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Last Thursday, Atlanta community members of all ages entered our studios for Lunchtime in the Studio. Students, toddlers, parents, and grandparents laughed, chomped down on chips and burritos, and thoroughly engaged in an excerpt of “Human Landscapes,” performed by Core Performance Company. My favorite part of the afternoon was watching the Dance Artists interact with the youngest audience members. It was obvious that we had some future dancers in our studio! I also loved seeing how the piece transformed when it was cut short, and presented in an intimate setting. In the B Complex, I almost felt that I was watching the dance from a distance, but on Thursday, I was up close and could see the chests of the dancers rising and falling as they exerted themselves.
This audience was diverse, and I loved the way that they expressed how they perceived the dance. In the talk-back, one student from Youth Villages was overcome with emotion when they tried to express how they felt about the performance. When they began speaking, I started to feel emotional! It was obvious that everyone in the moved was extremely moved by the dancers and the overall experience. Yolanda Gallman, from the Youth Villages, wrote to us afterwards, saying “Thank you for dance expression that speaks life… You are the real world changers!” This statement really touched me, because I feel the same way about Core Dance. I have only been here since September, but I already feel the influence that this organization has on the community and on the world. On Friday, all Core Dance staff and Dance Artists participated in a Work Room. A Work Room includes a class in the morning, followed by an entire day of creative process and evaluation. We revisited all of our recent events, including the summer intensive, American Playground performance in Israel, Civil Twilight in Little Rock, Human Landscapes, and Lunchtime in the Studio. It was my first official Work Day, and I loved the process. It felt so amazing to dance and improvise with all the staff and dancers in one studio, and this bonding experience transferred over to the work day. We accomplished a lot, and I am excited to see how our evaluations transfer over to our events in the future. This day made me even more grateful to be working for this unique organization. Although I love coming to work, I am definitely excited to head home to upstate New York (despite the snow storms), and spend time with my family. As the holidays approach, and you begin looking for ways to give back to your community or arts organizations, we ask you to please consider donating to Core Dance. You can donate directly here to our annual campaign: http://donate.coredance.org/campaigns/4707-support-core-dance. We are also participating in Giving Tuesday, a global event, on November 28th. For more information, please see their website, www.givingtuesday.org. Thank you for your support of Core Dance. Have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!
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In just a few weeks, after we return from Thanksgiving break and begin to don our heavy sweaters and scarves, our Fieldwork participants will perform at the Fieldwork Showcase at Emory University. These artists have been workshopping every Monday evening; performing their works for the other participants and providing feedback and observations. This past Monday, I stopped by to get a glimpse of what an evening at Fieldwork looks like.
Kristin O’Neal, the Rehearsal Director of Core Dance, is choreographing a charming dance solo, and PhaeMonae Brooks, a Dance Artist with Core Performance Company, is creating a movement, poetry, and song piece. Amanda Sieradski is creating a piece with poetry and dance, while the facilitator, Ann Ritter is fine tuning her own poetry. It's pretty amazing how these artists can combine their talents to create a single work! I loved watching these artists move and groove around the studio. Kristin's solo had me smiling the whole time, and I was tempted to get up and dance along with her. Amanda's piece made me listen closely to the words of her poem; they were very hard hitting with repetition and rhythm. Phae's poetry took me through a journey, and she would occasionally sing, filling the studio with a beautiful tone. Each of Ann's poems took me to a different time and place, and for a time, I forgot that I was sitting on the marley floor of a dance studio. Four other artists will also be performing at the Showcase, and I can't wait to see what they create. After you return from Thanksgiving break, stuffed with turkey and preparing for the cold months, come join Core Dance at the Fall Fieldwork Showcase, Sunday December 3rd at 5pm. Fall Fieldwork Showcase Sunday, December 3rd 5:00pm Dance Studio at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, Emory University 1700 N. Decatur Rd Atlanta, GA 30322 Admission $7 Buy Tickets Here: http://tickets.arts.emory.edu/single/PSDetail.aspx?psn=111436 As I’m writing this, the rain is pattering down on the sunlights in the office. Ah, Georgia weather. But just a few hours ago, the Core Performance Company took to Decatur Square to soak up the afternoon sun rays. They sat with their eyes closed, and skipped and hopped around the square, fully embracing the day. A few community members stopped to watch, while one young dancer even joined in! Who says you have to know how to walk in order to dance?! It was a wonderful moment of peace and pure joy.
