Flamenco Vivo and CLANDESTINO
Artists: Carlota Santana and Alex Escalante
Partnering DanceForce Member: Carlota Santana Total Project Expenses: $36,007
DanceForce Funding: $10,000
Audience: 2,107
Counties: Onondaga, Oswego, Wayne

The project consisted of two residency components: Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana (November, 2009); and Alex Escalante (March,2010). Both were selected as elements of a year-long interdisciplinary theme: The Arts, Identity & Diaspora. Our intent was to encourage closer integration of the arts with intellectual exploration in the classroom, and with a wider conversation on issues and perspectives throughout the community. The word diaspora is derived from a Greek root that refers to the scattering of seeds. It provides a vivid metaphor for the movement of people away from their original homeland due to disruptive forces beyond their control.Upon arrival in new lands, these people encounter cultural patterns that may conflict with their traditions, their outlook on the world, and their understanding of themselves. The tensions that accompany this encounter are frequently expressed through art— whether these expressions represent cultural resistance, negotiation of compromise, embrace of assimilation, or bold exploration that attempts to transcend both the original and host cultures.

As part of this theme, we were pleased to present Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. Flamenco, perhaps the ultimate multi-cultural artform, was influenced by the many peoples who inhabited southern Spain: the Arabs, Jews, Gypsies and Andalucians. The gypsies who settled in Spain came from India, and brought with them the culture of their home land as well the influences they picked up their travels west. The tradition has been reshaped in different ways as it crossed to Latin America and the United States. Carlota Santana and her company members are extraordinary representatives of this evolving tradition-- both as instructors and sensitive interpreters. SUNY Oswego Dance Coordinator Cheryl Wilkins-Mitchell organized the ambitious series of informances and workshops that brought this exceptional experience to audience members and students from three Central New York counties. New partners included the Community Folk Art Center of Syracuse, and Red Creek High School (Wayne County) in addition to the many organizations and venues listed below.

The second component involved the recreation of choreographer Alex Escalante's 2008 work, Clandestino. In Clandestino, Escalante focuses on immigration—namely, the growing number of undocumented people living and working in the U.S. The work moves beyond the trauma of closed borders and green cards to display how maintaining one's heritage through music and dance is a way to preserve identity. In addition to visiting classes and seminars, Escalante took part in an extended public radio interview that will air to WRVO's large regional audience. The interview will be one component of a broadcast series on immigration issues, supported by the New York State Council on the Humanties. (See www.oswego.edu/diaspora )

The complete schedule of activities by Santana and Escalante included:

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4
9:45 AM Lecture/Demonstration for Grades 3 & 4, Waterman Theatre, Tyler Hall (Company)
12:40 PM Lecture/Demonstration for High School & College, Waterman Theatre, Tyler Hall (Company)
7:00 PM Del Sarte Dance Club Flamenco Workshop, Dance Studio, Lee Hall (Instructors: Company Members)
7:00 PM Flamenco Guitar Master Class, Tyler Art Gallery, Tyler Hall (Instructor: Calvin Hazen)
7:00 PM Flamenco Dance Master Class Community Folk Art Center, Syracuse (Instructor: Carlota Santana)
Reception hosted by CFAC follows class

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5
11:10 AM Movement for the Actor Class, Tyler Hall (Instructor: Carlota Santana)
12:45 PM Modern Dance I Class; open to the campus, Lee Hall (Instructor: Carlota Santana)
7:30 PM Performance: Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana, Waterman Theatre

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6
10:20 AM Spanish Language Class, Otilia Cortez, Campus Center Rm 220 (Company Members)

TUESDAY, MARCH 30
2:20 PM Interdisciplinary Seminar: Diaspora, 305 Poucher (Guest Presenter: Alex Escalante)
7:30 PM Performance: Clandestino, Wateman Theatre Stage

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31
8:30 AM WRVO Public Radio Interview for Global to Local Series, WRVO Studio (Guest: Alex Escalante)
12:40 PM College Hour Presentation, Waterman Theatre Stage (Alex Escalante)
4:35 PM - Political Science Class: Immigrant Experience in the United States, 204 Mahar
7:30 Performance: Clandestino, Waterman Theatre Stage

Step Afrika
Artists: Step Afrika
Total Project Expenses: $19,104
DanceForce Funding: $1,300
Audience: 1,710
Counties: Onondaga, Oswego

Step Afrika! (Aug. 29-30, 2010): A performance by Step Afrika took place in the Campus Center Arena on the first day that students at SUNY Oswego returned to campus. ARTSwego's goal was to provide a shared first-year experience for the incoming freshman class involving the entire campus and community as we welcomed new and returning students. We collaborated with the Student Association Programming Board (SAPB), SUNY Oswego Orientation and the Office of International Education and Programs.

A step team from one of the African-American fraternities on campus, Phi Beta Sigma, was coached by the performers to fine-tune an opening act performance. They met with Step Afrika twice and gained professional insight into shaping and strengthening their performance. It proved to be an exciting way to open the performance and involve our students with the event. The Student Association Programming Board (SAPB), one of our partners, was very helpful in providing student volunteers to facilitate the set up and striking of the performance, as well as to usher at the event.

SUNY Oswego's Orientation program provided assistance with workshop registration and encouraging the incoming freshman class to participate in the workshops and attend the performance. The workshops led by Step Afrika took place on Sunday, August 29, from 1-2 pm and 2:30-3:30 pm and included both students and members of the Oswego community. Each workshop was well attended by approximately 30 participants. Since the workshops took place outside in the Campus Quad, the performers were also able to actively promote the performance to everyone within earshot. Orientation also sponsored a catered dinner for the Step Afrika performers and the multi-cultural Greek organizations on campus. The dinner provided an intimate setting for the Greek organizations to have a one-on-one experience with the performers and a chance to have a dialogue about stepping. About 40 people attended the dinner.

The Oswego YMCA promoted the workshops through their dance and exercise classes, displaying a large 2' x 3' poster at the entrance to the building.

Gallim Dance
Artists: Gallim Dance
Total Project Expenses: $15,586
DanceForce Funding: $6,000
Audience: 1,050
Counties: Onondaga, Oswego

The engagement with Gallim Dance was carefully planned to include the development of a new relationship with a local high school in the Oswego School District (OSD) that involved a unit on visual literacy targeted to eighth grade English classes. We enlisted the support of a curriculum specialist who works with the high school and the SUNY Oswego School of Education (SOE). The objective here was for pre-service teachers to provide pre and post performance lessons for the classes involved. At the outset, "the plan" was met with a great deal of resistance from teachers who were concerned about losing class time. It was decided to simply plan for pre-performance classroom sessions taught by the pre-service educators. In order to train the pre-service teachers, both Nancy Long from the Munson William Proctor Institute and Cheryl Wilkins-Mitchell, the dance instructor for SUNY Oswego provided classroom training for the students from our School of Education. Beyond their extensive experience in the dance field, both Nancy Long and Cheryl Wilkins-Mitchell are trained Institute for Aesthetic Education practitioners. When Andrea Miller, the Artistic Director for Gallim, was here for residency work with the company, she attended the graduate-level classes on Media, Literacy and the Arts and was able to hear about–and comment on–the experiences that the pre-service teachers had in working with the students in the 8th grade English classes. In total some 700 students at Oswego High School attended the performance; and this first foray into offering a robust dance education program for high school students has engendered strong support from the teachers involved. Here is the report from Chris Walsh the curriculum developer who worked with SOE and OHS:

"The Gallim Dance Project, a multi-event partnership among SUNY Oswego, ARTSwego, and Oswego High School English Department, took place this February. First, dance educators visited pre-service classrooms to teach us about dance literacy. Next, 50 pre-service teachers (from Chris Walsh's and Sharon Kane's literacy classes) planned and taught interactive "dance literacy" lessons to almost 700 ninth-twelfth graders at Oswego High School in preparation for the February 17th Gallim performance at the high school. At the end of each lesson pre-service teachers gathered written feedback from high school students and teachers to assess lesson effectiveness and level of student engagement. This data is still being collected and analyzed as we consider future arts integration partnerships."

But, of course, the highlight of the engagement with Gallim was their formal concert in Waterman Theatre on the SUNY Oswego campus. Some of the student reactions to the performance are attached (Attachment A), as well as the response of a high school student to the lecture/demonstration at Oswego High School and also to the performance at the college (Attachment B). In addition, Andrea Miller personally taught two master classes and a composition class and then members of the company fielded questions from the audience in a well attended talk back in our contiguous art gallery following the performance. "I Can See Myself in Your Pupil", the piece that was performed, envelops the audience and had the audience riveted. Its stunning and vibrant choreography ensnares the audience. It is only matched by the impeccable skill of the dancers from this incredible dance company.

Garth Fagan Dance Company
Artist: Garth Fagan
Total Project Expenses: $19,026
DanceForce Funding: $6,500
Audience: 1,540
Counties: Oswego, Onondaga

The primary objective of this engagement will be to build upon and strengthen an in-depth residency program with 11th grade English classes at Oswego High School that is designed to use the performance and the dance company to build visual literacy. By involving pre-service teachers in SUNY Oswego's School of Education, a secondary goal is to "teach" the value of the arts, and in particular dance, as part of a corps curriculum. This program will be carried out for the first time with Gallim dance in the next several weeks. The teachers of the high school have been reluctant to give up class time to "the arts", but with the help of a skilled curriculum developer from the School of Education, they have "bought in" to the unit of study. If this year's program is successful, we hope to broaden the depth of the arts education that 11th graders will have in developing an understanding and appreciation for dance. As part of the residency, members of the company will meet with two of the School of Education classes to prepare students for their work at Oswego High School. It is very helpful that the company is in such close proximity as this will allow the company to carry out residency work a week before the actual engagement.
Here is the basic plan:

Thursday, February 16
• Two workshops for classes in the School of Education
• One master dance class
• One composition class

Thursday, February 23
• Conversation with Garth Fagan combined with lecture/demonstration
• One master dance class
• Load-in and open tech rehearsal

Friday, February 24
• Lecture/Demonstration at Oswego High School
• Performance w/ talk back

As in the past, master classes and the composition class will be heavily marketed in the region and we will continue to make inroads with the local dance studios that tend to be reluctant to take advantage of the opportunity to see major dance companies that are presented at the college. If funding permits, I will explore the possibility of adding a day for company members to visit the dance studios and provide master classes in situ.

Addendum:
The Gallim Dance Project, a multi-event partnership among SUNY Oswego, Artswego, and Oswego High School English Dept, took place this February. First, dance educators visited pre-service classrooms to teach us about dance literacy. Next, 50 pre-service teachers planned and taught interactive "dance literacy" lessons to almost 700 ninth-twelfth graders at Oswego HS in preparation for the Feb. 17th Gallim performance at the school. At the end of each lesson preservice teachers gathered written feedback from high school students and teachers to assess lesson effectiveness and level of student engagement. This data is still being collected and analyzed as we consider future arts integration partnerships.
-- Submitted by facilitator Chris Walsh

Kaatsbaan Space Grants & Residencies
Artist(s): Jeanne Bresciani; Jody Sperling; Paz Tanjuaquio; Livia Vanaver
Total Project Expenses: $11,965
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 500
Counties: Dutchess

The goal of the Kaatsbaan Space Grant and Residency Project is to provide needed creative, technical and rehearsal space to the New York dance community with priority given to projects where large studio space and/or a residency is required.

Selection is by application or request. All visiting companies are required to participate in open rehearsals, workshops or professional performances.

For the 2009-2010 season two projects were selected: ToPaz Arts, a creative work residency directed by Paz Tanjuaquino and Todd Richmond and; "Mystic Immortals: The Muses of Modern Dance" a creative and performance residence collaboration between Jeanne Brescianni, Jody Sperling, Livia Vanaver, actress Arlene Sterne, photographer Clara von Aich, and Kaatsbaan International Dance Center.

The Topaz Arts Residency took place March 1-8, 2010 with an open rehearsal/public discussion held on Thursday afternoon March 4. The open rehearsal was offered to the general public free of charge. Artistic Director Paz Tanjuaquino and Chia Ying Kao performed a new work by Ms. Tanjuaquino with live music and technical effects, which were also created during the residency, by co-director Todd Richmond.

"Mystic Immortals: The Muses of Modern Dance" began with a residency to complete a production that brought 3 well known dance artists, an acclaimed actress, and an international photographer together. The 8 dance works in the production - historical reconstructions of Loie Fuller, Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis - were previously restored and rehearsed. Dialogue and poetry were added to the production and Kaatsbaan's resident lighting designer created a working light plot for the production while in residence at the center. Lighting was of great importance to the production as Ms. Sperling dances with 100 yards of white silk as did Loie Fuller in the early 1900's. Thus, a permanent performance production was created during the 5-day Kaatsbaan residency. In addition, the photographic exhibit, "Eternal Muses" by Hungarian photographer Clara von Aich was displayed in the theater lobby to compliment the performances held on June 12 and 13, 2010.

The dress rehearsal of the performance was open to professional photographers. The performance was filmed for presentation to the 120 students of Kaatsbaan's Extreme Ballet summer program. Jeanne Bresciani and Jody Sperling will conduct lectures, master classes and answer questions during Extreme Ballet to enhance the educational effect of the film presentation.

A diverse population was reached by this production including 160 high school aged ballet, modern and folk dance students and 160 senior citizens.

Early 20th and 21st Century Contemporary Dance Residencies and Performances
Artist(s): Jeanne Bresciani, Jenifer Muller
Total Project Expenses: $14,275
DanceForce Funding: $7,300
Audience: 460
Counties: Dutchess

The goal of "Early 20th and 21st Century Contemporary Dance" was to contrast two dance choreographers that exemplified contemporary thinking in dance in the early part of the 20th and the 21st Centuries: Isadora Duncan in about 1911 was presented in the production "Isadora Duncan in the Time of Spring" and Jennifer Muller in 2011 was presented via the world preview performance of her full length work "The White Room". Each artists has made a significant statement about dance in their time.

Jeanne Bresciani and the Isadora Duncan International Institute Dancers including Mary DiSanto-Rose, New York City actor Arlene Sterne as the voice of Duncan, and members of the Skidmore College Department of Dance collaborated to stage, refine, and rehearse "Isadora Duncan in the Time of Spring" during a 5 day residency at Kaatsbaan International Dance Center. Over 35 artists - dancers, choreographers, costume designers, and lighting designers were involved in the residency and two performances. Artists were from the Capital Region, mid-Hudson Valley and New York City. This production appealed to the family audience, young audience, college students as well as historians and the general dance audience.

Jennifer Muller's company The Works performed "The White Room" prior to its New York City premier at the Cedar Lake Theatre. The premier took place two weeks after the Kaatsbaan performance. The preview at Kaatsbaan gave Muller an opportunity to edit her work and make final decisions about costumes, sets, and projections before to the premier. The lighting design for the performance was also created at Kaatsbaan. The production brought many NYC theatre artists to the Hudson Valley to collaborate with Muller. The performance had special appeal to many college students and a sophisticated dance audience.

