Year Two at Mongan Dance Academy

 Year Two:

A year and a half ago, my mom and I co-opened a dance studio in Evergreen Park, IL. Our vision was to develop an artful and educational dance program. We never dreamed that in year two our enrollment would sky rocket and collaborations with the area school district would be in full swing. We, as a duo, could not be more proud.

Over the summer we successfully ran a dance program at the Evergreen Park Elementary summer program. This led to further interest in a continuing collaboration throughout the school year. On top of our in studio summer class and camp program, we collaborated with A Fairytale Ballet for an extra special and exclusive one day camp that the students were ecstatic about. Overall, the growth of Mongan Dance Academy has exceeded our expectations and has been so fulfilling.

From here our dreams only get bigger. We are excited to start working more with the Evergreen Park School District. My vision of creating a performance group with our older students seems more of a reality now than ever. We have dedicated and committed students who are eager to grow as dancers and artists at our studio. We are looking forward to fully realizing our vision and really molding our program into what has been a longtime dream.  

Submitted by TDC dancer Shannon Edwards, Thursday, September 25, 2014.

Summer... no rest for the weary?!

Summer... No rest for the weary?!  Well, anyone who knows me knows that I like to be busy and summer is not only an important time for me creatively but it is also an important time to elevate visibility and generate income for The Dance COLEctive.

I have a jam packed summer which is in full swing and for which I am truly grateful!  Here is a taste of what I will be up to. 

June 8-15                   Alabama Ballet Summer Intensive

June 9                         Contemporary Dance Summer Series Master Class

June 13                       My Sufi Tale performance in the Summer Choreography Salon Birmingham
June 14                       Master Class at Downtown Dance Conservatory in Gadsden, AL

June 17-22                 Attendance at the DanceUSA Conference in MN

June 27                       Master Class at Northwest Ballet Academy

June 27 & 28              My Sufi Tale performance at the Going Dutch Festival

June 29                       Thodos Dance Chicago New Dances Mentoring Project

July 14-25                   Indiana Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive

July 21                         Chicago Dance Day Master Class Dancewerks Intensive

July 27-Aug 3             Joe Goode Workshop in San Francisco

August 18-22             TDC Summer Technique Week

August 23                   TDC Audition

I will share more later!  In the meantime, happy dancing everyone!  Hope to see you this summer! 

Submitted by Margi Cole, TDC Artistic Director on June 15, 2014. 

Collaborating as an Artist vs. Collaborating to build a Home

Julie Boruff on her Bike and Build trip

Collaboration by definition is working with another person or group to achieve a common goal. Before I became a dancer, I was highly involved in team sports and obviously the goal is to win. To win a few things must be acquired by all participants, such as communication, dedication and perseverance. These three things can relate off of the field and on to different aspects of group focus. Collaborating as an artist to create a work has many similarities and few differences as collaborating on a construction site.

So what’s so similar? For one, there is a leader. In my experience as a dancer there has always been someone to lead the project. On a construction site there is the Site Supervisor who demonstrates, teaches and corrects the workers to keep them on the right track. In both situations the group whether dancers or workers are given tasks to perform. If there is a problem or a misunderstanding communicating those problems with your “teammates” and leader are necessary for the project to move forward. Secondly, in both situations all members must be dedicated to the work. Sure everyone has off days but a work can’t get completed or a house won’t be built if people slack off. In both areas depending on the project some days you work independently and other days you work with everyone. Either way commitment to the overall product is essential. Furthermore, to accomplish a goal perseverance is essential particularly in setbacks. A few set backs on a construction site could be the weather; sometimes there’s not enough work for everyone or you simply may not be good at hammering. Everyone has a different set of skills but toughing it out shows true commitment to the overall goal. With creating a work a set back may be an ailment in the body, not enough time, or simply not fully understanding the concept. Either way, persevering through problem spots is a necessity in both types of group collaboration.

The main difference between working as a dancer and working on a construction site is how the product is assembled. A choreographer can start out with an overall concept of what they want a work to represent but, may have a different outcome as rehearsals progress and new ideas are formed. When you are building a house it has to be planned completely. In the end the house has to be built exactly as the blue prints whereas a dance can form into something completely different than the original idea. However the thing that is important between both is that they cannot be completed single handedly. Collaboration is a universal tool that aids in a successful outcome whether that is a winning the game, building a house or creating a new dance work.

Submitted by TDC apprentice Julie Boruff on Saturday, May 3, 2014.

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. 

What's Next?

Photo by William Frederking

After what seemed like the longest, most dreadful, never-ending winter, The Dance COLEctive is looking forward to a couple of exciting performances. While this year has not been one testing us on our powers to prepare for performances it has been one to test us on how many layers of clothing we can don while side-stepping mega pot holes on our way to rehearsal Tuesday and Thursday nights. All said, the upcoming month should prove to be a special one as we comb the vaults for video to re-create  "13", a comical and equal parts gut wrenching and heart warming look into the lives of thirteen year olds. One of my favorite TDC pieces to perform, it also happens to be a crowd pleaser and getting to dig back into our characters in the piece will be like trying on a familiar comfy sweater.

