Colorado Dance News

January, 2012

 volume 32, number 1

 

Colorado Dance Alliance News: President's Corner, Upcoming CDA Events, and Other Helpful Information about CDA

Al Brooks and The Changing Scene: Transcribed from the Colorado Legends of Dance Archives 

An Interview with Jill Inglis

2012 Community Dance Events in Boulder Sponsored by Dance Bridge

Summer Training Programs in Colorado

Local Performance Artist Honored: Versatile CU Professor Awarded $50,000 Grant

Links to Great Dance Resources

Calendar (PDF users may choose to print this, the print-out will be without images, for economy and speed. check your link for the download you want!)

Link to Listings page, including: Web Directory, Jobs and Auditions, Announcements, Classes and Workshops, Other Opportunities and Member Blog (NOTE: THESE DO NOT WORK IN PDF; PLEASE CHECK WEB SITE)

 

Colorado Dance Alliance News 

 

Above: CDA President, Athena Baschal

President's Corner: An Update from CDA President, Athena Baschal

      

Hello, and Happy New Year!

 

            By now the “new year” may have lost a bit of its luster. By now you may be feeling that the “new year” is old news already. Well, not here at CDA headquarters! We are launching into 2012 with a feeling of new beginnings, fresh starts and recipes for success.

            As you will see, we are freshening up our newsletter by adding a few new features and publishing it monthly. Since information now travels at the speed of light, we figured we just can’t go two months without communicating with you because there’s too much great information to share with the Colorado dance community.

            Jazzing things up in the newsletter will be a mixture of interviews with people who are making a name for themselves and Colorado in the broader state, national and global dance community; highlights from the Carson-Brierly Dance Library “Legends of Dance” series to help preserve our rich dance heritage; articles addressing current issues facing dance professionals and enthusiasts; newsworthy items culled from many resources; and a calendar adapted from our online version.

            Unabashedly, I ask you to please consider joining CDA or renewing your membership now. We so appreciate your support of our efforts to make Colorado a great environment for dance to thrive. We are working through many avenues to advocate for dance.  For example, on Saturday, February 25, 2012, representatives of CDA have been invited to participate in a round table sponsored by Colorado Creative Industries and Think 360 Arts. We will be meeting with four other organizations representing art, music and theater to discuss the state of arts statewide. If you have any ideas that you would like us to bring up at the round table event, please email me soon at: president@codance.org. We want to make sure to represent the dance community’s concerns accurately.

 

On with the dance!

Athena

 

“Dance is most deeply concerned with each single instant as it comes along, and its life and vigor and attraction lie in just that singleness. It is as accurate and impermanent as breathing.”

~~Merce Cunningham~~

Above: Amy Hollenger of Seven Dancers performs the Dying Swan at CDA's last Open Stages at the PACE Center in Parker (Photo: Keith Richmond)

Upcoming CDA Evernts  

 

 Friday, February 24           

Open Stages sponsored by Ormao Center for Contemporary Dance, at Ormao in Colorado Springs

For info: ormao@msn.com

 

Saturday, February 25       

Round Table sponsored by Colorado Creative Industries and Think 360 Arts, in Denver

 

Saturday, April 28              

Colorado Dance Expo sponsored by Peak Dance Academy, at Conifer High School in Conifer

For info: peakdance@msn.com

 

Sunday, May 6                    

CDA’s Colorado Dance Awards and Richard Denny Young Dancer Scholarships Performance, at Pinnacle Theater in Denver

For info: cathrinelockhart@hotmail.com

 

Friday, May 11                    

Open Stages sponsored by Ormao Center for Contemporary Dance, at Ormao in Colorado Springs

For info: ormao@msn.com

 

September                            

CDA’s Dance Education Workshop in Denver

 

October                                  

CDA’s Annual Meeting in Denver

 

 Below: Tobi Johnson Compton of Ascential Dance performs Morlay at CDA's last Open Stages at the PACE Center in Parker (Photo: Keith Raymond)

 

How to Use CDA's Resources

…Calendar…Go to the Website, and post all your dance events on our Calendar.