Today is Germana Civera’s final rehearsal day with the company, and it is a bittersweet ending. We are sad to see Germana return to France, but we are excited for the future traveling of Human Landscapes, and are thankful for this magical month with her. I sat in on “Check-Outs,” where everyone speaks about a moment, or something they found memorable in the day. For your reading pleasure, here are what the Core Performance Company members said about their experiences with Germana: Scott: “It was really special for me to reflect on all of our time together so far and to look at the container of experiences, information, memories, all of the things that I have learned and obtained from this process.” Phae: “It was memorable to remember that Germana is pretty much the reason why I’m here. And to remember how I had not improved in forever, and then today the weirdness that came out of me, and having that almost same similar weird thing happen the first day with you. And you saying again, again, again. Stefanie: “Remembering how long that process has been, starting almost a year ago. And just a growth that has happened over this time, but also the growth that has happened in between the blocks. That’s really memorable. So thank you for that. This whole week has been very transforming. We’ve never really had that. Usually when we are done with a work, we part ways.” Kristin: “I think overall today what was meaningful was seeing every age dance on the square.” Rose: “I think everything happens for a reason, and I feel like today has been a really special accumulation of everything we have been through. In the CRP, the unknown of where we all go with this, can be really terrifying but the fact that we’re all here together discussing this brings a calming acceptance of that unknown. That feels very valuable for me personally right now because I don’t know what’s going to happen next with my physical body. So I feel grateful for today.” Rose S: “Today, the sun dance was memorable. And in class just re-finding the strength in softness of moving.” Josh: “I’m sad. Esta triste. Time has been so different this whole process and then today, on the last day before a break usually you’re kind of slow and anticipating it. But again, just the way we all work together, it was like the day was over, and oh my God that was it! I just love that I’m doing something that I love with people who I appreciate being around because it makes time feel different.” Patton: “It was meaningful to go through this process with you and everybody. It was meaningful to watch Andrew play with your hair and massage your ears and take care.” Sue: “I really appreciated the amount of beauty in the day. And I particularly was struck by the simple beauty when people started to move out of this last exercise or practice. It was so striking. I will hold that until we meet again.” Inka: “Every second of today was meaningful.” Germana: “Today is a great day. Everything has been very meaningful. Sometimes I start the day and I don’t know. Since yesterday I was tired, and then today has been, wow, with everyone dancing in the morning. The tenderness, the lightness. Thank you.” Andrew: “Germana said she was old yesterday, but she has these baby hairs! The youthfulness is still there. During CRP, my proximity to Germana, and feeling her breathing change when questions were asked and talking about different subjects. That what was memorable today.” Anna: “I actually woke up this morning and was remembering the first time we met you. I was remembering the wave with the handshake and the eyes, and just thinking from that day to now, how crazy. And I was thinking about the ora walks today, and this last exercise. It’s just crazy when I finally feel like I was getting a glimpse into the deepest layers. I saw myself from the outside, and had this weird “that’s something” and now it’s ending. But it’s just the beginning. It’s funny that that happens on the final day. My last one was watching Rose K wake up from the ground in the last exercise.” |
AuthorBarbara Branson, Publications Manager, and the People of Core Dance Archives
December 2019
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For four decades, Core Dance has supported innovation, collaboration, artistic risk-taking and sustainable art-making in dance. An award-winning contemporary dance organization with global reach, Core Dance creates, performs, and produces compelling original dance that ignites the creative spirit and actively encourages participation and conversation with the community.
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