tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317733182024-03-05T03:25:10.665-05:00thatgirl006musings on art, theater, music and dance from a city girl... New York City that is.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03442030182537565510noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-52744687130528251582018-12-19T20:37:00.002-05:002018-12-19T20:52:47.936-05:00Dewitt Fleming Jr.- Tap Dancer, Actor, and Musician Speaks On His Quest To Be Heard <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Dew It Right Tap Mics created by tap dancer Dewitt Fleming, Jr.</span></td></tr>
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<br />Acclaimed performing artist Dewitt Fleming Jr. has had an awe-inspiring career. The New York Times proclaims “he is a non-stop source of rhythmic variety and surprise…sparks seem to fly from those shoes!" Also an actor, choreographer, and percussionist, he has now created microphones specifically designed for tap dancers. </h3>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><b>Ayodele Casel:</b> Sound during a performance is </span>an element<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> tap dancers are always trying to control and perfect. What was the impetus for you to create this much-needed product in a tap dancer’s life?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Dewitt Fleming Jr.: </b>You’ve done shows. You know how it is. You go to a place to perform and the situation for sound is always bad.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>But I would always get excited when I’d do musicals because most of the time they would have a rig made where they had soldered together two lavalier microphones. It was usually in houses that have a little bit more money. When I did Cirque Du Soleil they invested in some and had it made for me which was great. And I got tired of traveling to other places and them asking me 'Oh, you need a<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dewitt Fleming Jr.</td></tr>
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microphone?'. Yes!, I need to be heard. This is my language. So I called my sound buddy and I asked him where he got the mics we had in the show. And he said, 'Those are custom made. I know a guy at this Pro Audio company and if you give him a call they can make a pair for you.' So I called them and I asked how much they cost and he said: 'One mic is going to be $700-$800, the other one is the same, and the labor…' I said, whoa, whoa, whoa. For one mic? He said, 'yeah.' I then asked 'Do you have any USED mics? Or discounts?'. So I bought a pair for $700. And I started using them in different places but then one show, I was rushing and I didn’t put my mics on properly and I stepped on them and they were ruined. I knew there was no way I could pay another $700 for used mics but at the same time I noticed when I was using them they were getting frayed and it was simply because they weren’t meant to be used in that way. In my research, I learned that these are vocal mics. They are meant to be put on your face. They’re not going to be made sturdy. They need to be made thin because you can’t have big ol’ wires sitting on your face. They want them to be as small and as hidden as possible. They’re going to be delicate and the frequencies are different as well. I thought what can we do? So now years of going back and forth with sound guys, we'd been looking for different materials, trying to figure out how to reinforce the wires inside and how to make the casings more durable. Trying to find casings strong enough to prevent accidents from happening should I step on the mic accidentally. Finally, we came up with something that works. And this was just for me, at first. But I connected with someone who was excited about also trying to solve the problem.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>AC</b>: It seems like you solved the issue of needing to have other people provide your microphone and in addition the cost, making it more affordable, which is pretty amazing.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b>DW</b>: It’s funny how stuff works out. I was tired of people being like “Oh, you need a mic? Well, when they’re not singing you can take the mic and put it on the floor.” And then you’re stuck in one place asking ‘can you turn it up?’ Well, I can’t because the mic is on the floor and there’s a band behind me so I can’t just turn that up because then I pick up everybody. And sometimes you work in these places and if you ask the sound engineers for anything it’s like the end of the world.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b>AC</b>: It’s so true.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>DW</b>: Then I realized it’s not their fault. A lot of times they don’t get the information they need so they’re scrambling at the last minute to try to do all this stuff and everybody is asking them for something. So by having your own mics, you solve a problem for everybody. They don’t have to worry about it. They can just plug you in and EQ your levels and it’s done.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>AC</b>: It’s a reality that as professionals or pre-professionals that we have to be prepared. Sometimes you can’t just show up with your shoes and if you do, be prepared to go through all the steps you said before and risk frustration. So to eliminate that it’s better to have your complete package much like musicians who carry their instruments and sometimes their amp. My stepfather </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">is a musician and when he goes to his gigs he always has his violin and </span><br />
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his amp. Similarly, as tap dancers, we’d save ourselves a lot of time and frustration by coming with the package. Oftentimes that’s why we have portable wood. If you don’t know the venue, I would rather be in control of what I’m going to sound like then leave that up to the people there who, as you said, have little information as to what is going to work for me.<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I think part of our package should 100% include a portable floor AND microphones. Do you want to speak to the difference of putting a handheld mic on the floor and the benefit of having rigs? I prefer rigs.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>DW</b>: You know this more than anything, you’ve been dancing longer than I have. As a dancer, and as an artist, the more you do it and the more you develop your craft the more you know what your sound is, you know what you’re going for, and you know what you want to hear. When you’re younger you just go out there and you want to be the best and look the greatest and do the biggest things and hit and do all this crazy stuff to get recognized and then as you get older and more along in your art you know what sound you want to go for any particular event. This is how I want to sound.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>AC</b>: And it’s also about preservation. I don’t want to have to pound the floor in order to be heard. Like you said, it changes the intent of your sound.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>DW</b>: Exactly. And so that was a huge part of it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I don’t want to wear myself out the first couple of minutes because I’m just trying to hear myself. I’d come off stage upset about the whole performance because I didn’t do anything that I wanted to do. I wasn’t able to settle in the music and find anything because I’m just dancing loud, trying to be heard. It was frustrating. I was feeling like I can’t keep </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center;">doing these performances and feeling like crap. That was another thing that pushed me to do it. And the mics helped with that because you </span><br />
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can go for the things you want to go for. You can do slides and scrapes and actually hear them and use them as part your rhythmic phrasing. The thing I like about the rigs as opposed to mics on the floor is the consistency of sound. It’s very hard to mic a floor efficiently, without spending a lot of money, in a way that you feel like you can move throughout the space and be consistently heard and your levels are the same. If it’s not dead spots, then it’s hot spots. You feel like ‘I can’t go to this back corner, or the middle of the floor, or this over here cause I’m not heard. But if I go downstage then that one is not as hot.’ It’s things like that, the freedom of knowing no matter where I move it’s going to sound the same. I’m going to be able to hear myself. I can go wherever I want. If I decide to go down the steps on the front of the stage that actually happen to be wood I can do that. It’s the freedom to go out there and do what you do best and not have to worry about all the elements.</div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>AC</b>: I love the way you put that just now. Freedom! I feel like this is designed for every tap dancer, regardless of where you are in your performance life.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>DW</b>: A dance teacher got this for her studio. She was saying that she has to have marley because she can’t afford to have wood floors at this time. She said the mics help a lot because she plugs them into the PA and now these little kids and<span class="Apple-converted-space"></span> adults you can actually hear them through the music on the marley. Marley is tough. The thing about it is the harder you dance the more it takes out of you. It sucks your energy.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>AC</b>: Talk about it. I won’t dance on it anymore. Marley is really detrimental to the legs of tap dancers. It absorbs all of the energy which to me translates to pain in my hips and thighs. The only way I was able to do it on convention was by putting the mic on the floor and not moving anywhere. I think tap convention teachers should definitely invest in a pair of mics if their people are not providing them with any. You’re teaching large rooms of tap dancers and to demonstrate and be heard over 200 kids in a room can be very challenging.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>DW</b>: Exactly.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>AC</b>: Three important things come up for me when I think about “Dew It Right Tap Mics.” One. Freedom. The freedom to move anywhere. Two, the cost. And the third, and maybe the most important one, is being heard.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>DW</b>: Absolutely. And to be completely honest with you it’s such a confidence builder. If you can’t hear yourself you’re always second-guessing what you’re doing and how it’s being perceived and if</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="s1">you’re actually hearing what you want the audience to hear. It feels so good when you go out there </span>and you can hear yourself loud and clear and you know what you’re doing is being heard. You don’t have to second guess anything. If I do the smallest shuffle or tiniest little thing and it was heard it just feels good. It’s so freeing and satisfying to know that I did what I wanted to do, what came to me and it came across. I know it came across because I heard it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>AC</b>: I agree with you.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>DW</b>: Everybody can take advantage of this. I’ve spoken to dance moms and their kids who do performances at local community centers and had concerns about not being heard because the music is too loud. This is for them as well. It’s for everybody. If it’s going to build somebody’s confidence, I don’t care if you started a week ago. If it helps you stay in the dance, and progress, and feel good about what you’re doing then anybody can use them.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>AC</b>: I’m thrilled that you’ve taken the initiative to create something like this. I know for a fact that it’s valuable on so many levels and for so many people. I’m obsessed with tap dancing and the sound so to have something that amplifies that and that it was created by someone equally invested in the art form makes it all the better. I personally thank you and I can’t wait for other people to take advantage of this as well.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>DW</b>: My door is always open. If anybody has any questions they can always message me through the site, <a href="http://www.dewitrighttapmics.com/"><span class="s2">www.dewitrighttapmics.com</span></a>, or through social media. I’m happy to help and for people to have the feeling I had, ‘Yes, FINALLY!”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span class="s1" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span class="s1" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span class="s1" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span class="s1" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>For more information on Dewitt and his mics please visit <a href="http://www.dewitrighttapmics.com/">www.dewitrighttapmics.com</a> and<a href="http://www.dewittflemingjr.com/" target="_blank"> www. dewittflemingjr.com</a> </i></b></span></span><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Follow Dewitt on social media- @dewitrightmics and @dewittflemingjrdotcom. </i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">The 2017 recipient of the “Hoofer Award”, Ayodele Casel premiered her one-woman show "While I Have The Floor" at the Spoleto Arts Festival to rave reviews. A frequent New York City Center collaborator, she served as choreographer for Carole King and Maurice Sendak's musical "Really Rosie" for its Encores! Off Center under the direction of Leigh Silverman, a soloist for Jeanine Tesori’s “Jamboree”, a soloist at Fall For Dance, and a soloist for “¡Adelante Cuba!” as part of Latin Jazz great Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. Ayodele will be leading New York City Center’s “On The Move” in Spring 2019 and she is currently Artist In Residence at Harvard University. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br />Hailed by the legendary Gregory Hines as “one of the top young tap dancers in the world,” and by The New York Times as “A tap dancer of unquestionable radiance”, Casel has steadfast become an internationally sought after artist and powerful voice for the art form.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Luke Hickey, one of tap's young emerging artists and voices, captured the attention of educators, producers, and professional dancers around him at just 10 years old. A recent graduate of Pace University, he is also a choreographer, filmmaker, and actor from Chapel Hill, NC making his own mark in the heart of NYC with the premiere of his show <i><a href="https://www.birdlandjazz.com/attraction/luke+hickey/" target="_blank">"a little Old, a little New"</a>. </i>Here are some of his thoughts on inspiration, age, and why you shouldn't wait to express your creative impulses. </span></h2>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Ayodele Casel:</b> I’m super excited about your upcoming show. I have no idea what to expect because I haven’t ever seen your work but knowing you as a human and as an artist, in all of your facets, I just know that everything you do is going to be really thoughtful and beautiful so I want to ask you. How’s it going? How do you feel? Is this your first time presenting your work in NYC?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Luke Hickey:</b> This is my first time presenting work in NY, actually anywhere. I’ve had moments where I’ve had the chance to choreograph different pieces for different things here and there but this is the first time I’ve<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>been able to create a piece of work in full and something I’ve felt really passionately about for a long time. It’s culminated to this very quickly. I was expecting my first show to happen in my mid 20’s or 30’s. Only because I felt that’s what was normal or expected of tap dancers, to wait. I felt that pressure to NOT do anything. But about a year ago I felt the urge to create things on my own, mostly inside of other people’s works. I felt there were different ways that I wanted to say something or a different process than how I would’ve taken it. Through that discovery and the happenings of this wonderful space (Birdland) being put in my hands to create something in any way that I wanted to- I pulled the trigger right away because I knew that if I put it off I would’ve waited until my mid 30’s. I knew I was ready for it because of how passionate and how sure I was in what I wanted to say. I never wanted to create a show without knowing what I wanted to say.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>AC:</b> What DO you want to say?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>LH:</b> Since I’ve moved to NY people much older than me have said they’ve been inspired by me and those words tremendously impacted my growth and the way I view my creative expression. This piece is to say thank you to those people who have helped shape who I am and also to say to future generations never to wait for someone more seasoned than you to dictate how your process goes or the choices you make. Of course, you want to follow their lead because they’re more experienced but sometimes you discover things at 17 that others discover at 36.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>AC:</b> When I was younger we had so many older dance masters around us and Gregory Hines, as you know is one of my biggest heroes who I was also fortunate enough to have as a mentor. I ALWAYS knew how inspired he was by young people. He was so vocal about it. Also, having Jimmy Slyde around, you could see that he drew from the energy of all the young people around him, who idolized him and were so eagerly listening. I have always felt the connection to the older generation and they were equally as involved in our growth and development as artists. I’m thrilled that you are giving voice to that connection of older and younger folks. It’s important. I feel like all Gregory talked about was that he loved young people. You’re continuing the tradition from the younger side. I love that. What was that transitional moment for you? Realizing I’m not 29 or 32 but I have something to say.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>LH:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"><b> </b></span>It was a process. I was offered the space in June. It seemed a little too good to be true at the time- the initial idea of someone trusting me. I’ve been going to Birdland for 2 or 3 years now consistently to feel the energy of the people there and to learn more about the history of the space. I never campaigned there to get something but just to absorb what I could. For Jim, one of the bookers, to sit me down and say “what would you like to do?” was gratifying. I wasn’t campaigning for that opportunity. It organically came through my curiosity and respect for everyone who’s performed and who has created in that space. It was exciting and started off my entire summer, my busiest summer, after graduating from college. It was kind of like the caffeine that I’m still riding. The pressure and stress of leaving school were finances, artistic dependency, who I’m depending on for work, so for this to happen a month after graduation was very reassuring that I am still a student but am also ready to take up a new position.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>AC:</b> A Little Old, A Little New. Why this? Why now? Why you?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>LH:</b> Why this? Everyone in the show- John Manzari, Andre Imanishi, my band Davis Whitfield, Daniel Duke, Dan Nadeau, everyone is very much an old soul and I love that because it shows not just that they embrace who they are now and what music is now but history is also very important to everyone in the show. We all have different ties to how we were brought up and trained, how we see and hear music. Everyone is so in tune and I carefully crafted who I asked to be in the show. Everyone in this show are brilliant artists who encapsulate the idea of a little old and a little new. This show sprinkles a lot of references of people that I’m inspired by today, people that have been gone for many years, music that is still living on that was created in the 1920’s and we have music that was created in 2016. It is a lot of things but it’s very carefully organized and not too much of a variety show. Old and new, you feel both at the same time. We see that with hip-hop music mixed with jazz music. In musicians that inspire me like Robert Glasper, Corey Henry, Anderson Paak. All of these talented musicians who hear Coltrane and Ellington and also hear hip hop music today and they’ve found this symphony of both. I consider Andre and John in the same facet. They both have their complete individual styles as artists, both young but know and appreciate their history of tap and embrace where they come from. It’s beautiful to work with them. People started telling me when I was touring at 10 years old that I acted way older than my age. I appreciated the compliment but I always wanted to still be my age. I wanted to be mature but embrace my youth. This show is how we embrace our youth but still show our maturity through our art and our music.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>AC:</b> I appreciate you making that distinction about enjoying your youth but still letting your genius show. I think I’m going to be 92 dancing with 15 year olds. There’s no hierarchy when it pertains to genius and age. There is a genius in 5 year olds and even if it’s not developed it’s there and that’s beautiful. So, tell us, why now?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>LH:</b> I’ve chosen to do it now. I could’ve absolutely said let’s revisit this in a year or 5 years. This is a great turning point in my life and career. This feels like a full release of all these ideas, colors, shapes, sounds, and things I’ve had inside of me for a long time. My ultimate release is being able to create a piece of work inside of a space that I love and feel comfortable in, [I’m] in a city that I’ve been inspired by since I knew what tap was. New York, New York has been my idea of the ultimate theater for tap for a long time. It’s a gift to be able to create this now in 2018 with such a dark year that we’ve had. If I get to bring a glimpse of light to anyone who comes to see it or hears about it or sees one of the posters or promos then I feel like I’ve done my job. I also chose November because it makes me think of family and love and mentorship. November is when I get to go home and I get to spend time with my mentor, Gene Medler. When I think of comfort and support, I think of November. It’s the week before Thanksgiving and I get to share my love with those who come and then I get to go home and spend time with Gene and my family.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>AC:</b> Lovely. And, Why you?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>LH:</b> I’m looking at my notebook, which I’ve filled almost completely since I started this project, and I’m looking at a page where it just says “why me?”. This is the hardest question I’ve had to answer because<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I think about older generations and new generations. When is the standard for a young artist to begin creating his or her own work? I want to be true to myself and not just true to ego or to create something just to have a name. I settled that early on. I felt I had a hard time putting myself in the center or front of my pieces because I really wanted the show to be about the artists that I’ve asked to work with me. That is why I feel comfortable creating and presenting this work. I feel like the spotlight isn’t for me, it’s for the show as a whole, and I hope it speaks for itself. This creation and these references that are so true and honest for me. Why me? Why not? I have something unique to say and I feel very confident that I should speak my truth.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>AC:</b> I love that question. It can seem like a trick question, or a revelation of one’s ego.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I say, why you? Because nobody has your experience. Nobody has your point of view. I think it’s selfish of us, of every human being alive to withhold their love, their appreciation, and those things that are really beautiful that unify and shine a light so positively on our humanity. To squash that, to make that not exist in the world does a disservice to the universe. Take up space in the world because your life, my life matters, especially when it’s aligned with the good of everybody else. Do you know what I mean?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>LH:</b> Absolutely.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>AC: </b>So always, yes, You. And what I’ve learned over and over again the last few years is that by sharing your experience you really help other people who are afraid, to tell theirs. That is what I hope my life’s work will be. On another note, can you give me one word to describe each of your musicians?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>LH:</b> I’ll start with John. I’ve known him the longest. I would say he’s the epitome of class, on or off the floor. Whatever he’s expressing it’s always said with such elegance and respect. What he says is what he means all the time. Every show I’ve seen him do and has been a part of he’s elevated the experience and brought a class to it that would be missed if he were not there. Andre is so mature and sophisticated. He’s so smart, articulate with what he wants to say and he’s so humble. Daniel Duke, my Bassist, evokes simplicity and uses silences and breathe to project his contribution to the overall sound. Dan Nadeau, my drummer, is naturally playful and instinctual with every choice he makes. His musical choices are unique but are always to the goal of enriching the sound of the band to the best of his abilities. Davis, he’s constantly blowing my mind. I learn something new inside of the keys he’s playing. His phrasing and flexibility inside any style of music is really remarkable. I’ve never seen such musical intelligence in someone his age. He’s very specific and articulate and he’s so gifted.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>AC:</b> I love this. There’s the saying that you are a reflection of the company you keep and as I hear the words you’ve used to describe the people you’ve been spending a lot of time with- sophistication, class, humility, remarkable, intelligence- take a bow, my friend. That is a reflection of YOU. Is there anything else you’d like to share?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>AC: </b>Thank you Luke. That means a lot to me. Don’t make me cry. I love that. You’re so welcome my friend. I’m honored to know you and I’m so excited to see your growth and support you along the way. I can’t wait to see your show. I commend every single person who sticks their neck out to create and share their work. It’s such a vulnerable thing and can be scary to share your love and heart with people you don’t know for the first time but it’s an admirable and beautiful thing every time we push against all of the forces that tell us “Not yet. Not now. You’re too young. You’re too old.” All of that needs to go away, so congratulations!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Catch<b><i> "a little Old, a little New"</i></b> at 7pm on November 16th and 17th at BIRDLAND THEATER, 315 West 44th Street, NYC.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The 2017 recipient of the “Hoofer Award”, Ayodele Casel premiered her one-woman show "While I Have The Floor" at the Spoleto Arts Festival to rave reviews. A frequent New York City Center collaborator, she served as choreographer for Carole King and Maurice Sendak's musical "Really Rosie" for its Encores! Off Center under the direction of Leigh Silverman, a soloist for Jeanine Tesori’s “Jamboree”, a soloist at Fall For Dance, and a soloist for “¡Adelante Cuba!” as part of Latin Jazz great Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. Ayodele will be leading New York City Center’s “On The Move” in Spring 2019 and she is currently Artist In Residence at Harvard University. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hailed by the legendary Gregory Hines as “one of the top young tap dancers in the world,” and by The New York Times as “A tap dancer of unquestionable radiance”, Casel has steadfast become an internationally sought after artist and powerful voice for the art form.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Barbara Duffy talks improv, cutting contests, overcoming fears, and the magical influence of Gregory Hines... </span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Tap Into Improv" - available on Amazon</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><b>Ayodele Casel:</b> First of all, anytime that you put any product into the world is a great thing.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span>So happy this is widely available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tap-Into-Improv-Guide-Improvisation/dp/1977783066/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531234471&sr=8-1&keywords=tap+into+improv" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.<br />
