tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90915002024-03-19T14:26:36.902-07:00DancehunterN. Wozny's musings on dance, theater, and other things that moveN. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comBlogger277125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-21757078141223830812010-08-10T17:57:00.000-07:002010-08-10T18:03:51.031-07:00Bye Bye Blogger<a href="http://dancehunter.wordpress.com/">Dancehunter</a> has moved to Wordpress.N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-37150817348348711492010-08-06T05:20:00.000-07:002010-08-06T05:23:18.747-07:00Anna Halprin Breath Made Visible<img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Owner/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-7.png" alt="" /><p><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Owner/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-9.png" alt="" /> </p><p> <img class="photo263" src="http://www.culturemap.com/site_media/uploads/photos/2010-07-01/Nancy_Wozny_Breath_Made_Visible_movie_poster.263w_350h.jpg" alt="News_Nancy Wozny_Breath Made Visible_movie poster" /></p><p>A gr<img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Owner/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-8.png" alt="" />oup of people stand still, equidistant from one another. Slowly and deliberately, as if in ritual, they begin to remove their neat black suits and white shirts until they are stark naked.</p> <p> Petula Clark's upbeat anthem <em>Downtown</em> plays in the background. The contrast is simply stunning. This is a scene from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.annahalprin.org/">Anna Halprin's</a> seminal 1965 dance, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/arts/dance/21halprin.html"><em>Parades and Changes</em>,</a> quite possibly the most reverent to the body piece ever created in the canon of American modern dance. The iconic dance pioneer turns 90 this weekend. To celebrate and honor her extraordinary life, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is showing <em><a target="_blank" href="http://www.breathmadevisible.com/?lang=en">Breath Made Visible</a>,</em> a film by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.breathmadevisible.com/?lang=en">Ruedi Gerber</a> and the sole documentary on Halprin, at 7 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 and 5 p.m. Sunday.</p> <p> "When we performed <em>Parades and Changes</em> in Sweden I got a letter from a farmer. He said that the nudity reminded him of the innocence of a newborn calf. It was sacred," Halprin says, via phone from her California mountaintop headquarters. "Then I brought the dance to New York, and got arrested for indecent exposure."</p> <p> <strong>Escaping to Cali</strong></p> <p> Controversy often followed in the wake of Halprin's mind and body expanding work. Early on, she left the New York scene for the broad expanse of the west. In California, she was free to create work outside of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/04/arts/dance/04halprin.html">New York's</a> sometime domineering trends.</p> <p> "Had I stayed in New York, I am convinced I would not have done anything," insists Halprin. "I thrived in California."</p> <p> Over the years, Halprin has investigated such subjects as AIDS, the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2010/06/26/the-travels-of-a-journalist%E2%80%9436-latinos-replace-blacks-as-watts%E2%80%99-majority-but-it-remains-one-of-l-a%E2%80%99s-poorest-areas/">Watts riots</a>, cancer, aging, grief, environmental concerns and other subjects. Her <em>Planetary Dance</em>, originally created to heal a community when the Mount Tamalpais trailside killer had wreaked havoc on Marin County residents, has been performed in 46 places across the globe. In a strange turn of events, the killer was apprehended days after the dance was performed on the mountain.</p> <p> Today <a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKxVpJZ-Hh4&feature=related"><em>Planetary Dance</em> </a>is performed all over the world as a form of earth healing. "I am floored by what's happened to that dance," Halprin says.</p> <p> Early in her life, Halprin studied with the legendary <a target="_blank" href="http://uwpress.wisc.edu/books/3298.htm">Margaret H'Doubler</a> at the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dance.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin</a>. H'Doubler was the founder of dance in higher education.</p> <p> Halprin took H'Doubler's idea that dance could develop us as people, not just artists, into new realms.</p> <p> "I added the emotional component," Halprin says. "I may be the only person who continued H'Doubler's legacy." Halprin won numerous accolades for her work, including the 1997 Samuel H. Scripps Award for Lifetime Achievement in modern dance from the<a target="_blank" href="http://www.americandancefestival.org/"> American Dance Festival</a>. In addition, the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.danceheritage.org/">Dance Heritage Coalition</a> named her one of "America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures."</p> <p> Over the course of her multi-decade career, just about every dance legend made their way to Halprin's famous dance deck overlooking the breathtaking landscape. The dance world came to her. And now this film brings Halprin's life to the rest of the world.</p> <p> <em>Breath Made Visible</em> has proved a profound experience for Halprin. "The film helped me clarify my approach to dance, and why it's been so controversial all my life," she says. "Ruedi tried to show how I responded to my life through dance."</p> <p> <strong>Do it already!</strong></p> <p> When Gerber first suggested the idea of a making a film to Halprin, she responded, "Hurry up, I am 83." It took another several years to complete the film. Gerber, a former student and close friend, was perhaps the ideal and the only person to make the film.</p> <p> "Ruedi lived in our studio for a while, he was part of our family," Halprin says.</p> <p> The actor-turned-filmmaker sorted through 150 hours of archival footage and family films to create the intimate atmosphere of <em>Breath Made Visible</em>. "When she says 'Enter your body through your hand,' she's talking directly to the audience. She opens up her soul, which has such a powerful effect on the audience. Anna is a performance animal," Gerber. says. "I did not want to make a PBS-style documentary.</p> <p> "I want the film to be viewed as a performance and show her incredible kinesthetic sense."</p> <p> Indeed, Gerber's film places the audience right in Halprin's classroom, which is not an enclosed dance studio, but the world at large. The film also covers Halprin's relationship with her husband, the renowned architect, Lawrence Halprin.</p> <p> When Gerber's film came across Marian Luntz's desk at the MFAH, she jumped on the chance to highlight Halprin's work on the weekend of her 90th birthday.</p> <p> "I found the film completely captivating, and so eye-opening on her journey," says Luntz, MFAH's curator of film and video. "It's also within the MFAH's mission to focus on creative process. We want to give films like <em>Breath Made Visible</em> a big screen venue like the Brown Auditorium."</p> <p> Luntz has featured several dance films recently, including <em>The Red Shoes</em> and <em>Movement (R)evolution Africa.</em> To engage the local audience, the MFAH will partner with the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.jcchouston.org/">Jewish Community Center</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pinkribbons.org/">Pink Ribbons Project</a> for a special <a target="_blank" href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jewish-Community-Center-of-Houston/101478967316#%21/event.php?eid=138979679446696&ref=mf">Nia Master Class with Helen Terry </a>and a Pink Alive dance <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pinkribbons.org/en/cev/99">presentation</a> related to the film.</p> <p> It's been over a decade since I made the winding drive up the mountains to visit Halprin. Hanging out in Halprin's kitchen talking dance and life is a treasured memory.</p> <p> Today, she's spunky as ever, full of ideas and reflective on her substantial career. Many of us body-focused dance people owe a debt of gratitude to Halprin for daring to chart a course far from the dance fashion of the day.</p> <p> Looking back, Halprin may have left the New York hub, yet her influence permeates many aspects of dance we take for granted.</p> <p> "Halprin's belief that everyone can dance and dance is everywhere is part of her legacy," writes <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dancemagazine.com/blogs/wendy-perron/3262">Wendy Perron,</a> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dancemagazine.com/">Dance Magazine's</a> Editor in Chief.</p> <p> Watching <em>Breath Made Visible,</em> I am reminded of this extraordinary legacy that I am part of. Gerber captures Halprin's life and work with grace and reverence.</p> <p> "I wanted to make a film about what dance can be without over intellectualizing," the Swiss filmmaker says. Gerber succeeds in creating an artful portrait of a completely original life in dance. "The movie has had its own life; even now, it still speaks to me."</p> <p> The film is complete while Halprin's work continues. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-3VsujvTjo"><em>Spirit of Place</em></a>, her most recent work, exemplifies her ongoing interest in dance in the natural world. "I am interested in helping dancers understand space as related to the environment. When I work on my outdoor dance deck I see the sky, the mountains. I hear the birds. I work within the sum total of life around me.</p> <p> "I am not an object in space, I am part of it."</p> <p> Reprinted from <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/newsdetail/07-08-10-the-naked-dance-queen-anna-halprin-gets-her-MFAH-movie-due/">Culturemap.</a><br /></p>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-5749298078167275882010-08-06T05:12:00.000-07:002010-08-06T05:19:11.326-07:00Keeping the Faith: MotherDogStudios and Neighbors adapt to Houston's ever evolving cultural terrain<a class="cboxElement" href="http://www.downtownhouston.org/site_media/uploads/photos/2010-02-17/MotherDog_md07_800x600.jpg" rel="slideshow" title=" "> <img id="firstphoto_portrait" src="http://www.downtownhouston.org/site_media/uploads/photos/2010-02-17/MotherDog_md07_293x390.jpg" /> </a><br /><br /><br />John Runnels storms out of MotherDogStudios like the unofficial mayor of the block. As proprietor of one of Houston's most venerable artist-run warehouses, along with his partner in art and life, Charlie Jean Sartwelle, it's a title he has earned. Runnels bolts out the door with the energy of an adolescent ready to sing the praises of the eclectic exterior of MotherDog. A mural of a tank marching towards the city flanks the north wall, while his provocative text-based mural, X-Marks the Spot, covers a good portion of the west wall, along with the scrappy black canine that is the MotherDog. He points out the faded “Dixie Glass Co. Inc.” sign on the building with unbridled pride for the space he has looked after for the past 24 years. Originally built in 1939, the 22,000-square-foot building held the wordy distinction of “the railroad to truck covered cross dock freight terminal.” Runnels lovingly refers to his oasis as his “southern Gothic castle cathedral old warehouse dive.” Sartwelle even received a special “artist warehouse” occupancy permit from the city. “Once you get inside, it's paradise,” boasts Runnels. His now-grown daughter, Sara Katherine Runnels, endearingly described the studio as “almost enchanting” in a college essay illuminating her alternative childhood under the MotherDog roof. It's the “almost” part that most interests Runnels, whose stewardship of MotherDog stands as a shining example of the vital role the artist plays in an urban environment. “We are the early settlers who tamed the area for others,” insists the artist. “We have the vision and take the risks.” He's the first to admit it's not been a journey for the weak, needy or faint of temperature.<br /><br />Runnels remembers the early years with a touch of nostalgia. “Nobody wanted this neighborhood. It was considered a Mad Max wasteland. The only people here were police, transients and lost people,” Runnels remembers. “It was a no man's land. The police told Charlie Jean not to leave the building without a sawed-off shotgun.” That said the place proved perfect for Runnels and Sartwelle and the first cadre of artists that moved in with them. Artists need a lot of space for little money. At first, the couple heavily scrutinized the tenants for artistic merit. These days they are more interested in artists who obey the rules, which include no pets, no smoking, no moving in and no music. (Headphones are OK.) “We run a tight ship,” Runnels grins. “This isn't grad school.” Turnover in the16 generously-sized studios has been relatively low, with some artists, like Jo Ann Fleischhauer, in her 16th year. “I instantly fell in love with the atmosphere there,” says Fleischhauer, who develops large-scale pieces like the Parasol Project there. “It's been an intellectually positive space and a great physical space. MotherDog is my art home and art family.”<br /><br />MotherDog provides a serious place to work at affordable rent and few luxuries other than the occasional stimulation of other artists. The words, “sacred, secret, seizure, silence, solitude and sanctuary,” line the stairs leading into the cavernous space. “MotherDog is basically like a library. It's a quiet place where like-minded people come and go,” says Sartwelle as she prepares for an April one-person show at The Cloister Gallery at Christ Church Cathedral. “It's built like an old ship,” Runnels adds, pointing to the elegantly tar-stained rafters. “Plus, we actually have weather inside the building. We call it natural air.”<br /><br /> <br /><br /> ...Our mere presence was the green flag for gentrification. We followed in a long line of artist citizens who ready the ground for the next inhabitants.<br /> <br /><br /><br />MotherDog arrived at its name through a glib comment by a befuddled reporter. Runnels and Sartwelle collaborated in 1986 on Mantraps: Tales of Fornication, a performance work at Lawndale Art Annex. Runnels trapped himself, sans clothes, inside a constructed black bathroom with tiny peepholes. Eric Gerber of The Houston Post wrote, “Art should try to capture life, but mother dog, nobody ever said anything about holding it prisoner in a big black box afterwards, did they?” On the lookout for a handle, Gerber accidentally gave Runnels a fitting one. The couple promptly quit the performance art biz and began the MotherDog mission of making way for other artists.<br /><br />The Art Crawl, managed by Runnels and Sartwelle for most of its 16 years, most exemplifies the MotherDog spirit of reaching out to both the public and other artists. Over the years thousands have traipsed through the downtown studios. “The Art Crawl is a gift,” says Runnels with noted pride. “People get to see firsthand where art is made.” In the past, Runnels partnered with Metro, which provided trolleys to easily move the masses from studio to studio. This year the crawl faces some serious transportation challenges. “Metro has since sold the trolleys and the large buses can't make the sharp turns,” says Runnels. “It will be different this year as studios take a larger role in publicizing their own events.”<br /><br />Over the years the landscape has shifted as artists have come and gone, and the lofts just keep on coming. “Lofts to the right of me, lofts to the left of me,” groans Runnels. “Money talks and artists walk.” There are still plenty of guns around, but they belong to the Metro Police, whose shiny new headquarters sits down the street. Polished sidewalks line the streets complete with pristine starter trees. The character of the area has shifted into gentrification mode with MotherDog's rough-hewn look standing in sharp contrast to the sleek, albeit sterile, residential dwellings.<br /><br />During his time with DiverseWorks between 1983 and 1995 Michael Peranteau witnessed the entrance of regular people and the exit of artists from downtown. “It was a ghost town then,” says Peranteau, who now serves as the Society for the Performing Arts' Director of Development. “Warren's and La Carafe were about the only places to go, but with that deadness came cheap places for artists to live and work.” Peranteau also observes the upside of residential development. “It's great to have people living here, all of that feels good. On any given night the place is jumping,” says Peranteau. “But I would like to see more affordable downtown housing for artists.”<br /><br />When DiverseWorks moved from its 214 Travis Street location in 1989 to their present East Freeway address, they were glad to have MotherDog as established neighbors “You can actually walk there, right under the freeway,” says Runnels. “To have such a prestigious alternative arts organization like DiverseWorks move here was a major injection artistically.” Diane Barber, DiverseWorks co-director, remembers the buzz when they started Downtown Stomp Around in 2002. “The dock is our front porch; it's a very social space,” Barber says. “FotoFest and Frank White have always been great neighbors, but frankly we miss that particular energy we had back in the 1990s.” Barber believes a confluence of factors such as better spaces and prices contributed to artist exodus.<br /><br />Choreographer Sarah Irwin remembers that atmosphere well. “My studio shared a wall with DiverseWorks,” recalls Irwin from her home in the Hill Country of southwest Austin. Irwin created her compelling piece, Rooms, in 1992, a dance that took place in her own studio and DiverseWorks stage simultaneously via a live camera. The piece exposed the potency of shared spaces through humor and Irwin's envelope-pushing movement vocabulary. During her decade as DiverseWorks' next door neighbor, she assumed many roles, from organizing local dancers to perform in visiting shows, to pitching in as ticket taker when necessary. When a visiting artist needed an extra body, Irwin was often that body. “I played death as a boa constrictor for Pauline Oliveros,” recalls the choreographer. “I became the link to the dance community.” Irwin's stature as a downtown artist goes back even farther, with several performances at DiverseWorks' original 214 Travis Street location and Mel Chin and William Steen's Studio One. Irwin and her collaborator Edie Scott worked with the late James Bettison, Don Redman, and Beth Secor. “There were all these amazing visual artists working there at the time like Jack Massing and Michael Galbraith, before they had become The Art Guys, Sharon Kopriva, and Chuck Dugan, and then there was me. I was just so honored to be included.”