Taking a Summer off to Ride Across the Country

Photo by Eric Olson

After I graduated college in 2012, my mind was set to epic proportions. I needed a cleanse of the city to recharge my creativity. I had heard about Bike and Build, an organization that focuses on empowering youth through raising awareness, fundraising, public speaking, and working as a team not only on the road but also on construction projects for affordable housing. A good friend of mine had participated in the trip and strongly encouraged me to apply.

Taking the entire summer to bike across the country was as nerve racking as it was exciting. I was nervous about all the logistics of when I would return; money, housing and in particular, dance. Our route, although beautiful, was at times physically demanding. We rode through multiple mountain ranges and became friends with forceful headwinds. It made me realize how far my body could be pushed.

Coming back to dance was an easier transition than I had anticipated, at least on a cardiovascular level. My movement pick up skills were definitely rusty, which I expected, but I put more pressure on myself to stay focused in rehearsals because I had taken the summer off from dance. It was also nice to come back into a supportive environment and dance community. Margi and the Company were all very encouraging before, during, and after my trip and helped to correct the things that were off in my body. Additionally, I was ready to start creating and collaborating again. The summer was buzzing with new experiences, new places and people coming from all walks of life that I could now bring to the table.  Reflecting back, my decision to take a break was totally beneficial. It challenged me to face my goals, especially those relating to the field of dance, and it boosted my creativity by giving me a new outlook. Although my dancing body wasn’t in the same position before the trip, I had a new appreciation for the art and desire to get back in the swing of things. When it comes to travel and creativity, the words of St. Augustine sum it up,

“ The world is a book and those who do not travel only read one page.”

Submitted by TDC Apprentice Julie Boruff on Tuesday, April 23, 2014. 

Written in Sand

 

Photo by Eric Olson

When presented with the task of creating a year-long curriculum from scratch, I first had to sit down and re-acquaint myself with my teaching philosophy. I made sure I reflected on what was important to me, and that I still felt that way. Not much had changed since its birth, so moving on I had to assess what my goals were for the year. Since my school is "an academy," we include 7th and 8th grade. Therefore, setting goals that were appropriate for each grade level was extremely important to the program's success, besides the fact that it was co-ed. To be honest, I wasn't sure about how I was going to sell a creative movement class to 8th grade boys on the South Side of Chicago...
 
I attacked this project as I would anything else; I researched everything I had that said "Dance" on it, met with multiple Dance Education teachers in the area to pick their brains, and emailed just about everyone I knew that would have any insight to gather more information. I still did not feel adequately prepared to start creating something and really had no idea how to start putting things down on paper. But the clock was ticking so I had no choice but to dive right in. The exciting thing about Lindblom is that their dance program is part of the Fine Arts Department, so I knew I could practice creativity with a project-based curriculum (which definitely aligned with my philosophy). I organized the concepts that were most important to me in a clear and sequential pattern, an order that made the most sense throughout the year. I then made sure that each concept had objectives, aligned with National and State Standards, had appropriate assessments, essential questions, and enduring understandings. Our Fine Arts Department is very interested in the students' ability to ask questions about concepts for use in other settings, not just in school. So I made sure that my objectives and goals gave my students the opportunity to extract certain experiences from our units and use them to answer bigger questions.

The fear of being ill-prepared to create something successful and substantial that lurked inside of me only subsided when I started. I have found that the hardest, and most rewarding, part about building a curriculum is that it is constantly growing. One of our philosophies at LMSA is that we "write in sand," so application of that theory allows for the curriculum to be changing, adapting, and building itself over again, every step of the way. We take the responsibility of always updating and providing the freshest material to our students so that we can give them the best practice possible. It is something that I will refer back to forever. I will constantly add and subtract elements. It is alive, and although the task of completing a year-long scope and sequence left me indoors for the last month of my summer vacation, I am extremely grateful for the chance to say I have done it.  

Submitted by TDC Dancer Madelyn Doyle, Tuesday, October 29, 2013. 

From Stage to Stage

Blinding stage lights, an old wooden floor with crumbled rosin in the corner, thick black billowy curtains, and red plush seats gazing back at me.  There, as a five year old I stood, a gloomy little rain cloud, in The Phantom of the Opera recital. I wonder how my thoughts, feelings, and views compare back then to being on stage now. I never had a care in the world, but I remember being so happy in my tutu, tights, leather ballet slippers, and make up with a high bun. That feeling stuck with me growing up, and even though I never danced consistently throughout my childhood, it later emerged in my life and now I couldn’t imagine myself without it.