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<span class="s1"><b>Barbara Duffy:</b> Thank you. I think it’s a book that’s needed. We don’t have a lot of tap books out there and this is one of a kind.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC:</b> You’ve been teaching improv specifically for a long time. I remember taking your improv class in the 90’s. At what point did you want to also have this in print? What was the inspiration for that?</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD:</b> Well, I was back in college to get my degree in Performing Arts, a B.A. and I needed to do a senior project. I thought, what would be something easy to throw together where I don’t have to work too hard? (haha) I thought “Oh, I have a list of all of the things that I’ve been teaching in improv already written down. I’ll just make this into a little guide.” And then it occurred to me, after the fact, that this is something that is needed in the tap world and students could benefit from it. It was a great opportunity<b> </b>because I had a deadline, I had to do this for a grade, and I had an advisor<b> </b>who was very helpful. I can admit that I’m also a procrastinator, so if I didn’t have that deadline, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now about this! Plus, I’d never thought of myself as a writer. I didn’t have much confidence as a writer, but being in school I had to write a lot of papers, so I gained some confidence. If I hadn’t been in school, I don’t know if I would’ve thought that I could do this. So now, I’m so excited because I did it!</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC: </b>Yes, you did! And it looks really nice by the way. I love the way it feels. I think it’s really important, the aesthetic, how something feels in your hands because then you’re more apt to pick it up and read it. I also like the layout. What made you do it like this?</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD: </b>One of my students works in publishing and he offered to help me. I am so grateful for his input and advice! He had the suggestion to make it an open book, a larger design. So, when the designer got a hold of the text, she started laying it out, asking me if I liked this or that choice, which font, etc. She put text in different size boxes and some in shaded boxes, but with a lot of variety, so it’s fun to read.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC:</b> How would you define improvisation?</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD: </b>I think it is different for every person. You have to find it for yourself. For me, it’s feeling free to create music through my feet, through rhythm, through my body, and to express myself in that moment. I want to make a point that in this book, I’m not telling anyone HOW to improvise. It’s called “Tap Into Improv”, it’s a guide. It’s only to assist dancers in expanding their creativity, giving them ideas to have different perspectives on how to approach it and then they find it for themselves. I don’t want anybody to say “Barbara Duffy said you’re supposed to improvise like THIS!” No, I would never tell anyone how to do it. That’s what my classes have been like all these years. A guide. For example, let’s just do triplets for a while as an exercise.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC:</b> I love that. At the end of all of my Operation Tap classes I always say, this is a guide. They are suggestions. Please take what works for you and then add to it, expand, play with it and see how it fits and feels on your body. I fully recognize that there are a plethora of ways to express yourself and put choreography together. One of the things that I love about tap dancing is that it can be and is so individual. I think that is the freedom available. Not everyone is trying to improvise to WIN the golden trophy of an improvisational artist. It’s an expression.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD: </b>I’ve taught many beginners who just go for it. They’re so happy to express something with their feet. They have a little bit of technique under them and they start to work with it. I think it’s good to start to improvise early in your tap life. Years ago, I was completely afraid to improvise!</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC:</b> Please speak on that fear. Why are people afraid to improvise?</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD:</b> Well, for me, I was afraid because I was always good at learning choreography, I could remember the steps, I knew them, I was very secure. When I was at Leon Collin’s studio in Boston in the early 80’s, I’d learned all of Leon’s routines. I was so happy to have them. I was secure, but then we would have a jam where we’d improvise and I wouldn’t know what to do. I would try to take some of his steps and rearrange them. It was all mental. It wasn’t about really creating rhythms, it was about the steps. I didn’t do well with that at all. I was so insecure!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I remember coming to New York and taking Brenda Bufalino’s class and at the end she would say, “Let’s do some improv.” We’d make the circle and I’m like dreading it and I thought well, I’m in New York now, I’ll just do some of Leon Collins’ steps and everyone will think I’m improvising. But I couldn’t fool Brenda. She said, “Stop doing Leon!”. (<i>she laughs</i>).</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC:</b> (<i>laughing</i>) That’s called choreography!</span></div>
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<span class="s1">BD: Yes! That’s what she said! That was so funny. Then Jimmy Slyde started having his La Cave jam every Wednesday night. I was an up and coming tap dancer at the time. I thought I should go to this. I should participate because this is part of the art form of tap dance. I wanted to be able to do it and LIKE it! Getting up at La Cave was so frustrating for me because I’d have this dialogue in my head saying, “Ugh, I missed that brush. I wonder what everyone is thinking about me because I’m supposed to be a good tap dancer and what is she doing? She’s not good anymore”. THIS is what was going through my head WHILE I was dancing! So, how could I be in the moment and enjoy and create? This wasn’t working at all. I eventually realized it wasn’t really how skilled of a tap dancer I was, it was what I was telling myself in my head, judging everything. I wasn’t free.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">So, I had to go look for freedom by myself in the studio. My mindset was that I thought I should be doing something else. Not that step I was doing. I wasn’t just able to be where I was. I realized I had to confront that judgmental dialogue in my head and change it. Yes, I’m repeating this step or this figure again, and I’m going let that be ok. And once I allowed myself to not be so hard on myself, not judge what I was creating or doing, that’s when the creativity started to flow. And I think this judging oneself happens to many dancers. They’re afraid to make a mistake. They’re afraid that somehow, they won’t be good enough.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC: </b>There’s that expectation that you have to know more than you actually know.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD:</b> Right, that I should just have this down. But actually, you NEED to PRACTICE improvising. That’s why I started my improv class, because I thought, let’s just get together and practice improvising. For example, let’s work together musically. What’s a straight rhythm? Let’s do that to different tempos. I usually start having everyone practice something as a group. Then when it’s time for each person to go alone, it’s not as stressful for those people who are afraid.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC:</b> I feel like the student’s confidence shoots up when they aren’t just hearing their own voice initially. They feel support. The aural support of other people is really good for the soul and confidence.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD: </b>Yes, it is good for the soul, for sure. I also like to set up my classes as non-competitive. A lot of students, when they’re starting out, don’t want to compete with anyone. They just want to figure it out. I always ask “who’s nervous?” and many people raise their hands and then they see that they aren’t the only ones in the room who feel that way. Everyone is together in this. It’s like tap therapy! (laughs)</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC:</b> It is! And you realize when everyone raises their hand after being asked if they’re nervous that nobody is thinking about you. Everyone is thinking about themselves.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD:</b> It’s true! And nobody is standing next to the other person watching you dance and thinking “Oh. what is SHE doing?”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC:</b> Right! Because they’re thinking what am I going to do?</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD: </b>And that’s the other thing. “What am I going to do?” This can be overwhelming for students new to improv because improv is so vast.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They’re so many things you can focus on at different times. I give these exercises (that are in the book) to students that are meant to distract them from being afraid and give them something to focus on, so they become less overwhelmed.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC:</b> A lot of dancers feel like they don’t have enough vocabulary or they don’t have a good enough command over steps they deem difficult. I always try to remind them that it’s not what you do it’s how you do it. You can make a completely sophisticated musical phrase with a step and a heel and nothing else.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD: </b>Yes.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC:</b> I also say that steps are like words. If you give someone a dictionary, there are a lot of words in there, but that doesn’t mean that they are going to understand what you are trying to tell them. So how you organize your words is important.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD:</b> Ooh, that’s excellent. I like that. I should’ve put that in the book! (<i>laughs</i>)</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC:</b> In the 5th year anniversary reprint! (<i>laughs</i>) But I think it helps to liberate them a little bit. They realize they can do this with minimal steps. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It just has to be clear.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD:</b> Yeah, and I really stress singing the rhythm that you want to make. I find when many dancers start improvising, they’re listening to what is coming out of their feet, to make sure it’s correct, instead of just listening to the music and singing what rhythm they want to make. When they’re trying to listen to the music, sing the rhythm AND listen to their feet at the same time, it’s too much for the brain. And now that I’ve been doing this for so long, I can always tell by the look on someone’s face, that they are struggling to do all 3 things at the same time. To NOT listen to your feet has been a revelation to many people. It’s very interesting to not put the focus on your feet, (and whether it’s correct), but on the musicality and what you’re talking about, deciding what you want to say.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC:</b> And then to appreciate that how you say something is different than how I say something and how she and he says something. That is the beauty of art, in general. And the beauty of who you are as a human.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD:</b> We’re all the same but different. We are using the same vocabulary, but saying things differently.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC: </b>You’ve asked other tap dancers to be contributors to the book. Can you speak about why and how you chose them? Why was it important to have other voices?</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD:</b> My exercises are from me and from my perspective, from what I’ve learned and what I’ve gathered. I just thought that it would be a more well- rounded guide to get input from other dancers that have been improvising for a really long time.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">One of the contributors, my mentor, Brenda Bufalino came up in a whole different era, so it’s interesting to hear what she has to say about her experiences and her approach. Sarah Petronio is so musical when she dances. Her style of moving is very different from Brenda’s. Improvising has been her life, dancing with Jimmy Slyde for so long and collaborating with so many musicians. I really value both Brenda and Sarah’s wisdom. I also wanted to hit different generations. Kazu Kamugai is from Japan and through the years, I feel like he’s found such a freedom in his expression. I always <b>feel </b>something when he dances. I wanted his perspective. Thomas Marek, a wonderful tap dancer from Germany has been a great friend and colleague of mine for many years. We’ve danced together a lot and he LOVES improvising. He’s created many shows, where improv was incorporated, besides doing a lot of solo work with musicians. And he shoots pool! He’s semi-professional. He has an exercise in the book about the mental approach of a pool player, which can also be applied to tap improv. It’s so interesting. Derick Grant and Michelle Dorrance are two of the most innovative dancers I know. I love listening and watching them, because of the freedom of expression they’ve found and their ability to be specific about what it is they are saying through tap dance.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah Petronio</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC: </b>I love that. One of the things that I appreciate about watching great improvisers is freedom but many dancers who are training and, in some cases dancing professionally, aren’t sure how to get there. BUT what hit me like a ton of bricks years ago is the freedom that we see in other people, WE have access to that as well, regardless of how you think someone achieved theirs. When you realize that you’ve been free all along to make those same creative choices, then something great happens in your artistic life.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD:</b> Yes! For some, that freedom comes easily, for others, they have to search for it. One of my exercises is to imitate someone. That doesn’t mean dance like that person forever, but just as an exercise, for example, imitate Gregory Hines. This story is in the book. At the Carnegie Hall studio, where you took my improv class years ago, there was a student in the circle who was kind of shy when he danced, but he had good technique. I asked him “Who is your favorite tap dancer?”. He said, “Gregory Hines!” So, I said, “You be Gregory Hines.” and when I gave him this exercise he came out with such confidence, hitting Gregory- like steps! The whole class was amazed! Of course, he didn’t dance exactly like Gregory, because nobody could, but he had the same approach to the floor as Gregory and somehow, that gave him “permission” to really come out and do it. That’s a tool to use. Nobody has to know what you’re thinking when you’re improvising. It was such a great moment in that student’s tap life because from then on, he knew he could come out with confidence. The last part of the story is that the next week Gregory showed up in the circle (to take the class!) and I will never forget the awe on this guy’s face. He couldn’t believe Gregory was standing in the room!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTM2-EYlD9piUYPs9_P-8Prp0DQUDoZ1RlOpnVyobE_ZOFZ4RtYwog239sBXaU8Dd_oPwjHN1vCao0Cuf2NaaKfewWMNTJ3lw5ioDLTs37HIrZv7aIyxNK4UOTnCGXNR8TNEA/s1600/GregoryHines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTM2-EYlD9piUYPs9_P-8Prp0DQUDoZ1RlOpnVyobE_ZOFZ4RtYwog239sBXaU8Dd_oPwjHN1vCao0Cuf2NaaKfewWMNTJ3lw5ioDLTs37HIrZv7aIyxNK4UOTnCGXNR8TNEA/s320/GregoryHines.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gregory Hines</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC:</b> Oh my goodness. I love that. What a great payoff!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD: </b>Then I asked Gregory to imitate me and it was very funny. He was very intrigued by what I was doing, “teaching” improv classes.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC</b>: Well, Gregory was very playful in his approach and I feel like sometimes we lose our sense of play. We take it so seriously to the point where nothing can get through.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD: </b>Yes, we can block ourselves. Another exercise in the book is to pretend to be 8 years old. How would an 8-year-old child improvise? Spend some time with that. Then be your adult self and add something of your 8-year-old self. All of these ideas in the book are tools to explore to help you to find yourself, your voice. I feel like the great improvisers that we know have stuff in their pocket. Jimmy Slyde said, “At some point, you have a library of things that you’ve learned and you can, you know how to express yourself…”. There are steps that you can pull out of your pocket and do. That’s legal.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC</b>: It is legal! The thing about improvisation is that every day is different. One day you wake up and you’re super inspired, and your legs feel great, you feel loose and you feel super free. And then there are days when the opposite is true and you still have to deliver something, so then what do you do?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD</b>: Yeah, wait till you get older! (<i>laughs</i>) But this is true. You can fall back on what you’ve done. Watch some of the masters, Jimmy, and Gregory, and Savion. They have their steps that they go to. It’s when they choose to do them and how they shift them that keeps it interesting.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC</b>: I think it goes back to what you were saying about practicing improvisation. I find that when you practice frequently, you will discover steps and grooves that you tend to go back to and the only way to get to those pocket steps is to actually really practice.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD</b>: Then once you’ve got those steps in your pocket, another exercise is to then take them away. Say I was doing “shuffle, step heel, dig, brush, heel, toe’ (that has been my “go to” step). One day, I decided to consciously NOT do it, because it was my “go to” step. If you find yourself doing cramp rolls all the time, take them away from yourself. Not forever, just as an exercise so you have to figure out something else to do. This is an idea to play with to see where it takes you. Another idea is to not put any heels down when you dance. See where that takes you.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">When I watch you dance Ayodele, I see you allowing yourself to play with certain ideas and build on them and it’s wonderful to watch. You are very much in the moment. I find a lot of dancers feel the need to hurry up and get to the next step or idea, maybe because they feel they need to impress.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC</b>: For me, that’s my Meisner acting technique. That concept is “repeat, repeat, repeat” and you don’t do something until something else makes you do it.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD</b>: I love that.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC</b>: And that’s a lot of freedom too because you don’t have the pressure of saying something for the sake of saying something. You move forward because it’s organic, it makes sense and you are staying truthful to the moment.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD</b>: But do you feel like you allow yourself to do that in performance?</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC</b>: Absolutely. It’s taken me a long time but I’ve realized that I approach performance in the same way I approach improvisation. I try to give myself the freedom and the permission to be exactly who I am in that moment on that day. For years, I would beat myself up after a performance. “Ugh, I didn’t do this, or I got out of time, or I did that thing over and over again.” And I would feel terrible and awful about myself and then I realized it isn’t my intention to suck so I have to release myself from that.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD</b>: And the audience probably didn’t think you sucked at all. I have had those same feelings coming off stage. I’d even say I’m not doing this anymore.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC</b>: Right, and finally, I’ve learned to REALLY accept how I am in that moment on any given day. It feels more authentic for me in that way. I’m not TRYING to be like anything. I’m just trying to be as honest as I can in my expression and if you love it, great! And if you don’t, that’s ok too! I think that’s where improv goes awry, when you TRY to impress, when you’re approaching it from that angle it’s less satisfying and you’ll be in your head the whole time.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD</b>: Yes, that’s a great point! When you try to impress, you’re outside of yourself, putting the focus on what other people might expect you to do. If people can achieve what you’ve just described (being honest) that is great. You always improvise honestly, Ayodele.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC</b>: Well, Thank you. It’s a much more enjoyable experience. What is the value in exploring improvisation and tapping into improv?</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD</b>: It depends on what you want in life. If you just want to do choreography and not explore improv, that’s fine. Let’s say you want to be on Broadway and you want to audition for tap, improv is a great tool to have. What if you completely screw up the choreography in the audition? You won’t be standing there thinking, “what am I going to do”. You can just start improvising. To be a tap artist, I think you have to really love tap to improvise. You have to have some desire inside you to express yourself through tap dance. Not everyone has that and that’s fine, but if that desire is there, go explore it. I think finding your voice through tap dance affects other parts of your life and vice versa. Don’t we all improvise in life?</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC</b>: I think you’re 100% right. I always tell people to exercise their bravery and courage because that is one of the things that keeps them from wanting to move their feet spontaneously. And I always say that how you are here is a practice of how you will be out in the world and to me, that means speaking up for yourself, speaking up for others, it means-</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD</b>: -Deciding what you want to say. Listening…</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC</b>: Yes, tap is life.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD</b>: Getting over your fear might be another reason, which goes with exercising bravery and courage. I feel like I overcame my fear of improv, which means I could overcome other fears I had. It’s valuable, even if you never perform improv. Jams are fun. You get together with people and jam, have conversations. I enjoy when two people are improvising at the same time and making something. I used to do that with my company. We’d create a musical piece together, improvising. I’m not a big competitor. It’s not my thing to outdo someone. I prefer to create something together. It’s satisfying because you made something, you didn’t just outdo someone. In the last few years, festivals have been holding cutting contests. What do you think of those?</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC</b>: I’m not a fan of them. That’s a personal thing. Maybe because I don’t like competition in that way. I also feel like it’s a very specific skill. I think there are people who can express themselves really clearly in 4 bars and you should be able to, but it’s not satisfying to me.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD</b>: But do you think it’s helpful for the kids/young people?</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC</b>: I think there are some that really enjoy it. I also think there’s a difference between cutting contests and trading. They should know what a bar is, what that feels like, what it’s like to listen. I think there is value in feeling the adrenaline and keeping your brain sharp.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD</b>: Cutting contests are part of the history of tap dance, but haven’t we grown beyond them, artistically?</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC</b>: I think it’s cool to experience it, but at the end of the day, it’s not a measure of much. There are people who are successful in cutting contests, but can you keep time for longer than 4 bars? Can you swing a tune? Can you be interesting? Can you be authentic? Can you be in the moment? Can you move your feet and not feel like you have to impress us every step of the way?</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD</b>: Yes, in the contest you have to impress someone. It’s all about winning. At this time, there are so many different viewpoints in the approach to tap dance. Decide what your focus is. Do you want to create art? Do you want to become an artist? Do you want to find your voice inside? Do you want to express? That’s one path. If you want to be in the commercial world, that’s another path. I think everyone that taps and wants to move forward in their career should know how to improvise.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">I’m super proud of the book. It’s for everyone. There are sections for teachers with ideas to start their students out with baby steps. It’s structured to be able to use in classes. I got a message from a teacher who has been using the book and said her students are starting to love improv and she’s very excited. That makes me so happy!</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC</b>: I was in Austin, Texas recently guiding a teacher class, discussing concepts and one of them mentioned they had your book and that it has been so helpful to her.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD: </b>That’s so great! That’s the goal. It’s not a read cover to cover, but you can open up to Chapter 3, exercise 5 and work on that exercise for yourself or with your students. I’m really excited about it. There are some good stories, some anecdotes, some good pictures, and the best thing is that in the back of the book, I have a list of music suggestions. A lot of people say to me, “I don’t know anything about jazz”. Jazz is very important in the study of this art form. You’ll expand your musicality. Also, if you go to youtube, search for<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e4HxWjolGg&list=PL5d1_jDGqfMiTZ0ZA0xOR8QVNKcZFLzOy" target="_blank"> </a><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e4HxWjolGg&list=PL5d1_jDGqfMiTZ0ZA0xOR8QVNKcZFLzOy" target="_blank">Tap Into Improv Recommended Footage</a>, </b>you can view footage I think everyone pursuing improvisation should watch. Finally, the creative exercises are just fun ideas to play with. Some of those could be applied to other dances forms, as well.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC</b>: You’ve created something really valuable. It’s tap into improv, but that applies to more than tap dancing. Improv is improv is improv.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD</b>: Can I quote you on that? It’s like Ted Levy saying a “shuffle, is a shuffle, is a shuffle”.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC</b>: Exactly.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>BD</b>: Thank you Ayodele.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>AC</b>: Thank YOU.</span><br />