…Facebook page…Send your event info to president@codance.org, and it will be posted on our Facebook page.

…Newsletter…Give us feedback by sending your comments to: president@codance.org. Contribute articles and ideas by sending them to cdasubmissions@codance.org.

…Website…Find out what CDA is all about. Peruse the newsletter archive. Post all of your dance events on our Calendar.

 

Why CDA Asks for Donations and Memberships

Our success in influencing and expanding the Colorado dance community is based solely on the work of incredibly dedicated volunteers. We are a non-profit organization financially supported by member dues, donations and grants.

 

On top of general operating costs, we collect donations for the Richard Denny Young Dancer Scholarships. To date, CDA has given a few thousand dollars towards the dance training of many talented young dancers, and hopes to increase this program in the coming years.

Below: Apex Dance performs The Outsiders at CDA's last Open Stages at the PACE Center in Parker (Photo: Keith Raymond)

 

"Richard Denny Young Dancer Scholarship" Awards

 

 Do you want extra money to go towards your dance education?  The Colorado Dance Alliance wants to give you some!  Did you know the Colorado Dance Alliance provides scholarships and has Dance Awards to recognize people who have made a significant impact in the dance world?  Let's get the word out!   Scholarship finalists will get to perform on the stage of Ballet Nouveau Colorado’s beautiful Pinnacle Theater in front of a distinguished panel of judges.

You do not need to be a CDA member to nominate or be nominated for the awards. Nominations and submission packets are due March 1, 2012 to CDA, c/o Cathrine Lockhart, 4000 South Grant Street Englewood, CO 80113. For the nomination form, please email Cathrine at Cathrinelockhart@hotmail.com.   NEW - Email your entries.  Send your videos as an attached file or a link to YouTube, attach any letters and your CDA entry form.  Fast, easy and postage free!

 

Dance Awards

→ Lifetime Achievement

→ Service To The Field (Individual and Organization)

→ Cutting Edge

Help us honor the many dedicated and accomplished dance professionals of Colorado.  You do not need to be a CDA member to nominate or be nominated for the awards. Nominations and submission packets are due March 1, 2012 to CDA, c/o Cathrine Lockhart, 4000 South Grant Street Englewood, CO 80113. For the nomination form, please email Cathrine at Cathrinelockhart@hotmail.com.   NEW - Email your entries.  Send your videos as an attached file or a link to YouTube, attach any letters and your CDA entry form.  Fast, easy and postage free!

 

Dance Awards & Scholarships Event 

Highlights:                       

Dance awards presentation, plus performances by scholarship finalists in front of adjudication panel and audience.

Date & Time:                       

Sunday, May 6, 2011 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm

 Place:                                   

The Pinnacle Charter School Theater

1001 W. 84th Avenue

Federal Heights, CO 80260

Below: The Nutcracker of Parker performs the Spanish Dance at CDA's last Open Stages at the PACE Center in Parker (Photo: Keith Raymond)

 

 

 

 

 

Al Brooks and The Changing Scene: Transcribed from the Colorado Legends of Dance Archives

The following was adapted by Athena Baschal on January 3, 2012 from the written account of an interview conducted by Joan Brown with Al Brooks on February 25, 2004:

 

Born in Kansas City, Al’s father, a successful lawyer, wanted him to follow in his footsteps. But Al wasn’t interested. Instead, an accomplished musician, he went to the University of Virginia and then on to Julliard in New York with a double major in performance and composition. At a summer program at Cummington School in Massachusetts, Al encountered readings of new plays, chamber music, and modern dance. “It was a forty person School of the Arts,” he says. “It shaped my whole life.” Back in New York, he took “eurhythmics” classes taught at Carnegie Hall. Hanya Holm also invited Al to dance with her new company.

 

Al was drafted into the Air Force in World War II, and his talent for composition, casting, choreography and directing complex musical revues was put to good use. Afterwards, he returned to Hanya Holm’s dance company and met Maxine Munt, his future wife, at a summer session with Holm at Colorado College. “Maxine created one of the first dance majors not in the Phys. Ed. Department at Adelphi University, and I began to teach for her there. We gave summer courses and started a company together,” he says.

