I had an amazing time while in Mexico for a number of reasons, although I had my reservations before traveling to the country. So much in the media about the latest news of the war on drugs in that country, the amount of murders since this campaign started six or so years ago, and the travel advisory from the US state department had me thinking I was to walk into a country under martial law. As I arrived into Coyoacan under a balmy thunderstorm, I began to feel at ease.
Reestablishing a working relationship with the dancers of the company Nemian was easy, although the language recall was a pretty steep curve ( only 2 years of spanish in college). The dancers are excellent as any I have met and they learned ‘Hunters’ in only two weeks.

I also had the opportunity to teach at the National school of Dance in the Polanco district of Mexico City. The students there were eager to learn a different perspective from the rigors of their studies and I was happy to share my knowledge. I was able to teach the 4th year students as Rosario Verea Nava (a dancer with Nemian) was so gracious to lend me her class for the week.

The sights and people were so wonderful I hardly have enough time to list it all. In short, the people were generous and down to earth, the sights were surreal as old juxtaposed new, and the pace of life made me question my own familiar American rhythm…

Thanks for that lovely recount John, and what a wonderful adventure!

Anne at work!

Since it’s the week of our New Voices show at the Don Powell Theater on the beautiful SDSU campus (find all ticket purchasing information HERE), we are featuring our final choreographer for the production today!

Anne Gehman is a hard-working woman who not only teaches for SDDT (every Friday from 10-11:30am), but she also has started a brand new collaborative Dance Production company called Youturn Arts!  Check out information on it HERE!  Anne is fabulous, and you should absolutely keep an eye out for her as she continues to take the San Diego dance world by storm.

Here is what she has to say about what she would like the audience to know coming into her piece for New Voices:

I would like the audience to know that, while  the content of the “The Anniversary” relates to my life and personal relationship experience, it also explores a situation which may relate to many  people who embark on a love/ relationship journey in their lives. The dance is an investigation of the circumstances and obstacles in life which both define a love relationship and keep the relationship in a state of longing. I believe these hardships and obstacles are defining moments in a love relationship because they cause an individual to reminisce about the times in your life(however abundant or few they may be) that are beautiful, harmonious and come with ease… These are the times that help you to endure the obstacles, the moments that keep you coming back for more.

Wonderful.  Thank you Anne.  We are so excited to finally see what you, and what all the choreographers have been working on for this production.  The buzz around it has been entirely positive, and we are certain that it is going to be something very special.  We hope you all join us.

Here is a slide-show of one of Anne’s rehearsal’s for New Voices.  All pictures are by the talented Rich Soublet.  Thanks Rich!

Photo by Rich Soublet

Our New Voices performance is THIS weekend! It came up so quick! Our phone lines are starting to pick up with tickets sales so make sure you get yours today!  All of our dancers and choreographers have worked very hard to make this a memorable performance for our audiences.  You do not want to miss it. All ticket information can be found HERE.

We are also continuing with our campaign for our invited New Voices choreographers and thanks to you it has been a very successful steady growth in funds.  We have a little ways to go, but we feel positive and grateful for all the support we have gotten from our community.  Thank you so much!  For those still interested in donating, you can do so HERE.

Since this is the week of our performance we will have two installments of our Choreographer’s Corner- you lucky dance lover you!  But today we have a very special edition since our Choreographer being featured has her birthday today!  Happy Birthday to the beautiful Stephanie Smith!  We hope you are spending your day dancing!

