meredith dincolo

Choreographing “Echo Mine”

July 29, 2019 by 4dancers

Robyn Mineko Williams and Jacqueline Burnett rehearse “Echo Mine”.
Photo by Chloe Hamilton.

Chicago’s annual benefit performance, Dance for Life, is a time for community. It’s a time for celebrating dance–and dancers–right here in our city. It’s a time for coming together, and a time for reflection.

This year’s performance offers a great variety of talented dancers and dance companies, as well as a “first look” at Echo Mine, a work choreographed by former Hubbard Street Dance Chicago dancer and award-winning choreographer Robyn Mineko Williams. The piece was inspired by the late Claire Bataille—one of HSDC’s founding dancers, as well as a choreographer and director of the Lou Conte Dance Studio.

We are fortunate to be able to share excerpts from a recent conversation with Robyn, regarding how this piece came into focus, and how the decision was made to included it in this year’s Dance for Life Chicago performance.

You have deep roots in the Chicago dance community. Can you describe your journey from dancer to choreographer in broad terms?

The pathway from dancer to choreographer was not one I expected. When I left Hubbard Street in 2012, I didn’t intend to stop dancing, but choreographic opportunities presented themselves. The more I did it, the more I enjoyed it and found that I had a voice on the other side of the lens. I knew that I was not ready to leave the world of dance. So it’s been an interesting but unexpected career path. When I was a dancer, I thought I’d leave Hubbard and go back to math school, become a math teacher, open a bakery—so I’m very surprised, but not surprised, that I’m still immersed and feel passionate about being an active member of this community.

Robyn Mineko Williams, rehearsing “Echo Mine”. Photo by Chloe Hamilton.

Claire Bataille is a well-known figure in the Chicago dance community. Would you comment on the sense of loss that has been felt with her absence?

Speaking only for myself, it is a huge loss because of the incredible range that she had during her 40+ years in the dance community—dancer, teacher, mentor, friend. When I walk into Lou Conte Dance Studio, I still expect to see her even though I know I’m not going to. She’s been a constant for me and for thousands of people. She’s just part of the web, like the bones of the dance community. Michael Anderson [former Joffrey dancer and now Chicago Dancers United/Dance for Life board member] and I both noticed that, at Claire’s memorial last winter, so many different people were there, not just spanning generations but from many parts of Chicago and beyond. Claire was so much more than Hubbard; she brought dancers together. She was a key figure, like the glue for all of us.

How did this piece wind up coming about for Dance for Life 2019?

The solo I performed at Claire’s memorial was a work in progress and is now part of Echo Mine. I started to reach out to different people in the dance community for advice about a good venue for this piece and other general, technical questions. This is my first independent work on this level—a 50-minute, full-evening work for proscenium. I’d been in the studio and working with composer Tim Rutili of Califone, so creative elements had been in the works for a long time, but the logistical aspects of how to get it to a stage were things I didn’t know. So I reached out to people who I thought could help me. Michael Anderson wanted to bring the piece to Dance for Life as an option, especially since they knew they’d be paying tribute to Claire this year, so it was a good fit. There was some discussion of Hubbard doing Georgia—which they do a phenomenal job with—but it would be hard not to imagine Claire. So Echo Mine is inspired by and of Claire, and made alongside and with her, but not something she had done—it’s more representative of now.

It’s also really important to me that people know that this started with Claire. This is not a piece about cancer or about Claire’s past. I was really interested, and she was too, about creating something together in the present moment, of her today, and all of her history and my history is part of it, they’re ingredients. When I asked Claire what she wanted, she said it was important to tell a story, and I felt it was important that it be about “present Claire.” And after she got sick, she was still OK with that. As this piece comes more and more together, I see that it’s a snapshot of this amazing time we were able to spend together and make something in the present.

