Post Performance Blues

December for Project. B. has been a culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication.  It started with the open rehearsal on December 3, performances on December 7 and 8, Spark mentorship program's Discovery Night on Dec 14, grants and fundraising coming to a close, my own teaching, rehearsals, student performances finish out the semester/year.

And if you've ever performed or been part of something that gets you on this spiral that takes you higher and higher, you'll also know of the performance blues that brings you back down.

There have been so many great things that have come out of the year.  Project. B. has now been around a little over 1 1/2 years and the momentum of our growth astounds me every day.  The lull isn't quite there yet but several things ended for me this week.  The high of all my friends and family coming to support me in shows, compliments thrown left and right, the camaraderie I felt with my dancers, the excitement and the nervous energy that comes when the stage lights and music comes on, took me on this adrenaline frenzy.

Then there's the low.  Your friends go on with their holiday plans, the dancers rest up and restore their bodies, my late nights of sewing, writing emails, checking my to do list, adding on to my to do list have all ended.  Shouldn't I be happy for that break?  Instead, I begin to doubt myself.  Was it all really a success?  Did everyone really enjoy my work?  Was it worth all the late nights?  Is it worth being so vulnerable- everyone seeing this work I seemed so longingly to want to create.

I should know that it is worth it.  I should know that it is proven by what we have accomplished this year and the many people who helped make it work.  From in-kind donations, volunteers, mentors, recommendations, advisors, donations, audience, and my dancers who have been so supportive of me and the work (9 am rehearsals- yikes!), my family, and my husband who continues to give and give, I should acknowledge the creation of this new community that makes up Project. B.

And in my post performance blues, I begin to pinpoint that what  I want is that adrenaline frenzy.  I want it to happen over and over again.  And the only way to do that is to keep planning for the future of Project. B.  The community that has been created is proof of where we can go and how we can continue.  I am very excited to work with all of them again. 


I would also like to thank the following people for all they've given to me and the company:

Dancers of Project. B.:  Katherine Wells, Kelly Del Rosario, Chin-chin Hsu, Norma Fong, and Vanessa Thiessen with    Tanya Bello

Marco Gallerizzo, Paulee and Matt Halloran, Theo, Mike Sugrue, Nadeem Jessani, Lisa Moresco, Leila Minerva-Rivers, Julie Johnson, KT Nelson, Amara Tabor-Smith, Janice Garrett, Charles Moulton, Joe Landini, Christy Bolingbroke, Kimi Okada, Krissy Keefer, Stella Adelman, Wayne Hazzard, Michelle Handberry, Kate Ahumada, Talia Baruch,  my donors, and my current dancers, Norma Fong, Kelly Del Rosario, Chin-chin Hsu, Katherine Wells, Vanessa Thiessen as well as the dancers that have worked with me in the past, Mayuko Hosoai, Diana Broker, Bethany Mitchell, Dudley Flores, and Yu-mien Wu.

It really has been a great year.  Can't wait to get over the blues.

In four months...

My last blog was at the end of my show Sotto Voce back in July 2011.  No, I haven't been on a break.  If anything, I've been working constantly and gearing up for a new project that will culminate in a performance at the ODC Theater in July 2012.

So in the process, I've hired five dancers for the 2011/2012 season, all kick ass by the way. 

Norma Fong and Kelly Del Rosario

August 2011, I was invited to show a work-in-progress for RAWdance's Concept Series.  The piece was inspired by the journals of my mom, Maria Isabel.  It was a very emotional journey but one that took me to a place I didn't think I would go with the piece.  I ended up stripping the piece of the music I had in mind and instead used poetry.  Maria Isabel will be a section of the bigger piece Sol y Sombra premiering at ODC in 2012.

September, Project. B. performed the third section of Moveable Feast at Central Market Arts Festival and I started rehearsing with the whole company as well as creating new and exciting partnerships and mentorships with people.  One of them is a mentorship program called WERK Collective.  In this program, we are mentored by Christy Bolingbroke of ODC Theater, Joe Landini of the Garage (SAFEHOUSE), as well as Nancy Quinn of Quinn & Associates.  This year long mentorship is also part of the culmination of the performance at ODC in 2012. 

