Tag Archives: choreography

Apple Season

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Dear friends,

I have a new(ish) dance-for-camera that’s now online!

Apple Season was created and filmed in the fall of 2010. It was edited in 2011. It took a long time to come together. It was a one-woman production, and it got put on the back burner for while things in my life shifted, and changed, and generally had to be sorted out.

Originally, this work was inspired by my love of mystery and detective stories. I discovered that the first story considered to be a murder mystery is “The Tale of Three Apples” from The Arabian Nights. It was very interesting (and troubling) to me that the first murder mystery was about domestic violence towards a woman. Apple Season came from my idea of the voiceless victim also acting as the detective – telling her side of things as the clues are pieced together, working backwards from the murder.

Original costume design – click to enlarge.

Another driving theme of this piece is how the body tells invisible stories. Detective stories from Sherlock Holmes to CSI are popular because we, the audience, are blown away by how much information can be gathered from simple (or high tech) observations of the body. As a dancer and choreographer, I am very interested in how the body tells these stories.

I created the storyboards, costume, and choreography. I experimented with creating a dye from beets to stain the dress. I filmed myself in my apartment, using my roommate’s camera.

The San Francisco-based band, The Definite Articles, gave me permission to use a song they thought would be perfect for the project – The Calm, from their latest album, King Merriweather. It was a wonderful fit.

In fact, I almost gave up on this project altogether. Luckily, when I saw a live performance of the song that I had been given permission to use by The Definite Articles and it re-inspired me to finish the editing.

I submitted this to the SF Dance Film Fest, but it didn’t make it in. So now, a long time in coming it seems, it’s public! I hope you enjoy it. I’d love to hear your feedback.

Thanks! – LB

Recently

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I’ve been absent for the past couple weeks due to a system overload. My system, to be exact. :)

I was working for Lick-Wilmerding High School’s dance program to help create their spring dance concert. I helped them last semester with their winter concert, and jumped at the chance to work with them again. I really enjoy working with teenagers, and the Lick-Wilmerding high schoolers are a special breed. Not to mention their incredible dance program director, Zoe Fyfe, who truly is the mama brand glue that holds it all together! In short, this spring: 45 students dancing in 32 dances for 2 performance nights = whirlwind!

My process with LWHS Dance is to come in about a month in advance of the show, talk with every choreographer – student, guest, director – and get a feel for what the concert needs. Then I check out what’s available in costume stock, get choreographers’ aye or nay, and then start ordering and shopping. This time around, I also did some sewing work for them, which was exciting. I created Japanese style obi’s, swamp zombies, and figured out how to pull off a Broadway finale quickly and on a budget. Of course there were stressful moments, but somehow, as usual, we pulled it off. The concert was great and I felt truly blessed to be part of such an amazing process. And, it’s all really worthwhile when the students get you up on stage and give you flowers in front of the whole audience – both performances!

What else is new? Oh, I turned 26 and Mr. Matt took me to see the Giants. And they won (just for me, of course!) and it was a fun night.

The same night, actually, as he finished his masters’ program at California College of the Arts. The next weekend, he graduated!

All of this has been jumbled together, and I’ve managed to survive despite coming down with a bad cold and juggling my part-time job on top of it all. This week has been recovery, and sitting down to reassess other projects and future goals. My Etsy shop has been updated, and I’m also now using my Flickr account to showcase more of my work. More, to both these sites, coming soon!

Lastly, I simply must tell you this extraordinary story of karma. A little over a month ago, my bike Gonzo was stolen. Gonzo was a very special bike, as he had been owned by my Dad, then me, in CO, then brought out to San Francisco, CA and had lots of work done to him over the years. I heard, from multiple bike mechanics in SF, “They just don’t make bikes like this anymore.” Of course, I had just gotten him perfectly tricked out just for me when he was stolen in front of the SF Public Library Main Branch downtown while I was at a dance performance. I filed a police report, put up notices on Twitter and Craigslist, and posted flyers at local bike shops. I also mourned, but my brother and my Dad insisted I should get a new bike ASAP. My brother and I ordered a fancy new road bike for me, but when the box arrived – it was the wrong bike! Then, I was in the midst of dance concert show week, and couldn’t even deal.

Then, out of the blue, a local woman emailed me. She had seen the flyer about my stolen bike in one of the bike shops. She didn’t have any leads on my stolen bike, BUT she had a perfectly good, newer version of the type of bike that had been stolen, just sitting in her garage. And she wanted me to have it.

And that, is my incredible story of karma and the generosity of San Francisco bicyclists.

Thanks, universe. :)

What’s on the horizon? 30 days of creativity, Hecho Local,  a summertime trip home, a film shoot, and SF Zine Fest 2011!