Photo by William Frederking

There are many great images and sayings I have learned, which now have become engraved in my head from teachers along the way. Some of my favorites include, “Pretend your feet are sinking in mud – Feel a warm sunburst on your face – Just be in the position, do not move, hold – The only person who’s going to push you is yourself.” Another inspiring teacher wanted to make sure we asked ourselves these questions:

What are we doing? Why are we here doing this? What do we want to do? Who are our heroes?  


These things that stick with us make us dancers who we are. Dancing isn’t just about technique, it’s about passion, creativity, and awareness. Along with those teachers, Margi Cole is also a voice of reason in my head, “Keep your ribs knitted together, drop your shoulders, keep your head-tail connection, don’t hold your breath.” I was drawn into the way Margi taught, moved, and the way her movement invention felt right in my body.

Throughout college, I monitored TDC, like all of the modern dance companies in Chicago. I went to auditions, got cut from them, and didn’t give up. Margi’s movement made me feel alive, so I continued to attend company class. I assisted TDC backstage in the January concert is its 13th season. I got to know the girls and was able to see how the company worked. One of the pieces I helped tech was “13”; little to my knowledge would I reconstruct the dance 4 years later…

I had the pleasure of being an apprentice for my first 2 seasons, and after working my way up and challenging myself, I’m now in my fourth season. One of the things I love the most is that Margi allows us to create our own movement and perform it. There is always a new way to generate movement and she gives us the guidance and spice to construct, disassemble, mash, and layer our work. Working weekly, year round, allows us to create intimate, yet dynamic movement. I have had to pleasure to work with wonderful women throughout the creative process and I only feel like I’m just getting warmed up.

Submitted by TDC Dancer Katie Petrunich on Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Cryptic thoughts from an Artistic Director nearly in production week

Have you ever wondered what goes through the mind of an Artistic Director as they approach show week?  Well, here is a little insight.


I need more time! (Rinse and Repeat about 1,000 times)

Why did I think it was a good idea to choreograph and perform and say text live...

Must create next social media blast.

Creating the program is the bane of my existence.

This goes in the Monday pile.  This goes in the Tuesday pile...  and so on.

Oh yes, I must remember to thank them too!

Choreographer trunk. Everything you need for a rehearsal and more.

I must remember to do THAT and that and...

Thank goodness for these dancers and collaborators.  I could not do this without them.

A glass of wine later is gonna be really nice!  Really nice!

Just add it to the list...

Why didn't I get more feedback?

I wonder how pre-sales are going?

Emergency cliff bar.  Check!

What am I forgetting? 

Is anyone going to come to the show?

But seriously, even after nearly 17 years of making and producing dance with my company, the fear of being under prepared, the self doubt about my engagement with the work, the need to give myself a personal pep talk in all areas, is all still very real!  These are the same feelings I had in the first season of the company.  And while I may feel all of these things, I do know that my experiences have enabled me to be a better collaborator and leader.   I am better at gathering the right people around me to ensure integrity and success, even if I personally am still worried about whether I am a viable performer, creator and leader.

I will keep you posted on how things are going next week!  Stay tuned...

Submitted by TDC Artistic Director Margi Cole on Wednesday, January 9, 2013.

Asking for your support

Dear Dance COLEctive Enthusiasts,

I am writing to you today quite simply to ask for your help.

Almost 17 years ago I founded The Dance COLEctive as a way for my friends and I to produce our work. Today it is much more than that.

In addition to being a vessel for creating thoughtful new work, TDC is deeply committed to mentoring young artists to be well rounded professionals capable of succeeding independently. The ability to make & produce work, think entrepreneurially and articulate themselves as artists are all key skills imparted to our promising dancers and collaborators.

Currently the company is comprised of 8 thoughtful and sophisticated young women (you can read some of the writing about their experiences here) who are helping me to realize and fulfill my desire to mentor and make new work.  Their dedication and remarkable growth as artists - some of them for as long as ten years - inspire and energize me to keep finding ways to create performance and mentorship opportunities and to keep going when things get tough. 

For The Dance COLEctive the current economic climate is formidable. Disappearing resources on the the state and city level, as well as more limited support from local foundations has had a very real impact on 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, family and friends of current or past dancers, board members and audience members.  You know first hand my passion for dance and the power a positive experience can have on you!

Photo By William Frederking

Please consider a donation in support of TDC.  Please help me continue this important effort and please know this:  when you choose to make a donation to The Dance COLEctive it will be invested in the continued growth of TDC’s vision and my unwavering desire to creating new work and teach and mentor promising dancers.    





To make a donation of any size you can go here or you can send a check to our snail mail address.
  
Thank you so much for your continued interest in the company and have a safe and wonderful holiday!

Sincerely,


Margi Cole
Artistic Director


PS:  We are looking forward to our annual self produced concert happening at Stage 773 in January, the opportunity to perform on the stage of Jay Pritzker Pavilion in the Millennium Park April 12-14, our Summer Workshops, Company Classes and annual opportunities to mentor our dancers.  Please help us make all this possible in 2013!  Thank you!