Both productions were advertised in local newspapers, through post cards sent to a mailing list of 4,700 and via an email list of 1,200.

Nego Gato Afro Brazilian Music and Dance Ensemble
Total Project Expenses: $6,000
DanceForce Funding: $6,000
Audience: 1,570
Counties: Suffolk

The Nego Gato Afro Brazilian and Dance Ensemble was a one day event dedicated to educating our audience on the culture, music, and dance of West Africa and Brazil through Samba and Capoiera. Exposing our audience to these music and dance traditions opened their eyes to these cultures.

The goal was to present Nego Gato Afro Brazilian and Dance Ensemble to the Huntington Summer Arts Festivals continues our tradition of exposing our audience to new and different genres, both in music and in dance. Over 2000 people were able to watch various West African and Brazilian dances, hear the music, and ask the performers questions furthering their understanding of a different culture. The timeline was very short because we were looking at another company which fell through. After a thorough analysis of our options, The Executive Director with Mary Pentecost, the Program Coordinator of the Summer Arts Festival, chose Nego Gato as our best option to expand the horizons of our audience by showing them something new. The program did not include any collaborating/local artists. Only the primary artist, the Nego Gato Ensemble was involved.

The performance was publicized through our publication Arts Cultural News which serves 90,000 people throughout the town of Huntington and beyond. Besides publicizing it in our newsletter, the performance was advertised on NASA's website, iya2009.com (International Year of Astronomy), and Hofstra University promoted it with their own materials as part of Music and Astronomy Under the Stars.

Additionally we created flyers that regarding the event that were distributed throughout the community. A press release was issued to print and web-based media.

Bridgman/Packer
Total Project Expenses: $6,654
DanceForce Funding: $6,654
Audience: 440
Counties: Suffolk

Bridgman/Packer was selected for their innovative use of technology combined with their amazing contemporary dance. They are acclaimed for their innovative work integrating live performance with video technology and they delighted the audience at the Huntington Summer Arts Festival.

Glen Velez & Lori Colter also performed; they are known as TaKaDiMi Duo, and are world renowned for frame drumming and voice integrates world music and jazz stylings. Cotler grew up on Long Island.

Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer's innovative choreography, a highly visual and visceral interaction of live performance and video, explodes the partnering form into a magically populated stage where image and reality collide. Their latest works explore in depth the themes and concepts engendered by their long-term collaboration: the multiplicity of identity, the paradox of intimacy, the plasticity of gender, and the variability of time. Over the past seven years, they have developed a broader artistic medium for these ideas, stretching the boundaries of live performance by multiplying, transposing and manipulating their own life-size video images, and integrating these images into their dance. As their performances question what is real and what is image, their catapulting partnering, deep sensuality, and unexpected humor give the work a physically and theatrically riveting edge.

Michael Mao Dance
Artist: Michael Mao Dance
Total Project Expenses: $6,000
DanceForce Funding: $6,000
Audience: 1,400
Counties: Suffolk

We will be presenting Michael Mao Dance in an evening performance, with a post-performance Q&A and an open rehearsal, in August 2011.

Michael Mao's choreography has been presented throughout the USA, Mexico and China, in Paris, Oslo, and Hong Kong. He has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, corporations and foundations. His choreography has received funding from the Polaroid Foundation, the Dolfinger McMahon Foundation, and the American Dialogue Program, a project of the National Task Force on Presenting and Touring the Performing Arts funded by the National Endowment, the Pew Charitable Trust, and the Rockefeller Foundation, Mostly recently from the George Soros Open Society Foundation.

Mao's works have been commissioned by Café de la Danse, Paris, France, Festival Internaciónal Cervantino, Mexico, Tennessee Children's Dance Ensemble, which danced his Song of Helena at the '96 Holocaust Conference. He has also set Moonlight Sonata on Hong Kong Ballet. Michael's FireCracker™, a 1930's Shanghai-Jewish setting of "The Nutcracker," opened at the PerformIng Arts Center, Purchase, New York in December 2002, In 2002-2003 his works toured Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Nanjing, and Suzhou. Michael's works have also toured Mexico, Europe, throughout the United States and in 2009 and 2010, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

The audience for the performance is estimated to be from 600-1,000 individuals. Presenting Michael Mao Dance will continue to develop the relationships we have built following presentations by HT Chen Dance and puppetry and performance companies from Taiwan with the Asian-Chinese American communities on Long Island.

Gallim Dance
Artist: Andrea Miller
Total Project Expenses: $10,726
DanceForce Funding: $6,000
Audience: 1,063
County: Monroe

The Gallim Dance project provided a young dance company with an opportunity to live and work together in a quiet environment for an extended (3 week) summer work time, during which rehearsals took place and a new work was developed. Company members also participated in presentations at the July DanceForce meeting. The company returned to Brockport in September to a now familiar venue for a five day teaching and performance residency.

Planning was begun in February and final Fall plans were completed in person during the summer. The project created the first opportunity for the company to spend an extended time together and was important to their development. Miller remarked about the immense value of cooking, eating, and sleeping under one roof and of the uninterrupted rehearsal time in a spacious studio, a first for them. The company also organized and taught a two week summer intensive Technique and Repertory Workshop. Throughout the summer, a College at Brockport student worked as an intern with the company, funded through an Undergraduate Summer Research Grant. Her research continued through the fall semester and ended with three public presentations (one in Albany) and several articles in which her work was highlighted.

In addition to open rehearsals, the September 22-26 residency activity included 3 performances, 2 artist performance/talks, 2 post-performance talks, an open meet-the-artists reception, a lunch time Open Conversation, and three scheduled classes that included dance majors and general students. Gallim Dance includes a Brockport alumnus so press releases included this special connection. Per usual procedure, the release was sent out widely in the region. Two hundred posters were hung the week before the concerts. The artist performance/talks preceded the concerts and were attended by many, including all students enrolled in the ten classes meeting at those times. The research project included a survey designed to better assess the value of various pre and post concert activities in the total experience of audience members new to dance. Not surprisingly, the most positive responses were from those who participated in an amazing combined class with 100 mixed level participants, most new to dance. That class, more than the artist talks, played a significant role in their enjoyment of the evening performances.

2010-2011 Site Specific Choreography Project Planning
Artist: Monica Bill Barnes
Total Project Expenses: $2,530
DanceForce Funding: $2,000
Audience: 45
County: Monroe

Monica Bill Barnes was selected to create new site specific work in Brockport, NY in 2010-2011. Phase I, this project, was planning and development. After numerous long distance conversations, Barnes flew to Brockport in April to look at potential sites, to meet potential dancers and partners, and to select participants for the project. Unfortunately, tight scheduling and bad weather interfered with some planned classes and meetings, but with patience and perseverance, Barnes was still able to tour the area, teach a two hour audition class and meet afterward to select dancers and plan. Planning continued via email and telephone, with tentative sites selected and rehearsal and teaching schedules developed. Three performances of a new outdoor work will be given, September 7,8,9, 2010. Intensive rehearsals are scheduled for Labor Day weekend. Classes and other residency activity in Brockport and Rochester are planned, including a community workshop for experienced choreographers.

Where's the Dance? Making and Viewing Dance in Unexpected Spaces
Artist: Monica Bill Barnes
Total Project Expenses: $12,500
DanceForce Funding: $7,300
Audience: 2,560
County: Monroe

Monica Bill Barnes was commissioned to create a new site specific outdoor work that would surprise and attract a large number of observers. She visited Brockport in April 2010 for planning, sight selection (the mall in the center of the College at Brockport campus because of the high pedestrian traffic), and to audition local dancers. Eighteen dancers were ready to work with Barnes for four intensive rehearsal days when she returned with company member Anna Bass in early September. Two Brockport graduate students served as project assistants. "Possible Weather" was then performed two or three times a day for three consecutive days and seen by thousands of audience and passersby. In addition to workshops and classes during the residency week, Barnes presented a wonderful site specific choreography workshop for regional professional dancers and choreographers.

Two thousand small color flyers were widely distributed and posters were displayed in village store windows in addition to the usual press releases sent to all regional media. The entire work process was captured by a skilled dance videographer; short dance clips and interviews were placed on social networking sites throughout the week. The work was so successful that Barnes was invited to return in March 2011 and in one day completely restaged the work for a new outdoor location. It was performed twice as part of April 1 College at Brockport's 175th Birthday pARTy celebration and seen by both new and enthusiastic repeat viewers.

Because of the unanimous positive response, Monica Bill Barnes is scheduled to return with her company in September 2011 and will perform in the Hartwell Dance Theater.

Monica Bill Barnes & Company Residency
Artist: Monica Bill Barnes
Total Project Expenses: $16,200
DanceForce Funding: $6,500
Audience: 1,200
County: Monroe

Monica Bill Barnes' 2010 residency (assisted by company member Anna Bass) was a huge success and the site specific work she created for performance in the center of the College at Brockport campus was seen live by thousands of people as well as in video posted online. She also taught classes in Brockport and Rochester and a well attended Site Specific Choreography workshop for regional dance professionals.

Building on the momentum established and the strong interest of both Presenter and Artist to continue working together, this second year DanceForce project brings the full Monica Bill Barnes & Company to the region for a week long residency. Included is a focus on intensive workshops addressing some of the specific artistic challenges of performance in Ms Barnes' work, as well as the wonderful opportunity to see her company in performance. Included will be a new work to be premiered in spring 2011. Partners such as the University of Rochester will again be involved in residency activity and workshops for regional professionals will again be included. The value of a two year project is immeasurable and enables all to experience Ms Barnes' work in more meaningful ways.

Outside funding support for performance of the new work is anticipated through the New England Foundation for the Arts.

A Dance Life: Looking Back

Artists: Bebe Miller; Lauren Dong, David Landis; others TBD
Total Project Expenses: $14,025
DanceForce Funding: $6,500
Audience: 317
Counties: Nassau, Suffolk

DanceForce funds will support the planning and piloting of the first phase of A Dance Life: Looking Back. I propose to create a "model" platform from which to document and make accessible the work of artists I have had the honor to work with, learn from, and work for during the past thirty years of my dance life. This pilot project will give two different Long Island dance communities the opportunity to learn about and experience the work of choreographer Bebe Miller. In addition, the project will provide Ms. Miller and several of the dancers who worked with her in the original cast the opportunity to document and share their reflections on their creative/artistic experience while doing the work "then" and how the "then" resonated and influenced them as they moved forward through their professional and personal lives.

The 2011-12 phase of A Dance Life will be comprised of the following components:

• Restaging choreographer Bebe Miller's "Guardian Angels," commissioned in 1983 through CoDanceCo. Two different dance communities will learn two or more movements from "Guardian Angels": a) advanced dancers from several private Long Island dance studios and b) advanced dancers from Long Island-based Hofstra University. The restaging will be done by my self, an original cast member, in collaboration with Ms. Miller, who will come in towards the end of the rehearsal period for coaching.

• Recording interviews with Ms. Miller and dancers of the original cast members Lauren Dong and David Landis, among others. The interview questions will be designed in collaboration with a dance scholar/moderator TBA and Ms. Miller.

• The two Long Island dance communities will come together to perform what they have learned and will participate in a post-performance dialogue with choreographers Ms. Miller and some of the original cast members, moderated by the dance scholar. The performance will be open to the public free of charge.

• Excerpts of the interviews/rehearsals will be created to make them accessible to the public through YouTube. Ms. Miller and the original cast members will be provided with full copies of the interviews.

• Videographer Peter Richards will record and edit the interviews with all the participating artists as well as record selected rehearsals and the informal showing.

• Planning will take place during this year to identify dance departments and/or presenters from across NY state and three to four choreographers that would like to partner in implementing the excerpt restaging and interview model during 2012-2013 and beyond. Artists under consideration are Susan Marshall, Doug Varone, Bill T. Jones, Yvonne Rainer, Steve Paxton, among others.

The primary objective of this project is to provide LI dancers and their audiences with the opportunity to get to know and experience some of the artists who have, over the last 30 years, deeply touched my life and the lives of many others. I also believe that this re-staging/interview "model" can be of use to artists, educators, presenters, and audiences alike.

Residencies at SUNY Potsdam and Skidmore College
Artist: Gallim Dance
Total Project Expenses: $36,231
DanceForce Funding: $6,850
Audience: 506
Counties: Albany, Saratoga, St. Lawrence

This project utilized one New York State based dance company for two very different residencies in two separate counties. The goal was to afford opportunities to a New York State based company -- one in the home community of the DanceForce representative providing the funding and the other in one that is currently not being represented by DanceForce membership.

From February 21 to 23, Gallim Dance was in residence at SUNY Potsdam. The community partner for this part of the project was the college's Department of Theatre and Dance. Activities included multiple master classes for dance and theatre majors as well as a public performance. The schedule was as follows:

Sunday, February 21, 7:00 to 8:30 PM - Repertory Master Class
Monday, February 22, 12:00 to1:00 - Movement for Actors class
Monday, February 22, 1:15 to 2:45 - Mixed level modern/contemporary dance class
Monday, February 22, 3:00 to 4:00 - Discussion on choreography, running a dance company and career paths in dance
Tuesday, February 23, 9:30 to 10:45 -Technique class for Intermediate Jazz class
Tuesday, February 23, 3:30 to 4:45 - Stage Management workshop for the Stage Management class
Tuesday, February 23, 8:00 PM - Public performance
Wednesday, February 24, 1:15 to 2:45 - Mixed level modern/contemporary dance class

From June 10 to 26, Gallim Dance was in residence at Skidmore College. The community partner for this part of the project was the college's Office of the Dean of Special Programs. Activities included teaching as part of a Summer Dance Intensive for college students from June 10 to 18 and a week of creative time from June 20 to 26 for the company to develop new work that will premiere at the Joyce Theatre in August. Gallim also performed as part of an annual arts festival, Sarataoga ArtsFest, of which Skidmore is a major partner.

This project went through many transformations throughout its planning and execution. Originally, it included a residency for the company at UAlbany which ended up not happening due to scheduling and communication issues. Also built in to the project was the opportunity for Skidmore personnel to travel to SUNY Potsdam in February to see the company's performance, observe their work with the students and/or for planning meetings. Unfortunately, this aspect of the project was also not realized because inclement weather prevented the trip from happening. Planning was predominantly done by DF member Kim Engel, Robin Collen of SUNY Potsdam, Maria McColl of Skidmore College and various representatives of Gallim Dance.

Marketing efforts for the Potsdam portion of the residency were predominantly executed by the Department of Theatre and Dance. These included internal communications within the Department for the master classes, workshops and discussions as well as posters, email blasts, press releases and other traditional means to extend beyond the Department for the public performance. At Skidmore, the workshop was advertised principally by electronic means and social networking by the Office of Special Programs and Gallim Dance. The performance promotion was handled by Saratoga ArtsFest coordinators who contracted directly with the company for the show.

