Well, the performances are past and were extraordinary in many ways. While we didn't have big audiences, we had enthusiastic ones!
Cait injured her hamstring during dress and had to adjust the choreography a little. Her beauty and movement quality came through anyway, and her adjustments to her solo in "Hollow Light" made it even more powerful.
Edgar and Scott powered through the shows in their unique ways without a waver, dancing beautifully for each show, tired or not.
Each of the dancers had moments of extraordinary beauty and ability and it was intensely pleasurable to watch them navigate through the weekend and produce at such a high level.
Thank you all...
We received a very nice and thoughtful review, which of course will help us immensely in "spreading the word" but was also a welcome finale to the weekends endeavors. Thank you Marty.
So, the dancers are all off on long awaited vacations, or going back to the routines of their lives and I will desperately miss them and our rehearsals...but Fall is coming, and soon we will all gather again in a room and start all over again...
Monday, June 30, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Cheerleading
Well, I'm going to do a bit of cheerleading here now, so if that's not your cup of tea, please do not continue reading.
really!, you've been warned!
OK then...
I've had the pleasure of watching the dancers work with both Jason and Deanna, and I must confess to some pride in such an accomplished and profoundly individual group.
While I know and love each of them, it is a real pleasure to watch them work with someone else, since when I am choreographing myself I am appreciative, but somewhat distracted.
I loved Jason Ohlberg's energy and drive, but I loved the omnivorousness of Keeley (sick as a dog as she learned it), Renee and Edgar more.
I'm loving Deanna's skill and charm, her quicksilver thinking and experience as a choreographer, but I admit to being astounded and proud to watch the dancers take her in stride with great cheer, gentle wit and immediately adapt to her style and requirements...How lucky this company is to have such artists and people.
Remember this is a group with full lives outside of the rehearsal room, Melissa has a baby girl and supports her family with her teaching, Tracy, Renee and Keeley work full time, Scott is both a Union "techie" and works for a moving company, lifting pianos!!. None of these people have the advantage of a full time contract, none has the luxury of thinking only of the requirements of the rehearsal or the performance...yet.
I would measure these dancers against any company, anywhere without hesitation. We may not be American Ballet Theater but we can MOVE!
I have pushed and pushed for a professional, calm, focused, cheerful and humorous rehearsal process, believing that this would reflect directly onto the stage, and I have received my wish...lucky dancers, lucky choreographers, lucky me.
Come see us...lucky you.
really!, you've been warned!
OK then...
I've had the pleasure of watching the dancers work with both Jason and Deanna, and I must confess to some pride in such an accomplished and profoundly individual group.
While I know and love each of them, it is a real pleasure to watch them work with someone else, since when I am choreographing myself I am appreciative, but somewhat distracted.
I loved Jason Ohlberg's energy and drive, but I loved the omnivorousness of Keeley (sick as a dog as she learned it), Renee and Edgar more.
I'm loving Deanna's skill and charm, her quicksilver thinking and experience as a choreographer, but I admit to being astounded and proud to watch the dancers take her in stride with great cheer, gentle wit and immediately adapt to her style and requirements...How lucky this company is to have such artists and people.
Remember this is a group with full lives outside of the rehearsal room, Melissa has a baby girl and supports her family with her teaching, Tracy, Renee and Keeley work full time, Scott is both a Union "techie" and works for a moving company, lifting pianos!!. None of these people have the advantage of a full time contract, none has the luxury of thinking only of the requirements of the rehearsal or the performance...yet.
I would measure these dancers against any company, anywhere without hesitation. We may not be American Ballet Theater but we can MOVE!
I have pushed and pushed for a professional, calm, focused, cheerful and humorous rehearsal process, believing that this would reflect directly onto the stage, and I have received my wish...lucky dancers, lucky choreographers, lucky me.
Come see us...lucky you.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Must.remain.calm
Here we are in the final weeks of preparation. Deanna's work is coming along nicely. She's a pro, so I don't have any doubt I'll have a good piece by the end of next week. "Hollow Light" is finished, and now can be polished up...the double duet for Cait/Scott, Tracy/Edgar is pretty gnarly since the partnering is difficult and the size matchups are so different. I'll fix it on tuesday or wednesday for sure.
Beautiful weather these last two days makes me hopeful. If our performance weekend was the first good weather Portland got, most people would run for the beach/hills/backyard and we couldn't entice them inside. If they've gotten some good weekends in before the 27th/28th maybe they won't mind being inside for 1 and 1/2 hours on a friday/saturday.
"momentary glimpse" is finished also, but it's the most classical of the works on the program and as such needs the most polish to look good. Scott and Melissa work beautifully together and each of the solo's is coming along well also. The fast "happy" group section is still a bit rocky...light and fun is VERY difficult to do.
All told it's an incredibly varied and intensely physical program. The dancers are going to be very tired once this is all over.