 

They married in 1950 in Paris, returned to New York, and rented a studio in mid-town. They screened off a corner for use as an apartment. They lived where they worked. In 1960, their building was scheduled for demolition and they needed to find a new place to live. They had toured through Denver as the Munt-Brooks Dancers and liked the area, but an inquiry about the art climate was discouraging.

 

They did move to Denver and located at 1527 ½ Champa. The theatre was on the second floor, and the studio and apartment on the third. The place was called “The Changing Scene.” “What Al and Maxine were doing was the cultural revolution,” documentary filmmaker Cindi Kahn recalled. “They were fierce advocates of off-the-wall,” says Jeremy Cole, a frequent director. For 33 years, The Changing Scene produced world premieres of experimental theatre, dance, art, film and performance art. The place was closed in 2000. “The landlord has once again raised the rent!”

 

Married for 50 years, Maxine died in 2003.

  

Additional information from Denver Public Library, www.denverlibrary.org:

 

Alfred Brooks Pew (Al Brooks) and Maxine Munt Brooks (Maxine Munt) established the Changing Scene Theatre in April 1968. Located in downtown Denver at 1527 ½ Champa Street, the theatre was the site of over 475 programs, including plays, films, dance performances, and multimedia presentations. As a non-profit organization, the Changing Scene Theatre provided a stage for locally and nationally-created original works and a place where talented artists could develop their creative abilities. A goal of its co-founders was to provide affordable cultural and artistic offerings, thereby increasing the size of the arts audience in Denver.

In thirty years of operation, more than 350 plays premiered at the Changing Scene Theatre, several of which had subsequent productions in New York, London and Europe. Various alumni from the Changing Scene Theatre went on to found their own theatres. These include: Ed Baierlein at Germinal Stage, Dan Hiester at Citystage, Mary Guzzy at Industrial Arts, Cleo Parker Robinson, Joe Bunton Keel at Eulipiones and Anthony Garcia at Su Teatro. Many artists, who had their debut in a production at the Changing Scene, successfully pursued careers in the arts.

 

Over the course of its productive lifetime, the Changing Scene Theatre proved instrumental in the development of a citywide theatrical endeavor entitled Summerplay. In collaboration with local playwrights, directors, actors, set designers and technical staff from other Denver theatres, the Changing Scene offered a total of fourteen Summerplay seasons to Denver audiences.

Al Brooks and Maxine Munt received awards, commendations, and grants on behalf of the Changing Scene and its accomplishments throughout the years. The awards include: the Governor’s Award, the Mayor’s Award, the Larry Tajiri Award, and the Downtown Denver Award. Maxine Munt died in Denver, Colorado on February 22, 2000. The Changing Scene Theatre ceased operations sometime before her death. Al Brooks died in Denver, Colorado on December 15, 2005.

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An Interview with Jill Inglis

Interviewed By: Jesse Werner

Photo at Right: Colorado Native Jill Inglis (Photo: Danielle Debruno)

Colorado native Jill Inglis has enjoyed a successful career in the commercial dance industry, performing in California, Chicago, around the world on cruise ships, and most recently in Las Vegas.  In August, she returned to the Rockies to dance at the Colorado Springs Dance Theatre's Wine Festival.  One of CDA’s star volunteers, Jesse Werner, recently interviewed Miss Inglis about her career.

 

Where did you train and in what disciplines?

I started off at Barbra Ellis School of Dance in Colorado Springs, just doing ballet, jazz, and tap.

 

And how old were you then?

I was three years old. I was there for pretty much ten years and then went off with Nancy Derby of Derby Dance for about four years, doing the same things - ballet, jazz, and tap, and then added a little musical theater in. Also trained with Zetta Alderman of the Colorado Jazz Dance Company.

 

What was the most important aspect of your childhood training?

Probably the notion of making it fun.

 

How did you first get involved in dance?

My mom put me in because I always asked to wear a tutu.

 

Did you know you wanted to be a dancer at a young age?

