Hear From The Framers

Interviews

Hey Framers!

Ms. Catalina Molnari told us one of her favorite local spots in Houston. The Jade Garden Classical Chinese Medicine. If you’ve had a stressful day/ week, this tranquil abode offers soothing teas and healing services including chiropractic, massage, bodywork, re-connective healing and yoga. These holistic classes infuse 2,000 year old traditional medicine methods that help their weary visitors reduce their stress and boost their energy levels.

Frame Dance’s Catalina says it’s a great place to simply relax with a fresh cup of herbal tea after a satisfying session in her martial arts class. Instead of heading home right after work and suffering through Houston traffic, try The Jade Garden Classical Chinese Medicine in the Heights. It must be a great place because Catalina told Frame Dance if she’s not at work or home it’s she’s at The Jade Garden.

 

Click on the picture to find out more!

 

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Frame Dance Productions’ Beginner Adult Workshop According to a Non-Dancing Framer

Education

 

Still not sure about attending the Beginner Adult Workshop?

 

I understand how intimidating it can be to go to a dance class and feel completely overwhelmed. You feel awkward and even slow at times, but this isn’t your typical dance class-it’s better. We weren’t just learning simplified dance moves. This class allows us to forget the mundane calculating world and just lets us enjoy being creative for a day. One of the best things about this workshop is the fact we are not only getting in shape through dance and yoga but we also get the opportunity to expand our creative minds. That’s not something most dance classes teach. That’s why I say this workshop is better. It offers a variety of things that people normally don’t find in typical dance classes.

I’m not a professional dancer so I was very thankful our first session wasn’t dancing at all. We simply walked about the room to loosen up. I could do that! We then learned about the various parts of our feet and I honestly had no idea how complex the human foot was! I found out we have outer, middle and inner parts to our heels, arches, pads and even toes. It felt great stretching each part of my foot. I felt each individual toe move as we walked and it really relieved stress in our backs as well. I enjoyed the first session. It was a great break ice breaker to get me ready for Jackie’s intro to modern dance class.

It was nice having one of the Framers teaching us about basic modern dance steps and exercises instead of having a third party teaching it. It made me feel more connected to the Frame Dance team by seeing how they dance/train and use simple body movements to create beautiful dance routines for different shows. I especially liked the fact we spent so much time lying on the floor doing stretching exercises. Who wouldn’t love that if they went to a dance class?

I loved learning new easy ways to stay in shape that didn’t involve spending a lot of money on equipment. That’s one of the other great things about this workshop! We can learn new skills that require no experience and no special gear. Jackie taught us very basic, what felt like ballet moves. Now don’t worry you’re not expected to perform Swan Lake by the end of the class. They were very simple and we did them several times. It wasn’t like other classes where they show a move and they see if you can get it by the second example. Jackie would put on fun music and we would travel across the room. The moves were kind of a mixer of ballet and basic waltzing moves. I know it sounds intimidating when putting them together but they were very easy to pick up.

After Jackie’s intro to modern dance session, it was time to move onto yoga! Yoga mats out and ready to go! The yoga portion of the workshop was very rewarding physically and mentally. As much as I enjoy doing yoga at home, I wasn’t the most coordinated person in the class, but I had fun. I felt skinnier the more we did it! Definitely worth it! I liked the idea of having a session that everyone was used to. I looked forward to that particular session because it was something I already knew and felt comfortable doing. Plus, everyone got to take a short “nap” in the dark dance studio as a part of yoga. Now that should definitely make you want to go to the workshop. Great idea Frame Dance!

After a great lunch at the Vietnamese restaurant across street, we teamed up with another Framer-Alex, who taught us fun creative exercises that expanded our imaginations during the creative writing portion of the workshop. As I stated before, these workshops aren’t typical. I thought we would just sit around, write in our journals and that was it. Nope! Alex had us walk around the room in any direction we desired and would play word association games. We were still being physically active while being mentally tested.

But my favorite part about the creative writing tutorial was plastering colorful sticky notes all over the dance studio with words or phrases of inspiration. But he took it a step further and made us add onto each others’ work and in the end producing a very original short stanza or poem. That was just amazing to see different people with different levels of written creativity come together and create this beautiful and coherent piece of art. It was amazing to see!

The final part was just fun. I don’t know how to describe it in any other way. Lydia Hance, one of the co-founders of Frame Dance, taught us how to take the words/ phrases we produced from the creative writing class and portray them through dance moves. We basically just built on what we learned from Alex but instead of writing, we used our bodies to convey a story.

We had four people in the final session and we each came up with a different dance move. It was incredible how many stories we could tell just by using four dance moves. Sometimes the story would be about controlling one another like puppets on strings or opening someone’s eyes to the beauty of life. All from four dance moves. Amazing. The best part was it was all from our own creativity. No one was telling us how our part should be or how our part fits into the story. We simply told stories.

All in all, this adult workshop is a wonderful idea for anyone looking to get into shape but not wanting to spend the money on a gym. It’s educational, productive and yet relaxing. This class offers the chance to expand creative minds and stay in shape in fun ways. Tap into your artistic side for a day before heading back to the black, white and gray world of responsibility and math. The Framers did a great job in coordinating a friendly and unique workshop. And it’s only $60 for the whole day! Cheap and easy! What more could you ask for? I hope to see all of you on October 25th at the MET Dance Studio. Until then, keep dancing.

 

Click on the picture and register today!

Frame Dance - Multi-Gen Class - Discovery Green Water Promo -  Photographer Lynn Lane-65.jpg

Hear from the Framers

Interviews

Hey Everyone!

I hope all of you are enjoying your Tuesday. If not, it was because you didn’t know about Danielle Garza’s Quick and Easy Overnight Oats recipe!

