4dancers – Page 62

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s World Premiere – Little mortal jump

March 11, 2012 by 4dancers

by Catherine L. Tully

AljeandroCerrudo — Alejandro Cerrudo, Photo by Todd Rosenberg

This week, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Spring Series will feature a world premiere from choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo—Little mortal jump.

Cerrudo has the distinction of being named Hubbard Street’s first Resident Choreographer—a title he has held since 2009. His works are performed in dance companies around the world and he was recently honored with an award from The Boomerang Fund for Artists.

The choreographer took the time to share some thoughts with us regarding his latest piece, which is his 10^th work for the company.

How would you describe your new work, Little mortal jump?

Little mortal jump consists of twelve very different pieces of music carefully put together and I have attempted to create a cohesive whole with them. This new work is a study on ever-changing moods and twists and finishes in a very different place than where it starts. This piece features some of the most complex partnering I have ever created.

Can you talk a little bit about your choreographic process? How did you go about creating this piece in particular?

My process is different each time I approach a new work, but I usually start by choosing the music and then imagining an atmosphere. For Little mortal jump I had an idea for each section that I then developed further. I have also used the dancers to bring in new ideas. I always adjust my concepts to each individual dancer that I work with rather than imposing my ideas regardless of the dancer and their abilities.

AljeandroCerrudo2 — Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's Alejandro Cerrudo, Photo by Todd Rosenberg

How did you select the music, and what relationship does it have to the choreography?

I am always listening to music. It is my pastime. When I feel inspired by a specific piece, I start to imagine what I would do with it or how I would use it. Music is very important in all of my works. Only on very rare occasions do I actually only use music as a soundscape.

What did you enjoy most about choreographing this new piece?

For this piece I have used moments from my older works that are visually very different and have fused them together to create this new choreography. I have enjoyed allowing myself to be directly influenced by my past work and have created something very new – something that can coexist on stage together.

What do you think the greatest challenge is for you as a choreographer?

One of the greatest challenges is to make something that no one has ever seen before – and make it well.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Spring Series takes place March 15^th – 18^that the Harris Theater. In addition to Little mortal jump, the program also features Israeli choreographer Sharon Eyal’s piece Too Beaucoup and LINES Ballet artistic director Alonzo King’s piece Following the Subtle Current Upstream.

HSD110310_581 — Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in Sharon Eyal’s Too Beaucoup, Photo by Todd Rosenberg

Keeping Dancers Dancing: “Help I Have An Injury – What Do I Do?”

March 8, 2012 by 4dancers

by Jan Dunn, MS

So you have a dance injury? What do you do….????

Last month we covered the various causes of dance injuries, and I’m hoping that information is helping you to stay injury-free. But hey, it can still happen, despite our best preventative efforts. So, the next piece is knowing what do if / when an injury occurs.

First off, you have to be sure you recognize that it IS an injury….i.e, knowing the difference between “good” and “bad” pain. This may sound like first-grade language (it is), but it’s the easiest way to understanding the signals your body may be giving you:

-“good” pain is the discomfort we feel when we are doing a new activity our body is not used to, like taking a jazz dance class for the very first time, when all your training has been ballet. It’s the normal response of our muscles / joints to the new movements, and is characterized by:

-a dull aching discomfort (not what we usually call ‘pain”) which is wide-spread through the body area you were using in a new way. For example, in a jazz class you use the ribs / pelvis in very specific non-balletic movements, and the next day you may feel over-all sore in those areas.

-“bad” pain is when your body is saying very clearly “STOP! I am HURT!”, and is characterized by:

-pain in a very specific place, much more localized than the discomfort described above. It may be in that one spot constantly, or only when you use the body part / joint in a specific way. It is usually a sharper type of pain than the “good”kind, but the key point is that it’s NOT wide-spread, but much more in one place.

2. Ok, so you’ve recognized that you have a “bad” pain, an injury —what do you do? The very first step is often abbreviated as PRICED (we used to say “RICE”, but you’ll see below where the “P” is now added in: [Read more…]

Suspension in the Transverse Plane

March 7, 2012 by Kimberly Peterson

by Kimberly Peterson

Recently I was linked to an amazing video that kind of took me by surprise. I haven’t had a lot of exposure with pole dancing and knew very little of what it could be – save the intentional erotica that movies and television portray it as. However, this video of Jeynene Butterfly completely changed my perception of what this form of movement could be. Don’t be shy, she’s not nude or anything.

