Happy Dance Week!

Hi all! Happy Dance Week! Are you celebrating somehow? Free classes or performances or special events? Comment and let us know what events you have planned and how they work out for you. In future years, would a more concerted effort to promote dance week through DanceATL be appreciated?

It seems that folks are postponing the celebration till the end of next week instead, when there are numerous performances going on around town. Great to see the dance season here expanding into May! Take a look at the calendar at danceatl.org and you'll see we've pretty much got things through the whole month. June starts to slow down and there is only one performance currently (with another one cooking, but more on that later) in July. August is too far out to know really (unless you do know you have something then, in which case, please send it to us!) before we jump into the 2011-12 season.

I haven't posted in quite a while, I apologize, but as always, I've been busy busy. I think I'll address a couple of housekeeping things for DanceATL in this post and save the updates on publications/coverage to the following post, which probably won't happen tonight.

We're trying to take the dance table around still, but it's getting really really low on materials, guys! I know it's the end of the season, but as I just mentioned, there are still a bunch of things coming up and we'd love to be able to help you get that word out about your events or even just your existence until next season.

As we look to future DanceATL meetings, I was wondering how the time of afternoon on Sundays is working for you all? It works pretty well for me, so I don't foresee changing it any time soon (because, you know, it's all about my schedule. :P) I was curious if the earlier afternoon that we've switched to for the last couple has worked as well as or better than the later evening time slot on Sundays. I feel like the earlier afternoon time fits the tone of the meeting now that we're usually in dance studios instead of a party venue (we started at Park Tavern.)

Meeting notes Apr. 3-Career issues

Thanks to everyone who made it out, especially our guests, Chris Holzwarth, Jenna Knight and Helen Hale, to Refuge Dance Company for their beautiful performance and to Moving in the Spirit for hosting. Because of having a laptop now, and thanks to Stephanie for taking notes, we have notes almost the same day! Technology! Woot! (We're also discussing figuring out a low-cost, even more high tech way to do this, some sort of audio or video webcast. Perhaps we'll make it happen in the future. If you have access to AV equipment you'd like to loan us, please contact info@danceatl.org!)
So without further ado, notes:

April 3, 2011
DanceATL meeting
The Beam, Moving in the Spirit
3:30-5:30pm

Performance by Refuge Dance Company www refugedance.org
Show “Progress” May 1 at Fabrefaction

Introductions:
Claire Horn-CORE
Aly Brock, Atlanta Ballet
Stephanie- dance teacher
Joe Winter-C4 Atlanta, singer
Jessyca Holland-C4 Atlanta, actor
Malina Rodriguez-lighting designer, Dance Truck
Lane Salter-dancer, teacher, fund development at Moving in the Spirit
Helen Hale-independent artist
Jenna Knight-Ferst Center
Bianca George
Chris Holzwarth—Beyond the Applause 
Ali Carter
Stephanie Cureton
Heather Harper- Harper Continuum Dance Theater
Stefanie Staten Boettle
Ramatu Afegbua-Sabbatt--Manga African Dance

Shows/Upcoming: Gathering Wild- April 21
Agnes Scott College- April 8-10
C4 Board Workshop- Actor’s Express-April 4 at 6:30pm
Magnetic Theatre- First weekend in May
Ferst Center- Announcing new season on Tuesday
Zoetic- May 14 fundraiser- Marcia Wood Gallery Castleberry hill

Panel:

Chris Holzwarth:

                        -being a dancer herself

                        -gives her students a personality assessment

            -dancers are multi-dimensional àputting together her psychology and art

            -idea to use the sports driven community into dance with Atlanta Ballet’s advertising

            -need for dancers to have the balance of another career

Jenna Knight

            -dancer from Brenau

            -made the switch to arts administration without having any background

            -South arts: Southern Arts Federation- encompasses all art forms and all she knew was dance

            -Great to jump in and learn a lot about all the different art forms

            -wanted to focus on performing arts so pursued “presenting”