Extending DanceForce Activity into a Non-Represented Region
Artists: Bairbre McCarthy; Ellen Sinopoli
Total Project Expenses: $1,950
DanceForce Funding: $1,150
Audience: 70
Counties: Washington

The Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company (ESDC) performed its newest work, Celtic Footprints, at Hubbard Hall in Cambridge on March 20, 2010. The show is a collaboration with storyteller Bairbre McCarthy. Intended for a family audience, McCarthy and ESDC dancers took the audience on a fantastical journey weaving stories, song and movement to follow the footprints of the Celts from Central Europe to Scotland, Wales & Ireland and then across the Atlantic to Appalachia.

This project afforded a performance opportunity to a New York State based company. The performance happened in Washington County venue, a county currently not represented in the DanceForce membership and one in which other DanceForce activity did not happen this year.

Planning for the project was done mainly by Ellen Sinopoli of ESDC and Gina Mammone Deibel of Hubbard Hall projects. Hubbard Hall is a small, community-based multi-arts center within an historic 1878 opera house and an adjacent restored Freight Yard campus with multiple studio, classroom and performance spaces in Cambridge. They have a vibrant and growing dance education program, which includes Irish Step dance, and are home to a critically acclaimed theater company and a chamber music group. They had previously worked with Bairbre McCarthy when she helped organize and teach their Arts of Ireland vacation week program last February and wanted to continue that association. ESDC had performed at this venue several years ago so it made sense for a return engagement. The material that the artists were collaborating on seemed like a perfect fit for the venue although they did not have the financial resources to fully pay the artist fee.

From an initial communication between Hubbard Hall and ESDC: "Given our community's interest in all things Celtic, and the fact that many families in our area have enjoyed Bairbre's storytelling in the past, we would LOVE to explore the possibility of bringing Celtic Footprints to our area. Perhaps we could host a performance and/or workshop here at Hubbard Hall? Hubbard Hall draws dance students from the greater region, including Hoosick Falls, Salem, Granville, Valley Falls, Schagticoke, and the Manchester/Bennington area of Vermont."

The promotion of the performance was handled jointly by ESDC and Hubbard Hall and consisted mainly of a presence on web sites, issuance of press releases with subsequent newspaper coverage, an ad in the local community newspaper, dissemination of posters and information distribution via social networking sites.

Undercover Playground
Artist: Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company; Capital Region musicians
Total Project Expenses: $13,300
DanceForce Funding: $6,500
Audience: 920
Counties: Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, Washington

In Undercover Playground, I am working with the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company (ESDC) to create a spontaneous performance work that happens at playgrounds in six NYS counties in the late summer and fall of 2011.

The creation of the work was begun this spring at two local elementary schools with which the company already has a relationship -- Abram Lansing Elementary in Cohoes (Albany County) and Yates Magnet School in Schenectady (Schenectady County). ESDC spent two days in each location creating and rehearsing the work in an open rehearsal format so that students from the school could observe and comment on the process. Approximately 200 students were involved in the process. Several rehearsals also took place on public playgrounds in Saratoga County and Rensselaer County. After the company's annual break in July, rehearsals will resume in August.

Starting with the last weekend in August, ESDC will perform Undercover Playground on weekend afternoons in public playgrounds where it is anticipated that an audience of children and parents will already be in place. The dancers and and one of two musicians (Brian Melick or Zorkie Nelson) will show up at a local playground unannounced and will spontaneously perform the work to an unsuspecting audience. Once it is over, information on who and what it was, funding credits and upcoming dance performances in the region will be left behind for those who were treated to the performance. The company will then move to the next playground and repeat the process. It is anticipated that four performances in a single day will take place in various locations and that potentially an average of 30 "audience members" will be present for the performances. The schedule is as follows:

Saturday, August 27 - Rain Date: Sunday, August 28
Public playgrounds in Washington County

Saturday, September 3 - Rain Date: Sunday, September 4
Public playgrounds in Warren County

Sunday, September 11
Public playgrounds in Saratoga County

Saturday, September 17 - Rain Date: Sunday, September 18
Public playgrounds in Rensselaer County

Saturday, September 24 - Rain Date: Sunday, September 25
Public playgrounds in Schenectady County

Saturday, October 1- Rain Date: Sunday, October 2
Public playgrounds in Albany County

Saturday, October 8 and Sunday, October 9 are being held as additional rain dates if needed.

Kun-Yang Lin Residency: Planning Phase
Artist: Kun-Yang Lin
Total Project Expenses: $6,500
DanceForce Funding: $6,500
Audience: 1,400
Counties: Erie

Former NYC artist Kun-Yang Lin, with whom I worked on many occasions during his artistic development as a dancer and choreographer -- including two prior DanceForce projects -- has established a successful company and movement center in Philadelphia. Lin's choreographic work continues to focus on developing Eastern influences within the context of Western contemporary dance. This DanceForce project, whose goal is to re-introduce Lin to the Buffalo dance and cultural community, will take place over a two-year time span. In the first year, Lin will reconnect with the community through master classes, meetings, workshops, and setting his work on young dancers. The second year will feature a company residency and performance.

Community partners include Nichols School in Buffalo, where I have taught for 25 years; Buffalo State College and University at Buffalo, both of whom have sizeable dance programs; and the Buffalo Chinese School, a community-based Chinese language school located near the University at Buffalo.

From August 15 to August 26, Lin will teach class to and set his choreography on members of the Nichols Dance Ensemble (15 students). They will perform the piece on August 27 at the 2011 Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts, an outdoor community event in the city of Buffalo (estimated audience of 600). They will perform a fully produced version in October in the Flickinger Performing Arts Center at Nichols School for a projected audience of 250.

During the fall, open rehearsals and previews will be given at Nichols School for other students (projected audience: 400).

During the August residency, Kun-Yang will also meet with Chinese teacher and community liaison Yajie Zhang, Buffalo State College Professor of Dance Joy Guarino, University at Buffalo Professor of Dance Melanie Aceto, and Mercyhurst North East College dance teacher Gina Illingworth to discuss community outreach strategies.

Creative Residencies and Danspace Project Performances for Three Choreographers
Artist(s): Vanessa Anspaugh, Ursula Eagly, Cori Olinghouse
Total Project Expenses: $34,703
DanceForce Funding: $7,300
Audience: 714
Counties: Dutchess, New York

Danspace Project (DSP) provided support for creative residencies for three choreographers and their companies in 2010-11 at Kaatsbaan International Dance Center in Tivoli, NY. The goal of the residencies was to give crucial creative process support for the creation of new dance works, and the project culminated in two premieres during DSP's 2010-11 season, with the third premiere to occur in October 2011 as part of DSP's 2011-12 season.

The choreographers that participated in the project were Ursula Eagly, Cori Olinghouse, and Vanessa Anspaugh. Choreographers were selected based on the stage and timing of their creative process so that each participating artist could benefit as much as possible from the opportunity. Since each participant in this creative residency project is also part of Danspace Project's presented season, Executive Director Judy Hussie-Taylor sees the programming of these residencies as a crucial component to the larger artistic programming goals. Ms. Hussie-Taylor selected Ms. Eagly and Ms. Olinghouse for the residencies in preparation to premiere new works in DSP's PLATFORM 2011: Body Madness, which considered strategies in contemporary dance and performance that explored absurdity and wit (Part 1, curated by Judy Hussie-Taylor) through forms such as post-modern improvisation, voguing, and hip hop (Part 2, curated by David Parker focused on rhythm and humor). Vanessa Anspaugh was selected for a third residency, and her new work will premiere October 13-15, 2011 on a shared evening with Maura Donohue.

Kaatsbaan International Dance Center was the community partner involved for the residencies, offering the choreographers and their dancers generous rehearsal space and housing for 7 days and 6 nights. DSP provided support for transportation, per diems for the choreographers and up to three dancers each, and administrative support. Ms. Eagly's residency was held November 29 – December 5, 2010 and Ms. Olinghouse's was held December 1-7, 2010. The two residencies overlapped so the choreographers were able to share work-in-progress showings followed by a discussion on Thursday, December 2 and Friday, December 3 for local Hudson Valley community members. Ms. Anspaugh's residency was held June 6-12, 2011, with a work-in-progress showing and discussion on Thursday, June 9. All work-in-progress showings were free and were publicized through Kaatsbaan in the form of flyers and emails.

DSP and Kaatsbaan have been enjoying this mutually beneficial partnership for about two years. Kaatsbaan benefits from having the new voices of these New York City choreographers in their space and interacting with their community. DSP deepens its Commissioning Initiative with these generous residencies which directly benefits the artists. New York City audiences also benefit from the artists' premieres of new work at DSP. Cori Olinghouse opened PLATFORM 2011: Body Madness with "voix de ville" (February 3-5, 2011), a historic re-imagining of Vaudeville that garnered significant press coverage and brought down the house each night with special guests: Voguer Javier Ninja and Archie Burnett, Kota Yamazaki, and a one night appearance of Bill Irwin. Ursula Eagly premiered "Group Dynamics and Visual Sensitivity" (February 17-19, 2011) on a shared evening with Minneapolis-based Chris Schlichting, and incorporated a live graphic novel challenging audiences' sense of vision. The performances were marketed through postcards and a Platform brochure (mailed to DSP's list of approx. 3,000), press releases (emailed to approx. 90 press contacts), and weekly e-blasts to a list of 3,800 contacts. A total of approximately 714 people participated in this project, which include the showings at Kaatsbaan attended by 60 Hudson Valley community members and six nights of performances at Danspace Project totaling 654 audience members.

Choreographic Center Without Walls (CW²) Residencies for Three Choreographers
Artist(s): TBD (see narrative)
Total Project Expenses: $56,922
DanceForce Funding: $6,500
Audience: 775
Counties: Dutchess, New York

For nearly four decades, Danspace Project has been a foremost supporter of the creation and presentation of cutting-edge dance work. Danspace's home, the iconic St. Mark's Church in the East Village of New York City, has been a reliable and flexible base for these activities. In 2009-2010, Danspace launched the Choreographic Center Without Walls (CW²), a new operating model to examine and re-invigorate dance presenting practices. As we plan for the future and consider the sustainability of the dance field, Danspace is investigating ways to sustain and deepen the impact of its current commissioning program. Residencies are one component of the development of this new model.

Within the framework of CW², Danspace has sought to develop a residency partnership with Kaatsbaan International Dance Center in Tivoli, NY. As stated in their mission: Kaatsbaan is a year-round facility dedicated to the growth, advancement and preservation of professional dance and provides a creative residence in an aesthetically inspirational and healthy working environment for dance-related artists from all disciplines and ethnic backgrounds.

For this project, Danspace will collaborate with Kaatsbaan to offer three New York City-based choreographers and their dancers one-week residencies and works-in-progress showings. Danspace and Kaatsbaan have a previous relationship of working together to support artist residencies, and this project further aids the need on behalf of both organizations to deepen and expand this relationship.

The residences will occur during Danspace's 2011-12 season (September 2011-June 2012). Judy Hussie-Taylor will select residency artists based on their current commissions with Danspace, and their needs for this generous space to develop their work. Participant artists will receive rehearsal space and housing for one week from Kaatsbaan. Danspace Project will provide an honorarium, per diem for up to four dancers, reimbursement for transportation, and administrative support. The residency time has a direct impact on the quality of the work produced, and Kaatsbaan provides an ideal environment for the artists with its large and well kept studios and generous accommodations.

The residencies benefit local Hudson Valley community members, who will be invited to attend works-in-progress showings at Kaatsbaan and participate in a post-performance discussion. New York City audiences also benefit from this project which culminates in the artists' seasons at Danspace Project.

Dates and times of the showing at Kaatsbaan and the premiere at Danspace Project are to be determined. The target audience for this project is Hudson Valley audiences and New York City-based artists and audiences. A total of approximately 840 people will participate in this project.

Planning Phase for MOVABLE POINTS OF ENTRY
Artists: Doug Varone; John Toth
Total Project Expenses: $8,000
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: n/a
County: Erie

The planning phase for MOVABLE POINTS OF ENTRY directly involved dancer/choreographer Doug Varone, intermedia artist John Toth, Burchfield Penney Art Center (BPAC) Executive Director Ted Pietrzak, BPAC Associate Director & Head of Technical Services Don Metz, and Dance Force member Margaret L. Kaiser. This three-year project supports the commissioning of a new work of art, Movable Points of Entry (MPOE), that is intended to engage audiences in two separate aesthetic experiences: visual/aural and visual/aural/kinesthetic, that when combined result in a richly textured understanding of the artistic process. The multi-media experience will occur in the BPAC Contemporary Project Space, followed by a dance performance at a location to be determined which uses elements of the media/digital installation as the impetus for kinesthetic expression, as well as the performance environment. This new work of art has the potential to bridge the gap between the visual/intermedia arts community and the dance community by providing a common ground for artistic expression. This planning year supported the artists' initial collaboration by enabling them to become more familiar with each other's work and by enhancing the process during which their artistic visions intersected to begin the development of MPOE. This planning year also provided opportunities for expanded community involvement from Buffalo State College, as well as Nichols School, a highly respected private school which serves grades 5-12. As a result of our intensive planning, we have determined that this project will impact: students and teachers throughout WNY, both high school and college; the cultural community, including local artists--dancers, musicians, and media artists; and, the general, diverse community of WNY. We have also added another NYS Dance Force member Elaine Gardner, who will be dedicating her 2010-2011 NYS Dance Force funds for Year 2 of this project. We anticipate that this comprehensive partnership will serve as the catalyst to leverage considerable funding from the private and public sectors, on a local, state, and national level. In addition, MPOE has become embedded in DOVA's long-range plans as a signature piece for its 25th anniversary year celebration which means that it has the potential to be performed in other venues throughout the United States.

Planning meetings that occurred throughout the 2009-2010 project year:

February 2009: Introductory meeting with Steina Vasulka at BPAC (Buffalo) included Don Metz (BPAC), Nancy Weekly (BPAC), and Margaret.

June 11, 2009: Project overview meeting at BPAC (Bflo.) which included Don Metz (BPAC), Caterina Bartha (DOVA E.D.), and Margaret.

November 6, 2009: Meeting at DOVA offices (NYC) between Margaret and Caterina to discuss changes in administration at DOVA.

January 25, 2009: Meeting at 92nd Street Y (NYC) which included Doug Varone (DOVA), John Toth (visual artist), Sarabeth Grossman (new DOVA interim E.D.), and Kaitlin Hines (DOVA marketing and development director) to further brainstorm project ideas and timeline.

March 22, 2010: Telephone Conference Meeting which included Doug Varone (DOVA), Sarabeth Grossman (DOVA), Margaret, and Lisa Booth/Deirdre Valente from Lisa Booth Management to discuss presentation/fiscal needs.

