. building of a community takes place surrounding a common thread – in this instance dance. We come to actively witness the process. We may get opportunity to learn ‘hands on’ from the artist the particular aesthetic or tradition; allowing us to embrace its complexities and feel the flow of its moving force. even dance the dance.
How might Chicagoans experience this communal exchange?
From now til the end of the festival, i will be exploring more in depth discussion on what it means to be part of a communal exchange inside the landscape of Chicago Dance Festival through witnessing & conversing with those involved in Bolero dance Chicago, Nicholas Leichter & After School Matters, as well as community members who wish to dance the Polka “Dancing Under the Stars”.
Returning back to my youth experiences on the southside, communal exchange was the gateway to dance for me; getting to witness the community i lived in construct performances, learn dances not from a ‘technique’ point of view, but ‘a-community-gathers-&-just-celebrates-moving-together point of view, dancing on stage to Gloria Esteban/Miami Sound Machine for “Footlites”, be simultaneously embarrassed yet inspired by my mother dancing at church functions and trying my hand at choreographing. It was such an important part of my upbringing, informing my professional inroads into dancing and art. It allowed me to understand how dance can be part of the ‘everydayness’ of culture. Chicago Dancing Festival can/may be that for many Chicagoans… A gateway…
sista, thank you for your rousing words…u are right. we need to be outraged by all black deaths. black on black truly. i have relocated to chicago from new york recently and been in those areas of recent killings. films like The Interrupters reminded me that i need to tune into these neighborhoods and look at what i can do a black male, active being… u have inspired me beyond simply being conscious to proactivity (by creative means) in order to address this alarming homicide statistic. it brings to mind a performance ritual created in 1996 in minneapolis with a black male collective Sirius B entitled Monday Morning Body Count. i believe it’s time to remount, reconstruct or build anew a ritual of awakening that permeates these ‘death zones” in chicago. the current toll of 100 homicides (as of March 25th, 2012) in which i count 70 black men so far propels me into concretizing this performative plan of action. will keep u informed on what comes out of this. best to you B
Across cultures. Across disciplines. Engaging thoughtful discussions within the community of artists, neighbors, anyone witnessing. Inspiring collaborations. Listening. Creating consciousness surrounding the beauty & insights from the creative process…
Facilitated by award-winning performance artist Baraka de Soleil & co-facilitated by multidisciplinary artist Awilda Rodriguez LoraRe-Frame: A Gatheringis a two-fold communal workshop for artists at variant stages of creative development. We want to provide a sustainable space for active witnessing, supportive feedback and rigorous crafting AND a laboratory for experimentation through interdisciplined explorations and cross-cultural discussions.Re-Frame: A Gathering focuses on the ‘practice of process’ – what is discovered in the act of making work is valuable and should be experienced as well, by other artists, by the larger community.
Re-Frame: A Gathering is an initiative of D UNDERBELLY, a network of artists of color, seeking to create a communal space for rigorous experimentation and investigation of an expansive performance aesthetic. One that can serve as a model for creative process within community that can adapt and shift to various areas throughout the country & internationally. Through both invitation to select artists within the experimental art community and an open call, we will seek out a diverse group of 7 -10 with wide-range of disciplines who have a creative lineage (how they have been making work), a piece to ‘excavate’ and a desire to be part of a contemporary practice. Re-Frame: A Gathering will start with the artistic community of Chicago.
Our current vision:
The workshop process will begin in November with weekly Re-Frame sessions where Baraka will lead artists participants through a series of techniques in order to cultivate: communal consciousness around witnessing & offering feedback, excavation of themes/pieces brought by each individual artist and potential collaborative groupings. This leads to the beginning of December where Awilda will join the process as co-facilitator, to take artists through an intensive journey towards deepening the practice of the developing works. Mid-December at A Gathering with the larger community, artist participants will share their developing work, engage in conversations and share food for thought and body!
Re-Frame: A Gathering’ Key Objectives
To provide:
– a reduced cost or free opportunity for artist participants.
– a platform for creative process that can be molded to whatever communities it travels to….
– a unique opportunity for experimentation, to ‘dig deep’ & try things out with developing work or already-created work that may need ‘re-framing’.
To support:
– artists at whatever stage in their career.
– exchange and community building
– sustainability for the active creative process
To enhance:
– a multidisciplinary network of artists within the Chicago experimental aesthetic community and beyond.
– an expansive & diversified cross-pollination of collaborative possibilities.
– visibility for process-driven models with thoughtful intercultural community engagement.
Funds from this campaign will support the vision in multiple ways beyond the costs associated with creating work. We deeply believe that with your support,Re-Frame: A Gathering will impact not only the artist participants, facilitators and community of witnesses, but the larger discussion on the value of the creative process.
THE IMPACT
For Re-Frame: A Gathering, we are seeking to raise funds to support space rental costs, materials for the workshop process, honorarium for the artist participants and facilitators involved.
More specifically if we reach:
$1500, this amount will cover rental & production costs associated with the space; both for workshop process & performance showings
$2000, in addition to covering rental, will support any materials for the workshop process, ‘bare-bones’ production elements for the showing & travel for one artist facilitator
$3000, in addition to the above, secures a no cost opportunity for all artist participants and provide honorarium for both artist facilitators &
$4000, in addition the above funds, will provide honorarium for each of the artist participant
In alignment with this campaign, we are working to ensure Re-Frame: A Gatheringhappens, even with the smallest of funds including:
soliciting in-kind contributions from organizations to reduce the cost for rental of space.
box office contributions from A Gathering‘s three showings.
barter/trade of services in order to promote/market the event.
based on amount raised, seek financial investments from artists who wish to participate in the process.
re-configuring the model so that it will reduce costs but still honor the artists & the process.
cooking meals that can be purchased at the showings.
THE EXCHANGE
We want to you to know that we value whichever amount you pledge. In exchange for your support, Baraka de Soleil, Awilda Rodriguez Lora, artists participants & D UNDERBELLY will acknowledge you through the program, online, via phone, with hand-made art, original designs, through complimentary tickets, invitations to A Gathering and future projects. You’ll notice on our perks list what kind of acknowledgement each tier of funding support will garner.
Other Ways You Can Help
If in Chicago, come to A Gathering. Join us for food, art, dialogue and community building….this will further support the artists & future opportunities for more gatherings…check out our site: http://reframeagathering.blogspot.com/ for the updates. Current dates December 16th – 18th, 2011. A gathering will offer a unique experience with up to 3 different artists sharing their process each nite.
Spread the word by putting this campaign on your facebook, twitter or other social network site.
Email blast your networks.
And be part of the discussion: What has been meaningful to you as an artist in the creative process?
Whether you may consider yourself an artist or not, your thoughts will be appreciated and expand the discussion on why people should support the creative process of artists.
barak adé soleil 