I actually did not, I didnʼt think that I would dance past middle school or high school.

 

When did you decide on as dance as a career?

It was probably in high school when I started dancing with the Colorado Jazz Dance Company and I had to choose between volleyball and dance for college.

 

Did you major in dance in college and where did you go?

I graduated with a dance performance degree from Oklahoma City University.

 

What was your favorite thing about the program at Oklahoma City University?

Probably that they gave us several different disciplines - ballet, tap, and musical theater. They required a lot out of us and they switched our teachers around quite frequently so that we had a lot of variety.

 

What has been the most surprising moment in your career?

I guess it’s just all of the travel and being able to pick up and move to a new city and be able to dance right away. […] I just thought that you would be [in] one place all the time, and yet Iʼve moved to so many cities and been successful in all of them as a dancer.

 

And where are you living now?

Las Vegas.

 

What has been the proudest moment in your career?

Probably getting asked to come back to Colorado and give back to the Colorado scene when I came back for the Colorado Springs Dance Theater Wine Festival. When I got asked to come back to dance for that, it was a very big deal. Most of the time as a dancer you donʼt really think that people are thinking of you that often, so that was a really big thing.

 

How did you become involved in commercial dance?

Really just meeting the right people. Once I found a niche in Chicago, it just kind of went through. It’s all about finding the right people.

 

What was your first big break in Chicago?

It was probably for a company called Martin G Productions. It was a corporate event where they hired performers to come perform at their big annual party. That got me connected with different people in Chicago and I got numerous jobs from different people that I met at that one gig.

 

Where did you go after Chicago?

I went to Atlanta, but I didnʼt really dance while I was there. I guess you could say that I took a little break and then I went on a cruise ship.

 

How did you find the experience of dancing on a cruise ship?

Personally, it wasnʼt my favorite. If I would have been a little bit younger I think that I would have loved it. It taught me a lot of things, and it’s an experience I will keep but I probably wonʼt go back to.

 

What projects are you currently working on?

Right now Iʼm dancing for the Tournament of Kings and Iʼm in training for different shows out here - probably ones that [are] a little bit more demanding dance-wise. As of right now, Iʼm just training and preparing myself for bigger and better things, in my eyes.

 

What kind of training are you doing?

I basically train by myself. I go take dance classes from others. And I do some ariel, like silks, to make myself more diverse. […] Now it’s not just dancing, you have to be able to do twenty other things, especially out here.

 

What would be your ideal job in Las Vegas?

It would be La Reve.

 

What inspires you?

What inspired me to want to do this is the people who come to watch, and putting a smile on peopleʼs faces. As weird as it sounds, I didnʼt really enjoy performing for the people on the cruise ships because they didnʼt pay to come see the shows, therefore they werenʼt really involving themselves in our show. […] People who pay to come see [your] show […] give you energy. which you are able to give back to them and then it turns into a great show.

 

And all the little ones.  At our show we have to do what we call meet-and-greet, and we have to go out at the end and say hello to people. Thatʼs one of my favorites because I stop and take pictures with all the little girls. […] I remember when I was that little, I thought it was the coolest thing to take a picture with a dancer. The little kids inspire me to be a dancer.

 

In what aspect of your dancing do you feel most fulfilled and why?

I would say probably all the training that I do, whether its taking class myself or teaching class, thatʼs really what keeps me going, and it keeps building me. The most important part for me is that I always want to learn more. There is never an end to learning in this profession, or giving - giving away the knowledge that Iʼve received from people to other dancers.

 

Who has been the most influential person in your career?

I honestly canʼt say one person. Iʼve had so many different people influence me. I feel like [I] have bits and pieces of every single person Iʼve worked with or worked for or learned from. I donʼt think that just one person could sum it up for me.

 

What is the most important thing you have learned about the business aspects of dance?

Not losing what youʼve worked for, what you know. A lot of times, it’s not about your dancing ability, it’s about what they are looking for. You could have the wrong hair color, or be the wrong height. So just keep going, because you hear ʻnoʼ nine times out of ten. It’s just that tenth time youʼre looking for.