<br /><br />Peranteau credits Irwin, DiverseWorks, MotherDog and others as spearheading a golden age of downtown arts activity. Coming and going are part and parcel of any artist's life. His own life has moved full circle as he sees once-emerging artists presented at DiverseWorks on the SPA stage. Sixto Wagan, the present co-director of DiverseWorks, agrees it's a good thing when artists he nurtured go on to larger venues such as Wortham Theater Center and Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. “It's important to remember that artists and arts organizations have cycles,” Wagan states. Today, denizens of the dock seem on the come back trail. Recently, Gabriela Trzebinski and Hanna Hillerova moved in. Currently, DiverseWorks is open for yet another move, possibly to a more accessible area. As for the loft population, Barber holds out hope that they could become DiverseWorks' next audience.<br /><br />Early on Runnels and Sartwelle considered becoming a non-profit like DiverseWorks. Their motto, “How small can we stay and still accomplish our vision?” guided the MotherDog mission. “We were afraid we would lose control. We always wanted it to be a democratic dictatorship,” jokes Sartwelle. “We didn't want to grow bigger either.” The pair got their chance to try the non-profit route during their ten-year tenure as directors of the Bayou Bend ArtPark from 1993-2003. “That experience prepared us for the work we are doing now in public art,” says Sartwelle. After a decade they were ready to move on and allow others to take the helm.<br /><br />Being adaptable ranks high on any artists' survival list and Hurricane Ike provided yet another chance to be tested. Runnels inspects the damage with a mixture of amazement and regret. A leak wreaked havoc on the computers while a horizontal torrent of rain crashed in on his plans for WATER.WALL, a public art project slated for 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona. “A trickle down theory took place. It's really quite beautiful how the water bled some of these colors,” observes Runnels. Tropical Storm Allison left the couple trapped inside the studio for two days. “The place looked like Venice,” reflects Runnels.<br /><br />For Runnels, the bayou may just be the link that connects the neighborhoods separated by highways. “The Bayou is geomorphologically a river,” Runnels insists. “On a quiet day I can even hear the bayou from MotherDog.” Water, a frequent subject for the artist, forms the basis of dream.boats, his ongoing collaboration with the Buffalo Bayou Partnership. “When you see the sight of silver boats on high your imagination demands the other half,” says Runnels about his gleaming upside down stainless steel vessels. “They trigger a portal entrance to a potential experience. For me it was about bringing the qualities of the water up to the street level.” Anne Olson, director of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, sees dream.boats as a prime example of integrated art and remains dedicated to incorporating public art into all of the organization's projects. Massive pillars created by architects TeamHou and artist Mel Chin gracing Sesquicentennial Park stand as a prime example. Olson is particularly proud of Nights on the Blue Bayou, a collaboration with the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts that placed music and visual arts events in direct contact with the pedestrian public. “We have made a commitment to innovative events,” says Olson. “We want to think beyond beer blasts and rock concerts.”<br /><br />MotherDogStudios, DiverseWorks, and the Buffalo Bayou Partnership join in a mission to find sustainable ways to boost the city's vibrant downtown art scene. Negotiating the territory with careful attention will determine the future cultural ecology. It's no wonder that Runnels' object of choice takes the form of a boat. As Runnels finishes his final dream.boat in the upcoming months, he contemplates the city's evolving landscape. As for the loft dwellers, Runnels remains unconvinced of their contribution and he wishes they would clean up after their dogs more. Runnels and Sartwelle soldier on despite an uncertain future with a gratefulness for the space MotherDog afforded them and the many artists who created under their welcoming umbrella. They accept their tenuous situation like true urban pioneers. “As artists we adjust. You can't fight the future. We are lucky our space was never considered loft worthy,” admits Sartwelle. “Still, we are always sitting on tender hooks. But then again, I never thought we would be here this long.”<br /><br />DiverseWorks is now considering another move, while Runnels and Sartwelle take the “last man standing” approach, holding out amidst flux. Their stewardship speaks to the artists' unbending resourceful spirit. “Change is inevitable and I embrace it,” Runnels ruminates. “The moment we landed here we knew our fate was determined. Our mere presence was the green flag for gentrification. We followed in a long line of artist citizens who ready the ground for the next inhabitants.” Runnels ends the tour of his homestead with a visit to his favorite end-of-the-day spot, where mama and papa dog often enjoy a late afternoon cocktail. In the distance looms a stunning view of the shining city rising out of a dusky glow they both still proudly call home.<br /><br />Reprinted from <a href="http://www.downtownhouston.org/news/article/keeping-faith/">Downtown Magazine.</a>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-21988433816676303722010-08-06T05:08:00.000-07:002010-08-06T05:12:10.731-07:00<!-- /#content-header --> <div id="content-area"><link rel="stylesheet" media="print" type="text/css" href="http://www.absolutelyintheloop.com/sites/all/themes/foo/print-node.css"> <div id="node-450" class="node node-type-feature"><div class="node-inner"> <div class="nodecontent"> <h1 class="nodetitle-feature"> <a href="http://www.absolutelyintheloop.com/features/small-space-love" title="Small Space Love">Small Space Love</a> </h1> <div class="byline">by Nancy Wozny</div> <div class="nodecontent-img"> <a class="lightbox-processed" rel="lightbox" href="http://www.absolutelyintheloop.com/sites/default/files/ITL%20JuneJulyLowRes_Page_16.jpg" title=""><img src="http://www.absolutelyintheloop.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/node_page/ITL%20JuneJulyLowRes_Page_16.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-node_page imagecache-default imagecache-node_page_default" width="390" height="530" /></a> </div> <p align="left">Could hotel rooms be good for my health? I just adore those miniature homes away from home. I have an ongoing fantasy where I junk my suburban fake Gothic four-bedroom to live on our Marriott points, write a blog called “<em>Married to the Marriott</em>,” get a book, then movie deal. Meryl Streep will play me in the movie.</p> <p align="left">Why do I feel so happy and safe in small spaces? Is it because I spent my early years in a tiny apartment above my grandparents’ place? When my parents ditched the urban life for a 1960s style sprawling split level, I asked my mother, “How many families will be moving in?” I remember my first night in our multi-room dwelling. I felt lonely and out of scale with my own body.</p> <p align="left">“It could be related to the safety and security of the womb,” says Rachel Winer, Ph.D, a psychologist and founder of ArtsEngine. Makes sense, why wouldn’t our first digs have a profound effect on us? Hours after my first son<strong> </strong>was born, his baby thought bubble read, “Wow, what a big room.” When I told my second son to eat his veggies so he would grow, he promptly quipped. “I don’t want to get bigger, I like being small. I need to fit under the table.”</p> <p align="left">According to Winer, there’s more to liking tiny spaces. “It could also be related to aesthetic preferences,” she adds. Winer is right. I feel burdened by too much space; it generates too much stuff, which in turn needs to be put away. Winer has similar needs. “I like to see what I need for comfort and survival,” she says. “What brings us security in our dwelling space makes it possible to explore the outside world. Some of us also want to live in close proximity to other people.” She’s got a point there. When I moved to Houston, the master bedroom was downstairs. To me, it was an odd design choice. I wanted to hear my son breathe, but his crib seemed to be in another country upstairs.</p> <p align="left">I am not the only one that longs for a troll house, the small house movement founded by Sarah Susanka, author of “<em>The Not So Big House</em>,” has garnered the attention of <em>NPR</em>, <em>Time</em> and even “<em>Oprah</em>.” Could it be that people feel happier knowing they are taking a smaller toll on the world’s resources? Winer is not about to claim that your mansion is bad for your health, but living lighter and smaller could generate less stress. There’s certainly a well documented link between stress and auto immune disorders and other diseases.</p> <p align="left">Winer brings up values and cultural issues. “Preferring a small home may also be a statement of not subscribing to the showiness of flamboyance,” she says. “Space is used differently in less individualistic societies, where there’s a more diffuse boundary.”</p> <p align="left">Too small spaces don't work either. My former office made me feel trapped. Later on, I learned my office had indeed been a closet. Now, I sound a lot like Goldilocks; the size of my space has to be “just right.”</p> <p align="left">According to Winer, there’s more to pining for hotel rooms. “I can live with the illusion of being a tidy person,” she says. “There’s also a chance to reinvent yourself and take a vacation from your own house.” And I thought I liked them because they were so small.</p> <p align="left">As a recovering philosophy major, I turn to Gaston Bachelard’s “<em>The Poetics of Space</em>.”</p> <p align="left">“For our house is our corner of the world, it is our first universe, a real cosmos in every sense of the word.” I suppose I just need a modest corner. Sadly, Bachelard has absolutely nothing to say about hotel rooms.</p> <p align="left">In my childhood neighborhood there was one house we called “the castle.” We rarely saw anyone entering or exiting the place, and we concocted all kinds of nutty fantasies about the place and its inhabitants. Years later, my mother confessed that she had actually been inside the mansion. “They mostly lived in two rooms.” Just trying to turn the castle into a hotel room I guess.
<br /></p></div></div></div></div>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-89579529795117800792010-06-26T12:44:00.000-07:002010-06-26T12:49:38.235-07:00Review: Catastrophic Theatre's Hunter Gatherers<p><a href="http://houstonartsweek.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/hunter.jpg"><img style="width: 396px; height: 264px;" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-686" title="hunter" src="http://houstonartsweek.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/hunter.jpg?w=450&h=299" alt="" /></a></p> <p><span style="font-size:78%;"><strong>Shelley Calene-Black, Troy Schulze, Greg Dean, Amy Bruce</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:78%;"><strong>Photo by George Hixson<br /></strong></span></p> <p>Dinner parties with old high school friends are rarely a good idea. Add an animal sacrifice into the mix, and well, things get frisky. <a href="http://www.catastrophictheatre.com/">The Catastrophic Theatre</a> takes its tagline, “We will destroy you,” to epic levels in their sassy new production of Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s <a href="http://www.catastrophictheatre.com/shows/hunter-gatherers"><em>Hunter Gatherers</em>,</a> now playing at <a href="http://www.diverseworks.org/">DiverseWorks</a>. Why not end the season with some savory meat and a blood bath? Feels right and, dare I say, yummy to me. </p> <p>Cat-in-heat Wendy, boring doctor Tom, Neanderthal Richard, and demure Pam gather annually for their collective wedding anniversary. Things go downhill the moment Tom finds a parking place. Wendy can’t control the weather in her underpants, Richard can’t control anything, Pam lives for control and Tom invented control. Therein lies the volatile mix of these four characters stuck in a room for two hours. Nachtrieb turns back-to-nature fools on their heads with his riff on primal urges. Think <em>The Flintstones</em> crashing full speed into <em>Housewives of New Jersey.</em> </p> <p>Nodler directs with a back-away-from-the-mayhem approach, letting the play’s absurd moments have a glory all of their own. Catastrophic’s artistic director knows his way around a riot, yet this is subtler than last year’s production. Leave to Nodler to find tenderness in the most extraordinary ridiculousness. </p> <p>The superb cast includes Greg Dean, who puts average cave men to shame with his take on the feral Richard. Amy Bruce imbues Wendy with a manic glee, like Maggie in <em>Cat on a Hot Tin Roof </em>on steroids. Shelley Calene-Black as the polite Pam singlehandedly proves ladylikeness can kill. Troy Schulze gives Tom an absurdest flare, as if he’s escaped from an Ionesco play and is wondering how he ended up with these insane people. </p> <p>Kevin Holden’s set and lighting design draw the action closer than his previous version at Stages Repertory Theatre. It’s tighter, sleeker, more in your face, lending a more claustrophobic space for these four to mate and merge. Holden gets us way too close this wayward flock, making the antics feel visceral as all get out. At Catastrophic Theatre it takes just a lamp chop to bring down Western Civilization. As it should be. Trust me, this is full-frontal fun. </p> <p><em>The Catastrophic Theatre presents Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s Hunter Gatherers at DiverseWorks Art Space through July 17. Call 713-522-2723 or visit <a href="http://www.catastrophictheatre.com/">www.catastrophictheatre.com</a>.</em></p> <p><strong>Reprinted from <a href="http://houstonartsweek.wordpress.com/2010/06/26/catastrophic-theatre%E2%80%99s-hunter-gatherers-a-review/">Houston ArtsWeek.</a><br /></strong></p>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-39875164916306240112010-05-21T11:34:00.000-07:002010-05-21T11:39:37.291-07:00A city on the fringe: There's nothing straight up in BooTown's vision<img class="photo350" src="http://www.culturemap.com/site_media/uploads/photos/2010-05-18/Nancy_Wozny_Houston_Fringe_Fesvital_Fashion_Briefs_color.350w_263h.jpg" alt="News_Nancy Wozny_Houston Fringe Fesvital_Fashion Briefs" /><p> When your Italian teacher sweetie dons a pink tie with the words "Barbie" written on it, that could be a good sign it's time to move on. That particular boyfriend and other romances gone bad inspired Jennifer Doctorovich's <a target="_blank" href="http://www.houstonfringefestival.org/2010/04/14/lemon-drops/"><em>Lemon Drops</em>,</a> which premieres Thursday at <a target="_blank" href="http://barboheme.com/">Boheme</a> as part of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bootown.org/">BooTown's</a> third annual <a target="_blank" href="http://www.houstonfringefestival.org/">Houston Fringe Festival.</a> (other <a target="_blank" href="http://www.houstonfringefestival.org/schedule/">Fringe events</a> start tonight).</p> <p> According to Doctorovich, horrendous breakups make good theater.</p> <p> "I know bad dates have been done a lot, but I have a different hook, in that I am interested in that moment you know a relationship is over and it's time to leave; the spell is broken and you get that cringing quality," she says. "It's fictional, but somewhat related to my own dating history.</p> <p> "We are so busy falling in love we don't take the time to know who that person really is because we are lulled into a false sense of security."</p> <p> Doctorovich is part of a cadre of local and out-of-town artists proud to be presenting their work at the Festival this year.</p> <p> They say you can judge a city's arts spunk by the health of its fringe festival. OK, maybe I said that. But it's true, there's a delicate ecology in the arts; nurturing the artsy edges feeds the cultural stream. We need places for artists to get their feet wet, try out new ideas, succeed, fail and experiment.</p> <p> I wrote about the need for <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/newsdetail/03-25-10-no-worries-new-art-dance-virgins-headed-to-houston/">incubation </a>of new art a few weeks ago. It's crucial to raise the next generation of writers, actors and choreographers, otherwise I will be writing about bath towels.</p> <p> Emily Hynds, BooTown's smart and savvy director, agrees. "Some of our founding members had been to fringe festivals," Hynds says. "It fits so well with our collaborative aesthetic."</p> <p> She's right, it does. The vibe at BooTown is relaxed and welcoming, with an emphasis on theater as a social and accessible art.</p> <p> The Festival is open to artists at any stage of development. It's completely noncurated, which means all an artist needs to do is apply.</p> <p> "Houston lacks outlets to get new work produced. Finding the venue and marketing is often the hardest part of putting on a show. We fill that need," Hynds says. "Our venues welcome the Fringe Festers. They bring a crowd, so it's mutually beneficial."</p> <p> You are not likely to see a straight up musical in a straight up theater with the BooTown name on it.</p> <p> "Our focus is to do totally original theater pieces in non-theatrical venues. I know it sounds cheesy, but we want to have fun ourselves," she says. "We like to work in bars where people can hang out before the show, have some entertainment and continue to hang out some more." BooTown may be most known for Grown-Up Story Time, where anyone can submit a story, which will be read by a local actor.</p> <p> The popular event goes down the third Tuesday of every month at <a target="_blank" href="http://rudyards.s425.sureserver.com/">Rudyard's</a> and returns in July.</p> <p> This year BooTown opened the Festival to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.houstonfringefestival.org/shows/">dance</a> artists, which entailed finding spaces with suitable floors.</p> <p> "Why not open it up to dance? " Hynds says. "There's such a strong dance presence in the city. It was a struggle to make those dance connections, but this year we made it a priority."</p> <p> Luckily, the local community opened their hearts and studios. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.houstonmetdance.com/">The Houston Metropolitan Dance Center </a>and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.hopestoneinc.org/">Hope Center</a> are participating venues this season. The Met Dance Company, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.houstonfringefestival.org/2010/05/08/amazonia/">China Cat Productions</a>, the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.danceorchid.org/">Colombian Orchid Ballet</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://codefadcompany.org/">Code f.a.d. Company</a> make up the dance portion.</p> <p> Autumn Mist Belk, artistic director of Code f.a.d., stumbled upon the Fringe Festival when looking for a place to perform outside of their home base in Raleigh, N.C.