Evolution of a fall leaf...

Looking at TDC before delving in, the dancers consisted of a strong bunch of women. Molly Grimm-Leasure, Maggie Koller, Alaina Murray, Summer Breal, Olivia May, Molly Perez, Kaitlin Bishop, and Jessica Post stood out to me. When I thought of TDC, I thought of these girls. They were my inspiration as they maneuvered bodies through space, leaped, shifted, and made the stage breathe. I never imagined I’d have a chance in the world to be a part of such a talented group who work so well together. And little did I know that I'd have the opportunity, and honor, to dance with them for years to come.

Photo by William Frederking

Shannon McGuire-Edwards and I came in as apprentices in 2009. Shannon and I took a few classes during our college years and became friends, so it was nice to have a familiar face to experience a dynamic change with. We stuck together, created phrases, wore similar outfits to rehearsal (and still do) and redeemed our dual nickname - the fall leaves.  I still can’t believe it’s our fourth season together.

Since then, TDC has been a perpetual constant in my life. There have been so many changes in my personal life, as others in the company, we’ve become a support system as well as an outlet. No matter how bad my day was and sometimes when motivation is lacking in my body, these girls always make me smile. And dancing… well, it’s always just a great reminder of what truly makes me happy, and there’s never a day that goes by that I’m not thankful that I’ve been given the opportunity to be able to do what I love.

Throughout the years, there have been several shifts in the company. Things change, people’s lives change, and we’ve had to say goodbye to several members along the way, a few of whom have danced the longevity of the company. Last season, we had to hold back tears as Molly Grimm-Leasure and Alaina Murray retired their bare feet off the dance floor. Current senior members consist of Maggie Koller and Olivia May. Shannon and I are next in line. Sometimes I can’t believe it because of my initial idea of the company consisting of the strong group of women I had mentioned earlier. To be honest, I still consider them as part of the group. They’ll always be TDC in my eyes, no matter how it shifts and changes. We have an amazing group of women right now and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Margi always says she’s so upset that we don’t get along. :-)   It’s pretty impressive that a group of 8 women can actually get along so well. She always says that she has to create a pallet for TDC, and I’m glad she sees me fitting into the mix.

Margi’s dancers typically dedicate several years at a time, which allows for the partnering and the movement vocabulary to be rich and full. It’s great to build and keep that trust, permitting us to rely on each other. We put in 6.5 to 10.5 hours in each week, I’d say 9 months out of the year (not including show weeks). We work hard, but we also enjoy ourselves. We’re all here solely for our love of dance, to be creative, to perform, and we’re grateful to have Margi Cole as our fearless leader.

TDC is like my second family and I don’t know how I could ever live without these girls in my life, continuously creating friendships and bonds that I couldn’t have found anywhere else. I truly think it keeps me sane during my work week. I embrace it every time I stand in front of the mirror during floor exercises or warm up. I’m not sure where my life will take me, so I’m embracing every dreadful développé, soaking up every swish, and embodying movement that becomes part of history, and turns into memories.

Submitted by TDC Dancer Katie Petrunich on Monday, March 18, 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

Dancing with the Chicago skyline as my backdrop

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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.

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

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

           

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Trust The Process

 

Every choreographer has her own creative process. The variety of approaches fascinates me. I have worked with choreographers who come into the rehearsal space with a definite plan, with diagrams and extensive notes, and with choreographers who like to come into the space with only a feeling and see where that takes them. The Dance COLEctive’s Margi Cole is somewhere in between.  She always has a plan, whether she makes it known to the dancers or not, and she allows that plan to evolve and unfold in an organic way. Margi’s process often involves writing assignments, word lists for movement invention, and lots of rubbing material together, stripping it down and then piecing it back together again. 

Currently in rehearsal, we are reconstructing a piece the company did last year. We are creating some new material as well as relearning -- or in my case as a new member, learning --  old material. This is a new layer to the process for me, having never worked with a company that has a repertory of work to pull from. 

