Alumni Spotlight on Laurel Moore Zahrobsky

 

Laurel Moore Zahrobsky

Director of Terpsichord, Dance Teacher/Girls Preparatory School Chattanooga, TN

What years did you work with The Dance COLEctive? 

 

1995-2000 (I think. Or maybe 2001?) We met when I was part of the Columbia College Summer Dance Intensive. She selected me for her piece. After that, I was contracted per show before she formally began The Dance COLEctive. When she started the company, I was a founding member.

 

Laurel with Julie Tice Photo by William Frederking

 

 

Any favorite TDC Memories? 

Loads of fun memories Rehearsals that felt like they lasted 15 minutes because we were having so much fun, road trips for performances, cocktail hours in our down time, birthday parties, and life changing moments we all got through together just to name a few. I loved partnering with Margi. When we danced together it was like dancing with an extension of myself.

On-Stage or Site-Specific Performance? 

 

There were so many performance opportunities that Margi provided us. Some of my favorites were the site-specific ones. She bought pallets of grass for a street performance we did on the south side. That was a very surreal performance for me because it was tied into the history of the houses where we were dancing. I love that kind of stuff! Mixing art and history and bringing it to a present day audience. So exhilarating! We also had a blast performing at the Illinois State Fair. It was hilarious to dance in front of crowds who had no idea what modern dance was. The tractor pull line was my favorite. And then there were people who loved it when we danced in the art gallery at the fair. That was really neat. We wore matching shirts, red bikers and tennis shoes. It was a ton of fun. 

 

At the Illinois State Fair dancing everywhere that was not a stage.

 

For about three years in a row, we spent New Year's Eve in Springfield as part of their First Night performance. It was a lot of fun performing and then ringing in the New Year with the company. Lots of laughs during those evenings!

 

We performed everywhere from the Athenaeum to Columbia College to the MCA and every time we finished, she would have already started working on another show. Margi always worked really hard to make sure we could share her work and be seen in every venue possible.

Trembling in the Balance at the Athenaeum Theater with Amy, Ebony, Margi and Edna 1999

 

What are you doing now? 

 

I am the Director of a dance program at Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga, TN. Even though we are not a performing arts school, dance is a huge part of the curriculum for students. Our high school company is one of the longest-running in the nation. It began in 1960. I am only the third director in the school's dance program.

Where can we find more information about you? 

 

There are some articles written about me through GPS but I don't have a website or anything like that. You can check out my school profile here.

Do you use any Margi-ism’s?

 

Rock star parking is still one of my favorites to say. And I also use spackle (makeup). I'm sure I use more but they are so engrained in my vocabulary I don't even notice anymore. However, no one says a Margi-ism like Margi!

 

Memory from Margi 

 

I met Laurel in 1995 when I did a mentoring project in the summer program at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago. We just seemed to hit it off. I remember being struck by her fearless physicality and her sense of humor! She was always willing to make bold choices and have fun. We also had the south in common. Laurel and her family have been loving and gracious hosts to me and the company. When Laurel had the chance to move back to Chattanooga and teach I was truly sad to see her go. I also knew that it was the best thing for her and her growing family.  AND, I knew that she was going to do an amazing job! Lucky for me, she has remained a dear and valued friend. I am so proud of the work that she does at GPS and one of my proudest moments was seeing her receive the Tennessee Association of Dance Outstanding Dance Educator Award in 2014. Dang, I am getting misty... Thank you for helping to lay the groundwork for future dancers to be fearless and make bold choices!

 

Me and Laurel Summer 2021

Alumni Spotlight on Edna Radnik Madonia

 

Edna Radnik Madonia

Dancer, Personal Trainer, Group Exercise Instructor, Barre Instructor 

 

 

What years did you work with The Dance COLEctive?   

Founding Member from 1996 to 2003 (I think...)

Any favorite TDC Memories?

First Night in Springfield for the New Year.  Was great to travel, perform and ring in the New Year with friends. Of course it was cold and snowy.  I was driving an old Jeep Wrangler at that time and had heat blasting. It was still so cold that Ebony and I had to put blankets on the entire drive home.

First Night Springfield with Laurel, Ebony, Margi, Lisa, Edna and Nancy

 

On Stage or Site-Specific Performance?

Glessner House, outside on the grass! It was a beautiful night, string musicians and we closed the street off and danced on sod. The clean up was hilarious as we never realized how heavy sod was until we had to load it on a truck.

Edna in the grass piece 9/9/99

 

What are you doing now?

Edna!  Looking Good! 