            -came onboard at the Ferst Center

            -Even though she is not dancing still is connected to dance because of her career

Helen Hale

            -studied ballet and modern here in Atlanta

            -started dancing with Gathering Wild, George Staib, and ADF

            -thought she wanted to go to college and study dance and everything else…lol

-applied to bunch of schools specifically Brown and while waiting for a reply knew that she wanted to only pursue dance so ended up at Temple University

            -Graduated from Temple and joined a company of a faculty member at Temple

            -performed once and then dislocated her shoulder (for 5^th time!) and came back home and has been back home for 2 years

            -while recovering got an internship at Wonder Root

            -wonderful insertion point to the Atlanta art community

            -puts on shows by herself

            -making work in Atlanta and needs to take trips outside of town to further her knowledge and experiences to bring back to the community

Questions:

• Talking about the sustainability of art and work and how to maintain it
• define the word professional: define professional as getting paid, but this is not always true
• TED- school system ruining art for children http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
• Being creative doesn’t always mean to be in front of , every kind of support
• As a fundraiser bring TED in to discuss this problem- building creativity everywhere especially
• Be our own advocates- know what’s going on globally and internationally in the arts
• Also support what’s going on locally
• Business article about arts and culture and how critical it is that Atlanta build up there arts and culture
• Redefining our career paths- what’s the value proposition we give to Atlanta?
• Growing the arts as a business-if there are people from different venues fight for the same thing maybe something can happen
• Learn to say: so what is our budget? Embarrassing what is asked for from the artist, and not being able to get it
• “Can you just do a flash mob?” It still comes with a price->still a price tag to this, so badly want to show work, and they will do it for free which needs to stop
• Stop working for free!!
• Getting paid more as a lightening designer than a dancer->can we make it sustainable?
• Higher price you put on it, the more people value it
• Quality of dance is not where it could be in Atlantaà as dancers we have to know it is a job, we have to name our price and demand it
• What is the normal response when asking for the price?
• Surprised that it is asked for
• Then go into work mode to scaling it down in order to work
• In the end, a matter of respect
• Or go into community to help
• Considering upping the price
• Website: Kickstarter- e.g. Emily reached her goal of 2000, you just have to ask
• If you post something (a price), and everyone pledges and pledges are met for your goal, you get the money
• Great way to soft sell what you are doing
• Works more for events than general operating expenses
• Issues with doing things for free
• Malina putting together the dance truck as a presentation venue
• Puzzle for dancers to find these venues
• Unspoken collaborative barter when dancing with friends, it is known that it will be reciprocatedàwhy not put a number on this?
• In the Atlanta community there is not a demand for dance because it is not known
• But there is a new interest but you have to find it and go with it
• Just connect! You guys are responsible to sit that and don’t do it for free
• How can you put it in front of people, so it can be known?
• Result of collaborations with different venues and mediums making dance interesting in Atlanta
• Not to be intimidated to approach the “big boys in Atlanta” organizations and people in Atlanta- because what is the worst that can happen, they say no and you’re where you started
• You have to start and maintain the relationships to get things to happen- don’t be afraid to ask
• Arts are a different sort of economyàarts thrive so much more when the arts are integrated in everything in society
• Rather do it for free than being underpaid
• Created our own audiences and hunger for danceàget out there and ask
• Dancers in school and next choices
• Going back home because there is no way to stay here
• Education doesn’t breed or foster an appreciation for arts
• Want to be a part of community but fear and wonder what to do next?
• Because it is not directed in our school
• Need to go out and then bring it back
• Know what you need to do instead of hopping around into like grad school
• Have to set a boundariesàgoing out and coming back in
• What’s the best dance school for you? You need to look at that, and investigate what you are wanting from it
• Dance majors that are in Atlanta, what now?
• Book: A Guide to College Choices for the Performing and Visual Arts The need to do something beyond the passion, this looks at how to chose
• People can’t afford to go to colleges, unless you have your own benefactor
• Knowing your options is a good idea
• Entrepreneurship for artist classes that help artist coming out into the community as a business
• Offering it to the universities as a continue education
• Think of yourself as a business- be on top of things and having an understanding  and executing of how your business runs
• Public Speaking issues? Feeling comforting with this will help you further
• As an independent artist you have to piece things together like the classes
• Most businesses fail because of not keeping up with your capacity and you have to figure this is out and be innovative
• In Atlanta: Harper Continuum every three no’s is a yes
• Renders with creativity
• Will not do something that can’t afford and had to turn things down because will not do for free
• Strengths of Atlanta:
• Operates in a different frequency than New York, can be a strength as well as a weakness
• Has a different spirit that leaves a lot of creative room because of collaborative effort
• More optimistic we are in seeking those relationships
• Good to be involved in the community, if not everyone at least DanceATL representing the community and getting awareness into other conversations happening
• Georgia Assembly of Community Arts Agencies http://www.gaartsnetwork.org/ (GACCA) conference in May
• Georgia Forward http://www.georgiaforward.org/ In November. C4 went last year and arts weren’t even on the table before
• Going to those conferences that provide things like above—offer a lot of resources, you just have to find it
• Email newsletter for DanceATLàhave a representative even if you can’t go and bringing back the information
• Going back to the being paid idea
• Dance USA- Audience Engagement Platform
• Conceptualize what are you are selling
• Interesting personalization of performance options
• Being creative about what you are selling

