Solo/Solo - Katie's Score

Hi All,
So for Solo/Solo, each of us are writing down a solo for someone else to perform.  Here's the catch: it had to be composed of  pieces of published books, articles, interviews, or reviews.  A bit of a collage project, but we were taking everything and arranging it to use as a template for someone to create a dance from.

Below is what I wrote for my long-distance dance partner (follow the lettered sources to the bottom links to read where I pulled these quotes from).  Imagine what you think it might look like.  If you like, try it out and send it to us. Or just give me some thoughts. I'll pass them on to the dancer and they might end up on stage!

Rehearsing and performing note:

“a lot of things I bring into rehearsal are half-baked.  I don’t want to finish them because they can be finished by the dancers, or by my working on them in the studio. Sometimes someone makes a mistake, and that brings you somewhere else. You Have to keep that option open.  (A)

Score:

Opening night began with an unintended amuse­bouche: the curtain rose, the music started, the dancers remained motionless, the curtain fell, and there was a smattering of applause. (C)

Apply when/where necessary

Part One: “My Animal, Virginia Woolf”

1. Sinking down on her haunches, her delicate body quivering, her eyes glisteningly wide, she seems to physically morph from woman to hare. She undergoes an evolution of sorts, often animalistic and grotesque. It’s a wild ride and she commits unwaveringly. (G)
1. More earthy, more crude, more real (E)
2. From a fetal position, she morphs through various emotional and physical states. She is fully absorbed and embodied, even in moments of repose. Events were always vivid, yet only rarely comprehensible. (D)

Part Two: “Luscious Murakami”

1. Patterns change in ways that are never arbitrary but always mysterious. The dance tells no story. It could be a dream about dreaming, about ecstasy in the sweetest sense. (F)
1. The movements were full­bodied, sultry and playful with intricate, intimate partnering, (you are) able to improvise within (this) set structure. (F) Drawing on the emotional essence of Murakami’s writing (H), the virtuosic and the casual, all treated equally. (B)
2. Tracking her in the shadows is (the) ghost, a dark force she can barely resist. (H)

Part Three: “Stories that Bleed”

1. Repeating precise arm gestures to ticking sounds. Some actions resembled surgical operations. Or were they autopsies? (J)
1. Events were always vivid, yet only rarely comprehensible. (J)
2. (You give) the audience a piercing stare as if he were... concerned for the prosperity of his land. (I)
3. It is not a story. It is not music made visible. It does not follow an established or predictable form. It is not random. It is not dull. The drama is often at the edge of melodrama, of self­parody. The sharp swerves in tone are often humorous, but some of the material is actually silly. (B)

Part Four: “Bleeding Kylian” 

1.  Sashay, dribble, wiggle, waggle their hands, tug at their shirts, run in place, execute solos, put their hands to their mouths or over their ears, get pregnant, and give birth before finishing in an attitude of petite mort. (C)
1. Tracking her in the shadows is (the) ghost, a dark force she can barely resist. (H)
2. The integration is so tight that it is hard to tell whether the dancer is shaping these visuals or vice versa. (D)
3. One can’t help but cast gaze on those on the other side of the room and feel a heightened sense of being a part of something both special and bizarre. (D)  
4. The sharp swerves in tone are often humorous, but some of the material is actually silly (B)
5. More earthy, more crude, more real (E)

Sources:

A) Quoting Wendy Perron in - Writing Dancing in the Age of Postmodernism, by Sally Banes p. 275 

B) http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/14/arts/dance/tere-oconnors-bleed-debuts-at-brooklyn-academy-of-music.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print

C) http://thephoenix.com/boston/arts/76785-review-jiri-kyli%C3%A1ns-black-and-white-at-boston-ba/

D) http://www.australianstage.com.au/reviews/miaf/glow--chunky-move-782.html

E) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p017twkj

F) http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-permalink-20754.html

G) http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/oct/14/like-rabbits-virginia-woolf-louise-tanoto-ben-duke

H) http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/nov/24/james-cousins-without-stars-there-we-have-been-review

I) http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-permalink-21866.html

J) http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/06/arts/dance/06mars.html?pagewanted=print

Update Series: What's Next?

Hello Friends! 

In this last segment of the Update Series, the members of Mountain Empire share what's to come in the new year:

As the new year approaches, we find Eliza tucked away in her new Portlandia abode, Barbara sussing out the difference between big-city living and little-city living in Blacksburg, Rachel & mended hubby exploring their new house in B-burg, and Katie dance-puttering around our nation's capitol.  In their own little enclaves, the members of MEPC are busy writing a new little project based on what we'd like to see on stage. 

Scribbling away (or click-clacking on the keyboard), each collaborator is writing a solo for another dancer filled with outsourced written material.  Perhaps a bit of prose from an Akram Kahn review, a description of a scene from preview of a far-off and unheard-of company, each solo will be constructed out of strange and beautiful bits of material from elsewhere.  What a way to get out of one's own head... or waaaay into it.  MEPC will then reconvene, decide which lucky dancers will get the new solos, and then... stay tuned in for manifestation!  Little bits of this piece will pop up intermittently in each of our communities as we work out the kinks.  Check back with us often or like our FB page for updates on when these will be so you can be a part of the feedback.  

Update Series: Katie Sopoci Drake

Happy Impending Turkey Day, friends!
Since Fall is turning into Winter, for the next few days, each of us will be writing to give you an update on what we have been up to since our summer adventures! Next up is Katie Sopoci Drake!