 

 

I am currently a fitness instructor and have been teaching for over 25 years!  After leaving the Center for Community Arts Partnerships at Columbia College Chicago (CCAP-which Margi helped found in 1998) in 2013, I devoted my time to The Dailey Method (TDM) and became a master barre instructor before the studio closed. I was training clients and teaching group classes at a medically integrated facility before being recruited 8 years ago to Life Time Fitness in Burr Ridge.

You can follow Edna on Instagram @fitedna

 Do you use any Margi-ism’s?

We said rock star A LOT in the beginning days and even had stickers in the office that we shared at Columbia. Every time I see a snot guard on a salad bar I laugh out loud and think about attempting a back bend over it.

Margi and Edna in 2018

 Memory from Margi

 

I met Edna in 1995 when I did a mentoring project in the summer at The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago.  She was short, like me and she was a brave and voracious mover!  She had power and guts and I loved that about her. As I got to know her over many years she was a reliable friend and partner to me and the dancers. She was smart, with quick wit and a passion for teaching. She shared with us her love of animals, family and camping. Edna was always in a good mood and was armed with a gracious smile for everyone. I know those are all reasons why she currently has such an amazing following in the work that she does now. Her strength, beauty and energy really brought vibrancy to our creative process. I am proud that she is a founding member of the company and grateful for all her contributions and paving the way for many dancers who came after her!

Photo by William Frederking

Molly remembers being asked to join the company

Photo by William Frederking 2008

I will never forget when you, Margi, approached me after a placement class that I was helping with for those coming into the dance program at Columbia. You asked if I would be interested in coming in to The Dance COLEctive rehearsals to work with you. I was so stoked that I didn't even think to ask any follow up questions. After I was done assisting I ran to meet my mother and a friend and told them that you asked me to dance with you. My mother was so excited and started asking all sorts of questions, including, "Does this mean you are a part of The Dance COLEctive?". A question I should've asked, but I didn't  care. I was going to work with a professional dance company!

I never get nervous when it comes to dance, but walking into that room with older, more mature dancers, freaked me out! I was a sophomore in college and knew very little when it came to modern dance. I also walked into that room thinking, that I was working as a student with Margi Cole on a project, not as part of the company. I worked my butt off in warm ups, and then came "driving the bus". At 5' 2" I was paired with Ebony, almost 6'! She might have been shorter, but to me she was TALL and I had to partner with her!

Obviously I survived, and learned so much about myself and how to partner. A few more rehearsals went by, shows were booked and parts were given, then I realized that I was part of the company. I was a company member of The Dance COLEctive, not just a student filling in a part! It was the most magical moment for me. These women were beautiful dancers and I got to share a stage with them, learn from them and laugh with them. I danced with The Dance COLEctive for 10 years and loved every moment. The dancers I worked with are friends for life. I couldn't imagine learning as much as I did with any other company. 

Submitted by former TDC dancer Molly Grimm-Leasure, November 29, 2015. 

Dance COLEctive Summer Technique Week with a Twist!

Shannon Edwards Archives

For more than 12 years The Dance COLEctive has conducted an annual Summer Dance Workshop.  The beginning of this year, our 20th Anniversary Season is no different really....

The Dance COLEctive Summer Technique Week with a Twist is a great way to be exposed to the company.  While we are not having an official audition this season we are scouting for dancers to participate in our 20th Anniversary Performances.  Read long time company member Shannon McGuire Edwards' story about her first workshop and how it impacted her journey to join the company.  

Shannon says:
 
It was the summer after graduation in 2009. I never had the privilege of taking Margi's class in college, but I did have her as a sub once. I remember loving her class and found myself particularly eager to master "the run around".  So I signed up for the summer intensive. I was planning on attending the audition at the end of the week. I especially remember Margi talking about weight in the pelvis, the importance of authentic touch, and allowing the body to sink into the floor. These are concepts that still resonate with me show in the work I do with The Dance COLEctive. I still take Margi's class today and think about the special corrections and notes she gave me during those five, intense days at the TDC Summer Workshop.

This is the calendar still hanging in my bedroom at my mom's house. It's still on this page and I look at it often remembering how important that week was to me. (On the 8th it says "audition" and "family" because I went to my family reunion a day late so I could make it to the audition).

Margi says:

I remember Shannon working so diligently as a student in my Repertory Performance Workshop class at Columbia College.  I was drawn to her work ethic and to her powerful presence as a performer.  It has been such a pleasure to watch Shannon grow as a person and an artist in her years with the company and I am still magically drawn to her beauty and vulnerability as a performer.  

This year, in honor of our 20th Anniversary, we will not only do technique but we will teach repertory from our long history.  Should be fun! 