May 24, 2010: Meeting at BPAC (Bflo.) which included Doug & Sarabeth (DOVA), John Toth (visual artist), Don Metz (BPAC), Joy Guarino (dance professor at Buffalo State College), and Elaine Gardner (dancer/choreographer Pick of the Crop Dance):
➢ Reviewed artistic concepts;
➢ Explored various performance/installation venues;
➢ Discussed educational/community outreach and partners;
➢ Reviewed fiscal responsibilities and funding options;
➢ Identified action timeline and next steps

MOVABLE POINTS OF ENTRY - Phase 2
Partnering DanceForce Member: Elaine Gardner
Artists: Doug Varone, John Toth
Total Project Expenses: $19,620
DanceForce Funding: $14,300
Audience: 680
County: Erie

"Movable Points of Entry" (MPOE) is a three-phase project. The title of the piece speaks to the various entry points through which an audience member can experience the work of intermedia artist John Toth and dance/choreographer Doug Varone: visual/aural and visual/aural/kinesthetic artist.

The first phase is the planning component, the second phase the creative residency component, and the third is the live dance performance at the UB Center for the Arts on March 24, 2012, which presents elements of the installation as the impetus for the kinesthetic expression. Although each experience is capable of being a stand-alone presentation, it is the progressive experience from the visual/aural to visual/aural/kinesthetic that promotes a more complete aesthetic experience for the viewer. A key element of this piece will be the use of technology, both in the installation and performance, as well as in the community engagement plan (i.e. the use of podcasts, twittering, website interaction, etc.).

Phase 1 was the planning phase, during which Doug and John worked to define themes and ideas and beginning to plot out design elements. Phase 2 is the creative development phase. This will occur throughout the year; however, a creative residency week will happen in Buffalo at Nichols School in the studios of Pick of the Crop Dance from November 7 to 12, 2011. During this week, Doug will provide 4 informal showings and 2 workshops. We will work closely with the dance departments at Buffalo State College as well as UB. John Toth will be working with college media students as well. We estimate that 680 people will attend these phase 2 planned events. This collaboration represents the first of its kind in Buffalo, combining media and dance in multiple venues yet connected in theme and artistic intention, with the culmination (phase 3) of the project the premiere showing of MPOE at SUNY at Buffalo.

MOVABLE POINTS OF ENTRY - Phase 3
Partnering DanceForce Member: Elaine Gardner
Artists: Doug Varone, John Toth
Total Project Expenses: $53,750
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 1,000
County: Erie

This is the final year of a three year project: Multiple Points of Entry (MPOE), featuring choreographer Doug Varone and media artist John Toth. The culmination of this project is more than just a performance, it is the centerpiece of Doug Varone and Dancers 25th Anniversary. As such, it embodies Doug's evolution as a precise yet edgy choreographer who keeps challenging himself and his dancers to embrace movement from multiple points of reference, including present day technology. Much of the technology utilized in MPOE will be supported by Dance Force funding in its premiere performance at SUNY at Buffalo Center for the Arts on March 24, 2012. The Center is a new partner in this project and has included in its presentation fee a residency week March 19-25 that will serve the University community. The Burchfield Penney Art Center (BPAC) will be hosting John Toth's installation piece four weeks prior to the performance date, building an artistic link from his work to the final performance piece, MPOE. The week prior to the performance the BPAC will provide a lecture/demonstration by Doug and his dancers to educate the audience about the collaborative process & how the two art forms complement, yet challenge, the outcome of the final performance. In addition, the SUNY at Buffalo dance/theatre students will visit the installation piece as a part of the overall study of Doug's creative process. The Year 2 partnership with additional DanceForce member Elaine Gardner from Pick of the Crop Dance which focuses on a creative residency at Nichols School in the fall of 2011, will further enhance audience engagement as those students will also attend both the installation at the BPAC as well as the performance piece at the Center for the Arts. We estimate the total performance audience to be (modestly) 600. The installation visits by students directly involved in this project, which will be calculated by the staff at BPAC, is projected to reach 75. This is the first project of its kind in Buffalo that links a major exhibition with a major performance. Although both events could be stand-alone events, the intention is to bring the two different audiences together in a unique and challenging way. Both events will also have a major educational thrust: the BPAC installation will directly involve the Education Department of the BPAC and will directly involve the docents in a pre-exhibition talk; the UB students will have master classes with DOVA, as well as opportunities to study the installation work. MPOE is a landmark work that will remind the art-going public why Doug Varone remains an artistic leader in the dance world.

dre.dance/In It For Life - Phase I
Artists: dre.dance, In It For Life
Total Project Expenses: $3,000
DanceForce Funding: $2,000
Audience: 2,010
Counties: Monroe

This project will be a 1 1/2-2 year effort to begin building a younger audience base of high school students not already steeped in dance to appreciate concert dance. It begins with the artists from dre.dance and In It For Life viewing their work by June 2010, if not before, which will begin the dialogue between artists. In fall 2010, In It For Life will set movement on selected high school students using hip-hop/house - a more social/street genre; dre.dance will follow using the same high school students and take the set movement, molding and moving it into the realm of concert dance/contemporary modern dance. The outcome hopefully will be that of the participating students having a new understanding of concert dance and beginning to embrace it and morph into future dance supporters.

dre.dance (New York, NY) and In It For Life (New York, NY) will be the artistic organizations used to set work on the high school participants; Marylee Miller, Dance Dept./School of the Arts (Rochester, NY) will assist in creating the tools to screen and choose the participants. Since there will be some adjustments and school closings, the schools that will participate in this project from the Rochester City School District might not be confirmed until this summer/fall 2010.

In the interim, having the artists travel if needed to see each other's work, creating the screening tools, meeting/ discussing/creating project logistics and applying for a grant from the Rochester Area Community Foundation will be the bulk of the planning year.

Once the students are chosen they will not only physically participate, but will attend several dance performances throughout the length of the project, discussing and writing about what they view. They will also be asked to keep a journal documenting their journey throughout the project.

dre.dance/In It For Life - Phase II
Artists: Andrew Palermo, dre.dance; Ahkai Franklin, In It For Life
Total Project Expenses: $13,226
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 3,225
Counties: Monroe, New York

This project is an effort to continue building a younger audience base, some who have a basic understanding of the arts but are not steeped in dance. The mission of this pilot program, utilizing 18 secondary level students from four schools within the Rochester City School District (projected: East High School, Integrated Arts and Technology High School, Jefferson High School and School of the Arts) is to grow their appreciation of concert dance, creating future arts patrons. In spring 2011, the principal artists Andrew Palermo, dre.dance (New York, NY) and Ahkai Franklin, In It For Life (New York, NY) will set work on the selected high school participants with Franklin setting movement late September or early-to-mid October 2011, using the urban social genre of hip-hop and house; Palermo will take that same movement and mold it into a contemporary modern dance in January 2012 creating the modern piece from the hip hop movement.

While the creative process will occur in Monroe County, these students will travel to New York City (County) and stay overnight in order to attend several dance performances, tour the Alvin Ailey studios, and maybe go to a museum or gallery, placing them in different environments, opening their minds to all possibilities. Throughout the project there will be discussions and each student will be asked to keep a journal to document their journey through the project. I will again work with longtime collaborator Marylee Miller, School of the Arts (SOTA) and welcome additional input from Dufie KanKam, Jefferson High School. As in the past, SOTA will give studio space, theatre rental and costume design and execution as gifts-in-kind. The project will culminate with the piece being performed at the School of the Arts in March 2012 for three performances before a varied and diverse audience of more than 1,500.

Lar Lubovitch Dance Company
Artist: Lar Lubovitch Dance Company
Total Project Expenses: $31,064
DanceForce Funding: $7,300
Audience: 897
Counties: Oneida

The goal of the Mohawk Valley Dance Partnership is to advance the understanding and appreciation of dance across a broad spectrum of the community and to inspire people to make dance a meaningful part of their lives. Each year the MVDP (Michelle Reiser-Memmer, Hamilton College; Serena Belmont, Arts in Education; and Nancy Long, Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute) combines available resources from their organizations to bring a dance company to the Utica area for workshops, school and public performances. The MVDP meets monthly throughout the year to review company choices, select companies and repertory and schedule activities and performances.

This year, with additional support from the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company presented two shows and two master classes. This program was revised in scope from our original plan when funding for the Arts in Education in the Utica School District was significantly cut. Rather than spending funding on busing to the school show, the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company agreed to perform at a new location, Waterville Elementary School (see details below) on Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 10:00am. The public performance was held as planned at Wellin Hall, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY on Friday, February 11, 2011 at 8:00pm.

Master Classes were taught by company members for both the students on campus at Hamilton College, Wednesday, February 9 at 1:00pm and for the Dance Program of the MWPAI, Utica, NY on Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 4:00pm.

MVDP member, Michelle Reiser-Memmer, serves as the Director of Performing Arts and coordinates all promotional materials delivered by Hamilton College. They included space in the seasonal brochure, press releases, posters and postcards and inclusion on the HC website. MWPAI provided space on its season performing arts brochure, an article in the monthly Bulletin for members, additional distribution of postcards and announcements on their website and social network events.

Keigwin and Company
Artist: Keigwin and Company
Total Project Expenses: $24,850
DanceForce Funding: $6,500
Audience: 1,450
Counties: Oneida

The Mohawk Valley Dance Partnership will present Keigwin and Company during November 2011 including the following activities: masterclasses, workshops, school show and public performance.

11/03/11 School Performance at Hamilton College at 10:30 to include 40 minutes of repertory and 10 minutes of Q and A to follow
11/03/11 Master class for Intermediate students at Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute
11/04/11 Half Day Repertory Workshop hosted by MWPAI will include 2 hour technique class and 2 hour repertory class
11/04/11 Master class for Intermediate students at Hamilton College
11/05/11 Technical rehearsal and Public Performance at Hamilton College
11/06/11 Company depart

The School Performance will be offered to 650 Utica School students. The majority of these K-12 students of Oneida County are from inner-city, low-income families and rural families with little or no access to the performing arts, especially dance. In conjunction with this performance, several teaching artists will work closely with teachers to develop curriculum to study the works of art (i.e. dance repertory). Several workshops and activities will be conducted in the classroom to enhance the student's understanding and enjoyment of the performance.

In addition to master classes at Hamilton College (50 students) and MWPAI (25 students), there will be Repertory Workshop for advanced students (25 students) who meet the criteria for a four-hour technique and repertory workshop culminating in a showing by the students that day.

The public performance will take place on Saturday, November 5, 2011 at 8:00, Hamilton College.

Dance Infusion / Dancers Are Real People
Artists: Bryant Andrews, H. T. Chen, Elena Mosley
Total Project Expenses: $16,665
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 993
Counties: Columbia, Ulster

September 9, 16, 23, 30, Oct. 7: KDD collaborated with 25 dancers from the Kingston Energy Dance Team providing a series of dance workshops with rehearsal for Oct. 10th performance of Hip Hop Afro-Fusion.

October 10th:
3:00 pm: Community Drum Circle with improvisation dance-KDD and invited guest artists-Rumpus in the Wild, Schenectady, NY. This participatory event was held in a small walk-way park, across from the Hudson Opera House, yet very visible when passing by. The combination of the Northern African Belly dance and African drums attracted many people. We had 66 folks stopping by in the course of an hour. We gave out hand instruments to the dance-shy folks and African drums to the adventurous folks. We had a group of 3 ladies on the drums that stayed the entire session. Later that day, I received a call stating the one of the ladies was trying to contact me. I followed up, put a package together, and then drove it to her home –about 40 minutes round trip. The next morning their foundation was meeting. In early December, I received a youth program support check for several thousand dollars. I almost fainted, then sent Curt a quick exciting note. Although the package I prepared covered all of the youth programs including dance activities, it was the dance and participation experience that attracted them to our organization.

8:00 pm: Kuumba Energy Project gave an outstanding performance for the Columbia County Arts Walk Concert opening reception. The radio station captured the live music and I had a film crew for documentation. This was the right audience to inform about DanceForce and the contributions to Columbia County's Art scene and the economic development. KDD is currently working on a DVD for cable presentation, which will be shared with DF at the summer meeting.

October 11th: Youth Show Case, featuring Hip Hop Afro Fusion local youth. This was a fun presentation directed at families with children. The presentation was followed by a workshop with great participation. This was held at 359 Columbia Street, the old Cannon Ball factory.

October 17th: 12:30 pm, KDD provided participatory dance & drum workshops for families at the Hudson Area Library as part of the family arts celebration of Arts Walk. It was a cold and grey day. Once we arrived with the drums and four young students, everyone in the library came out to participate.

II Dancers Are Real People - Dance Collaboration

H.T.Chen exploded onto the Hudson scene on April 22, 23 and 24th, 2010: KDD collaborated with Columbia Greene Community College and the Hudson City School District for the "Dancers are Real People" presentation. H. T. Chen & Dancers interacted with students from the Hudson Schools on April 22 & April 23. Four workshops were held at the Hudson Junior High: 1) Calligraphy, 2) Chinese Cooking and 3 &4) Creative Dance, giving insight to dancers and their talents, with the intent to connect them to performance, via non-dance experiences. Hudson High School students and faculty were totally taken by surprise during the educational format performance on Thursday, April 23rd. Most students were expecting five minutes of excitement, then boredom. The presentation was historical with visual media, dance interpretation / performance and audience participation. The hour went by so quickly and the students were fully engaged. Mr. Spicer, Hudson High Principal stated, "This was the best educational program we have had."

With our history of collaboration with Columbia Greene Community College and the positive response to dance, we added a pre-view performance at a dinner held on the campus, with the intent to attract a larger audience. The performance pieces were not part of their traditional repertoire, as some were expecting. It was mesmerizing. The audience found it both interesting and of good quality. It was completely different from the educational format. They could have performed twice at the high school and no one would have complained about repetition.

Spot Light on Dance
Artists: Savannah Lowry, Zach Morris, Tom Pearson, Daniel Ulbricht
Total Project Expenses: $9,324
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 550
Counties: Columbia, New York, Queens

I On Sunday, August 8th, two professional ballet dancers from New York City will arrive at the Valley Academy of Performing Arts in West Taghkanic, NY to do a performance/demonstration, question and answer session with the audience, and also to teach a master class. This event would be open to the public and to dance schools throughout Columbia, Albany, Greene, Dutchess, and Ulster Counties as well. This experience would serve to heighten awareness and educate the public regarding professional dance careers and professional dance training in regards to classical ballet. New York City Ballet Company artists include soloist Savannah Lowry and principal dancer Daniel Ulbricht. Dance Performance/Demonstration 1-1:30pm, Q & A 1:30 -2pm, and Master Advanced Beginning Ballet Class 2:30-4pm. The Hudson Valley Academy of Performing Arts is located at 957 Route 82, Ancram, NY 12502.