I have also taken on a mentee through the SPARK Apprentice program.  Every Tuesday afternoon for 3 months, I am mentoring Ruby, a middle school student who someday wants to be a choreographer.  Along with 2 of my dancers Norma Fong and Katherine Wells, who Ruby gets to create on, I mentor and give her the tools of what she needs to become a successful choreographer.  So far, she is doing an amazing job.  Her piece will be shown at her Discovery Night in December as well as my Open Rehearsal/ Fundraising Event.

Spark Apprentice, Ruby Wheeler

Aside from being a mentor and being mentored, I've also asked several people in the San Francisco Community to be a part of an advisory board.  This Advisory Board has helped in creating a new audience base for Project. B.  At first, I thought that I wouldn't get more than 15-20 people in the room, however, my Board, who I am so thankful for, has filled this event to capacity more than twice the amount I even imagined and all new to Project. B.!  I'm really excited to meet all of them and to share with them my love of the work we are doing and the beautiful dancers they will get to see perform.

Me on the sidelines with Mike Sugrue at Project. B.'s photo shoot

October, I was able to give my dancers a chance to take a company class of sorts where I was able to use the combinations from class and manipulate it in rehearsals.  It saved me a lot of time to have to teach them new material in rehearsal and instead delved in to the creating part of it.  Janice Garrett was in Uganda for the month so she graciously gave me the chance to teach her ever amazing and popular Advanced/Professional Contemporary Class at ODC.  It was a really great experience to be teaching such amazing dancers.  I also felt honored that people supported me by taking my class.

It is now November, and our project for the month- an AMAZING Photo Shoot with Michael Sugrue.  I want so bad to go on about it but it's something you have to see for yourself.  The pictures say it all.  I also think the dancers had a great time playing, jumping, throwing....  You'll see what I mean soon enough:)
 
And December-  an open rehearsal event, a show at the Garage with the WERK Collective Artists, and Ruby's Discovery Night.

It's been a busy second half of 2011.  All really worthit!  

Sotto Voce Opening Night

Several years ago, Krissy Keefer of Dance Mission Theater, brought to the dance community an amazing program called the Down and Dirty Series; DIRT meaning dancing in revolting times.  In these times of hardship, funding for the arts keeps dwindling and getting cut, and new evolving artists like myself find it harder to receive funding and show our work.  Krissy Keefer and the Dance Brigade gave 7 artists the opportunity to show their work in their Theater for 2-3 nights, discounted rehearsal space, free lighting designer and sound tech, a theater manager, box office manager, and 30% of the box office.  What an amazing opportunity!!!

When I applied for the Down and Dirty Series, I wanted so much to be able to show my work in a bigger stage.  All my pieces, I believe, moves big and the spatial patterns that I envisioned for them needed a stage like Dance Mission Theater.  When I received the acceptance letter that Nol Simonse and I were sharing 3 nights at the theater, I was honored, excited, and nervous all at the same time.  Yes, I will have a bigger space but will I be able to fill the house with an audience?

I did the usual mass e-mail, full calendar, Dancers' Group, website advertising but I was still scared we wouldn't see any results.  So it seems that because neither Nol Simonse  and I are on Facebook, no one really seems to care about looking at the paper or email blasts anymore.  I've been resisting Facebook for so long and wondered if I should join.  I still resisted and yet was still very nervous for opening night of Sotto Voce (the title of our show).

Until about 5 minutes before the show started on opening night, I hid backstage and had knots in my stomach due to the fact that I thought maybe only 30 people would be sitting in the audience, 7 of them on the dancers' comp list.  And as I entered through the side door of the house, I look up to see that although not a sold-out house, we had a full house.  It was a beautiful sight to see friends, the dance community, and new faces in the audience.

It's funny what will make you nervous.  I wasn't nervous for my pieces at all or the tech.  Harry Rubeck, who lit my piece was so amazing to work with.  What was supposed to be a low-tech down and dirty show, turned out to be more.  He lit my pieces with so much artistry and brought out the vision I wanted to portray in my pieces.  It was a dream come true to see the dancers move to their fullest potential.  They deserved no less and they were lit beautifully.