We are hoping to get a few people in on friday night for a "meet the choreographers" talk. Deanna, Jason and I will all be here so the public can pick our collective brains about what we are doing. Also we will be asking people to stay after the last show to talk to me and the dancers...I admired Ohad Naharin and WhiteBird's doing this and wanted to emulate them. I liked being able to speak directly with the director and enjoyed asking and listening to others questions. The more we/I can build a relationship with the audiences, the better.
We need some new supporters/funders. I will be asking my Board and primary funders to think about someone new to bring in. Simply put, I absolutely must find a way to pay the dancers for longer periods of time, and must find a way to pay someone to help us develop/manage the company.
Well, I'm going back in to watch Deanna make new stuff with the tired, sore, stressed but happy dancers!
Beautiful weather these last two days makes me hopeful. If our performance weekend was the first good weather Portland got, most people would run for the beach/hills/backyard and we couldn't entice them inside. If they've gotten some good weekends in before the 27th/28th maybe they won't mind being inside for 1 and 1/2 hours on a friday/saturday.
"momentary glimpse" is finished also, but it's the most classical of the works on the program and as such needs the most polish to look good. Scott and Melissa work beautifully together and each of the solo's is coming along well also. The fast "happy" group section is still a bit rocky...light and fun is VERY difficult to do.
All told it's an incredibly varied and intensely physical program. The dancers are going to be very tired once this is all over.
We are hoping to get a few people in on friday night for a "meet the choreographers" talk. Deanna, Jason and I will all be here so the public can pick our collective brains about what we are doing. Also we will be asking people to stay after the last show to talk to me and the dancers...I admired Ohad Naharin and WhiteBird's doing this and wanted to emulate them. I liked being able to speak directly with the director and enjoyed asking and listening to others questions. The more we/I can build a relationship with the audiences, the better.
We need some new supporters/funders. I will be asking my Board and primary funders to think about someone new to bring in. Simply put, I absolutely must find a way to pay the dancers for longer periods of time, and must find a way to pay someone to help us develop/manage the company.
Well, I'm going back in to watch Deanna make new stuff with the tired, sore, stressed but happy dancers!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Deanna has arrived!
Choreographer Deanna Carter has arrived and is ready to go. The dancers will all be there at 2pm today and hopefully we will have a new work in approximately 2 weeks.
Waiting until the week before we open to learn/rehearse a new piece is a wee bit stressful, but part of the adventure of a repertory company. Deanna is a pro and has choreographed for many years, so I'm sure it will be good.
Typical for Portland, tickets are moving slowly so far, but it's a busy time of the year for everyone with school getting out and summer plans starting. I'm assuming that as we get closer people will start to reserve tickets.
I'm busy building the program, getting things printed, finished my own 2 works for the program, and trying to keep it all moving to opening night. My Board has taken over the volunteer/usher organization, the opening night reception and several other details, what a relief for me!
We are now a member of DanceUSA, which will provide many benefits in the next few years. Everyone there has been very helpful. About 3 years ago I attended a "Leadership for Artistic Directors" seminar at the DanceUSA meeting that was held here in Portland. It was very early on in the lifetime of BDC, but it provided so much good and relevant information that it really solidified my feeling that I could do this and do it well.
More later...
Waiting until the week before we open to learn/rehearse a new piece is a wee bit stressful, but part of the adventure of a repertory company. Deanna is a pro and has choreographed for many years, so I'm sure it will be good.
Typical for Portland, tickets are moving slowly so far, but it's a busy time of the year for everyone with school getting out and summer plans starting. I'm assuming that as we get closer people will start to reserve tickets.
I'm busy building the program, getting things printed, finished my own 2 works for the program, and trying to keep it all moving to opening night. My Board has taken over the volunteer/usher organization, the opening night reception and several other details, what a relief for me!
We are now a member of DanceUSA, which will provide many benefits in the next few years. Everyone there has been very helpful. About 3 years ago I attended a "Leadership for Artistic Directors" seminar at the DanceUSA meeting that was held here in Portland. It was very early on in the lifetime of BDC, but it provided so much good and relevant information that it really solidified my feeling that I could do this and do it well.
More later...
Monday, June 9, 2008
An interesting conversation
I had the opportunity (thanks to the work and charm of Renee) to meet with one of Portland's most important cultural organization's Artistic Directors last week.
With far more experience than I in the field and the weight of a storied and well-funded organization behind him, it was a great pleasure to meet and talk with him about some of the common challenges we face, and a surprise to find we shared some of the same frustrations.
Of course his challenges are on a much larger scale than mine, but the difficulty of funding what we do (Art in general) and what we want (our personal vision for our organizations) was similar.
One thing that was clear after our meeting and several others I've had recently is that there are many, many people in Portland that love and support the Arts. But many don't do so on a regular basis. "Begging for money" a crude but fair characterization of what an Arts organization must do to keep it's budget current, can be exhausting when so many love to watch the arts, but are unwilling to make sure they have the privilege by donating or supporting said arts. Ticket sales are a very small part of an organizations funding, and without the support of the private and individual public, it can be impossible to maintain adequate, interesting and dynamic programming.