<span class="s1"><br /></span> <span class="s1"><br /></span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpo3CQ4ZKCd_a-_rpBnypTthJDTan55fZV8FcImGVkhkSF6eaBh_J1EVHOw66omTZdkf8NyEExyK6YcMy_Qguw9R-CX9lIpF0z2tTaYHPhxU9GINCP3JK4xQ-RqWpxkDJiAmk5/s1600/ayodele+casel+duo+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: arial; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpo3CQ4ZKCd_a-_rpBnypTthJDTan55fZV8FcImGVkhkSF6eaBh_J1EVHOw66omTZdkf8NyEExyK6YcMy_Qguw9R-CX9lIpF0z2tTaYHPhxU9GINCP3JK4xQ-RqWpxkDJiAmk5/s1600/ayodele+casel+duo+photo.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="s1"><span style="clear: left; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span> Ayodele Casel is a native New Yorker and began her professional training at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She is also a graduate of The William Esper Studio in NYC. Hailed by Gregory Hines as “one of the top young tap dancers in the world today ”, she has earned commissions from Aaron Davis Hall/Harlem Stage and the Apollo's Salon Series, where she presented "Diary of a Tap Dancer”. She has been creating and presenting her own works since 1999 in venues that include The Apollo, New York’s City Center’s Fall For Dance, Aaron Davis Hall/The Gatehouse, The Lisner Auditorium, Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, Joyce SoHo, The Triad Theater, Joe's Pub at The Public Theater and Spoleto Arts Festival. Ms. Casel has appeared on the cover of Dance Spirit, American Theater Magazine, and The Village Voice. She is Director of A BroaderWay's Leader in Training Program. Ayodele was most recently seen performing in the New Victory Dance Summer Festival.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; line-height: normal;"><b>Hosted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Words-on-White-Movement-1958615537726889/" target="_blank">Words on White</a>, in participation with <a href="http://www.ayodelecasel.com/" target="_blank">Ayodele Casel</a> and <a href="http://www.thatgirl006.com/" target="_blank">Torya Beard</a>,</b> New York-based artists will come together to raise funds for 5 families in Ayodele's parents' community of Rincon, Puerto Rico whose homes and lives have been devastated by Hurricane Maria.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: georgia; line-height: normal;">This Saturday, October 21st at 2:00pm at the Kraine Theatre</b><span style="font-family: "georgia"; line-height: normal;"> (</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">85 E 4th St</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;">New York, NY 10003) </span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; line-height: normal;">artists share and respond to the stories of five affected families and discuss action steps for supporting them in moving forward. </span><i style="font-family: georgia; line-height: normal;">Tickets are $10 and 15% of all proceeds will go directly to <a href="http://www.youcaring.com/ayoforrincon" target="_blank"><b>Ayodele's relief fund</b></a>.<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span></i><b style="font-family: georgia; line-height: normal;"><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/words-on-white-presents-5-stories5000-a-benefit-showcase-for-families-in-rincon-puerto-rico-tickets-39022647790">Click here for tickets and more information.</a> </b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; line-height: normal;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia"; line-height: normal;">If you can't make it in person, please join us digitally through Ayodele's Facebook Live feed, which can be found on her</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: "georgia"; line-height: normal;"> </span><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ayodele.casel" style="font-family: georgia; line-height: normal;">Facebook page</a><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: "georgia"; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia"; line-height: normal;">beginning Saturday at 2pm.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; line-height: normal;"><b>Can't make it? NO problem!</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia"; line-height: normal;"><br /></span> <b style="font-family: georgia; line-height: normal;">Please consider donating</b><span style="font-family: "georgia"; line-height: normal;"> to our</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: "georgia"; line-height: normal;"> </span><a href="http://www.youcaring.com/ayoforrincon" style="font-family: georgia; line-height: normal;">relief fund</a><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: "georgia"; line-height: normal;">. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; line-height: normal;">All donations through this fund are being disseminated directly to the people of Rincon and the $5,000 raised in this effort is going solely to the five families whose stories we share on Saturday. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; line-height: normal;">This event will be hosted by Zhailon Levingston of Words on White and will feature Ayodele Casel, Marla Louissaint, Sydney Morton, Samantha Williams, Justin Lowrey, members of Elisa Monte Dance, ITE, and others, with visual art by Robert Newman. Produced by Corey Ruziano and Mia Crivello. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia"; line-height: normal;">The </span><b style="font-family: georgia; line-height: normal;">Kraine Theatre</b><span style="font-family: "georgia"; line-height: normal;"> is located at </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">85 E 4th St., </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">New York, NY 10003</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaz5d_0maVGhhZRu_c2YI4220j0gFDz87LBmyXe1fx4S5P8_SpkcEXaDDXadUdwW9LvkD4om57KhKpybw7q4ChlMlplrBeya5UuVicQlA0jUK4VY09nXLKi71zplqBDTLqqvRBBw/s1600/Words+on+White+Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="959" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaz5d_0maVGhhZRu_c2YI4220j0gFDz87LBmyXe1fx4S5P8_SpkcEXaDDXadUdwW9LvkD4om57KhKpybw7q4ChlMlplrBeya5UuVicQlA0jUK4VY09nXLKi71zplqBDTLqqvRBBw/s200/Words+on+White+Logo.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Words on White is an Arts Advocacy Campaign started to inspiring Change with Conversation and Canvas to give Power to the People.</i></td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03442030182537565510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-64796350110973253862016-12-01T22:22:00.000-05:002016-12-02T12:41:37.507-05:00Jesus Christ Superstar - In Concert starring Morgan James and Shoshana Bean<div class="page" title="Page 1">
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<span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 15pt; font-weight: 700;">Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s
Jesus Christ Superstar - In Concert </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 13pt; font-weight: 700;">starring</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 16.000000pt; font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Morgan James and Shoshana Bean
</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Highline Ballroom, New York, NY
</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">January 16, 2017, 8:00pm</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700;">November 21, 2016/New York, NY— </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Morgan James, Richard Amelius and Torya Beard present Andrew
Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR in concert, featuring Broadway veterans
and powerhouse vocalists, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-weight: 700;"><a href="http://www.morganjamesonline.com/" target="_blank">Morgan James</a> </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">(Motown: The Musical, Godspell, The Addams Family) and
</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-weight: 700;"><a href="http://www.shoshanabean.com/#news" target="_blank">Shoshana Bean</a> </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">(Hairspray, Wicked) and Big Beat Records recording artist </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-weight: 700;"><a href="http://www.thealexnewell.com/" target="_blank">Alex Newell</a> </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">(Glee). The one-
night-only female-centered concert of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera will be directed
by </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">Richard Amelius </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">(Time Between Us, Empty City), with musical direction by </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">Julie McBride
</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">(Amazing Grace, Finding Neverland). A cast of 13 singers will perform the complete score, accompanied
by an all-female band. Full cast to be announced.
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<span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-style: italic;">“Jesus Christ Superstar has always been one of my favorite shows, favorite scores; and I always wanted
to know what it would be like to hear my favorite voices sing those roles. In fact, I had a dream about it
and woke up desperate to make it happen.” </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">- Morgan James
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<span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">Jesus Christ Superstar in Concert featuring Morgan James and Shoshana Bean, Monday,
January 16, 2017, at 8:00PM (doors open at 6:00PM). Tickets: General Admission $30 in
advance, $40 at the door, VIP $50. Tickets may be </span><a href="http://bit.ly/JCS11617" style="font-family: timesnewromanps; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;" target="_blank">PURCHASED ONLINE HERE</a><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">, the Highline
box office, </span><a href="http://www.ticketweb.com/" style="font-family: timesnewromanps; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;" target="_blank">online at ticketweb.com</a><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;"> or via phone: 866.468.7619. Highline Ballroom is located at
431 West 16th Street between 9th Avenue and 10th Avenue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">Morgan James </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">(Jesus) Original Broadway Casts: </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-style: italic;">Motown: The Musical</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-style: italic;">Godspell </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">("Turn Back O’
Man"), </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-style: italic;">Wonderland</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-style: italic;">The Addams Family</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">. Symphony concert work includes: Philadelphia Orchestra,
Baltimore (Bernstein's MASS at Carnegie Hall, cast recording), Detroit, Harrisburg, San Diego,
Greensboro, Louisville Orchestra. On Epic Records: debut studio album of original soul music entitled
“Hunter”; and live Nina Simone tribute album, “Morgan James Live.” Training: The Juilliard School.
For complete schedule, credits and discography, please visit morganjamesonline.com. Instagram &
Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/morganajames" target="_blank">@morganajames</a>.
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<span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700;">Shoshana Bean </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">(Judas) Her independent solo releases have topped the iTunes R&B and Blues charts in
the US and the UK in peak positions 5, 3 and #1 with the release of her latest EP Shadows to Light.
Shoshana is a veteran of the Broadway stage having debuted in the original cast of </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Hairspray </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">and starred
as the very first replacement for Elphaba, the green-skinned witch, in </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Wicked</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">. Most recently she appeared
in the pre-Broadway production of the new musical </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Beaches </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">as CeeCee Bloom and inked a deal with
ABC Signature for a new musical pilot she co-created and for which she will compose the music. She has
sold out solo concerts around the globe and performed alongside Brian McKnight, Bebe Winans and sang
back up for Michael Jackson for his 30th-anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden. Shoshana
arranged vocals for Jennifer Lopez’s American Idol performance of “I Luh Ya Papi”, and her music has
been featured in television shows on NBC, MTV, Oxygen and Showtime. <a href="http://shoshanabean.com/" target="_blank">shoshanabean.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700;">Alex Newell </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">(Mary) Alex Newell is an actor and singer best known for playing the transgender student
Wade "Unique" Adams on the Fox musical series Glee. As a singer, Newell released tracks with Clean
Bandit, Blonde and The Knocks. "This Ain't Over" is the first track on his 2016 debut EP
entitled </span><span style="color: rgb(9.898476% , 41.642040% , 83.192040%); font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">POWER</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700;">Richard Amelius </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">(Director) has produced work for a number of theatres and companies around the
country including The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, The Walt Disney Corporation, The NBA, The AIDS
Coalition, Northern Stage, and the Bucks County Playhouse among others. He most recently directed the
world premiere of </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Time Between Us </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">at New York Musical Festival and </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Empty City </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">at Davenport Theatre.
Mr. Amelius served as Associate Artistic Director of The Forestburgh Playhouse for five years directing
and choreographing a number of shows including </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Hair</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Cats</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Footloose</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">, and </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Rent</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">. He was Assistant to
the Artistic Director at The Media Theatre for two years. He served as PSM for the 2004 Grand Gala,
starring Tony Award Winner Betty Buckley, as well as staging shows like </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">The Wizard Of Oz</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Sweet
Charity</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">, and Andrew Lippa’s </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">The Wild Party</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">. Under his supervision, productions and actors garnered six
Philadelphia Barrymore Award nominations including three for Mr. Amelius himself: Two for “Best
Choreography” for </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Sweet Charity </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">and </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Cabaret </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">and one for “Best Leading Actor in a Musical” for his
portrayal of the Emcee in </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Cabaret</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700;">Julie McBride </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">(Musical Director) holds degrees from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and
the Mannes College of Music. Upcoming: </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">The SpongeBob Musical</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">. Broadway and other New York
credits include </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Amazing Grace</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Finding Neverland</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Side Show</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Matilda</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">If/Then</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">American Idiot</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Next to
Normal</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">In The Heights</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">The Addams Family</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Big Fish</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">The Lion King</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">CHIX 6</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">The Happy Elf</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">, </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Judas
and Me </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">(NYMF). Regional credits include </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">These Paper Bullets </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">(Yale Rep, Geffen Playhouse, Atlantic
Theatre Company), </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">LMNOP </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">(Goodspeed), </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Daddy Long Legs </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">(Northlight, La Mirada, Laguna Playhouse,
Arizona Theatre Company, Skylight Theatre, PCPA, St. Louis Rep, Royal Manitoba), </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">EMMA </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">(Arizona
Theatre Company), </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanps"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic;">Suprema </span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">(O</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">ʼ</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">Neill, Ars Nova). Julie has served on the faculties of Syracuse
University</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">ʼ</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11pt;">s Tepper Program and The Juilliard School (Drama Division).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11.000000pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Press Inquiries: Torya Beard * torya@thatgirl006.com </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03442030182537565510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-9343096393374033482016-11-26T20:54:00.001-05:002016-11-26T20:57:33.868-05:00thatgirl006 Don't Miss... Sell/Buy/Date<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">DON'T MISS SELL/BUY/DATE</span></b></div>
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We would hate for you to miss this. Use <a href="http://shows.manhattantheatreclub.com/sell-buy-date/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">this link</span></a> to purchase your tickets today! <i> </i><br />
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Saw the show and loved it? Copy and paste these social posts and help spread the word:<br />
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Twitter</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Catch #SellBuyDate--@jonesarah's funny, moving & timely show is extended til Dec 3 @MTC_NYC. Don't miss it! Tix: </span><span class="s2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><a href="http://ow.ly/wRFo306a9m2">http://ow.ly/wRFo306a9m2</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1">NYC: @xosarahjones' #SellBuyDate is extended til December 3 @mtc_nyc--see it now. Funny, moving, and more relevant than ever. Tix:<span class="s2"><a href="http://ow.ly/wRFo306a9m2">http://ow.ly/wRFo306a9m2</a></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Looking for some inspiration in the coming weeks? Check out Sarah Jones' #SellBuyDate at @ManhattanTheatreClub! Tix:<span class="s2"><a href="http://ow.ly/wRFo306a9m2">http://ow.ly/wRFo306a9m2</a></span></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></i></b> <b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">xo, </span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">thatgirl</span></i></b><br />
<style type="text/css"> p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Georgia; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} span.s2 {text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none; color: #4787ff; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #4787ff} </style>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03442030182537565510noreply@blogger.com0New York, NY, USA40.7127837 -74.00594130000001839.942317700000004 -75.296834800000013 41.4832497 -72.715047800000022tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-76109328163624105702016-02-29T18:01:00.000-05:002016-02-29T19:49:00.915-05:00Cause and Effect - The Intersection of Dance, Fashion and Humanity<span style="color: orange;">by Jennifer Newman</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tiffany Rea-Fisher</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">photo: Ayodele Casel</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Paola Hernández</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">photo: <span id="docs-internal-guid-89a6756c-2e05-4e44-1e9f-a91fd1a29105"><span style="font-family: "garamond"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Theresa Balderas</span></span></span></td></tr>
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Tiffany Rea- Fisher and Paola Hernández met when Hernández attended a performance of <a href="http://www.elisamontedance.org/">Elisa Monte Dance Company</a> and saw the company perform a piece choreographed by Rea-Fisher. ”That‘s it!” thought the designer who was then working on developing the presentation for her <a href="http://www.paolahernandez.com/look-book/">Spring 2016 collection</a>. “I had the idea for a film and knew that <a href="https://elisamonte-dance.squarespace.com/repertory/emd-next-generation" target="_blank">Tiffany’s choreography</a> would be a beautiful way to present the collection.“ Her first time working with dance, <a href="http://www.paolahernandez.com/about/" target="_blank">Hernández</a> is always looking for different ways to express her concept. The designer approached Tiffany and the rest, as they say, is history.<br />
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“I love how fashion affects the day to day.” says Rea-Fisher, who continues, “There is a flexibility and daily access that allows me to express myself to the world. People who don’t know that I am a dancer know how I am feeling. I dress differently for rehearsal than I do for a meeting. Fabrics, patterns, silhouettes are a fun way to play.“ This collaboration is Tiffany Rea-Fisher’s second time working with a fashion designer. A venture she says she approached with some trepidation. “Fashion is a different beast,“ says the choreographer who works in a hierarchical yet fluid way with her dancers in the studio. “In the first experience, there was a lack of a guiding force. Ideas would be thrown out, but no room was made for individual aspects to shine. There was no understanding of needs of dancers. I was traumatized really.”<br />