 

What advice do you have for young dancers?

To build a strong sense of self, or self worth for yourself, and to stick with it and believe in yourself and find people that believe in you too.

Above Left Photo: Colorado Native Jill Inglis (Photo: Shane O'Neal)

2012 Community Dance Events in Boulder Sponsored by Dance Bridge 

By: Mary Wohl Haan

 

Look for a variety of creative dance events and programs sponsored by Dance Bridge at the Boulder Public Library in 2012.  All programs are free and open to the public, so mark your calendars now to participate.  Geared to families, seniors, dancers, dance students and aficionados of all ages, the programs offer a wide range of interests. The Boulder Public Library is located at 1001 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder, CO 80302. (3 hour free parking in Arapahoe Avenue lot when using the library).  For more information, contact Dance Bridge Coordinator, Mary Wohl Haan at 303-441-4391, dancebridge@boulderlibrary.org or check www.artsresource.org/dance.   

 

JANUARY 2012: 


 

1). Annual Community Dance Meetings 
*Saturday, January 21, 11:00 - 12:30 p.m. OR
 *Wednesday, January 25, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.,
 Creek Meeting Room, Boulder Public Library

 Dancers, choreographers, company directors, teachers, students, interested friends - Everyone Welcome!   Each year in January, Dance Bridge sponsors at least two get-togethers to facilitate networking.  New-to-the-community as well as veteran artists are encouraged to attend.  It’s a chance to bring new ideas to the table, review existing programs, services and resources, and discuss plans for 2012. A wonderful opportunity for anyone interested in dance along the Front Range.
*Note: Two meeting times are offered to allow more working artists to participate – same community resource materials will be covered at each meeting.  Light refreshments will be available.
For more information or to RSVP, contact DB Coordinator, Mary Wohl Haan, 303-441-4391.

 

2). Special Performance - Peter Davison - Poet of Motion "Up in the Air" 
Sunday, January 22 at 3:00 p.m., 
Canyon Theater, Boulder Public Library

 Choreographer, movement artist, dancer, juggler and physical comedian Peter Davison is a one-of-a-kind artist who transforms the stage into a magical world of motion. With virtuoso abilities, Peter brings ordinary objects - a chair, table, newspaper, bottle, hats, clothing and more - to life in surprising, humorous and, at times, touching ways. It’s a kinetic celebration of life unlike anything you’ve seen before!  Especially geared to families! 
"A stunning display of sheer virtuosity." ~ San Francisco Examiner;
"Davison manages throughout to hold, captivate and win an audience all the way." ~ Denver Post   
For more info and to view excerpts of his show: www.poetofmotion.com.  


Photo at Right: Peter Davison with Bags (Photo: Larry Lazslo)

 

FEBRUARY 2012: 

In Honor of Black History / Awareness Month, Dance Bridge will screen two films:




1) Josephine Baker in ‘Princess Tam Tam’ Thursday, February 9 at 6:30 p.m., Canyon Theater, Boulder Public Library Directed by Edmonde T. Gréville, with Josephine Baker, Albert Préjean, Robert Armoux, Germaine Ausset (France 1935). To cure his writers block, a celebrated French novelist casts a beautiful shepherdess he meets on vacation, as the heroine in a real life Pygmalion story. In French with subtitles.

 

2) 'Dancing in the Light' from Dance in America
 Saturday, February 11 at 2:00 p.m.,
 Canyon Theater, Boulder Public Library

 Six historic works by African American choreographers, filmed by the American Dance Festival to preserve and celebrate the black tradition in modern dance, were collected here for a one-hour historical performance program.  Viewed together in chronological order, they dramatically underscore, as host Taye Diggs puts it, “the important role black choreographers have played in the development of American modern dance.” Screening of ‘Dancing in the Light’ is courtesy of the American Dance Festival.  For more info: http://www.americandancefestival.org/projects/dancingintheLight.html. 


