The exhibit looks incredible.  They’ve really transformed the space, check out this article on the opening of the Dance with Camera exhibit.

On August 18th, Frame will be presenting at the Spacetaker Speakeasy.  I will be workshopping the newest work-in-progress through an element of technology that I’m not sure I’m ready to embrace yet.  So I’ll test it out.  During the showing of the piece-in-progress (note: in progress), I’ll divide the audience into two groups (or they’ll divide themselves); one group will respond to the work using the Fieldwork Guidelines at the end of the showing.  The other group will respond into a live feed in real time (on the computer, for those of you not as tech-savvy).  My interest lies in how the feedback differs between the two groups, how the audience feels about responding in their specific context, and also, how my dancers feel knowing people are responding to the work in these two separate groups.

Fieldwork is a weekly or bi-monthly work group designed to give feedback to artists presenting their work anywhere from mid-process through final stage.  The concept is for viewers/responders to give feedback that comes from an experiential place.  “When I saw your work, I felt____” or “when this happened, I was distanced by _____” or “I was drawn in by ______”  or “seeing this reminded me of ______.”  Taboo phrases in Fieldwork are “I liked” or “I didn’t like.” Basically, we try to avoid empty words that don’t provide insight into how the content was received.  In contrast, the real-time responses will be more like fleeting thoughts, impressions, questions…more of an uncensored response to more closely mimic the anonymity that real-time responders have over the internet.

I facilitate Fieldwork in Houston–if you’re a Houstonian, and an artist interested, leave me a comment.

Media Contact:

Susan Schmaeling, APR

susan@saspr.com

713-349-0780

Weekend of Texas Contemporary Dance

Free, at Miller Outdoor Theatre

September 24-25, 2010

Houston, Texas – July 28, 2010 – From Tchaikovsky to original electronic scores; from Bourneville to Bollywood, the 16^th annual Weekend of Texas Contemporary Dance celebrates the diversity and creativity of ten Texas-based choreographers and dance companies. Dance Source Houston has presented this free dance festival for the past 15 years at Miller Outdoor Theatre. Executive Director Christina Giannelli and the Weekend curatorial team, Roxanne M. Claire, Joanna Friesen and Nancy Wozny, have curated an evening of mind-blowing entertainment. Tap dance, trapeze work and dancing with industrial fans are part of the evening performance on September 24-25, 2010 at 8 PM at Miller. The program includes: independent choreographers Paola Georgudis, Catalina Molnari and Leslie Scates. Featured companies are: Frame Dance Productions; infinite Moving Ever Evolving (iMEE); NobleMotion Dance; Reck Dance Projects; Revolve Dance Company; Suchu Dance; and Vault. For additional information about the dance festival visit www.houstondance.org. For ticket information for the evening program only, directions and location of Miller Outdoor Theatre visit www.milleroutdoortheatre.com or call (713) 373-3386.  For dance updates, follow Dance Source Houston on Facebook.

Dance Source Houston also presents Dance Around the World, a free family matinee, on Saturday, September 25, 2010 at 11 AM at Miller Outdoor Theatre. Dance Around the World explores the classical dance styles of two cultures. The top students from Houston’s foremost dance academies, Houston Ballet II and The Anjali Dance Company will present traditional and contemporary dances from the European and Indian traditions.  Exciting dance, fabulous costumes and beautiful music will delight and entertain audiences of all ages.

Dance Source Houston presents Weekend of Texas Contemporary Dance. The dance festival is sponsored in part by the City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board, Inc. KUHF-FM Houston Public Radio is the official media sponsor.

Dance Source Houston is a service organization supporting the creation and presentation of contemporary dance in Houston.  Other Dance Source Houston projects include: The Dance Card, a bi-monthly calendar of area dance events; The Dance Table, sharing dance community information at area performances; the Dance Source Weekly Newsletter, an e-newsletter; and the website www.houstondance.org for upcoming performance information; previews and reviews.  These activities are supported in part by Houston Endowment, Inc. and Houston Arts Alliance.

Tomorrow’s rehearsal is the first for the CAM piece, Points and Coordinates. There is a major “unknown” element because of the space we’re using–the audience space being the performance space. So something I need to focus on is not cementing the piece. There will be choreographed phrases, manipulations of those phrases, segments of choreographed locomotion, and transitions, but I need to find the places in the piece that can be manipulated and established during the performance–the variables, as I have previously written. I’m all about rehearsing improv, and making that a regular part of company rehearsals. Each time we ‘run’ the piece, it will be a new manifestation of the choreography/score on a new axis…does that make sense? So the performance will be a new manifestation on the axis of the CAM, the axis being the arrangement of the gallery, the moving arrangement of the people in the space, and each other as we’re reacting and responding to the first two variables.