We will see how tonight and Sunday night will go.  But I do thank Dance Mission Theater, Krissy Keefer, and the wonderful and positive staff for all they have given me.  Although under the radar, Project. B. shared our voice in a big way.

If you weren't there last night, I hope you will join us for tonight's 8pm performance or Sunday night's 7 pm performance of Sotto Voce at Dance Mission Theater.

Sotto Voce

As a dancer, it is such a privilege to be able to be part of the creative process, perform it, and continue to perform it.  I sat down with several of my peers last summer as they spoke about their way of working and choreographing and what suited them as far as what steps they take to continue their creative process.  


One hated the idea of reconstructing a piece and spoke about how he liked to move forward.  Another, loved to look at an old piece and remold it, rework it, and see where it could go next.  As I move forward, I've had the opportunity to show my pieces several times in different venues.  The first time I showed Triquetra was definitely very special because I created it on three specific women who portrayed exactly what it is I wanted to manifest.  They showed it two more times in 2010 and felt that each time they performed it brought more life and meaning to what they were dancing.  It's almost as if their roles/ characters grew with more understanding and more maturity.  In 2011, I changed the casting and had a male counterpart.  Although the piece itself was compositionally the same, the meaning and energy changed.  It had a different voice and yet, I still liked it.  


I thought that my second piece, Souterrain was a piece that I wouldn't reconstruct again because I had such a hard time creating it.  However, I was given the opportunity to show two sections of the piece April 2011 and really enjoyed it.  It was nice to be able to leave the piece for several months and take a breath from it.  Seeing it again the second time was definitely more enjoyable and found that if reworked, this piece is entertaining and is a different side of Project. b. that I should continue to show. 


For the Down and Dirty Series, my dancers will have another chance to perform the work I've created in the first year of Project. b.'s existence.  Sotto Voce, the name that Nol Simonse and I came up with for this shared program, means soft voices.  It encapsulates the sense of strength both Nol and I reach for in our subtle and deftly crafted dances.

Project.b. will be showing a piece from my first home season, Moveable Feast as well as Souterrain, a  dance describing the interconnectedness of our random actions, and Triquetra, a trio of femininity, family, and identity.

I hope you will come join us on July 29-31 at Dance Mission as Nol and I explore new depths with physicality and care.

Moveable Feast: In Retrospect

graphic artist:  marco gallerizzo
photo by:  margo moritz

Project. b.’s first home season was sold out both nights and was featured in the SF Bay Guardian’s Critics’ Pick (Rita Felciano)

In creating and presenting this work, I found that the process was a relatively complex but rewarding experience both for me as the choreographer as well as the dancers and the audience.  

The concept itself proved to be beneficial to me as a choreographer.  It was a different way of working and looking at my movement in several forms.  It allowed me to step back and see what was strong and what needed work.  It allowed me to challenge my dancers and to see their strengths and what roles fit them best.  It also allowed my company to grow as a strong unit because it meant that they needed to help and work together in a way they didn’t work before.  

The visual artists that joined me on this project fed me with a lot to think about and to be inspired with.  I was able to continue working with 2 out of the 3 artists (Margo Moritz and Marco Gallerizzo) that I originally planned on working with and then added a new artist (Michael Sugrue) to the mix.  Both Margo and Marco’s triptychs greeted the audience as they entered the lobby of the Garage.  I felt it created a mood that represented Project. B. well and also helped to carry the concept of Moveable Feast from one art form into another.  Between each section of Moveable Feast, the audience was shown a 30 second video created by Michael Sugrue; again with the concept that he create the same work different ways.  As a whole evening, everyone appreciated these videos, or what I called the palate cleanser, in order to refresh the mind before seeing another dance piece.  

I added another element that I didn’t originally have on my project description.  I was able to collaborate with composer, Jesse Olsen Bay.  By adding his work to the mix, the process became even more inspiring.  Instead of my composition fitting into a recorded piece of music, Jesse and I were able to collaborate.  It was another level to the concept of Moveable Feast.  What at first were just inspirations of sounds from movement, became a marriage between music and movement.  This particular piece had the theme of building and layering.  The movement composition started with a solo that grew to a quartet.  The music composition started with one idea, sound, and instrument that layered into a final piece of music that incorporated all of this from each section.  