 

MARCH 2012:

Dance Bridge and Living Portraits in Dance present Robin Haig’s one-woman show:

 

1)
“Backstage with Margot Fonteyn and the Bumptious Colonial” 
Sunday, March 4 at 3:00 p.m., 
Canyon Theater, Boulder Public Library

 A unique performance event that embodies the behind-the-scenes story of Margot Fonteyn, the greatest British ballerina of the 20th century, and her colleague Robin Haig, whose own career was often interwoven with that of her idol. This staged memoir combines storytelling, dance, music, slides and film to explore Fonteyn's genius as a person and an artist.  For more info on this program, www.livingportraitsindance.com.  



 

For more information on projects of the Dance Bridge, 303-441-4391, dancebridge@boulderlibrary.org or www.artsresource.org/dance.  

 

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Summer Training Programs in Colorado

 

Adapted by Athena Baschal from Dance Teacher Magazine, January 2012

 

     Is it really time to start thinking about summer programs again?  Indeed it is!  Below you will find information about Colorado training programs that were featured in Dance Teacher Magazine's 2012 Summer Study Guide.  As summer draws nearer, CDA will be adding to this list.  If you wish to share information about a Colorado summer program not on this list, please send details to cdasubmissions@codance.org.  

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Ballet Nouveau Colorado

Advanced Summer Intensive

303-466-5685

Email:                                        info@bncdance.com

www.bncdance.com

Program Director:                  Julia Wilkinson Manley

Program Description:           The Advanced Summer Intensive at The School of BNC is for dancers who want a challenging summer experience that will accelerate their dance training. The program includes Divisions 5-8. The program prepares students for the diverse styles of movement. The master teachers include BNC’s artistic & associate artistic directors, Garrett Ammon & Dawn Fay, as well as many talented guest master teachers from across the country. Students also perform in a showcase at the end of the program. This allows students to learn contemporary choreography and classical repertoire in an intensive rehearsal process.

Dates:                                          Jun 18-Jul 28

Location:                                    Broomfield, CO

 

 Above Photo: Ballet Nouveau Colorado Company Members (Photo by: Mark Sink, Kristen Hatgi, Garrett Ammon, and BNC)

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Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop

University of Colorado

303-449-0399

Email:                                         lara@bjdw.net

www.boulderjazzdanceworkshop.com

Program Director:                  Lara Branen

Program Description:           The BJDW offers a certificate for completion of the continuing education curriculum with an emphasis on jazz dance teaching as well as one unit of graduate-level credit from the University of Colorado. Weekend workshop includes separate classes for teachers: combinations from these classes are videotaped and made available to participants online.

Dates:                                        Weekend Workshop, Jul 14-15

                                                     Week Program, Jul 16-28

Location:                                   Boulder, CO

 

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Colorado Mesa University

Colorado Mesa University Summer Dance Intensive

970-248-1390

Email:                                         mbuchana@coloradomesa.edu

www.coloradomesa.edu

Program Director:                   Melonie Buchanan Murray

Program Description:             Two weeks of intensive training in beautiful western Colorado. Hosted by the dance program of Colorado Mesa University, this intensive features nationally recognized faculty and offers classes in a multitude of styles. Culminates with a showcase performance open to the public.

Prerequisites:                            Intermediate level of ballet or jazz training.

Dates:                                          Jun 11-22

Location:                                    Grand Junction, CO

 

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Colorado State University

Dance Division

Dance Teachers’ Institute

970-491-4244

Email:                                        carol.roderick@colostate.edu

www.central.colostate.edu

Program Director:                  Carol Roderick

Program Description:            The Colorado State University Dance Teachers’ Institute is an intensive five-day workshop for professional (or aspiring) ballet teachers. It includes daily classes, lectures, demonstrations, and extensive written materials. The course addresses specific technical information and broader educational concepts. Ballet pianist may attend the accompanying course for accompanists. A certificate is offered to those attending the entire course.

Prerequisites:                           Participants should have sufficient background in classical ballet training, performance or teaching that would enable them to benefit from the course.

