Mid-Performance Update

Posted on March 19, 2012 by LB

Hi friends!

It’s my first day off in over a week! It’s lovely just to sit at home, drink coffee, call the folks, and just breathe for a moment.

Last weekend was the ODC Dance Jam’s fifth home season performance, V (“Five”). I helped organize their costumes and arrange the opening night reception. I’m so proud of these teen’s dedication and hard work. Not only do they rehearse and perform new and old works by a stunning array of Bay Area choreographers, they also do all the organizing, fundraising, ticket-selling, reception planning, marketing & PR work for their show. The ODC Dance Jam is awesome. No other way to say it. My favorite piece in their show was Scott Wells’ new work for the Jam. I happily worked with him to put together the costumes for it and I love how rock & roll he let me make it! Wells’ piece is humorous, high energy, and always makes me tear up a bit when three dancers come forward for an intimate moment with the audience to tell them about why they dance. The last, and best, line:

“Actually, it doesn’t make sense to talk about dance. We dance because words are insufficient to our reality. And, also, lets change the music.”

Cue the Smashing Pumpkins.

As the Jam did their last performances, I was getting the costumes organized to be loaded into the truck to take ODC’s 41st annual home season, Dance Downtown, to YBCA. We loaded in the next day and the majority of my week was spent pulling last minute costume details together. Oh the flurry of costume shopping, sewing, notes, organizing, and laundry! The 12 hour days of dress rehearsals right before opening nights were the hardest, but also the most satisfying. It’s a magical time, to stand in the house with the choreographers, or in the wings with the dancers, and witness it all come together.

All of the works presented this year I enjoy for different reasons. I love Kimi Okada’s brilliantly humorous, culture questioning, I look vacantly at the Pacific.. though regret, which has the best costumes and I always laugh out loud during! I could discuss for hours the juxtaposition of Brenda Way’s all-female Breathing Under Water and KT Nelson’s all-male Cut Out Guy, but then I would get sidetracked talking about the sweet live music manipulations of Zoe Keating and the Magik*Magik Orchestra. Way’s Raking Light raises questions, and Part of a Longer Story delights, but I am quite taken with Nelson’s Transit.

As my boyfriend Matt put it, after he saw the opening night performance, “It’s a slice of San Francisco.” You see relationships, a family, human interactions unfold over the course of a day. Three amazing custom built bicycles (imagine if a bike mated with a park bench, another with an outdoor cafe table complete with umbrella…) that fly across and around the stage. If you ever get a chance to see them up close, they are unwieldy beasts, but in their relationship with the dancers’ skill, they become light-weight, well-oiled, performing machines. A cloud of hanging Edison bulbs flicker on and off, and they could be stars, streetlights, lights in buildings in a city scape…

I love being in the wings for this piece, in my super important role as newspaper collector, costume quick change artist, and bicycle-butt-straightening assistant. For this piece, and the others, I get a different perspective on the performance than the audience, and it’s still magical. Maybe even more! They should charge extra for my seat (not that I would give it up!)! Seeing the wheels turning, how the cogs are in place – I have so much respect for the choreographers and these dancers, and the process that makes this magic happen. Just like the bikes, a well-oiled, working machine: a work of art producing art.

Here is video of the outdoor performance of Transit ODC did last fall for the SF Trolley dances. I love this version, too, especially the library patrons wandering in and out of the performance.

Transit/SF Trolley Dances from ODC Dance on Vimeo.

Lastly, my words are truly insufficient to describe how beautiful all of the ODC SF dancers are, in every piece, every performance. As dancers, as people, on stage - breathtaking.

I am so lucky to spend these backstage hours with them, in our wardrobe fittings, laughing, hysterically tired, telling dirty jokes. I feel that I am just a small cog in this performance machine, or the very youngest sister in this dance family (pick your metaphor), but I couldn’t feel more blessed to be a part of it all.

Come see ODC SF Dance Downtown at YBCA this week!

- Liz, ODC SF Wardrobe Supervisor

An Interview with a Successful Artist: Esmeralda Kundanis-Grow

Posted on February 17, 2012 by LB

The Project: I want to be a successful artist. What does that mean? How do I define “artist”? How do I define “success?” I want to interview fellow artists for my own and others’ inspiration.

Notes: I started with artists I know personally very well, and the first 5 interviews came together in a mini-series of emerging artists. The 5 interviews in this series were transformed into mini-zines with hand-drawn portraits of the artists and other details by me. These are available for purchase at my Etsy shop ronddejambe.