The Dance COLEctive is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

TDC starts work on restaging 13

It’s official. I have now been in TDC long enough to be reconstructing a piece in which I was an originating dancer. YOWZERS!

This week, TDC starts work on restaging “13,” a 30-minute piece created and premiered four years ago during TDC’s 13^th season. It’s an interesting experience, to go back in time, watch work I created in a previous life, and try to understand the decisions made and inspirations used. It makes me reflect on the passage of time, and how, while four years may not seem like too long ago, it was actually a lifetime ago. I lived in a different home, I was not married, I had a different job, I moved differently, I lived differently. I was different. To watch myself dance from so long ago, I might as well be watching a total stranger. Fascinating!

Another difficult aspect of reconstructing work I had a hand in creating vs. reconstructing work I did NOT create is readjusting expectations of the experience. It can be very easy, when resetting previous work, to expect things to feel the same – lifts should feel the same, contact with other dancers should be the same, the timing should be the same, EVERYTHING SHOULD BE THE SAME!!!!

100% of the time however, it’s not. It’s impossible. For “13,” there are two returning original dancers. There is literally no way this piece will even remotely resemble its original version, as the dancers inhabiting the space are completely different people. Different bodies, different minds, different perceptions. Everything, and I mean, EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT. Which is really hard. It can be so difficult to let go of those experiences, those sensations, those journeys. When a dancer feels a sense of ownership over the material of a work, it can be such a frustrating experience to let that go – but that is what we have to do. Otherwise, reconstructing work is the equivalent of pulling teeth. It sucks. 

So here we are. Starting a new journey I’ve travelled before. What keeps this fresh though is the fact that I am a new person, and this time around, this journey will resonate within me in completely new ways, leading to new movement invention, new partnerships, and new experiences.  This, in and of itself, is just one more of the many things that makes modern dance so engrossing and engaging, performance after performance, piece after piece, year after year. Even old work feels new, and old experiences become new journeys. 

Submitted by TDC Dancer Kaitlin Bishop on Wednesday, October 31, 2012.

The Creative Process – A Glimpse of How it Starts

There’s something so magical about starting a new work. It’s refreshing to begin a process not knowing where it will end up. The movement developed is interesting but also flat in the sense that it has yet to be shaped and pulled to suit a larger intention. Interactions are clear but not yet defined. The meaning of each touch will become embodied through time, with repetition, and after it has been examined through the lens of intention for the overall piece.

In TDC, most of Margi’s new works begin with some sort of reading, research, writing assignment, or discussion. It’s always very self-reflective and thought provoking, which increases the level of investment us dancers have in the work. The way Margi uses our input changes for each project. Sometimes her homework assignments drive every element of the piece, from the way we develop movement and relationships, through the arching story of the piece, and even to the text we speak. Other times, its influence is only peripheral, driving certain elements, such as time and relationships, rather than the actual ideas being brought to life on stage.

Though Margi usually keeps her ideas secret until she has them fully formulated in her head, in a casual conversation I got a glimpse of what’s to come. Without revealing the plan, I’ll just say that she hopes to use information gathered from a popular book many of the dancers have read and use it to set boundaries that define our relationships as we generate movement. I think it will be a fascinating translation from fiction to dance and I am really looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.

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Submitted by TDC Dancer Maggie Koller on Sunday, October 7, 2012.

There’s Always Room to Grow!

What never ceases to amaze me about dance is that there is always more to learn.

I have been dancing since I was 3 years old. Though I think we can all agree that a tiny child in a tutu with her butt hanging out isn’t really committed to dance, I’d say from age 7 or 8, my training has been pretty rigorous. To calculate the number of hours I have dedicated to practice in the studio would be too much to handle. The point is, after 25 years of daily practice in my body, I am still amazed by how much more there is to discover. Or more specifically, by how many muscles, bones, and flows of energy I have yet to master or fully connect.

Something I have always struggled with is the placement of my rib cage on my spine. I have a tendency to splay my ribs open in the front rather than connecting them down to my center. There have been many times over the years when I have made a major connection and (seemingly) course corrected this tendency toward imbalance. However, day one back in the studio this season and I am getting corrections from Margi about softening my sternum. Really? Yes. Still something that requires focus.

All the boo-hooing aside, I think I might have figured something out! Imagine my arms in fifth position above my head. By shifting my arms forward more toward my brow line rather than being directly above my head, the entire position of my chest shifts downward. Really, Maggie? Duh. But it has taken me all this time to realize that it is ok to move my arms out of this above-the-head zone where I perceived a need for my arms to be to achieve classical ballet accuracy and into a space where I can be connected through the vertical center of my skeleton.

