Tap festivals are everywhere and are probably coming to a city near you! These fabulous wood-shedding events allow tap dancers of all ages, levels, and backgrounds to meet together and share in a non-judgmental and nurturing environment. Hoofers are honored at nearly every fest, giving young dancers exposure to the greats – the masters perform and teach in an intimate setting at most events. Unlike many ballet intensives and summer programs, tap festivals welcome dancers of all levels, and tappers are notoriously encouraging with newbies, helping them with steps and cheering them on toward the next great “ooh bop sh’bam” moment that they’ll have. At the same time, professional tap dancers are always in abundance, taking advantage of any opportunity they can to study with the original hoofers and masters before they leave us and go up to that great big tap jam in the sky!

Registration is beginning already for many of these fantastic workshops, and you won’t want to wait long to research which one fits you best! Here is a list of the festivals I know of, though it is NOT exhaustive by any means.

Chicago Human Rhythm Project

NORTH AMERICA

Los Angeles Tap Festival Started by world-renowned Jason Samuels-Smith, held at Debbie Allen’s studio.

New York City Tap Festival Loaded with class options with the best of the best from all over the world.

Soul-to-Sole Tap Festival Presented by Tapestry Dance Company, just celebrated their 20th year

D.C. Tap Festival Newer festival started by Chloe & Maud Arnold

Chicago Human Rhythm Project Fantastic workshop with tons of residency options, youth ensemble options, and many great performances. Often has a world dance focus.

St. Louis Tap Festival Smaller festival that always focuses on the great hoofers. Intimate classes, fantastic face-time with teachers.

Space City Tap Fest Houston’s newest festival for youths through professionals. Jason Samuels Smith will make his first visit to Houston to teach and perform.

Southeastern Tap Explosion

Oklahoma City Tap Festival

Columbus Taps!

Hawaiian Islands Tap Festival

Rhythm Explosion

Finger Lakes Tap Festival (may not be scheduled for 2010?)

Beantown Tap Fest

Vancouver Tap Festival

Cleveland Tap Intensive

Jersey Tap Fest

Tap Motif - the beach festival!

INTERNATIONAL

TapMotif Rhythm Summit (Lefkada, Greece) Who wouldn’t want to dance on an island and wake up to look at the scenery on their website?

Brazil International Tap Festival

Tokyo International Tap Festival

Melbourne International Tap Festival

Rio Encountro

Helsinki Tap Festival

Feat Beat Festival

Stockholm International Tap Festival

Please don’t hesitate to add your links to other workshops, intensives and festivals that might be of interest to tap students, teachers and professionals. Let’s get as comprehensive a list as we can!

Keep it copasetic,

Sarah

© Sarah Mason for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Category: Blog, Dance Styles, For Career Dancers, For Everyone Else, For Students, News and Events, Summer Study/Workshops, Tap, The Dance World, Toolbox

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Ballet: The Nutcracker; Choreographer: Ben Stevenson; Dancers: Katharine Precourt & Linnar Looris; Photograph: Amitava Sarkar

In the music industry artists often release new renditions, called covers, of previously recorded and released songs. Often these are explorations and reworkings of the original material, designed to pay tribute to the original, reach a new audience demographic, and/or encourage the listener’s interest in the artist by hooking them with a familiar tune. For similar reasons, dance companies worldwide add their versions of The Nutcracker to the fray, making it the most “covered” ballet narrative in the dance world. In this sea of re-hashed material, how does a dance company create a variation that will be a stand-out and beloved at the same time? While there may be no concrete answer to this question, Ben Stevenson’s  choreography, as performed by Houston Ballet, is an excellent model of this elusive formula.

From the opening scenes, the ballet promises a traditional take on the classic story. Characters file across the stage in 19th century costumes indicative of the tale’s setting. Men, women, and children gather at the Stahlbaum family home, complete with a large tree sheltering imagination-powered gifts and toys, for a Christmas party. Where many established versions have failed in making these scenes come alive for a contemporary audience, Stevenson’s take on the familiar scenario offers an engaging and action-packed opening that resonates, in particular, with families who’ve come to see the show. Long segments of courtly dancing are not to be found, traded instead for vignettes that capitalize on familial interactions and have a look and feel of authenticity, despite a heavy use of slapstick. Children, all from Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy are a joy to watch, and wriggle and squiggle as they’re tossed about by uncles or cousins. Elder relatives guzzle ale, from which comedy ensues. And, with his reserve of slight-of-hand and theatrical magic tricks, even Drosselmeyer, played here as more eccentric uncle than mysterious (and creepy) conjurer, is strikingly genuine.