For the love of Brooke.... to call up my character (a fashion faux-pas, crowd hovering, wedge picking young lady of 13) takes a whole different level of awkward exploration. She is mildly clued in to her un-coolness, but despite many efforts cannot seem to crack the social acceptance code. To her credit she wears her personality on her sleeve and holds her chin high, literally. While it is easy to find comedy in all that Brooke is on stage, it is mildly heart breaking to know that she is inspired by real events and experiences, mostly mine. Don't feel too sorry for Brooke she might bump and clatter through puberty but her resilience will prove to be her strongest quality, and know there are Brookes everywhere, even within you.

After recently spending sometime working with the wonderful Peter Carpenter on our skills to better vocalize while moving we head into these performance projects armed with tools to dive deeper into the text that already colors "13". As always it is my hope that we take the material and performance to a new level finding more meaning within the sub-text and connecting with a new audience who has yet to experience this piece.  Hope to see your at our next performance at the Elgin Ties Dance Festival on April 25 at 7:30pm. 

Submitted by TDC company member Olivia May on Sunday, March 31, 2014.

Five years forward or Five years back?

 

Photo by Eric Olson

Where will I be in five years? It seems a popular question to ask.  But for me, the opposite question gives me more opportunity to assess my current state.  Five years ago, where did I think I would be today?

Allow me to start at the beginning. After graduating with a BFA in Dance, Performance & Choreography, I moved to Chicago to pursue dancing with The Dance COLEctive.  Four years later, I am now the Manager of a small children's dance studio here in Chicago, the owner of which lives out of state. Like most people, whatever I thought I would be doing five years ago is not what has happened or even will eventually happen. I had never dreamed of owning a dance studio, and I certainly never thought I would find myself running one for someone else. So here I am, making a career out of my passion (and the degree that I will be working to pay off for the next 15 years) and taking every opportunity I can to squeeze the juice out of this life in order to make a living. 

Ups and downs come with any job and just because I am working in a career field that also happens to be my passion does not eliminate those struggles. It DOES force me  to evaluate my life and my "passion" on a daily basis. I often ask myself " Do I really know what I am doing?" or " Is this going to work?" When it comes to studio business decisions, I go with my gut; to be honest, most of what I have done is completely trial and error. Luckily, it has worked out so far and I have helped to grow the business through what I would call 'Personal Force'. Being the only Manager, teaching most of the classes, and being responsible for all the administration and housekeeping, I am literally doing it  ALL. However, at the same time I am responsible for it ALL. Do we want to increase enrollment numbers by adding classes in the morning? Sure! Olivia will teach those. Do we want to encourage community togetherness with Friday night dance parties? Yes! Olivia will teach those. More dancers equals more phone calls, of which Olivia will answer. Should we make a shift to being paperless in our communication? Of course! That means more emails for Olivia to answer. I have found that with growth comes more "opportunity", but when you are the all-in-one manager/teacher/maid/administrator that means more work for YOU. 

Quite literally, I have opened the door for this growth and then accepted the consequences by taking on more responsibilities. Of course it is rewarding to see that what I am doing is working, but I often wonder if this work I am doing (for someone else's business) is the best path for me.  Should I reevaluate what part of the dance world my passion lies?  Where do I think I will be in 5 years? I really don't know, so be sure to check back in with me in 2019, and I will let you know how these next five years pan out.

Submitted by TDC dancer Olivia May, on Tuesday, March 13, 2014. 

Thoughts on turning 18!

I was surfing the internet looking for its thoughts about turning 18 so that I could begin to shape my own ideas about it, and I ran across this:  18th Birthday Party Ideas: A Shared Wisdom Party. What a novel idea.

While the only real party will probably just be me having a quiet glass of wine I have been thinking a lot about TDC turning 18.  First, good god, where has all the time gone?  I can't even begin to calculate how many dancers, collaborators, dances, performances, hours in the studio or hours of administrative time devoted to maintaining the company.  Maybe this is an instance to implement a shared wisdom party. 

Time flies while you are having fun.  Enjoy every minute of what you love doing. 

While there are a great many successes prepare for failures and own them.

Relationships either be them brief or long lasting are ultimately tied to sustainability. 

Treat others the way that you want to be treated inside and outside of the creative process.  

Be proud but be humble. 

Honor the past and respect the present.

Look toward that future and be ready to adapt.  There is no other way to survive. 

It is virtually impossible to like every one of your peers fully and equally.  But, show them respect. In the end it creates a stronger community for everyone. 

Share your knowledge and resources generously with others.  It has the potential to circle back to you one way or another.

And, say thank you. 

I am truly grateful for all the dancers, choreographers, mentors, board members, funders, sponsors, donors, family members, friends, peers and audience members who have shared this journey with me and the company. I am humbled by this life I have been able to l carve out for myself in field of dance and in the city of Chicago. 

Thank you!

Submitted by Margi Cole, TDC Artistic Director on March 8, 2014.