During the Q&A portion of the show, many people commented on the process.  The process of the dancers learning different parts.  The process of the dancers changing their perception on how to execute the movement three different ways.  The process of the same piece reconfigured yet creating a mood or an idea that made each piece stand out separately from the one before it.  

The questions that were asked gave me a sense that the audience captured what I wanted to convey in presenting Moveable Feast.  People talked about the work and was excited to give their ideas and share their opinions about each section.  I believe I was able to intrique, satiate, and inspire the audience through this work.  

Moveable Feast Q&A

Marco Gallerizzo's triptych in the lobby of the Garage

Moveable Feast was sold out again tonight and the glitches that took place on opening night seemed to work itself out this evening.  It was a much more solid show overall and made it even better that the house was filled with dancers, friends, and family.

The Q&A portion of the show was very insightful as to whether or not I was able to execute my concept of Moveable Feast.  I think the best analogy that an audience member made was that "Moveable Feast" was like a favorite food.  Once you know you like something, you begin to search for that same ingredient configured differently.  In this case, he mentioned a section of movement that the dancers executed three times that evening.

Another audience member used the word "nourished"  That as a non-dancer, she felt that seeing three versions of the same movement in different moods nourished her mind and her soul.

So, I am very satisfied with the outcome of Moveable Feast.  I felt that along with the visual artists, collaborating artists, dancers, and I accomplished our goal.  Hopefully, our audience will take what they found profound in this work and use it as a basis to critique dance in the future.

And now on to year two!

Moveable Feast Opening Night

The time has finally come for the opening night of Moveable Feast.  To be totally honest, tech-ing the piece was kind of a nightmare.  As much as you try to prepare and organize for something, there are just things that are out of your hands.  It's a lesson that I'm sure I will be hit with on a constant basis now that I am running a dance company.

What I was able to control went really well, I thought.  The dancers looked beautiful and of course, very professional.  They were on top of it and they made that part of the tech process so much easier.

The last several days, we transformed the Garage into a space that represented Project. B. well.  Margo Moritz hung her artwork in the lobby and created an ambience that felt very welcoming and visually pleasing.  Marco, also hung his 3 framed posters of Project. B. that greeted the guests as they purchased their tickets and drinks.

Opening night was a little rough because of tech.  The breaker to the lights kept malfunctioning and the lighting board seemed to not cooperate.  Aaaah!  At 7:30 pm the guests were standing outside the doors of the Garage just waiting to enter the space.  Joe let everyone in around 7:40, however, there were still technical difficulties.  Although people were standing shoulder to shoulder in the lobby waiting to enter the house, it was really nice to see that we were SOLD OUT!

All in all, the show went well.  I took a breath when the lighting board decided to erase the last three cues of the last piece and Mike, the lighting designer, had to switch to a manual board.  At that point, the upstage lights cut out!  Luckily, they still had downstage lights that created a box and for the most part, lit the last section of the last piece.  The dancers kept dancing, the music kept playing, and the audience didn't notice the malfunction.

The videos were also a hit.  A couple aaahs and giggles and claps came following each video.

I think people enjoyed the show.  I spoke to a few guests afterwards and was very glad to hear the questions they had for me, the thoughts that were provoked from the whole evening's concept, and that they left thinking and exploring more about my process and about each piece.  That's really what I wanted to accomplish.  I think opening night went well considering all the technical glitches.

Did Moveable Feast give the audience the chance to explore the notion of perception and viewpoint?  Did the audience see what it is that might nurture their minds and feed their souls, and provide them with newfound energy and inspiration?  I think so.  At least the questions I received, the conversations I heard and had with guests afterwards made me believe so.

On to tonight.  We have sold 3/4 of the tickets already.  Let's hope walk-ins will sell out the house again:)

Central Market Arts Festival Website

Just learned about a photo of my piece Triquetra on the main page of the Central Market Arts Festival website.

Check it out!  www.centralmarketarts.org

FYI, Central Market Arts is dedicated to a common vision of promoting SF's Central Market District as a vital arts district and creating an open forum for dialogue about arts in our community. Central Market Arts' mission is to serve as a unified voice for arts of every discipline through cooperative marketing efforts, government advocacy, and the production of a yearly capstone event.