It’s tough sometimes trying to find something healthy in a world of fast food and high carbs. Even breakfast items! The most important meal of the day and it’s too unhealthy and can make you sluggish. Some snack companies claim to be “healthier alternatives” but in reality are actually higher in carbs than the “bad stuff.”

It really can be challenging when you’re trying to stay fit and sometimes you just don’t have time to prepare an easy meal (or your like me and just don’t really care to cook).

Well, no fear! Here is a low-carb alternative that you can put your personal spin on.

 

Quick and Easy Overnight Oats

 

  • Fill mason jar with 1/2 cup oats, 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup almond milk, raisins and chia seeds.
  • Blueberries and Bananas (Or any fruit you love)
  • Optional: Add cinnamon or sweetener.
  • Then put in the fridge over night and have a great breakfast ready in the morning that keeps you energized throughout a busy day! Or at least until your next meal 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

Links We Like Friday

Links We Like Friday

Links We Like

CLASSES:

Little Framers, MultiGen Framers, Adult Workshops Children’s Classes offer a cohesive education of modern dance technique, rehearsal, and performance. Little Framers will learn how to work technically in a studio, cooperate, and collaborate in a rehearsal like professional dancers do.

In Adult classes (Multi Gen, Workshops) students discover dance as a means of self-expression, exploration, and community connection through creative experiences. Based in modern dance technique and improvisation, these classes welcome beginners of all ages and advanced students who are looking to rejuvenate their creative practices.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Dance Film Preview

Dance Film Preview

Composers

DANCE FILM:

AboutFrame2
Photo by Jonathon Hance

Frame Dance Films (also called Dance-for-Camera) – In its series of films produced annually, Frame Dance creates new experiences for audiences using technology to record and edit dance performance into dynamic video narratives that document stories that would otherwise remain unheard. Frame Dance has produced nine films since 2010 each from 3 to 40 minutes in length, including There’s a Height Limit, Satin Stich, Crease, Framing Bodies: Love Me & Shamed. Frame Dance videos are powerful because they:

  • offer audiences the familiarity of a screen in which to view something new and unfamiliar-contemporary dance can be
  • allow audiences to engage with dancers and the story outside the limitations of a live, real-time performance;
  • mingle and participate in the visual arts world; and
  • reach additional audiences members and artists via the films’ internet distribution
We do Live Work!

We do Live Work!

Frame Dance Events

LIVE PERFORMANCE:

AboutFrame1
Photo by Lynn Lane

Built around collaborations with local artists of different genres, these performances expose dance and the artistic process to audiences. They relate the process of making dance to audiences, and develop scenarios where the audience’s presence impacts the work. Since May 2010, Frame Dance has presented over 40 live performances in the Houston area, all original works by Frame Dance with guest collaborators who are artists from different genres — painter, photographer, filmmaker, poet, playwright, composer, chef and musician. Unique venues are the hallmark of Frame Dance performances including the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Jones Plaza, Miller Outdoor Theatre, Pennzoil Place, Photobooth on Montrose, Port Boliver Ferry, the METRORail, the inside of U-Haul trucks, art galleries, City Hall, and even a claw foot bathtub. Each performance features original musical compositions by emerging composers such as Charles Halka and Robert McClure, a rare find for contemporary dance companies in Houston. Notable performances include To the Brim for the ERJCC’s Dance Month, Quiver named a top ten dance work by CultureMap, and Dinner/Dance 19, an interactive dinner in collaboration with chefs David Leftwich, Adam Dorris, and Richard Knight.

Food for Thought

Eat Well Wednesday

10 Interesting Facts About Caffeine

 

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People may not think of caffeine as the most popular mood-altering drug in the world, even those who use it daily, by drinking coffee, tea, sodas or energy drinks as part of their routine.

Whether it’s brewed from a K-Cup, sipped in sweet tea, savored in chocolate or downed in cola, caffeine is a mild stimulant to the central nervous system that has become a regular fixture in everyday life. 

 

Cari Nierenberg, a Live Science Contributor, writes about 10 Interesting Facts About Caffeine. This article covers topics like “How Long Does it Stay in Your System?”, “Withdrawal Issues”, “Can People Truly Be Addicted?” and others.

What Do You See?

Frame Dance Events

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#Houseeit

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Do You Have TunnMysterious tunnel to the lightel Vision?

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Find out every Monday and Wednesday at Noon

in the Downtown Tunnels of Houston

beginning October 5th

 

jercho

 

 

 

Bill T. Jones: A Good Man screening tonight!

Free Events Thursday Performances/Screenings

billtjonesFramers, come join us for the Houston Cinema Art Society’s Artist’s Choice Film Series! #artistchoice

8:30pm Monday, September 21st, there will be a screening of Bill T. Jones: A Good Man, which was chosen by our very own Lydia Hance. The film will be shown at Cafe Brasil (2604 Dunlavy St).

Following the screening, there will be a discussion with Lydia Hance and the Houston Cinema Arts Festival.  And…it’s FREE!

Tuesday Tunes

Tuesday Tunes

“All choreographers think of the impact music will have on the movement they create,” stated in an article from The Kennedy Center.  Music can make us feel specific emotions or recall certain memories. It’s a powerful tool for dance; the absence of music can be equally strong.  Music creates atmosphere, dictates the flow and development of a dance, indicates struggle, and provides fodder for visualization.  At Frame Dance we prioritize music and work with composers to collaborate with all new music.
This article outlines how choreographers Alvin Ailey, Mark Morris, Robert Battle, and Larry Keigwin used music within their pieces. Check it out!

photo by Lena Silva of the Framers rehearsing
photo by Lena Silva of the Framers rehearsing