So if you belong to the large group of people that watch and appreciate what we, the Arts organizations here in Portland, consider donating a bit...even $10.00 will help, especially if 500 of you do it at a time!
In return we will fill your evenings/matinee's with light, sound, music, dance and theater, teach your children, gladden your heart, feed your soul and challenge your senses...
Thanks
With far more experience than I in the field and the weight of a storied and well-funded organization behind him, it was a great pleasure to meet and talk with him about some of the common challenges we face, and a surprise to find we shared some of the same frustrations.
Of course his challenges are on a much larger scale than mine, but the difficulty of funding what we do (Art in general) and what we want (our personal vision for our organizations) was similar.
One thing that was clear after our meeting and several others I've had recently is that there are many, many people in Portland that love and support the Arts. But many don't do so on a regular basis. "Begging for money" a crude but fair characterization of what an Arts organization must do to keep it's budget current, can be exhausting when so many love to watch the arts, but are unwilling to make sure they have the privilege by donating or supporting said arts. Ticket sales are a very small part of an organizations funding, and without the support of the private and individual public, it can be impossible to maintain adequate, interesting and dynamic programming.
So if you belong to the large group of people that watch and appreciate what we, the Arts organizations here in Portland, consider donating a bit...even $10.00 will help, especially if 500 of you do it at a time!
In return we will fill your evenings/matinee's with light, sound, music, dance and theater, teach your children, gladden your heart, feed your soul and challenge your senses...
Thanks
Monday, June 2, 2008
Upcoming Performances
As I write this Jason Ohlberg has been here for 2 weekends setting his work "Precipice" Using 3 dancers (Keeley, Renee and Edgar) it is athletic and demanding with wonderful music. While I love to work with the dancers myself, it is also tremendously rewarding to see them rising to the challenge of new choreography and choreographers.
We have a new understudy, Meghan Smith who has worked a bit with me during the early days of the company. She will be in "Momentary Glimpse" and will back up, well...everyone but the boys!. One of the many challenges I face is finding dancers who are talented and ready to work and not having a place for them in the company. I am adamant about building a community of creative equals, and love the working relationship I have with my dancers...plus I have room for exactly 8 dancers in the budget, but it is so very hard to disappoint someone who wants to dance.
Perhaps in time I can offer more not only to my core group, but to other dancers wishing to participate.
We are taking a risk this time by adding a Matinee performance on Saturday June 28th at 2pm.
Due to several reschedulings not under our control, we have been pushed well into the summer for these performances, and it remains to be seen how this will affect our attendance.
At this stage however it is important simply to perform as much as possible, build a presence in the dance community and introduce our vision and our "brand" into the local scene.
Speaking of "Brand" you may have noticed our new logo, website front page and our poster...these are all designed by dancer Edgar Badua, who on top of his experience, presence and talent as a dancer just so happens to be an equally spectacular designer. Thanks Edgar!!
So...Deanna comes soon to start her new Ballet, her resume is excitingly extensive and varied and we are all looking forward to what she will bring to our shows.
My own works "Hollow Light" and "a momentary glimpse" are going well, it's a pleasure to challenge the dancers with such a stylistically varied and intensely physical program.
Tickets are now on sale, check the website and the psu Box Office...
see you all across the stagelights....
We have a new understudy, Meghan Smith who has worked a bit with me during the early days of the company. She will be in "Momentary Glimpse" and will back up, well...everyone but the boys!. One of the many challenges I face is finding dancers who are talented and ready to work and not having a place for them in the company. I am adamant about building a community of creative equals, and love the working relationship I have with my dancers...plus I have room for exactly 8 dancers in the budget, but it is so very hard to disappoint someone who wants to dance.
Perhaps in time I can offer more not only to my core group, but to other dancers wishing to participate.
We are taking a risk this time by adding a Matinee performance on Saturday June 28th at 2pm.
Due to several reschedulings not under our control, we have been pushed well into the summer for these performances, and it remains to be seen how this will affect our attendance.
At this stage however it is important simply to perform as much as possible, build a presence in the dance community and introduce our vision and our "brand" into the local scene.
Speaking of "Brand" you may have noticed our new logo, website front page and our poster...these are all designed by dancer Edgar Badua, who on top of his experience, presence and talent as a dancer just so happens to be an equally spectacular designer. Thanks Edgar!!
So...Deanna comes soon to start her new Ballet, her resume is excitingly extensive and varied and we are all looking forward to what she will bring to our shows.
My own works "Hollow Light" and "a momentary glimpse" are going well, it's a pleasure to challenge the dancers with such a stylistically varied and intensely physical program.
Tickets are now on sale, check the website and the psu Box Office...
see you all across the stagelights....
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