</p> <p> "This is a great way to test out the show," Belk says. "It helps me know where to go next." Belk describes <em>Fashion Briefs</em>, a premiere based on the lives and work of eight fashion designers, as upbeat and funny.</p> <p> For a writer like Doctorovich, the festival fills a needed niche. She plans to develop <em>Lemon Drops</em> into a one-woman show for <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mildredsumbrella.com/">Mildred's Umbrella</a> <em>Museum of Dysfunction</em> series in December. Having a place to try it out in front of an audience is a crucial step in her process.</p> <p> "Every city needs a fringe fest. We have to continue to embrace creativity and give opportunities to new talent," she says.</p> <p> Let it be known that Houston is now a two fringe fest town. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.freneticore.net/">FrenetiCore's</a> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.houstonfringefestival.com/">Houston Fringe Festival</a> gets under way in August.</p> <p> Yep, they're both called the Houston Fringe Festival. We are just a fringe-y city.</p><p>Reprinted from <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/newsdetail/05-19-10-city-on-the-fringe-houston-fringe-festival-bootown/">Culturemap.</a><br /></p>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-8269192705770558102010-05-21T11:30:00.000-07:002010-05-21T11:34:13.704-07:00Yes Men are anything but: Punking the press one story at a time<img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Owner/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-6.png" alt="" /><img class="photo350" src="http://www.culturemap.com/site_media/uploads/photos/2010-05-04/Nancy_Wozny_Yes_Men_2.350w_263h.jpg" alt="News_Nancy Wozny_Yes Men_brushing teeth" /><br /><br />This just in, in a remarkable change of heart, Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs has just announced that he, along with all his fellow <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/19/opinion/19krugman.html">looters in loafers,</a> will give back their bonuses to start a fund for those who have lost their homes due to the hijacking scams of the famed Wall Street barons.<div id="articleWell"><br /><p> Or how about this:</p> <p> British Petroleum, deeply concerned about the long-term implications of the recent mega oil spill, has donated profits to clean up the devastation. In addition, BP employees will be taking special bird-washing classes so they can spend their vacations cleaning up the Gulf Coast.</p> <p> Maybe this is more up my alley:</p> <p> The American Ballet Society has just released a statement of support for American female ballet choreographers, including special funds to commission major new works. They also acknowledged that has been way too long since a woman (perhaps never?) ran a major American dance company and seek to correct that within the year.</p> <p> Can you tell I spent some time with <a target="_blank" href="http://theyesmen.org/">The Yes Men</a>?</p> <p> Andy Bichlbaum specifically, during a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.diverseworks.org/?pgid=3&subid=6&cid=245">How to be a Yes Men</a> workshop as part of<a target="_blank" href="http://www.diverseworks.org/index.php?pgid=3&subid=6&cid=245"><em> Keep It Slick: Infiltrating Capitalism with The Yes Men, </em></a>curated by Astria Suparak and organized by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pnca.edu/exposure/feldman/">Feldman Gallery</a> at Pacific Northwest College of Art and <a target="_blank" href="http://millergallery.cfa.cmu.edu/">Miller Gallery</a> at Carnegie Mellon University. The show is up now at <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/mapdetail/diverseworks/">DiverseWorks</a> and runs through June 5.</p> <p> The Yes Men, Bichlbaum & Mike Bonanno, are prankster/artists/identity correctors who are most famous for duping the BBC when Jude Finisterra (Bichlbaum) posed as a Dow spokesperson to announce that Dow was now taking responsibility for the Bhopal chemical disaster. The caper resulted in over 600 articles, drawing needed attention to the still growing health problems of those injured by the incident.</p> <p> Other fabulous capers include posing as a spokesperson from the Chamber of Commerce, announcing that the not-so-green group has come out for stricter environmental protections, and a fake edition of <em>The New York Times</em>, hailing "The Iraq War is over." Their movie,<a target="_blank" href="http://theyesmenfixtheworld.com/"> <em>The Yes Men Fixed the World</em></a>, headlined the <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/eventdetail/cinema-arts-festival-the-yes-men-fix-the-world/">Cinema Arts Festival </a>last fall.</p> <p> "Corporations never do the right thing," Bichlbaum said to the attentive DiverseWorks crowd. The best you can do is shame them into admitting that they have no intention of doing the right thing. That's what happens when they send out the press release saying, no, we are not doing this or that, as in the right thing.</p> <p> Bichlbaum wanted to bring the conversation to a local level, so he took ideas from the crowd. Turns out, there's a certain upscale grocery chain (they make that fabulous cheesy bread) that is interested in purchasing a piece of land near another grocery chain in a low-income area of the city. The land would make a great park.</p> <p> So why not call a press conference, have a person impersonate a spokesperson from that unnamed grocery store announce they are, in fact, turning that lovely stretch of land into a park and community garden.</p> <p> Not so fast. Bichlbaum advises to do your homework. Who is the target? Is it the city or the store? The goal is to activate voters, to raise public awareness, support and possibly outrage.</p> <p> "What about legal issues?" asked a Yes Men wannabe. "We will get to that later," sidestepped Bichlbaum.</p> <p> The Yes Men outlined a step-by-step action plan, most of which is outlined on their website and in their handy workbook. Everything from how to create a fake website, to the timing of press releases, video tips, the total ins and out of punking the press is yours for the taking. You can even have a fake "real" corporate spokesperson come in to stop the whole thing.</p> <p> "It's even better when the real people show up. That's what happened at the Chamber of Commerce. The real guy came charging in to stop us," Bichlbaum remembered. "We could not have asked for a better prop."</p> <p> According to Bichlbaum, the press doesn't mind being misled. "They have fun with it, and usually get a good story out of it," he said. "Most get it pretty quickly."</p> <p> That's where you hit them with the follow-up interview. When they ask why you would do something stupid like impersonating someone, say, "Speaking of stupid", and launch into your talking points. You can even send a come clean press release that points to action plans and activist organizations that are already working on the problem. Keep in mind, those activist organizations may or may not want to be implicated.</p> <p> "You might want to call them beforehand. Then, send a fake hand-wringing press release from the corporation, where they admit they have no intention of doing such and such. The corporation might send a real one, too. That's the best situation."</p> <p> Imagine you wanted to throw some attention on a local school board that has eliminated arts funding. So you set up a nice press conference announcing it has restored arts funding, perhaps even added funding. Don't forget to serve beer and food. Once the press gets wind of the fake story, the real fun starts.</p> <p> The real school board would then have to send a press release stating it has not restored arts funding, often sounding a bit, well, cold and heartless in the process. This situation ends up being your protection from those pesky "legal" issues. It makes them look really creepy by going after you.</p> <p> Yes Men-ing is not for the faint of troublemaking. It takes considerable planning, tech savvy and access to one kick-ass press list. Sounds like a ton of work to me. I might just go Yes Men lite and crash a Tea Party with a sign reading, "Thanks FDA for keeping arsenic out of my baby formula, or some other gov-lovin' sentiment. I will make sure to misspell something so I blend in.</p> <p> Workshop participants less lazy than I left scheming and plotting. Watch out Houston! All the details on how to Yes Man-ize yourself are <a target="_blank" href="http://challenge.theyesmen.org/how">here</a>.</p> <p> As for the question on getting into trouble — absolutely. Plan on it.</p><p>Reprinted from <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/newsdetail/05-05-10-yes-men-are-anything-but-punking-the-press-one-story-at-a-time/">Culturemap.</a></p><p><br /></p></div>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-83288133932498447272010-05-21T11:25:00.000-07:002010-05-21T11:28:30.516-07:00Kicking and screaming to summer arts program fun: Don't ask your kids, just bring 'em<img class="photo263" src="http://www.culturemap.com/site_media/uploads/photos/2010-05-04/Nancy_Wozny_Nancys_Kids_Miranda_Shawn_3312.263w_350h.jpg" alt="News_Nancy Wozny_Nancy's Kids_Miranda Shawn" /><br /><p> I was a bit of a clunky mom, the one you felt sorry for in the Target parking lot with snugglie/stroller issues. Even my own kids suspected they were with an amateur. From time to time they would offer advice.</p> <p> Once, I baked cookies. My then 5-year-old son pulled me aside, "Mom, you don't have to do this, they sell them at the store."</p> <p> The one thing I got right was exposing my two sons to the arts. Maybe you don't want to get lost in the woods with my boys (although they would keep you entertained), but they can talk about art with the best of them.</p> <p> I took a page from my father's book. He never asked, "Who is in the mood for George Bernard Shaw's <em>The Devil's Disciple</em>?" Nah, he just piled us into the station wagon and off we went to the opera, ballet, theater or an exhibit. It works the same way around chez Wozny. Our art road trips are the price of the roof, like church, except they often include a trip to our fave family cheap eats, <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/mapdetail/tacos-go-go/">Tacos A Go Go</a>.</p> <p> Rule number one: Kids like art better after a tasty meal.</p> <p> Houston is just jumping with fine children's arts programs. If I listed them all here, your kids would be grown by the time you finished reading this. Instead, I want to highlight a few that have crossed my path during my time as a CultureMap art sleuth.</p> <p> It's Saturday morning, the kids are rested, in a good mood, and have a belly full of organic Cheerios, what should you do? Pack the tots into the car and head directly over to the Wortham Center at 10:30 am for <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mercurybaroque.org/02/adventure.aspx">The Adventure of Baroque Music</a>, presented by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mercurybaroque.org/">Mercury Baroque</a>. The early music troupe has had an in-school outreach program for a while now, but this is the first time they have offered a public concert.</p> <p> "We wanted to expand the program to everyone," <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mercurybaroque.org/03/03101.aspx">Antoine Plante</a>, Mercury Baroque's artistic director, says.</p> <p> The very animated Ana Trevino-Godfrey will lead the festivities, which include an adventure across Europe though music and story. Plante even throws some history in there. It's 1704, and England is at war with France, which wreaks havoc when Queen Anne's oboist can't get a hold of any French wood necessary for making reeds. It's no wonder Plante makes children a priority audience; he grew up with two early musician parents in a home with 150 period instruments.</p> <p> Also on Saturday, you can see what <a target="_blank" href="http://www.hopestoneinc.org/?page_id=599">Jane Weine</a>r has been up to with <a target="_blank" href="http://www.hopestoneinc.org/?page_id=24">Kid's Play:</a> <em>Skool of Rock </em>at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.barnevelder.org/">Barnevelder</a>. Weiner, artistic director of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.hopestoneinc.org/">Hope Stone Dance</a>, directs Kid's Play, a program that includes dance, theater, music, photography and yoga.</p> <p> "The arts offer so many ways for kids to find their voice," Weiner says. "Art strengthens, empowers and heals."</p> <p> No stranger to working with youth, Weiner directed the Youth Arts Program for at-risk teens at the famed <a target="_blank" href="http://www.batesdancefestival.org/">Bates Dance Festival</a> for 15 years. Weiner, who is bit of jokester, suddenly becomes very serious when it comes to young people. "I think children are America's greatest asset," Weiner says. "They are like dolphins in that they are smarter than we are."</p> <p> Weiner understands. She got hooked on dance watching <a target="_blank" href="http://www.paballet.org/">Pennsylvania Ballet's</a> <em>Nutcracker</em>. " Watching that sea of white tulle, I was zapped then and there," she says.</p> <p> Kid's Play has been so successful, she's taking it to New Orleans in June.</p> <p> <strong>When pirouettes trump SpongeBob</strong></p> <p> Getting youngsters to cozy up to modern dance is no piece of cake. Just ask the Wozny boys, who had fully hoped to go to college on major scholarships from the foundation for "Children who have seen too much modern dance."</p> <p> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theatredance.uh.edu/contactus/faculty/stokes_k.asp">Karen Stokes</a> thinks we need to leave a few crumbs to better decipher dance, so she created <a target="_blank" href="http://www.travestydancegroup.org/home.html"> Framing Dance</a>, a snappy intro to dance program for schools. Stokes, artistic director of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.travestydancegroup.org/">Travesty Dance Group</a> and head of the Dance Division at University of Houston's <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theatredance.uh.edu/">School of Theatre & Dance</a>, wants to answer the question "What does it mean?"</p> <p> "In dance, that often goes unanswered. Dance needs framing because it's the least accessible and most ephemeral art form," Stokes says. Whether it's learning how dance can tell a story or be just about patterns in space, Framing Dance hands children the keys to dance, such that they feel successful in watching it. The response has been huge.</p> <p> "Laughing, applauding, asking questions, telling us their favorite piece, we just get intoxicated from their reactions," Stokes says.</p> <p> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.musiqahouston.org/index.php?section=composer&id=4">Anthony Brandt</a> is super proud of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.musiqahouston.org/index.php?section=content&id=45">Around the World</a> with <a target="_blank" href="http://www.musiqahouston.org/">Musiqa,</a> an interactive program for elementary school children, now in its sixth year. Brandt isn't the only one who's impressed, the program is a three-time National Endowment for the Arts Award winner. "If I have one abiding conviction, it's that music is not elitist," Brandt, Musiqa's artistic director, says. "The people who wrote the music came from every possible background."</p> <p> Around the World hones in on folk songs, but here's the catch, the children have already learned the songs ahead of time because Karol Bennett traveled to each participating school to teach them. "They count on being part of the show," Brandt says. Today, Musiqa is busy coming up with a middle school program..</p> <p> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.interactivetheater.org/">InterActive Theater Company's</a> name says it all. If you want kids to love theater, they need to be onstage helping the story get told. "With InterActive you don't just see the story, you are part of it," boasts Angela Foster, InterActive's director. InterActive has adapted everything from Texas history to poetry. Hallmarks of their method include improvisation, original scripts and actors playing multiple roles.</p> <p> Check out <em><a target="_blank" href="http://www.interactivetheater.org/BO_peter%20pan.html">Peter Pan</a></em> going on right now. InterActive just wrapped up <em>Peter & the Wolf</em>, their first partnership with <a target="_blank" href="http://www.rocohouston.org/">River Oaks Chamber Orchestra</a> (ROCO) at the Children's Museum. ROCO deserves kudos for <a target="_blank" href="http://www.rocohouston.org/ROCOrooters.html">ROCOrooters</a>, where kids get to learn and listen, and the parents get to go out to dinner after the show. Smart move ROCO.</p> <p> Finally, I can't tell you how much the <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/mapdetail/museum-fine-arts-houston/">MFAH</a> has been the Wozny clan's home away from home. The programs for families, students and educators are a lifeline.</p> <p> No discussion about young people and art would be complete without a shout out to Ray Carrington III and his students at Jack Yates High School. Carrington puts a camera into the hands of high school students, often for the very first time, to document Houston's historic Third Ward.<a target="_blank" href="http://www.mfah.org/exhibition.asp?par1=1&par2=2&par3=659&par4=1&par5=1&par6=1&par7=&lgc=4&eid=&currentPage="> Eye on the Third Ward </a>is now a major <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mfah.org/exhibition.asp?par1=1&par2=2&par3=659&par4=1&currentPage=1&lgc=4&par6=3">archive</a> of this evolving neighborhood. How amazing is that?</p> <p> So get those kids out of the house and into some art. It worked for me. Plus, I got out of baking cookies. I will never forget the time someone asked, "Who is Jackson Pollock?" within earshot of my then 12-year-old.</p> <p> He launched into a spontaneous lecture on Jackson's athletic mark making. I thought to myself, "That's my boy."</p><p>Reprinted from <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/newsdetail/05-06-10-houston-overflowing-with-kids-arts-programs-just-dont-give-yours-a-chance-to-say-no/">Culturemap</a><br /></p>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-35912622266862767742010-05-21T11:21:00.000-07:002010-05-21T11:24:59.863-07:00<h1 class="nodetitle-feature"> <a href="http://www.absolutelyintheloop.com/features/the-bodycation-have-an-in-body-experience" title="The Bodycation: Have an In-Body Experience">The Bodycation: Have an In-Body Experience</a> </h1> <div class="byline"><br /></div> <div class="nodecontent-img"> <a class="lightbox-processed" rel="lightbox" href="http://www.absolutelyintheloop.com/sites/default/files/22-23.jpg" title="Photography by Kristie Byrant"><img src="http://www.absolutelyintheloop.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/node_page/22-23.