More interviews are in the works…

Some names have been abbreviated at the request of the artist. Information regarding the artist has been reviewed and approved by the artist.

Interview #4

The Artist: Esmeralda Kundanis-Grow is a dancer, teacher, and artist currently based in San Francisco. She teaches Rhythm & Motion at ODC and creative movement for public school students.

I met Esme at the University of Colorado at Boulder. These days, when we hang out, we talk about dance, the art community here, and being successful as an artist.

LB: When people ask “what do you do?” how do you describe your work?

EKG: I always say I’m a dancer. I’m new to teaching dance. I’m new to calling myself a teacher. I say professional dancer as well, but with quips. I got a degree in dance, but I’m confused as to when you get to call yourself a “professional.”

LB: How did you get started being a dancer?

EKG: I started when I was a kid, improvising to music in my room, having fun. My mom put me in studio classes, but at first I got kicked out. I was too wild. I wanted to run around barefoot, not in ballet slippers.

LB: What do you struggle with when it comes to your work?

EKG: I struggle with thinking too much, labels, what it means to create something new, not always being autobiographical, texture, subtle changes in body, criticism, how people view my profession, & family.

LB: What is your approach to that struggle?

EKG: My approach is to bring an awareness to find a different way in. To acknowledge what I’m up against, and to make work about it. To allow myself to make work I don’t think is great. Be present. Push myself.

LB: If someone said, “I want to do what you do,” what advice would you have?

EKG: Listen to your body, explore different dance environments, remain open-minded, go back to ones that really grab you & propel you down that dance tunnel. Find what drives YOU. I have my own path. Living through other artists is not always good.

LB: Have you ever asked someone that? Who has inspired you?

EKG: I’ve been very lucky that people I admire have been very open & shared their experiences, contacts, & info. They’ve always said, it’s gonna be hard. O.O. at CU inspired me to teach. G.T. – now here in SF, too – I reference him for multimedia exploration. Those two, their voices are always in my head.

LB: What are your goals when it comes to your work?

EKG: I have different goals for my different roles. But overall, my goal is to continue being both student & teacher. After school, you become your own motivator. I want to be constantly learning.

LB: Essentially, what makes you passionate about your work?

EKG: The way dance makes me feel, grounds me, connects me to my body, & makes me ask hard questions. It exposes. It makes my heart happy. It’s so… It makes me gleeful.

It lights me up.

It makes me feel closer to my soul.

LB: Do you think of yourself as an artist? Why or why not?

EKG: In school, I thought of myself as an artist. In the “real world,” I just feel like a human who loves to create and do things. I’m a body that moves.

LB: Do you think of yourself as successful? Why or why not?

EKG: Success to me is really being happy, content, & sharing that with people I treasure. I just moved here, so I’m building that.

Esme’s work can be seen on Vimeo with Es Mara & Tilt Productions.

Much thanks to Esme for this interview!

Purchase this interview in all its mini zine glory HERE

Apple Season

Posted on January 21, 2012 by LB

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

the ol’ yakety yak hour

Posted on July 21, 2011 by LB

Well now! The lovely Catherine Reece of Village Clayworks on Etsy featured my Ska FabCuff in this “dark impressions” Treasury. I really like this Treasury’s theme and items, especially this antler embroidered throw pillow by autumnmodest. It’s also available in other colors…. YUM!

Whew! That was a link-heavy paragraph! You’re welcome.

And oh yes, I am officially a member of the SF Etsy Street Team. Hopefully this will lead to an exponential rise in AWESOME. Heyo! Check out the awesome blog, too, please.

But despite all this excitement, I’ve been having one of those weeks where I KNOW I have a lot to do and a lot coming up, but motivation is seriously lacking. I’ve been super tired from working closing shifts, and super distracted. In a positive bent on this lack of productivity, I always remember one of my favorite dance professors and choreographers at CU, Mr. David Capps, telling me that in order to be productive, your brain also needs time to wander. Sometimes, you just need time to stare into space, mull things over, plot and dream.

I’ve been thinking a lot about projects and priorities and ye olde social networking. In early June, I heard this interesting feature on NPR about “Dunbar’s Numbar” and the magical number 150. Then, I read this “Quit Your Day Job” Etsy blog post featuring the Vermont Branch Company. What struck me about this article?

