Hi Reader. So, since we last met we’ve had several fantastic rehearsals and one successful Cultured Cocktails. Thank you to those who came out that night. It was a lot of fun, and we met quite a few people new to Frame Dance Productions. We had three winners of the raffle to win free tickets to our premiere of Satin Stitch on March 12. Coming up before March 12 is our performance in 12 Minutes Max at Diverse Works. Last Friday we finished the section that we will be showing. We have some cleaning up and some ironing of transitions, and one creation of a transition before then, but all of the material is there. The dancers are doing a lovely job and I am very pleased with where we are right now. Of course, since Friday, we’ve been developing more new material that will be in the entire production of “Mortar, Sylphs Wrote” on April 16 and 17 at the Hope Center. In the section that we will be showing at Diverse Works, there is a lot of woven, loopy, snakey movement. I am making a video component with the piece which I’m hoping will help frame and give atmosphere to the world I’m creating in this work. I also have costumes. But you’ll have to wait. I’m not giving that away yet. It’s too good. Those people at 12 Minutes Max will get a chance to see them, however. I’m feeling pretty exhausted mentally and emotionally, which is giving me a restlessness that I’m trying to escape. Just those mid-process growing pains.

We are into week three of rehearsals and so much has happened. We have a twining trio, a dead lift trio, a falling quartet and two snaky duets. We are creating the opening section of ‘Mortar, Sylphs Wrote’ first because it is the section we are premiering at 12 Minutes Max on March 3 and 4. I’m really trying to be efficient so it will be ready, and then we can take a little more time to dwell on the following sections and create the film portions that (I think) we’ll use.

If I had to describe the piece so far what would I say? Well of the tiny portion, I’d say it’s pretty dancey. It moves quite a bit. Our piece “Points and Coordinates” was a bit more minimal. That is very much due to the fact that we were confined to dancing on the canvases. “Dancing Diana” was a series of duets and solos. I’m trying to go an entirely different direction with this: multiple dancers on stage at a time, using more expansive floor pathways, and fluid and connected movement. I’m challenging myself aesthetically. I’m challenging myself with the use of the music.

Donna Perkins came in yesterday to draw the rehearsal. She’s the painter we collaborated with on “Points and Coordinates” AND, we will be doing portions of “Mortar” in Archway Gallery amongst her paintings that she created from “Points and Coordinates.” So you can come see this work and see her paintings that she created from another one of our works. I’m very much looking forward to seeing that as the atmosphere of the dance. The way I see it is that her paintings capture a multitude of moments from “Points and Coordinates.” But what’s interesting about paining, is that it exists outside of the time element we dancers are so intricately aware of. Meanwhile, Frame will be dancing amongst those paintings in a very time-aware fashion. And each moment is utterly temporary. Lots of layers going on here.

Houstonians–I want to see you at Boheme Cafe and Wine Bar to benefit Frame Dance Productions through a nifty event put on by Spacetaker called Cultured Cocktails.  Long sentence.

Invite anyone and everyone.  There will be a raffle for free tickets to Satin Stitch.  Need more info?  Check out www.barboheme.com.  Come have fun!

Two things:

1.  The Satin Stitch promo/teaser is up.  Just go to framedance.org

2.  New pics streaming on the front page of the website.  After you watch the teaser, just click to enter the website, and you’ll see some more new pics from Lorie Garcia.

Enjoy!

Once again, photos taken by the talented Lorie Garcia.

Here are two more images by Lorie Garcia from Frame Dance Productions’ Satin Stitch film shoot.  I can’t let the cat out of the bag all at once.  A little at a time….

These shots were taken by photographer Lorie Garcia.  All images are copyright (c) 2011 Lorie Garcia, studio 4d4.  You can see more of her work on her website at www.studio4d4.com

I apologize for the bad pictures, but it’s just a little glimpse of the dancers, the technology director and the hotel room the night before the shoot.

We filmed Satin Stitch.  It’s there.  Now I have to find it amongst all of the footage, but the important thing is that is it there.  And it’s beautiful.  Can’t wait for you to see it.  And I can’t wait to see it either, at this point.  These dancers are fierce, flexible, and dedicated to art.  It was cold.  It was VERY cold.  Some of us got to the film location the night before filming, and one dancer as well as the photographer made the trip early in the morning.  I’m talking 4 am.  I had to capture the sunrise.  We then took a quick trip to the grocery store to get some snacks/breakfast.  We drove on to the ferry to our second film location and began shooting there.  We didn’t get lost, per se.  More like confused by the two Honeysuckle streets.  A Lane and a Drive, I believe.  I guess my pre-shoot notes weren’t quite specific enough, but being the resourceful and visual people that we are, we got there.  We shot in the second location for about an hour.  And then I fell.  Twisted my ankle and came crashing down on my left knee and right palm.  It was caught on tape.  Thoughts came flooding through my mind:  did I break my ankle, can I even move, pain, and should I remove myself from this film?  After a minute and some help up, things were okay, other than my knee hurting every time I stepped onto it.  Better than a broken or sprained ankle.  Dancing in boots: unstable.  I can’t remember the last time that I have fallen…I mean, really fallen. We shot about five more minutes there and moved to the third location.  This one was rich…tons of perspective, color, depth, texture.  We spent the majority of our time here.  Boot dance, hand dance, scarf dance, and some other tasty treats you’ll have to wait to see on March 12.  We had lunch at a place called the Tiki Lounge.  Let’s just say that there weren’t a lot of options available to us.  It was neither tiki nor lounge.  After what seemed like a three hour lunch–the service was extremely, um, lengthy, we (and our food comas) braved the cold again.  This time with fewer layers.  I thought the warmest time of the day would be right after lunch, but I think I was wrong.  It was definitely windier.  But the brave Frame Dance Productions dancers flung themselves tirelessly into the dance.  Several more hours, a ferry ride and a cemetery (???), and we were done.  We went back to the hotel to take a quick look at the footage to make sure everything was “there.”  It was, and I dismissed the dancers early.  I couldn’t have them dancing in the cold for another moment.  Now to edit…