San Francisco Bay Guardian Critics' Picks

Rita Felciano, a respected dance critic who has written for the Village Voice, Dance View Times, as well as for many others around the Bay Area has chosen Project. B. as one of the Critics' Picks for the Bay Guardian.  Here's what she had to say:)  It's our first time receiving any press so I am so excited that it was a positive one!

DANCE

Project.B.

If you have seen Tanya Bello dance — Shift Physical Theater, Robert Moses' Kin, and Janice Garrett + Dancers come to mind — you won't have forgotten her. She probably was the shortest (but also the fastest and fiercest) tearing across the stage. Bello is small but she dances big. Lately she has taken advantage of the Garage's RAW (Resident Artist Workshop) program to hone her choreographic skills. Moveable Feast, her first full-evening work, is plugging into her experience working with choreographers both here and on the East Coast. The idea is to show three versions of one piece in which components — lights, dancers, sets, music — get shuffled around. In the end the audience decides which one worked best.(Felciano)

May 10-11, 8 p.m., $15

Garage

975 Howard, SF

(415) 518 1517 www.brownpapertickets.com 

http://www.sfbg.com/listing/24

BANDW

Project.B. performed Triquetra at Western Ballet in Mountain View, Ca for Bay Area National Dance Week. Although I could not be there for the occasion, Marco escorted Norma, Chin-chin, and Yu-mien and reported that it was a great performance and was received well. Below are some photos of the performance.




















- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Feast for the Senses

Norma Fong, Mayuko Hosoai, and Yu-mien Wu
 in the beautiful Argyle rehearsal room, ODC

There is so much to look forward to with Moveable Feast coming  in exactly one month today!  Mike Sugrue's video of Yu-mien and Katherine will both be shown between each section of Moveable Feast, Margo Moritz's beautiful photographs and Marco Gallerizzo's work will be presented in the lobby of the Garage, and Jesse Olsen's music that he will compose especially for Project. B. will be one of the pieces that will accompany the dancers in one of the sections of Moveable Feast.

Yu-mien Wu, Mayuko Hosoai,
Norma Fong, and Kelly Del Rosario

Project. B. has gained momentum in the last month.  Two of the three pieces are almost complete and the dancers have a semblance of what they need to execute artistically and dynamically to make this program a feast for the senses.

Please spread the word!  I'm very excited for this show.  I really think it will be a great one.

The Salon @ Studio Gracia

Mica and Ben Levy

The word "salon" is usually identified with beauty salons where people get their hair done and chat amongst each other about their lives and also to gossip.  However, the salon that Project. B. was a part of this evening is a gathering of artists in different genres to share, converse, watch, and enjoy each others work and ideas in a warm and inviting setting.  Thanks to Ben Levy of Levydance, who opened up his facility, Studio Gracia.  Levydance gave ten local artists 10 hours of free space to create and explore which then culminated in tonight's Salon.  The showcase included contemporary dance, ballet, burlesque, poetry, live music and painting.  Project.B. performed 2 sections of the piece Souterrain featuring Kelly Del Rosario, Norma Fong, and Chin-chin Hsu.

Kelly Del Rosario & Norma Fong
Souterrain duet

Chin-chin Hsu
Souterrain Solo

Other than the warm atmosphere and creativity that flowed through out the evening, it was also a great way to plug the May performance of Moveable Feast.  The dancers looked amazing and am always so thankful for all their beautiful dancing and hard work.

It was a nice April evening to be a part of the Salon.

Video Shoot

Mike directing Yu-mien

I've been holding my tongue for the last month to talk about this project that finally took place yesterday here in the Bay Area.

About a month ago, a commercial photographer/ videographer based here in the Bay Area, approached Project. B. to help in creating a test shoot for a project he wanted to create.  The last month, I've been in communication with him about bringing in 2 dancers, as well as using my piece Triquetra as the basis for the movement that he would shoot for the project.

Camera following Katherine

   

Well, I really wasn't sure if it would happen but yesterday, from 5 pm to 2 in the morning, his crew of twelve, and my crew of three worked on creating snippets of a dancer's life in the studio.

