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: Rachel Rugh

Happy Start of December, 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 Rachel Rugh!

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

After an eventful summer and fall, things have finally been settling into a groove down here in the New River Valley.  July was especially action-packed: Barbara and I co-taught several successful dance workshops for kids here in Blacksburg; I got to enjoy upwards of three weeks reunited with Mountain Empire buddies in DC for the Capital Fringe Festival; my husband and I BOUGHT A HOUSE; my husband then promptly broke his leg, which made moving into said house a bit more challenging.  Oh, and I got a new job!  Since August, I've been working as a part-time programming and event coordinator at Virginia Tech's Cranwell International Center.  It's a fun position that allows me to blend my people skills and event production experience, and so far I've been able to sneakily incorporate dance into several events: I called my first square dance at our fall festival, am planning a swing dance for our spring social, and performed a version of Barbara's current MEPC project (Are You Not Your Own) in an international dance concert last month.

Plans for 2015 include: Teaming up with Barbara to teach introductory contact improvisation workshops; co-producing a music/dance collaborative improvisation concert series; kicking my children's creative dance teaching practice into high gear; and starting up a regular open mic in Blacksburg so I can have an excuse to play my banjo more.  

Photo credit: JH Kertis

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!

Update Series: Barbara Tait

Hi again 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 Barbara Tait!

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

A very sad library lay-off gifted me with some major free-time to focus on dance this summer. I attended Bates Dance Festival in Maine with Eliza, and to be a full-time student again was both humbling and invigorating. I made two new duets, performed several times in Philly (in my own work and for others), and took an incredible week-long workshop with Luciana Achugar. Teaching a summer dance workshop with Rachel in Virginia spun me into a whirlwind of life changes. I'll spare the gory details, but let's just say this: Virginia is certainly for lovers. I moved to Blacksburg in October. I am settling in and looking forward to new collaborations (both long distance and in person!), and getting better at mountain biking. 

Update Series: Eliza Larson

Hi 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! First up is Eliza Larson!

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

This summer was expansive and exhilarating and exhausting.  After driving 7000 miles, performing 

at PortFringe in Portland, Maine; the Capital Fringe Festival in DC, and the Southern Vermont Dance Festival in Brattleboro, I attended the Bates Dance Festival where I was able to relish being a student again.  Despite some minor injuries, the spring, summer, and fall has had me dancing and teaching constantly.  

The sea of movement  has parted though, and I’ve just come back West, to regain some equilibrium in my former home of Portland, Or.  New projects on the horizon include diving into the dance scene in the Pacific NW, continuing to study Piso Movil with Omar Carrum whenever possible, and exploring the ever growing  physical and creative territory of Mountain Empire as  we expand to be a bi-coastal company.

Eliza (orange) and Rachel (green) dance at the Mascher Co-op for MEPC's  2014 show in Philadelphia
Photo credit: Jen Kertis-Veit

One Week Until The Capitol Fringe

Everybody Knows This Is Now Here

Capitol Fringe, July 10-17, 2014

Katie here: I am patiently awaiting the 4th of July weekend.  It's the first time I get to camp on the coast of the east since moving here from Chicago.  Half of the anticipation is getting my place ready for my departure because I know when I return to Washington D.C., dancers, much like little art-elves, will have descended upon my apartment from their various corners of the countryside and set up shop.  This traveling, meeting, and making is also a big part of the art of Mountain Empire Performance Collective.

Come join us as we present Everybody Knows This Is Now Here, and watch "The Great American Road Trip" go virtual through contemporary dance during the Capitol Fringe on July 10-17, at the Goethe Institut in Washington DC. 

Tickets and Venue info HERE

See our full summer line-up HERE

Next Week: You Are Happy

We've got your plans right here!  You know you want to be "Happy" right?  Well, Eliza has got you covered in Portland, Maine.  Then head on down to Washington, D.C. and we'll get you "Home"... digitally at least.  