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In her collaboration with Paola, Tiffany has found a like-minded partner. “Paola respects the process which allowed me to go forward. She is a collaborator in the true sense of the word.” Akin to bees making honey, Hernández is fueled by the act of individuals coming together to make something unique. Meeting regularly with a team that included a composer and cinematographer, the designer would share photographs, video, and music inspirations. For Hernández, “collaborating is working with the same idea but allowing each other to go off and express in a way that feels natural and inspiring.“ Rea-Fisher shares this working philosophy, “The lead was Paola. We all made choices and moved on. I am not a fashion designer, the composer is not a choreographer, we each do what we do. We allowed each other the space to create and then come back to make more decisions together.”<br />
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Allowing oneself to be affected by another extends past their individual modus operandi into the foundation of their actual collaboration. Rea-Fisher’s new work, "Newton’s Cradle", with costume designs by Hernández, is a piece that at its essence is about cause and effect. Inspired by the highly recognizable executive desktop chrome contraption of hanging spheres suspended between a frame by thin wires, "Newton’s Cradle", according to press materials, “Explores the known and unknown consequences of one’s actions.”<br />
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Openness, or sensitivity, to external input, is not where their commonalities stop. For both Rea-Fisher and Hernández, the fundamental aspect of both their creative processes is the constant exploration of what it means to be human. For Rea-Fisher, personal expression, individuality, and the acceptance of that are core principals and Hernández, who studied philosophy, is guided by personal experiences, “Instead of writing essays I use clothing and shoes.“<br />
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Their shared sense of play, inspiration, and humanity can be seen this week during Elisa Monte Dance Company's 35th-Anniversary season at City College's Aaron Davis Hall, March 2-5. Performance schedule and ticket information below.</div>
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<a href="http://www.paolahernandez.com/film"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtYyrvdGvmbCd9NV5KuG-aYToejsadyxbzEX33QyQCwJFQ5Q86sJZLJ2bT7MMQsRa1_O6Gy3qdobYUGfJTI1xMjKNLm-v92CzG42ZMPAGyIPvdpIAgG7mtWkTfbF7-f84mQiw_g/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-23+at+11.52.02+PM.png" /></a><a href="http://www.paolahernandez.com/film">Watch the Film </a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25.2px;"><span style="line-height: 25.2px;">Director: Jesse McGowan, </span><span style="line-height: 25.2px;">Cinematographer: Jason Banker, </span><span style="line-height: 25.2px;">Music by: Jessica Pavone, </span><span style="line-height: 25.2px;">Model: Jana Knauerova from Wilhelmina Models, </span><span style="line-height: 25.2px;">Make-up Artist: Regan Rabanal from MAC Cosmetics, </span><span style="line-height: 25.2px;">Hair Stylist: Micki Charles from CUTLER, </span><span style="line-height: 25.2px;">Manicurist: Mimi Wilson, </span><span style="line-height: 25.2px;">Dance Company: Elisa Monte Dance, </span><span style="line-height: 25.2px;">Choreography: Tiffany Rea-Fisher</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "merriweather"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25.2px;"><span style="line-height: 25.2px;">Dancers: Clymene Baugher, Maria Ambrose, Mindy Lai, JoVonna Parks</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="http://www.elisamontedance.org/"><b><span style="font-size: 12px;">ELISA MONTE DANCE 35TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON SCHEDULE</span></b><span style="font-size: 12px;">*</span></a></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px;"><b>Wednesday, March 2, 7:00 p.m.</b> – Gala performance will include excerpts of Elisa Monte's "Pangaea," Rea-Fisher's "Newton’s Cradle," and a solo performance of Monte’s "Run to the Rock" by Tiffany Rea-Fisher </span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px;"><b>Friday, March 4, 7:30 p.m.</b> – Premiere of Elisa Monte’s "Pangaea."</span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px;"><i>An intermission toast with the company’s Artistic Director will take place Friday night.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px;"><b>Saturday, March 5, 7:30 p.m.</b> – Premiere of Tiffany Rea Fisher’s "Newton’s Cradle", and "Current". This program also includes Rea-Fisher’s "why so curious?" and alumni performance of Monte’s "Shattered". </span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px;"><i>*A photographic retrospective will be on display in the lobby of Aaron Davis Hall from February 8-March 7 and can be viewed Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m-6:00 p.m., and open until 10:00 p.m. during performances. </i></span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: 12px;"><b>Tickets and Venue</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px;">Aaron Davis Hall is located on the campus of The City College of New York on Convent Avenue between west 133rd and 135th Street. Convent Avenue is one block east of Amsterdam Avenue. The theater is accessible by the 1 train to 137th street, and the A, D, B and C trains to 145th street.</span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-size: 12px;">Purchase Tickets here: <a href="http://bit.ly/EMD35thTIX"><span class="s3">http://bit.ly/EMD35thTIX</span></a> OR call 212-650-6900. General admission tickets are available at $25. Group sales for groups of 10, student and senior tickets are $15. $5 rush tickets are available for City College of New York Students. March 2nd Gala tickets include the 7:00 p.m. performance with dinner to follow at 8:30 p.m. Purchase Gala tickets here: <a href="http://bit.ly/EMDgalatix"><span class="s3">http://bit.ly/EMDgalatix</span></a>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnHVTQSGDv1lGEMmF-R96vkgg_yqdipUzSmz2eexBK7QoSthCrDY1qNByZzHJPcmjAo_ZG8ZMIyM_Kic_dupo63s7AQ-nxWWgnXgCigKjRASF-m7mJXo7IRJSICvzj4H_sOjIvQ/s1600/JNewman+2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnHVTQSGDv1lGEMmF-R96vkgg_yqdipUzSmz2eexBK7QoSthCrDY1qNByZzHJPcmjAo_ZG8ZMIyM_Kic_dupo63s7AQ-nxWWgnXgCigKjRASF-m7mJXo7IRJSICvzj4H_sOjIvQ/s200/JNewman+2.jpg" width="200" /></a><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A New York-based dance and theatre artist, Jennifer has worked with Franco Dragone, Julie Taymor, Donald Byrd, David Rousseve, Ronald K. Brown, Michael Jackson, The Radio City Rockettes, and has performed on Broadway in Saturday Night Fever and Disney’s The Lion King. As a director and choreographer her theatre work includes:Three Women, by Patterson, Loring, and Zainabu; The Children, by Phillip Howze; Bull Rusher, by Eisa Davis; Woman Bomb, by Ivana Sajko; and October in the Chair, adapted from short stoierries by Neil Gaiman. She is currently touring her solo performance, The Geneva Project, an interdisciplinary and immersive dance work directed by Charlotte Brathwaite.</span></span></i></div>
<i style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></i> <i style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Having studied at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and The American Dance Festival she holds a BA in Dance from UCLA and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. Jennifer has been an artist in residence at Yale University, Central Connecticut State University, The Field, Mabou Mines, Baryshnikov Arts Center, 651 Arts, and Sisters Academy. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">She is currently on faculty at Central Connecticut State University.</span></span></span></i><span class="s2" style="font-size: x-small;"></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03442030182537565510noreply@blogger.com0New York, NY, USA40.7127837 -74.00594130000001840.3275957 -74.651388300000022 41.0979717 -73.360494300000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-31442585017264319072016-02-28T20:27:00.000-05:002016-02-29T00:26:42.989-05:00Things That Made Us Smile This Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://broadwaycares.org/puremotion2016?utm_source=site&utm_medium=home1&utm_campaign=banner" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://broadwaycares.org/puremotion2016?utm_source=site&utm_medium=home1&utm_campaign=banner" target="_blank">PURE MOTION: AN EVENING OF DANCES BY RAY MERCER</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">Veteran Lion King cast member, prolific choreographer and super-cool guy, <a href="http://www.raymercerdance.com/" target="_blank">Ray Mercer</a> and a cast of brilliant artists present a one-night-only concert to benefit <a href="https://www.broadwaycares.org/" target="_blank">BC/EFA</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #009eb8; display: inline; font-size: medium; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition: 0.3s;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.elisamontedance.com/" target="_blank">ELISA MONTE DANCE'S 35TH-ANNIVERSARY SEASON</a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jaimee-a-swift/to-africa-with-love-on-ke_b_9240820.html" style="color: #009eb8; display: inline; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.3s;"> </a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="line-height: 15.68px;">Three World Premieres, an Alumni Celebration, and a Full-Evening Premiere by Elisa Monte Celebrate a 35-Year Legacy + two premieres by newly appointed Artistic Director, Tiffany Rea-Fisher </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #009eb8; display: inline; font-size: medium; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition: 0.3s;"><a href="http://eclipsedbroadway.com/?gclid=Cj0KEQiA0sq2BRDRt6Scrqj71vQBEiQAg5bj0_b5ARUwhtw88OhBKMXupQtzL6HcItvMgB0ctqvpU6IaArRX8P8HAQ" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">'<span style="transition: color 0.3s;">E</span>CLIPSED' ON BROADWAY</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This history-making production is smile-worthy in many ways. Check out thatgirl006 contributor <a href="http://thatgirl006.blogspot.com/2016/02/doin-it-for-themselves-eclipsed-and.html" target="_blank">Rod Gailes OBC's reflections</a> on the first preview of the Broadway production.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 15.68px;">source: broadwaycares.org</span></span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03442030182537565510noreply@blogger.com0New York, NY, USA40.7127837 -74.00594130000001840.3275957 -74.651388300000022 41.0979717 -73.360494300000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-59032155763036905832016-02-27T16:11:00.000-05:002016-02-27T16:11:27.768-05:00Doin' It For Themselves... ECLIPSED and the Black Female Revolution<div class="p1">
<span style="color: orange;">by Rod Gailes OBC</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Last night I had the pleasure of being present when the all-female cast of <a href="http://eclipsedbroadway.com/?gclid=Cj0KEQiAr8W2BRD2qbCOv8_H7qEBEiQA1ErTBhldSS9zYQd6GhTl11acy22B-MoAm-cmNaDduunfV7IaAu6y8P8HAQ">ECLIPSED</a> made history as perhaps the only play ever on Broadway written by a Black female playwright, with a Black female director, and starring an entirely Black female cast. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">With “<a href="http://funhomebroadway.com/">Fun Home</a>,” “<a href="http://www.hamiltonbroadway.com/">Hamilton</a>,” and, now, Danai Gurira’s freshly minted classic, Oskar Eutis and the entire team at <a href="http://www.publictheater.org/">The Public Theater</a> are holding Joe Papp’s torch High and Proud in the midst of Broadway’s Platinum age. But unlike those other two commercial hits, ECLIPSED is not a musical. This is a touching, classically written, BLACK AFRICAN play. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">When will this happen again? When has it EVER happened? That question alone had me near tears 10 minutes into the play. And so… I am biased. As an artist who works to include varied representations of Black people in my work, I was tickled by the joyful tone of familiarity that rose from the decidedly mixed audience last night. You could hear the note of group surprise in their voices as we made human connections and found common ground in the world of 2003 Liberia. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">People of all backgrounds sat in the dark, shoulder to shoulder, experiencing a play about Black African, female sex slaves, peace workers, and soldiers. They watched those women navigate the gifts of LIFE and CHOICE and saw a bit of themselves reflected in the process. THAT is a sacred mission and one rarely taken up on the commercial stage.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Remembering our sacred nature: Ms. Gurira channels that mission into “Rita,” a former successful business woman, who realizes the insignificance of money without a passionate connection to our past, our name. As played by Akosua Busia (The Color Purple), she becomes mother of all, compelling us to remember who we were before the traumatic events of life’s journey.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Directly before curtain, I attended a networking event where I met a producer who had tried to invest in “Eclipsed” but couldn’t because of the high demand to be part of this “happening.” That “demand” on the part of investors was created by the presence and growing visibility of Lupita Nyong’o whose beauty, mystique, and Oscar status fuel more fetishized fantasies than we actually realize. #THEY repeatedly refer to her at cocktail parties as “luminescent.” It is that interplay between the glamour of the woman herself and the gritty girlish quality of her roles as “Patsy” (12 Years a Slave) and here as “The Girl” in ECLIPSED that confirm for mainstream audiences she is indeed “acting.” That willingness to eschew her Vogue validated glamour and put on a beautifully designed, nappy top knot pony tail (Cookie Jordan’s wigs are bananas as usual!) to portray a Black girl in jeopardy is the main reason a show like ECLIPSED can get financed. That is an amazing use of one’s star power, and Lupita brings that decidedly to the table. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The production is great on all fronts, even in the 1st preview. Director Liesl Tommy allows the classic simplicity of the play’s drama to comfortably unfold, adding just the right amount of sonic and spectacle elements to justify a Broadway ticket price. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Saycon Sengbloh (Motown, Hair, Wicked, FELA) gets a world class platform to showcase her considerable acting chops. With a masterful dry wit, dramatic gravitas, and a rhythmic vocal patois, her portrayal of Helena/Wife #1 is the fulcrum upon which everything pivots. Lupita sells the tickets, and the amazing ensemble surrounding her, anchored by Sengbloh, keeps us riveted. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jainab Jah as “Maima” violently opts out of the “bush wife” sisterhood to take up a “kill” position in the “dog eat dog” civil war as a soldier. Preferring to hunt rather than be prey, she is a perfect mirror of the philosophical choice men, women, and children in this world must make. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Pascale Armand’s “Bessie/Wife #3” brings childlike petulance, comic relief, and a light spirit belying her status as a rebel commander’s pregnant sex slave. This brilliant balancing of TONE throughout makes Gurira’s weighty story of 5 women in war torn Liberia an entertaining, thought provoking, heartstring pulling CLASSIC worth repeat viewing. The standing ovation at curtain call was well deserved. #BRAVA! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hGo8Z_cgC1_PnrxnDvpy_cbmEyyaYWNwhtpohYufWcydoKueLG1fRqIWnTGltmCsFoFcKxtUf5kPu6FwTw2jxlyrj0UJHO-zzzHl6V3WRUGPsvODvCWneShR8ShWPJXKse2VfQ/s1600/Rod+Gailes+OBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hGo8Z_cgC1_PnrxnDvpy_cbmEyyaYWNwhtpohYufWcydoKueLG1fRqIWnTGltmCsFoFcKxtUf5kPu6FwTw2jxlyrj0UJHO-zzzHl6V3WRUGPsvODvCWneShR8ShWPJXKse2VfQ/s200/Rod+Gailes+OBC.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Culture commentator, Rod Gailes OBC is a writer/director for the stage and screen interested in building artistic fraternity with artists across disciplines. Follow him at: </span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19.6px;">Snapchat @TheeOBC</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://twitter.com/theeobc?lang=cs">Twitter @TheeOBC</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/rodgailesobc">Facebook</a></span><br />
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/theeobc/"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">Instagram</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://thatgirl006.blogspot.com/2010/11/tyler-perry-is-not-devil.html" style="display: inline; line-height: 19.6px; outline: none; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">read more from Rod Gailes OBC</span></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03442030182537565510noreply@blogger.com0New York, NY, USA40.7127837 -74.00594130000001840.3275957 -74.651388300000022 41.0979717 -73.360494300000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-91001159972890165532016-02-21T16:00:00.001-05:002016-02-21T16:12:38.302-05:00Things That Made us Smile This Week<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<a href="http://www.playbill.com/news/article/hamilton-wins-grammy-for-best-musical-theater-album-386468"><span style="font-size: large;">'HAMILTON' WINS 2016 GRAMMY FOR BEST MUSICAL THEATER ALBUM</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">#RiseUp! What a joy to watch both the perfromance and acceptance speach. Game officially changed. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jaimee-a-swift/to-africa-with-love-on-ke_b_9240820.html"><span style="font-size: large;">KENDRICK LAMAR'S GRAMMY AWARDS PERFORMANCE </span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">We were left speechless and exhilarated. Yes Yes Kendrick Lamar!</span></div>
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<a href="https://vimeo.com/154259716"><span style="font-size: large;">MUSES OF MOTION'S "FIRST LOVE" A DIGITAL BALLET</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">All kinds of beauty. Super-cool concept. Changing the way we think about presenting and experiencing concert dance.</span></div>
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<a href="https://vimeo.com/154259716">First Love, a digital ballet</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/musesofmotion">Preston Miller</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
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Sources:<br />
<a href="http://www.playbill.com/news/article/hamilton-wins-grammy-for-best-musical-theater-album-386468">Playbill.com</a><br />
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jaimee-a-swift/to-africa-with-love-on-ke_b_9240820.html">HuffingtonPost.com</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/musesofmotion/">Facebook.com/MusesofMotion</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D31773318%23editor%2Fsrc%3Dsidebar&media=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-WNlfij-VNQU%2FVsoQYTeKBsI%2FAAAAAAAAB7c%2FHNcItKZHPkk%2Fs1600%2F3%252Bthings%252Bblog%252Bgraphic%252B.png&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=mXEQdQ5E_kwb&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 32px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 24px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D31773318%23editor%2Fsrc%3Dsidebar&media=https%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-WNlfij-VNQU%2FVsoQYTeKBsI%2FAAAAAAAAB7c%2FHNcItKZHPkk%2Fs1600%2F3%252Bthings%252Bblog%252Bgraphic%252B.png&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=mXEQdQ5E_kwb&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 32px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 24px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03442030182537565510noreply@blogger.com0New York, NY, USA40.7127837 -74.00594130000001840.3275957 -74.651388300000022 41.0979717 -73.360494300000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-15812754348318173952015-12-02T14:55:00.000-05:002015-12-05T11:55:28.843-05:00Tiffany Rea-Fisher returns to the stage with LaneCoArts after a 5-year hiatus December 3-5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Choreographer, dancer, curator, and </span><a href="http://www.elisamontedance.org/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); color: #042eee;">Elisa Monte Dance</span></a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Associate Artistic Director, <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5333328de4b0daf4c7fe189a/t/5400f69ee4b00d99c7ba656f/1409349278624/TiffanyReaFisher_PressKit_Online_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">Tiffany Rea-Fisher</a> returns to the stage December 3-5, 2015 after a five-year performance hiatus. She has </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">been taking breaks from performing, returning to the stage with Elisa Monte Dance </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">only once every five years. This year, Fisher has accepted a different challenge, joining LaneCoArts as guest artists on the upcoming program: Dash | One Evening Three Premieres.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Committed to supporting female artistic directors, Fisher's non-profit, <a href="http://www.iteny.org/" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); color: #042eee;">Inception to Exhibition (ITE)</span></a>, presented Lane Gifford's <a href="http://lanecoarts.org/" target="_blank">LaneCoArts</a> in 2014 where she "was blown away by her vision as a choreographer." Performing a dance work created by an artist other than herself or Elisa Monte in 10 years, Tiffany Rea-Fisher will open the show with the re-imagined solo "Striptease." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">1</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">84 Eldridge ST. New York, NY</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); color: #042eee; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2126975%C2%A0">Tickets </a></span>($15):</b> December 3-5, 2015</span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">About Tiffany Rea-Fisher</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tiffany Rea-Fisher is in her eleventh year with the New York City-based internationally acclaimed modern dance company Elisa Monte Dance and currently holds the positions of Associate Artistic Director and Director of Operations. In 2016, Tiffany will take over as the new artistic director for the company. Tiffany joined Elisa Monte Dance in 2004 where she was a principal dancer until 2010. She performed lead roles in such classic works as Treading, Pigs and Fishes, Shattered and Volkmann Suite. She was named Dance Magazine’s “On the Rise” person in the August 2007 issue for her performance during the company’s 2006 season at The Joyce Theater. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tiffany’s work extends well beyond the stage. She has created work for the film, fashion, and music industries. In 2012, Rea-Fisher was chosen to create a new work for the Louis Vuitton / Reconstruction 3.0 Life is a Journey project. In 2015, she choreographed Transcendence, a dance film, for the Paola Hernández 2015 fashion week runway show. Paola and Tiffany are currently collaborating on a live fashion, dance film event for Paola’s winter 2016 line.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">Torya Beard </span></div>