When asked the question, “What advice would you give someone considering a similar path?”, one of their points was, “We…don’t use any social networking tools, which I imagine would take up much more of our time. We haven’t found it necessary.”

Blew. My. Mind.

Seriously.

One of the things that I’ve found really difficult about starting an Etsy shop and wanting to create products to sell online is a lot of the advice that pops up seems geared towards online social networking. “Tweet sales!” “You need a Facebook business page!” Now, there’s nothing wrong with these pieces of advice, and yes, I have tried some of them.

On a good day, I see the obvious advantages of networking and connecting with folks. And who doesn’t like discovering new online visual, informational deliciousness! I’m actually pretty into my Twitter account and who and what I’ve connected to using it. I’ve been online and exploring my love-hate relationship with the Internet for long enough that I know - one of the keys to online social networking is experimentation. Make it work for you, baby.

However, I also hate it some days. It drains my time and energy. It really sucks you in, and as a dancer, one thing I don’t want to be doing is sitting and staring at my computer for hours. If I’m going to be sitting at all, I need to be sitting and creating. Or not sitting at all. You know what I mean. For me, sometimes, online social networking can feel pointless and shallow and narcissistic.

And new social networking sites and “opportunities” pop up everyday, to cover every interest and function. (No thanks, Google+.) What to do?

Yesterday, I was talking to Mister Boyfriend about it, and we both said how much we barely use Facebook anymore. FB started when we were in college, and now we feel like we’ve grown out of it. But I actually like that my parents are on it, and friends from childhood, and that dancer I just met in class yesterday. I don’t want to call it quits. I enjoy seeing pictures from people who I no longer see everyday. The problem stems from too many “friends.” So we applied Dunbar’s number to FB. And it was shockingly easy. Matt got down to 109 friends. I’m at 130. And Facebook feels… (dare I say it?) FUN, again. When I look at my newsfeed, it’s actually people I know and am interested in continuing to know! What an idea!

Here’s the thing. The great World Wide InterWebs, can be a tool, or an escape. It’s tricky and balance is necessary (if you care, I guess). For myself, I want to keep my life simple, balanced, and focused on people, things, and projects that truly matter to me. Like this website, for example. What do we really gain from spreading ourselves thin online and in life?

…says the lady who was just offered a new project and accepted!!!!!

I am very excited to announce that I am the new intern for the ODC Dance Jam, Fall 2011!

And on that note, I’m feeling more productive…

Hot diggity.

The Bed-Sheet-Obi-Craft-Apron Project!

Posted on June 6, 2011 by LB

I’ve been wanting a craft apron for awhile now for those “I’m looking for _______, that I just put down, then turned away,” moments while I’m sewing or working on projects. A couple recent events inspired me to finally make one. First, I made this apron for barista-ing and cooking at home. Then, I made Japanese, yukata-style obi’s for the LWHS dance concert event.

Here is a picture from my time in Japan of me wearing the orange yukata obi I used to create a pattern (click for larger size):

For the obi’s, I had made the mock-up out of an old bedsheet. Post-concert, I was looking at the mock-up obi, wondering what to do with it, and realized that if I folded it in half, it was the length and width I wanted for a craft apron and the layer created pockets! I clipped one edge and folded that down one inch to create the outer pocket edge. I reconfigured the ties, and stitched down the edges. Lastly, I machine stitched the pocket lines, using both straight and diagonal lines.

It works perfectly! It’s comfortable and not too long (one thing that bothers me about a lot of craft apron patterns). It has a nice array of pocket sizes: one for the cell phone, one for the thread snips, and several large enough for big scissors. Pens go anywhere, and pins slide easily in and out of the cotton fabric.

I just realized, too, that this is the same fabric I used for the project pockets. So now I can match my craft area!

Better pictures of this project can be seen on my Flickr!

Recently

Posted on May 27, 2011 by LB

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!

Improv Modern/Rock Dance Performance

Posted on May 2, 2011 by LB

Today’s Monday dance!

From 04.21.2011 @ Kunst-Stoff Arts, their April Thursday nights art potluck series (The art potluck is a great concept: you bring your art, or food, or yourself as audience, or all of the above . There’s a sliding scale entrance fee based on what you bring. So much fun! We had a great crew that night):

My total improv dance performance with a chance musical element: I had the DJ select “shuffle songs” on my ipod and danced to the 1st song that played. Just fun, silly, rockin’ modern dancing. I really miss performing and this was an opportunity in a safe, welcoming community to get up on stage and let loose. Enjoy!