II On Saturday, December 4th, Bessie Award-winning choreographers Zach Morris and Tom Pearson and Bessie Award-winning composer Kris Bauman will be presented by NYS DanceForce member Kuumba Dance and Druma as part of a three day residency in Hudson. Zach, Tom and Kris are the driving force behind Third Rail Projects and will perform “Anthem” at the Hudson Opera House, Hudson, NY. Anthem is a new site-adaptive, community-specific work that grapples with the multi-faceted (and sometimes contradictory) aspects of our national identity and an insuppressible love for the myth of modern America. Forging connections between seemingly disparate communities, eras, and individuals, and utilizing iconic American tunes, original music, and mash-ups, the piece entwines WWII naval battles, 1950’s nostalgia, Ponderosa steakhouses, Al Green, Miller High Life, heartbreak, arena rock, and that general Niagara Falls, broke-down-honeymoon feel. This site specific performance of six dancers will allow the audience to move freely through the space/building and interact with dancers in a unique way. This experience will take place between the hours of 6-8pm. On Sunday, community partner Hudson Opera House will host a Master Class.

African Masters Conference
Artists: Yousouf Koumbassa, M'Bemba Bangoura, Manque Sylla
Total Project Expenses: $20,155
DanceForce Funding: $6,500
Audience: 3,052
Counties: Columbia

Kuumba Dance and Drum and the Hudson Opera House propose a 3 day African Masters Residency Program. The program will examine the contemporary expression of today's African artists , African American artists and other artists considered outside the African diaspora, yet exhibit related dance and music styles. The conference will take place from October 6 through October 22nd, 2011. Dance Artists extraordinaire will include: Youssouf Koumbassa, former artist of Ballet Djoliba, the National Ballet of Guinea; M'Bemba Bangoura; Manque Sylla; the Kon Koura Dance Company Guinea, Harambe Dance Company, Asmarra representing the Middle East and Indian influenced dance of Sonal Batt. The conference will offer patrons a variety of choices, with both direct and indirect African influences, such as Theater Motus from Montréal, performing their dance/music/puppet spectacle-Baobab, Len Cabral will share African Americans stories, and playwright/photographer Thalia Cunningham will share an African photo exhibit. New community partners excited to collaborate are the Columbia County Chambers of Commerce, Columbia County Tourism and Taconic Hills School District. Returning partners-Honorable Mayor Scalera and City of Hudson and the Hudson City School District, will provide venues along with the Hudson Opera House. The audience will be drawn from the Tri-State are (New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut.), with anticipation of 3000 in attendance. Saturday and Sunday early programs will have an emphasis on children/family activities and workshops. Afternoon and evening will focus on adult workshops and evening performances. Even the most casual pedestrian will engage with music and free style dance and creative live African art by Diata Diata. A community dinner with artists, participants and community members will culminate at the Hudson Opera House. Project Advisors include: Maria Suttmeier, Assistant Superintendent, Hudson City Schools, Joseph Watson, Vice President/Curriculum Director, Columbia Greene Community College and Steven Spice, Elementary School Principal, Hudson City Schools. The African Masters Residency will bring artists living in New York State to Columbia County, and numerous art patrons to Hudson. The impact of African music and dance on economic tourism will be reflected in the business community through foot traffic, support of the arts and food sales. Project Directors are Elena Mosley, Artistic Director of Kuumba Dance and Drum/Executive Director of Operation Unite Education and Cultural Arts Center and Gary Schiro, Executive Director of Hudson Opera House, a multi Arts center in Hudson. Information can be obtained by calling Operation Unite at 518 828-3612 or Hudson Opera House at 518 822-1438 or hudsonoperahouse.org.

Partners in Dance Operational Budget
Total Project Expenses: $9,182
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 5,591
Counties: Albany, Rennselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady

Partners in Dance received an allocation of $8.000 for 2009-10. Funds were used to support the consortium's mission of maximizing the audience for each year's Capital Region dance season through its regrant program, as well as to partially support administrative personnel, meeting expenses and honorariums for professional development. The remainder of these expenses as well as all other activities and functions of Partners in Dance (web site, fundraising, etc.) are funded through member dues and donations.

Two general membership meetings were held for Partners in Dance members. Professional development included discussion with new emerging Capital District choreographers associated with eba Dance Theatre's "Dance Theatre in our own Neighborhood" and a glimpse into the choreographic approach of Aszure Barton followed by a performance of Aszure Barton and Company at the Egg in Albany. Partners in Dance members brainstormed on ways to engage members to network more with one another on future projects and ways to network to build general membership. Recognizing the need for outside funding, Partners in Dance has begun the process to become a separate non-profit organization.

Partners in Dance members (as of June 30, 2010) include Vanaver Caravan, Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company, Nacre, Saratoga Savoy, Laurie Cawley, Colleen Dooley, Nan Guslander, Paul Rosenberg, Betty Gavin-Singer, Toni Smith, Mary Jane Dike, Helga Pritchard, Dolores Sarno, Xinhua Lee, Eba, Hudson Valley Community College, The Egg, SUNY Performing Arts Center, Abram Lansing Elementary School, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Emma Willard School, Sally Rhoades, Ione Beauchamp, Questar III BOCES, Tango Fusion Dance Company, Mary DiSanto Rose and Special Programs and Skidmore College.

Partners in Dance awarded four member grants totaling $5200 for 2009-10.

All current members of Partners in Dance are eligible to apply for funding, as long as the funded projects must meet the following criteria: 1) must relate to a presentation of dance in the Capital Region (Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Saratoga counties) dance season through adult or youth education; 2) be submitted by a paying member of Partners in Dance (see list above); 3) engage multiple funding sources; 4) reflect the involvement of multiple partners (i.e. artists, administrators, organizations, schools etc.); 5) demonstrate a history and interest in sustaining regional dance activity; 6) include activities that take place in New York State. In addition, grant requests may not exceed 40% of the overall budget of the project. Projects are determined by a panel process and 2 rounds were offered in May 2009 and February 2010. The funded projects and their respective community and artist partners are:

Dance Theatre in our Own Neighborhood (October - May)
Project Contact: Jenn Newman, eba
This project will enhance understanding of and appreciation for the art of Dance Theatre while bringing people interested in dance and the eba Theater together through an Introductory Lecture Demonstration and Social Event as part of a joint Neighborhood Association Meeting, attendance at performances by Maude Baum and Company Dance Theatre, and a Dance Making workshop. Eba Center for Dance students and eba Theater neighbors will be the target audience. The project will build the dance audience by de-mystifying dance and through performance experiences, discussion of dance and personal involvement in making a dance. This is a collaborative project of the Neighborhood Associations, the eba Center for Dance and Fitness, Maude Baum and Company Dance Theatre, the Albany County Department for Aging and the eba Theater.

Bringing Dance to Families (January)
Project Contact: Ellen Sinopoli, Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company
This fall, the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company will collaborate with storyteller Bairbre McCarthy on the creation of Celtic Footprints, a new performance program which will weave a fantastical journey of stories, song and dance to follow the footprints of the Celts from Central Europe to Scotland, Wales & Ireland and then across the Atlantic to Appalachia. Performed with dance and spoken word, audiences will see and hear the myth of the seal people, the legend of the swans, the adventures of Jack (beyond the beanstalk) and the tales of the Appalachian wise women. Celtic Footprints will premiere in January 2010 in the Joe Bruno Theatre at the Arts Center of the Capital Region in relation to its Family Sunday series. Prior to the premiere, Ellen Sinopoli and Bairbre McCarthy will conduct free story and movement programs for families in public libraries throughout Rensselaer County.

Keeping the Heritage of American Modern Dance Alive (May)
Project Contact: Beth Fecteau, Nacre
This project will afford area modern dancers the opportunity to work alongside visiting artists to learn the works of master choreographers and present these works to audiences in the capital region through master classes, lectures, and performances. For the 2010 spring performance series, Nacre will bring guest artists to the capital region to teach master works by American Modern dance choreographers; Isadora Duncan, Eleanor King, Doris Humphrey, May O'Donnell, Anna Sokolow, Jose Limon, Danny Grossman. Nacre annually selects a guest choreographer to share current work. For the 2010 season Nacre will present the work of Rebecca Rabideau who serves as an adjunct dance faculty member at Nazareth College in Rochester, NY. Musical talent by Jim Gaudet and The Railroad Boys, Barbara Musial and Kara Cornell will accompany select pieces of repertory on the program.

Celtic Footprints (May & June)
Project Contact: Cliff Bird, Abram Lansing Elementary
Students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades will view a performance of Celtic Footprints by the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company (ESDC) and storyteller Bairbre McCarthy, a magical journey weaving songs, stories and dance to follow the footprints of the Celts from Central Europe to Scotland, Wales and Ireland, then across the Atlantic to Appalachia. Following the performance, 5th grade students will participate in a series of dance and storytelling workshops with ESDC and Bairbre McCarthy to create their own stories and performance.

Partners in Dance Member Support and Regrant Project
Total Project Expenses: $7,300
DanceForce Funding: $7,300
Audience: 7,248
Counties: Albany, Rennselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Washington

The goal at Partners in Dance is to support the consortium's mission of maximizing the audience for each year's Capital Region dance season through its regrant program, as well as to partially support administrative costs, meeting expenses and honorariums for professional development. The remainder of these expenses as well as all other activities and functions of Partners in Dance (web site, fundraising, etc.) are funded through member dues and donations.

Partners in Dance members (as of June 30, 2011) include Colleen Dooley, Saratoga Savoy, Paul Rosenberg, Mary Jane Dike, Nan Guslander, Helga Prichard, Betty Gavin-Singer, Nacre, Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company, Vanaver Caraven, Toni Smith, Dee Sarno, Laurie Zabele-Cawley, Xinhua Lee, eba, Hudson Valley Community College, UAlbany PAC, Abram Lansing Elementary School, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, National Museum of Dance, Emma Willard School, Sally Rhoades, Ione Beauchamp, Questar III, Tango Fusion Dance Company, Arts Center for the Capital Region, Skidmore Dance Program, Mindy Ianotti, Albany Academies and the Office of Special Programs at Skidmore College.

Three general membership meetings were held for Partners in Dance members. The National Museum of Dance generously offered space for the summer meeting where members were able to participate in the open discussion with American Modern Dance legend, Bill T. Jones. The Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs was the meeting location for our fall meeting where members took a tour and learned about future opportunities of this historic Saratoga landmark that will one day be a performing arts venue for the city of Saratoga Springs. Our members ventured back to the National Museum of Dance for the spring meeting where members learned about a special choreographic offering by New York City Ballet dance Justin Peck for Saratoga Artsfest of June 2011. All these meetings allowed members to share upcoming dance opportunities with one another. Also at each meeting, regrant recipients are invited to share the success of their project funded by Partners in Dance regrant program in hopes to encourage other members to submit for funding in the future.

Partners in Dance awarded six Partners in Dance members funding for the 2010-11 season. All current members of Partners in Dance are eligible to apply for funding, as long as the funded projects meet the following criteria: 1) must relate to a presentation of dance in the capital region dance season through adult or youth education; 2) be submitted by a paying member of Partners in Dance (listed above); 3) engage multiple funding sources; 4) reflect the involvement of multiple community and artist partners.

For the 2010-11 season the projects included: 1) "Providing Post-Participatory Experiences" by Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company. This project allowed 200 students to see "Dance by Chance" performance by Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company and engage in a post-participatory workshop experience with presentational and participatory perspectives. 2) "Dance for Special Needs College Students and Young Entrepreneurs" by eba. This program introduced the Art of Dance through workshops in: dance, how to be an active audience member, choreography, and a seminar about dance in our community through performances by Maude Baum and Company Dance Theatre. 3) "Keeping the Heritage of Modern Dance Alive II" by Nacre offered area modern dancers the opportunity to work alongside visiting artists to learn the works of master choreographers and present these works to audiences in the Capital region through master classes, lectures and performances at the Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs and movement classes with the Franklin Community Center's "Project Lift" for underprivileged elementary school students. 4) Swing Kids - Arts in Action by Tango Fusion Dance Company brought ballroom dancing to the schools and community of Saratoga Springs through classes, workshops and participatory performances. 5) "Seeing Dance with a Critical Eye" with TAKE Dance Company provided high school students the opportunity to attend a professional dance performance as well as work with dance writer Susan Mehalick to look at the art form (dance) and put the experience into words. 6) "Chinese Dance Performance" by Xinhua Lee. This project took research of authentic Chinese costumes, music and dance with students from the Chinese Community Center and applied it to choreography and performance with the Asian Culture Chinese Dance Troupe. As a result of the above regrant projects, Partners in Dance continued to bring quality dance performance and education opportunities to the Capital Region.

Kaatsbaan Creative Residencies
Artists: Faye Driscoll, Kimberly Bartosik
Total Project Expenses: $8,000
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 75
County: Dutchess

Artists selected to participate in week-long creative residencies at Kaatsbaan International Dance Center were Faye Driscoll (September 14-20, 2009) and Kimberly Bartosik (November 2-8, 2009). Both women worked on pieces scheduled for premiere as part of the 2009-2010 season at Dance Theater Workshop. The artists worked intensively with company members in Kaatsbaan studios: for Bartosik, she was joined by one performer, Marc Mann, lighting designer Roderick Murray, and composer Luke Fasano for the making of an evening-length work, The Materiality of Impermanence. Driscoll worked with performers Lindsay Clark, Michael Helland, Jennie Mary Tai Liu, Jesse Zaritt, and Nikki Zialcita on the development of There is so much mad in me.

Faye's work concentrated on developing new material and rehearsals with the dancers as well as bonding time outside of the studio. Rehearsal days were long with group warm-ups led by members on a rotating basis: Jennie led a voice workshop, Jesse led an improvised warm-up based on his recent work with Deborah Hay, Lindsay led a ballet class, Michael led chakra exercises based on his work with Maria Ambrovic. An hour-long Open Rehearsal event with lively q&a was held on Thursday afternoon, September 17th.

Kimberly's primary goal was a technical residency. Of particular concern was experimenting with lighting design, which involved working with LEDs, a new technology for the choreographer and her company. The artist hosted an hour-long Open Rehearsal event on November 5th at 2 PM.

Faye Driscoll's There is so much made in me was presented at Dance Theater Workshop March 31-April 3. Based on this sold-out run, the piece will be reprised at DTW in the 2010-11 season (September 22-25, 2010).

Kimberly Bartosik's The Materiality of Impermanence was presented at Dance Theater Workshop February 3-6.

Faye wrote extensively that the significance of the residency "wasn't just a rehearsal process, it was a sharing of information, an exchange of histories and an understanding of what training is necessary to perform There is so much made in me."

Kimberly also commented favorably on how invested the audience was in watching and discussing the work presented during her Open Rehearsal event. She noticed that many of the people in attendance, while new to her work, were familiar with many artists and were very open to learning more about her creative process as well. Her only suggestion was to introduce a moderator to the discussion to help provide structure and, on occasion, temper some of the opinions expressed during "a very vulnerable point in the our process"). She expressed great appreciation for Tim Hess' efforts at accommodating the group which included traveling with a toddler. Kimberly said that the space at Kaatsbaan was absolutely perfect in that the theater design is very similar to Dance Theater Workshop's, and as Materiality was being designed especially for DTW (with use of stairs, aisles and specific audience seating), the similarities aided research and "helped me make essential breakthroughs in the work's development."