You can find more information here!

Submitted by TDC dancer Shannon Edwards, August 2, 2015.   

With Gratitude

Dear Dance COLEctive Enthusiasts,

The Dance COLEctive is wrapping up an excellent year of visible and diverse performance opportunities throughout the city of Chicago and beyond. We had the pleasure of performing at the Elgin Ties Dance Festival, the Pivot Arts Festival, and the Peep Show at Links Hall. Through our self produced concert Holding Ground, we produced dancer Madelyn Doyle's work for the first time, and we launched our very first Live Streaming Performance.  There were separate 209 devices, at least 400 TDC fans from around the country that hosted viewing parties and watched the show.

You can see our 2014 Year End Video here.

You can also see what the Chicago Tribune said here.
 
Almost 19 years ago I founded The Dance COLEctive as a means for my friends and I to produce and showcase our work. Today it is much more than that. Often seeking out new collaborations, we joined photographer Eric Olson in the studio with the idea of creating “piles” and intimate moving “portraits”.  You can see what a successful collaboration this was by viewing these images in our gallery.  

Photo by Eric Olson

 Artistically, I have been very fortunate this year. I mentored choreographers through the Thodos New Dances program, performed at the Going Dutch Festival, taught around the country, created work for Columbia College students, and studied dancemaking with master choreographer Joe Goode.  I continued to perform in a new dance/theater work with independent choreographer Peter Carpenter and was also acknowledged as a Woman of Inspiration by Today’s Chicago Woman.

Many good things are coming up for us this year, including my choreographic collaboration with Peter Carpenter, Rituals of Abundance for Lean Times #14: Curious Reinventions. We have every intention of sharing this with you through another live streaming performance. Fingers crossed!

Photo by William Frederking

Currently the company is comprised of 7 thoughtful and sophisticated young women (you can read some of the writing about their experiences here) who are helping me to fulfill my desire to mentor while also actively creating new work. Their dedication and remarkable growth as artists inspires and energizes me to keep finding ways to create performance and mentorship opportunities and to continue adapting to an ever changing landscape. The current national and local economic and political environments continue to pose serious challenges to TDC's future. Disappearing resources on the the state and city level, as well as more limited support from local foundations, continues to impact TDC's ability to support itself and its artists. This is why we need you more than ever. Many of you have been collaborators, students and mentors. Many of you are family, friends, peers, acquaintances, board members and audience members. You have personally witnessed my passion for dance and the power of a positive experience!

Please consider making a year-end donation to TDC.  In supporting us, you are not only making a financial contribution, you are investing in the continued growth of our artists. In addition, you will help us to create new and innovative dance and find more ways to share it with you.

To make a donation, simply go to our website or you can send a check to our snail mail address below.
You can also support us while you are shopping on Amazon.

Thank you so much for your continued interest in the Company and have a safe and wonderful holiday!

Most Sincerely, 

The Dance COLEctive is graciously funded by The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The MacArthur Funds for Arts and Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation,  the Illinois Arts Council, the Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development and many generous individuals like you.  Special thanks to our season sponsors Lakeside Bank, Pacific Management Inc. and the Rivendell Foundation. 

 Submitted by TDC Artistic Director, Margi Cole, Monday, December 22, 2014

How to Succeed as an Independent Dance Artist

This week I was invited to talk to a group of upper division dance students in the Artists and Audiences class at the Dance Center of Columbia College.  I went to share my thoughts and experiences about operating as an Independent Artist in the field.  I offered them tips on things to research, places to look for information and ways to organize themselves through the business of dance and in preparing, I realized that something more emerged. What is really important are the ways in which you treat and communicate with people. Succeeding there enables you to create the infrastructure you need to operate successfully as an Independent Artist and in general, more than anything, it just comes down to being a good person. Dance teaches us so beautifully discipline, patience, perseverance, passion and how to interact with each other.  These are qualities I feel we can all benefit from and use in our "regular" lives.  What do you think? 

Here are my top 12 thoughts on the matter:

• Be on time.
• Treat people the way you would want to be treated.
• If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all. You never know who is in earshot and might repeat something you did not mean for them.
• Follow through on what you commit to.
• Be an active member of your community. Participate, be seen, support and engage on many levels.
• Do your research.
• Learn how to make a budget. Be accountable to yourself and others in this arena.
• Put your money where your mouth is.  Your high expectation of others should also be something you expect of yourself.
• Be professional.
• Be authentic.
• Learn about the field at large.  Locally, nationally, internationally.  What are the current trends and issues that we face outside of the studio and theater.
• Say Thank You!  Even to your closest friends, peers and colleagues.  It just goes a long way.  

