Thank goodness I don't have to wear a skirt!

As the artistic director of The Dance COLEctive I think it is so important for me to be active as a performer having to engage with others in their creative process and to work in this way with my peers.  As Margi Cole the dancer, I crave the opportunity to be inside of a work with others, discovering new creative juices, to be questioned, to be challenged and to experience the fear and joy of performing in someone else's work. Work that I am not producing but that I have the simple pleasure of participating in. Normally, I bring someone to us or me, to work with under the umbrella of TDC.  As the company has gotten older these opportunities have been fewer. But you never know what can happen from a random casual conversation about someone's upcoming project, sharing admiration for their work and the simple inquiry of when auditions are being held.  (Yes, that really happened!)

I have been so lucky to have been working with choreographer Peter Carpenter for the last several months.  He has put together a pretty cool quartet comprised if himself (Welcome to the gunshow!), Lisa Gonzales (whose beauty and generosity as a person spills into the studio and her artistry) and Matthew McMunn (poor Matthew...Having once been one of my students he has had to endure all my teasing but, he has more then earned my respect as a dance partner, collaborator and artist) and little ole me.  Pete's process has been rich with fun, discovery, SPARKS of curiosity, sheer physicality, and lots of heavy breathing.  I am happy to report that I have lines to remember, gained some new skills with a fancy tape dispenser, have bodies to move through space, a sassy costume to wear designed by Jeff Hancock and an enormous amount of gratitude for this opportunity.

You can see a teaser here.  Go ahead... Click on it!

Pete is sharing the bill with Same Planet Different World October 10-12 at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago.  Pete is a sophisticated and thoughtful dancemaker and I am so proud to be part of this work!  I hope you will be able to come to the show. 

Submitted by TDC Artistic Director Margi Cole on October 2, 2013.