As a newbie, I’m relying heavily on the veteran dancers who know the material, and they are very helpful. They remember the material quickly and are able to help teach sections of the work that Margi wants to salvage from the original piece.  

We’re also using video to learn the piece. What a challenge! I get all turned around directionally when taking the movement from video and transferring it into the space. Which way are things facing? Which foot is doing what? Where are they in space?

Having been a dancer all my life, mimicking movement is like second nature. All this would come so naturally to me that I wouldn’t even think about it. But video is different: I have to keep rewinding the tape over and over and watching and re-watching even the most simple movements. And subtle things like where a movement initiated from remain a mystery.  

Just like learning movement from a dancer is a learned skill, so is learning from video. I have to keep reminding myself of that instead of putting myself down by thinking, “This shouldn’t be so hard!  What is wrong with me?!”. I need to put the movement perfectionist in me to rest.

It’s also important for me to remember that although we are re-staging an existing work, the work we are creating is new. There is a new cast of dancers, new stories and experiences influencing the work, and the finished product will be different.   I’m working on trusting the process, and on trusting myself. 

Submitted by TDC Apprentice Molly Kirkpatrick on Thursday, February 21, 2013.

The Big Leagues

After graduating from Appalachian State University in the mountains of North Carolina with degrees in Dance Studies and Psychology in May 2011, I knew that I wanted to continue dancing. I didn’t exactly know how I was going to do that, but I knew that I wanted to find a dance community in which I wouldn’t lose myself. A place where I could be challenged creatively and fulfill my desire to be a part of making and presenting interesting and meaningful work. Somewhere I could be part of the process and part of a team. I feel so blessed to have found all of these things as an apprentice this season with The Dance COLEctive! 

Photo by Eric Olson

I visited Chicago only a handful of times before I decided to move here this past June. I loved the city. It felt like a big city with a small neighborhood feel and extremely friendly people. I was up for a new adventure. I took dance classes at a number of dance studios whenever I was in Chicago. Then, during one of my visits, TDC company member Olivia May invited me to  an open company class. I knew Olivia from our hometown of Raleigh, NC. I am so grateful to her for allowing me to tag along and get a taste of the the Dance COLEctive. The class was wonderful! All the dancers were welcoming and Margi’s class was challenging and fun.

When I finally built up enough courage (and money) to make the move to the big windy city, I made the leap. With a good friend from home, in a Penske truck filled with all of our belongings, we steered north – and a little west.  Once in Chicago, I tried to take advantage of as many dance classes and opportunities as I could. I was overwhelmed (and still am) by how much is going on here. I attended The Dance COLEctive audition in August, immensely intimidated to be at my first ever professional audition. After auditions and call backs, I was so pleased to be offered an apprentice position with the company. I literally jumped up and down when I received the email from Margi. And now, after our first performance together this season, I really feel a part of it all. Surrounded by inspiring and powerful women, dancing to my heart’s content, I can officially say I’m livin’ the dream.

Submitted by TDC Apprentice Molly Kirkpatrick on Sunday, February 10, 2013.

I may have lost a hen yesterday but I have eggs for tomorrow.

Post Show Blues....

Post performance week for me is generally a challenge...  I am wrought with pride over the work the company has done and inspired to try again.  Relieved it is over and just plain worn out.  (This time I landed a pretty good cold that had me down till Friday.)  I am already making lists about clean up and next steps.  Sending thank yous, washing and putting away costumes, re-stowing gadgets, glow tapes, first aid kits and sewing props. 

Ultimately, I am looking at box office receipts and ticket numbers and asking myself, "What do I need to do in order to get more butts in the seats?".