Here is what she would like her audience to know about her performance before the show:

I’m still finding my choreographic voice so to speak. Figuring out how to approach creating movement based on human experiences while keeping it honest is my goal in each piece. During the making of this dance in the show, I used a new process to finding what it was I wanted to say and how to say it. This piece was the first one I have made based off of my own personal experience in life. I had created movement during some summer workshops not really thinking about what it all meant and as I kept building and redefining it did I start to notice that I was subconsciously dancing my way through a personal problem that had developed at the same time. I had never done a dance about myself, so I was a bit hesitant to pursue this piece. How do you make a dance to express a personal and emotional state without coming off a bit narcissistic, especially when you’re dancing in the dance too? Dances are created all the time based on the artist’s view about the world or their way of expressing a feeling, so why did it feel so odd to me? Mostly I struggled with using this piece to work through a problem and at times it was more like a therapy session. There were days when I worried about the movement becoming transparent and the dance turning into a pity party. Little bit of a spoiler alert: I spent a great deal of time struggling with my fear that finally making myself see a positive outcome was the only way to go forward. I am extremely grateful for having amazing dancers to be there with me and help me bring it out. This performance provided myself with the means to learn how dance really is a foundation in my life. It has always been here for me and when it boils down to it, dance is what I know best.

Thank you Stephanie.  That was beautifully put.  We really look forward to seeing your final product and we hope you are enjoying your special day.

Here is a slide show of images from a recent rehearsal of Stephanie’s work.  All photos are by Rich Soublet.  Thanks Rich!

Photo by Rich Soublet

We are another day closer to our “New Voices” performance!  We are so flipping excited.  The phones are picking up with ticket purchases and the dancers and choreographers are preparing for what will no doubt be a wonderful evening of dance.

We are also continuing with our campaign to help out the choreographers asked to create new work for the show.  We have reached over half our goal already, and with over a week left, we are confident.  Thank you everyone who has already contributed- and for those who are able and inspired by these young artists as much as we are- check out the campaign site HERE.

Today’s Choreographer’s corner once again features one of the beautiful ladies involved in the production: the amazing Minaqua McPherson.  Minaqua is also a fabulous San Diego Dance Theater company member.

Once again, we asked what it is she would like the audience to know about her new work coming into the production, and this is what she had to say:

Originally the music for this work inspired me to develop it’s theme which focuses on a woman’s struggle in upholding life and keeping her family together. I created ‘A Woman’s Thread’ with three dancers and each has an individual journey that they embark upon as well as a responsibility to help one another through certain defined struggles. The dancers will be wearing tan dresses with a single burnt red, orange or brown long hanging scarf that is wrapped around their entire midsection. The scarf its self  is symbolic and can be given many meanings as it accents the belly or womb, resembles both an apron and a corset and because the scarf is long it is also a constant obstacle that each woman has to move around. 
The piece has great energy  with very strong dancers who each have found their own identity in the work so I am looking forward to presenting A Woman’s Thread next week.

Thank you Minaqua!  We are so excited to see your work!  Below is a slide show of one of Minaqua’s rehearsal for New Voices.  All photos are by the talented Rich Soublet.  Thanks Rich!

We kept this interview short and sweet by simply asking Blythe what she would like the audience to know about her piece coming into the performance, and here is what she had to say:

I was initially inspired by the quote, “the banality of evil.” This led to the exploration of how humans interact and react to aggression, both as the aggressor and as the person being imposed upon. How can this conversation of power be portrayed with gestures and phrases of movement? From this creative starting place, I delved further into the abstraction of power. Fast abrasive partnering, staccato gestures, and nearly ‘too fast’ dance phrase heighten the frenetic atmosphere and push the dancers to create a power within them and within the dynamic energy on stage. 

Thanks Blythe!  We are so excited to see what magic you make.

To help Blythe realize her vision, we are still working on our “New Voices” Campaign and are accepting donations to provide funding for all five of our choreographers participating in the performance.  You can make your contribution HERE.  Even $10 would be a huge help!

Check out this slide show of Blythe’s rehearsal!  All pictures by Rich Soublet!

This opportunity has motivated us to start a campaign in order to raise funds to help these young choreographers pay their dancers, rent rehearsal space, and afford design elements in order to allow them to fully realize their dance’s vision.  We are accepting donations (both large and small) HERE!

Take some time and check out all the great incentives we have put together for your support!

To inspire donations, and to just get people excited about the production, we are also starting up our next installment of “Choreographer’s Corner”.  The first choreographer we have chatted with is the lovely Anjanette Maraya-Ramey who has a lot to say about what she wants her audience to know coming into her performance:

http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649

Photo by Manuel Rotenberg

Five, Six, Seven, Eight!