Dance+Metal//Round 1

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Mr. Matt and I are working on a collaboration. I am creating a dance and in turn, he will weld a metal sculpture based on the dance.

We decided to limit the space (no larger than my yoga mat) and time (no longer than 30 seconds) of the piece. Here is the 1st draft.


 

Also, photos Matt took while I was choreographing.

My Return to Dance

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My major new year’s resolution for 2011 was to return to dance. I had been on a break since mid-July 2010 due to chronic lower back pain. My amazing chiropractor and fellow dancer, Dr. Chung, insisted a break would be good for me. It definitely was. As hard as it was to take myself out of the art form and community I long to establish myself in, I had to listen to my body. And it was saying, “Hey! We can’t dance the way we have been.” It was tough, but I had to acknowledge that I need a new approach. Specifically, I’m working on my core strength. I also just needed to take a deep breath, look around, allow some healing, and allow myself to actually sink into San Francisco a little more. Establish my roots. I should have done this when I first moved here, but I tend to rush headlong into things.

In December, Dr. Chung finally said, “Okay, I don’t need to see you anymore, unless YOU feel like you need it.” I waited until the rush of the holidays had died down and then I returned to class. I decided to take Chimene Pollard’s Mixed Contemporary class at ODC Dance.

It feels AMAZING to be back in class. And my body is happy, too. Besides normal aches and soreness, I notice no back pain! I am more attuned to when my back gets tired and I really have to focus on keeping my core active and supportive. I really concentrate on warming up well. I have this image of knitting together my abdominal muscles and my ribs – bringing everything together – like tying myself into a corset of strength. During class, I’m trying to find out how to draw power of energy out of my core to very ends of my body and beyond. Cooling down is another thing I have to pay attention to. I think as a young dancer, you get used to just being able to walk out of class, but now I know – I HAVE to take some time to stretch my muscles and let my body mellow out. Otherwise, I definitely pay for it.

Chimene’s class is great. She has a wonderful, positive, playful, energy and I love her approach to release. I think, like me, she understands the balance (sometimes, the struggle) between power and letting go. She talks about using momentum, “stacking the joints,” and I think this approach is perfect for me as I come back to dance. I can push or be gentle, as much as I need to. There are all types of bodies in our class and that everyone is happy dancing is a testament to Chimene’s approach and accessibility.

I’m also excited because I was hoping to get more hours with ODC’s Work Exchange program this month, to help with the expense of taking classes. I was thrilled at a great opportunity that showed up in my inbox: Starting this week, I’ll be helping out with the Youth Program, every Wednesday afternoon and evening, from February to May. I love working with young dancers and I hope this opportunity will allow me to do so. I’m also curious to learn more about ODC’s Youth Program.

I’m also trying some new physical activity. I finally organized and got to do something I’ve been wanting to do since starting work at the trampoline park. Last week, I attended my first Training Ground session at House of Air. Dave taught myself and 3 of my coworkers basic approaches and then we worked on front AND back flips! It was so much fun we’re doing it again this week! (Also, there’s an awesome TV spot featuring House of Air AND the Cartoon Art Museum, which I wrote about before.)

And last night I went to my first 2011 audition.

It was for ODC’s new Sandbox Series, a program they just received funding for. As Kimi Okada, the director of the ODC School, explained, the focus of the series was how to make the art of dance better. And their answer was to provide space and funding for choreographers to experiment – without the pressure of a performance or even showings. There are 4 choreographers and they each get a 1 month of weekly rehearsal time and space at ODC. The audition I attended was to meet their need for dancers for these experimental sessions.

The choreographers were Laura Arrington, Chris Black, Catherine Galasso, and Ann Carlson – and all 4 were a LOT of fun. They approached all 50+ of us auditioning dancers with positive spirits and I felt very comfortable in their presence. There was a lot of improv, fun, quirky choreography, connecting with other dancers, working in pairs, and play. It was 3 hours, but the time flew by. I really enjoyed all of the choreographers’ energy and ideas and would love the chance to work with all of them. Whether or not I’m selected for the Sandbox series, I was happy to meet the choreographers, see familiar faces, and just feel like I’m back in the dance community again.

Looking at the first month of 2011, I’m proud of myself for jumping back into dance, trying out new physical skills, and returning to the dance community. I have to remind myself to take things slow, too. I have to keep strength training and find ways to cross-train in ways that help my body. I also have to remember to rest and allow myself down time.

This year, I want to address how to balance life, dance, relationships, and all of my artistic interests. How can I make art & dance not just a hobby, but a way of life that supports and sustains me?