Thanks to Bonnie Brooks and the Artists and Audiences students for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts and further refine my values on this topic!

Submitted by Margi Cole, TDC Artistic Director on Tuesday, February 4, 2014. 

“..how the hell did this happen?”

Well here we are, nearing the end of The Dance COLEctiveʼs 17th season and Iʼm looking back at the past two years thinking “..how the hell did this happen?” I remember showing up to my first Modern 1 class at Columbia College Chicago oh so many years ago, a bit apprehensive about this new teacher talking about the wonder twins, little green men, and corn. But, I stuck with it. After semesters of thinking that I would never make it to a professional dance company, especially Margi Coleʼs (or really wondering if I even wanted to perform), I found myself unable to stay away from her, her classes, the companyʼs performances, and its dancers. There was something about it that I respected so much.

I knew from the minute I left high school that I wanted to pursue my teaching certificate in Dance and that it would require time and effort. So, during the frequent 3 hour commute to and from Milwaukee, I realized that teaching wasnʼt the only part of dance that I wanted for myself. I needed something in my life that I didnʼt have to control all the time, something that fulfilled the creative side of me but something that also allowed me the chance to share my life with others (a collective perhaps (I know, super cheesetastic)) closer to my age. At the time, the only people I had the opportunity to share with were the ones who wanted to know my favorite color, if I had a mom and lived in a house, and that they just got a brand new outfit and hairdo that I NEEDED to know about. After attending my umpteenth Dance COLEctive performance, I checked the program and committed myself to the audition 7 months away. I attended the summer workshop and was surprised with how many of the dancers I knew, or who actually remembered me from coming to company class. Being there, dancing with these girls was just so comfortable. I appreciated that and understood that this wasnʼt just a dance company, it was a family that had been thoughtfully formed through the direction of a woman who took the time to research her dancerʼs values and goals. I wanted it. I respected it, and knew that this was the “something else.”

Photo by Mike Doyle

 













And now here I sit, explaining all of this to you but reflecting to myself about how it all came to be. Something I didnʼt fully understand until now. I am nearing the end of my second year with the company after starting as an apprentice and couldnʼt be more grateful for the opportunities provided to me. Itʼs been made clear that nothing is accomplished without full commitment, and that if you want something enough you must work your way towards it through as many paths as you can find. The Dance COLEctive, in my eyes, is an established, respected, and carefully constructed crew of beautiful dancers I can proudly say I am a part of, and if you have the chance or interest, I highly recommend inquiring about it.

 Submitted by TDC Dancer Madelyn Doyle on Tuesday, May 9, 2013.

Past- Forward

Photo by Eric Olson

Past:
I was first introduced to dance in the 6th grade, I was told “cool” girls dance. I guess I wanted to be cool so I took a class and fortunately got hooked. However, before coming to Columbia College Chicago I had no real formal dance training, but that’s a whole different story. My first modern dance technique class was with Margi Cole. I had no
idea what I was doing. I was swishing on the floor, doing contractions, getting acquainted with my sit bones, experiencing the prance for the first time and more. Through my inexperience, I desired to learn. Margi was a teacher that I highly respected. She helped me find the technique that was buried in my body. My freshman year of college, I saw a few dance shows, but the one I remember the most was The Dance COLEctive’s when I saw 13 for the first time. I remember connecting well with the piece. I was not only inspired by the content but also by the dancers. I admired their presence, movement vocabulary, humor, and ease with speaking on stage. It was a level of professionalism that I wanted to embody. Entering into my junior year of college, I auditioned for TDC. I did not make it into the company that time around but I knew I would try again. I had Margi as a teacher a few more times at Columbia, but in my final semester, I grew as a dancer and performer under her direction. She taught a Performance Rep Class during that semester, teaching our class how to behave, learn, grow and perform like a company. I respected the way she treated us and how she was able to handle any situation. So when summer came around, I again auditioned for the company.

Forward:
Having the opportunity to be a part of TDC this year has been a true joy. It was surreal to be a part of the recreation of the piece 13 because that was the first piece I had seen  my freshmen year of college. I have been challenged as a performer through different performance spaces, audience awareness, movement vocabulary, text and content of the various pieces we have worked on. As an artist/dancer, being challenged both mentally and physically is crucial, and TDC provides that environment of growth. We are currently polishing up Moving Stories, a piece to be performed during the launch of FlySpace on the Pritzker Stage next weekend April 12-14. There is such a natural raw beauty to the work that I have not felt in a long time. The piece is honest, intricate and very human. I am excited and dazed to be able to perform with The Dance COLEctive not even a full year out of school on the Pritzker. I am looking forward not only to our next performance but to what the next year will bring.

