Spring 2009
February 17
Thinking about getting an MFA?
Conceived and Moderated by Donna Uchizono
Dance Theater Workshop Studio, 8:00 pm
New York, NY
Many dance professionals are flirting with the notion of going back to school to earn MFAs. For some, two university choices spring to mind because they offer low-residency programs and credit for professional work: University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia. Others are interested in identifying NY-based programs that meet their academic and artistic needs. This Studies Projects is a conversation with graduates from four MFA programs: the two more visible programs UWM and Hollins and two less familiar programs at Sarah Lawrence College and Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus. This is not a recruiting event. The former students will talk about their experiences and the strengths and weaknesses of each program. We will discuss the offerings and expectations of these MFA programs, as well issues relevant to the professional artist returning to school. Panelists include Keely Garfield, Jon Kinzel, Amanda Loulaki, Antonietta Vicario and Kathy Westwater.
March 3
Artists Speaking Face to Face
Moderated by Elizabeth Streb
(MR in partnership with Dance Theater Workshop)
Dance Theater Workshop Studio, 5:30 pm
New York, NY
This evening was initiated by Stephen Petronio as a way to begin a conversation between artists of various generations. There is no agenda, no motive other than the desire to frame a way in which to listen to what artists might say to each other, hopefully on an ongoing basis. Are the issues that interest us as artists related as we travel through our careers? We practice, perform, and tour next to each other, often competing against each other for an ever shrinking pool of resources. We rarely, however, have a chance to speak to each other. This evening is a simple way to have a dialogue with each other and above all to get to know each other face to face. Panelists include Wally Cardona, Nora Chipaumire and others.
March 21
Dancing...With Children
Conceived and Moderated by Rebecca Lazier and Mollie O\'Brien
Judson Memorial Church Meeting Hall, 2:00 pm
New York, NY
This roundtable discussion is for parents, parents-to-be and parents-never-to-be on when, why and how to have kids and still create with them. We will investigate how we balance the roles of parent with our identities as creator/performer/arts professional in a society with very little support. Issues discussed will range from career impact and visibility to emotional terror and money. Participants include luciana achugar, Vanessa Adato, Nancy Bannon, Darrah Carr, David Dorfman, Chase Granoff, Patricia Hoffbauer, Rebecca Lazier, Fernando Maneca, Mollie O'Brien, Lisa Race, Rebecca Stenn, Pam Tanowitz, Ellis Wood, and Ann Liv Young.
May 4
The Prosodic Body - Language as a Somatic Practice
Conceived by and moderated by Daria Fain and Robert Kocik
Judson Memorial Church Gymnasium, 12:00 pm
New York, NY
As part of the Studies Project Series, choreographer Daria Fain and poet Robert Kocik will engage neuroscientist Andre A. Fenton in a dialogue about the multiple types of memory and the mental representation of space and experience. In particular, the focus will fall on the brain's polyglotism--the coordination of multiple processes by rapid 'switching' or 'doubling up'. The dialogue will wend its way into a consideration of language. Perhaps some light will be shed on the unanswerable question 'is language acquired or hardwired?' Kocik will trace a broader physiology of language by involving the hypothalamus, glands and organs. Fain will attempt to extend the findings into movement by experimentally acting out the questions and conundrums surrounding the hippocampus as presented by Fenton. Andre A. Fenton is a neuroscientist at SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn. His research focuses on spatial memory and the hippocampus as model structure for understanding all parts of the brain. His SUNY team is responsible for the recent discovery of a very promising 'memory molecule'.
May 10
Sensing and Action as Conversation
Conceived and led by Sakura Shimada. Assisted by Karl Cronin, Jennifer Nugent, and Arturo Vidich
Movement Research at Eden's Expressway, 3:00 pm
New York, NY
One of the approaches to dance that has surfaced around the world in different times and ways is making dance from sensory experience. When the world is confusing and the economy is corrupted, it is useful to stay in touch with our physical senses. Nobody can tell you what you feel. Through quiet non-verbal direction, we will meet and take time to explore the sensory aspects of some ordinary activities, such as touching water, smelling and tasting food, vision, and others. Afterward we will put our images, thoughts, and feedback into the space with action and conversation. This sensory gathering suggests another way to study and discuss dance making and to think about how we can find original dance material with low cost but rich in experience.