I started talking to her about it in early 2017; that was when original idea came up, because I was encouraged to apply for a grant from Chicago Dancemakers Forum. So this was the idea that came to mind: to work with Claire and see her perform my movement and see how much of my movement is actually her. To see her dance again, and for me to be in the room and create with her, would be the coolest, most rare gem. How often do you get to do that with your idol? A person who you looked up to, who you had posters of in your room? I sheepishly asked her, thinking she would never do it, and she said OK, let’s explore it! She agreed to it, we talked a couple times about early ideas, themes—ironically, she brought up the theme of loss and how it’s been a thread throughout her life, and this was before she got sick. We had one rehearsal in October and a month later she was diagnosed with cancer. In late January 2018, I contacted her again to see how she felt about continuing, and she was fine with it. At first she wasn’t comfortable going back into the studio, not because she physically couldn’t do it but emotionally. But in July she did feel well enough, so we were in the studio for about a month, off and on, and we made a solo for her together, and now that’s the source material for the whole piece. It was such a gift. Regardless of her being sick or not, it was such a great excuse to hang out with her and learn more from her and hear her Hubbard Street stories, which brought to life the photos I had of her.

Claire dancing — Claire Bataille teaching at Lou Conte Dance Studio. © Todd Rosenberg Photography 2015.

Can you share a bit about your connection with Claire?

My connection with Claire changed. I saw her dance with Hubbard Street when I was nine, and from that moment on, I thought, “This is it.” So I started as an observer, a fan; when I was a teen, I started taking classes with her. Then at 16, I was on scholarship at Lou Conte Dance Studio for a couple years. When I joined River North, she was our ballet mistress. So our relationship evolved. I joined Hubbard in 2000 when she was still rehearsal director. One of my favorite memories is this: I had auditioned a number of times, and I decided to try one more time in 1999. I went to an open audition, and I think Lou [Conte], Jim [Vincent, income artistic director] and Claire were there. I got the job and Claire said that she asked if she could be the one to call and tell me. So I got the call from Claire, and she said I screamed bloody murder, and when she hung up, her son Isaac asked if she thought I’d call my Mom right away because he could hear me screaming. I remember my first day at Hubbard in class, and she welcomed me to my new home. While at Hubbard I got to know Claire on a different level; I was less socially awkward around her and could talk to her about various things like both of us being moms. So our relationship matured and evolved. I was able to spend time with her, and she was really important to me.

How has this piece taken shape? What’s the process you have used to craft it to specifically honor Claire?

I’ve been talking with Tim Rutili about this as long as I talked to Claire about it. He and his band have composed an original score, which is very different than anything I’ve ever done. He created it after watching videos of Claire and of Claire and me, listening to interviews, and not making it literal but taking it all in and doing his thing. I also have a set and projection designer, Deborah Johnson (aka CandyStations), and will integrate film components. It’s important that we see Claire, and now it’s becoming more evident that the story is a snapshot of this experience I’ve had. I want to finish and share it, keep it simple. I find, as a maker, I tend to go a bit smaller and do what I know and hope that it resonates and makes sense. My story doesn’t have to be the story everyone in the audience gets but I hope it’s filled with enough honesty and humanity that people can take that and make their own thing out of it. And part of what I’m figuring out now is the story and its arc. Part of my initial desire to make a work with Claire is to share beyond Chicago who Claire was—people need to know about this woman and how great she was. I want it to be an introduction for some and a validation or reminiscence for others.

How did you go about selecting dancers for the work?

Originally it was supposed to be a solo for Claire. When she fell ill, I asked Jacqueline Burnett to dance. Then I realized it was not going to be 10 minutes, it was something larger, so I thought we needed more than one dancer. I was very reluctant to dance myself, so I brought in Meredith Dincolo. We’re sort of different generations of Hubbard Street and had different relationships with Claire, but we were all lucky enough to have a solid time with her. In rehearsals, we have an understanding of Claire’s essence. We were all around her, learned from her, watched her—we don’t have to talk about it, we just know. I’ve never danced my own work; I’d rather be outside, it’s easier to create that way. I don’t feel like I need to get back onstage; I feel good about my career, and there’s no unfinished business. But I’m dancing this because it makes sense conceptually. I took myself out maybe four times, but now I’m committed to doing it.