Dates:                                          Aug 6-10

Location:                                    Fort Collins, CO

 

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Dawson/Wallace Dance Project

Summer Dance Intensive & Professional Dancers Workshop

303-789-2030

Email:                                          james@dawsonwallace.org

www.dawsonwallace.org

Program Directors:                  James Wallace & Gregory Dawson

Program Description:             David Taylor Dance Theatre is now Dawson/Wallace Dance Project. Summer Dance Intensive classes will be taught by principal dancers from DWDP, with a performance opportunity at the end. Professional Dancers Workshop classes will be taught by Gregory Dawson of Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet and James Wallace of Company C Contemporary Ballet and David Taylor Dance Theatre. Dancers will have a new work created on them by both artistic directors with a performance at the end of the session.

Prerequisites:                             For the Summer Dance Intensive, students must have completed two years of consecutive ballet training. For the Professional Dancers Workshop, dancers must be at a professional level.

Dates:                                           Jul 30-Aug 10; Aug 6-17

Location:                                     Denver, CO

 

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National Ballet Academy of Denver

Student Trainee Program

303-860-1236

Email:                                          auditions@nationalballetofdenver.org

www.nationalballetofdenver.org

Program Directors:                  Cornell Callender & Andrei Vassiliev

Location:                                    Denver, CO

 

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Palm Arts Dance School

Broadway Bound and Madonia Ballet Intensive

970-369-5669

Email:                                        info@telluridepalm.com

www.telluridepalm.com

Program Director:                  Valerie Madonia

Dates:                                        Jun 26-Jul20

Location:                                  Telluride, CO

 

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Saratoga Springs Dance Intensive & Vail Valley Dance Intensive

239-395-2768

Email:                                          office@ssdiballet.com

www.ssdiballet.com

Program Directors:                  Melinda Roy & Roberto Munoz

Program Description:             Students in the four-week Saratoga Summer Dance Intensive (SSDI) attend New York City Ballet performances. The three-week Vail Valley Dance Intensive (VVDI) coincides with the Vail International Dance Festival, which VVDI students can attend.

Dates:                                          Jun 18-Jul 15; Jul 22-Aug 11

Location:                                    Saratoga Springs, NY; Vail Valley, CO

 

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Technique in Taos

858-270-8248

Email:                                         techniqueintaos@jillanaschool.com

www.jillanaschool.com

Program Director:                  Jillana

Program Description:           Stresses the Balanchine style and technique.

Dates:                                        Jul 29-Aug 12

Location:                                  Taos Ski Valley, NM

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Local Performance Artist Honored: Versatile CU Professor Awarded $50,000 Grant

 

By: Steve Weishampel

(Article courtesy of Boulder Weekly)

 Photo Below: Choreographer, Dancer, Video Artist, Writer, Cartoonist, and CU Dance Professor Michelle Ellsworth

It’s unclear exactly what stood out in Michelle Ellsworth’s repertoire. There’s a lot to choose from.

United States Artists (USA) calls Ellsworth a “dancer, choreographer, video maker, writer, cartoonist and web designer,” to which one could add professor and co-director of CU Boulder’s theater and dance program.

Whatever the reason — and the Los Angeles nonprofit didn’t say — Ellsworth has been selected to receive a 2011 grant for her work, USA announced Dec. 5. The Boulder artist, performer and CU professor is among 50 artists who will receive an unrestricted fellowship of $50,000.

Even months after learning she’d won — she found out in September — Ellsworth seems bewildered by the award.

“I feel very humbled and grateful,” she says. “I’m very shocked.”

Those who know her work aren’t as surprised. To Lane Czaplinski, artistic director of the Seattle contemporary performing arts center On the Boards, Ellsworth’s versatility should not be understated. “If you call her a dance artist, it doesn’t begin to show the complexity of what she does,” Czaplinski says. “I really think she’s unique because she’s a crossmedia artist. Legitimately so.”

Czaplinski calls Ellsworth “one of the riskiest performance artists” in the U.S.

Ellsworth will return to On the Boards in March to perform for the third time, presenting a “mini-retrospective” of her work over the last several years, Czaplinski says.

The dance and performance project, called “Phone Homer,” will also include a strong dose of Ellsworth’s signature sense of humor.