Mountain Empire Performance Collective presents

You Are Happy at the Port Fringe

This sensual, surreal, and sensorial solo performance is rooted in the physical with an imaginative eye towards the mythical.

Thursday, June 26, 2014 at 10:00pm

Saturday, June 28, 2014 at 4:30pm

SPACE Gallery (map)

538 Congress St

Portland, ME, 04101

United States

Tickets: HERE

Everybody Knows This Is Now Here at the Capitol Fringe 

This multimedia performance explores physical and virtual distance through the lens of female friendship and the Great American Road Trip.

Thursday, July 10, 2014 at 7:45pm

Saturday, July 12, 2014 at 6:00pm

Sunday, July 13, 2014 at 1:45pm

Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at 9:45pm

Thursday, July 17, 2014 at 6:00pm

Friday, July 18, 2014 at 4:00pm

Goethe Institut (map)

812 7th St NW

Washington, DC, 20001

Tickets: HERE

For our full summer line-up, click HERE

You Are Happy: In Only 2 Weeks!

You Are Happy, "a multi-media solo performance rooted in the physical with an imaginative eye towards the mythical", is kicking off Mountain Empire's summer line-up and is only 2 weeks away.  

Get a little snapshot of You Are Happy on the PortFringe blog! 
"the movement in this piece brings in a lot of different inspirations - a little butoh, a lot of gesture work, some post-modern improvisation and some classical contemporary technique."
Read more HERE









Meet Eliza Larson in Portland, Maine on June 26 & 28th for a host of PortFringe shows and beautiful landscapes. Then be sure to talk to Eliza about what Siren inspirations she mined from the world of Homer.  


Mountain Empire Performance Collective presents
You Are Happy
at the PortFringe in Portland, ME
June 26, 10pm
June 28, 4:30pm
SPACE Gallery, 538 Congress St
TICKETS HERE

About the Artists: You Are Happy

You Are Happy (premiering at the PortFringe, 6/26 & 6/28) is not only a "sensorial solo performance", it is a new collaboration between Choreographer Eliza Larson and Composer Benjamin Chakoian. Read all about them here!

 

Benjamin Chakoian Jones is a composer, bassist, and violist currently living in Nashville, TN. Born in Des Moines, IA, Benjamin was raised on American Folk music such as Simon and Garfunkel and Mamas and the Papas, as well as a wide range of Classical music. Following high school in Ohio, Benjamin moved to Nashville to attend Belmont University. There, he continued his education in a variety of styles and began his career as a composer, arranger, and player. Still rooted in Nashville, Benjamin has spent recent years touring with the Americana band, Humming House, of which he is a founding member. When home, he makes a living as a bassist and arranger for recording sessions as well as continuing his work in original composition.

Deriving inspiration from many styles of music, Benjamin writes first from an American Classical perspective. Setting his roots in the music of Aaron Copland, Alan Hovhaness, and Bill Evans, Benjamin enjoys pushing his palette by taking elements of music ranging from Early Modern Russian composers and French Romanticism to indie rock bands, traditional Irish music, and abstract sound. Writing music that is sonically, harmonically, and rhythmically experimental, Jones also writes music that can be enjoyed by a broad general audience.

 

Eliza Larson is an independent artist based in Northampton, MA (USA).  In addition to performing as a soloist, Eliza currently dances with the Mountain Empire Performance Collective.  She holds an MFA in Dance from Smith College where she was a Gretchen Moran Teaching Fellow in the Five College Dance Department.   As a choreographer, Eliza strives to create work that is both entertaining and thought provoking, quirky and beautiful, and accessible to the general public and dance enthusiasts alike.  