It inspired me to see another artist manifest an idea and be so dedicated to the work.  I watched him for 9 hours hold the shoot with so much drive.  You could see that he had a vision and that he was there to capture it and bring it to life.

There were other aspects of the shoot that I could talk on and on about.  But I think I'll wait to tell you more about who he is and where this project goes next in the near future.  In the meantime,
 

SAVE THE DATE:  MOVEABLE FEAST                                   MAY 10 AND 11, 8 PM

@ the GARAGE

Injured

Aside from running Project. B., I am still active and dancing professionally for Janice Garrett and Charles Moulton.  Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, about 30-50 dancers stretch outside the doors of Studio B where Janice holds her 10:00 Advanced Contemporary Class.  In the half hour before class you hear a lot of hemming and hawing about whether or not we will survive another morning of her extremely technical, brainy, rigorous, and of course, really fun class.

Every week, I walk out high on life and happy that I was able to get through her class.  You always feel like you really got a chance to dance and move.

This Tuesday, I almost got through the whole class.  She usually ends with an across the floor jump sequence dancers call grand allegro.  As I got the nerve to be the first group to go across the floor, I was able to execute the sequence on the right side and the left side.  We repeat it again and as I land the jump, I feel a huge ball on my calf that felt like a charlie horse.  All I could do was sit as the muscle spasmed and tightened the muscles all along my right leg.

My friends rallied, carrying me to the Dancers' Clinic, carrying my things for me, getting me ibuprofen and ice, and my friend Tegan even moved my car for me so that I wouldn't get a ticket during street cleaning!  Well, the diagnosis- a torn gastrocnemius muscle.  I was wrapped up and given crutches.  I'm so thankful for everyone that helped me and that ODC even had the facility for a Dancers' clinic.

However, I do have to say that there was some crying involved.  An injury means that I won't be able to dance for a period of time.  So many things go through my head and everything you feel you've worked towards just goes down the drain in one second.  I mean really!  I almost got through the whole class.  Just one more jump and I could've finished the class pain free.

Aside from allowing myself the time to heal from this injury, I also know that I need to quiet my mind from everything that I may be projecting because of this injury.  I knew that being a dancer wasn't easy, but I think that at this moment, this is the hardest thing to bounce back from.

Tomorrow's agenda:  a visit to an acupuncturist. Maybe she will be able to heal my mind and my body.

WEEEE!!!!

Teaching little four year olds, I reminisce back when I was their age and how satisfying it was to just spin round and round until I got so dizzy I would just fall to the floor.  Well, these days, the spinning going on in my head is enough to make me dizzy.  This last month has definitely picked up a notch with all the things I need to get done or get ready for before opening night.  Yikes!!  I'm learning that I can't only concentrate on the task of creating Moveable Feast and all the production that goes behind it, but that I also need to plan for after Moveable Feast.

So alongside this whirlwind, I am also beginning to manifest the next piece, apply for other opportunities, and see where Project. B. needs to go next.  It's a lot of work!  And so at the end of the day I remind myself that I am doing what I love.  Maybe this whirlwind is worth getting caught up in.  The satisfying part- getting the chance to create again and again...

Warm Beginning on a Cold Day

Dancers:  Norma Fong, Yu-mien Wu,
Mayuko Hosoai, & Kelly Del Rosario

I unlock the studio door and enter the room at 8:45 am this morning.  Being the first company of the morning to use the space, I enter the dark black box theater, drapes undrawn, mirrors covered, on one of the coldest mornings we have had in a long time.  My dancers start to arrive, barely awake, all bundled up, mitten covered hands holding their early morning coffee, but in great spirits.  Not one cranky person in the bunch, they all take off their outdoor layers, relayer their dance clothing, and begin to find what is at this moment a frozen body by warming up in the oh so cold space.

As they warm-up, I begin to run through the itinerary for the rehearsal period.  There are so many things to think about.  We have two months left.  And by two months, I really mean we have an average of about 12 rehearsals left.  The past several weeks have been so hectic in and out of the studio.  There's costumes, music, artists, fliers, posters, programs, etc. to think about.