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-node_page imagecache-default imagecache-node_page_default" width="390" height="265" /></a> </div> <p>“Your body is a wonderland,” croons pop star John Mayer. Well, I hope so. Our bodies are the cheapest playgrounds I know of; where else can you have a totally in-depth experience without moving your car? Vacations are about taking in something new, letting go of working hard and refreshing our neural-wiring. They are also about being able to return to your life rejuvenated with a new perspective. </p> <p>Everyone already knows about yoga, pilates and the numerous dance classes available in Houston. But there are more off of the beaten track ways to take an in-body vacation. Here are some of my favorites.</p> <p><strong>Yamuna Body Rolling</strong>, developed by Yamuna (she goes by one name, like Cher), uses different size balls that you rest and roll on, lengthening those pesky muscle and stubborn fascial tissues. Yamuna means “river,” so there's lots of flow. Joyce Yost Ulrich, a level three Yamuna teacher, a pilates expert and a former Houston Ballet dancer, leads us through a series of stretches for our hips, flexors, hamstrings and tight calve muscles. “Yamuna is great at getting at the front of the spine, which is often neglected,” says Ulrich. “And the work perfectly complements pilates and yoga. Plus, balls are fun and playing is part of the method.” So, not only do you get a little vacation, but you come back with more space. I left feeling dreamy, loose and very three-dimensional. Ulrich teaches at Hope Center and in her Treehouse studio.</p> <p>The <strong>Feldenkrais Movement</strong> is all about going to new places in your body and mind. But the way you do that is by lying quietly on your back, on a soft mat performing tiny and delicate movements in a dark room. You gently re-pattern your body into more efficient functioning. That sounds good, but it feels even better. When you re-calibrate your effort, you feel as if someone took an elephant off your back. People mostly float away after class, or at least I do. “There's an old saying that 'a change is as good as a rest,'” says MaryBeth Smith, founder of the Feldenkrais Center of Houston. “People don't realize that the overall pattern of their lives is 'go go go,' and so even activities we usually view as pleasurable can start to feel stale and stressful. We seem to thrive when we have novelty and variation in our patterns.” Movements are unusual enough to be engaging, but comfortable enough that you feel safe and not stressed. Smith teaches at the C. G. Jung Center, Pilates Houston, the Caroline Collective and MD Anderson.</p> <p>The <strong>Alexander Technique</strong>, founded by actor F.M. Alexander in the 1890s, concerns the relationship between the head and the rest of the spine. “Move the head up and forward, and the spine will follow,” is the now-famous motto of the technique, practiced widely by actors, musicians and dancers. Alexander was an actor who lost his voice. When he began to pay attention to what he was doing in his own body that was preventing his full use of his self, he learned how to inhibit unnecessary habits. “We are born with this upward instinct. We just need to stop interfering with it,” says Chris Lidvall, one of Houston's leading Alexander teachers. “Gravity is not the enemy; in Alexander, we move up into gravity.” Lidvall works one-on-one and in group settings helping individuals do whatever they do better, whether that is playing the piano or just getting up from a chair. In a private session, you may in fact just stand and sit while Lidvall gently places her hands on your neck, ribs and hips. You keep your clothes on and your eyes open during an Alexander lesson. Some table work is involved, so comfortable pants work best. Lidvall may completely take over the movement of an arm or leg. That's the vacation part. You get to feel, sense, and take a break from doing. “We are always doing,” she says. “In Alexander, we learn to stop, pay attention and find an easier way.” Plan to feel lighter and more at ease.</p> <p><strong>Gyrokinesis (the movement</strong> component of Gyrotonic) was founded by former ballet dancer Juliu Horvath while on the Island of St. Thomas in the 1970s, so you know it's gonna give you at thrill. Horvath calls his method “yoga for the dancer,” but you don't have to be a dancer to give it a try. Joseph Modlin, a pilates, Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis teacher, welcomes all levels of fitness to his Hope Center classes. Using a stool, Modlin leads us through a series of spiral-like moves that flow in and around the spine, which arches and curls continually. Then we hit the mat for more circular fun. The curves add flow, so you don't even notice that it's a bit strenuous. The easy to follow movements keep the class moving, while Modlin gives subtle direction and occasional flashes of his famous wit. The stool makes it accessible for everyone too. “Life, blood and our breath flows in circles, which is why the class is so calming and soothing,” says Modlin, who is also member of Hope Stone Dance Company. “I relate it to waking up in the morning; the class is like a fresh start.” Of all the in-body experiences, this is the most active. Expect to feel energized and very connected afterwards.</p> <p>Continuum Movement takes the flow concept a step further and deeper, so consider a Continuum class your most exotic body-based excursion. Developed by somatic pioneer Emilie Conrad, Continuum is about restoring the vitality of our fluid systems. “Without water, there is no life,” says Patty Adamik, Houston's sole Continuum teacher. “On a cellular level, all processes within our body occur in a fluid medium. We are basically aquatic beings that carry our ocean within ourselves.” Through a series of breaths and easy to learn movements, elasticity is restored and vitality returns. There's also a strong emphasis on going to new places. You may find yourself hanging off a chair to re-acquaint yourself in gravity. No previous training is required, and Adamik welcomes people of all fitness levels. A Continuum exploration is called a dive that you can go deep into, to discover the depths of your watery birth. “Think of it as a fantastic voyage,” says Adamik, who is trained in several body/mind practices. “It's like shrinking yourself down to notice any tiny shifts and impulses that you are able to pay attention to.” For advanced students, week-long retreats feature silence and sometimes total darkness for a total restoration experience. Adamik introduces students to the premises behind the work at the C. G. Jung Center and Nia Moves Houston.</p> <p>For a listing of online resources related to this article and links to local training facilities, please visit us online at <em>AbsolutelyInTheLoop.com.</em></p><p><em><strong>reprinted from<a href="http://www.absolutelyintheloop.com/features/the-bodycation-have-an-in-body-experience"> Absolutely in the Loop.</a><br /></strong></em></p>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-13750573728987722872010-04-24T12:30:00.000-07:002010-04-24T12:34:20.141-07:00Houston Explodes with Motion<img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Owner/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-5.png" alt="" /> <!-- thumbnail for Facebook wall posts --> <div style="display: none;"> <img src="http://www.culturemap.com/site_media/uploads/photos/2010-04-16/Nancy_Wozny_Dance_Week_Houston_Metropolitan_Dance_Company_Marlana_Walsh-Doyle_Joe_Celej_by_D._Garson.181w_136h.jpg" alt="" /> </div> <!-- end thumbnail for Facebook wall posts --> <img class="photo350" src="http://www.culturemap.com/site_media/uploads/photos/2010-04-16/Nancy_Wozny_Dance_Week_Houston_Metropolitan_Dance_Company_Marlana_Walsh-Doyle_Joe_Celej_by_D._Garson.350w_263h.jpg" alt="News_Nancy Wozny_Dance Week_Houston Metropolitan Dance Company_Marlana Walsh-Doyle_Joe Celej" /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo by D. Garson</span> <div class="caption"><span style="font-size:78%;">Marlana Walsh-Doyle and Joe Celej of the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company. Walsh-Doyle is managing director of Houston Met, and Celej is also the choreographer.</span></div><br />Dance is one happening art form right now. <em><a target="_blank" href="http://www.fox.com/dance/">So You Think You Can Dance?</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars">Dancing With the Stars,</a></em> and <em><a target="_blank" href="http://www.fox.com/glee/">Glee</a> </em>rule the airwaves. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1004082662">Sarah Kaufman</a> of The Washington Post just snagged a Pulitzer Prize for dance criticism, only the second in history. Here at home, <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/mapdetail/houston-ballet">Houston Ballet </a>erects its new temple, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.houstonballet.org/CenterForDance/">Center for Dance</a>. <p> For <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nationaldanceweek.org/">National Dance Week</a> (today through May 2), the city is literally exploding with motion.</p> <p> Launching the week in Houston tonight is the upstart troupe<a target="_blank" href="http://www.aszurebarton.com/"> Aszure Barton & Artists</a>, presented by <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/mapdetail/society-performing-arts">Society for the Performing Arts</a> at the Wortham Theater Center's Cullen Theater. Barton, a Canadian, is a perfect match for the Lone Star state.</p> <p> "I'm a cowgirl allright<strong>,</strong>" says Barton. "I have always wanted to perform in Texas."</p> <p> Her liquid moves, sensuous and athletic, come to life when danced by her top-notch company. Barton's busy year has included major commissions from American Ballet Theatre, The National Ballet of Canada, Juilliard and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Check out her Dance Magazine <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dancemagazine.com/issues/April-2008/Aszure-Barton">cover story</a> and my Dance Source Houston <a target="_blank" href="http://houstondance.org/DSH/Site_Page.cfm?PageID=441&HeaderID=70">interview</a>.</p> <p> Homegrown concerts are plentiful as well. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.severaldancerscore.org/cpc/cpc.htm">Core Performance Company, </a>dually based in Atlanta and Houston, opens its hearts to local choreographers <a href="https://secure.class.uh.edu/theatre_facapp1/Professor_Info.aspx?ProfID=6">Teresa Chapman</a>, Leslie Scates and <a href="https://secure.class.uh.edu/theatre_facapp1/Professor_Info.aspx?ProfID=27">Becky Valls,</a> in <em>Let's Dance </em>on April 30 at <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/mapdetail/miller-outdoor-theatre">Miller Outdoor Theatre</a>. Chapman is reprising <em>Shift,</em> a work originally made for three <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/mapdetail/university-houston">University of Houston</a> dancers. This time <a target="_blank" href="http://www.erinreck.com/">Erin Reck,</a> Lindsey McGill and Brit Wallis will do the honors.</p> <p> "This is the dream team," says Chapman. "I love watching them spin, spiral, leap and catch each other."</p> <p> Next weekend will be a busy time for Reck, Valls and Chapman because all three of them also have works in <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theatredance.uh.edu/">Propulsion</a>, the University of Houston faculty dance concert on the same night. <strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">"We haven't quite figured out how we are going to do this," Chapman says.</span></strong></p> <p> Also on April 30 (It must be Dance Day):</p> <ul><li> <strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Core member Blake Dalton shows off a freestyle <a target="_blank" href="http://web.mac.com/crossover_/iWeb/Crossover%20Movement%20Arts%20/Crossover%20Movement%20Arts.html">poling piece</a> with Rice Dance Theatre. He explains the new hybrid dance style this way: </span></strong><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">"Think aerial dance meets pole vaulting."</span></strong></li><li> Students from the <a target="_blank" href="http://central.hccs.edu/portal/site/central/menuitem.182b4ad9afc58e607bd15b10c17401ca/?vgnextoid=1ea8153f44b4a110VgnVCM2000001b4710acRCRD&vgnextfmt=default">Houston Community College Dance Ensemble </a>present their spring show,<em> Eye of the Beholder </em>at Heinen Theater, featuring <em>Cacophony</em>, a new work by director Cynthia Capuch.</li><li> At the Cullen, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.houstonmetdance.com/proco.html">Houston Metropolitan Dance Company</a> presents <em>Mixing it Up Again</em> featuring shiny new works by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pattieobey.com/">Pattie Obey,</a> Kiki Lucas, Joe Celej, Kate Skarpetowska and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pointpark.edu/Academics/Schools/COPA/COPADeptsMajors/Dance/Faculty/KieshaLalamaWhite">Keisha Lalama-White</a>. Just named one of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dancemagazine.com/issues/January-2009/25-To-Watch">25 to watch</a> by Dance Magazine, Lalama-White mixes memory, personal experience and photography. A photograph of the eyes of a soldier in Afghanistan slowly develops like a Polaroid during the piece Lalama-White calls <em>Unsung Moment.</em> "I am exploring the soldier's thoughts in that one moment," she says. "The dancers represent fear, denial and panic."</li><li> With <em>Ascending </em>at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.barnevelder.org/">Barnevelder</a>, Second Generation Dance features dances about women escaping slavery via the underground railroad from Texas to Mexico.</li></ul> <p> May is just as busy. East Meets West VIII brings world dance into the fun as <a target="_blank" href="http://danceaa.org/site/?page_id=16">Dance of Asian America</a> performs ancient and contemporary dances from China at Miller Outdoor Theatre on May 1. For the west part, artistic director Janie Yao has invited <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhpadance.com/">Revolve Dance Company</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.danceaddeum.com/">Ad Deum Dance Company</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=3944766">WyldStyL.</a></p> <p> "Last year, 4,500 people showed up to see us at the Miller," boasts Yao. "People enjoy being exposed to different kinds of dance, and all for free. Miller is one great place to educate an audience."</p> <p> Also in May: The young dancers at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.houstonballet.org/Ticketing_Schedule/Houston_Ballet_on_Tour/">Houston Ballet II</a> take their talents on tour to Germany while the main company polishes up <a target="_blank" href="http://markmorrisdancegroup.org/">Mark Morris'</a> <em>Sandpaper Ballet </em>and Stanton Welch's <a target="_blank" href="http://www.houstonballet.org/Ticketing_Schedule/20092010_Season_Calendar/Pecos/">Pecos Bill</a>.</p> <p> The month continues its dance blitz with<a target="_blank" href="http://www.urbansouls.org/"> Urban Souls Dance Company</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.freneticore.net/">FrenitiCore</a>, <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/mapdetail/dominic-walsh-dance-theater">Dominic Walsh Dance Theater</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.psophonia.com/">Psophonia Dance Company</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.6degreesdance.org/">6 Degrees</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amyell.com/Vault/Home.html">Vault</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.brangwendance.org/">The Michele Brangwen Dance Ensemble</a>, JCC, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.hopestoneinc.org/">Hope Stone</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sirroms.com/">Entre Flamenco</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIkC5tJf-2I">India Jazz Suites</a> Katha Master Chitres Das with super star tapper Jason Samuels Smith. The month concludes appropriately with <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dancehouston.org/?gclid=CNGM0sWQlKECFQqbnAodlRQlPw">Dance Houston's </a>City Wide Dance Festival.</p> <p> Whoa! My dance card is full. Even <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nationaldanceweek.org/n_ab.htm">Angelina Ballerina</a>, the spokesmouse for National Dance Week, is on top of the world with a new show.</p> <p> All things in motion are moving up.</p><p>Reprinted from <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/newsdetail/04-13-10-national-dance-week/">CultureMap</a>.<br /></p>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-38255709644515165552010-04-24T12:26:00.000-07:002010-04-24T12:29:45.365-07:00Opera Moves: Priscilla Nathan-Murphy on HGO<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><img style="width: 368px; height: 245px;" alt="" src="http://houstondance.org/DSH/Site_Documents/Grouped/HGO%20queenofspades%202.jpg" align="baseline" border="0" hspace="0" /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#333333;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><em><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;">Tchaikovsky's </span>The</em> <em>Queen of Spades</em></span></span></p><div> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;color:#333333;"><em>Photo by Felix Sanchez</em></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"> </p><o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em>Choreographer/Instructor Priscilla Nathan-Murphy is most known as principal of the lower school at <a href="http://www.houstonballet.org/">Houston Ballet's <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Ben</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Stevenson</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Academy</st1:placetype></st1:place>.</a> In addition, she also directs the modern program there. Recently, Nathan-Murphy has contributed her movement expertise to the <a href="http://houstondance.org/DSH/www.houstongrandopera.org">Houston Grand Opera</a> productions of Tchaikovsky's<span style=""> </span>Queen of Spades and Handel's Xerxes. Nathan-Murphy gives us a glimpse of her opera life.</em></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Dance Source <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Houston</st1:place></st1:city>: Give us a little history of your time at <a href="http://www.houstongrandopera.org/">HGO.</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Priscilla Nathan-Murphy: I started about as a dancer in <i>Turandot</i> several years ago. I served as the Dance captain for <i>Aida</i> and even had a little solo. Other productions include <i>Don Giovanni,</i> <i>Rigoletto</i> , <i>La Traviata</i> and <i>Jenufa.</i> During this time, I also taught movement for the HGO studio members. These were all during the David Gockley years. From time to time,<span style=""> </span>I would be called in to work with principals and chorus members. Over the years, I've worked with Renee Fleming, Patricia Racett, Samuel Ramey and Laura Claycomb. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">DSH:<span style=""> </span>How did you get involved this time around? You must be thrilled to be working with Claycomb again in <i>Xerxes.