"I have been on many creative residencies, but Kaatsbaan was the first where I received a stipend, per diem and travel funds. This financial support was incredible!!! The combination of this support plus the glorious rehearsal space and generous hospitality of all the staff made it one of the most nourishing and fruitful creative experiences I've shared with my performers." - Kimberly Bartosik

Kaatsbaan Creative Residency
Artist: Ivy Baldwin
Total Project Expenses: $6,500
DanceForce Funding: $6,500
Audience: 115
County: Dutchess

New York Live Arts (formerly Dance Theater Workshop) will provide a week-long creative residency at Kaatsbaan International Dance Center in Tivoli, NY to Ivy Baldwin. The residency will be held in November 2011. The focus of Baldwin's residency is the development of a new work, "Ambient Cowboy," in preparation for her season at Live Arts, May 2-5, 2012. The artist will receive transportation, housing, food, rehearsal space, a stipend for themselves and their dancers, and administrative support. The residency also includes an open rehearsal/work-in-progress showing with a post-show discussion for the Kaatsbaan audience (TBC). The target audience includes artists and dance enthusiasts, as well as members of the local community. The Kaatsbaan Studio Theatre is a 160-seat space with a performance floor the size of the stage at the Metropolitan Opera House. With stadium-style seating of only 7 rows and 22 seats in a row, each audience member is guaranteed an intimate dance experience. A workshop for students from Bard College has also been proposed and will be confirmed in the fall.

Live Arts identifies artists poised at a significant stage of career growth who can take unique advantage of the creative time that the residency offers – time and space to create, unhindered by the pressures of competition, economics and production deadlines. Programs that nurture an artist's process are becoming increasingly rare, and simultaneously more necessary than ever as resources and funding for these artists are scarce.

New York Live Arts, a new entity formed by the merger of two organizations, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and Dance Theater Workshop, will be widely acknowledged as a center for the development and presentation of dance and movement based artists. Live Arts is committed to supporting artists at all stages of their careers and phases of creative development. In addition, the partnership with the NYS DanceForce provides early creative residency time to support a deep and thoughtful exploration of ideas.

Flamenco Dance Residency/Performance/Arts Education
Artist: Carlota Santana
Total Project Expenses: $39,400
DanceForce Funding: $6,000
Audience: 1,830
Counties: Bronx, Westchester

1) (part of Mary Avrakotos' project) Residency at SUNY/Oswego to extend our outreach with the student body and involve students in an experience with a Hispanic art form. We gave three workshops to students of the Spanish department as part of the cultural history of the art form enriching the students understanding of the Spanish language and culture. Classes were given in both Spanish and English. A dance Master Class was held at the Community Folk Arts Center in Syracuse to help extend the residency to outlying areas in reach of the Oswego community. Residency dates Nov 3-6. 2009. This was our first collabortion with another Danceforce partner and was successful. Discussions began at our summer meetings continued at a upstate residency and worked well with e-mails and phone conversations. The residency gave the company many opportunities for Master Classes which is always a plus. The venue was extremely involved in the organization of the residency and was able to involve Spanish department which has been our goal for our touring residencies so this helped the development of the Company's residency goals. Promotional and marketing done by presenter.

2) Residency in Mamaroneck, New York, March 7, 2010 at Emelin Theatre. Goal was a presentation of the professional company in a new community with a chance for direct outreach. We did a pre performance talk which included a lecture-demonstration and a hands-on class for audience members. Master This outreach acticvty would not have happened if not for Danceforce support. Here we served the general dance community and reached out to the larger Hispanic community. We were reviewed in the local paper and have also had an interview with Westchester Arts Reporter, Examiner.com There was less organization from this venue---meaning that the workshop class announced was not what the audience expected they expected a "talk" The Company quickly assessed the situation and all Company members joined in,-not just the Master Class teacher assigned, and were able to jointly give a talk do a demonstration and keep the audience happy. This situation has kept the Company on its toes-and able to be flexible and responsive to presenter's needs because there are always situations such as this--another learning experience. This performance and related activities was arranged by our booking Representative Baylin Artists.

3) JM Rapport
Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana was able to implement our pilot program: Project Olé: Flamenco for Students with Disabilities with support from DanceForce. This new initiative builds on Flamenco Vivo's extensive arts education programming by increasing access to the arts/dance for disabled students. The program focused on using the art of flamenco as a vehicle to teach vital physical and social skills to disabled students. Our partner school, JM Rapport School for Career Development is a District 75 school in the Bronx. The Boswood Annex, where the 2 ½ week long intensive program took place, serves the schools higher functioning students, the majority of whom are learning disabled. Daily classes were provided for two classes of 18 students each, reaching a total of 36 students. Flamenco Vivo's professional performance reached an additional 150 students.

Project Olé: Flamenco for Students with Disabilities is a new initiative that will build on Flamenco Vivo's extensive arts education programming by increasing access to the arts/dance for disabled students. Our principal partner school, JM Rapport in the Bronx, serves approximately 632 students from grades 6-12 all of whom have disabilities. These include emotionally disturbed students, learning disabled students, and mentally retarded students, including students with Downs Syndrome. Because the student body consists solely of disabled students, opportunities to interact and communicate with non-disabled peers are few. Thus classes for this ten week residency that will be held at the JM Rapport High School classes from the neighboring regular High School will become part of this weekly residency program. The JM Rapport HS is a minority high school, includes a student population which is 61% Hispanic and 35% African American, with the remaining 4% comprising white, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Native American. Our goal is to introduce flamenco dance to this marginalized community of students, and help them interact with other local students through the sharing of dance classes. Since this was a brand new project for the Company we have learned a lot about dealing with students with disabilities--our teaching Artists one senior one and an apprentice have gained a lot of insight into working with disabled students. We have discovered that our art-form can work with all students and the teaching Artists involved are now giving a workshop for our other TA's to prepare them for this work. Teaching Artists included Jackie Cala and Tara Lynch along with arts-in education Director Deborah Danziger ran the program.

Southern Tier Flamenco Residency
Artist: Carlota Santana
Total Project Expenses: $12,300
DanceForce Funding: $7,300
Audience: 316
County: Allegany, Steuben

The goals were:
1) to bring world class Flamenco dance and music to residents of NY state that would otherwise not experience this art form live.
2) To revitalize the dance presenting activities in the Southern Tier of NY State
3) To connect with Spanish-speaking populace in that locale

The residency was planned by Lois Welk, former director of the NYS DanceForce and dance faculty member of 171 Cedar Arts Center. An experienced presenter, she brought to the project her indepth knowledge of the community and dance as living art form in partnership with Jennifer Warner, the Program Director at 171 Cedar Arts Center and Carlota Santana the Artistic Director of Flamenco Vivo. The team was focused on sharing the experience across age groups, counties, and music and dance audiences.

Wed Feb 23
6-7:30pm Welcome reception for the artists at 171 Cedar Arts Center. In attendance was 171 Cedar Arts Center's Spanish teacher, visual artists, dance faculty and music faculty as well as the general public.
Thursday Feb 24
10am: School Assembly program at 171 Cedar Arts Center. Students from the Alternative School for Math and Science and Northside Blodgett Middle School. 2pm: Master class at Alfred University. This class was not a course requirement and yet it attracted 50 students. It was well marketed to the Latino student groups, the dance students and the dance clubs.
Friday Feb. 25
9:30 am: School Assembly program in Watkins Glen Middle School (This program was canceled because of a winter storm.)
7:00 pm: Evening of Tapas and Flamenco at 171 Cedar Arts Center. Despite the storm earlier in the day, 123 were in attendance. A close to capacity crowd for 171 Cedar's black box theater.
Sat. Feb 26
2pm: Two master classes at 171 Cedar Arts Center - dance and guitar, simultaneous, with the classes coming together at the end for a sharing. There were no registrations for the guitar class and only 2 for the dance master class.

171 Cedar led the marketing campaign and launched communications with press releases, posters, flyers, email blasts and outreach to the local Spanish teachers, dance students and music students. Everyone in town knew that Flamenco Vivo was in town.

The partnership with Northside Blodgett School was the continuation of an ongoing relationship but a rare opportunity for the students to be bused off the school grounds to 171's performance venue. The lecture demonstration informed the students of the multi-cultural roots of flamenco and engaged with their knowledge of elementary Spanish.

Alfred University has benefited from NYS Dance Force projects in the past, but it has been more than 8 years since 171, or the NYS DanceForce has had an impact in that community. With 50 students in attendance at the master class, the response exceeded our expectations. The credit goes to Chase Angier for her tireless promotion, flyers, verbal encouragement, email blasts etc.

Unfortunately the school show schedule for Watkins Glen Middle School was snowed out.

Saturday master classes at 171 were very poorly attended. No registration for the guitar master class and only 2 for the dance class. There were rehearsals going on for a dance performance that afternoon that involved a lot of the local dancers. Unfortunately the residency was scheduled prior to the scheduling of this local performance and could not be moved because of the artists availability.

Flamenco Through the Disciplines
Artist: Carlota Santana, Antonio Hidalgo, Leslie Roybal, Jed Miley, David Castellano
Total Project Expenses: $8,000
DanceForce Funding: $6,500
Audience: 1,350
County: Tompkins

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana will conduct a one-week residency at Cornell University in collaboration with Jim Self, Senior lecturer in Dance at the University. Dance workshops will be offered to campus and community participants. Most importantly, we will conduct workshops with: Spanish language classes that are related to the dance; Latin American Studies with specific dances of flamenco known as Bailes de Ida y Vuelta (dances of goings and comings or round-trip) which are Latino-influenced flamenco dances; and gender diversity studies and how flamenco is seen through the lens of sexuality.

Four artists, two male and female dancers, and a flamenco singer and guitarist will conduct these workshops and work with all students and community members.

The goal is to have this residency during Hispanic month (Sept 15-Oct 15) to underline the importance of the Hispanic culture here in the US. We will explore working with acting students re: the theatricality of dance/movement/Flamenco, and perhaps with film students in staging movement. Cornell will have a sound stage during the fall semester as a way to have film students work with other disciplines and be able to work on bigger more complex projects, so we might be able to work with this group. We want to see how to collaborate with local dancers, creating some kind of out-of-the-box event -- some kind of flamenco fusion "happening". And we have been thinking about how to make this be some research and development time (an incubator) for developing new approaches to working with students/dance professionals/others so unfamiliar with our art form. There are lots of possibilities--we will work with Jim Self and create a residency that works for the student body and touches various disciplines.

Dance Performance at Cornell University
Artist: Jim Self
Total Project Expenses: $6,990
DanceForce Funding: $2,000
Audience: 1,080
County: Tompkins

Jim Self conceived, directed and performed in the Cornell Schwartz Center main-stage production "DANCE, DRAMA, and the DISCO of DESIRE." This performance was generated from research into contemporary dance trends and club culture in the United States. The creation period began with research in the Winter/Spring of 2009, and continued into production in the Fall/Winter of 2009/2010. From March 11-14, 2010, there were four performances. The production used Cornell staff, faculty and students and included a cast of 24 performers. Department of Theatre, Film and Dance resident designers in costume design, set design, and light design collaborated with several choreographers which included dance majors and dance faculty. The role Jim Self created is specifically meant to be gender ambiguous, requiring a strong theatricality, mastery of modern technique, and experience in popular dance forms such as Vogueing, Jerking and club based Step/House. The material generated from this concert will be used in other contexts and venues beyond the Cornell concert as a research and professional development project extending into future projects.

The marketing plan included information on Cornell Department websites and list serves, Facebook and Twitter notifications by marketing staff and individual students, legal size posters and postcard sized fliers, previews and listings in local and campus newspapers, radio announcements on three stations and interviews with choreographer/ director on two stations.

The primary populations served were Cornell University students, staff and faculty. In addition, the performances were open to the general public which included the Ithaca and Tompkins County community as well as people from all over the state. Audience traveled from as far as Indiana, California, New York City, and other NYS communities.

New York State Dancing Green
Artists: Colleen Culley, Jim Self
Total Project Expenses: $9,300
DanceForce Funding: $6,000
Audience: 8,130
County: Kings, New York, Tompkins

New York State Dancing Green is a two year, outdoor, site-specific project with multiple performance events in the late Spring and early Summer 2010 and continuing into the Fall of 2010. It is a Dance Force Project for 2009/2010 and 2010/11. This fiscal year included site-specific dance events in the Ithaca Festival June 3 (Festival Parade), June 5 (open rehearsal), and June 6 (Festival event). Also included was an open rehearsal in Central Park (Manhattan) on June 10 and a participatory event at Figment Arts Festival on Governors Island on June 12.

The focus of NYS Dancing Green is to draw attention to sustainability and green issues through the use of dance performance while minimizing the use of fossil fuels. Hence, the outdoor, site specific nature of the project. Jim Self (Ithaca) collaborated with Colleen Culley ( NYC based artist) who stages "movement choirs" and "mob- dance" workshops that build into community performance events. These dances are usually short and simple to allow participation by non-dancers from the community as well as trained movers and performers. Typically, a workshop is two hours long and includes group choreography developed around a specific subject or concern--- In this case, sustainability. At a later point, the participants of the workshop teach the dance to several other members of the community and everyone comes together at a specified time and place for a performance. There is a video component as well, documenting the event, and also to be used as a tool for teaching the dance to a wider group of participants. For instance, the video of the Central Park rehearsal (6/10) was posted on the dancinggreenproject website and made available to other performers preparing for the Governors Island event (6/12).

In addition to the "movement choir/mob dances," NYS Dancing Green has large-scale puppet dances that can be seen from long distances and performed in outdoor venues. Once again, the content focus is on sustainability and green issues. The scale of the puppets is similar to "Bread and Puppet Theater," with a similar story-telling approach that is available to a wide constituency--- children, adults, students and other communities. The puppet characters include Michael Jackson, Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham, as well as several large peacock tail constructions worn by performers.

The puppet dances are staged alongside the "mob dances." A typical afternoon of dance events included puppet dances, a mob dance workshop and multiple dance performances. Norm Johnson (Ithaca set designer) collaborated with Jim Self to develop the puppets.

New York State Dancing Green/Part II
Artists: Colleen Culley, Jim Self
Total Project Expenses: $12,030
DanceForce Funding: $7,300
Audience: 12,030
Counties: Livingston, New York, Tompkins

The 2010/11 portion of The Dancing Green project is a continuation of a multi-year project calling attention to the 'Green' movement and dance. Events take place in ball fields, festival grounds, village commons, and other outdoor spaces. Events are also staged in 'Green' buildings and/or explore "Green' content in indoor venues. Part two, like part one includes Mob Dances created and directed by Colleen Culley of NYC, and puppet dances by Jim Self and Norm Johnson of Ithaca. The project reaches a wide general audience including students, seniors, parents, and children. Each activity is designed to include as many people as possible as dancers, participants and spectators. The "mob dances" are specifically designed and created to facilitate large numbers of community members performing short simple dances. These dances are documented on video and posted on the Dancing Green website, You Tube and similar venues maximizing visibility.