April 3 Meeting: Dance-related careers in Atlanta

DanceATL's Bi-Monthly Meeting Sunday, April 3 3:30-5:30 p.m. The Beam Moving in the Spirit Performance: Refuge Dance Company Discussion Topic: "Dance Careers in Atlanta" This meeting will begin with performance by Refuge Dance Company and then move into discussion of dance-related careers in Atlanta. Our group includes dancer/dancemakers, Helen Hale and Daryl Foster, and Jenna Knight, administrator at the Ferst Center for the Arts. Can you (even partially) support yourself dancing and making dances? Working in a job related to dance? If not, is there anything the community can do to help bolster the landscape for that to become a reality? (sorry, printing money is not an option!) This one is timed for the soon-to-be graduating college dance majors--will you stay in Atlanta to dance? But it is certainly not limited to only this group's participation! Hope to see you there for a lively discussion. Yay dance!

Busy, busy weekend!

So last year, in April there were shows pretty much every weekend, stacked on top of each other 2 or 3 to a weekend. It was a busy month! But apparently this year everyone decided to put everything THIS weekend! Ok, maybe not really everything, there are still lots of things in April...but it's still pretty jam-packed this weekend. So much so that even with some help, I won't be able to get the dance table around to more than 2 or 3 of the shows that are happening. So look for it and if you can't find it at the show you're attending, volunteer next time to help bring it with you, why don't ya?! ;)

And for some previews for the shows: D'air Project "Taking dance into the air" by Andrew Alexander in Creative Loafing.  For the Fusion show, I'm going to send you over to the Atlanta Ballet blog so I don't need to duplicate, though I don't see the link to this ArtsCriticATL.com preview there (it may be in there somewhere). And wow, there's a couple more things that you should find more info about on danceatl.org (the google cal still, I KNOW, I'm trying to find time to really devote to getting this dang site going finally after a year, grrr.)

Y'all enjoy all the dancing this weekend! And don't forget, next weekend is the DanceATL meeting on April 3. I'll stick the info up as another post. 

Some recents

Yep, it's been a very long time since I posted. A very busy month for me (even compared to the normal amount of busy!) And so it goes. Here are some things from the last month or so that I haven't posted yet.