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">PNM: Yes, I am. It's so great to see her again after all these years. She was a big star back then and she's an even bigger one now. And she has this amazing voice. She has a particular aria that has very specific hand period gestures. It's more body movement than dance. I was working with the English translation and when I got there I saw that they were working with Italian translation so I had to do some thinking on my feet but it all worked out. As for my participation, Mark Lear, Associate Artistic Administrator at HGO, suggested my name.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I am also working with the wardens in<i> Xerxes</i> who are dotted throughout the opera. Michael Walling, the director, wanted a certain style in the way they present themselves, their timing and posture.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">DSH: Is there a lot of give and take in the process?</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">PNM: Yes, especially when working with a principal; nothing can interfere with their voice.<span style=""> </span>If they don't feel comfortable moving you have to acknowledge that and find a better position of the body. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">DSH: Tell us about your work in <i>Queen of Spades</i>. It looks visually stunning from the photos.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">PNM: Yes, it will be. There is role for an actor in one scene that I am choreographing. It takes place in a gambling den full of men.<span style=""> </span>It has been done by a dancer in the past, but the director, Roy Rallo, thought it looked too polished and slick.<span style=""> </span>It needs to be more raw, more natural. Matthew Redden is doing the part. He's originally from <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Houston</st1:place></st1:city>. He has to dance with a scarf and high heels, so that's been a challenge, but he's getting used to it. It's something between dancing and acting. Matthew was a joy to work with. I really like how it's turned out, he's really making it his own now. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">DSH: What do you like about working with opera singers?</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">PNM: More and more, I find they are so open to movement ideas, it shows how much they care about the whole production. It's also such a growing experience for me. I like working one-on-one with an artist. It's been amazing to work with two new directors as well. I have to open myself up to what they want and make that happen. It's been quite an experience. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">DSH: On another subject, you must be excited about the new Center for Dance, which will really expand the work you can do at Houston Ballet.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">NPM: For me, it's a realization of a dream. The national and global attention that this new and prestigious building is bringing goes beyond what I had ever imagined. Yes it will expand the work I will be able to do. It is an expression of how far we have have come. The connection to the Wortham is going to be great too. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">DSH: It's closer to HGO.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">NPM: Exactly! </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p><em> </em></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em>Houston Grand Opera presents Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades from April 16-May 1 and Handel's Xerxes from April 30-May 2 at <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Wortham</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place>. </em><a href="http://www.houstongrandopera.org/"><span style="color:#000080;"><em>www.houstongrandopera.org</em></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Reprinted from <a href="http://houstondance.org/DSH/Site_Page.cfm?PageID=442&HeaderID=70">DSH</a>.<br /><a href="http://www.houstongrandopera.org/"><span style="color:#000080;"><em></em></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="http://www.houstongrandopera.org/"><span style="color:#000080;"><em><br /></em></span></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-5234759002738739822010-04-24T12:21:00.000-07:002010-04-24T12:26:17.193-07:00Aszure Barton on Busking and her Busy Year<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://houstondance.org/DSH/Site_Documents/Grouped/Busk-4.jpg"><img style="width: 322px; height: 501px;" alt="" src="http://houstondance.org/DSH/Site_Documents/Grouped/Busk-4.jpg" align="baseline" border="0" hspace="0" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Aszure Barton & Artists<br />Photo by Donald Lee<br />Courtesy of The Banff Centre</span> </p><em>Canadian choreographer </em><a href="http://www.aszurebarton.com/"><em>Aszure Barton</em></a><em> is on one amazing career ride. Lucky for us, she's stopping in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Houston</st1:place></st1:city> for a </em><a href="http://www.spahouston.org/index_0910_upcoming.aspx"><em>Society for the Performing Arts</em></a><em> show at Cullen Theater next Friday. With commissions from American Ballet Theatre, The National Ballet of Canada and Juilliard this year, along with a major company tour, it's been one busy year. In addition, her work graces the repertory of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Martha Graham Dance Company, Les Ballets jazz de Montreal and others. She's also an artist-in-residence at The Banff Centre and The Baryshnikov Arts Center. She brings us into the whirlwind of her dance life below.</em><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Dance Source <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Houston</st1:place></st1:city>: Tell us about one of your newest dances, <i>Busk</i>. What does it have to do with busking, as in street performing?</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Aszure Barton: We had this wonderful opportunity to spend a month creating a new work at the DanceWorks festival in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Santa Barbara</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">California</st1:state></st1:place>, which was fantastic. I didn't exactly get there and think, “let's do a piece about busking.” After I observed the environment, I started to ask a lot of questions about my place as an artist. <st1:city st="on">Santa Barbara</st1:city> has this incredible dichotomy; there are extremely wealthy people along with many homeless <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Vietnam</st1:place></st1:country-region> veterans. There's also this bizarre street life there. I became intrigued with so many people living on the streets and many of them are in their 60s and 70s. I wasn't trying to make a statement; it was more of an observation. Asking questions of where we fit in. The process brought up a lot of questions on what it means to be an artist.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">DSH: How do you balance your time with Aszure & Artists with your commissions?</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">AB: My company is part-time and project-based, which works very well for me now. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Houston</st1:place></st1:city> is the end of a four month tour for us. We just got back from <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Moscow</st1:place></st1:city>, which was so fun. It does work out if you create balance, but I had to learn the hard way. I took on four commissions, which I said I'd never do. I learned that was the limit for me. It was incredibly intense and I was happy with each one. Company and commissions feed each other. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">DSH: When I first saw your work at around midnight, after clocking in some 25 hours of dance watching at APAP, my first thought was, “Let's get this girl to Texas.” Perhaps it was because there's such a sense of joy in your work, or that you encouraged the audience to hoot and holler. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">AB: I have always wanted to go to <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Texas</st1:place></st1:state>. I'm from <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Alberta</st1:place></st1:state> so I'm a cowgirl. I am also excited to perform in the Cullen Theater, I've heard great things about the space; everyone who has been there has loved it. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">DSH: Your work contains such sensual and complex movements, yet you often have a whole stage full of dancers moving in exact unison. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">AB: I have always been fascinated with large groups and large numbers of people. I like seeing the stage from a wide perspective, like an organism. We create a collective language, it's really symbiotic. It's such a blessing to have 10 dancers with me. If I had more money, I would have even more. We are such a family and have such a good time. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">DSH: Your career took off so quickly, Broadway, big commissions, a <a href="http://www.dancemagazine.com/issues/April-2008/Aszure-Barton">Dance Magazine</a> cover story.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">AB: It did. I still pinch myself. If your heart is in the right place things happen. I have been so lucky to be an artist-in-residence at the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Baryshnikov</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Arts</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place>. Their whole mission is so admirable. Misha is always looking for new artists and supporting upcoming actors, dancers, and musicians. It's such a supportive environment to work in. That's how I ended up choreographing <i>Three Penny Opera</i>. Scott Elliot came to watch a rehearsal and the next thing I knew I was choreographing a Broadway show.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">DSH: The second half of the program is <i>Blue Soup</i>. What's in the soup?</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">AB: It's an assemblage of older and newer works. The thread is the power of sound in the body and music. I did the sound design myself.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">DSH: What's next?</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">AB: A new piece for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">DSH: What's something we don't know about you?</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">AB: My personality is incredibly unpredictable. I am either shy or outgoing. It's always surprising me. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="http://www.spahouston.org/index_0910_upcoming.aspx">Society for the Performing Arts</a> presents Aszure Barton & Artists on April 23, 8pm, <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Wortham</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place>'s Cullen Theater. Call 713-227-4772 or visit <a href="http://www.spahouston.org/"><span style="color:#000080;">www.spahouston.org</span></a></p><br />Reprinted from <a href="http://houstondance.org/DSH/Site_Page.cfm?PageID=441&HeaderID=70">DSH</a>.N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-22304016343099703112010-03-22T15:33:00.000-07:002010-03-22T15:58:09.332-07:00Review: Our Late Night by Wallace Shawn<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjoWD9HmJu4wSrzvzsmL6q4qtb1Yny4y88vOFVHdQfGmShj1QBWD9hMwDdFl7vZO29mDH-EQfqUf1Rb76WoBTs-qRZAeRCKmioMcipItfyvJ9aDn-b5hwfGUnuiCax5qRcYyF_gw/s1600-h/OLN+1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjoWD9HmJu4wSrzvzsmL6q4qtb1Yny4y88vOFVHdQfGmShj1QBWD9hMwDdFl7vZO29mDH-EQfqUf1Rb76WoBTs-qRZAeRCKmioMcipItfyvJ9aDn-b5hwfGUnuiCax5qRcYyF_gw/s320/OLN+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451594355951694930" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Mikelle Johnson and Greg Dean<br />Photo by Anthony Rathbun</span><br /><br />Imagine inviting a bunch of people over to a party, say in New York circa 1975, and on the way something in their brains shift so that they lose the ability to inhibit their innermost thoughts, fantasies and telling of their sexual escapades and desires. Wallace Shawn does exactly that in <span style="font-style: italic;">Our Late Night</span>, now playing on the <a href="http://www.catastrophictheatre.com/">Catastrophic Theatre</a> stage at DiverseWorks.<br /><br />And what a dishy lot Shawn as conjured. This tribe knows no barrier between brain and tongue; secrets cannot be contained. Tony (Kyle Sturdivant) tells all about his night in the tropics. When Kristin's (Karina Pal Montano-Bowers) plan of applying burning jelly is rejected by Jim (Troy Schulze), she suggests bondage as a second choice. Grant (Jeff Miller) gets off on his daughter's leg hair and Samantha (Carolyn Houston Boone) vomits up bird feathers. These are the best friends of hosts Annette (Mikelle Johnson) and Lewis (Greg Dean), who just may kill each other later that night.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Our Late Night</span> isn't so much as a play as it is a dreamy dip into full-on voyeurism. Director Jason Nodler sets this up exactly with the facade of a modernistic hi-rise apartment. We literally watch the play thought the stunning windows of their sleek digs. We are not the only ones peeking into this naughty world. The characters all listen to each other with an intensity that amplifies the seedy content. Never has doing nothing on stage been this sexy. Gently miked, it's as if the actors are whispering into our ears. Its marvelously creepy and effective.<br /><br />The cast—superb all—consists of veteran Catastrophic company members along with seasoned newcomers. Johnson evokes a wistful Annette, girlish and devilish in one swoop. Her velvety voice pulls us right into the space of the play. Dean's stern husband, Lewis, projects a rough authority and commanding presence. Schulze imbues Jim, the only one to keep his thoughts to himself, with an uncomfortable awkwardness. If the play had a second act, I imagine he would be next to explode. Schulze manages the tension well. Miller gives Grant, the smarmy doctor, a delicious edge. Sturdivant carries the arc of Tony's tropical adventure with a manic momentum. Montano-Bowers gives Kristin a dark side of Nancy Sinatra vibe, equal parts funny and scary. Carolyn Houston Boone is understated, elegant, and the best listener in the bunch. She holds the space of this strange play with an uncanny grace. We want to know more about why she coughs up feathers.<br /><br />Nodler's direction holds true to Shawn's brand of deviant realism, letting the silky prose push forward into the intimate spaces, without neglecting the base humor. It's a difficult play made oddly beautiful, even serene and tender in parts. Nodler mines the material's breathing spaces, keeping it authentic, and always human. Dean's set is impressive and monumental for DiverseWorks, while Kirk Markley's lighting design adds to the seductive ambiance. With <span style="font-style: italic;">Our</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Late Night</span>, Catastrophic lives up to its tag line, “We will destroy you,” with yet another winning night of theater.<br /><br />The Catastrophic Theatre presents Wallace Shawn's <span style="font-style: italic;">Our Late Night</span> through April 3 at DiverseWorks.N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-91233097864016574732010-03-21T13:06:00.000-07:002010-03-21T13:14:10.871-07:00The American Idol of Opera: Forget the large woman in a horned hat<!-- thumbnail for Facebook wall posts --> <div style="display: none;"> <img src="http://www.culturemap.com/site_media/uploads/photos/2010-03-15/Nancy_Wozny_Opera_Vista_Anorexia_Sacra_Competition_Shannon_Langman.136w_181h.jpg" alt="" /> </div> <!-- end thumbnail for Facebook wall posts --> <div id="articleWell"><img class="photo263" src="http://www.culturemap.com/site_media/uploads/photos/2010-03-15/Nancy_Wozny_Opera_Vista_Anorexia_Sacra_Competition_Shannon_Langman.263w_350h.jpg" alt="News_Nancy Wozny_Opera Vista_Anorexia Sacra Competition_Shannon Langman" /><a target="_blank" href="http://operavista.org/">Opera Vista </a>founder Viswa Subbaraman holds his third annual opera festival Saturday through March 27 at the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.czechcenter.org/">Czech Center Museum Houston</a>. New works from national and international composers will be voted on <em>American Idol </em>style. There will also be two chances to see last year's festival winner, Line Tjornhoj's haunting <em><a target="_blank" href="http://operavista.org/2010-opera-vista-festival/line-tj%C3%B8rnh%C3%B8j/">Anorexia Sacra</a> </em>at the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.friendshouston.org/">Live Oak Friends Meeting House.</a> <p> Recently named an Arts Mastermind by the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.houstonpress.com/2010-01-28/news/inside-the-masterminds/">Houston Press,</a> Viswa Subbaraman is carving his own particular niche in the opera ecology of Houston. The fledgling troupe's big hits include a stellar performance of Leonard Bernstein's <em>Trouble in Tahiti </em>on the <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/mapdetail/bayou-bend">Bayou Bend</a> grounds, performing Amy Beach's landmark opera <em>Cabildo </em>at the actual Cabildo Museum in New Orleans, and numerous outreach programs that make opera seem fun, accessible and unscary.</p> <p> Next fall, Opera Vista premieres <em>The Silent Prince</em>, a new opera from Thailand, at <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/mapdetail/hobby-center-performing-arts">Hobby Center</a> followed by a Bangkok tour. Subbaraman tells us exactly how he creates an opera-friendly place.</p> <p> <strong>Q: How did you catch the opera bug, and have your parents gotten over the fact that you are not a doctor?<br /> </strong></p> <p> <strong>A:</strong> I took the conducting route. Almost all great conductors are opera conductors. I did not get interested in opera until I was a sophomore at Duke, where I majored in biology and music. Yes, everyone in my family is a doctor. My mom always says, "You used to be so smart Viswa. What happened?"</p> <p> <strong>Q: Talk about your upcoming festival. New work in any art form is risky, and there seems to be a major drought when it comes to new operas. In Houston, we are lucky if we see a premiere every other year. It's slim pickings out there in the opera factory biz, don't you think?</strong></p> <p> <strong>A:</strong> The fear behind new opera on a grand scale is that if it doesn't go well the organization is out a few million. They need to take large risks to produce new work. We are a chamber opera contest with very specific requirements. It's doable. Over the past three years we have looked at over 200 chamber operas, so I have a good idea of what's happening nationally and internationally.