Friday is the opening of the exhibit: Dance with Camera, and earlier that day I am meeting with some people at the CAM to discuss the possibilities of projectors, projection space and what will most likely be our “danceable space.”

So for tomorrow, these are my goals:
1. the new Frame’s official mini warm-up
2. imrov time really move the body and find awareness of each other
3. learn big phrase
4. learn mini phrase-let
5. begin to create new weight-shift section

Must not forget the camera…must not forget the camera…

This week is Frame’s first week of the season!  We’re off!  We start work in the studio on Points and Coordinates to be performed Sept. 16 at the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston.  I thought it might be nice to look back on the past 3 months (the first 3 months!) of Frame Dance Productions.  All pictures for “Crease” were photographed by the magnificent Lorie Garcia

We are so excited to have Crease screened at Weekend of Texas Contemporary Dance at the Miller Outdoor Theater in Hermann Park on September 24-25, 8pm. Come see us on the big screen. BIG screen. This event is run by Dance Source Houston, and they have set up profiles for each company presenting work in the show. Here’s ours.

Frame’s Profile for WTCD

It’s a fantastic event, it’s free, and the weather should be really wonderful.  Bring a picnic, see some dance, and watch Frame on the  big screen!

You may have noticed that I’ve been writing about using a drop cloth for one of the sections of Points and Coordinates (the CAMH piece), but I’ve been playing around with butcher paper. Very different. I wanted something a bit more substantial than butcher paper. The only challenge I’m facing now is how to make it taut while we’re moving on it. I have a couple of thoughts: create a frame (wood, maybe) like stretching it over a canvas, or create the piece so that at least two sides are anchored by people while one dancer is moving in the center of it…Your thoughts are GREATLY accepted. This is what I’ve found.
I may end up getting a larger size, but that will depend on the space at the CAM. I’m not sure yet where work will be installed in the museum and how the space will be divided. I love that it’s washable, that we can use it in rehearsals and wash it clean for the next. But I may not want to…I’m also considering just layering more graphite on it with each rehearsal.

One thing hasn’t changed, my cat is still a connoisseur of art.

Section 1:
Dancer 1: perimeter, avoid, attract, ignore
Dancer 2: center, avoid, attract, ignore
Dancer 3: center, avoid, attract, ignore

Section 2:
Occurrence 1 with phrase 1
walking/locomotion
gesture in clump space
occurrence 2 with phrase 2
weight shifting
locomotion and change of coordinates
individual manipulation of phrase 1 and 2
occurrence 3 with phrase 2
clump in 4th with sequential body circles
occurrence 2 with a section of phrase 1
occurrence 1 with a section of phrase 2
occurrence 3 with a section of phrase 1
phrase 1 with crescendo in deliberation

In each “occurrence” each dancer has a predetermined role (quality, dynamic, variation on the theme) and relationship to the group

So now after I’ve typed this (it’s been hand-written until now) I realize how lofty the word “occurrence” appears. I just couldn’t use “incident”–far too haphazard for my admittance. I’ve designed this score to take from and eliminate from. It’s a rough, rough draft of flow. And I won’t know how far off or how close to the mark I am with this until we’ve been in the studio as a group. A few weeks ago I wrote about how the environment will be completely unpredictable because the “performance space” is also the “audience space.” So what I’m doing here is creating a score of relationships to each other in space to then manipulate the phrases in the moment, allowing for the space to inform our choices. Because we will be rehearsing for 6 weeks, we will be able to become comfortable with the phrases, take liberties as we improvise within the relational directives, so that we can explore the directives enough to create something completely new each time, including at the CAM. It’s called Points and Coordinates.

Frame’s promotional video below includes work created by Director Lydia Hance. The works includes Dancing Diana, performed at the Frenetic Fringe Festival in Houston, TX; At First, Delights, a dance-for-camera work shot in Galveston, TX; This Skin, These Bones performed at Roanoke Ballet Theater, Virginia and premiered at the Alvin Ailey School in New York City; and Crease, the latest dance-for-camera work shot in Houston, TX.

Unfortunately, your browser does not support this video. Please visit <a href=”https://www.framedance.org” mce_href=”https://www.framedance.org”>www.framedance.org</a> to view our promo video.

Something funny going on with the html…working on it, a working promo should be up pretty soon for your viewing pleasure. Thanks for your patience!