The most fascinating thing (besides the sheer strength involved) for me revolved around the use of the Transverse Plane of movement – that is movement which happens horizontally. The suspension achieved by the use of the pole enables a full range of movement options unavailable in the same way by dancing vertically on the floor.

Now, if you are anything like me, you’ve found yourself once or twice in a studio, frustrated with always being vertical, but not excited by a long form “floor” dance. Seeing Ms. Butterfly got me thinking about other ways in which dance could explore the Transverse Plane.

I first had caught wind about Project Bandaloop a few years back, when they performed in Dallas. This group, out of California, focuses on suspension as a way to engage their surroundings and by doing so – explores the possibilities of movement in the transverse plane as well as exploring the realm of gravity.

There are many things which further excite me about Bandaloop, in that it takes dance out of the theatre and directly into the world. It blends the two, merging the artistic with the mundane, asking us to re-imagine our surroundings.

It is exciting to see dance being transformed by such innovative means. It makes me want to know what is next for the field – what may be possible – and how re-imagining something as simple as verticality can open up a new world of movement where limits are routinely broken.

BIO: Contributor Kimberly Peterson, a transplant to Minneapolis from the Dallas area, received her BA and MA from Texas Woman’s University’s prestigious dance program.

Drawing on her experience with producing dance works, Kimberly has served as lighting designer, stage manager, event coordinator, volunteer and an advisor in various roles. She has taught in various roles and her choreography featured at ACDFA, TCC South Campus and Zenon Dance Studios. Her recent internships with Theater Space Project and the Minnesota Children’s Museum have served to expand her skills in arts administration and development.

Her graduate research explored the parallels between the independent music industry and current methods of dancer representation. Fascinated with how art is represented and presented in society, she continues to develop this research while delving further into this complicated subject through her dance writing.

10 Questions With…Anne Kasdorf (The Space/Movement Project)

March 6, 2012 by 4dancers

Today’s 10 Questions With… features Anne Kasdorf of The Space/Movement Project…

1. What exactly is The Space/Movement Project?

We’re a group of dancer/choreographers who are fully dedicated to a collaborative artistic process. We produce contemporary dance work primarily in the Chicago area, and we also manage two rehearsal spaces that offer low-cost rental to local artists.

2. How did this group come about?

The group was founded by three post-college dancers (one of whom, Stacy Wolfson, is still a member) who were feeling a bit exhausted by the city’s audition circuit. They were interested in performing and producing work but also recognized the financial and creative strain that going solo can create. TS/MP was born based on the idea that if they came together they could share the resources (space, dancers, production costs, etc.) necessary to fulfill their artistic goals. Although today our organization generally supports itself financially, the same supportive vision is still maintained.

3. What is unique about TS/MP?

TS/MP consists of seven members and seven artistic directors. When we make a dance, each and every one of us is formulating its entire development. Originally we gave ourselves the freedom to individually choreograph short stand-alone dances. Back in 2009, we applied for the Joyce SoHo/Columbia College A.W.A.R.D. Show and opted to submit two stand alone duets that we proclaimed we would combine into a simultaneous quartet. They definitely called our bluff and invited us to compete. At that point there were five of us working together to mesh the two dances, sharing in every decision along the way. With the enormous success of this project, (we were selected to be competition finalists and later presented the work at the Joyce SoHo in New York City) we recognized that we were onto something that really worked within our company vision. We’ve been creating evening-length works using this model ever since. I don’t know of any other dance groups-at least locally-who are applying this level of collaboration to their process.

4. What type of background do the dancers in this group have? [Read more…]

Joffrey: Choreographers of Color Awards 2012

March 4, 2012 by 4dancers

The winners of the Choreographers of Color Awards 2012 will be showcasing their world premiere works on the Joffrey Academy Trainees. This inspiring performance will feature a variety of contemporary works by the three winning choreographers: Bennyroyce Royon, Carlos dos Santos, Jr., and Ray Mercer. Academy Artistic Director Alexei Kremnev will also be premiering his piece Le Roi s’Amuse: Dances in Ancient Style.

Sunday, March 11, 2012
4:00 pm

Harris Theater | 205 East Randolph Dr., Chicago

For tickets or more information contact 312.334.7777 or www.harristheaterchicago.org

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