</p> <p> <strong>Q: How exactly do you face the opera fear factor?<br /> </strong></p> <p> <strong>A:</strong> We try to get away from opera's image of a large woman wearing a horned hat singing at the top of her lungs in a foreign language. We have a series called Opera 101, which takes place at <a target="_blank" href="http://barboheme.com/">Boheme</a> once a month where we do all kinds of activities that engage people. Last month, we wrote an instant opera. We had two ringer singers in the audience, and of course that helped. There was a Vespa in the story, and some guy went and got his Vespa for the performance. I do something different each time. In the festival we give the audience a vote, <em>American Idol </em>style. Audience members can also give comments and feedback along with the jurors. They have some measure of control of their experience.</p> <p> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Q: What's the crowning jewel of the festival?</span></p> <p> <strong>A:</strong> We fully produce the opera that won the previous year. We will be presenting Danish composer and 2009 winner Line Tjornhoj's opera<em> Anorexia Sacra </em>at the Live Oak Quaker Meeting House, which is a perfect space for the opera. It's based on the letters of Clare of Assisi, founder of an extreme ascetic medieval order known as "Poor Clare's." She died of anorexia in 1254. Tjornhoj was also inspired by pro-anorexia sites on the Web and attempts to build a poetic bridge spanning 800 years.</p> <p> <strong>Q: What's your big plan for Opera Vista?<br /> </strong></p> <p> <strong>A:</strong> My hope is that we are building the next generation of audiences for <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/mapdetail/houston-grand-opera">Houston Grand Opera</a> and <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/mapdetail/opera-heights">Opera in the Heights</a>. We take a more aggressive approach with presenting operas outdoors at Bayou Bend every fall where people can enjoy a glass a wine and walk around, using our <em>American Idol</em> model with the festival, and events that are way less button-down than traditional opera. I hope to make Houston the Cannes or Sundance for new opera.</p><script src="http://js-kit.com/for/www.culturemap.com/comments.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <style type="text/css"> .js-CommentsSkin-echo .jsk-ThreadWrapper { padding-top:0px; padding-bottom:0px; } </style> </div>Reprinted from <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/newsdetail/03-12-10-five-the-american-idol-of-opera-vista/">Culturemap. </a> <!-- thumbnail for Facebook wall posts --> <div style="display: none;"> <img src="http://www.culturemap.com/site_media/uploads/photos/2010-03-15/Nancy_Wozny_Opera_Vista_Anorexia_Sacra_Competition_Shannon_Langman.136w_181h.jpg" alt="" /> </div> <!-- end thumbnail for Facebook wall posts -->N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-28557145627054544382010-03-21T13:04:00.000-07:002010-03-21T13:06:00.712-07:00<div class="nodecontent"> <h1 class="nodetitle-feature"> <a href="http://www.absolutelyintheloop.com/features/distraction-%E2%80%9Cr%E2%80%9D-us-the-myth-of-multitasking" title="Distraction “R” US: The Myth of Multitasking">Distraction “R” US: The Myth of Multitasking</a> </h1> <div class="byline"><br /></div> <div class="nodecontent-img"> <a class="lightbox-processed" rel="lightbox" href="http://www.absolutelyintheloop.com/sites/default/files/ITL%20FebMar10_Page_28.jpg" title=""><img src="http://www.absolutelyintheloop.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/node_page/ITL%20FebMar10_Page_28.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-node_page imagecache-default imagecache-node_page_default" width="390" height="530" /></a> </div> <p>If this year didn't have enough disappointments, now we find that multitasking is a bust, or more specifically, a myth. Turns out our brains can't do two things at once. All this time, we thought we were accomplishing so much, but really we were just switching back and forth between activities. To make it worse, all the flip flopping comes at a cost, quality. It's a bit like a circuit overload; an overwhelmed noggin just shuts down.</p> <p>It doesn't take a genius to know that the person driving in front of me, chatting on their cell phone, is not paying attention to the road. And don't get me started on texting and driving. The science on the failure of multitasking is mighty convincing. Stanford University researchers Eyal Ophir, Clifford Nass and Anthony Wagne at the Communications between Humans and Interactive Media Lab (<em><a href="http://news.stanford.edu/" target="_blank">News.Stanford.edu</a></em> ) found those who like to juggle activities underperform in comparison to one-thing-at-a-timers. Apparently, multitaskers simply cannot ignore distractions and their memories are impaired as well. So do multitaskers excel at switching back and forth between activities? The researchers predicted so, but guess what? They were wrong again, it appears that multitaskers are also unable filter out irrelevant information. But wait; there's more … Arousing our stress hormones, multitasking can actually be detrimental to our health. Walter Kirn chronicles all the bad news in his piece in <em>The Atlantic Monthly</em> (<em><a href="http://theatlantic.com/" target="_blank">TheAtlantic.com</a></em>), “The Autumn of Multitasking.”</p> <p>Russell Poldrack, UCLA associate professor of psychology (<em><a href="http://psych.ucla.edu/" target="_blank">Psych.UCLA.edu</a></em>), discovered that we actually use a different part of our brain when we multitask. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), Poldrack discovered that the hippocampus, the brain's power center for memory, is not engaged when we learned with distractions. Instead, the brain's B team for learning, the striatum, is activated. His conclusion is that there is a distinction between learning a simple activity like exercising to music, which enhances brain function, and learning something new in an environment with distraction, which doesn’t.</p> <p>This isn’t exactly new information. Way back in 1959, Margaret and Lloyd Peterson published “Short Term Retention of Individual Verbal Items” in the <em>Journal of Experimental Psychology</em>. Their subjects tried to learn something new while counting backwards. As you might predict, it didn't turn out well.</p> <p>None of these studies mentioned that fact that doing a few things at once is really fun and empowering. I get a sense of wild joy when I try to scramble eggs, make sure the croissants don't burn and brew the coffee, attempting to have everything ready at the exactly the same time. I feel like the conductor of my very own orchestra, or breakfast ensemble anyway. But hasn’t our techno-world has been entirely structured to scramble our attention? In the one minute we check our Facebook feed, we get a sense of thousands of people doing thousands of things. Is that all just useless information that we are wired to soak up? Is there actually a purpose? Or are we just following technology's lead?</p> <p>In Nicholas Carr's now-epic essay in <em>The Atlantic Monthly</em>, “Is Google Making Us Stupider,” he lays out the reasons for the sea change. Carr chronicles our mental shift occurring as we process smaller and more numerous snippets of information. Technology is actually changing the way our brains work.</p> <p>Chris Welsh, owner of Mastery of Learning (<em><a href="http://masteryoflearning.com/" target="_blank">MasteryOfLearning.com</a></em>) and an expert on neuroscience, urges us to consider a few key facts. “We multitask all the time,” he says, “like walking and talking. We just need to be more selective about what we pay attention to.” Welsh concurs that doing many things at once can be a brain drain. “Cognitive functions take up the same real estate in the brain. We burn through a lot of energy with all that stopping one thing to do another thing.” Welsh urges us to think of having an attention budget and to practice some form of mindfulness. “We need to exercise our ability to stay focused. As habitually distracted culture, we just need to create new habits of focus. Start with something modest like 5-10 minutes of focusing on one thing and gradually increase the time.”</p> <p>But that doesn't mean we need to stay glued to a one-thing-at-time lifestyle either.</p> <p>I'd like to think that the human attention span is a fluid thing, darting and drifting as life comes at us. “We are hard-wired to be curious about what's in our environment,” says Welsh. “A distraction can be something interesting you can learn from. But we don't need to be distracted by every shiny thing; we can be selective about what distracts us.”</p> <p>As to why we humans seem to cherish task juggling, Welsh has an explanation for that as well. “We like our entire bandwidth filled,” he says. “When we focus on just one thing that doesn't happen, so we look for something to fill it.”</p> <p>So I guess it's not my fault that while writing this piece I checked my email and Facebook numerous times, watched a snippet of a Canadian TV series on YouTube, read Paul Krugman's <em>New York Times</em> column and sipped a delicious St. Arnold Elissa India Pale Ale. What can I say? I'm just a girl trying to fill her bandwidth.</p><p>Reprinted from <a href="http://www.absolutelyintheloop.com/features/distraction-%E2%80%9Cr%E2%80%9D-us-the-myth-of-multitasking">Absolutely in the Loop.</a><br /></p> </div>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-63870243709846872322010-03-21T13:01:00.000-07:002010-03-21T13:03:54.561-07:00Review: :Letters You Wrote<p align="center"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><img style="width: 340px; height: 255px;" alt="" src="http://houstondance.org/DSH/Site_Documents/Grouped/sara.jpg" align="baseline" border="0" hspace="0" /><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><em>Dancepatheatre<br />Photography by Sara Draper</em></span> </p> <p align="left"><em>Magnolia Ballroom<br />Houston, TX<br />March 18, 2010<br /><br /></em><br />Dancing to text presents some tricky territory, and Sara Draper's Dancepatheatre presentation, <em>Letters You Wrote,</em> ran into a few of them. Using family letters from post war era 1945-1965, Draper set selected letters to movement along with improvised music by members from The Foundation for Modern Music.<br /><br />The final offering, Letter #7 from <em>Beth to Friends,</em> was the most fully realized. Here, the family scurries about in a pre-Christmas frenzy. We get a feel of the world of this letter before it actually begins, a chance to know these people and care what they have to say to one another. Nicely danced by Cassandra Shaffer, Sara Draper, Patricia Solorzano and Allison Truax, the final letter allowed enough space and time for the true intimacy of the letter to come centerstage.<br /><br />Draper, always engaging to watch, lit up the stage in Letters #4 and #5. Even in her 50s, Draper's crisp clarity continues to charm, proving a bright spot in a problematic evening.<br /><br />The trouble starts with the Magnolia Ballroom, which is way too acoustically live to hold an overly amplified layering of spoken word and live music, already in competition with a squeaky floor. The buzzy visuals of Houston's urban scape, visible from the audience's seats, add to the confusion. Letters are an intimate and long forgotten communication. Placed in a non-theatrical setting such as this, the pieces suffered from a lack of isolation in light, space and sound quality. The formal reading style of narrator Richard Jason Lyders also seemed an odd choice. Why would something as causal as a letter sound like a 1940s radio show? Whitney Adkins' more natural style served the pieces with a lighter touch. The excellent musicians, Nicholas Leh Baker and Maiko Sasaki, offered their own take on each letter, however, as the evening wore on, it began to sound all the same.<br /><br />Trained in anthropology, Draper did a fine job in selecting letters that revealed the character of the post-war era. Clever vintage costumes added to the nostalgia. In the evening's best moments, Draper played more with the rhythm of dance and text, allowing the words to have a breathing space. But too often, too much was happening all at once. The movement choices ranged from literal interpretations of the words to abstract dancing, often distracting from the content of the letter.<br /><br />Sadly, this leaves us to conclude that letters are perhaps best meant to be read by the addressee, quietly and all alone.<br /><br />Reprinted from <a href="http://houstondance.org/DSH/Site_Page.cfm?PageID=431&HeaderID=70">Dance Source Houston.</a><br /></p>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-5700857318624316592010-03-15T07:59:00.000-07:002010-03-15T08:05:02.483-07:00Review: Houston Ballet American at Heart<span style="font-size:130%;"><strong></strong></span><img style="width: 363px; height: 254px;" alt="" src="http://houstondance.org/DSH/Site_Documents/Grouped/HB%20American%20at%20Heart%20-%20Hush%203-11-2010%202.jpg" align="baseline" border="0" hspace="0" /> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><em>Ballet: Hush<br />Choreographer: Christopher Bruce<br />Dancer(s): Nicholas Leschke, Kelly Myernick<br />Photo: Amitava Sarkar<br /></em></span></div><br /><div><br />Shhhhh! The marvel that is Christopher Bruce's <em>Hush</em> is still playing on my inner youtube channel. Performed as part of <a href="http://www.houstonballet.org/">Houston Ballet's </a>American at Heart, <em>Hush</em> reached to even deeper heights of dance-making glory than I recall from its premiere in 2006. Bruce brings us into the life of a traveling theatrical family. Perhaps they are stopping on their way to their next show, and we are glad they did. Original cast members Kelly Myernick (mother) and Nicholas Leschke (father) and Melody Herrera (youngest daughter), Jessica Collado (older sister), Ian Casady (older brother) and Ilya Kozadayev (younger brother) make a perfect if not odd family.<br /><br />Each adheres to Bruce's idiosyncratic off-kilter style, while adding their own personal spin. Bruce mines every possible permutation in the ecology of the family, letting its subtle dynamics play out in solos, duets and rousing group dances. There isn't an un-thought through second in this ballet. Bruce even ends each variation with tender stage pictures, allowing emotional and visual rests. Set to Bobbin McFerrin's collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma's score, also named <em>Hush</em>, the ballet oscillates between public and private moments that occur within the safe confines of the family.<br /><br />Myernick tackles her solo, set to the Gounod/Bach <em>Ave Maria,</em> with the soul of a mother, running after little ones, washing the floor, doing the endless things mothers do automatically. She so elegantly captures the relentlessness of motherhood, it's raw instinct and never ending purposefulness. Leschke, moving with a weighted grace, catches her at the solo's finale, bouncing her back and forth to a resting normalcy. Herrera eats her little brother's fly, bounces like a frog on dad's back, dancing up a firestorm of lil' sis energy. Collado's spirals her wrists in sensual curves, embracing a young woman's discovery of self. Her dancing is voluptuous and self-absorbed as it should be. She concludes with an awkward strut back to her place in the hierarchy. Casady embodies the restrained demeanor of a male adolescent, while Kozadayev is all curiosity in his bug-chasing solo.<br /><br />At the end, the mysterious clan turns toward the star cloth and continues down their path. And don't we just want to follow them there? It was simply a breathtaking performance of a breathtaking ballet. Christina Giannelli's lighting design added to the magic, myth and delight, nicely delineating the inner from the communal moments.<br /><br />It's always a wonder to ponder Balachine's work, and Houston Ballet did not disappoint with his 1928 pinnacle of modernism, <em>Apollo.</em> It's a role built for Connor Walsh's considerable cluster of talents; his clear, exacting lines and pointed attack matched Balanchine's spare use of effort, shape and form. Amy Fote (Calliope), Sara Webb (Terpsichore) and Myernick (Polyhymnia) made sparkling muses, each their own distinct radiance.<br /><br />The program took another step back in time with Jerome Robbins' 1944 <em>Fancy Free,</em> a fun romp about three sailors on shore leave, and the precursor to his Broadway musical <em>On the Town.</em> It's a time capsule of a ballet, capturing wartime patriotism at its height. Casady, Jame Gotesky and Oliver Halkowich delivered robust performances, full of boy charm. Gotesky was a hoot in his hip swiveling rumba, while Casady's rough and tumble quality rang authentic. Halkowich's quick-footed spunk completed the trio. Fote and Collado bestowed the passers-by with a sexy polish.<br /><br />All in all, it was a night of dance history meeting dance magic. Not a bad week for a company that just topped their new digs with its final steel beam. </div>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-54990916015868883582010-03-08T07:19:00.000-08:002010-03-08T07:23:40.458-08:00Review: HGO Turn of the Screw<img style="width: 393px; height: 262px;" src="http://www.culturevulture.net/images/stories/opera-music/turnofscrewhgo.jpg" alt="turn of the screw" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><sub>Andrew Kennedy (Quint) and Michael Kepler Meo (Miles). Photo by Felix Sanchez</sub></span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.houstongrandopera.org/">Houston Grand Opera</a> reaches its half-way point of its stellar six-year Benjamin Britten cycle with <span style="font-style: italic;">Turn of the Screw</span> , a series that has so far included <span style="font-style: italic;">Billy Budd</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">A Midsummer Night's Dream.</span> Based on the 1898 Henry James ghost story, published during the spiritualism craze of the day, Turn of the Screw follows the spooky tale of a governess who arrives at an equally spooky English manor to care for two, you guessed it, two spooky kids, Miles and Flora. And, if you are not frightened yet, there's a pair of ghosts, Miss Jessel, the former housekeeper, and a deceased employee named Quint.<br /><br />Amanda Roocroft projects the right amount of anxiety as the Governess to sweep us into the thick of the intrigue. Judith Forst delivers a believable performance as the troubled housekeeper, Mrs. Grose. Andrew Kennedy imbues the red-haired Quint with a kind of restrained grace, while Tamara Wilson makes a positively chilling ghost as Miss Jessel. Making his HGO debut, the young Michael Kepler Meo is a total find as Miles, the odd and strangely adult child. Joelle Harvey, as Flora, the older sister, adds a whiff of fresh air in an otherwise claustrophobic opera.<br /><br />Neil Armfield, who has directed all the HGO Britten operas thus far, directs with an eye for the weird, keeping the intimacy intact. The austere sets and costumes designed by Stephen Curtis conjure a dark and foreboding Victorian atmosphere. With towering walls topped with bronzed children's toys, childhood looks out of reach. The scale is wonderfully off, making us even more unsettled. Curtis creates a prison of secrets where there is no way out. Nigel Levings' lighting design adds to the eerie world at every chance it can with mirrors, shadows and tricky illusions.<br /><br />But it's in Britten's brilliant music that we really feel the shudder going down our spines. With the HGO orchestra pared down to 13, Patrick Summers navigated the brittle, dissonant ridges of Britten's score with his usual finesse. All in all, Turn of the Screw goes down like a strong shot of Gothic glory.<br /><br />Reprinted from <a href="http://www.culturevulture.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=192:turn-of-the-screw-houston&catid=9:opera&Itemid=8">Culturevulture</a>.N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-16700481297547921252010-03-08T06:47:00.000-08:002010-04-15T05:48:47.403-07:00Gemma Paintin of Action Hero on A Western<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tLQyArtGVnecsdWPJ42P-YAJFWJw5ymjdQE5fvC0bb4wSIWUOJ5GkhubHdszxzHtmMxPbDlGPNRmd_CrezFygywATSzMs7mWdEXZTF6cAlRV0SxA73JJJAfOp2tmqhC_c1d69w/s1600-h/A+Western+hi+res+medium.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tLQyArtGVnecsdWPJ42P-YAJFWJw5ymjdQE5fvC0bb4wSIWUOJ5GkhubHdszxzHtmMxPbDlGPNRmd_CrezFygywATSzMs7mWdEXZTF6cAlRV0SxA73JJJAfOp2tmqhC_c1d69w/s200/A+Western+hi+res+medium.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446276964739210146" border="0" /></a>