From ArtsCriticATL.com:

• Ballethnic's Flyin' West
• This weekend's Paul Taylor Dance Company performance preview (interview with Annmaria Mazzini, who wouldn't remember me, but many summers ago I did a Taylor workshop at Jacob's Pillow and she was still in Taylor 2 at the time :)
• Jonah Bokaer's FILTER, the product of the first ARTech residency at Georgia Tech's Ferst Center
• and after much brouhaha, the announcement of Atlanta Ballet's next season commission of Twyla Tharp for a new ballet

From Creative Loafing: 

• Twyla Tharp at Atlanta Ballet announcement, and about a new Rite of Spring in the ballet's upcoming show this next weekend on March 25-27 
• Paul Taylor Dance Company preview for this weekend's show
• and an interview with Doug Varone about his company's recent performance at the Ferst

AND, I just sent out the enews to our current list. If you didn't get it and you'd like to in the future, please send me an email at info@danceatl.org and I'll add you!  Yay dance!

Advocacy call: NEA Funding Cuts

From Flora Maria Garcia at the Metro Atlanta Arts and Culture Coalition:
Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee revealed details of what some of the cuts will be in their proposed budget package and they include cutting the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) budget to $155 million this year. That's a substantial cut from its currently funded level of $167.5 million.

The battle begins next week when the House Continuing Resolution appropriations package comes to the floor. Each and every one of your Representatives will be voting on possible amendments attempting to make even deeper cuts to the NEA's budget, beyond the $155 million level. It is quite possible members of the Republican Study Committee will offer amendments to fully eliminate the NEA during floor consideration.  Americans for the Arts need you to send a message to your Members to vote against any amendments to further cut the NEA.

Because of these threats in the House, Americans for the Arts are simultaneously working on the Senate strategy; where there may be a better chance to approve a higher funding level for the NEA and counter the cuts in the House version of this bill. 

By taking two minutes today to send a customizable message the E-Advocacy Center,  letters will be sent automatically on your behalf to both your Senators and your House Representative.  This will ensure that your voice will be heard by Members of Congress (especially freshmen members), who are now assessing their constituents' viewpoints on these budget cuts.

Click here to take action now: Click

Also be on the lookout for our alert on President Obama's official FY 2012 budget submission to Congress on Monday, February 14. While that budget is for a different fiscal year than the CR that we'll be dealing with next week, it will signal to the House and Senate the President's funding intentions for the very same agencies that Congress is considering cutting.

Memories of dance

So this link was on the DanceUK facebook a while back of Zenaida Yanowsky (principal with Royal Ballet) doing choreography by her dad, Anatole, when she was 18. I saw her do this solo at the 1994 International Ballet Competition in the "contemporary" category (she won gold). It was part of a duet actually, with her brother Yury (who won silver and is now with Boston Ballet). The amazing thing is that I remember it, 16 years later, despite having watched and learned so much other choreography during the IBC for 2 weeks straight. And really I remember specifically one movement, the opening of her arms at the end of the repeated phrase that begins the solo. That movement stuck in my memory because it was so simple, slow and measured, but beautiful and totally striking. I was a teenager (and generally hormones had me more impressed with Yury, haha) and also impressed with the pyrotechnics of ballet at that level ("did you see how many pirouettes?!") and I was shocked by the power of this one moment of one piece. It showed me how important stillness and focus could be. It makes me think about how much movement I've seen in my lifetime (just from an audience point of view even) and I ponder just what makes some of it stick in my memory. Probably it was exactly because it was in the midst of all the ballet pyrotechnics that it was striking in contrast. If I had seen this at any other time it might not have had an impact. Always funny how different each viewer's experience of a dance can be. And as a performer, you never know what is going to affect each audience member as they're experiencing the piece, but sometimes I think you do have a feel for when something resonates with you as you perform it, that that movement/moment has a higher probability of impacting the audience. But I could be wrong about this. Maybe a throw away movement you never paid much attention to could spark someone else's imagination.
Anyone else have performance experiences that particularly impressed them as an audience member?