July/August 2010:
Saturday July 24,2010 GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance
Trumansburg, NY (60—participant dancers/600 observers)
Sunday August 1, 2010 Summer Concert Series in Livonia, NY (100 participant dancers/ 500 observers)

2011:
May/June/July 2011 NYC--Colleen Culley is developing an evening length community dance performance project created by and for employees of the Moderns (a 'Green' marketing company) and the larger community including Union Square Grows. Themes include the Beehive-Society, external and internal reality image distinctions. Performances to be determined.
June 2, 2011--Ithaca Festival Parade (6 participant dancers/ 10,0000 observers)
June 4, 2011--Workshop for office workers/students who spend significant amounts of time at desks in front of computers. Cornell's Johnson School of Management (16 participants)
June 5, 2011 -- Ithaca Festival Performance (6 participant performers/250 observers)
June 25, 2011 ---As part of the Dancing Green Project , Colleen Culley collaborated on Global Water Dances in Hemlock Lake Park, Hemlock NY. (16 dancers/300 observers)
This performance was synced to 50 similar dance projects around the world emphasizing water issues globally and locally. The Livonia project is a collaboration including a movement choir/flash mob created by Deb French and the Students of Avon Central School Environmental Science Class. Their dance is funded with additional grants from the Livingston County Council on the Arts.

Capital Region Dance Calendar; Také Dance at Saratoga ArtsFest
Total Project Expenses: $20,400
DanceForce Funding: $3,545
Audience: 185
Counties: Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Washington

This project is two fold:

The Capital Region Dance Season Calendar is a two sided, 8 1/2 x11, two color, specially designed calendar that lists all dance performances by touring and local dance companies in Saratoga, Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Washington, Columbia, Fulton Counties. It serves as a singular opportunity for dance audiences to reference the opportunity to see dance over a twelve month period, at a minimum of fifteen venues and three dozen dance companies. As a region that encompasses four major cities, Troy, Albany, Schenectady and Saratoga Springs and dance theaters that range from black boxes to 6,000 seat ampitheatres, independent marketing by separate venues does not always serve the dance ticket buyer or those who organize group ticket purchases. The calendar displays the entire season allowing for long term planning. It also is a project that allows local dance presenters and sponsors to work collaboratively toward developing dance audiences.

Take Dance, a NYC based modern dance company had plans to be in residence at Skidmore College in the summer teaching professional and pre-professional dancers. The residency was scheduled to take place at a time that coincided with the 4th annual Saratoga ArtsFest, a city wide festival with over 100 performances/showings/events at 50 locations. DanceForce funds allowed for a performance fee that supported a formal dance performance of Take Dance. Skidmore College provided a dance theater, technical staff and Saratoga ArtFest provided marketing for the event. The performance eventually led to another residency opportunity later in the year at the State University at Albany.

The Take Dance Performance in Saratoga Artsfest in the Skidmore College Dance Theater allowed dance students to see the company perform a work they were learning. The company established a longer term relationship with the region. The site host of the performance is developing into a location for future mini-residencies that engage emerging companies to compliment their standard long term residencies with large, well established companies. Take Dance, when returning to the area 6 months later stated that they "LOVE" the capital region and would love a continued presence in the region. The effectiveness of the administration of Take Dance and the affection the company holds for everyone they encountered will last long past this season. Eventhough the performance fee was modest, it was met with all the financial benefit of a residency sponsor (Skidmore Summer Programs) making a ten day experience blessed with a wonderful performance.

The Capital Region Dance Season Calendar is a staple tool for the dance lover's audience. It allows the ticket buyer to see the diverse array of dance companies, dance venues and dance festivals on a single sheet of paper. The dance presenters and sponsors that participate do so with ease and enthusiasm. Educators use the calendar to plan block ticket buying for their students. Dance audience members use the calendar to broaden their dance acumen by experimenting with performances that they may not even be aware of, because of a listing on the calendar. The simplicity of the information on the calendar allows for all venue web sites and box office phone numbers to be listed along with photos and organization by month. A first class mailing is funded by the Dance Alliance to their 300 members who are dance educators, dancers, choreographers and dance lovers. The distribution of the calendar is the most difficult challenge because tabling must be done several times throughout the year and all this is done on a volunteer basis, which requires organization and diligence.

That said, the calendar is one item that disparate dance presenters and sponsors do together without struggle and a there is appreciation among the arts organizations who stretch their budgets and staff each year to bring dance to upstate audiences.

Capital Region Dance Calendar; Také Dance at UAlbany
Total Project Expenses: $13,890
DanceForce Funding: $4,505
Audience: 326
Counties: Albany

From February 2-5, 2011, the UAlbany Performing Arts Center hosted a residency by TAKE Dance. This followed up on the company's residency at Skidmore College in June 2010. Hopefully, it has helped to establish a presence in the Capital District for this young company as well as brought focus to the UAlbany Performing Arts Center as a viable venue for dance in the region. Beyond these perhaps lofty goals, the residency offered yet another opportunity for our community to experience dance both on stage and through interactions with guest artists.

Planning for the project was done mainly by Kim Engel of the UAlbany Performing Arts Center and Nicole Vandestienne of TAKE Dance. Two meetings were held during the company's residency at Skidmore and one happened in New York City in January 2010. The remainder of the planning was accomplished through phone and email communications. Potential participants in the February residency were invited to see the company perform and meet with them while they were at Skidmore. About a dozen, seized the opportunity from which about half then actually participated in the February residency.

The company arrived on the evening of February 1. The schedule for the first day of the residency included two master classes at UAlbany (10:45am & 3pm) and one at Siena College (3pm) along with the screening of Damian Eckstein's documentary, A Year with TAKE Dance (7pm). Day 2 consisted of two Movement for Actors classes at UAlbany (1:15pm & 2:45pm) as well as a modern technique class at Skidmore College (3:40pm). That evening, the company had a tech rehearsal for the Friday morning performance. Day 3 included a matinee for school groups (10am), another Movement for Actors class at UAlbany (2:45pm) and tech for the Saturday evening show. As a respite from the residency, the company was treated to the Tango Fusion performance at The Egg that night, courtesy of complimentary tickets supplied by Peter Lesser. The last day of the residency was the culminating performance for the University community and the general public (8pm). Throughout the four days of the residency, the company was also afforded ample rehearsal time both on stage and in the dance studio.

In conjunction with the morning matinee, the UAlbany Performing Arts Center contracted with Susan Mehalick of the Times Union to conduct sessions on critical writing with students before and after the show as well as to facilitate a question-and-answer period immediately following the performance. This aspect of the residency was made possible by funds from Partners in Dance who will report about the activities, results, goals, etc. in their final report with information, photos and testimonials that have been provided to them.

Promotion of the residency was accomplished through many means: 1) introducing potential participants to their work while they were at Skidmore in June, 2) early and consistent email communications, 3) targeted mailings, 4) inclusion in the Dance Alliance newsletter for three months both as an insert and in the body of the newsletter, 5) a traded ad in Limon program at Skidmore, 6) a complimentary insert in Tango Fusion program at The Egg, 7) feature articles in both The Times Union and The Gazette (the Capital Region's largest daily newspapers), 8) posters at colleges/universities and in the community, 9) company efforts (targeted mailing to audience members from their two years performing at PS21 in Chatham) as well as inclusion in their newsletters and email blasts, and 10) targeted communications with specific populations with an interest in the company's work (both dance and the documentary). For the 10am matinee, mailings and email communications were sent to area educators by the Ualbany Performing Arts Center as well as the three BOCES operating in this region -- Capital District BOCES, Questar III and the Washington, Saratoga, Warren, Hamilton and Essex BOCES.

Saratoga Mini-Residencies, Partners in Dance Regrants, Capital Region Dance Season Calendar
Total Project Expenses: $23,500
DanceForce Funding: $6,500
Audience: 3,750
Counties: Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer

Projects are three-fold:

Two 12-day intensive residencies will take place at Skidmore College. Components will include performances, open rehearsals, and intensive workshop for pre and professional dancers, lecture demonstrations. Two companies will be hosted and they will over-lap for a two day period during Saratoga ArtsFest for public performances. Companies under consideration for this project are: Kate Weare Company, Monica Bill Barnes & Company, Camille Barnes & Company, Pam Tanowitz and Kyle Abraham in Motion.

A portion of funds will be dedicated to the re-grant program of Partners in Dance, as they will not be receiving any funds in this cycle. Partners in Dance supports projects that are directly related to dance performances and creative dance education.

A portion of funds will be dedicated to the 2011-12 Capital Region Dance Calendar, a single source for all dance performance venues in Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Saratoga County, Washington County, Fulton County.

David Neumann/Advanced Beginner Group: "Big Eater" at The Kitchen
Artists: David Neumann
Total Project Expenses: $4,000
DanceForce Funding: $4,000
Audience: 10
Counties: New York

We took advantage of a dark Monday evening between the two weeks of David Neumann's premiere engagement of "Big Eater" at the Kitchen in Manhattan to arrange the by-invitation event described here. In particular, we benefitted from the fact that the sprawling set that has a lot to do with how the piece reads was in place, as was the equipment necessary for Richard Sylvarnes' video projections. The goal of the event was to provide a laboratory for some of the dance literacy strategies I have been trying to develop, strategies whose goal is to make non-dancing adults more self-confident in their encounters with abstract dance and performance. From the points of view of abstraction and indirection, David Neumann and his "Big Eater" in particular represent a juicy sample of the problematics involved.

After an introduction by myself to set out the goals and ground rules, we began by looking fixedly at and then discussing the set-- a hodge-podge of folding chairs and tables that looked as though a cyclone had replaced the interior decorator. We then screened a video sequence in which David's father, the noted actor Fred Neumann, speaks compellingly as if an oracle. Then, after we suggested some themes and images to track especially, David ran a fully performed thirty-minute excerpt of the work. David and the dancers joined the discussion that followed.

Thanks in part to the participation of Steve Greco and Suzanne Carbonneau, discussion was lively. Abstraction in the arts is of particular interest to Greco, and the dialogue got a bit heady at times. (Risa Jaroslow was in attendance, and I conjecture that this aspect of the conversation was what made her anxious about where I might take the proceedings described in my other report.) In Neumann's theater-making strategies, there is rarely a one-to-one relationship between an artifact and its "meaning." Rather, there are multiple resonances of one-to-many and many-to-one. It seemed to me that David Neumann himself was engaged by the conversation.

Risa Jaroslow in Ulster County: The Partner Project at High Meadow School
Artists: Risa Jaroslow
Total Project Expenses: $4,000
DanceForce Funding: $4,000
Audience: 25
Counties: Ulster

DanceForce support of Risa Jaroslow's public dance event at High Meadow School in Stone Ridge, NY on Saturday afternoon, April 10 represented the intersection of two agendas-- Risa's ongoing effort to build a second home for Risa Jaroslow and Dancers in Ulster County, and my own effort to identify effective strategies to foster adult dance literacy among non-dancers.

The event was held in a light and spacious studio on the campus of the private High Meadow School, where Risa had been teaching dance to youngsters and where her company rehearsed occasionally. The school is one of the focal points in and around Kingston where Risa has been developing a presence and cultivating empathizers. Some 25 people attended the two-hour event, about half of them youngsters, one boy and the rest girls and most of the others presumably parents, mostly women but also a couple of men. Two of Risa's board members came up for the event, as did an older woman who Risa knew from her work in New York with handicapped women. Finally, the choreographer Livia Vanaver (Artistic Director of Vanaver Caravan, which is based nearby) attended and was an active participant.

Risa began by introducing her four dancers and announcing that we would see about twenty minutes of "The Partner Project," a work-in-progress to be premiered in the fall. She encouraged the attendees to watch attentively and so see what kinds of partnering they observed and how these related to their own experiences and knowledge of relationships. Finally, she asked them to think about how the dance they would be watching was like/not like other kinds of dance they had seen or knew about.

The dance, it was eventually explained, was generated by structured improvisation exercises that were then "set." Some sections were danced to silence, others to music composed and played (on CD here) by Bob Een. Discussion was followed by participatory movement exercises focusing on the theme of partnering and finally capped by participant talk-back.

One young girl proved a bit shy and reticent, but by and large the whole group seemed engaged in both the physical and verbal aspects of the experience.

Heidi Latsky Gimp Project: Outreach in Buffalo
Artist: Heidi Latsky
Total Project Expenses: $6,500
DanceForce Funding: $6,500
Audience: 385
Counties: Erie

Plans call for Heidi Latsky (Artistic Director of NYC-based Heidi Latsky Dance and producer of the Gimp Project, a troupe of mixed ability performers) and members of Gimp to spend time at the University of Buffalo in the spring of 2012. The host is Dr. Susan Mann Dolce, Assistant Director for Consultation and Research, Disability Services at the University of Buffalo. Susan's goal is to convene a three-day conference "to increase awareness and access for everyone, with a focus on individuals with disabilities, by exploring the intersections of personal experience, universal design, health and healing and artistic expression." The other featured participant will be Matthew Sanford, a noted practitioner of Mind Body work, someone Heidi has long admired. The agenda will include informal performances (most likely in the Drama Theater, and most likely during the week of March 5-10, 2012), post-demonstration discussions, workshops available to townspeople as well as to the University community, and a moderated panel discussion about effective processes and techniques. We hope that during the summer and fall we will be able to identify additional area stakeholders who, in return for additional resources (housing, honoraria) will help extend outreach to other constituents of the Erie County performing arts community.

Choreographers' Residency at TOPAZ ARTS
Artists: Molissa Fenley; Colleen Hooper; Nicholas Leichter; Zach Morris; Tom Pearson; Paz Tanjuaquio
Total Project Expenses: $15,000
DanceForce Funding: $8,000
Audience: 500
Counties: Queens

TOPAZ ARTS offers a residency program for choreographers made possible by the New York State DanceForce with support from the New York State Council on the Arts. Each choreographer is awarded with rehearsal space along with professional development, technical support and showing opportunities. Resident artists in 2009-10, curated by TOPAZ ARTS, include choreographers Molissa Fenley (Summer 2009), Tom Pearson/Zach Morris of Third Rail Projects (Winter 2010), and Colleen Hooper (Spring 2010). The goals for the project is to provide choreographers time and space in which to create new dance work, and to provide artists with technical support, showing opportunities and professional development. Knowing that artists are at different stages in their career, TOPAZ ARTS works individually with each choreographer to assess their needs. Along with over 50 hours of free rehearsal space, each artist is given the opportunity to choose an additional component for their residency. Molissa Fenley chose technical support which included website assistance, graphic design, visuals consultation. Colleen Hooper's residency included an open rehearsal & performance, including tech support in video projection. Third Rail Projects' residency included the use of the entire space at TOPAZ ARTS, exploring the building as part of their work to generate material for public spaces. Nicholas Leichter received 12 hours plus a performance, photo & video documentation.

