Thanks, Bruce!

Just one of the many things I am thinking about right now...

Photo by Margi Cole

Getting an audience is hard.  Sustaining an audience is hard. It demands a consistency of thought, of purpose, and of action over a long period of time. ~Bruce Springsteen




Submitted by TDC Artistic Director Margi Cole on November 5, 2013

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 Some-time to Full-time

Photo by Eric Olson

As things normally go in the teaching world, my most recent position came at me with little to no warning and started almost immediately. Before I could organize my fall plans and gather my other teaching gigs together into a nice pile, Lindblom Math and Science Academy violently trashed all of those neat little piles into a giant mess; in a good way.

Since graduating from high school, I knew that getting my teaching certification in dance to teach in a public school was my goal. I never strayed from this path, and although it took quite a bit of time longer than expected, I am thankful for my current situation. I have a wonderful department that is extremely supportive of my aspirations and goals for the school, and I am thrilled that I get to share my knowledge and creative juices with their students. Unlike other high school dance teachers, I get to maintain my position with The Dance COLEctive because the school supports outside professional practice and does not require its teachers to produce X amount of shows per year, and stay after school for X amount of hours to make that happen. I am a part of a Fine Arts Department and NOT a Physical Education Department  which can be like finding gold for teachers who have the same philosophy as I do. Being a part of a Fine Arts Department allows me to experiment. It allows me to create projects with my students that they truly care about, even though they might have never danced a day in their life. It allows me to collaborate, create, and stumble upon new ways of doing things. P.E. Departments, for the most part usually already have a set way of doing things and awful requirements such as fitness testing (which does not align with my teaching philosophy) that I would have to administer. We all remember those, yuck! The besy benefit of all: I get to create my OWN curriculum. I don't have to follow anyone else's rules, I don't have students telling me "well, Ms. so-and-so did it this way." I made it out of thin air, which was not an easy feat, but it's mine and it is constantly changing and growing. It is something I will use forever, and I am grateful to have said I have done it, but you will hear more about that in my next post.

The hard part about being a full-time teacher, especially in my specific situation, is that I am the only dance teacher in the department so I don't have a counterpart to offer ideas or feedback. I had to create the entire curriculum alone, which I also now have to constantly adapt and update while learning all the new systems Lindblom uses at the same time. I also have to keep my other jobs under wraps (TDC and a studio in the suburbs I have worked with for years). I really have no time to stop and catch a breather because besides all of that, I have to make sure I haven't forgotten about friends and family!

I have found that no matter how much work you have to do, it's important to remain social, keep doing the things you enjoy, and there may be times you just need to quit what you're doing and go to bed at 9:30... sometimes it's for the better. Overall, I wouldn't change anything about the opportunity I have been handed. I know this will be my hardest year yet, but the learning experience I will gain, and the arsenal of knowledge I will own, will be priceless. 

Submitted by TDC Dancer Madelyn Doyle, Tuesday, October 15, 2013. 

Thank goodness I don't have to wear a skirt!

As the artistic director of The Dance COLEctive I think it is so important for me to be active as a performer having to engage with others in their creative process and to work in this way with my peers.  As Margi Cole the dancer, I crave the opportunity to be inside of a work with others, discovering new creative juices, to be questioned, to be challenged and to experience the fear and joy of performing in someone else's work. Work that I am not producing but that I have the simple pleasure of participating in. Normally, I bring someone to us or me, to work with under the umbrella of TDC.  As the company has gotten older these opportunities have been fewer. But you never know what can happen from a random casual conversation about someone's upcoming project, sharing admiration for their work and the simple inquiry of when auditions are being held.  (Yes, that really happened!)

I have been so lucky to have been working with choreographer Peter Carpenter for the last several months.  He has put together a pretty cool quartet comprised if himself (Welcome to the gunshow!), Lisa Gonzales (whose beauty and generosity as a person spills into the studio and her artistry) and Matthew McMunn (poor Matthew...Having once been one of my students he has had to endure all my teasing but, he has more then earned my respect as a dance partner, collaborator and artist) and little ole me.  Pete's process has been rich with fun, discovery, SPARKS of curiosity, sheer physicality, and lots of heavy breathing.  I am happy to report that I have lines to remember, gained some new skills with a fancy tape dispenser, have bodies to move through space, a sassy costume to wear designed by Jeff Hancock and an enormous amount of gratitude for this opportunity.

You can see a teaser here.  Go ahead... Click on it!

Pete is sharing the bill with Same Planet Different World October 10-12 at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago.  Pete is a sophisticated and thoughtful dancemaker and I am so proud to be part of this work!  I hope you will be able to come to the show. 