<br /><meta equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.4 (Win32)"><style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Owner/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.png" alt="" /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""><span style="font-size:78%;">James Stenhouse in <span style="font-style: italic;">A Western</span>. Photo by Gemma Paintin</span>
<br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">Gemma Paintin and James Stenhouse,</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> otherwise known as <a href="http://www.actionhero.org.uk/">Action Hero</a>, make a stop in Texas to perform <a href="http://www.fuseboxfestival.com/events/details/119-a-western"><i>A Western</i></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;">, a site-responsive theater piece, as part of the<a href="http://www.fuseboxfestival.com/"> Fuse Box Festival</a> on April 24<sup>th</sup></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> at The Historic Victory Grill. The Bristol-based Brits take their myths seriously, and fully intend to have a show down in the Lone Star state. Action Hero considers the audience as collaborators and conspirators, so expect to be free to cheat on cards, love the hero, and, if you must, shoot him down. You can read my Culturemap Art in a Bar rant <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/newsdetail/03-07-10-art-in-a-bar/">here.</a> Paintin interviews Stenhouse on their process <a href="http://theatrebristol.net/showcase/action-hero-interview-action-hero">here</a>. She brings us into the saloon below. </span> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b>Dancehunter: I am really intrigued by your idea for <span style="font-style: italic;">A Western</span> because a guy walked into a bar in Texas not the UK. The bar thing is our myth. So here we have you two Brits doing a walking into a bar piece in a bar in Texas. What gives?</b></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Gemma Paintin: Well it's kind of our myth too, because that iconography seems so familiar to us, even though we don't come from that place. It's partly about being so influenced by a culture that's not our own. Those stories of cowboys and Westerns are part of our collective memory even though as a British person, I have no real connection to it. Yet, it feels so much a part of my experience of growing up. I think lots of non-Americans feel that way. It belongs to us by proxy through cinema and TV.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">DH: W</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b>hat's fun about bringing this piece to the wild west itself, which is Austin? </b></span> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;">GP: The first word in the piece is 'Texas,' so it's going to be incredible to perform it actually </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>in </i>Texas</span><span style="font-size:100%;">. That's pretty exciting for us as all of the places we have performed it have been emphatically </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>not</i></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> Texas, and that's what the piece is about in some ways. This isn't the wild west, we are not cowboys, this is not the saloon, but we try to recreate this place that feels so much a part of our experience of America and cinematic heroes, and the audience shares that ambition with us and help us make it. So what happens when we will really be in Texas, where those things really are? I guess it will become more about James and I as outsiders, retelling our versions of the Western to you. But I think the audience will still join in the game of remaking our imaginary Western, to shoot the hero and shout “yee hah.” Maybe the yee-hah's in Texas will be more authentic than the ones back home! We'll see.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b>DH: True, we wrote "Yee Hah" book. Do bar folks know what to do, or does it depend on the bar?</b></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;">GP: The bar staff always know we're going to perform, we don't just turn up unannounced. And most of the audience usually knows too. Sometimes, we get a few unsuspecting people who just came for a quiet drink, and now there's some kind of stand-off happening beside them, but they often get the most involved by the end.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b>DH: Do you get there and access what that bar is all about and adapt the piece accordingly? Is there anything you do ahead of time?</b></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;">GP: All bars have a different feel, and we re-work the show for every new space. We do a bit of work before we arrive with pictures of the bar, but generally you have to go there to get a feel for it. How can this place stand in for a desert, where would the mountains, the long road, the saloon doors be? We try to re-imagine the space as the landscape we describe, and that the audience knows so well from <span style="font-style: italic;">A Fistful of Dollars</span>, or Wyatt Earp or whatever, or maybe they don't remember consciously watching a Western, but the landscape is always there for them, somehow. It's been on a drip-drip their whole lives, always seeing those places and characters via Hollywood.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b>DH: Does anything ever get out of hand, or is that just the risk you take when you perform in a bar?</b></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;">GP: Well, it depends, as I say the bar always know we are going to perform and people come along specifically to see the show, so it's not random, but usually people want to collaborate with us to create this epic. We invite them to play a game, and mostly they accept the invitation. People do like to go a bit crazy at the end though; they shoot our hero down. Everyone wants to do that, don't they? </span> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Action Hero performs </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>A Western</i></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> as part of the Fuse Box Festival on April 18 & 19 through <a href="http://www.diverseworks.org/">Diverseworks</a>, at <a href="http://rudyards.s425.sureserver.com/">Rudyards</a> in Houston and April 24 at 9 pm at the Historic Victory Grill in Austin. </span> </p> N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-88122979346145099662010-02-26T14:08:00.000-08:002010-02-26T14:30:07.806-08:00It's a great day in Switzerland for Houston Ballet<div class="jsk-HeaderWrapper jsk-PrimaryFont"><div class="jsk-HeaderMenu jsk-LinkFont jsk-LinkColor"><div class="jsk-HeaderPauseBox jsk-SecondaryFontColor"> –<img class="photo350" src="http://www.culturemap.com/site_media/uploads/photos/2010-02-01/PL10_433B09.350w_263h.jpg" alt="News_houston ballet winner Emanuel_Feb 10" /></div></div></div><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo by Jean-Bernard Sieber</span><div> <div class="caption"><span style="font-size:78%;">Emanuel Amuchastegui also won the audience favorite award at the prestigious international competition for dancers between 15-18.</span></div> </div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"> </div> <script type="text/javascript"> photoNoteMap = [] photoNoteMap[1] = [] photoNoteMap[2] = [] photoNoteMap[3] = [] photoNoteMap[4] = [] </script> <input id="placeLat_1" name="placeLat" value="29.7545125" type="hidden"> <input id="placeLng_1" name="placeLng" value="-95.4038224" type="hidden"> <input id="placeSlug_1" name="placeSlug" value="houston-ballet-academy" type="hidden"> <p>Houston Ballet student Christian-Emanuel Amuchastegui has won the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.prixdelausanne.org/v4/">Prix du Lausanne</a>, marking the first time in <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/mapdetail/houston-ballet">Houston Ballet's</a> history a student has taken home the top honors in the prestigious international competition.</p> <p> And that's not all. Amuchastegui, 18, also won the "audience favorite" award.</p> <p> Wait, there's more. Houston Ballet students Aaron Sharratt placed fifth and Xiang Liao made the top 20.</p> <p> Amuchastegui, a native of Argentina, wowed the judges with his jumping and serious air-time in a variation from August Bournonville's <em>La Sylphide</em> and an excerpt from Cathy Marston's <em>The Tempest.</em> The young dancer's long lines and perfect-for-ballet feet, give him an onstage elegance.</p> <p> "Not only is Christian-Emanuel an outstanding dancer, but he is very generous personally. He impressed us during the week with his constant good humor, his kindness to others, coupled with his remarkable ability to focus on his goal and take advice from the Prix's teachers and coaches," said Patricia Leroy, Secretary General of the Prix. "We look forward to witnessing how his career develops."</p> <p> Houston Ballet associate director Shelly Power credited Houston Ballet II ballet master Claudio Munoz, along with the help of Sabrina Lenzi and Andrew Murphy for the stellar showing. Power and Munoz were in Lausanne for the competition, along with Amuchastegui's father, Gustavo Adolfo Amuchastegui.</p> <p> "It was so gratifying to watch Emanuel take the top prize, taking his father's hand and leading him to the stage and watching their embrace," Power said. "His father had not seen him dance in two years."</p> <p> Sharratt danced solos from <em>The Sleeping Beauty </em>and Christopher Wheeldon's Commedia and Liao also danced an excerpt from <em>The Sleeping Beauty</em> and Marston's <em>Traces.</em></p> <p> The Swiss ballet competition for students between 15-18 is largely considered one of the best career jump starters in the ballet world. Winning, placing and making the finals opens doors to a professional career in a major company. It's a unique situation in that the dancers are observed in ballet and contemporary classes and in both a contemporary and classical piece. It's not just about flashy technique. judges are looking for intelligent dancers who take correction well, are willing to learn and excel in their artistry.</p><p>Reprinted from <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/newsdetail/02-01-10-houston-ballet-student-wins-prix-du-lausanne/">Culturemap</a><br /></p>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-55213456273865580652010-02-26T13:58:00.000-08:002010-02-26T14:08:29.835-08:00A Cautionary TaleAs seen in <a href="http://www.dance-teacher.com/sections/teaching/707">Dance Teacher </a>Magazine.<br /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Owner/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.png" alt="" /><br /> <br /> Mary Six Rupert remembers the exact day when demonstrating pullbacks in her tap class didn’t quite feel right. The former Rockette <p>Mary Six Rupert remembers the exact day when demonstrating pullbacks in her tap class didn’t quite feel right. The former Rockette then noticed that walking up the subway stairs caused sharp pain in her knees. In the beginning the pain only occurred during activity, but it soon became so constant that she needed a demonstrator for class. “Six shows a day seven days a week with high heels and high kicking will take a toll on anyone’s knees,” says Rupert, referring to her 13-year stint in the famous Radio City kick line. In her 50s, she was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both knees—an arthritic condition common among dancers where the protective cartilage at the ends of bones gradually deteriorates and the knee loses shock absorption. In extreme cases, bones can rub against each other.<br /><br />“Think of the treads on a tire—eventually they just wear out. And all the jumping and landing dancers do puts them at greater risk for knee injuries,” says Patrick McCulloch, an orthopedic surgeon at Houston’s Methodist Center for Sports Medicine and consultant for the Center for Performing Arts Medicine. But good news: Proper training and awareness can help your students protect their knees.<br /><br /><strong>Preventive Measures</strong><br />Marijeanne Liederbach, director of research and education at the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries in New York, advises teachers to educate dancers on knee-health maintenance. “This means good solid nutrition, taking part in some form of supplemental training, having a strong core and taking care of the neighboring joints, like the hip and ankle,” she says. “Pay attention to fatigue as well, as we know from research that most knee injuries occur during extreme fatigue.” Basic bone health also includes encouraging students not to smoke and to intake enough calories for proper hormone balance.<br /><br />Your job as a dance teacher is to build and strengthen students’ stamina to endure tough physical technique, says Liederbach, who recently studied the number of jumps dancers do in a typical class—about 200. She also encourages training dancers to see the knee in a broader sense. “From a biomechanical point of view, the knee is the largest joint in the body, located between two of the largest bones,” she says. “Because of this, the knee can fall victim to ankle and hip problems.”<br /><br />The first step to knee protection, according to Houston-based physical therapist and former dancer Jennifer Romanek, is making sure students execute proper turnout (which involves the ankle and hip). “When you force a turnout from the feet, it puts a tremendous torque on the knees, which can wear down cartilage,” she says. “Don’t push a turnout past the external range of motion that the hip allows.”<br /><br />Cross-training can help build knee-supporting muscles—as important for teachers as for their students. “Go to the gym and do other types of movement besides dance classes,” Romanek says. “Even if you are just teaching, you need to remember that you are demonstrating all day, which can take a toll on your knees.” She recommends Pilates exercises on the reformer to loosen the iliotibial (IT) band—thick fibrous tissue that runs from the pelvis to the lower leg bone—and quadriceps, which are crucial for knee stability. “A tight IT band and quads will pull excessively on the knee,” she says. “Dancers need long and lean muscles.”</p> <p><a href="http://www.dance-teacher.com/sections/health/730"><strong>Click here to learn exercises to help release and stretch tight IT bands and quads</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Early Warning</strong><br />Knee pain that feels completely different from the average ache and pain is often the first sign of trouble, says Rupert. Tell students to be on the lookout for joint swelling or catching, and grinding sensations as well. McCulloch, who has diagnosed and treated many Houston Ballet dancers, recommends that dancers (when experiencing unusual, lingering knee pain) first see a doctor to check for any damage. “With an X-ray we can see the spaces between the bones,” he says. “Although cartilage will not show up on an X-ray, we can see the narrowing of that space. An MRI will show the condition and possible loss of the cartilage.”<br /><br />While Rupert managed to finish her professional performance career relatively injury-free before developing osteoarthritis after age 50, McCullough says he has seen the condition in dancers as young as 20 and 30. If injuries aren’t taken care of at a young age, further damage can occur that might ultimately lead to knee replacement. As Rupert says, “Dancers need to get over working through the pain. The sooner you find out what’s going on, the more options you have.”<br /></p>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-54932093053493915982010-01-30T07:16:00.000-08:002010-01-30T07:19:17.471-08:00Turning Point: Houston Ballet's Shelly Power to judge Prix de Lausanne<img class="photo263" src="http://www.culturemap.com/site_media/uploads/photos/2010-01-20/Shelly_Power_Houston_Ballet_associate_director_Ben_Stevenson_Academy_by_Amitava_Sarkar.263w_350h.jpg" alt="News_Nancy Wozny_Houston Ballet_Shelly Power_Houston Ballet_associate director_Ben Stevenson Academy" /><p><span style="font-size:78%;">Shelly Power</span></p><p><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo by Amitava Sarkar</span><br /></p><p>The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.prixdelausanne.org/v4/">Prix de Lausanne</a> is the Cannes of the ballet world for young dancers. This week, Houston is about to have a major Prix presence as <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/mapdetail/houston-ballet">Houston Ballet </a>associate director <a target="_blank" href="http://www.houstonballet.org/Inside_Houston_Ballet/Artistic_Staff/Shelly_Power/">Shelly Power</a> heads to Switzerland to judge the prestigious international competition. Power attends every year with competing Houston Ballet students, but this is her first year as a judge.</p> <p> "I'm honored and nervous," says Power. "It's such an important competition. It's also just amazing to be there. The entire city comes alive with the Prix. You see it advertised on buses."</p> <p> Over the past three decades, the Prix has become internationally renowned and attracts the best young dance students from all over the world. Attending can springboard a student into a professional career with a top ballet troupe. </p> <p> Think of the Prix like the NFL football draft. Companies come from all over the world to scout new talent and make job offers. Artistic director Stanton Welch regularly offers a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.houstonballet.org/Academy/Houston_Ballet_II/">Houston Ballet II</a> slot to anyone who places. "This is just a great place to be seen," Power says.