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Saying Goodbye To Atlanta Ballet’s John McFall

May 20, 2016 by 4dancers

John McFall with dancers
John McFall and dancers from Atlanta Ballet. Photo by Brian Wallenberg.

Dear John,

You are stepping down as Artistic Director of Atlanta Ballet this month after 21 years. How to describe what your tenure accomplished? How to distill such a career?

I could talk about the numbers. How the budget has nearly tripled since 1994 or the 1200 students enrolled in the school. I could talk about how Atlanta Ballet has transformed in your two decades from a regional dance troupe to a world-class institution. About the exciting collaborations- Big Boi from Outkast, the Indigo Girls. Or about the world premieres- Twyla Tharp’s first full length ballet, Helen Pickett’s Camino Real. I could talk about the tour to China, the opening of a beautiful new building, your own choreography including the record-breaking Nutcracker. I could talk about the cutting-edge choreographers like Ohad Naharin, Alexander Ekman and Jorma Elo that you convinced out of a sheer doggedness and passion for your dancers to come to a city in the Southeast and bring their work to us.

These things are astounding, valid and commendable. But you know all these things already.

And this letter isn’t about what you’ve done for Atlanta Ballet. It’s what you’ve done for me and your dancers. So I’d rather talk about the joy. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers Tagged With: alessa rogers, Alexandar Eckman, artistic director, atlanta ballet, Atlanta dance, Camino Real, helen pickett, john mcfall, jorma elo, Ohad Naharin, twyla tharp

Closer To The Edge Of Dance – Zephyr’s Michelle Kranicke

December 11, 2014 by Rachel Hellwig

Michelle Kranicke. Photo by Cheryl Mann.
Michelle Kranicke. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

Assistant Editor Rachel Hellwig interviews Michelle Kranicke from Zephyr – a Chicago-area experimental dance company that has been around for over 20 years…

What inspired you to start Zephyr?

I was very young when I started Zephyr so the reasons behind why I founded the company don’t really resonate with Zephyr’s current aesthetic and mission.  What is more important to me right now is what inspires me to continue.  And that is my continued fascination with creating work, dance specifically, and trying to push beyond known ideas and preconceptions about what the art form can be.

 

What’s it like to be artistic director, choreographer, and performer all at once?

I have been all three for so long I guess I am not sure what it is like to not be artistic director, choreographer and performer all at once.  I think the roles of director, choreographer, and performer are linked, each having their own specific requirements and priorities.  For example, in my role as director I try to make sure that both Zephyr’s productions and its education work are an extension of the company’s mission.  To that end I try to make sure company class is structured so that dancers are not only learning technique, but also developing an innate understanding of Zephyr’s aesthetic so that when I am working as a choreographer the performers I am working with have all the tools they need. Regarding Zephyr’s long history of arts integrated education programming, working with schools and students using movement and the creative process to access knowledge and understanding, Zephyr trains its teaching artists in the same clear detailed manner with which its aesthetic is presented.  As far as my performer self, that is often the most straightforward role, and one where I am deeply connected.

 

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Making Dances Tagged With: artistic director, choregoraphy, choreographic process, directing a dance company, making dances, Michelle Kranicke, zephyr dance, zephyr dance chicago

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