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<a href="mailto:torya@thatgirl006.com" style="color: #042eee; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">torya@thatgirl006.com</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">By: Anthony Morigerato</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heather Cornell</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“We have to ask more questions. The search for answers is where improvisation lives.”<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span>On Thursday I had the distinct honor of speaking with concert tap dance pioneer and physical musician Heather Cornell. Ms. Cornell’s work in the rhythm tap community is vast and experienced, her intellect and vantage point razor sharp and uniquely her own. In pursuit of goals past she has come to a new collaboration with several world class musicians in the form of the recorded CD, <i>Making Music Dance</i>. In the lineage of Baby Laurence, among others, Heather Cornell has brought her process of creativity to recording tap dance. She is expressing the desire to ask us as audience members to LISTEN and use our oral facility to take in tap’s expressive and sonic power. I had every intention of speaking to Ms. Cornell solely about the process, development, and release of the recording however our hour long conversation took several twists and turns into many topics that tap dancers need and should challenge themselves to consider. Selfishly, this interview was also a meeting point with a tap dancer that unbeknownst to her was a major influence in my own path as a tap dancer. Putting this transcript together and reflecting on this hour long conversation has made me realize the scope of how connected we are through tap dancing and how communal the sharing of information is. Before reading our exchange I suggest everyone go to CD Baby <b>(</b><a href="http://cdbaby.com/cd/makingmusicdance"><span style="line-height: normal;"><b>http://cdbaby.com/cd/makingmusicdance</b></span></a><b>)</b> and purchase <i>Making Music Dance</i> which is now available. Allow yourself to consider Ms. Cornell and her collaborator’s world music point of view that defies genre and allows you to view percussive artists as musicians who dance. Enjoy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Anthony Morigerato: </b>I wanted to tell you before we started that Mike Minery is one of my closest and dearest friends. He has been a mentor and teacher to me and so many times he has told me of his times with you and with Manhattan Tap. The way that I came up in tap dancing was within the competition dance community much in the same way he did. I wasn’t trained to function as a musical artist, rather more through technique, steps, and speed. I credit Mike with opening that side of tap dancing up for me and I know that he credits you with opening that side of tap up for him. I just wanted to say thank you! It it is an honor for me to speak with you today about your project <i>Making Music Dance</i>! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Heather Cornell: </b>Mikey is great! I don’t know if he told you but he first auditioned for me when he was 17 and he didn’t know what a 6/8 was. I remember him going, “what is that music doing?” Mikey it’s a 6! (laughter)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>AM: </b>He has told me so many stories! The first time he saw Josh (Hilberman) do <i>Jitterbug Waltz </i>and dropping the band out and hearing for the first time what it is to hear a tap dancer playing…what a revelation that was for him. I mean so many stories he told me that were hugely inspiring as a young artist for myself, so thank you for that!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>HC: </b>Yeah, you’re welcome! Thank you for being such a great support, I appreciate that. It is rare in the scene these days, we need more of it…we need to support each other. I was at an arts meeting last night and at the very end of the meeting this 80 year old woman who has had the most competitive dance studio in the area got up and said, “all I want to say is that we have to support each other a lot more.” I started crying because I thought there is the wisdom. This woman who has been through the whole competition thing and has been up against the wall and has competed and not competed and what she came to the end of it all with was why aren’t we supporting each other more? It was so beautiful, I went up to her and hugged her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>AM: </b>I agree and that is one of the major reasons that I started Operation: Tap was to try and do this…what have I done for tap dancing and for the people who brought me to it? The more exposure brought to great projects that are out there the more tap dancers will benefit. So, can you tell me how this group of artists came together in 2012 and the genesis for this project,<i> Making Music Dance</i>?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>HC: </b>I have been working my whole career to try and legitimize tap as music and as a musical art form. My first commitment to it was that I would never work with canned music on stage, ever. It has not been easy (laughter), but the positive to that is I have met phenomenal musicians and I have worked with some of the best musicians in the world consistently. When you’re doing that and you’re constantly integrating with music you start to gather your tribe. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Adriel (Williams) is a tap dancer, the violin player, I met him in an improvisation class in Chicago when he was 13, at the Chicago Tap Festival. I walked in the class and the first thing I said, “you can’t teach improv, sorry.” Most of the people in the class rolled their eyes (laughter) and Adriel sparked up and I saw the look on his face. “All I can do is put a whole bunch of doors in front of you and encourage you to open them but if you are not willing to open them you are not going to learn anything. That being said, for the next 5 days I’m just answering questions.” Adriel’s arm shot up and he asked a really cool question and the whole five days was me answering Adriel’s questions, and his friend Eric. A few other people popped in around it but they just weren’t used to guiding their own learning. For me, you can’t teach people improvisation unless you teach people to guide their own learning because that is what improvisation is. Adriel was just 13 when we met, and we have been soul mates ever since. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Heather Cornell and Adriel Williams</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Masters of American Dance Teachers Series</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Andy (Algire) I met when we were both studying djembe. He had graduated from music school and we were in the same performance group. At the same time we started playing balafon…and Andy being musically trained took off on the balafon and now he is a master balafon player, I still consider myself a beginner so I play back up for him. He is a phenomenal percussionist and plays drums for many of the groups that come in from Africa. Andy started playing for my class 16 years ago at my intensive…I fell in love with working with him because he is phenomenally open and full of joy for the music. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Balafon Duet with Andy Algire and Solo by Famoro Dioubate </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anna de la Paz is a flamenco dancer locally. She and I have kids the same age and we were showing up on the same stage for every benefit known to man. I said to her “we should get together and get paid to do this sometime and she said, “yeah let’s do that!”. So she had a gig and in two hours we put together a really beautiful evening. We realized that this was too good to be true, so we decided to start developing work! Our work is a fusion of many different cultures. It is obviously African based because of Andy, and jazz based because of Andy and Adriel. Also Adriel plays with Reggae bands in NYC so it has some reggae influence, there is some Indian in there, it has flamenco, it has tap, and we had Carlos in the original group so it had a flamenco guitar edge to it. We replaced him with Tony Romano who is a jazz guitar player from NYC who has a lot of South American influences in his music. All of that came together and we started making music and much of it on the CD is original, except for a cover of <i>Blackbird.</i> I love making music with these people! Anna is leaving and I am bringing in Dayna Szyndrowski who is a student of mine from Vancouver who is doing a Flamenco/Tap fusion right now. Dayna will be taking Anna’s place on the second CD because Anna is wanting to get back more into classical flamenco and Dayna is really in that fusion place. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>AM: </b>What is the process by which you guys compose a tune? Do you set a structure and use improvisation to find it? When you go into the studio which do you use more improvisation or composition?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>HC: </b>This is the trick when you work with multi-cultural music. You can’t get stuck in a jazz process. I have been trying to teach this to tap students a lot. I don’t get the opportunity to teach composition very often, we don’t have a tradition of teaching composition to tap dancers. YOU know because you are a choreographer that you are kind of left to your own devices to figure out how to choreograph. When I teach composition the first thing I say is that you have to know as much as you can about the music you are working with. Without annihilating the rules of the music you are entering into, you have to bring yourself. You can’t say, “I studied African music and now I can create African dance.” The music is going to speak to you in a different way than it would speak to an African and your history is going to enter into the creation whether you like it or not. So for me, every piece that I make has a different process because it has different elements that I am organizing. Lets say <i>Mike’s Movie </i>(track from <i>Making Music Dance), </i>Mike’s Movie was so easy to put together because it is one of Andy’s tunes so it was already created but we play it completely different than let’s say Andy’s old band would play it because it has different elements to it that we are featuring. So the violin ends up playing the bass line at a certain point and I took a very specific drum line and am responsible for delivering that drum line through the entire piece unless I am soloing. There are two dominant notes, “doom” (low pitch), “dat” (high pitch) that have to happen throughout the entire piece or else it isn’t Mike’s Movie. You have stuff like that that has already spoken to you so 90% of your work is done. You have to play this drum line. All you are really choosing is what events are going to happen and who is going to play what part. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Making Music Dance </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">In The Studio (Clip of Mike’s Movie 3 minutes and 42 seconds)</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We just created a tune together because we received a commission from New Music USA and that was a really interesting process because we had a body percussionist, steel pan, balafon, flamenco, castanets. I can always use sand, tap, or wood and that’s what we started with! We didn’t start with a tune. We started with that, elements. So the process of making that was very different than when Andy walked in with this really cool tune that we just orchestrated in essence and from the orchestration arrived an arrangement. The word arrangement can be really difficult because often times the minute you talk about an arrangement you are thinking jazz. So you don’t want to turn that on too strongly. You don’t want to turn that volume up too strongly if you are collaborating on a piece that has Balinese music and Indian music because there are rules in those forms that need to be respected. So if you walk in with the volume up on your jazz arranging you are going to do something that is probably not going to pull the colors out of the music as well as you could. The whole process is in some way to figure out…In some tunes… (pause)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>AM: </b>Is defining the parameters?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>HC: </b>And to bring a new life to the music. Why am I tap dancing instead of drumming? To bring a life to the music that a drummer can't bring. That is why I have been chosen to be the percussionist on these pieces, because I bring something to the pieces that standard percussion does not. I think that is something for tap dancers to keep in mind. We are not just imitating musicians, we are never going to be considered viable musicians until our voice is so strong that people NEED us in that role. We shouldn’t always be replacing the drummer. We have to go beyond replacing the drummer. We have to provide something where they don’t need the drummer, they need us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>AM: </b>That has been something that I have been thinking a lot about lately because you hear tap dancers say that we are equal parts dancer and musician. Much of the time the musical training of most dancers is so far behind their dance training that<b> </b>their perspective is not at the same level as a musicians. What would you say for a dancer who is stuck in a “jazz process”? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>HC: </b>Well, to start, its pretty interesting because I have been called renegade or rebel, all of those “R” words, because I don’t do things the way other people do. Even in what we were just talking about I even question that because the conversation I was having right before I spoke to you was with Goddard University because I am thinking about doing an MFA and I want to focus a project in a way that will result in a book. I am having a really hard time getting to the book. And I’m having a hard time getting a university program started in physical music because I don’t have an MFA so I am thinking of marrying those two things. The first thesis that came up in my mind when I first started talking to a potential adviser there was, why have we in our culture killed ear training? Why have we decided that the only way to study music in North America is through an institution and through reading and writing? You have to be literate now to be considered a legit musician so even before we can have a discussion about whether or not dancers are trained musicians we have to qualify what we mean by “training”. I know that, as a result of a lot of my discussion with young dancers, there are a number of tappers who are now in institutions learning music with tap as their instrument. That’s cool! 10 years ago this used to be what I said has to happen and now it is happening. But I realize as this happens, I am wondering what kind of musicians are we training in these institutions? Are we training musicians who come out stuck to the written page because they feel that validates them as musicians? Something I think we have to be careful of as we get back to music in tap is that we don't identify it as the North American paradigm of music which we are stuck in right now but we think more in terms of global music because tap dance comes from African music. We are still qualifying ourselves as being dancers who are musicians not being musicians as dancers. I think this is a new trap that we are falling into - that everyone who is trained as a musician is a legit musical dancer. I would question that. I think the best musicians I have worked with in the past 10 years have been the folkloric musicians from South America and Cuba not the Euro centric musicians who are really stuck to the page. I don’t think we are going to find our reconnection through that. How do we get back to that ear training generation that really kicked off tap dancing?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>AM: </b>Are you advocating for a tap dancer’s personal training be more the personal process of sitting and listening and opening yourself up to different kinds of music? Taking and extrapolating from it using your own experience, your own training, your own history rather than going to an institution and learning theory and being able to read and write music?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>HC: </b>No, I would never dictate what a dancer should do to train. What I am saying is, and this is something I always say when I am teaching improvisation, is there is no answer to this…yet. This is something, someplace that we need to start questioning. We have to start asking more questions. That’s what I teach when I teach improvisation, how do you generate questions? If you generate questions, then you have to search for answers and the search for answers is where improvisation lives. It doesn’t live from take 4 bars and standing in a circle and listening to the person before you, that’s not an improvisational artist. An improvisational artist is someone who has so many questions that they can’t stop. They are constantly searching for answers to their self-generated questions. So in thinking of turning this into a book and a masters thesis - what was happening with Panama Francis’s Band and those early big bands where they had a blend of readers and non readers and it didn’t matter whether you read or didn’t read, it mattered your MUSICIANSHIP. Musicianship is a whole different thing than being a trained musician. I think everyone needs to be asking themselves some questions about what they think musicianship really is before figuring out how they want to train. I am turning 60 in April and I want to go back for my masters now because I wasn’t ready to go to do this when I was 50. I hadn’t gotten down this deep yet. You know what I mean?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>AM: </b>Yes, for sure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>HC: </b>Now I feel that I am down to this place where I am starting to understand on another level what it takes to be a musician, to have real musicianship. I had an epiphany when I was working in Colombia this year, collaborating with the folkloric musicians down there who are also jazz trained…their balance of intuition and training is here (hand held high) and when I worked with them they could play anything without FEAR. I feel a lot of what our music is full of these days is fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of doing things that have not been done. Fear of breaking out of your little box that is safe for you. There is no place in improvisation for fear. That’s the thing that stops everything…so I could never advocate for a dancer to train one way or the other. I would advocate for them to do it in the most unique way possible that is the most honest for themselves. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>AM: </b>Amazing, that gives me much to think of for myself as well! That I need to consider and think about profoundly for some time. We are getting kind of far from the CD (laughter) I would like to pivot back to that. I was watching your <i>Tap Love Tour</i> interview with Travis Knights and you said, “every dancer in terms of their training should be recording.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>HC: </b>Yes.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tap Love Tour</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Interview with Heather Cornell</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkuTMvx2Py0&list=PLEomMJ5rwlRXLGx2HLCsIsrHsbwdvxWab&index=5"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkuTMvx2Py0&list=PLEomMJ5rwlRXLGx2HLCsIsrHsbwdvxWab&index=5</span></b></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>AM: </b>I know that the first time I recorded myself was probably about five years ago and I was horrified by what I heard (laughter). In that moment, I realized I needed to work on nothing but my sound, and that’s what I have been trying to do for the past five years. Could you speak to the first time you recorded yourself and how that process for you has evolved to this point where you have an album where you are collaborating with world class musicians? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>HC: </b>It’s funny because I always feel like such a novice at all this recording. A lot of my musician friends are on 100, 150 CDs so , yeah, I am a novice. But if I think about it, when I had <i>Manhattan Tap</i> we were recording because we were doing <i>Around New York…</i>I have these radio shows on cassette where we did a half hour radio show once a year. We were their fun act because it was all musicians and then a tap company. They thought of us as musicians, which was really cool and this was back in the 80’s and 90’s. We would go and have an interview, play live and then I would get this cassette and I would have the recording of myself that was being played on the radio. We did that for five years until I stopped the company and started turning down the shows, I wish I had continued doing them every year. That was my first recording experience and it was very naive but unbelievably important to me as a soloist because I would always have a piece or two and solo or two. I would listen to those solos, like forever…one minute going, wow I am really good…and the next minute going, oh my God I suck. Depending on my mood, but I learned so much from listening to myself…so that was my first recording experience. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">With<i> Finding Synesthesia, </i>I was commissioned by the South Bank Center in London, England to create the first dance show for the London Jazz Festival 2008. I created it with Andy Milne who is a phenomenal piano player…we spent a week recording ourselves and writing and he wrote a lot of the music in collaboration with me. We came back and hired Malika Zarra (vocals) and Rufus Cappadocia (cello) and made the show and did it at the London Jazz Festival. When we came back we recorded 7 tunes, we never released it. Pieces of it are online, but it was such a phenomenal experience for me because I was in the studio with people who recorded all the time, on lots of recordings. They were in one room and I was in an isolation booth and it was the hardest experience I ever had because I realized we are physical beings as tap dancers, I need the community. I can’t produce with my eyes closed in the other room. It was so hard for me because I did my solos over and over again. These guys were getting it on the second take. I would have a good first take but than they would get this beautiful second take that I wasn’t really in on because I wasn’t in the room. That was a whole other experience. Finding Synesthesia is forward thinking music. It works a lot with textures of sounds, its piano, cello, Moroccan vocals, and tap and its beautiful music.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Max (Pollak) was starting his CD that year so at Tap Motif we did a little recording project with the students that was really cool. We recorded everyone doing flaps for eight measures and then we played them back anonymously. It was an amazing thing. I started doing that on and off at my intensive…we would talk about the time, the groove. It was really a phenomenal experience and sometimes not very happy for some of the students. (laughter) Some of the students didn’t realize that their time was where it was, “that would never be me” - and it turned out to be them. Other students (snap) the minute they heard their sound said, “that’s me, I know that’s me.” They would listen with a discerning ear. That was a fascinating experiment because I saw the range of understanding of who we are aurally in this room of 15 people. Some people really are on top of their aural sound and some people are completely oblivious to it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Max Pollak, Heather Cornell, and Stephen Harper</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Probably the next recording and I am probably forgetting some is this new CD with <i>Making Music Dance.</i> We recorded for two days…very quickly. My experience in recording is that I prefer live recording. I don’t like tracking stuff. <i> </i>I realize I am way more comfortable as a live recording artist. If you talk to Max about his CD it was months of mastering and tracking and overdubbing because he really engineered that CD and it’s beautiful. This is a completely different approach. One year Max played a cut from his CD and I played a cut from <i>Synesthesia </i>which was recorded live in the studio…two very different approaches. It doesn’t change the quality, but it does change the groove and the vibe, its a different animal to record one way and record the other way. So for me, because I am an improvisational artist I have always needed to record this simultaneously with the other musicians. I like the energy and the feeling of people playing together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am like a baby in terms of recording. I don’t have 150 recordings. It’s an interesting thought to maybe switch everything to that now. That would be kind of fun to start recording like crazy. We are already raising money for our next CD with <i>Making Music Dance </i>but I would like to get some other projects moving. I have been thinking of going back to Manhattan Tap and recording some of the music with and without the tap on it. Just so people can sort of start musically to study the history. Rather than put out a bunch of videos of ManhattanTap, I could put out a bunch of aural stuff first, soundtracks so people start listening to what was our style, instead of looking at the visual. Half the time when I am showing Manhattan Tap footage people are talking. It blows my mind. They don’t listen. They don’t get it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>AM: </b>Yeah that is awful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>HC: </b>But they're not listening! They are not used to listening. It is so interesting to me, I am playing with Ray Brown and they’re not listening. It’s just crazy. That’s the big gap we have to fill in. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>AM: </b>When you perform these pieces live…obviously for the listener or the audience the experience of seeing the piece live and hearing it on the album is going to be completely different. How do you negotiate the difference in these experiences and response of just hearing v. hearing and seeing? Do you think that people see you as a tap dancer in the context that most people see a tap dancer or are they experiencing you as a percussionist or musician?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>HC: </b>I think it is interesting because there are some people who are never going to see me as a musician and they are just scratching their heads when they are watching me in some situations. Why isn’t she entertaining me? Why isn’t she smiling at me and looking at me? Why isn’t she dancing all over the stage? In terms of answering the beginning of the question it depends on the venue, how it becomes visual. In a jazz club where I don’t have this big space the expectations change from the audience which is a very freeing thing. We were playing a Mexican restaurant in town once a month just because I wanted to be free of this need for the audience to expect me to perform in that way. It was interesting because people still wanted it even when they saw you on a tiny little board, “why didn’t you bring a bigger board, so we could see you dance?” They may have missed the point, but for me it was fun! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The thing is I am from the theater. I am a modern dancer…so I love having full tech theaters. I don’t have them enough these days but give me a full tech theater any day and I’ll get some really cool visual stuff happening. But it won’t be conforming to what you expect…when you go visual you go theatrical whether you like it or not. That’s a huge lack in the tap world right now, that understanding that visual is theater. We are by definition, tap dancers. We are the true multidisciplinary artist in North America - music, theater, and dance. These guys, our mentors, when they were in vaudeville, they were the MC’s, they were the guys, telling the jokes, they were the glue for the shows. They were dancing, they were musicians, and they were actors…we are the roots of American Theater. Anytime anything becomes visual it becomes theater for me and I find some kind of theatrical heartbeat for it…we have everything, we have music, theater, and dance. So that for me is how something on the CD becomes visual. It depends on the theater and it depends on how I play the tech. It’s just another creative element.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>AM: </b>In preparation for this interview I was listening to other recordings I have of tap dancers. Baby Laurence’s album, Gregory Hines and Stanley Clarke, some of Jimmy’s recordings. How much have those recordings influenced your way of recording? It seems to me that you have a completely different approach as these guys were definitely in a jazz process. What other recordings of other tap dancers have been instrumental in maybe doing an opposite approach or taking part of their approach and using it for your own?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>HC: </b>Baby Laurence was our Bible. That LP in the 80’s, that was our Bible. So I would be crazy if I said that didn’t influence me on any level because I probably listened to it 3,000 times. We didn’t have the internet in the early 80’s. We had Baby Laurence’s album - that was it. We would get together and hang out and listen to it all night long. We would say, “Wow we are never going to be that good.” It kicked our ass…there was no footage for us to see except in Ernie Smith’s apartment. So that album was God to us, that was one of my biggest teachers, was listening to that. I probably learned as much listening to his album as I did from the teachers I worked with. So that obviously influenced me, and that probably influenced me more in terms of the level of musicianship that I understood. Everything we have been talking about the instinctive nature, that’s the kind of musicianship that I understand is the real connection between music and dance. Ray Brown said to me one time, we were talking about Bebop…"what people don’t understand Heather, was how important the tap dancers were to the Bebop movement. Charlie Parker would be playing and everyone would be in the room and he would invite up Baby Laurence. Why? Because Baby Laurence was instrumental in pushing the drummer into certain avenues and the drummer was instrumental in pushing Baby”…well without that level of instinctive musicianship there wouldn’t have been any pushing and pulling! It would have just been a tap dancer getting up there and doing what we have seen over and over and over again now a days. Slamming away…LOUD…over the top of what was going on. This marrying is starting to come back but that instinct and that need to go deeper than we are even going now comes directly from the swing and groove of that generation. It continues to teach me where I want to go and where I want to lead the scene to go. It continues to teach me that we, as a community, haven’t gotten there yet. But we will, if we listen and learn.<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Making Music Dance:</i></b><i> a collaboration of artists with an eclectic blend of cultures and musical backgrounds, finding new textural intersections through unexpected instrumentation. Percussive dance and world music in an entirely new context. Purchase and leave a revue for this album now at: </i><a href="http://cdbaby.com/cd/makingmusicdance"><i>http://cdbaby.com/cd/makingmusicdance</i></a><i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>To learn more about Heather Cornell go to: </i><a href="http://manhattantap.org/">manhattantap.org</a><i> </i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92DUDiQUZb79EnNiQA2N82O5Nzn50gNdMBQmOAd-CgSTT_GHnSp9NDsjidO3OQjWVDgRVrj3h9l7ZxUEdIMzl2KyeDRWlpBCy3jxzEmK1R6Ye32NmsAkey8-LYH4si0FBDmi2EQ/s1600/AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92DUDiQUZb79EnNiQA2N82O5Nzn50gNdMBQmOAd-CgSTT_GHnSp9NDsjidO3OQjWVDgRVrj3h9l7ZxUEdIMzl2KyeDRWlpBCy3jxzEmK1R6Ye32NmsAkey8-LYH4si0FBDmi2EQ/s1600/AM.jpg" /></a>As a performer <b>Anthony</b> <b>Morigerato </b>has been a soloist and member of Michael Minery's Tapaholics and is the lead tap dancer and choreographer for the musical group Matt and Anthony. He has performed on stages all over the world and on television on the <i>Tony Danza Show</i> and NBC's <i>America's Got Talent</i>. Anthony<b> </b>is an accomplished dancer in all disciplines having trained at Marymount Manhattan College where he performed the work of ballet and modern luminaries such as Robert Battle, Elizabeth Higgins, Jiri Kylian, Katie Langan, David Parsons, and William Soleu. He has served as an adjudicator and master teacher for dance organizations, competitions, theater schools, and dance studios throughout the nation since 1999, having students go on to perform in every medium of the performance industry on stages all over the world. Most recently, Anthony's choreography was featured on season 11 of <i>So You Think You Can Dance</i>. Follow Anthony on Twitter <span style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #351c75; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 14px;"><b><i><a href="http://twitter.com/morigeratotaps" target="_blank">@M<span class="u-linkComplex-target">origeratoTaps</span></a><span style="font-size: 14px;">.</span></i></b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14502243561900351390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-60154953959448849052015-10-12T22:32:00.000-04:002015-10-13T00:14:33.656-04:00thatgirl006 Dance Review: Triskelion Arts Split Bill - Elisa Monte Dance + Marcos Duran Performance Group<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Sunday, </b></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>September 27, 2015</b></span></i></span><br />