Submitted by TDC Apprentice Julie Boruff on Thursday, April 4, 2013.  

I began dancing, like many others, at the ripe old age of three

I began dancing, like many others, at the ripe old age of three. I began at a studio in Dixon, Illinois. I spent almost the next decade studying the basics and dipped into the world of competitive dance. Although I had a short run in competitions, I learned and saw things that would forever shape my dancing; awareness. Soon after I moved with my mom and sisters to Chicago where I began in a more classical curriculum in the city. It was a program that emphasized strict discipline and poise. So there I picked up a new essential in dance studies. I later studied dance in my Chicago High School program. There I witnessed and learned the depth of modern dance. I learned to watch and analyze dance in a literate manner. I attended Columbia College and majored in dance. There, I was enlightened. I found a purpose in dance. I discovered the art of dance. I did more than take class, I participated in dance discourse and  embodied a new texture through improvisation and release based techniques. I took one of my last required classes in my very last semester at Columbia. Margi taught the Repertory Performance Workshop. In the very first class, Margi reviewed with us three basic movement principles; walking, running and standing still. Those being things we learn in life many times before we even talk, this lesson was still profound to me. Because in dance, we forget how to just stand, just walk, and just run. When standing still, there is purpose and presence. Walking and running is human and powerful as just that. As a performer, this deeply resonated with me. She continued to the shape and refine our performances with both major and subtle notes. Not feeling completely quenched in just one semester, I registered for The Dance COLEctive's Summer Workshop so I could squeeze more out of Margi. Although I would miss most of my family's annual reunion, I went to the audition the Saturday after the workshop. Thankfully I did, because I graciously accepted the company's offer to apprentice in the 2009-2010 season. The following season I accepted a company member position. I have been ecstatically dancing with The Dance COLEctive ever since then.

Submitted by TDC Dancer Shannon McGuire-Edwards on Thursday, December 6, 2012.

“It was great! But what did it mean? “

When it comes to a modern dance performance, whether it’s my own, a friend’s, a national or international company, 75% of the time, the above statement and question can be overheard in the lobby, usually said by one of my family members, but not always. Admittedly, sometimes those words escape my mouth. 

With my dance background and history in mind, a modern dance company in downtown Chicago is a bit of a far cry from where I started. Having grown up dancing in one of central Indiana’s primary studios, ballet, jazz, tap, and other such things were my specialties to the extent that I rarely actually thought about what I was doing, I could just do it. “Modern” dance was something in which people danced barefoot and flexed their feet a lot, which is another way of saying I knew absolutely NOTHING about modern dance. In high school, I knew my future lay in the dance field, not really knowing what or where that meant, but with dreams of LA or New York in my head, my parents were steadfast in their resolve: Kaitlin can do whatever she wants…..as long as she goes to college. Which led me to the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago and four years of classes, rehearsals, performances, lectures, master classes and then some, attempting to grasp that ever elusive answer to the all pervasive question, “What does it mean?” After four years and a degree in Dance, more often than not, I was still that person in the lobby after the performance thinking to myself, “It was great. But what did it mean?”

Immediately after graduating, I was blessed to have the opportunity to audition for The Dance COLEctive, which I’d seen perform only once, but had participated in a number of student works wherein Margi Cole was the Faculty Advisor. I found her feedback and guidance in those times as challenging but engaging, requiring me to think critically, which was definitely something new for me. I was interested because I was scared and I knew I would be directly responsible for the work I would create, rather than learning someone else’s ideas. If there’s something to be said for only learning the choreography that comes from someone else’s body, even the most intricate and satisfying of movements, it grows to be boring. It becomes boring because it’s not my idea that inspires it, it’s not my choice that dictates it, and it’s not my mind that analyzes and molds it.

That’s the beautiful thing about modern dance and The Dance COLEctive. I get to make choices that are reflective of me. I’m IN the work. Not just performing it. Rather than counting off 5,6,7,8 and doing a series of steps in perfect unison with 10 other dancers, audiences are able to watch 10 people on stage, existing, in space. Making choices, interacting with each other, LIVING. That’s pretty cool, if you ask me. And it’s what keeps me coming back, year after year, watching and being a part of modern dance. My experiences in The Dance COLEctive continue to influence my values in dance, both as a dancer and an audience member, to the point that as time continues, I find myself, after performances, asking “What did it mean to me?”

Which is kind of the whole point of modern dance to begin with, I’m starting to realize. 

Submitted by TDC Dancer Kaitlin Bishop on Sunday, October 21, 2012.