TDC was particularly well received this time.  We had 4 outstanding reviews and some lovely previews.  Our loyal followers and family came to support us in our new venue!  The feedback was positive and real!  The word was out and the weather was not 40 below.... So, what gives?  Was it because of President's Day weekend, because school was not in session?  Location?  People are just plain not interested?  I find myself constantly trying to figure out the formula for full houses and sadly it just does not compute.  This is the kind of stuff that keeps me up at night....  Not only is it disappointing for me as an artistic director and administrator it is disappointing for the dancers, and that makes me unsettled.

But, as a friend said, "Do not dwell.  Use this as a learning experience and move on."  Trouble is, I am just not sure what I have learned from it yet.   Sometimes I think there has just got to be a better way to do all this but I am just not sure what it is. Until I figure that out I am just going to continue to put my best foot forward, no pun intended.  I know I continue to do this for all the right reasons.  I am passionate about it, this is what I love and I have a group of dancers, board members and friends who are dedicated to my vision.  The pay off is big!  It is not financial, but it is more than worth it!

This is the nature of the beast!

Now!  On to our next performances on the Jay Pritzker Pavilion Stage in April, the launch of FlySpace, the Wellness Jam and the musings of our next Social Media Diva! 

Submitted by TDC Artistic Director Margi Cole on Wednesday, January 27, 2013.

Late but on time

So I am officially late for my latest self-imposed scheduled blog post.  (Not so self-imposed, Kaitlin Bishop is keeping me on track!)

We had a great final rehearsal in the studio yesterday.  I am not joking when I talk about how lucky I am.  We had a big list of things to accomplish:  transitions, costumes, social media, details about schedule...  We got everything done and then some.  It has been great to have former dancers Molly Grimm-Leasure and Alaina Murray with us this week.  I am grateful for their eyes, feedback, and desire to see our latest projects.  It has also been great to have the outside eye and assistance of Kaitlin Bishop too.  You won't see her on the dance floor, but her creative presence has been felt throughout the season!  Jacob Snodgrass, our lighting designer, and Sabrina Kramnich, our stage manager, are probably more ready to get into the theatre than I am!  I never feel like we have enough time, but here we go, ready to show you the reconstruction of an older work, 13, and a new work featuring an original sound score by Philip Elson and (sassy) costumes by Atalee Judy! 

I had the great privilege of working with Molly Shanahan today on my solo.  I can't tell you what a difference it makes to be in the room with the choreographer as a witness again.  Molly's feedback was supportive and challenging!  Challenge was one of the many reasons I wanted to work with her.  Molly has some very interesting ideas about the body, how it moves through space, and how having witnesses changes the way you "perform".  It was satisfying and timely to revisit these ideas today in preparation for the performances.

Here is a little blurb that Molly wrote about Leaving and Wanting for our press:

"I made Leaving and Wanting with Margi in the final three weeks I was in Chicago before leaving to start school in Philadelphia. My mom died while we were working on the solo. My life was in massive upheaval, emotionally and logistically. I was getting through one breath at a time. The dance is about leaving something you love, loving someone who leaves, and about leaving even before what has been started can be completed. It is also about the finding, discovery that comes when one surrenders to longing as an energy of love. We made the dance during the heatwave in July; the heat was extreme. Margi was deeply committed, and her dancing contains a profound vulnerability combined with ferocious spark. I approached our collaboration with nothing to prove, but I wanted to give her something honest that could be truthful for both of us, together and separately, as choreographer and dancer. All of this allowed us to get to a level of communication quickly and with almost immediate shorthand."

All this said, I do hope you can come and see the show! I am excited about the new space we are performing in (Stage 773) and extremely proud of all the work of the dancers and collaborators! I look forward to seeing you this weekend!

free [BOUND]

January 17–20 Thursday–Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.  Stage 773 1225 W. Belmont Chicago, IL

General admission is $25, $20 for students and seniors. To purchase tickets, visit http://bit.ly/SszbAg or call 773-327-5252.  Submitted by TDC Artistic Director Margi Cole on Monday, January 14, 2013.