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.

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.

Touring with TDC

One of my favorite past times in The Dance COLEctive has been touring.  I had the opportunity to travel to Beloit College and Knox College last season and I enjoyed every part of it, from getting our coffee and hitting the road to performing for a new crowd of curious students. Being crammed in a car, sitting still for hours together is something uncommon for us. Our main experiences together are usually on the dance floor and/or animatedly socializing in open spaces. And choosing a food place on the road can be indecisively tricky. Staying in a hotel room and trying to "keep it down" is quite difficult for a group of women and our handy crew (especially when "catchphrase" is a required nightly tradition).

It's not just the behind-the-scenes quirkiness that I love, it's the opportunity to observe Margi teaching, and students learning. Taking class with a new student body is always informative. We have a chance to pick up new things from Margi. Being one on one with students is refreshing and different. And of course, performing each night and introducing who The Dance COLEctive is to everyone. Each stage is different, each audience is different, and each response is different. It's always exciting to hear feedback and know how Margi and The Dance COLEctive impacted the students and faculty. Although I love dancing in my awesome city of Chicago, I am definitely excited to get out and tour more. I just love the all around experience. 

Submitted by TDC Dancer Shannon McGuire-Edwards on Saturday, December 29, 2012.