What has Katie been up to? Take it away, Katie:

Hey y'all! This summer, after all of the dancing died down, I headed out to Yellowstone N.P. to feast my eyes and spirit on all of the fabulous nature. It gives me life, you know. Little personal projects cropped up here and there and I enjoyed dancing with friends in D.C. and trying on other people's dance-visions for a while. 

This Fall has seen me working both in my new position as Executive Assistant at the Maryland Youth Ballet, helping young dancers achieve their dance dreams, and hopping into my well-worn role as an educator at the University of Maryland - College Park, helping college students find their way into their bodies.  

Now that the snowflakes are threatening to fly, I can't wait to dive into a new artistic process with MEPC at the same time I dive into a new project with Rebollar Dance. Dance, dance, everywhere!

Next Stop for TDP: Philadelphia!

The TDP 2013-2014 season is wrapping up with a stop in Philadelphia, PA and it'll be a full weekend May 8-10. There are so many dance opportunities to take advantage of that weekend, from taking class to partying to taking in one of the performances.  

Without further ado, here are the TDP-Approved activities:


TDP's Salon-Style Show
Drinks, snacks, dancing, performances, and more, featuring Joy Davis, Loren Groenendaal/Vervet Dance, Antonia Z Brown, and the Telephone Dance Project! 

When: Friday, May 9, 2014
           Doors open at 8:00 p.m. - performances will happen throughout the evening. 
Where: Mascher Space Co-op, 155 Cecil B. Moore Ave. Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $5-$10 sliding scale

Join our FB Event!


H-O-T Series at Mascher
This monthly series features improvisational dance, music, and other experimental performance from local and touring artists curated by Loren Groenendaal and flandrew fleisenberg.  TDP will perform an origibal improvisational score with accompaniment by local experimental musicians.

When: Saturday, May 10, 2014, time: sometime around 8?  
Where: Mascher Space Co-op, 155 Cecil B. Moore Ave. Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $5 or $10 dance pass
Join the FB Event!

4 Countertechnique Classes with Joy Davis

• Thursday, May 8, 2014 from 6-8p at Mascher Space Co-op, 155 Cecil B. Moore Ave. 

• Friday, May 9, 2014 from 9a-11a at fidget space, 1714 N. Mascher. 

• Saturday, May 10, 2014 from 10a-12p at Mascher Space Co-op

• Sunday, May 11, 2014 from 10a-12p at Mascher Space Co-op

Joy Davis is a dance-artist and certified Countertechnique® Teacher. Originally from Nashville, she has spent the last ten years between Knoxville, Chicago, and Amsterdam creating, performing, and studying contemporary dance and improvisation. Joy received her BA in Performing Arts through the College Scholars Program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She then served as interim Artistic Director of Circle Modern Dance, taught and choreographed as adjunct faculty at the University of Tennessee, and presented many works independently. While in Chicago, she received the Chicago Dancemakers Forum (CDF) Greenhouse Grant for emerging choreographers; danced with Erica Mott, Redmoon Theatre, and Striding Lion Performance Group. Joy also collaborated extensively with Meg Anderson to produce four original evening-length works and jump-started frequent gatherings for artists to share information. She had the honor of receiving her yoga teacher training from renowned center for yoga in Chicago, yogaview. Joy continues to train and study Countertechnique® with Anouk van Dijk. After completing the 2012 Countertechnique Teacher Training®, as only one of 14 teachers worldwide, she teaches classes and workshops all over the US. Joy is now a MFA Teaching Fellow at Smith College in the Department of Dance.

Meet the Dancers: Katie Sopoci Drake

Katie Sopoci Drake is a Washington D.C. based professional dancer, choreographer and teacher specializing in Laban-based contemporary dance.  

She has been on faculty at UW-Milwaukee, Nova Southeastern University, Miami Dade College, Wolfson and Kendall Campuses, Carthage College, and Lawrence University. 

As a performer, Sopoci is described as a "sinuous, animal presence of great power; watching her dance is a visceral experience." (Third Coast Digest, 6/12).  Company credits include Mordine and Company Dance Theater of Chicago (2012-2013), Momentum Dance Company of Miami (2009-2012), Wild Space Dance Company of Milwaukee (2005-2009), and Rosy Simas Danse of Minneapolis (2001-2005).  Katie has also made appearances an an independent artist with many companies including Brazz Dance, Your Mother Dances, The Florentine Opera, and The Minnesota Opera.  

Katie's choreography, described as "a beautiful marriage between choreography, music and poetry" (On Milwaukee, 12/06) and "sinuous, sensual beauty" (Journal Sentinel, 11/07) arises from her explorations in Laban Movement Analysis, her fascination with the idiosyncrasies of daily life, and the flights of fancy that arise from ordinary inspirations.  Her work has been performed by Momentum Dance Company, Wild Space Dance Company, Your Mother Dances, The Florentine Opera, Lawrence University Opera, Carthage College, Miami Dade College - Kendall Campus, Miami Dade College - Wolfson Campus, and Broward College. Independent productions have been presented at The Southern Theater, Patrick’s Cabaret, Danceworks Performance Studio and The Milwaukee Art Museum.  

Holding an MFA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a  Graduate Laban Certification in Movement Analysis from Columbia College - Chicago, and a BA in Theatre/Dance with a minor in Vocal Performance from Luther College, Sopoci continues to take classes in as many dance techniques as she can handle, her beloved capoeira and various somatic practices to inform her work and life as a curious mover.

Katie spends her free time exploring the local flora and fauna with her husband. They both adore bird-watching and are aspiring naturalists. Nothing in life is so simple that it cannot invoke myriad dreams.