Activities included showings at TOPAZ ARTS featuring resident artists: 11/21/09 "Cabaret Solitaire" solo work by Molissa Fenley, Nicholas Leichter; 6/3/10 open rehearsal & 6/5/10 performance "I saved this for you" by Colleen Hooper. A one-week residency took place at Kaatsbaan in Tivoli, NY for choreographer Paz Tanjuaquio to develop a new duet "The Divide".

The activities in 2009-2010 also included planning and an open call for "Solo Flight: Dance in Queens 2010" – a new residency opportunity at TOPAZ ARTS which focuses on solo work in partnership with the Queens Museum of Art. An open call was distributed in the Spring 2010, and applications were accepted through June 15, 2010. Proposals were received from all five boroughs, as well as national and international applicants.

Marketing included postcards, flyers, website and email announcements, Facebook and Twitter. Our neighborhood of Woodside, Queens was greatly impacted as a result of the residency activities, exposing dance to the community.

DanceForce Artists-in-Residence at TOPAZ ARTS
Artists: Daniel Charon; Ursula Eagly; John Jasperse
Total Project Expenses: $11,800
DanceForce Funding: $7,300
Audience: 300
Counties: Queens

The DanceForce Choreographers' Residency at TOPAZ ARTS is a creative development program that offered choreographers an residency space to create new work, with open rehearsals and showings for the public during the 2010-2011 Season. As part of "Dance in Queens" a program initiated by TOPAZ ARTS in partnership with the Queens Museum of Art, the residency activity focuses on bringing dance to audiences in Queens County.

Three artists - Daniel Charon, Ursula Eagly, and Dina-Verley Saab-Mills - were selected through an Open Call for Choreographers which was available to choreographers throughout New York State. A panel consisting of professionals within the dance field reviewed over 60 applicants with the criteria based on commitment to their work, strength of proposal, and selecting diverse artists at various stages in their career. Focusing on the solo form, the residency & performance series "Solo Flight: Dance in Queens 2010" occurred in the Summer 2010 culmating with a performance on September 12, 2010 at the TOPAZ ARTS space. Choreographers and their dancers had access to rehearsal space at TOPAZ ARTS, each receiving 50 hours of free space, plus open showings and a final public performance.

In addition, TOPAZ ARTS presents a public open rehearsal on May 2, 2011 by John Jasperse Company. The renowned choreographer presents a new work in development, gaining feedback from our diverse audiences. In May 2011, TOPAZ ARTS hosts international choreographer Yang Sook Cho from Seoul, Korea in a three-week residency to develop new work and present work in an open rehearsal on May 20, 2011.

These projects not only encourage new dance works, the program focuses on attracting new audiences, and addresses the diversity of our Queens community. Choreographers and our audiences come from all parts of NYC as well as Queens, bringing together a mix of professional dance with demographics of our area. Marketing is achieved through our partnership with Queens Museum of Art, together effectively reaching a broad base of Queens and beyond.

DanceForce Artists-in-Residence at TOPAZ ARTS
Artists: TBD (Open Call)
Total Project Expenses: $11,000
DanceForce Funding: $6,500
Audience: 400
Counties: Queens

The DanceForce Choreographers' Residency at TOPAZ ARTS is a creative development program that will offer six choreographers with 25 hours of free rehearsal space during the 2011-2012 Season. The residency is intended to allow choreographers time to explore and generate new ideas.

Artists will be selected through an Open Call. A panel consisting of professionals within the dance field will choose participants with the criteria based on artistic merit, commitment to their work, strength of proposal, selecting diverse artists at various stages in their career. The Open Call will be available to choreographers throughout New York State starting in September 2011, with residencies occurring throughout the 2011-2012 Season. Choreographers and their dancers will have access to rehearsal space and facilities at TOPAZ ARTS, with each receiving 25 hours of creative time and an opportunity to share their work & gain feedback through open rehearsals.

This project not only encourages new dance works, the program encourages the inspiration for new ideas, where we plan to reach out to different communities. Estimated participants include the choreographers and their dance company members, as well as diverse audiences within Queens, throughout New York City, and online audiences.

AXIS Dance Company
Artist: AXIS Dance Company
Total Project Expenses: $19,476
DanceForce Funding: $6,000
Audience: 811
Counties: Ontario

The project goal was to introduce AXIS Dance Company to upstate NY audiences and to present the company in a variety of outreach activities, including master classes and workshops, lecture demonstrations, and a dance concert performance. We hoped to attract participants and audience members from previously unreached populations, especially persons with physical and developmental disabilities and young (K-2) children. Additionally, we wanted to encourage audience members and participants to expand their definitions of dance, dancer, and disability through the experience of witnessing the artistic excellence of AXIS Dance Company. These goals were met and exceeded: a sold-out full capacity audience for the performance (194); inclusion of 26 physically/developmentally disabled people in the Monday "Dance Access" master class (including 5 wheelchair participants); 490 K-2 children in the Tuesday lecture demonstration, and approximately 25 audience members from a consortium of regional ARC programs, including 5 wheelchair members for the Wednesday night performance demonstrated that we made significant headway in attracting new audiences and sharing dance with a previously underserved population.

The response from participants in the outreach activities was overwhelmingly positive: The "Dance Access" workshop brought in 10 Ontario County ARC participants with developmental disabilities, 16 participants from the Cobblestone Arts Center arts program for adults with physical and developmental disabilities, 19 students from Hobart and William Smith Colleges' dance classes and education classes, and several staff members from each organization. The quality of interaction among these previously unconnected groups was beautiful to behold. The College Experience participants (young adults with developmental disabilities) said "It was interesting and fun. It was my first experience dancing with people in wheelchairs. I really liked it" (Sarah); "I really liked it. I got to meet students and other people. I learned different things you can do and different ways of dancing" (Ron); and "I liked it. I danced with the Hobart and William Smith students and others. I felt kind of like a dance performer. I liked it" (Robert). A William Smith dance student wrote "This master class was a very valuable experience for me…[it] gave me a new perspective into what it means to be a dancer…I recognized my own misconception about what a dancer is, or what a dancer must be…" (Courtney).

Tuesday's lecture demonstration for 490 K-2 West Street School elementary children was a success: the children ooohed and ahhed in delight and amazement as the dancers glided, spun, raced, tumbled, balanced and rolled across the floor. The company held the children enthralled for over 45 minutes of dancing, and exposed a new generation of future audience members to a radical redefinition of dance and dancers. A teacher at the school reported that following the lecture demonstration, children in his class "were quite amazed at what they saw with the combination of dancers with disabilities. I had a few students share with me that they felt there weren't limitations…and that the dancers were very exciting…the strength of each of the dancers showed…Overall, I believe the students received a rewarding experience that was reinforced with the physical education program content at West St. Elementary School. There was a feeling in me that there was an appreciation from some of our students in the talent demonstrated by the dance group and the respect for individual differences" (Collins). Parents of students in the school remarked that their children were very excited by the lecture demonstration.

Quotes from participants in Tuesday's dance improvisation class attest to the power of the experience. One wrote: "Watching how those with disabilities interacted with those who were not was amazing…Seeing the strength of those who are looked at as weak in person was a life changing experience…" while another stated "While working with this group and watching their performance on Wednesday, my attitudes about disabled people were completely changed. While I feel that I have always accepted people for who they are…working with and watching AXIS Dance really pushed my own conceptions about how people can move and interact…" A student who created a short composition with one of the AXIS dancers in a wheelchair wrote "We split up into partners and my partner was Alice. She's a disabled person, but certainly not a disabled dancer…In the midst of our first run through, I really was in awe of the way we were dancing together. We were dancing so easily and with so much fun!"

Wednesday night's performance elicited enthusiastic praise. One audience member wrote: AXIS was truly wonderful. Having seen tons of modern dance choreography in my lifetime, it was a new experience for me to see the concept of "differently abled" bodies applied so brilliantly and poignantly to dance on stage. The wheel chairs simply generated another movement vocabulary. It wasn't about disability at all! Dances between dancers who used their legs and dancers who didn't use their legs progressed seamlessly and gorgeously. Disability was re-defined within the dance medium, and to me, that was absolutely wonderful and incredibly beautiful to watch. I was also deeply moved by the performance of the dancer without lower legs and hands in the frame; it was exactly like the performance of a dancer with lower legs and hands in the frame, and that fact was inspiring to behold. The spoken text was about "being," just being you, as a person, not as a "dis-abled" person, just a person. The message to me was that we're all different as human beings in various ways, and therefore we're all the same in our difference ...

A student from the Tuesday class wrote: "After watching their performance I truly understood why it was such an honor to dance with them in class. I come from a background (of hip-hop culture) where we do not acknowledge this type of art…this [performance] made me realize that all my life I was stuck inside a box as well…I realized watching them perform what my heart really wants to do, to see those with disabilities and non-disabilities working together doing what they love and expressing themselves and their beliefs through dance I realized I was missing something…it was extremely inspirational."

As a presenter, working with AXIS Dance Company and their representative Annika Nonhebel was a pleasure. Preparation for the residency involved the creation of handicap accessible dressing rooms for the company, building backstage ramps, flying our sound system speakers, installing automatic door opener devices on the building's outer doors, creating additional handicap accessible parking for the company and audience members, creating an additional emergency exit ramp for the theater, and reconfiguring our theater seating to more easily accommodate wheelchair audience members. I worked closely with our Buildings and Grounds crew to ensure that the campus was not simply accessible, but welcoming. The company members appreciated this attention to detail and were very happy with all aspects of the residency.

Artistically, the dance concert was one of the highest caliber performances I have ever witnessed. The choreography was exquisite: Joe Goode's the beauty that was mine, through the middle, without stopping contains some of the most moving duet sequences in contemporary dance repertory; with its emphasis on framing and reframing identity and exploring the relationships between what is seen and unseen, the piece has many poignant moments of hauntingly beautiful human connection. Alex Ketley's Vessel showcases the extraordinary performance capabilities of Rodney Bell, Sonsheree Giles, Alice Shepard and Janet Das with poetic text improvised by the dancers and subsequently arranged by Carol Snow: the combination of personal narrative, dynamically charged movement, and sense of layered memories creates a compelling work that resonates in my mind and body even now. A Room with No View by Sonia Delwaide evokes kinesthetic response from the viewer through percussive partnering, paired duets, and deft exploration of movement possibilities presented by the axial rotation of the wheelchairs. Strong dancing, and a palpable connection between the performers made this piece breath taking. The evening's performance ended with David Dorfman's mysterious and engaging Light Shelter. Light Shelter utilizes Dorfman's signature movement vocabulary of loose-limbed, space-gobbling traveling phrases, Contact Improvisation inspired partnering, lyrical athleticism and moments of profound humanity. At one point in the piece the dancers cluster downstage under a softly glowing standing lamp, and sing. It could be corny, but it's not—their voices blend in harmonic unity, each individual, each part of the whole community, and we are left with a renewed sense of optimism about the capacity of art to promote change and transform lives.

Kate Weare Dance Company
Artist: Kate Weare
Total Project Expenses: $6,649
DanceForce Funding: $2,000
Audience: 222
Counties: Ontario

Kate Weare Dance Company was in residence at Hobart and William Smith Colleges for three days, February 8-10, 2010. While on campus they taught four master classes, performed an evening length dance concert, and participated in a talk back session with audience members following the concert. Their presence was made possible by collaboration between DanceForce members Jacqueline Davis (SUNY College at Brockport) and Cynthia Williams (Hobart and William Smith Colleges) whereby the company spent a week in residence at Brockport and traveled directly to HWS. The master classes were especially useful in encouraging non-dancers to attend the performance--company members Adrian Clark and Douglas Gillespie taught a master class in improvisation, resulting in several male non-dancers attending the performance; the Advanced Modern Dance master class featured company members Clark, Marlena Penney Oden and Kate Weare, and the Partnering class brought three local area dancers to campus.

Kate Weare Company's performance included five pieces: "Drop Down," "Gone," "Gone Before," "Foregone," and "Bridge of Sighs." The work is extraordinary--Weare has a unique choreographic voice, the performers are exquisite, and the work itself is stunningly beautiful: visceral, poetic, and haunting. The talk back session after the performance created a fascinating dialogue between audience members and the company; Weare is an articulate and thoughtful artist; her company members were lovely individuals who represented dance as a profession beautifully to all they came in contact with.

A new marketing strategy we initiated was a free ticket give away on our local public radio station, WEOS which broadcasts to the Ithaca and Geneva environs. This resulted in five pairs of tickets being given to people who normally might not attend dance concerts, and hopefully publicized the fact that we produce professional dance performances on campus. Our traditional marketing of email announcements, postcards, posters, website announcements, etc produced some additional interest; an email to HWS faculty and staff generated a flurry of e-questions about the performance.

PUSH Physical Theater
Artists: PUSH Physical Theater
Total Project Expenses: $4,775
DanceForce Funding: $1,000
Audience: 221
County: Ontario

PUSH Physical Theater provided dance/theater master classes for beginning modern dance and beginning acting students, advanced modern dance students, and performed a dance concert involving 6 dance artists, 1 td/ld, and gave a post-performance talk-back session. The master classes were held on Monday, March 21 and Wednesday, March 23 and the dance performance was Friday, March 25th. The residency was coordinated by Cadence Whittier, chair of the Dance Department who was involved in the planning process and the promotional and marketing activities. A WEOS radio station ticket give away generated new audience interest; the company's home base in Rochester, NY attracted a few Rochester area residents to the concert. Principal artists involved were the company's co-artistic directors, Heather and Darren Stevenson and the four dancers in their company.

Project Becoming: Geneva
Artist: Inspirit Dance
Total Project Expenses: $9,250
DanceForce Funding: $6,000
Audience: 380
County: Ontario

Project Becoming: Geneva is an outreach of a dance and education program founded by Christal Brown and Inspirit Dance Company which has successfully touched the lives of female adolescents in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Beacon NY, Harlem, and Charlotte, NC. Project Becoming guides young women through a creative process of self-actualization, building self-esteem through dance, discussion, and creative process exercises.

Working in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club of Geneva, the Geneva Middle School, the Geneva High School, Hobart and William Smith Colleges and the Geneva Partnership, my proposal is to bring teaching artists Christal Brown and members of her company Inspirit to Geneva for three visits: two weekend visits in March and April, 2011 to generate interest in the program and offer day-long workshops that introduce the company and the project to the Geneva community, and a week-long workshop in late June 2011 for 20 selected participants. The week-long workshop will culminate in a Project Becoming Geneva performance where the students will perform a dance/theater presentation that will showcase what they have explored for their families, friends, and community.

This project creates a new set of partnerships in the Geneva community: rather than take place at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, the workshops and performances will take place in the newly opened Boys and Girls Club community center, and rather than continue a focus on HWS Colleges' students, the participants will be Geneva teens, girls from an under-served economic population. The Project Becoming focus is on helping at-risk girls develop pride and self confidence through dance, movement, dialogue and creative process exploration. An emphasis is on interaction with the community; I see this project as having long-term positive effects on the community.