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<b style="color: orange; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by Jennifer Newman</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Triskelion Arts' <a href="http://www.triskelionarts.org/#!apply-for-split-bill/s0vgp" target="_blank">Split Bill</a>, a series aimed at supporting emerging and mid-career artists by providing a platform to transition from a showcase to a full-evening length work, recently presented <a href="http://www.elisamontedance.org/" target="_blank">Elisa Monte Dance</a> and <a href="http://www.marcosduranmoves.com/#!works/ctcy" target="_blank">Marcos Duran Performance Group</a> in an excellent illustration of its mission.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Recently appointed Artistic Director of the 35-year-old dance company, Elisa Monte Dance, Tiffany Rea-Fisher choreographed <i>because i am</i> (lower case title as written in the program) an episodic piece highlighting four Elisa Monte Dance company members. Younger company, Marcos Duran Performance Group brought a collective of dancers to perform <i>WORLDS AND PLATEAUS </i>(uppercase title as written in the program). In this shared bill both companies explored interiority and exteriority from distinct aesthetic perspectives exposing just as distinct relationships to dance and the body (and the use of upper and lower case letters in piece titles), highlighting the effect that experiencing dance can have on both the performer and the viewer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://elisamonte-dance.squarespace.com/about/directors/#/about/directors/tiffany-rea-fisher/" target="_blank">Tiffany Rea-Fisher</a> is an exuberant choreographer. Young, well-trained bodies and limbs were on full display in a never-ending cascade of bends, twists, and extensions. Rea-Fisher has a confident hand and showcases her dancers undeniable talents. What do we share and what do we keep to ourselves are the questions the piece seems to be asking. It is at its most successful when instead of telegraphing self-conscious characterizations, Rae-Fisher lets the movement speak for itself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the opening trio, two men and one woman stay in constant contact, untangling and re-tangling their bodies. Like a team-building exercise where a group is asked to form a tight clump, find and grasp random hands, and then figure out how to form a circle without letting go of hands. Mesmerizing to watch, the shapes created by the three bodies contracted and expanded, freezing briefly in moments of relief with a long limb extended or in the holding of one dancer by the other two. One dancer cannot exist without the others as if to say we are never alone even when we are. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The highlight of the piece however, was a duet between two women. Performed impeccably, it was like watching a person struggle with her shadow. It is always there, sometimes a hindrance but undeniably a part of who we are. It was the least presentational and therefore the most affecting. The relationship between the women was at the center and their attention to one another kept the focus there. The music was the most abstract of the evening and lent a sparseness and crystalline clarity to the seeping separation and re-merging of the two bodies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The two male solos were, although executed beautifully, the most aware of the act of performance. Incongruous to the trio and the duet, which operated in a universe where the audience was of no consequence, the male soloists played characters of sorts, which left me more confused than moved. The first solo was a man struggling with voices in his head, he was angry at the world. The second soloist performed as an untrustworthy maitre d’ or master of ceremonies welcoming us into his sinister world. What did the audience represent to these characters? In each case the audience was implicated in some way but what that was, remained unclear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.marcosduranmoves.com/" target="_blank">Marcos Duran</a> is a choreographer interested in how movement is affected by emotional landscapes. In this selection, interiority is privileged over exteriority. A post-apocalyptic dystopian yet communal universe where save for one moment when a dancer asked for a high-five from an audience member, there was no sense that the dancers needed the presence of an audience to do what they did. But even that moment seemed to some out of a spontaneous reaction, or necessity, of the performer. Offering a fascinating juxtaposition to Elisa Monte Dance the Marcos Duran Performance Group is comprised of a variety of body types, some more trained than others, all receiving equal value on the stage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Through exhaustive and almost ritualistic repetition, we watch the performers go from self-contained to raw and exposed. Even if I did not know what each dancer was experiencing or what the relationships were between them, their commitment to internal transformation allowed for whatever change was happening to be transmitted outwardly. Every so often Mr. Duran, appearing in a spotlight downstage right, would dance a solo as if in his room alone dancing for the pleasure of it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">During the performance, I began to think about why we go to watch dance, theater or performances of any kind. What do we go to see performance for but to be moved and then, what is it exactly that moves us? Seeing someone push oneself to an extreme is perhaps the most thrilling aspect of live performance. We want to see our internal lives exposed via the medium of the artist on stage allowing a shared experience of transformation and understanding. This tension at the threshold between safety and peril of showing ourselves to one another is where the beauty lies. What is most difficult for very well trained dancers is exactly this. When everything seems effortless it can seem safe and safe prevents us from true communion. To extend past this comfort zone is show us the inseparability of the grotesque and the sublime, the reason we attend this church we call the theater.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A New York-based dance and theatre artist, Jennifer has worked with Franco Dragone, Julie Taymor, Donald Byrd, David Rousseve, Ronald K. Brown, Michael Jackson, The Radio City Rockettes, and has performed on Broadway in Saturday Night Fever and Disney’s The Lion King. As a director and choreographer her theatre work includes:Three Women, by Patterson, Loring, and Zainabu; The Children, by Phillip Howze; Bull Rusher, by Eisa Davis; Woman Bomb, by Ivana Sajko; and October in the Chair, adapted from short stoierries by Neil Gaiman. She is currently touring her solo performance, The Geneva Project, an interdisciplinary and immersive dance work directed by Charlotte Brathwaite.</span></i></div>
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<i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Having studied at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and The American Dance Festival she holds a BA in Dance from UCLA and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. Jennifer has been an artist in residence at Yale University, Central Connecticut State University, The Field, Mabou Mines, Baryshnikov Arts Center, 651 Arts, and Sisters Academy. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">She is currently on faculty at Central Connecticut State University.</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Split Bill image photo credits:</b> MMDC/Mari Meade by Eric Bandiero, Chris Herde and Dancers by Chris Herde, Elisa Monte Dance by Pascal Sonnet, Marcos Duran Performance Group by Marcos Duran</span></i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03442030182537565510noreply@blogger.com0New York, NY, USA40.7127837 -74.00594130000001840.3275822 -74.651388300000022 41.097985200000004 -73.360494300000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-51492675089363535322015-06-01T14:52:00.000-04:002015-06-03T23:49:57.281-04:00Barbara Duffy talks Tap education, Broadway Tap vs. Rhythm Tap, and how Leon Collins changed her life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by Ayodele Casel</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Barbara Duffy</span></td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you’ve searched for a tap instructor in the NYC area chances are you’ve seen a listing for <a href="http://www.broadwaydancecenter.com/faculty/bios/duffy_barbara.shtml" target="_blank">Barbara Duffy’</a>s tap classes. Having taught at Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, and countless U.S., and international festivals and workshops, Barbara Duffy is one of the most highly respected teachers of rhythm tap dance. As a new student, I remember taking several of her improvisation classes in the late 90’s in New York’s Carnegie Hall building. She has a way of honing in on what each individual student needs to unlock their full potential. Though she's worn many hats as a choreographer, actor, company director, and most recently as a writer, I caught up with Barbara to ask about her role as an instructor for <a href="http://www.atdf.org/TTT15Index.html" target="_blank">American Tap Dance Foundation’s</a> new (and much needed) Tap Teacher Training Certificate Program this summer. Here’s what she had to say…</span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ayodele Casel: Can you give prospective teachers a sense of what the ATDF Tap Teacher Training program consists of?</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Barbara Duffy</i></b>: [Teachers] come to New York City for the week. They learn all the Copasetic dances which are a foundation for rhythm tap, The Coles' Stroll, The Shim Sham, The BS Chorus, <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Bill Robinson's </span>New Lowdown, and The Copasetic Soft Shoe. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Also incorporated into the program are tap technique, pedagogy, jazz music concepts, tap composition & improvisation, tap history, master classes and panel discussions. From July to February, they work with</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> a </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">mentor</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">The mentor guides them, checking in on their progress with their teaching and answers any questions they might have. During this time, the teacher is required to not only perfect the Copasetic dances themselves, but incorporate the vocabulary from these dances into their lessons. For example</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">, </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">they could make up an exercise using something from The New Low Down</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">We also have a weekend reunion where they are evaluated in order to receive the official certificate.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">It’s a really great program even for experienced teachers, because they come away with new ideas and concepts.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thelma Goldberg, the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thelmas-Tap-Notes-Step-By-Step-Childrens/dp/061591232X" target="_blank">Thelma's Tap Notes: A Step-By-Step Guide To Teaching Tap: Children’s Edition</a>, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">was on the faculty to teach and share her experience with teaching kids.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">She’s been teaching children for over 30 years by her method and her students are really great rhythm tappers and can also do other styles of tap that are more presentational. </span></span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">AC: How do you answer teachers who say “well, we’re not trying to do ‘rhythm tap’, we don’t want to get that in-depth"?</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD:</i></b> <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I think all </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">of the technique and vocabulary from the Copesetic dances can be used in any style of tap</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">. I think it’s </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">extremely </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">valuable, musically, as well. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">It doesn’t mean you have to use jazz music in your classes, though so much can be learned from listening and dancing to jazz. I think if you’re teaching rhythm tap, teaching to jazz music is part of the art form. It’s like if you were teaching hip-hop and you used classical music in your class. Hey, maybe at some point, you could choreograph a hip-hop dance to a classical piece of music, but you wouldn’t start out teaching hip-hop to classical music</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">You would use the music associated with the art form. I’ve found that kids like jazz music!</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">It’s important to introduce them to all kinds of music, not just what is most popular at the moment.</span></span><br />
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<i><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">AC: I'm often surprised by what adults acquiesce to as it relates to kids. If a child wants to eat chocolate and candy for breakfast we wouldn't allow that to become the norm so why do we allow them as students to dictate the information given to them? Do you feel like our culture now gives in to what the kids ‘like’? </span></b></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD: </i></b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I think that’s the trend these days</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">. I think </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">maybe</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> some parents feel like if they are paying all of this money </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">for classes, then the teacher should only do what kids “like”, but to me, the <i>teacher </i>knows what the student needs to be a good dancer and it’s their job to make sure the kids get that. As you said, it’s like the parents giving candy to a kid, every time the kid asks for it, just because they “like” it, even though it’s not good for them! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>AC:</i></b> <b><i> On another note, In my teaching travels, I meet dance teachers who come up to me and say “I really love the [<a href="https://www.facebook.com/operationtap" target="_blank">Operation Tap</a>] page because sometimes I’m out of material and I can use this information in my classes.” Some of them will also say “I really don’t know. I haven’t taken a class in so long. I’m just going off of what I remember when I was younger…” </i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD:</i></b> <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Right. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I’m sure this happens a lot, when teachers are running a business and probably teaching 15 classes a week. The</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Tap Teacher Training Program</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> gives them so much to draw from and it’s just the beginning of what they will be able to do afterwards. AND they're with other teachers. It’s a very non-judgmental environment and everyone is supportive of each other. It’s a great experience. People were inspired. There was no competition between them. Some teachers are afraid to show what they can’t do, but that </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">wasn’t the case in this [program]. Everyone supported and helped each other. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>AC:</i></b> <i><b>The thing is that they don’t know a program like this exists, so this is fantastic. How long has the program been in existence? </b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD: </i></b>This will be the second year. The first year filled up quickly with a lot of people that just knew us, and ATDF, and Brenda [Bufalino]. The mentorship part of it is great because they have someone to talk to and run things by. They have work to do for themselves so it really makes them better. Margaret Morrison and Susan Hebach put together a curriculum that includes music concepts, physicality, style, games for kids, history, books and resources, teaching improvisation in tap creativity. It’s really well thought out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>AC:</i></b> <b><i>How did you become a tap dancer? </i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD:</i></b> <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">When I was growing up, I went to dancing school in Webster, Massachusetts, a really small town. I decided when I was 15 years old, I wanted to be a dancer, so at 17 years old, I auditioned for different dance departments for college, but my technique in ballet wasn’t good enough. I went to school for two years at Umass as a Liberal Arts major and took as many dance classes as I could, so I could improve enough to be accepted as a dance major. After 2 years and 5 auditions, I was frustrated, so I quit and moved to Boston thinking I would go back for my degree eventu</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">ally.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Leon Collins</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In Boston, my sister worked for a big insurance company and they had a theater in their building and she says to me, “There’s gonna be a tap show at the theater in my building!”. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">The show was Leon [Collins]’ school showcase. This was the first time I saw rhythm tap. I had never seen Jimmy Slyde, The Nicholas Brothers, Buster Brown or Leon.</span> I knew Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell, Ann Miller. That was it. And when I saw Leon dance, I said ‘Oh my God, that’s what I want to do’ because in that moment, I understood something, something clicked inside of me. I went to ask about classes after it was over. He was in Roxbury, which in the late 70’s was not a very safe area, and I had just moved to the city. I was scared anyway so I wasn’t going over there. I thought ‘Oh well, I guess I can’t study with him’ and I continued taking ballet and had to start all over from the beginning. It was really frustrating, I would get depressed, I wouldn’t go to class, I thought this was not for me. I had a nice job in a hotel. I thought I’d give up dancing because I’d never be good enough. And then…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Leon’s studio, Tapper's Paradise, moved across the alley from my apartment in Brookline, Massachusetts and at the time I thought “Oh Great! I can study with him now!". I didn’t think this was a sign from the Universe, I didn’t realize that at the time. I said ‘I’m going to be a tap dancer, I want to be a tap dancer’ and I never knew you could just be a tap dancer. I thought you had to do everything and couldn’t just have a career as a tap dancer so I went there to study. I dropped all of my other ballet stuff and immersed. I cleaned the studio in exchange for classes and practice time. I took with CB Hetherington, Dianne Walker, and Pam Raff and they finally said I was ready to be in Leon’s class. He only taught once a week! And oh my God, that was the biggest day when they said I could take from him! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>AC:</i></b> <b><i>How was that first class? Do you remember it?</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD: </i></b>I just remember that I was on his right and I don’t remember what we were doing. It was a long time ago now but it was definitely life changing. If he hadn’t moved his studio there I’d probably be the general manager of a hotel somewhere. (<i>laughs</i>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>AC:</i></b> <b><i>Well thank God that didn’t happen! </i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD:</i></b> It changed my life and then Brenda [Bufalino] came to do a couple of workshops during that time I was there. After Leon died in 1985, I decided Brenda should be my next teacher. That’s when I moved to New York. She was gone for the whole summer so I went to Henry Letang’s and took class with him. I ended up learning all of the routines and then he asked me to teach at one o'clock Monday through Friday.</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">AC: Was that the first time you taught?</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD:</i></b> No, in high school I worked at my dancing school assisting my teacher. I did a little teaching then and some classes in college at my dorm. I started to teach a little bit in Boston. When I came to New York I started having classes at Fazil’s. I would also sub for Brenda at Steps and they eventually gave me my own class.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>AC:</i></b> <b><i>So you’ve always been teaching. While you were still in school, while you were taking class, and still to this day. When you started teaching in high school was it just circumstantial? How did that evolve?</i></b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Barbara Duffy</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD:</i></b> Well, I was kind of the "best" dancer in my dancing school! (<i>laughs</i>) And I was the only one that wanted to be a professional dancer of the group I was with. At 15, I knew I wanted to be a dancer and my teacher knew that and I think that’s why she asked me to assist her. I cleaned as well. I did a little bit of everything. [I’ve been teaching] since 1977 or 1978. I love to teach and I can say that I’m a really good teacher. I have a gift for seeing what people need and I think that’s what a teacher is. It’s not about me and what I want to do, it’s about what I see. If the [student’s] step-heels are terrible -well, we’re going to stop and work on those. I'm not going to go on and give 800 steps. Today, I feel like a lot of teachers are just throwing out steps. Do this step, do THIS step. They aren’t teaching you HOW to do the step. For example, if you shift your weight over here and lift up over here, you’re going to get a different sound. Nobody is teaching that of the younger generation. I shouldn't say "nobody". I haven’t ever watched you teach. Do you explain how to do a step or get a certain sound? </span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial;">AC:</span> <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Sometimes I do. It depends. I learned </span>in a<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> very fast paced manner and had to figure out a lot of things by myself. There's a part of me that expects the same out of students because I believe there's value in that kind of independence. I tend to discuss the mental blocks that hinder our ability to execute a step. I feel like I’m more of a psychotherapist tap teacher. </span></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="font-style: italic;">BD: </b>I love that! I am too. More so with improv.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>AC:</i></b> <b><i>Anthony Morigerato, who is a fantastic tap dancer as well as teacher, is great at explaining the mechanics of how a step works to students. Through working with him I have learned the value in articulating the 'how-to's'. There are some things he does that sometimes look so foreign to me but when he explains the mechanics, I have my 'aha' moment. What's the common misconception of executing tap sounds?