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| Photo By Eric Olson |
Since I moved back to Chicago in 2006, I have consistently danced with two or more companies at the same time. Over the course of a season or an overlapping project the juggling act ebbs and flows between being adequately balanced and completely exhausting.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that rehearsing for two companies within a single day is very hard to manage. The level of energy and focus required for two separate 4-hour rehearsal periods is simply too much for me. I never want dancing to feel like a job, and when I am so tired I start to resent having to move through space, I know it’s time to reevaluate my commitments. Now I try to make sure that my rehearsals are each on separate days of the week, and that gives me the space I need to recharge and remain present throughout each company’s rehearsal process.
Though the performance schedules of the companies I’ve danced for are often spread throughout the year, November 16th may prove to be very interesting. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Chicago Dancemakers Forum (CDF), I will be performing with The Dance COLEctive, Ayako Kato/Art Union Human Scape, and Khecari at the Museum of Contemporary Art, all within a 1.5 hour window. Quick changes, here I come!
The company is very excited about participating in the Chicago Dancemakers Forum Break Out! Celebrating ten years of supporting new work by Chicago dancemakers on Nov 16, 2013!
Submitted by TDC dancer Maggie Koller, Thursday, September 26, 2013.
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| Photo by Eric Olson |
By now, I have a pretty clear sense of Margi’s aesthetic. There are certain movements, points of initiation, or ways of making contact that I know will likely be edited out or eventually given “salt and pepper” to ensure they fit the Margi Style. Being aware of these nuances is useful because while I am given (almost) full creative license when generating material, I am able to impose boundaries on the movement I develop in this initial phase of the process. Also when working collaboratively with other dancers, the choices I make (and often lead the team effort toward) are informed by what I’ve learned from Margi over the years, both from her direct requests and feedback, as well as through my own observation of her vision for movement and interaction.
After all this time, I’m still pretty excited by Margi’s way of working. I think it’s because though similar in underlying structure, the actual process she engages us in changes with each new work, and it continues to present a challenge. I’m always excited to start a new piece. The idea itself is unfamiliar. The way I react to the source material (for example, a word list to build movement from) is fresh and hopefully untried. And Margi is consistently adding layers to her process. Whether it is the use of text, time constraints on the choreographic exercises, limitations in space, the inclusion of improvisation, or anything else, Margi’s decision to push the way she works has kept the experience of dance making enlivening, even after eight seasons.
Submitted by TDC dancer Maggie Koller, Sunday, September 15, 2013
Musings from the Artistic Director
It is September. Summer is coming to a close and The Dance COLEctive is about to embark on the beginnings of it's 18th season... What?????
Where does the time go? I mean that about 18 years worth of TDC as well as summer. Generally I spend the bulk of my summer teaching here and there and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to do so in various different places this summer! Cincinnati, OH; Birmingham and Gadsden, AL; Springfield, IL; our own workshop here in Chicago and, a major highlight, at the American Dance Festival in Durham, NC. I have also been a "dancer" much of the summer in the studio with choreographer Peter Carpenter and fellow dancers Lisa Gonzales and Matthew McMunn. This has been joyous for me mentally, spiritually and artistically. I can't wait to perform in October at the Dance Center. Admittedly I had a giant to do list and I did not get to all of it! Costumes to organize, things to file, grants to write, Linked In pages to update and the list goes on. Cleaning my office will just have to wait another day...
One of my big challenges generally is creating personal time for myself without feeling guilty about it while the things on my to do list go unchecked. I did manage to spend a little time with family and friends. Went to the beach in Florida. Completed my Advanced Open Water Dive Certification and ended up seeing sharks in the process. (No joke!) I appreciated the beauty and water of Lake Michigan by boat. Read all the Hunger Games books. Celebrated an important birthday with a dear friend, welcomed new babies into the world and have been mourning the loss of a friend and mentor Dr. Woodie T. White who served on the TDC board for many years. I have been in a whirlwind.
I guess I am sharing all this with you because summer is generally, dare I say it, a time for ME. It allows me to reflect, replenish, nourish, challenge, be a student, be a teacher and remind myself that I am simply human. NOT super human, which is what I would like to be! And everything I do for ME enables ME to gather my forces and jump headlong into yet another season, the 18th season of The Dance COLEctive! I am excited about the artists I am working with, eager to get back into the studio, open to change, to experimentation and looking forward while I am dancing backwards.
Submitted by TDC Artistic Director Margi Cole, Monday, September 3, 2013.