Also, what about the piece itself?  Is the concept of Moveable Feast enough to intrigue the audience?  The bigger picture seems to be interesting but if the piece itself isn't well crafted and executed, then the concept becomes nothing else but a study.  I still want to engage the audience through the piece itself.  So in contemplating about each section, I came up with what I think the "story" or feeling of the piece is to me.  If I can create a plot for myself, I am able to find my beginning, middle, and end.  Once I feel at ease with the piece, I will then be able to concentrate on the concept of the whole evening.

So by 9:15 am, my dancers are ready to move.  We go over several sections, add, edit, clean, and work out kinks.  By 10:15 am, we are pinning costumes, and taking a 5 minute water break.  A new solo is created, we run a section of the final piece, and casting is reset.

Are we in good shape?  I'm still not sure.  There is more of a semblance of a piece.  I'm still fishing for it.  But on this cold February day, we keep on plugging away.

We all say our goodbyes at 11:15 am.  Everyone seems to be in good spirits.  It's 2 hours in the life of a dancer.  The cold and the darkness we walked into didn't interrupt the work we were all there hoping to get out of the day.  It's the love of creating that we all have in common.  And from that rehearsal, we all go to our next jobs and continue to create.

Performance Opportunities

When my husband and I decided to move to the Bay Area, I took a chance not knowing what opportunities would come my way in the dance field.  But as I get more involved not just as a dancer and teacher but now as a choreographer, I am finding that the community is very supportive of its artists.  There are other cities where I've encountered very territorial pockets of dance communities/ organizations.  But here in the Bay Area, I was surprised at how many organizations open up their centers not only to well established and renowned artists but to people like me- an emerging choreographer.  In the last two weeks, Project. B. received confirmation of two other locations where we will have the opportunity to perform.

Thanks to Levydance for making us a part of the Salon on April 2, 2011

 and to

Western Ballet for allowing us to show our work April 23, 2011 during Bay Area National Dance Week

Leaping into Technology

I remember way back when tape cassettes held all my dance music.  Editing music began with finding a pencil to wind the tape to where the clear part of the tape no longer touched the little felt square, then pressing play and pause on one side of my stereo, and pressing pause, play, and record on the other.

I also remember doing community outreach and having to carry a boom box twice my size.  I couldn't even imagine trying to bring a video recorder with me.  They were huge back then!  Not to forget the big book of CDs that I used to carry to every class I taught.  

But today, in my medium sized messenger bag, I was able to carry my laptop, a video camera, my iphone, dance clothes, a book, and other small items that require me to get through the day of directing, teaching, and dancing.  And on my back, these items, although they may seem heavy, weigh less because it makes my job so much easier.  

My laptop is the 7th member of Project. B.  Just like my dancers, I am so thankful for its efficiency.  Choreographing and working out movement, recording what we've accomplished in that day, giving my dancers the opportunity to see video by uploading the material, helps in the transition of rehearsing from week to week.

The concept of Moveable Feast is to create the same piece three times to three different types of music as well as changing the casting for each repetition.  Can you imagine how many possibilities are floating around in my head?  It doesn't always make for clear directing.  But I am always so amazed at how much we get done in 2 hours because of all the technology that makes everything so much more efficient.  I don't have to waste time on the dancers to see if prospective music will work with the choreography.  All I have to do is watch the video on imovie and presto chango!  I can try out a new musical choice.  I can see the composition of the piece and see what it is I do like and don't like and brainstorm on new changes or ideas before I even get into the studio.  My dancers won't have to repeat the movement 50 times until I come up with inspiration or some kind of idea.  Instead, we are able to move on and manifest ideas that I've already thought about.

However, my dancers still give me a lot of inspiration.  There are definitely many times during the process that they spark where the piece may go.  This weekend's rehearsal, I found a lot of potential on a men's duet.  Kelly and Bruce look great together.  

Tax Workshop for Artists with Joe Weatherby

Thanks to Dancers' Group, my fiscal sponsor, I was able to take Joe Weatherby's tax workshop for artists for free.  Although I've been preparing my own taxes for several years now, I wanted to make sure that with Project. B. finances and expenses, I am up to date on how I am supposed to file not just as a dancer and teacher but now also as a choreographer/producer.   It was great to hear what he had to say about filing and what were valid deductions as an artist.  I had no idea I could write off my laundry (mostly dance clothes)!  But best of all,  he made it clear how not to have a loss on my Schedule C.