 

Her choreography has been presented around the country, including at PortFringe in Portland, Maine, the Capital Fringe Festival and the H Street Theater in Washington, DC, Conduit Dance Center and the Pacific NW College of Art in Portland, OR, and the OK Hotel Gallery and Velocity Dance Center in Seattle, WA.  Earthdance in Plainfield, MA; and the Southern VT Dance Festival in Brattleboro, VT.  Eliza has performed in works by Ohad Naharin, Colleen Thomas, Angie Hauser, Paul Matteson, Chris Aiken, Cathy Nicoli, Ming Yang, Mark Haim, Deb Wolf, KT Niehoff, Jan Erkert, Adele Myers, and Kristin Hapke among others, and was an original member of the Weaving Dance Company from 2006-2008.  

Eliza is also the author and illustrator of Terpsichore’s Deck, a set of choreographic cards to use in dance making and choreography, published in 2013.  Her writing has appeared in Contact Quarterly and Kinebago, and her research on gender in dance was recently presented at the Congress on Research in Dance/Society of Dance History Scholars joint conference in November 2013.

 

 

 

Show Information:

 

Mountain Empire presents

You Are Happy

At the

Port Fringe  

Thursday, June 26, 2014 at 10:00pm

Saturday, June 28, 2014 at 4:30pm

 

SPACE Gallery (map)

538 Congress St

Portland, ME, 04101

United States

Tickets: HERE

 

 

Don't be shy!  Check out all the PortFringe shows RIGHT HERE

2014 Mountain Empire Summer Line-Up

It's Summertime, which means Fringe Festivals! Mountain Empire is doing it's fair share of traveling and soaking up the art, and we're happy to share some our latest shows.  

Without further ado, here is Mountain Empire Performance Collective's 2014 Summer Line-Up.

Port Fringe

Presenting: You Are Happy

Eliza Larson reinterprets the world of Homer’s Sirens in this interdisciplinary solo

When:  
Thursday, June 26, 2014 at 10:00pm

Saturday, June 28, 2014 at 4:30pm

Where:
SPACE Gallery (map)

538 Congress St

Portland, ME, 04101

United States

Tickets: HERE

Capitol Fringe

Presenting: Everybody Knows This Is Now Here

The Great American Road Trip goes virtual through contemporary dance

When:
Thursday, July 10, 2014 at 7:45pm

Saturday, July 12, 2014 at 6:00pm

Sunday, July 13, 2014 at 1:45pm

Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at 9:45pm

Thursday, July 17, 2014 at 6:00pm

Friday, July 18, 2014 at 4:00pm

Where:
Goethe Institut (map)

812 7th St NW

Washington, DC, 20001

United States

Tickets: HERE

Southern Vermont Dance Festival

Presenting: You Are Happy

Eliza Larson reinterprets the world of Homer’s Sirens in this interdisciplinary solo

When:
Sunday, July 20, 2014 at 11:00am

Where:
Southern Vermont Dance Festival (map)

Brattleboro, VT

USA

Tickets: HERE

Philly Recap and What's To Come

Hi Friends,
We had a great time in Philadelphia and are looking forward to this Summer's activities!  We are currently organizing all sorts of Google "Hangout" sessions to plan next season and the next steps for our broader collaboration plan.  We can't wait to see each other again for Fringe season where we will be dividing and conquering to get our butts all over the country to represent Mountain Empire.

As always, please come join the fun on
June 26-28, 2014 PortFringe, Portland, ME
July 10-17, 2014, Capitol Fringe, Washington D.C.
July 18-20, 2014 Southern VT Dance Festival, Brattleboro, VT

While you wait for the fun to begin, here are some pictures from our Philadelphia foray by the always generous Jen Kertis-Veit.

What is Coming Up This Summer?

I'm so glad you asked!

After having a fantastic Philly weekend with the girls, we decided we couldn't live without more dance TOGETHER.  So we made more plans. Here are the dates, and the deets will follow, but know that we can't party without you, so come join us!

June 26-28, 2014 PortFringe, Portland, ME

July 10-17, 2014 Capitol Fringe, Washington, DC

July 18-20, 2014 Southern VT Dance Festival, Brattleboro, VT