</p> <p> Hundreds of aspiring dancers between the ages of 15-18 send their DVDs with hopes of qualifying. Only 200 are invited to attend, with 80 in round two and just 20 in the finals. A mere six return with honors. Last year Chilean wonder <a target="_blank" href="http://www.houstonballet.org/Inside_Houston_Ballet/Dancers/Sebastion_Vinet/">Sebastian Vinbet</a>, then a Houston Ballet II dancer, was one of the lucky six. Vinet is now a promising apprentice in the company. Other Houston Ballet Prix veterans include company members <a target="_blank" href="http://www.houstonballet.org/Inside_Houston_Ballet/Dancers/Emily_Bowen/">Emily Bowen</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.houstonballet.org/Inside_Houston_Ballet/Dancers/CharlesLouis_Yoshiyama/">Charles-Louis Yoshiyama </a>and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.houstonballet.org/Inside_Houston_Ballet/Dancers/Nozomi_Iijima/">Nozomi IIjima</a>. This year, Houston Ballet II members Aaron Sharratt, Emanuel Amachastegui and Liao Xiang will be taking the Prix plunge.</p> <p> With her chestnut brown hair, tailored suits, and warm but professional style, Power looks more like a bank president than a ballet school director. She brings a background in studio ownership, business, dancer health and wellness along with decades of helping young dancers blossom under her leadership. She and Welch are credited with elevating the Ben Stevenson Academy to international status.</p> <p> She's no stranger to the international competition world either, and has served as a judge all over the world. Many of the company's international dancers have come to Houston because of Power's contacts. Her talent-spotting track record is spot-on—consider the number of Houston Ballet II and academy students who have risen through the company's ranks.</p> <p> As for her judging mantra, "I am looking for potential, not perfection, and that little something special," she says. '"I am also watching how they respond in class."</p> <p> The Prix is unique in the dance competition biz because the judges observe the students in class (ballet and contemporary) and in a classical and contemporary performance. Dancers choose from a short list of classical variations and will perform a contemporary piece by rising-star ballet choreographer Christopher Wheeldon.</p> <p> "We get to spend a whole week with these students," Powers says. "So they have many chances to impress us."</p> <p> Unlike American stages, the European stages are raked, and that takes a bit of getting used to. "Dancers are remarkably adaptable," quips Power. When asked what she intends to wear, a look of panic spread across her usually smiling face. "I know I should think about that," she says. "My daughter will be my stylist."</p> <p> The finals will be <a target="_blank" href="http://www.prixdelausanne.org/v4/">streamed live </a>at 3 p.m. Sunday followed by the awards ceremony.<br /></p><p>Reprinted from <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/newsdetail/01-23-10-shelly-power-heads-to-prix-de-lausanne/">Culturemap.</a><br /></p>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-36016412481280253352010-01-30T07:10:00.000-08:002010-01-30T07:12:53.787-08:00Jon Lehrer finds enlightenment in dance<img class="photo263" src="http://www.culturemap.com/site_media/uploads/photos/2010-01-12/Jon_LehrerDance_3_Photo_by_Mike_Canale.263w_350h.jpg" alt="News_Nancy Wozny_Jon Lehrer_LehrerDance 3" /><p><span style="font-size:78%;">LehrerDance</span></p><p><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo by Mike Canale</span><br /> </p><p>Every season the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.jcchouston.org/">Jewish Community Center </a>selects one nationally known troupe to feature during <a target="_blank" href="http://www.jcchouston.org/index.php?submenu=arts_culture&src=gendocs&ref=Dance%20Month%202010&category=Arts">Dance Month</a>. This year it's <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lehrerdance.org/">LehrerDance</a>, a spunky touring company known for its fearless dancers, snappy choreography and headstrong leader. The troupe performs in Houston this weekend.</p> <p> Founder and artistic director Jon Lehrer has led a charmed dance life. After starting dance late in life in college, he caught up at lightening speed, and enjoyed stints at the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.erickhawkinsdance.org/">Erick Hawkins Dance Company</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.giordanodance.org/company/">Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago</a>, where he rose to be associate director. Now he heads up LehrerDance, based in Buffalo, NY, where he has a special partnership with <a target="_blank" href="http://www.buffalo.edu/">The University of Buffalo</a>.</p> <p> There's been no shortage of fanfare for this busy troupe, which spends about half the year touring. A <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dance-teacher.com/gallery/2007">cover </a>story in <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dance-teacher.com/sections/teaching/700">Dance Teacher</a>, a Dance Matters interview in <a target="_blank" href="http://dancemagazine.com/issues/October-2008/Quick-QA-Jon-Lehrer">Dance Magazine</a>, and consistently strong reviews position Lehrer on the national dance map. He bring us into the world behind the buzz.</p> <p> <strong>Q: I know you are famous in the dance world but this is Texas, and forgive us, we don't know your work here. How would you describe your aesthetic?<br /> </strong></p> <p> A: Organic Athleticism. Expect to see dancers doing feats of strength and beauty. Blending jazz and modern is my signature.</p> <p> <strong>Q: I've had the opportunity to watch your company class and I find myself amazed by how far you stretch movement. Bodies look so elastic in your hands. You are just a beast for flow.<br /> </strong></p> <p> A: I will be a "beast for flow" any day. There are no straight lines in the human body, in nature for that fact. We think arcs, circles and spirals and try to get through a whole day without ever using the word "line."</p> <p> <strong>Q: What did you take away from working and dancing around the legendary jazz pioneer Gus Giordano?<br /> </strong></p> <p> A: The importance of accessibility. You don't need to know a thing about dance to enjoy a LehrerDance show. Gus also stressed classicism, and we train that way. In class we are pure, while in choreography we can be as stylistic as we want to be.</p> <p> <strong>Q. Your company is not for the faint of flying, jumping and falling. Sometimes I find myself gasping when I watch your dances. Where do your risk-taking dance habits come from?<br /> </strong></p> <p> A. I grew up poor in a tough neighborhood of Queens, NY. We made up games with stuff we found on the street. Jumping off fences, running through traffic, and other dangerous acts kept us amused. Risk taking was part of how we had fun. We didn't have a lot of traditional toys so we had to be physical, which, as you mention, is now a huge part of my work. Gasping is good. We want to excite you.</p> <p> <strong>Q. I understand we will see a snippet of your rock opera in the works, <em>An American Siddhartha: The Way </em><em>Within. </em>What brought you to Hermann Hesse's classic mystical tale? Seems a bit out of the jazz/modern realm.<br /> </strong></p> <p> A. I was searching for a subject for a rock opera and a friend gave me a copy of this book. I never read it in high school like everyone else. Siddhartha goes on a journey, literally walking the earth, trying to find himself. Dancing is about finding a new part of myself that I had not previously known about. Siddhartha is naked for much of his story and any artist can you tell that's exactly the way they feel. Starting Lehrer dance was like Siddhartha crossing the river. Hopefully, one day I will also sit under the tree of enlightenment.</p><p>Reprinted from <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/newsdetail/01-18-10-five-questions-for-jon-lehrer/">Culturemap</a>.<br /></p>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-84032535540174165502010-01-29T12:16:00.000-08:002010-01-29T12:20:52.726-08:00Review: The Voyeur<p style="text-align: left;"><img style="width: 279px; height: 434px;" alt="" src="http://houstondance.org/DSH/Site_Documents/Grouped/clare-passionfruit-small.jpg" align="baseline" border="0" width="279" height="478" hspace="0" /><span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span class=" on down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_JustifyLeft" title="Align Left" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 10);ButtonMouseDown(this);"><img src="img/blank.gif" alt="Align Left" class="gl_align_left" border="0" /></span></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><em><span style="font-size:78%;">Clare Dyson<br />photography by�Rachael Parsons</span></em></span></p><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><em></em></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <p align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Company Clare Dyson<br />DiverseWorks Arts Space<br />January 23, 2010<br /></em><br /><br />It feels a little odd to be reviewing <em>The Voyeur,</em> performed by <a href="http://www.dysonindustries.com.au/">Company Clare Dyson</a> because I had a hand in choosing how I watched the piece. I fully disclose that subjectivity turns in on itself here, and this is as much a review of my own ability to watch as it is their concept.<br /><br />Let me set the scene. When the audience arrived at <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.diverseworks.org/">DiverseWorks</a> l</span>ast weekend, they found the seats covered with plastic and a gigantic cardboard box with various size peepholes on stage. Inside the box sit Dyson and Jonathan Sinatra, along with a record player, some records, and other items you might find in a room. Usually the audience is in captivity; here, the performers are the ones in the cage. Headphones labeled "Clare's text" or "Jonathan's text," which consisted of an hour-long recording of various personal and somewhat confessional secrets supplied by Dyson and Sinatra, hang on the wall. Monoculars are also available for closer inspection. The audience selects how and where they watch and listen. They can also see others watching from across the box. So, as you watch the dance unfold, it's framed against a sea of face fragments and eyeballs. Many were faces and sets of eyes I recognized which added to the feeling of audience as an instant community. Dyson speaks to the history of this piece in her <a href="http://houstondance.org/DSH/Site_Page.cfm?PageID=417&HeaderID=70"><span style="color:#0000ff;">Dance Source Houston</span></a> interview.<br /><br />Not only do you choose the size of the peep hole, but how you wish to frame what you see. So by moving your body, you re-position what you see. I found myself drawn to the tiniest of square holes, just big enough for one eye. Sometimes I remained still and let things move in and out of my vision. The light changes often, giving more possibilities for framing. I made dark and moody Johan Vermeer-like paintings with Sinatra sitting motionless in the dark with his back at the edge of the frame.<br /><br />Dyson and Sinatra carry out a mix of dancing and ritual-like tasks inside the box, from writing on their own skin, to a tender scene where she washes his hair. There's a juicy passion fruit eating scene performed with a kind sexy glee by Dyson. They put on records and rock out here and there too. At times they do very little, in a way, asking us to do more.<br /><br />With a full house, I often had to wait for a pair of headphones. Sometimes I just found myself watching another person listening, carefully watching facial expressions change depending on what they were seeing and hearing. Here, I assumed the role of the voyeur of another voyeur. Easedropping is yet another job of the voyeur.<br /><br />If you get close enough to the box's walls, you can hear the secrets as a kind of whispered blanket of sound. It's like a box with a past.<br /><br />When I grew fatigued from peeping, I just walked around the perimeter of the box, Once, I stopped to gaze at the box with all these people stuck to it like barnacles. It's weird and a bit lovely too, as light comes through the areas not blocked by bodies. There could have very well been a person behind me, watching me watch the group watch, and we could end up in a little M. C. Escher loop. It occurred to me that the Dysons consider that very scenario part of the piece.<br /><br />Mark Dyson's lighting makes a strong presence throughout, changing the environment enough to keep refreshing our vision. Light changes abruptly at times, and we have to reconfigure our viewing. There's a marvelous section near the end, where Sinatra seems to pause to acknowledge the lookers, as if to say, "Oh, you are here, and I see you too." It's a poignant moment. Just about then, the lighting shifts to glimmering little boxes of light, as if to throw a nod to all of us watchers. Regardless of what we believe, we are always just looking through the peephole of our minds' constructs. I wrote more about this in my <a href="http://www.culturemap.com/newsdetail/01-19-10-seeing/">Culturemap</a> piece. With portals as passage, audience as active and seeing as an art in of itself the Dysons point towards an included watcher. And why not, we bring something to everything we see,<span style="font-style: italic;"> The Voyeur</span> gives the audience a seat at the table.</span></p></span>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091500.post-81451760254816205842010-01-13T05:47:00.000-08:002010-01-13T05:48:39.316-08:00Better Brain, New Body<div class="nodecontent-img"> <a class="lightbox-processed" rel="lightbox" href="http://www.absolutelyintheloop.com/sites/default/files/Health%20Wozny.png" title=""><img src="http://www.absolutelyintheloop.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/node_page/Health%20Wozny.png" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-node_page imagecache-default imagecache-node_page_default" width="390" height="464" /></a> </div> <p>Do you lose your keys now and then? Afraid of the ever-increasing senior moments, where you walk into a room and forget why you are there? I started getting those in my teens. My mother would ask me to go down to the basement to get some potatoes, and I would come back two hours later, usually without the potatoes. Do you know that expression, “You would lose your head if it weren’t attached to your body?” My mother testifies that she said it first.</p> <p>Now that I am a 54 year-old space cadet, I’ve noticed that’s there a growing number of brain fitness programs to come to the rescue. But really, how does the brain get fit anyway? It’s not that different than arm flab, folks. It’s a use it or lose it situation. But it’s the “how” to use it that brain researchers are are honing in on. Spending all day doing crossword puzzles is fine and dandy. You may, in fact, get very good at crossword puzzles; however, we don’t see the same brain action as in learning a new dance step. Apparently, the brain needs a little movement to sharpen itself. But, keep in mind, mindlessly running on a treadmill is not the equivalent of learning a new movement either. Our brain needs challenges, something new; it’s an organ that thrives on novelty. New connections in the brain are most easily established through learning movement, so a dance class, a new swim stroke, or even taking a walk down a different hiking path could forge new pathways in the brain.</p> <p>MaryBeth Smith, a certified teacher of the Feldenkrais Method and the director and founder of the Feldenkrais Center of Houston, has been helping people increase their neural pathways for the past decade through gentle movement classes called Awareness Through Movement (ATM) and one-on-one sessions called Functional Integration. Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, a mechanical engineer and physicist, first identified that movement was the key to improving the nervous system.</p> <p>While lying in a quiet room on a soft mat, Smith leads her students through a gentle sequence of movements designed to improve a particular function such as reaching, bending or twisting. The trick is that she throws in some weird moves too, such as the eyes moving one way and the knees going another. “Novelty doesn’t have to mean high risk,” says Smith. “You don’t have to be doing the most demanding yoga class to get the mental benefits.” The movements may be easy to do, but they are often complex and involve a little figuring it out time. The movement sometimes feels strange and awkward; you actually feel the dust flying off those rusty brain gears. Afterwards, you feel taller, lighter and more mentally sharp. It seems our smarts are inexorably linked to our bodies. “We seem to accept that our brain can direct our bodies, but communication goes both ways,” says Smith. “Our body can change our brain too.”</p> <p>Ericka Simpson MD, a neurologist at the Methodist Neurological Institute in Houston, helps us understand connection between movement and the brain. “Movement activates more your brain at once because it involves spatial intelligence, coordination, strength, visual perception, emotion and joy all at once,” says Simpson. “It forces us to make stronger connections. We call it synaptic density.” Not all movement has that property. “Tapping on my desk is not the equivalent of taking of salsa class, which forces me to learn something new,” she adds. Simpson compares making new neural pathways to road building; with new movements, we go from a foot path, to a dirt road to a busy highway.</p> <p>The new buzz word in the field is neuroplasticity, which is a fancy way of saying that we can continue to get smarter well into old age. Recent research suggests that even 90 year-olds can increase their vocabulary. Remember that Verdi composed Falstaff at the ripe old age of 79. So take up that tango lesson, drive a different way home from work or try one of Smith’s Feldenkrais classes. “Engage in a lifestyle where you challenge yourself, do things that make your brain work,” advises Simpson. “And don’t worry about being good at it. Novelty is indeed the key to an active brain.”As for forgetfulness, apparently a touch of it is normal, but if you happen to find my keys, will you call me?</p> <p>For more information on the Feldenkrais Center of Houston, visit <a href="http://houfeldenkrais.com/" target="_self">Houfeldenkrais.com</a>.</p><p>Reprinted from <a href="http://www.absolutelyintheloop.com/ab-columns/better-brain-new-body">Absolutely in the Loop</a>.<br /></p>N. Woznyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030866940921574733noreply@blogger.com