And by shifting my arms forward, I’m actually experiencing a new sensation at the bottom of my rib cage. This may not be the most inspiring example, and I would never use this when teaching, but I am feeling as if a limbo bar is pressing across the bottom of my ribs. That’s the image I get when I feel connected. It’s an activation of the muscles and a connectedness in my bones.

Just a little something I’m working on these days in class. Now, to be able to achieve that alignment and maintain that awareness while moving through all the planes, balancing on one leg, upside down, through the air, leg above ninety degrees, while my spine snakes…oh, dance. Never a dull moment.

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Submitted by TDC Dancer Maggie Koller on Sunday, September 30, 2012

A Journey to The Dance COLEctive by Maggie Koller

This is my seventh season with The Dance COLEctive (TDC). W-o-w. That means for the last 6, going on 7 years, I have spent almost every single Tuesday and Thursday night, and every other Sunday morning, rehearsing at the Drucker Center. I have performed in multiple dance venues, parks, stairwells, and other site-specific locations in and around Chicago. I have toured, done residencies, taught, performed and improvised across the Midwest and Southern United States. I have devoted my time and energy to the activities both in and out of the studio that support the mission of TDC. And in return, I have learned, sweat, laughed, cried, and grown tremendously with an absolutely amazing group of women.

For me, this journey began at Beloit College, my alma mater. TDC came to do a residency sometime during my senior year. I took class and rehearsed with Margi for a week that culminated in a performance by her company and a work she set on the Beloit dancers. The TDC women were all strong, as were the works on the program. I was very intrigued by Margi’s exploration of relationships and use of partnering. I also remember seeing the dancers warming up in the dressing room and wondering how they were able to do so many push ups…now I know.

At the end of the performance, each dancer was given a personal thank you note from Margi. Mine ended with something along the lines of “When you’re back in Chicago, don’t hesitate to look us up.” A few weeks after graduation from Beloit, I ran into Liz Carlton (a now retired TDC dancer) at Lou Conte. She said, “We’ve been looking for you!” and asked me to come to an invite-only audition for the company. Feeling equally nervous and confident, I reached out to Margi and accepted her invitation to audition.

After completing a pretty grueling set of essay questions about my perception of women in dance and women in the media, technique class, and several chunks of difficult company repertory with an intense level of partnering, Kaitlin Bishop, Jessica Post, and I were asked to join the company as apprentices. The beautiful thing about Margi’s apprentice program is that performance opportunities are no different for apprentices than they are for full company members—the only difference is that you don’t get paid. So, I danced my pretty little head off that first season as an apprentice, and have been given an equally beneficial opportunity to perform with the company as a full member ever since.

Through the handfuls of other companies and independent choreographers I have danced for, TDC has remained the backbone of my professional dance career. I continue to learn so much from Margi. She is an excellent teacher, an amazing performer, an extremely intelligent businesswoman, and has grown to become a great friend. I am so appreciative of the level of detail and professionalism she brings to the organization. I always feel that my time is valued and well spent, and that is very important to me. The dancers she cultivates tend to grow not only as a palette of bodies that gel together on stage, but a group of women who have become incredibly close both in and outside the studio.

Season seventeen for the company. Season seven for me. I still can’t believe how much time has passed. And I have no doubt this will be another amazing year.

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Submitted by TDC Dancer Maggie Koller on Monday, September 24, 2012.

Hello and Welcome!

Hello and Welcome to the very first official blog post of The Dance
COLEctive!

A new season with TDC brings new work, new dancers, and new ideas, one of
which is this, the official TDC Blog. With the vision and hope of offering
our dedicated and invested audience an in-depth look at the  the inner
workings of The Dance COLEctive, its Director, dancers, and affiliates,
this blog will serve as not only my voice, but that of my dancers as well.
The Dance COLEctive has always been just that, a collection of ideas,
minds, bodies, souls and energy, coming together to create something new
and vibrant, of which no single person can claim sole ownership. Under my
leadership the work TDC has created and presented, both on the stage and
off, has never been a representation of my own thoughts, feelings, and
vision. No. The work of TDC has been that of US. The dancers, the
collaborators, the audience, the teachers, and yes, with a little
guidance, from me.

The same can been said for the inspiration behind this blog. This view of
TDC represents not only my thoughts, history, ideas, and words, but those
of TDC's greatest asset: the dancers. Each dancer will take the
opportunity to contribute to this blog, offering you a glimpse of who they
are as people and dancers, their journeys to and in TDC, and the place
they feel they inhabit in the space of this COLEctive.
You will hear from me directly from time to time but to kick things off
for us, I bring you Maggie Koller, a dancer coming into her 7th season
with TDC.

Maggie's post is coming soon.........