Austerlund

Super talented dancer/choreographer Jonathan Fredrickson showed off his company, Austerlund, last week as part of the Puleio Dance Festival.  Dancing excerpts from his piece, The Edge of Some World, the company performed exquisite, full-bodied movement laced with emotion.  Jonathan has created a world (as the title suggests) with it's own internal logic; deeply relatable, but not quite human.  If you didn't get a chance to check out his work, have no fear; Jonathan will show the full version of the piece this fall.  More photos from Jonathan's tech rehearsal are available at my Flickr page.

dance photo week

Last week I photographed the works of Catherine Miller, Sasha Soreff, HeJin Jang, and Joanna Kotze. Four talented female choreographers, four completely different works.

Catherine Miller is presenting "Juliet Looks to the West", danced by the beautiful dancers Logan Kruger and Reid Bartlme The piece is being presented by the Propel-her Dance Collective at the Cunningham Studio Theatre May 28th & 29th at 9pm and Saturday May 30th at 8pm. For tickets and info email propelherdance@gmail.com. More photos from Catherine's rehearsal are available at my Flickr page.

Sasha Soreff will be holding an open rehearsal Friday May 29th at One Arm Red 6:30-8:30 pm 10 Jay Street, Suite 903A Brooklyn NY. The space is amazing, right on the water and near Jacques Torres! You can also participate in the creation of the piece which will be presented in it's entirety Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater. Again, photos from Sasha's rehearsal are up at my Flickr page.

Joanna Kotze and Hejin Jang presented works at Judson Church on Monday. I can't wait to see more of them! I was lucky enough to get photos of Joanna's piece and of HeJin's piece.

9 questions for HeJin Jang

Dancer/Choreographer HeJin Jang is the first person to respond to 9 questions. Here's what she had to say.

1. How would you describe the piece you are currently working on?

   I am currently interested in use of silence and its politics. Paged/staged/wakeful/watchful/improvised/calculated silence…….Silence that is the other side of sound and image…..

2. What inspired you to create this piece?

   When my silence got read by others, their voice came unstitched over mine. I was very upset. And the only thing I could do about it was dancing. I have tried to back up those words through my body.

3. Where does this piece fit into your overall body of work? Is it more similar or dissimilar to the rest of your work? How?

   I will say this work was inspired by what the previous piece made me forget and remember.

4. What significant shifts in your work or creative process have you seen over time? Why do you think those shifts occurred?

   Creating works became more like carving. I start with various materials and ideas and then start to carve it out. In other words, “empty” it out. It is not just a editing. Even if I cut some out, it is all imprinted in my body. I try to share those invisible left-overs with audience.

5. Why do you choose to express yourself with dance?

   It is because “Embodiment” is louder than my words. I get to forget and re-member through dance.

6. What about today's environment feeds your work? What are your favorite things about dancing now? What do you find the most challenging?

   I like talking about works over coffee. Or, I like have dances to talk to each other. I appreciate draft works and its informal showing with discussion in today’s dance scene. I also like writing about my work and its process. What I am interested in is “performative writing,” and it helps me to go deeper in dance. Both talking and writing about works could be most challenging as well.

7. What is your happiest dance memory?

   I don’t know whether I am “happy” dancing or making dance. I always go though hard times emotionally when make works. But, I do know there is a reason for that place. I guess just believing in dance makes me happy.

8. What do you do on a daily basis to support your choreography?

   Moving and Thinking are not two distinct things. As we move, we think. As we think, we move. I guess I am trying to think in depth in every day life to support my work. It is to enable “bodily thinking”

9. If you were interviewing yourself, what would you ask?

   “What do you think is the reason for you that you just have to keep on keeping on with dance in spite of?”

Check out HeJin's work this Monday May 11th at Judson Church and see more photos of her work in rehearsal here

9 questions

This spring I will ask 9 questions of 9 choreographers. 4 men 5 women same 9 questions. I want to know what makes them tick. What makes them excited to make work? How has their work changed overtime? What inspires them? Here are the questions so far. What questions would you ask?

1) How would you describe the piece you are currently working on?

2) What inspired you to create this piece?

3) Where does this piece fit into your overall body of work?  Is it more similar or dissimilar to the rest of your work?  How?

4) What significant shifts in your work or creative process have you seen over time?  Why do you think those shifts occurred?

5) Why do you choose to express yourself with dance?

6) What about today's environment feeds your work? What are your favorite things about dancing now? What do you find the most challenging?

7) What is your happiest dance memory?

8) What do you do on a daily basis to support your choreography?

9) If you were interviewing yourself, what would you ask?

Conduit: Three Dances

Daniel Charon's sensitive, thoughtful choreography will be on display at Joyce SoHo April 23rd-26th...and I'm lucky enough to be a part of it! He has assembled an eclectic mix of incredibly talented dancers and collaborators. Watching sections in rehearsal I am in constant awe of Daniel's ability to evoke such strong emotion from simple well-placed movements. The evening will consist of three new dance works with an original composition by Koven J. Smith. Purchase your tickets and come see the show!

See more photos of Daniel Charon's work in rehearsal and tech

Adam Barruch at BAC

Walking into BAC on thursday, I could feel the excitement in the air; something new and fresh was about to happen. Adam Barruch was presenting his first full length concert and I had the privilege of being there to photograph the whole thing!

I was impressed by all aspects of the concert; the movement was inventive and well performed, the lighting dramatic, and the costumes simple yet additive. Often when taking photos, I concentrate so fully on my art that I don't see everything that happens across the whole stage. Tonight, I enjoyed the dance even through the lens of the camera. I even laughed out loud!

Check it out. I can't wait to see this delightful, well tailored performance as an audience member.

Adam Barruch Dance Performances Friday March 13th Saturday March14th 7:30pm

Baryshnikov Arts Center Howard Gilman Performance Space 4th Floor

Summer dance adventure!

When?

June 14th-July 26th, 2009

Where?

Montreal, Canada and Vienna, Austria

What?

I will attend two dance festivals this summer, each held in a city internationally renowned for dance. I plan to immerse myself in these ephemeral worlds, interact with and learn from as many artists as possible, and document the whole thing here through photos and words.

Why?

Artists from all over the world attend these festivals in order to interact with one another; performing as well as sharing different techniques, forms of expression, and thoughts about dance. As a professional dancer (and budding dance photographer!), I dream of being one of these artists. I want to come face to face with other dance cultures in order to learn, compare, share what I know, and grow into a more complete and knowledgeable artist. I consider such interactions crucial for furthering and expanding my professional dance career.

Goals!

So here, in short form, are my goals for attending these festivals:

1. attend contemporary dance workshops and classes
2. attend dance festivals and/or independent dance shows that may take place during my visit
3. photo-document and blog my experiences
4. explore cultural diversity through dance
5. share my artistic gifts with new people and groups
6. explore different dance styles and approaches
7. upon returning home, throw a photography show/party in order to share my experiences