If you want to check him out, his website address is www.taxes4artists.com

Happy filing!

A New Language

So far, Project. B. has rehearsed three times this month for a total of six hours.  I can't help but look at other dance companies and wonder how great it would be to meet for at least three hours at a time and at least three times a week.  One of my dancers, Chin-chin, was joking around with the other dancers during a direction I gave regarding manipulating movement and said, "Come on! Don't you know you have to be a smart dancer to dance for Tanya...."  I must say, I love how each one of them have such a great sense of humor and taunt each other.  

Dancers:  Chin-chin Hsu,Yu-Mien Wu

But looking deeper at the comment itself, I do find myself with all these ideas I want to explore.  I see the movement on their bodies, I get excited, I want to rework it, mold it, and direct it in a way where I see my vision coming to life.  I look at the time and 2 hours go by so quickly.  How can I do everything I want to see in that time frame?  The only answer I can come up with is- Hire intelligent dancers.  


So in 6 hours of rehearsals this month, I was able to create the beginnings of a piece.  Through several base phrases, we played with variations.  Through those variations and base phrases, we made a language.  I feel very blessed having the dancers I have.  They are quick, witty, and amazing technicians who are able to do anything that is asked of them.  They give so much for me to play with and I am so thankful for that.  


In February, the entire company is called back for rehearsal.  I can't wait to see the possibilities.

Conversations at Dinner

Dieter Rams, Jonathan Ive, and their designs

Last night, my husband and I had dinner at a friend's.  One of the topics of conversation was about a man named, Jonathan Ive.  From our architect friend, we learned that Jonathan Ive is the Principal designer for many of the Apple products and that in researching more about him that he was heavily influenced by a German functionalist designer Dieter Rams.  Our friend spoke about how Jonathan Ive seems to have found his vision and that his eye for design, although revolutionary to many, is actually deeply rooted in influences by his mentors.

As a dancer and now choreographer, rehearsals seem to be that process of finding out what my aesthetic and vision is.  I can't deny that my work is heavily influenced by my mentors and sometimes fight the movement that may stylistically resemble what in the past I have danced.  This to me, is the biggest struggle of all.  How much can I deny what has influenced me and why should I deny it?  It has made me the artist I am today and what drew me to their work is why at this point in my life I want to create my own work.  So in talking with our friend, he gave me a gift.  He made me realize that someone like Jonathan Ive found his niche because he distinguished what it was that influenced him in his work.  I shouldn't deny myself the freedom to create what comes naturally in my body.  In that self-expression, there might be a glimpse of my own aesthetic and my own vision. Through exploration, I will only be one step closer to finding it.  I may never realize that I found it but I don't know if that is as important as giving myself the freedom to create without boundaries.

Creating the Menu

Dancers:  Norma Fong, Chin-chin Hsu, Yu-Mien Wu

Today's 's rehearsal was the first time I had the dancers in the studio for the creative process of Moveable Feast.  What exactly is Moveable Feast?  It is three servings of the same ingredient.  And as I search more about how I am going to present this, I found myself very inspired with having bodies in the studio and getting my ideas out of what was for the longest time just an image in my head.  


It seems so perfect that the first time I made a Thanksgiving meal was just in 2010.  Preparing this piece is just like Thanksgiving.  What are the steps in order to make that happen?  Well, first off, you've got to create the menu.   


Even before the dancers came to rehearsal, there was still a lot of prepping.  I had to ask myself how I am going to present Project. B. through Moveable Feast.  Music, costumes, and casting visited my dreams every night for the last several weeks.  I went in to the studio several times on my own and tried to create movement that I thought might be useful for the imagery that I wanted to portray.  These were all just part of the first steps.  These were still just parts of the creation of the menu.  And my dancers, the music, and the costumes, just ingredients to what I am about to cook up.


I felt we got plenty done today.  Figuring out different flavors, finding how one can go with another, as well as how dancers work together....


Today, I invited a new dancer into the Project. B. family.  I think I found a new ingredient that might just add a bit of spice to the mix.  In the meantime, we've just started so stay tuned and we will keep you updated on what's to come.