8 Lessons for Dancers in Higher Education

by Lydia MFA Mondays

MFA right

 8 Lessons for Dancers in Higher Education

by Sarah Wildes Arnett

1. Dance is not a terminal field, even though the MFA is. Most dancers (and performers in general) know and accept this as truth – dancers are students their entire lives. There is always a way to improve and become better as our bodies change and as the field evolves. I accepted this long before making the decision to go back to school. What I did not realize until much later was that this applies to my creative work as well. As I went into my thesis work and now, as a professional and in setting choreography on my students, I started the process of reworking old choreography. I’ve now taken what was originally a sextet and translated it into a duet (which works much better that way) that has been reworked at least five times on different dancers, each time finding out new information about the piece. The piece has evolved from a general exploration of rhythms and patterns to being about a simple relationship to death and the afterlife. I’m pretty sure it’s not perfect yet.

2. It’s ok to beat a dead horse (figuratively). Not every piece has to be a masterpiece and you don’t have to make work about something new and different every time. Some things are worth investigating again and again. Just because you tried something once doesn’t mean you are done and that you cannot do it again.

3. Age is just a number. I went to school with people from all walks of life, including those in my MFA program and the undergraduates working on their BFA and BA degrees. I truly believe that there are things to be learned from each other, no matter what the age as everyone brings in their own experiences and ideas. One of the best collaborators I ever worked with in graduate school (and best friends I’ve ever made) was an undergraduate student, Megen Burgess. We still work together and talk weekly about dancing ideas even though we live 9 hours away from each other.

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4. Not every rehearsal has to be in a studio. Megen and I created an entire duet (and mind you, a very physically challenging duet) without managing to spend but maybe a total of 4 hours dancing. Sometimes you just need to have rehearsal at El Carreton. Sometimes you just have to draw a dance.

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5. Write everything down. I cannot tell you the number of brilliant ideas (and I mean brilliant – I should be Trisha Brown by now) that I have forgotten because I didn’t write them down. Continue reading →

Links We Like Friday: Tiny Dances

by Lydia Links We Like Performances/Screenings

Week 3 in our series that came from our installation at Fresh Arts.  The piece was called The Black Space, and included these tiny silent dances meant to be seen on your smart phones.

 

The Black Space: Tiny Dance 3 from Frame Dance Productions on Vimeo.

Want to write for Frame Dance?

by Lydia Uncategorized

Are you a Frame Dance blog reader?  Have you ever wanted to write something to be published and shared with the Frame Dance audience?  Are you an MFA who would like to contribute to the MFA Monday column, or a health and wellness person who would like to share some tips on Wellness Wednesday?  Or maybe a music professional who can share on Tuesday Tunes?  Or maybe you have a wild idea that doesn’t already fit?  We’d love to hear it!

 

We are accepting Frame Dance blog submissions now.  All of these beautiful people are blog writers past and present! Be a part of the Frame Dance Blog community.

Frame Dance Composers: What are they up to now?

by Lydia Tuesday Tunes

As we get ready to announce the winner of this year’s Music Composition Competition, we thought we’d let you know what the past winners are up to now.  We think they’re outstanding.

Starting with the most recent, today’s update is on Robert Honstein, 2014 Winner.

robert honstein

Robert Honstein

Robert’s recent collaboration with New York based early music ensemble, The Sebastians, has been released as an album, ‘Night Scenes from the Ospedale’. The disc weaves together selections from Vivaldi’s L’Estro Armonico with a new suite of night music by Honstein. In these companion pieces Robert imagines “Night Scenes” from the Ospedale della Pietà where Vivaldi worked as performer, composer, and teacher. These evocative interludes comprise “a kind of music barely heard, melting into the stillness of empty rooms and dimly lit hallways” and exist in stark juxtaposition with the bold, exuberant Vivaldi concerti. Stream sample tracks and order a copy here (https://www.sebastians.org/shop/)

Wellness Wednesday

by Lydia Eat Well Wednesday Uncategorized

0What are the 20 best foods to eat for breakfast?  Some of these may surprise you.  Read the article from Health.com to get more details.  Some of these had my brow furrowing skeptically….

Oatmeal

Greek yogurt

Wheat germ

Grapefruit

fruits-for-skinBananas (I thought we were off of these)

Eggs

Almond butter

Watermelon

Flaxseed

Blueberries

Strawberries

Coffee (yay!)

Tea

Cantaloupe

Kiwi

Orange juice (what?! Didn’t we JUST hear about all the sugar in this?)

Cranberry juice (I’m imagining in small doses, but boy do I love this)

Cereal (careful on this one)

Raspberries

Whole wheat bread (careful on this one too)

Tuesday Tunes

by Lydia Tuesday Tunes

blanton_musicians

 

The 2015 Frame Dance Music Composition Competition submissions are closed. We are actively reviewing and thrilled about the submissions this year!   Here’s a look at some of our previous winners, and remember that it could be you for 2015!  Next week, we will tell you what the past winners are up to now…

Previous Winners

 

2014

First Placemusic3

Robert Honstein an index of possibility, for percussion trio

Second Place

Matthew Peterson

Rain Dances, for quadrophonic mixed media

Third Place

Jonathan Russell

Five Two Tango, for two violins

Film Score Winnermusicc

D. Edward Davis

cliff nesting, for alto saxophone with the sounds of Black-legged Kittiwakes near Seward, Alaska

2013 Winner

Robert McClure

2012 Winner

Charles Halka

2011 Winner

Micah Clark

 

 

 

 

MFA Monday: Surprises of Grad School

by Lydia MFA Mondays

MFA rightBiggest Surprises of Grad School

 by Amanda Diorio

 

I would make friends

I thought when I went back to school to get my MFA that I would be entering an uptight academic environment.  I was so preoccupied with the idea of school and relocating my life that I forgot I would be entering a community of like-minded peers. In undergrad, even among dance majors, I was considered the “dance nerd,”   In grad school I was surrounded by not only dancers but specifically  “dance nerds,” people who wanted to explore, dissect and reveal as much about the art as I did.  This community turned out to be a vital support group throughout the process of completing my degree.  Having others to bitch to, socialize, laugh, and share my fledgling art with became essential for my survival during this stressful time.  These bonds were not only a lifeline during the process but created many long lasting friendships and an excellent network that stands strong long after graduation.

 

The teacher/student relationship has evolved

When you enter a graduate program you have already passed a test in the eyes of the faculty.  You have already completed one major academic step and have decided to continue onto another. There are fewer grad students for them to keep track of and you yourself are probably a much better student.  For me this reduced a lot of the intimidationI felt with my undergraduate professors.  Continue reading →

Links We Like

by Lydia Links We Like Performances/Screenings

For links we like we thought we’d throw back to some Frame Dance Tiny Dances from our show called The Black Space.  We made a series of these tiny silent films that were made to be viewed on a smart phone.  Stay tuned for the second one next Friday.

 

The Black Space: Tiny Dance 1 from Frame Dance Productions on Vimeo.