Overwhelmed in a good way

Photo by Eric Olson

Nearing the end of my second season as a part of TDC, I’d like to talk a little about my experience with the Company. 

I began abruptly as an apprentice to the company in the Fall of ’11, and was thrown into the fast-paced process of recreating, actually exactly reproducing the piece, Pull Taut, which I had seen the year before and particularly enjoyed. You could imagine my excitement when I learned of the Company’s plan. I had learned movement from video before, but this was unusual because I was trying to find my niche within the Company as a new member, while at the same time discovering material that was counter-intuitive to my body (since it was someone else’s). It was uncomfortable and difficult for me to handle both, but I was glad that I was put into something like that. It was a learning experience and something that I will always remember when approaching new things. After the dance was reproduced (it seemed like it was done in minutes), we moved on to our new material that would form into Moving Stories, a piece that we also recreated for the Pritzker Stage this past April. It was my chance to bring forth my own material, and show the Company what I could contribute. I was overwhelmed in a good way and couldn’t wait for more. 

I re-auditioned as a company member, and started my second season the Fall of ’12. It was interesting because the newest additions of the company, Molly Kirkpatrick and Julie Boruff began their time with TDC learning 13 from video, an experience I was all too familiar with. I understood how intimidating their position might be but they were so laid back with their ability to adapt and go with the challenges with which they were presented. We then got started on some new material which developed into in orderly fashion. This piece gave the Company the chance to work in a completely different way from what we were used to. I loved the intimacy and awkwardness of the material. It  made for an interesting piece. We performed this on Stage 773, another experience that was new for the Company. The venue was incredibly intimate, which benefited the piece, I think. From that performance, we went on to the recent FlySpace collaboration which I’m sure you have been savvy to. If not, you definitely need to check out what’s been happening. 

So now we have returned to our regularly scheduled programming, which is the Company member produced COLEctive Notions. This production consists of 3-6 brand new works presented by TDC Company members, on TDC Company members. It is a smaller production, usually performed at Links Hall, but recently, we have been presenting in the Fasseas Studio of the Drucker Center which is much more ideal. You definitely need to stay up to date on that performance, as it will not be taking place until the beginning of November. We are also in the middle of auditions and callbacks. It was so exciting to see all of the supporters of TDC and the people who are interested in the Company! So that’s my story with TDC. As of now, I’m looking forward to new experiences, both for the Company, and as a member. As we all know, the times are changing for dance companies and The Dance COLEctive has been admirably on top of some pretty innovative ways to stay in the business, so stay tuned! 

Submitted by TDC Dancer Madelyn Doyle, on May 20, 2013.  

Dancing with the Chicago skyline as my backdrop

-->

As a first year Chicagoan, I still get excited every day when I ride the train downtown and see the breathtaking beauty of the skyline. When I’m downtown, I feel dwarfed by the towering buildings. The architecture can be overwhelmingly powerful. I  love the feeling of being part of something so much bigger than myself.  

So it is a thrill for me that The Dance COLEctive’s spring concert will use the city’s actual skyline as our backdrop. When we perform at Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion stage in April, the audience will face the opposite way from its usual summer perspective when concertgoers gather on the lawn of the park. Instead, the unconventional orientation will have the audience facing the lawn and the back “wall” of the space will be a large glass panel that looks out onto Millennium Park, with the city skyline as our backdrop. The space itself will be intimate, but with the glass wall, it has the capacity to seem endless. This perspective should add an interesting layer for the audience as well as for the dancers.  

The chance to perform “Moving Stories” in this space is especially powerful for me. Moving to Chicago has been the biggest move of my life and was a huge leap of faith for me. Dancing with the city as my backdrop is the perfect metaphor. The audience will see the dancers in the foreground, framed by the architecture. Our movement and bodies will be enclosed by shapes and lights outside the stage. We will be the focus, dancing within the city’s overwhelming mass and power. This encompasses my moving story. 

The Dance COLEctive’s spring performances at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion are April 12 – 14 are part of the official flight of FlySpace.  FlySpace is a resource-sharing consortium, conceived and launched by Jan Bartoszek (Hedwig Dances), Margi Cole (The Dance COLEctive), Michelle Kranicke (Zephyr Dance) and Joanna Rosenthal (Same Planet Different World).  The venture supports creative independence and institutional growth by combining and coordinating offstage work and cutting-edge technology to grow audiences.  FlySpace’s commitment to new forms of cooperation shares each director’s passion for content-driven contemporary dance, discovering fresh aesthetics in live performance, and engaging its audiences. Working together on new tools for audience development, all four organizations ascend together.  You can find out more about FlySpace by reading this article http://www.dancecolective.com/crain.html.

-->

For tickets visit http://flyspacechicago.brownpapertickets.com/.

Submitted by TDC Apprentice Molly Kirkpatrick on Monday, February 25, 2013. 

           

-->