December News
Dance Docents at DTW, Nashville Ballet, and other notes
Notes:
- The Yorkville Nutcracker, December 10–13 at Hunter College in NYC. Artistic Director Francis Patrelle draws students from Ballet Academy East, The Ailey School and 92nd St. Y Harkness Dance Center to cast his New York–centric version of the holiday tradition.
- Eugenia Smith, founder of the nationally used dance curriculum Dancing School Kids, passed away in July at 67. Her teaching career spanned 52 years at her own studio, Eugenia’s Dance Studio, and at Dance Masters of America, Dance Olympus and Hollywood Vibe, among many others. She was inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame in 2001.
- Cornell University and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts join forces this month to present The Allure of Refinement: Music and Dance of Indonesia. The program features “Invitation to a Dance” at the library on December 9. Cornell Department of Theatre, Film and Dance senior lecturers Jumay Chu and Byron Suber will choreograph modern dances with music from Indonesia. On December 10, lecturer Christopher J. Miller speaks about and demonstrates different categories of dance in Java and the role gamelan music plays.
- Mark Morris Dance Group has received a $720,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation. It is the largest grant the foundation has ever given to the dance group and will be used for human resources, technology and development of a touring and educational package, including Dance for Parkinson’s Disease (featured in November DT) and the Wellness Center at Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn, NY.
- The Hartt School at University of Hartford has named Stephen Pier its new interim director of the Dance Division. He comes to the school from Juilliard’s Mentoring Program, where he was artistic director, and American Ballet Theatre’s Visions and Voices: Altria/ABT Women’s Choreography Project, which he directed.
- In NYC, the School at Steps on Broadway presents pre-professional students performing excerpts from their holiday concert at JASA Westside Senior Center on December 9. There will be a Q&A after the performance.
- The Education Development Center in Newton, MA, with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, has produced a DVD, Saman Siaga Gempa, for grades 1–3 in the Aceh province of Indonesia, which lost 230,000 people in the 2004 tsunami. The DVD features an “earthquake dance,” an Indonesian form called Saman, choreographed by Acehnese students to teach earthquake preparedness.
Dance Docents Educate Audiences at DTW
In Dance Theater Workshop’s continuing effort to make contemporary dance more accessible, the center has introduced a new audience-engagement initiative: the Dance Docents program.
Just as docents at art museums interpret paintings, dance docents offer a forum to learn about and discuss performances and meet the artists. These knowledgeable staff members and volunteers introduce each show, then answer questions and encourage post-performance conversation in the lobby.
As progressive contemporary dance evolves, DTW is continuously trying to help audiences keep up. “Contemporary dance no longer looks like what people think dance is supposed to look like,” says Artistic Director Carla Peterson. “More choreographers are questioning what dance can be, and the boundaries between disciplines are becoming a lot more fluid.”
In its 45-year history, DTW has grown from a small artist collective to a major center for contemporary dance and performance in New York City. Despite its massive growth and a theater that has doubled in size, the center has retained its original core value of increasing dialogue between artists and communities. The 2009–10 season includes choreography by Raimund Hoghe, Anna Halprin, Urban Bush Women and many others.
In addition to dance docents, Dance Theater Workshop continues to offer interactive programs such as pre- and post-performance discussions and detailed program notes.
Info: www.dancetheaterworkshop.org —Rachel Zar
Nashville Ballet Brings Dance to the Classroom
When Cathy Ratliff joined Nashville Ballet as director of Education and Community Engagement last year, she took the already successful residency school program, Learning Curves, and added a whole new component called A Step Ahead. Learning Curves was designed 11 years ago to introduce local students to the world of ballet through free performances and interactive demonstrations. Now third- and fourth-graders at five Davidson County schools study dance every week.
The 27-week curriculum gives students an overview of dance—from culture to history to careers—while incorporating math, science, language and other educational basics, such as working together and embracing other cultures.
Each week’s lesson, provided to teachers by Ratliff, is composed of vocabulary, a narrative, a discussion and an activity. The classes cover a range of dance styles but center on ballet. In the first lesson of the year, kids are asked to create a banner with drawings depicting how, when, where and why people dance.
This yearlong partnership also provides an opportunity for students and their families to view The Nutcracker at no cost, and Nashville Ballet’s full-length ballet The Singing Tortoise will be performed for the five schools. “This program is not just for students, but for teachers and family members,” says Ratliff. “It’s a holistic program that educates the lifelong learner.”
Info: www.nashvilleballet.com —RZ
