nice thing to think about

From Vancouver choreographer Lee Su-Fe of battery opera:

I suppose that the function of minimalism (say, in dance) is to call up my imagination and my attention. And the function of maximalism - I borrow this term from Cornelius - is to blast me into nothingness. (full post)

Other good (or at least good response to bad thing) things from battery opera: A pricing scheme to reflect the BC Arts cuts. Read Full Post...

researchLAB

What happens when John Travolta & Hema Malini's love child teaches herself to choreograph in a basement in Scarborough?
Dancemakers researchLAB with
Nova Bhattacharya
public showing
October 21, 2009  
7pm | $10

DANCEMAKERS CENTRE FOR CREATION
 55 Mill Street, Building 58
 The Cannery, Studio 313
 BOX OFFICE: 416-367-1800
dancemakers.org
Dancemakers and Nova Bhattacharya come together in the name of research.


The Dancemakers researchLAB is a space for a choreographer to work with the Dancemakers company for three weeks. researchLAB is a chance to explore, experiment and engage with contemporary dance. Without the pressure of full production, the LAB is a rare and important opportunity to play and grow; for the choreographer, the company and the form.


At the end of the three weeks Dancemakers holds an open showing for the public. This is a rare chance to get an intimate look at the process of making dance and making dance better.  


Nova Bhattacharya is a well known Bharatanatyam performer and as a choreographer who brings together western contemporary dance and traditions from India.  

Read Full Post...

Thinking Out Loud October 19 update

Looking forward to the second study group on Monday.

The last one was great - a set of wonderful but radically incomplete notes are posted on the brand spanking new Thinking Out Loud blog - you're source for notes, updates and discussions surrounding the reading group. I'll flag new post here for a while, but add the new one to your RSS or Google Reader.

Rereading the What is the contemporary? article – I want to acknowledge that it’s pretty dense and there is a lot of language that requires second (or more) readings and liberal use of a dictionary. But this excites me. And it excites me in relationship to last weeks reading of The Act of Study. I’ve been thinking about marking the ideas or sentences that flash or pop out to me and connect with my preoccupations. We’ll work through the ideas and writing together through our own responses, a process I’m looking forward to. So, no fear, we're in it together.

I also wanted to link to another article that, I think, addresses some of the same issues with an explicit tie in to practice, specifically Martha Graham. We’ll focus on What is the contemporary? But the other two will be a tie in to dance practice.

To access the new article, just click here: How modern is modernism? The Relevance of Reconstruction. An Essay by André Lepecki about the Martha Graham Retrospective. As always, this new article is available in hard copy at the Dancemakers office.
We’ll still be looking at Reconstructing Dance: Taking an Active Interest in the Legacy of Dance: a short essay/website from the Goethe-Institut website.

Your RSVP’s and thoughts are more than welcome. Read Full Post...

Next Thinking Out Loud October 19

Our inaugural Thinking Out Loud – the Study Group session last  Tuesday was fantastic. Thanks to everyone who came.

If you weren't there, we hope you can make it out to the next one, so we can share ideas and pretzels with you, too.

We will be posting our “notes” from the first session online in case you’re interested in checking out where our discussion ventured.

The next meeting will take place on Monday October 19th at 6:30pm.  We will once again be gathering in the studio at Dancermakers’ Centre for Creation (click here for a map/directions) on the 3rd floor.

All you need to do is RSVP and show up (with some spare change for a beer or a glass of wine).  Feel free to bring some dinner with you to eat during our discussion, or on the break we promise we will take around 7:45pm

We will be discussing Giorgio Agamben article What is the contemporary? which can be found on the a.aaaarg.org website by clicking here (you will need to register for the website in order to access the pdf – do it.)

We’ll also look at Reconstructing Dance: Taking an Active Interest in the Legacy of Dance: a short essay/website from the Goethe-Institut website.

Alternatively, swing by the Dancemakers office if you’d rather pick up a hard copy of both articles.

It’s a bit more challenging read – but we think worth it and good for conversation.

Although this next meeting is on a Monday, future dates for Thinking Out Loud are all Tuesdays:

December 1, January 5, February 2, March 2, March 30, and April 27.

Please continue to spread the word to friends, colleagues, teachers, and so on, if you think this might tickle their fancy.

We look forward to another stimulating exchange!
Jacob, Megan, Kari and Leora
Dancemakers & The Dance Current

Read Full Post...

AGNÈS VARDA just because

From a Believer interview:

Je résiste. I’m still fighting. I don’t know how much longer, but I’m still fighting a struggle, which is to make cinema alive and not just make another film, you know?

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The act of printing The Act of Study

A printable version of the Act of Study in now online.

For those without printers, copies available at the reference library and at Dancemakers

Thanks everyone for their help - see you Monday the 29th. Read Full Post...

Thinking Out Loud – the Study Group launches

Dancemakers and The Dance Current invite you to 

Thinking Out Loud – the Study Group, launching at 6:30pm, Tuesday September 29 at the Dancemakers’ Centre for Creation with an introductory meeting and discussion of Paulo Freire's The Act of Study. (see below for information on getting the article)

Thinking Out Loud responds to our desire to read and talk together. To create a space in Toronto for a meeting between contemporary dance and contemporary thinking in an open, casual and critically supportive environment. An environment that includes snacks and beverages of varying types.

The mostly monthly meetings will each introduce a topic through a close reading of one or two articles and their relation to a specific artist and their practice. Articles will be announced a month before and available online or at Dancemakers.

We encourage any and all to join us, regardless of experience level or background. We like people from other fields (art, social sciences etc…) and we know that for many people this could be a very new thing. We will try to keep all of this in mind. All we ask for is a curiosity and willingness to read and participate.

Please join us on the 29^th to learn more.
And if you're coming- can you let us know? So we can have the right number of cookies?

If you are interested but unable to come on the 29^th – send me an email and I’ll keep you in the loop.

The full selection of topics and articles is still in development - and participant input will be important.

Information on the article for the 29^th below,

Hope to hear from you soon!

Jacob Zimmer, Dancemakers
and Megan Andrews, The Dance Current

Paulo Freire's The Act of Study from:
Freire, Paulo. The politics of education : culture, power, and liberation. South Hadley, Mass.: Bergin & Garvey, 1985.

Hard copies will be available at the Dancemakers office after Thursday September 17^th 

The book is also at the Toronto Reference Library -

and available online here* – unfortunately you can’t print it.

*signing up for an a.aaaarg.org is required to get the pdf  - and is a very good idea anyways - we may continue to use it as a way of sharing texts - and there are lots of great texts there

Read Full Post...