Dance for Life Chicago 2019 takes place at the Auditorium Theatre on August 17th. Tickets are available online, or at the door that evening. 4dancers is proud to serve as a long-time media sponsor for the event. Learn more about the performance, or about DFL’s parent organization, Chicago Dancers United here.

10 Questions With…Kristie Kahns

May 21, 2012 by Ashley David

Today on 10 Questions With… we have dance photographer Kristie Kahns…

1. What is your dance background?

I grew up in Grand Rapids MI, and began dancing at age 6. I studied ballet, jazz, and tap, and participated in my studio’s competition teams. But I began to love ballet the most, so I also studied at the School of Grand Rapids Ballet for about 5 years, before moving to Chicago.

I moved to Chicago to attend Columbia College, with an intention to major in photography and possibly dance as well. I did take some dance classes at Columbia, but photography consumed my schedule. Living in Chicago, I was exposed to hip hop culture, and became infatuated. I began to take hip hop classes at Lou Conte Dance Studio, and hung around with a lot of b-boys, even apprenticed with Culture Shock Chicago. Learning about the history of breakdancing led me to capoeira, and eventually I became a member of Gingarte Capoeira Chicago, with whom I trained for 7 years. Currently, though, I have devoted myself to my Ashtanga yoga practice, and am training for my teacher certification at Moksha Yoga. So I have a lot of body movement experience and knowledge.

2. How did you get started in dance photography?

During my first couple years at Columbia, I definitely missed dancing everyday and wanted to stay connected to dancers. My first studio lighting class was taught by Bill Frederking (a notable Chicago dance photographer), and I became inspired by his work to photograph dancers in a studio setting. I really couldn’t imagine photographing anything else, so I reached out to dancers that I would meet and began collaborating. My passion for dance and knowledge of technique came through in the photos, so I focused on that throughout my time at Columbia. After I graduated, I began to photograph for some Chicago dance companies that were new on the scene at the time – Instruments of Movement, Luna Negra Dance Theater, and Chicago Tap Theatre. And just kept going with it.

3. What do you think is the biggest challenge in dance photography?

This is a good question. Dance photography is a bit of a paradox: dance is the movement of bodies through space, and photography is a fraction of a moment, producing a frozen and forever still image. The challenge for the photographer then is to make a still image that appears to move, or seem as though it is about to move. That challenge can actually become a means of making a stylistic choice. How do I want to depict the movement or the dancer? Do I want to show the blur of motion or crisply freeze the movement? How can I show the impetus of the movement? I’ve experimented with many different ways of shooting, but I particularly like the work I’ve done which combines strobe lighting and long shutter speeds, which portrays a crisp moment of a movement with the blur of motion in or out of the movement too. But the style that was made so popular by Lois Greenfield, freezing moving bodies in mid-air or in the midst of a dramatic movement, is fun to play with too. Ultimately, the photographer needs to have a great sense of timing and intuition into the movement, because timing is everything when you’re shooting bodies in motion.

4. What has been the most exciting moment for you in your dance photography career thus far?

A few highlights come to mind. My first cover for Dance Magazine was a big deal for me – I photographed Meredith Dincolo and Kellie Epperheimer of HSDC for DM’s Body Issue, July 2008. Since I grew up admiring the photos in Dance Magazine, it was amazing to photograph the cover and feature article. Another great experience was photographing for Cirque du Soleil’s Banana Shpeel show, which did its preview run here at the Chicago Theater in late 2009. The show had a lot of dancing and acrobatic acts, and the lighting and costumes made for a lot of great performance shots. Those performers were incredible!

5. Can you describe what you do to get ready to shoot a dance performance?

If possible, I like to watch the choreography first so I can see the movement and staging of the dancers. Sometimes I can do this at a tech rehearsal, other times in the studio. This helps me know if there may be a better side of the stage to be on when shooting. It does help to see the dance and the lighting first, and I discuss details with the director about choreography and positioning myself in the theater. But I’ve done plenty of performance shooting without ever seeing the dance beforehand.