“There aren’t many people who conduct  ritualistic sacrifices of hamburgers,” Czaplinski says of one of Ellsworth’s pieces, an ode and dance to a McDonald’s burger.

“She’s got such a big brain,” Czaplinski says. “I think the performances are a showcase for this big funny brain.” Ellsworth’s work tackles serious issues — Czaplinski names mortality, faith, philosophy and technology as prevalent themes — but usually includes a wry, sarcastic twist.

That shows even in her application for the USA grant.

“When they send you a letter telling you you’ve been nominated, they say, ‘We’ll give you a hundred bucks to apply,’” she says. “If they didn’t say that, I never would have applied, because I thought there’s no way I’ll ever get this. I thought I was in this for the hundred bucks.”

Even when she was told she’d won the award, Ellsworth had her doubts.

“When the president of US Artists called me … I asked repeatedly if they were sure that it was me that they wanted,” she says. “I said I’d be psyched about $5,000 and she said, ‘You can be 10 times happier.’” Czaplinski says he’s happy to see Ellsworth honored for her years of effort. “When I think about important artists who work outside the mainstream,” he says, “Michelle’s definitely at the top of the list.”

Czaplinski also applauded Ellsworth’s focus on teaching, which he’s witnessed as a guest lecturer in her classroom. “I wish I had had somebody like Michelle teaching me,” he says. “She’s a great teacher and you could see her students mirroring her passion and her intelligence.”

The money isn’t the only reason Ellsworth appreciates the award, she says.

“It’s not just about the money,” she says. “Someone’s saying, ‘I like what you’re doing. Do more.’”

Doing more might be difficult. “If I could buy sleep units with the money, that’s what I would do,” Ellsworth says — with a laugh, yes, but that doesn’t mean she’s kidding. She’s doing quite a lot already.

“A couple years ago, I committed myself to doing whatever the piece wanted,” she says. “At the end of the day, I could look myself in the mirror and say I did everything it asked. I try to be very devout about my pieces.”

This dedication means lots of late nights — remember, she’d trade the money for sleep if she could — but it also means producing art she’s proud of.

“I finally finished at 5 o’clock in the morning,” she says of a recent performance, “because it took so much time to keep responding to what it wanted. … I feel like my endurance is one of my best attributes.”

Since sleep units are still in research and development, Ellsworth does have backup plans for her award. “I’d like to help my son go to college,” she says. “And maybe put some into a retirement account.” She also intends to reward two forms of media she calls “standard collaborators for me:” public radio program Radiolab and The New York Times.

She did admit to treating herself to a rare extravagance. But it’s not exactly a new car — or even a used one.

“Oh, yeah, I spent a little money and got a haircut,” she says. “I’ve been cutting my own hair for five years.”

Ellsworth can relax. The home haircutting can stop now. But unless her next piece paradoxically calls for her to take her foot off the gas, she won’t be letting up anytime soon.

 

Links to Great Dance Resources 

 

Americans for the Arts:   www.americansforthearts.org

Answers 4 Dancers:   www.answers4dancers.com

Boulder Arts Commission's DanceBridge:    http://www.artsresource.org/index.cfm?objectid=2FC67484-E0CA-99EC-27B7E90B10A71A12

Career Transitions for Dancers:  www.careertransition.org

Carson-Brierly Dance Library:   http://library.du.edu/site/about/specialCollections/collections/carsonBrierly.php

Colorado Creative Industries:   www.coloarts.state.co.us

Community Arts Network:  www.communityarts.net

Dance Advantage:   www.danceadvantage.net

Dance Magazine:   www.dancemagazine.com

Dance Spirit Magazine:   www.dancespirit.com

Dance Teacher Magazine:   www.dance-teacher.com

Dance USA:  www.danceusa.org

Fractured Atlas:   www.fracturedatlas.org

Keep Arts in Schools:   www.keepartsinschools.org

National Dance Education Organization:   www.ndeo.org

Pointe Magazine:   www.pointemagazine.com

Think 360 Arts:   www.think360arts.org

 

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