COME ….  ENJOY…..  You only go around once,  but you do it right,  and that’s all you need!

-2 ELLEFF

Photo by Manuel Rotenberg

-Five,   Six,   Seven,   Eight !!

 Step outside your life!  That is what I see the people in the Aging Creatively class doing each week.  They are:  Introducing novelty into their lives.  They are finding their world fresher, more creative.  They are more curious about everything.  (Some of us even tried to play the violin for the first time ever, and it was fun! )  

Four weeks ago Kim showed up before class with a violin case tucked under her arm.  She opened it, took out her violin and proceeded to play “The River is Wide”… a plaintive Appalachian folk song.  What a lovely way to start a class.  Then can you imagine the delight when she handed her beautiful instrument to some of us and showed us how to play it? 

 The new person joined that class,  Sandra, shared with us that when her life changed drastically a number of years ago, she decided to take up belly dancing.  (How is that for a free spirit?)  She has been belly dancing for seventeen years.   Now she is learning tondu, plie, and chasse… how to say them and how to do them!  She could hardly wait to let her daughter, a long time dancer of ballet and jazz, know about her newest adventure.

This past week we took a few minutes after the class to express our enthusiasm for what we have been doing so far.  One participant said she had found something precious and she was “going for it!”.   Another said it had taken many years of living to allow herself to be free enough to do this.  When she was growing up,  it was forbidden in her home to dance or even move rhythmically to the music of the day.  At 93 she is the oldest one in the class,  but perhaps one of the youngest ones in spirit!  She shares her wisdom with us each week.  Now if that isn’t worth dancing about,  I don’t know what is.  Come,  join us.   

-2 ELLEFF

Thank you for sharing Kathleen!  We love your inspirational words from this wonderful class!

Post-show a student shared her thoughts on the performance experience:

This is how I feel right now.  Unedited.

I am a Dancer

I wake up counting the days until Tuesday.  Where I will take off my shoes and be happy.  I will move my body in control of who I am for once in my life.  I will smile as I dance independently.  I will try something new and let my heart take control.  I don’t need to speak to express myself anymore.  My worries left behind as I move.  I am a dancer.

I am inspired by Anthony (Diaz).  When I throw my sneakers back on, run into place to rock back and forth to music I do not believe I liked a few months before.  As I bend my legs to warm up, I feel free.  I don’t feel fat for the first time in a while.  I dance away wishinh 5:45 would never come.  I don’t know how to fake smile.  I cannot stop smiling while the hip hop beats move.  I understand that I am not the best dancer in the world.  I have no fear and I extend my arms and reach.

This is the happiest I will ever be.  Today at the Performance Annex I danced in front of my grandmother.  She distracted me with her smile so much that I forgot the next move.  I tumbled through the whole rest of the piece.  The next time we performed the piece I felt relieved, at my strength to not worry about who was watching, or what people thought.  I am happy when I dance.

The beat to the ending bowing song is still in my head.  I gripped Jazmine and Audrey’s hands as I cheered our team on.  I was overjoyed to hand Cortney flowers that she desperately deserves.  My inspiration at school everyday.  What an honor in Cortney’s humanities class.  What an opportunity to be able to dance.  I know that music is all around us if only we would open our ears.  I try to listen to the music as I am happy every day.

I realized tonight that I am a dancer.

Thank you Genevieve for sharing your beautiful words!  This is exactly why such programming exists and we are proud to host it in our studio.  Special thanks to Cortney and Annie, as well as exceptional Dance Fierce instructors Alana Burree and Anthony Diaz.

Photo By Manuel Rotenberg

Five Six Seven Eight!

Photo By Manuel Rotenberg

- 2 ELLEFF (Kathleen’s Blog Signature)

Thank you so much Kathleen!  We love this update and would also love to hear your shared recollections!

Photo By Manuel Rotenberg