6. Where do you set up to photograph live dance?

It depends on the situation. Sometimes, I’m able to photograph a full dress rehearsal, which is obviously preferable – no audience to disturb and I can move around in the house and get close to the stage to get the best angle. If shooting during an actual performance, it’s tricky. I need to be close to the stage but usually off to the side, away from the audience as much as possible so I won’t disturb their experience. Every theater is different, so I just have to find the best spot where I won’t be a distraction from the performance.

7. Is there a particular dancer or company that you would love to photograph? If so, who, and why?

So many! I would love to photograph Misty Copeland and Drew Jacoby, both very hot in the dance world right now. Both of them are gorgeous and have incredible technique and very athletic bodies. I actually did get a chance to shoot Drew Jacoby when she performed with Complexions at the Chicago Dancing Festival many years ago – she is simply stunning! I’d also love to photograph Maria Kowroski one day. She is a principal with NYCB, and she is from Grand Rapids as well. I saw her perform with Grand Rapids Ballet for many years before she moved to NYC, and she was quite an inspiration to myself and many young dancers at the School of Grand Rapids Ballet. Neguin, a b-boy from Brazil and winner of the Red Bull BC One in 2010, is also on the top of my list of favorite dancers. His style and talent make him so much more than a b-boy, he’s truly amazing to watch.

As far as a company, I would love to photograph Nederlands Dans Theater, because they are simply the most amazing dance company I’ve ever seen. I’d also love to work with Antics Performance, a fantastic hip hop company based in Los Angeles.

8. What camera/lenses do you shoot with for this type of photography?

My digital camera is a Canon 5D Mark II, and I have a variety of lenses I use depending on the situation. For performances, I use a long lens – I have an 80-200mm f2.8 which I like for performances. For personal projects, I still love to shoot medium format film with my Hasselblad. I don’t get to use it very often anymore, but there’s nothing like that camera! The optics are fantastic and I love the square format.

9. What was the most challenging assignment you ever had?

A recent instance that comes to mind is when I photographed the Yoga Journal Conference last summer. I documented some of the classes and activities at the conference, which were held in very poorly lit and pretty unattractive hotel ballrooms and conference rooms. It was a challenge to make good images in an environment like that.

Basically, any scenario on location or on stage where there is poor lighting is a challenge.

10. What is next for you?

I’m focusing on building my portfolio of yoga photography right now. Currently, I am working on a book project with one of my yoga teachers, the beautiful and amazing Alexia Bauer. We’re collaborating to make a photography book of the Primary Series postures of Ashtanga yoga. I’m really excited about it. I’m going to make a Kickstarter fund to promote and sell advance copies of it. I’m also planning some shoots with dancers for personal projects that I’ll work on over the summer. Other than that, I’d really like to do some traveling soon, it’s been awhile since I spent time outside of Chicago!

Bio: Kristie Kahns is an accomplished photographer based in Chicago, specializing in capturing dance and creating dance-inspired portraits. Growing up in Grand Rapids, MI, Kristie was an avid young dancer, participating in many competitive dance companies and studying at the School of Grand Rapids Ballet. But a photography course in high school sparked her interest, and in 1998, she moved to Chicago to attend Columbia College, where she received a Bachelors degree in Photography. Remaining close to her original passion, collaborating with dancers seemed inevitable; thus, she has spent the past several years becoming a part of the Chicago dance community through her camera. She has worked as a freelance photographer for Cirque du Soleil, Diavolo Dance Theater, Dance/USA, Luna Negra Dance Theater, Chicago Tap Theatre, River North Chicago Dance Company, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, and many other dance organizations in Chicago. Her work has been published in Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit Magazine, Dance Teacher Magazine, Pointe Magazine, Time Out Chicago, and has been used for various marketing materials for dance performances and performing arts organizations nationwide.

She was a recipient of a Community Arts Assistance Program Grant through the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs in 2007 and 2009, and received an Illinois Arts Council Professional Development Grant in 2010.

She enjoys continuing to explore the many manifestations of the dance medium in our world, from capoeira in Brazil, to the traditional dances at Native American powwows in New Mexico, to b-boy battles in Chicago. Through her camera, she pushes for new ways to express her admiration for movement artists of all kinds, and continues to allow her passion for photography and movement to evolve.

All photos courtesy of Kristie Kahns

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