</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD:</i></b> People lead with their feet and you really need to lead with your legs. People say I’m a tough teacher because I see everybody in my class. I don’t embarrass anyone in my class but I will say something to you, in a nice way, it's my job. But I will push a bit because if you just do what I say… (<i>laughs</i>) If they just lift, and take their pelvis with them and feel these muscles…all these little things will help you improve. There are so many ideas and concepts that have accumulated over the years…</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">AC: I find if you’re very direct sometimes people take things personally and it’s really not about that. It’s about your growth. Do you want to get better or not…?</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD:</i></b> The kids at ATDF's Tap City Youth Ensemble used to call me Coach Duffy. I just think "let’s work!". You came here, let’s work and get down to it. I don’t want to be messing around. I'm here to help you. That's what you're paying for!</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">AC: Right! Sometimes students aren't prepared for the full meaning of "work" and "getting down to it". I also find that they want to do fancy footwork early in their training without knowing the basics. Do you think the tendency is to "put the cart before the horse"?</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">BD: You can’t do a pullback until you know other things first. It just doesn’t seem that dancers now have the foundation or they do but they might not be executing it well and then they are expected to do all these crazy…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i> AC and BD:</i></b> Contortions! (<i>laughs</i>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD: </i></b>The body isn’t talked about. We [rhythm tap dancers] want to say we don’t use our arms but we DO use our arms. It doesn’t mean I’m going to tell people to put their arms a certain way but I'm going to help you find that for yourself to be coordinated as a dancer…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>AC:</i></b> <b><i>I would love to bridge the gap between what people consider "hard" tap (rhythm tap) and "easy" tap (Broadway tap). How do you bridge those individual philosophies? </i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD:</i></b> I started with Broadway Tap and I’m glad I had that as a foundation because<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I learned the basics, hops, jumps, shuffles, etc. I got into rhythm tap with strong skills. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="font-style: italic;">AC:</b><b><i> How do you define Broadway Tap?</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD: </i></b>Basic steps. Flaps, shuffles, jumps and hops. But that’s a good thing to have because you find weight shifts and how to make clean sounds.</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">AC: Should we get rid of those labels entirely? Should it just be called tap dancing?</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD:</i></b> No. I feel like the styles have a different approach. The Broadway style is much more focused on the upper body and we don’t focus on that in rhythm tap. I mean, it’s not that it isn’t there, it’s just different. You know what I used to do at Steps? In 1986, people weren’t into rhythm tap at all. You had to go find Brenda at Fazil’s. You had to go find Cookie at The Clark Center. This was not like ‘oh let’s go take a tap class’. It was not easy to find a rhythm tap class! When I started teaching at Steps people thought rhythm tap was haaaard and I had the idea to do some broadway style with the feet- not so much the arms- but basic vocabulary and then sneak in a little swing thing. I started doing that and people liked it and started coming back and I eventually converted to teaching all rhythm tap. It was kind of sneaky. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">But the students who thought rhythm tap was too hard eventually came to love it and were excited about the musicality of it.</span></span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">AC: It’s interesting, with YouTube and the internet, we have more information available to us now more than ever, and somehow the training seems a bit weaker across the country. As you said, back in the day you had to be like a detective and find people who were teaching great tap.</span></i></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Brenda Bufalino</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD:</i></b> I didn’t have my paddle and rolls when I moved to New York at 25 years old and now a 2 year old is learning them. (<i>laughs</i>) When I was coming up and started studying with Brenda, and even with Leon, we learned one 8 bar phrase in one class. That’s it. And I went home and I practiced that and had it when I came back next week to get the next step. Leon had all those routines that he taught us which were fantastic because of the footwork and the musicality of it but we learned very slowly. Same with Brenda, we worked on flaps for 5 minutes and did nothing else but flap because then you had a moment to <i>FEEL</i> what it felt like to flap. Not just know in your head it's a flap. I think today it’s so mental. You have to remember what step comes next in classes and you’re not given the time to digest the step to notice how it feels to do it. How does it feel in your back to do a step-heel? How does it feel in your shoulder blades? There’s no time for that now. That’s what’s missing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>AC:</i></b> <b><i>Yes, and I also feel like that’s because sometimes students put the value in the quantity and not the quality. The concern is about how much material am I getting for my $20 class, or my $400 a month tuition.</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD:</i></b> Yes, yes! You should also get concepts in a class, not just steps, but concepts to take home and apply. That’s just my way and I'm so glad I came up in that time and learned very slowly. If you don’t find how a step-heel feels, or swinging step-heels. If you don’t find how to breathe during that, you don’t find a groove. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">You can learn a step, but where does that step sit in the music? Where’s the groove of that step without music?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="font-style: italic;">AC:</b><b><i> What else is missing in current tap education?</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD:</i></b> The history! People don’t know who Gregory Hines is. This is not good. They need to know where their art form came from in order to go forward. They should know who The Copasetics are. You know what else is not worked on enough? How to be a performer, how to be a professional, what your music is, showing up, being present in rehearsals. Composition! That is a focus in the Tap Teacher Training program. How to compose a phrase. Why is this step after this step? etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>AC:</i></b> <b><i>What can students bring to the room to get the most of their experience?</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD:</i></b> <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">An open mind. Being open to the concepts that are being presented, </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">not only the steps being shown</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">. I think it’s the teacher’s job to be really specific of the concepts. There are steps and then there are concepts. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I remember when Jimmy Slyde came to teach at Woodpeckers Tap Dance Center, in the early 90’s. His class consisted of 4 sounds, a brush back, a shuffle, a slap and a 3</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><sup>rd</sup></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">. These 4 sounds were done on the same foot, then we switched to the other foot. For 1 hour and 15 minutes, that’s all we did. He believed in the basics. Then when Buster Brown would teach, he would play the tune with his feet. That was a concept to work with on your own.<b style="font-size: 14px;"> </b></span></span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">AC: One word to describe ATDF’s teacher training program? </span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD: </i></b>Inspiring.</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">AC: What makes you most proud to be a teacher? What is the most fulfillling part of that?</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>BD:</i></b> I'm proud to say that I feel like I’ve influenced so many wonderful dancers that are going on to do so many wonderful things in their careers and with the art form. And then there are also my advanced beginners who tap dance as a hobby but they come in and work so hard and we have fun at the same time. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">There are so many life lessons to be learned through tap dance and I’ve seen many students find those lessons in their own way, myself included! </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I’m so grateful </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">that I’ve had a chance to meet so many wonderful </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">people in the 20 countries I’ve been to. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">All because of tap dance! </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">People </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">seem to </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">remember my class and I think that has </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">to do with my passion for tap dance and teaching. I have no problem showing my </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">enthusiasm </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">when</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">students accomplish something, get a step, understand a musical concept, etc. It’s extremely fulfilling to know I try to make a difference in people’s lives through tap dance. </span></span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">AC: That was perfection. Thank you.</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For more information on this summer's Tap Teacher Training Certificate Program, please visit <a href="http://www.atdf.org/TTT15Index.html" target="_blank">www.atdf.org</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Ayodele Casel is a native New Yorker and began her professional training at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She is also a graduate of The William Esper Studio in NYC. Hailed by Gregory Hines as “one of the top young tap dancers in the world today ”, she has earned commissions from Aaron Davis Hall/Harlem Stage and the Apollo's Salon Series, where she presented "Diary of a Tap Dancer”. She has been creating and presenting her own works since 1999 in venues that include The Apollo, New York’s City Center’s Fall For Dance, Aaron Davis Hall/The Gatehouse, The Lisner Auditorium, Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, Joyce SoHo,The Triad Theater and Joe's Pub at The Public Theater. Ms. Casel has appeared on the cover of Dance Spirit, American Theater Magazine, and The Village Voice. She is also on faculty for LA Dance Magic throughout the year. Ayodele was most recently seen performing in Savion Glover’s STePz at The Joyce Theater and on tour. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: start;">Not since the mid 90’s have I been this excited about theater. I remember being at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Acting major. Black/Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx feeling not only lucky but accomplished by having been accepted. One of two people of color in my class at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute. </span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0126021/" shape="rect" style="text-align: start;">Eugene Byrd</a><span style="text-align: start;"> was my partner in crime. We held it down. I was thrilled to be attending my first school of choice. Prestigious. Embarking on my life of artistry. One problem. Lack of diversity. It was real. “The Latin Explosion” had yet to hit, Ricky Martin’s declaration of living the wild life hadn’t been made and the world had yet to become obsessed with Jennifer Lopez’s booty. Scene assignments left me feeling so discouraged because I didn’t feel like I would ever be cast in any of the material we studied. My other p.i.c. </span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0050959/" shape="rect" style="text-align: start;">Pedro Pascal</a><span style="text-align: start;"> must have been very aware of this fact as well. It was because of him I was able to work on material that represented people who looked like me. Pedro brought scenes for us to work on from James Baldwin novels and current films like Fearless, starring Rosie Perez and Jeff Bridges. Working on that material brought in some much needed contrast for me in the classroom. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Something happened my sophomore year in college. Bring in da Noise/Bring in da Funk opened at The Public Theater and Rent opened at New York Theater Workshop totally rocking my world. Daphne Rubin Vega’s face was on posters everywhere in the city and I remember thinking that there was hope for me in a theater community and in this entertainment industry. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This past week I experienced three shows I’m so freaking excited about. <a href="http://funhomebroadway.com/" shape="rect">Fun Home</a>, written and composed by Lisa Kron and the amazing Jeanine Tesori, respectively. RUN, DON'T WALK to see this beautiful show. It has been called "the first mainstream musical about a young lesbian” but that is a surface level description and I challenge everyone to see it and find a theme they <i>can’t</i> relate to. <i>Every</i> relationship in this show is universal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am so thrilled and proud to see the multi talented Lemon Andersen’s <a href="http://www.publictheater.org/en/Public-Theater-Season/ToasT/" shape="rect">ToasT</a>, at The Public Theater which opens in late April. I’m inspired to see work by artists who are authentic, intelligent, have great respect for their voices and the medium they choose to express themselves in. Get your tickets pronto because I am certain this will be sold out, if it isn't already. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.publictheater.org/en/public-theater-season/hamilton/" shape="rect">Hamilton</a>. Hamilton. Hamilton. Lin-Manuel Miranda is simply brilliant. The show is worth all the hype it has received. I loved everything about it. To have a Broadway-bound show about American History, American presidents, immigrant founders and contributors to this country created by a young, PUERTO RICAN artist and portrayed by Black and Latino actors makes me feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven…except, once again, I’m so inspired to be alive and an artist living in 2015 and grateful for how far we’ve come since my NYU days. Now I must get to work. The wheels are turning and after a long period of paralyzing fear I'm going along for the ride! See you soon. <i>Wink</i>. </span><br />
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-Ayodele Casel</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ayodele Casel is a native New Yorker and began her professional training at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She is also a graduate of The William Esper Studio in NYC. Hailed by Gregory Hines as “one of the top young tap dancers in the world today ”, she has earned commissions from Aaron Davis Hall/Harlem Stage and the Apollo's Salon Series, where she presented "Diary of a Tap Dancer”. She has been creating and presenting her own works since 1999 in venues that include The Apollo, New York’s City Center’s Fall For Dance, Aaron Davis Hall/The Gatehouse, The Lisner Auditorium, Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, Joyce SoHo,The Triad Theater and Joe's Pub at The Public Theater. Ms. Casel has appeared on the cover of Dance Spirit, American Theater Magazine, and The Village Voice. Ayodele was most recently seen performing in Savion Glover’s STePz at The Joyce Theater and on tour.</span></div>
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Ballet and Theater Dancer, Darius Crenshaw on recovering from knee surgery (pt 2 of 6)</h3>
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It feels as though going into month two of my recovery had a great start. Since it started with me walking without crutches, there’s a sense that my progress has taken a quantum leap so to speak. I’m also aware that this will feel like the biggest step in my recovery. Going from virtual immobility to walking without assistance is a liberating feeling. That being said, while, in the process of recovery, it’s hard to separate the intellectual from the visceral.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAA5KIgq-J8F_5u9R_LI4T7tN2WaLC2M-akmbXoRWus_znqc3kePqNArlK7993KqN9hjpW5-Bic9DnRCmt06vEwMQ18tKsQOKt7dfQU9_jZtNUHYVS34gofZ_R52iDzt4NnetbkQ/s1600/Darius+Mo2+PT+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAA5KIgq-J8F_5u9R_LI4T7tN2WaLC2M-akmbXoRWus_znqc3kePqNArlK7993KqN9hjpW5-Bic9DnRCmt06vEwMQ18tKsQOKt7dfQU9_jZtNUHYVS34gofZ_R52iDzt4NnetbkQ/s1600/Darius+Mo2+PT+3.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>The first week and a half my physical therapist had me sticking with the current exercise regimen. Quad sets, leg curls, wall squats, “Jane Fonda”, plies on the reformer, etc. The exercises were going well, but walking did take a little getting used to. The muscles in that leg were getting stronger in the exercises, but the strength of the muscles working in concert for walking is a completely different story. At first, the objective is to walk normally without limping. That was challenging to achieve because all of the lower body muscles involved start from your hips and end all the way to your toes. In other words your entire lower body. The one thing I noticed right away for the first five days of walking was a moderate to intense tingling in my foot. Those foot muscles had definitely lost strength while I was on crutches. Even though I was training those muscles in the foot to become active again during the no weight bearing/very little weight bearing period, with a litany of exercises with and without a thera-band, the act of walking itself puts a specific type of stress on the body that can’t be simulated one hundred percent. So those first few days I limited my walking distance to six New York blocks a day, not all at once, and diligently remained conscious of my gate. The tingling sensation decreased substantially afterward, and the concerted strength of my leg and foot increased enough where I didn’t have to concentrate so much while ambulating.<br />
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After that week and a half my physical therapist started adding on more advanced exercises. One in particular that I love because of its application for technically strengthening my legs esthetically for a dancer is the reformer exercises involving the straps. I was given a series of exercises that included: plies in parallel, plies in first position, lowering/raising both legs in parallel, outside circular movement of both legs, and inside circular movement of both legs. I perform these exercises consecutively with ten repetitions for each exercise in three sets. Needless to say because of the difficulty of the group of exercises strung together I felt like I was going to die by the end of the first set alone. And in a strange way only a dancer or athlete can understand, that was a good feeling. The feeling of pushing your body slightly beyond its limits intrinsically your body feels like its regaining strength and range of motion. It’s pretty much analogous to regaining a superpower where muscle strength catches up to the body’s muscle memory. The next day I was woefully sore in places I hadn’t felt for a while but overall I was glad about it. Of course, I soaked in a warm bath with Epsom Salt for a few days which gave me a reprieve from the soreness that allowed me to continue doing the exercises.<br />
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Now I’ve gained enough strength where it feels like I’m flying through them now.<br />
And then there are the exercises that feel counter-intuitive, as far as dance is concerned, but are essential for building strength nonetheless. With squats and heel bumps the objective is to perform the exercise with as much weight in your heels as possible. This allows the quads and the glutes to be targeted for building strength. In my classical training as a dancer, the objective is to keep the majority of your weight in the balls of your feet while dancing, so it took a little bit of time getting used to.<br />
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My body is slowly becoming active again with each week. It feels as if my body is reawakening which is a relief. I’m a third of the way into my journey, and so far it’s going swimmingly. It’s full speed ahead for month three!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Darius Crenshaw started dance and musical theater training at School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati, Ohio. He started his professional career at Cincinnati Ballet at the age of 14 and later as a soloist. After graduating high school, Darius moved to New York to train with School of American Ballet in 1995. In 1997, he was invited to join New York City Ballet where he was a company member for eight years. His Broadway credits include <b><i>The Color Purple</i></b> (Broadway and 1st national tour),<b><i> Phantom of the Opera</i></b>, and <b><i>Motown: The Musical</i></b>. He also performed in the "American Opera Street Scene" with Toulon Opera in Toulon, France in the roles of Dick McGann and The Marshal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">photos of Darius taken during a Physical Therapy session at <a href="http://www.neurosportphysicaltherapy.com/locations/new-york-clinic">NeuroSport Physical Therapy, </a>NY.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03442030182537565510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-31355030353684825942014-11-23T10:20:00.000-05:002014-11-23T10:21:36.076-05:00Things That Made Us Smile This Week<h3>
<b><i><span style="color: #ea9999; font-size: large;">Idina Menzel Michael Bublé "Baby it's Cold Outside" </span></i></b></h3>
The cutest!<br />
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<i><span style="color: #ea9999; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.adelicatebalancebroadway.com/" target="_blank">Delicate Balance on Broadway</a> </span></i></h3>
No words necessary.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #ea9999; line-height: 17px;"><i>Dancing Seminarians David Rider and John Gibson</i></span></span></span></h3>
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<span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><a href="http://blogs.disney.com/disney-playlist/2014/11/05/playlist-sessions-goes-to-broadway/" target="_blank">The Cast of The Lion King on Broadway Covers “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”</a></i></span></h3>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">...and other songs you'll want listen to as well</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ygzsOXxCTD0?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03442030182537565510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-28324587328751372482014-11-10T18:18:00.000-05:002014-11-10T22:53:26.962-05:00Things that made us smile last week<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://variety.com/2014/film/news/hunger-games-stage-show-2016-1201350537/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ea9999; font-size: large;"><i>The Hunger Games stage show coming to purpose-built theatre in 2016</i></span></a></h3>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />This has enough juice to keep us smiling for a long time! Kudos to our friends Brandon Victor Dixon and Warren Adams who will be among the PRODUCERS!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="s1">"<a href="http://variety411.com/us/los-angeles/producers/">Producers</a></span><span class="s2"> are Robin de Levita, co-founder of Imagine Nation, along with U.K. promoter Harvey Goldsmith, Triangular Entertainment’s <a href="http://www.broadwayworld.com/people/news/Warren-Adams/" target="_blank">Warren Adams</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/bvdrising" target="_blank"> Brandon Victor Dixon</a> of <a href="http://www.walkrunfly.com/" target="_blank">WalkRunFly </a>Productions and entertainment executives Robert Harris and R&R Media’s Gary Ricci."</span></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><a href="http://bricartsmedia.org/performing-arts/2014-fall-season-at-bric-house/ronald-k-brown-evidence-a-dance-company-one-shot" target="_blank"><i><span style="color: #ea9999; font-size: large;">Evidence, A Dance Company at BRIC - Brooklyn</span></i></a></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Take it from us, you don't want to miss an opportunity to see this brilliant dance company. If some cruel twist of fate keeps you from BRIC this weekend, all is not lost darling. Evidence will be celebrating it's <a href="http://www.joyce.org/performance/ronald-k-brownevidence/#.VGEnX_TF-_Q" target="_blank">30th year anniversary at The Joyce Theater February 24 - March 1, 2015</a>. beat the rush, get your tickets today!</span></div>
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<i><a href="http://deeplyrootedproductions.org/see_dance/tickets/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ea9999; font-size: large;">Deeply Rooted Dance Theater Presents Generations November 21-23 </span></a></i></h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This dance company is near and dear to our hearts. The Chicago-based group is only in New York one time this year so do yourselves a favor and <a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/901653" target="_blank">SNAG A SEAT TODAY</a>. Stay tuned for more details. </span></div>
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<span class="s2"><span style="color: #ea9999; font-size: large;"><a href="http://smarturl.it/MJHunter2iTunes" target="_blank">Moragn James - Expanded Version of "Hunter" Available Now</a></span></span></h3>