Submitted by TDC Artistic Director Margi Cole on October 2, 2013.

Professional Dance: The Balancing Act

Photo By Eric Olson

Since I moved back to Chicago in 2006, I have consistently danced with two or more companies at the same time. Over the course of a season or an overlapping project the juggling act ebbs and flows between being adequately balanced and completely exhausting.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that rehearsing for two companies within a single day is very hard to manage. The level of energy and focus required for two separate 4-hour rehearsal periods is simply too much for me. I never want dancing to feel like a job, and when I am so tired I start to resent having to move through space, I know it’s time to reevaluate my commitments. Now I try to make sure that my rehearsals are each on separate days of the week, and that gives me the space I need to recharge and remain present throughout each company’s rehearsal process.

Though the performance schedules of the companies I’ve danced for are often spread throughout the year, November 16th may prove to be very interesting. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Chicago Dancemakers Forum (CDF), I will be performing with The Dance COLEctive, Ayako Kato/Art Union Human Scape, and Khecari at the Museum of Contemporary Art, all within a 1.5 hour window. Quick changes, here I come!

The company is very excited about participating in the Chicago Dancemakers Forum Break Out! Celebrating ten years of supporting new work by Chicago dancemakers on Nov 16, 2013!


Submitted by TDC dancer Maggie Koller, Thursday, September 26, 2013.

The Impact of 8 Seasons on the Choreographic Process

Photo by Eric Olson

By now, I have a pretty clear sense of Margi’s aesthetic. There are certain movements, points of initiation, or ways of making contact that I know will likely be edited out or eventually given “salt and pepper” to ensure they fit the Margi Style. Being aware of these nuances is useful because while I am given (almost) full creative license when generating material, I am able to impose boundaries on the movement I develop in this initial phase of the process. Also when working collaboratively with other dancers, the choices I make (and often lead the team effort toward) are informed by what I’ve learned from Margi over the years, both from her direct requests and feedback, as well as through my own observation of her vision for movement and interaction.

After all this time, I’m still pretty excited by Margi’s way of working. I think it’s because though similar in underlying structure, the actual process she engages us in changes with each new work, and it continues to present a challenge. I’m always excited to start a new piece. The idea itself is unfamiliar. The way I react to the source material (for example, a word list to build movement from) is fresh and hopefully untried. And Margi is consistently adding layers to her process. Whether it is the use of text, time constraints on the choreographic exercises, limitations in space, the inclusion of improvisation, or anything else, Margi’s decision to push the way she works has kept the experience of dance making enlivening, even after eight seasons. 

Submitted by TDC dancer Maggie Koller, Sunday, September 15, 2013

Dancing backwards...

Musings from the Artistic Director

It is September.  Summer is coming to a close and The Dance COLEctive is about to embark on the beginnings of it's 18th season...  What????? 

Where does the time go?  I mean that about 18 years worth of TDC as well as summer.  Generally I spend the bulk of my summer teaching here and there and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to do so in various different places this summer!  Cincinnati, OH; Birmingham and Gadsden, AL; Springfield, IL; our own workshop here in Chicago and, a major highlight, at the American Dance Festival in Durham, NC.  I have also been a "dancer" much of the summer in the studio with choreographer Peter Carpenter and fellow dancers Lisa Gonzales and Matthew McMunn.  This has been joyous for me mentally, spiritually and artistically.  I can't wait to perform in October at the Dance Center.  Admittedly I had a giant to do list and I did not get to all of it!  Costumes to organize, things to file, grants to write, Linked In pages to update and the list goes on.  Cleaning my office will just have to wait another day...

One of my big challenges generally is creating personal time for myself without feeling guilty about it while the things on my to do list go unchecked.  I did manage to spend a little time with family and friends. Went to the beach in Florida. Completed my Advanced Open Water Dive Certification and ended up seeing sharks in the process.  (No joke!)  I appreciated the beauty and water of Lake Michigan by boat.  Read all the Hunger Games books.  Celebrated an important birthday with a dear friend, welcomed new babies into the world and have been mourning the loss of a friend and mentor Dr. Woodie T. White who served on the TDC board for many years.  I have been in a whirlwind. 

I guess I am sharing all this with you because summer is generally, dare I say it, a time for ME.  It allows me to reflect, replenish, nourish, challenge, be a student, be a teacher and remind myself that I am simply human.  NOT super human, which is what I would like to be!  And everything I do for ME enables ME to gather my forces and jump headlong into yet another season, the 18th season of The Dance COLEctive!  I am excited about the artists I am working with, eager to get back into the studio, open to change, to experimentation and looking forward while I am dancing backwards.

Submitted by TDC Artistic Director Margi Cole, Monday, September 3, 2013.