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<span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Remember how we said we were fans of Morgan James? Well we are and we have been keeping a close eye on her and... the extended version of Hunter is now available. Yep! No need to say more, here are the links, make it happen. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px;">iTunes: </span><a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fsmarturl.it%2FMJHunter2iTunes&h=PAQGQ8GjE&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smarturl.it/MJHunter2iTunes</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px;">Amazon: </span><a href="http://smarturl.it/MJHunter2Amazon" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smarturl.it/MJHunter2Amazon</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03442030182537565510noreply@blogger.com0New York, NY, USA40.7127837 -74.00594130000001840.3275957 -74.651388300000022 41.0979717 -73.360494300000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-80175751041480110762014-10-25T13:29:00.000-04:002014-10-25T13:29:32.386-04:00A Dancer's Body - Darius Crenshaw on recovering from knee surgery<h3>
Ballet and Theater Dancer, Darius Crenshaw on recovering from knee surgery (pt 1 of 6)</h3>
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<b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">thatgirl006</span></i></b> will be doing a series of posts written by professional dancers that offer insights into their lives off the stage. Our first contributor is dear friend and accomplished dancer, Darius Crenshaw. Darius is on a medical leave of absence from <i><b>Motown: The Musical</b></i> and recovering from his recent knee surgery to repair ACL and medial meniscus tears. The doctors estimate that it will be a 6-month rehabilitation period, and Darius will be posting monthly updates until he returns to dancing full-time. </div>
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The biggest first-month hurdle with my knee injury was the psychological aspect of trusting my body throughout the recovery process. I suffered the same injury on the right knee two years ago, so I feel confident in my knowledge of what the current recovery of my left knee entails. After I had sustained the ACL and medial meniscus tear this time around, I was prepared for the pain that would accompany the injury post-surgery. Albeit fortunately, I didn’t experience the latter after the previous surgery. Along with that, I had an expectation of what my recovery time would be and my physical abilities, or lack thereof, during the different matriculating stages. This physical, emotional, and mental roller coaster was one I had ridden before so I knew I was ready for what was about to happen.<br />
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With that, I unwittingly set myself up. The initial recovery of my left knee was mostly incomparable to my right knee. This month my left knee’s progression seemed to be moving at light speed in comparison to my previous knee injury. That comparison lead to my skepticism of how quickly my body was progressing in this initial stage of recovery.<br />
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After I had gotten over the first week of post-surgical pain, my recovery hit the fast track. In the second week, I started physical therapy. My physical therapist made some assessments of muscle strength and took some knee extension and flexion measurements. Right away I was surprised at his findings. He noticed in my quad sets that my quad muscles hadn’t atrophied as much as we were expecting. When he measured knee extension, it was the same as my right knee, and my knee flexion measured at one hundred fifteen degrees. I was pleasantly surprised. The first group of exercises he gave me were hard to execute for the first few days but became easier and easier as the days went on. Even so, it was still hard for me to trust the progress that my knee was making because mentally I was still holding onto my previous experience, which was an extremely methodical process. I had prepared for a repeat performance with this injury. The fact that this was the contrary took a while for me to accept due to fear of compromising the ACL graph or damaging the meniscal repair. My physical therapist assured me that the rate of progress I was making was a good thing and that I wasn’t overdoing it. My rate of progress was so good that my doctor had to modify my physical therapy prescription to keep up with the rate of progress. Suddenly I realized that if I didn’t change my approach in equating my left knee’s rate of progress with my right I would be complicit in impeding my body’s rate of progress.<br />
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Shortly after my first week working with my physical therapist, I started to surrender to the fact that the initial rate of recovery was going to be quicker with this leg than my right leg… and that was okay. My physical therapist started adding more exercises and slightly intensifying the ones he had already given me. The integration of the exercises was pretty seamless. Going with the idea of trusting my body more, I discovered that my leg was strong enough to walk around the house without crutches while still wearing my brace. In the subsequent weeks my rate of recovery has remained consistent which pleased me, my doctor, and my physical therapist. At the end of the four-week period, my doctor ordered my functional brace and modified my physical therapy prescription again because everything was going so well. At this point, I was elated without question.<br />
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So far the first month has been a huge learning experience. Because I had been through this injury before I thought that I had it all figured out by expecting the worse for my recovery. It was a fear based protective mechanism that I had to let go of completely to allow this recovery experience be completely independent of the last. I’ve learned that recovery rates vary regardless of whether the injuries are closely similar or completely different. From now on I will be continuing my recovery with an open mind and without expectation.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Darius Crenshaw started dance and musical theater training at School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati, Ohio. He started his professional career at Cincinnati Ballet at the age of 14 and later as a soloist. After graduating high school, Darius moved to New York to train with School of American Ballet in 1995. In 1997, he was invited to join New York City Ballet where he was a company member for eight years. His Broadway credits include <b><i>The Color Purple</i></b> (Broadway and 1st national tour),<b><i> Phantom of the Opera</i></b>, and <b><i>Motown: The Musical</i></b>. He also performed in the "American Opera Street Scene" with Toulon Opera in Toulon, France in the roles of Dick McGann and The Marshal. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03442030182537565510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-87564048518024628822014-10-19T20:57:00.002-04:002014-10-19T21:18:37.738-04:00Three Things That Made Us Smile This Week<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.morganjamesonline.com/" target="_blank">Morgan James' video</a> for "Call My Name" </span></h3>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">we are huge fans of Morgan and her music. if she's playing live in your town, run don't walk!</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://vimeo.com/91479586" target="_blank">The <i>Questions of Practice</i> video interview series</a> </span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">by The Pew Center for the Arts</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">we were particularly intrigued by <a href="https://vimeo.com/91479586" target="_blank">this interview</a> with flamenco dancer and choreographer,<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"> </span> Israel Galván.<span id="goog_1640255909"></span><span id="goog_1640255910"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a> When addressing the concept of purity and flamenco, Galván says: "One has to be pure with yourself and impure with the history that already exists." </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Best of Netflix</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>thanks to <a href="http://www.refinery29.com/best-netflix-instant-tv-shows#slide-15" target="_blank">this article by Refinery29</a>, we (binge) watched and loved</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="_58cl" style="color: #6d84b4; font-style: italic;"></span></span><span class="_58cm" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0260615/" target="_blank"><b>The</b> </a><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0260615/" target="_blank">Forsyte Saga</a>. </b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: large; font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;"> </span></span><i style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="_58cm" style="background-color: white; cursor: pointer; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;"></span></span></i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03442030182537565510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-12507388779962543532014-10-07T14:47:00.000-04:002014-10-07T14:47:08.257-04:00Things that made us smile last week<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://abrahaminmotion.org/#when-the-wolves-came-in/synopsis" target="_blank">When the Wolves Came In</a></span></i></div>
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<i>The work was breathtaking. The post-show discussion was a gas, we got a kick out of the lighthearted interactions between the dancers and musicians. Composer Robert Glasper was especially funny and oh so charming!</i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2nd Striver's Row Home Tour</span></b></div>
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<i>Learning about the history and architecture of this Historic Harlem, NY neighborhood was a wonderful way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon.</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://thatgirl006.blogspot.com/2014/10/turn-up-for-tap-in-honor-of-tap-master.html" target="_blank"> "Turn Up for Tap"</a> </b></span><br />
<i>It was our pleasure to join Marshall Davis, Jr and Savion Glover in hosting this event in honor of </i><br />
<i>Tap Legend Steve Condos!</i><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03442030182537565510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-25896176581742995902014-10-01T13:06:00.001-04:002014-10-01T13:06:18.713-04:00"Turn up for Tap" in honor of Tap Master, Steve Condos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The </span><b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">Steve Condos Turn up for Tap</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">"</span></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b> </b>is a party for everyone! Whether you’ve ever laced up a pair of tap shoes or not, come out to enjoy and</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> simultaneously</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> be enlightened about Mr. Condos and the art form of tap dance in a very</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> fun,</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> memorable and celebratory way!</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1412180467290_27313" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i>~Marshall Davis</i></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ellalounge.com/info/" target="_blank">Directions to Ella Lounge!</a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">$10 suggested donation. $5 minimum donation for entry. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">100% of all proceeds will go directly to Steve’s wife, Mrs. Lorraine Condos!!</span></b><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1412180467290_27313" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"> </span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03442030182537565510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-77546497982433788442014-09-30T00:26:00.000-04:002014-09-30T00:30:56.379-04:00Things that made us smile last week<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disneys-lion-king-becomes-historys-734655?facebook_20140922" target="_blank">Disney's 'The Lion King' Becomes History's Top-Grossing Entertainment Title</a></b></span><br />
<i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We couldn't be happier for the creatives, producers, cast and crew (past and present) of this seminal musical! After all, our very own <span style="color: #ea9999;">thatgirl</span> is an alum of the show. ;-)</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.newyorklivearts.org/event/wolves_came_in" target="_blank">We snagged tickets to see Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion at NY Live Arts!</a> </b></span><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Many of the shows were already sold out. If you miss this one, check the company's <a href="http://abrahaminmotion.org/" target="_blank">website</a> and follow on <a href="https://twitter.com/AbrahamInMotion" target="_blank">Twitter</a> for future performance dates. </span></i></div>
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<b><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.nbc.com/the-voice?cid=SEM%7Cvoice%7Cfllprmr2014%7Cggl%7Cna%7Cna&hcoref=SEM&WT.srch=ggl&sky=the%20voice&k_clickid=127eac78-e4ad-5e49-6a7d-00004f3e1fa7" target="_blank">The Voice with new judges</a></span></b><br />
<i>For obvious reasons...</i><br />
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<a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/cast/alfonso-ribeiro" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/cast/alfonso-ribeiro" target="_blank">Alfonso Ribeiro on Dancing with the Stars!!</a></b></span><br />
<i>He's a dancing machine!</i><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03442030182537565510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-9376567275473871752014-09-28T11:57:00.001-04:002014-09-29T10:26:35.001-04:00thatgirl006 catches up with Dancer/Choreographer Ray Mercer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><b>We recently caught up with our multitasking, ever-curious and upbeat friend, dancer/choreographer, <a href="http://raymercerdance.com/" target="_blank">Ray Mercer</a>! <a href="http://thatgirl006.blogspot.com/2008/09/ray-mercer-choreographer.html" target="_blank">We first featured Ray in 2008</a>, and it has since been one of our <a href="http://thatgirl006.tumblr.com/post/97513663852/most-popular-thatgirl006-blog-posts-week-ending" target="_blank">most viewed posts</a>. Over the past six years, we have continued to be inspired by Ray and his work. Needless to say, he has been moving and grooving nonstop both on and off the stage, and it is high time we publish this Ray Mercer update.<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> Enjoy!</span></span> </b></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ea9999;"><b>Thatgirl</b></span>: What are the top 3 changes/developments in your career since our last interview?</span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ray Mercer: I am so excited to do this update. It is so amazing to find out that my post was one of the most viewed. Since 2008 my career has been going a million miles an hour. My choreography has won [the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fundraiser] <a href="http://www.broadwaycares.org/gypsy2013" target="_blank">Gypsy of the Year</a> 7 times, more than any other choreographer in history. I was also commissioned to do a work for the <a href="http://www.howard.edu/newsroom/releases/2014/20140331ModernDanceBallet.html" target="_blank">Smithsonian for the country of Oman</a>. I now have one of my choreographic works in the Smithsonian. I have set works on numerous companies around the world, and I am the Resident Choreographer for the Ailey School. I will be setting a new work on Giordano Dance Company in Chicago this Fall. </span>Finally<span style="font-family: inherit;">, I am also a Professor at Howard University. This is all while I am doing 8 shows a week at </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Lion King</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></b></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411744145694_66853"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>TG:</b> How long have you been in <b>The Lion King</b> and what is your role? </span></i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">RM: I have been in the <a href="http://www.dancemagazine.com/issues/August-2013/Technique-My-Way-Ray-Mercer" target="_blank">Lion King for 12 years as a dancer</a>. I have been in my track longer than any other male dancer in Lion King history.</span></b></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411744145694_66856"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>TG:</b> What do you think is one of the most unexpectedly joyous aspects of a long run in the same show? One of the most unexpectedly challenging? </span></i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">RM: The fact that I am part of making history with one of the longest running shows in history, and I get to work with some of the best in the industry is truly a blessing. At times, the show can be physically challenging, you really have to be focused on taking care of your body and mind.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>TG: </b></i><i>How have you managed to develop your body of work while maintaining the vigorous 8 show a week performance schedule plus the requisite rehearsals of a Broadway show?</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">RM: I haven't had a day off or a vacation in years. It really requires good scheduling. It's a huge sacrifice but it is sooooo worth it. I wouldn't have it any other way.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>TG: </b></i><i>Where do you find your creative inspiration?</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">RM: I am constantly being inspired. New York is a constant source of inspiration. I'm a people watcher, a lot of inspiration comes from that. I am also inspired by conversations I've had, social issues, family, and friends. I am also very inspired by the people that I work with. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>TG: </b></i><i>Would you like to have a company or are you happy freelancing? (or share your ultimate goal as a choreographer)</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">RM: I am so happy being a freelance choreographer. I love working with new dancers all the time. I am constantly learning and being inspired. It presents a brand new challenge every time you walk into the studio. I simply love it. I ultimately want to choreograph a Broadway Show. That is next on my bucket list.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>TG: </b></i><i>Name one thing that you do very well but you enjoy the luxury of having someone do for you.</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>RM: </i><i> My laundry! LOL </i></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>TG: </b></i><i>What was the event in your personal history that has influenced your work the most?</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">RM: Being cast in <i>The Lion King</i> changed my life FOREVER! It opened so many doors, and provided so many opportunities for me choreographically. I have access to some of the best dancers, musicians, song writers, singers, lighting, stage management, wardrobe/costumes in the world. What choreographer has that at their disposal? I am truly blessed!!!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>TG: </b></i><i>Share something that you believed when you were very young that you have found to be true now that you're older and wiser?</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">RM: My parents taught me at an early age that there are no shortcuts. You have to work hard and do your best always. I found this to be very true. My work ethic has provided so many opportunities for me. YOU MUST WORK HARD!!!!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>TG: </b></i><i>What is your favorite way to unwind?</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">RM: I rarely have any free time.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>TG: </b></i><i>One dance that you wish you had choreographed or performed first.</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">RM: <i><a href="http://www.alvinailey.org/about/company/alvin-ailey-american-dance-theater/repertory/episodes" target="_blank">Episodes</a></i> by <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/freetodance/biographies/dove.html" target="_blank">Ulysses Dove</a>. Any of Dove's works for that matter. He is one of my favorite choreographers.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>TG: </b></i><i>Which is your favorite movie, TV show featuring dance and why?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>RM: </b><b>I don't watch too much dance on TV. But I must admit I watch <i>Dance Moms</i>, it's a guilty pleasure. (laughs) I think those little girls work so hard. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>TG: </b></i><i>If you could pick the brain of any choreographer dead or alive, who would it be?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>RM: </b><b> Wow, so many! <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/12/arts/ulysses-dove-creator-of-dark-driving-dances-dies-at-49.html" target="_blank">Ulysses Dove</a>, <a href="http://www.alvinailey.org/about/people" target="_blank">Alvin Ailey</a>, <a href="http://www.jirikylian.com/existence/" target="_blank">Jiří Kylián</a>, <a href="http://www.spainisculture.com/en/artistas_creadores/nacho_duato.html" target="_blank">Nacho Duato</a>, all for different reasons, but I love their work.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>TG: </b></i><i>What would be your first question? </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>RM: </b><b>Where do you get your inspiration?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>TG: </b></i><i>What did you want to be when you were a kid?</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">RM: </span></b><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">I always wanted to work at a gas station. </span><span style="font-family: bookman old style, new york, times, serif;"> </span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Ray Mercer's electric choreography fills the stage as boys from the Broadway casts of <b>The Lion King, Mary Poppins and Memphis</b> perform "Boys, Boys, Boys..." at DANCE FROM THE HEART | MEN a performance produced by and benefiting DANCERS RESPONDING TO AIDS <a href="http://www.dradance.org/" target="_blank">(DRA)</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ray Mercer, is a native of Omaha, NE. He is currently in the Broadway cast of The Lion King, NY. Ray started his dance training at the age of 17, where he studied at the University of New Orleans, Chicago, and New York. Mercer has danced with Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Chicago, and the Boston Ballet (guest artist). He has worked with Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, Kevin "Iega" Jeff, George Faison, Louis Johnson, and Garth Fagan. Mercer was awarded Joffrey Ballet's Choreographers of Color Award 2012 and Pensacola Ballet Choreographers Award. He has been the resident choreographer for Ailey B.F.A program. Ray has Directed and Choreographed for the Smithsonian Oman Project. He was a 2011 Capezio Ace Awards Finalist has won Broadway’s Gypsy of the Year Award for best onstage performance in 2005, 2008, 2011, 2012 and, 2013, the Michigan Dance Council Award, and the Black Theater Alliance Award/Chicago, for his choreography. Ray was the resident choreographer for All-City Dance Co in Detroit and Chicago. He has worked with several outreach programs including the Alvin Ailey Summer Camp Program, Ailey Fordham B.F.A Program, Joffrey Ballet Educational Program, E-Moves Choreographers Showcase (New York), and the National High School Dance Exchange. Mercer was recently commissioned to choreograph a work for the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. He has set ballets on various companies and Universities across the country, such as Philadanco, Dayton Contemporary Dance Co., New Jersey Ballet, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Pensacola Ballet, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, and DRA:Dancers Responding to Aids/New York. He has taught classes and master series all over the world. Ray was recently acknowledged in</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">the New York Times, the Chicago Sun Times, and Movmnt Magazine for his choreography.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Keep in touch with Ray on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RayMercerChoreographer" target="_blank">Facebook</a>!</i></b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03442030182537565510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773318.post-68757686300945903102014-09-21T16:20:00.000-04:002014-09-21T16:26:53.274-04:00Things that made us smile this week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/11/body-image-dance_n_5798654.html" target="_blank">These Women Are Changing The Way We View Body Love In Dance </a></b></span></div>
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<i>Source: By <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-brooks/" target="_blank">Katherine Brooks</a> for <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arts/" target="_blank">The Huffington Post</a></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.dancetheatreofharlem.org/thursdaysatdth" target="_blank"><br /></a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.dancetheatreofharlem.org/thursdaysatdth" target="_blank">Darrell Grand Moultrie choreographs on Dance Theater of Harlem</a></span></b></div>
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<i>and the general public was invited to a FREE open rehearsal! </i></div>
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<i>we suggest you keep and eye on the Thursdays @DTH series</i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/operationtap" target="_blank">The Launch of Operation: Tap</a></span></b></div>
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<i>a global movement to "make the world a more tap conscious place"</i></div>
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<i>read our <a href="http://thatgirl006.blogspot.com/2014/09/thatgirl006-exclusive-interview-with.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><b>Exclusive Interview</b></span> </a>with Founder Anthony Morigerato</i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/35-new-yorkers-share-their-fall-arts-entertainment-picks-1411078936" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal's Fall Preview</a></span></b></div>
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<i>35 New Yorkers offer their picks for don't miss arts happenings in NYC this fall</i></div>
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