Not just in this opening scene, after which the ballet’s plot inevitably comes to a halt, but throughout the remainder of this version of The Nutcracker, Stevenson has woven humor and inventiveness into the fabric of his choreography. From the ridiculousness of rotund mice scurrying en pointe, to the nostalgia of Clara chasing snowflakes embodied by dancers in flowing skirts, to the originality of flying chefs with angel wings in The Land of Sweets, this Nutcracker keeps viewers entertained. Even in Act II, which has the potential to become for the audience a seemingly endless parade of divertissement and pas de deux, captivating partnering and whimsical innovations make each section memorable.

Houston Ballet’s performance of this endearing rendition of The Nutcracker is strong and polished. The cast fluctuates, sometimes rotating corps members into principal roles, yet from the level of performance it is clear that audiences will see a top-notch show on any given evening. For many dancers, myself included, The Nutcracker is typically an event worthy of evasion, regarded as a song that’s been covered one too many times. However, Houston Ballet’s The Nutcracker, delivers a worthy reinvention of a classic that could melt anyone’s wintry heart.

Performances of Houston Ballet’s The Nutcracker will continue now through December 28th. See their website for details.

Ballet: The Nutcracker; Choreographer: Ben Stevenson; Dancer: Oliver Halkowich; Photograph: Amitava Sarkar

What are your thoughts on The Nutcracker versions that you’ve seen? Have there been any that particularly captured your imagination or are you “over it?”

Click here for BalletMet’s detailed history of The Nutcracker.

AND DON’T FORGET!

Ovation TV’s Battle of The Nutcrackers: Grudge Match is on! Watch, vote, and weigh-in on the six versions being shown on this arts network. Polls will close on December 19 and the winner will be broadcast on Christmas Eve!

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2008. | Permalink | One comment - ADD YOURS! | Category: Blog, Dance Companies, The Dance World

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Photo ©Michael Hart

The Texas air was, for a change, a bit chilly. Groups of people stood together on a long, industrial loading platform. Those who had remembered their warmer clothing or coats waited in relative comfort, while others huddled in the crisp night air, thankful for the promise of only spending ten minutes of this evening’s event outdoors. The lights of a vehicle focused across the narrow parking lot, casting illumination on a single garage door in a warehouse that mirrored that of the DiverseWorks gallery and performance venue. Known for hosting experimental works of both performance and visual art, this 25 year-old establishment was likely not surprising much of its audience by briefly displaying a portion of the evening’s dance performance outside. However, as it was late November, only in a city with a climate such as Houston’s could this have been accomplished without protests from the patrons.

Those gathering waited to see the latest offering from an accomplished dancer and choreographer from New York who has already, at the age of 26, received many accolades for his work. Jonah Bokaer, upon joining the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in 2000, became, at age 18, the youngest professional ever hired in the ensemble’s history. In 2002, Bokaer led a group of artists and choreographers in the foundation of Chez Bushwick, an organization based in Brooklyn that focuses on interdisciplinary collaboration between artists of all disciplines, and fosters the development of new work through public programming and by offering much-needed rehearsal space to artists at the subsidized rate of $5 per hour. In addition, Bokaer has co-founded the Center for Performance Research in New York, is a published writer and activist, and drives the spheres of digital media, motion capture, and contemporary technologies to new levels of innovation and interconnectedness in their applications for movement research and development.

With the highway traffic of I-10 roaring nearby, Jonah Bokaer took a turn as performer in False Start, a brief prelude to his feature work The Invention of Minus One, and the reason for which the audience assembled outside. As a lone figure he stood silhouetted before a garage door on a concrete loading dock. Though he began standing, much of the dance was executed at a low level, his body folding and unfolding on the narrow, gritty space within the glow of strategically placed headlights. A rapid flurry of crisp and articulated movements was interrupted by broad strokes, occasionally accented with the rumbling of Bokaer’s feet striking the metal door as he skillfully used it to propel his lower body and shift weight into his hands. During a brief moment of rest for Bokaer, a vibrant image of reds and blues (a projection of Jasper John’s painting, False Start, the namesake and inspiration for the solo) appeared on the garage door. Within the image, an almost skeletal figure took shape and began its own series of folding and unfolding gestures, its lifting, sliding, and flopping a result of the gravity-free motion of unembellished computer animation. Echoing the movements of the figure, Bokaer re-created the phrase. Moments of illumination and darkness followed as the headlights toggled on and off and Bokaer teased the audience, backing up and hovering much too near the edge of the three or four foot ledge, dipping a toe beyond the brink.

False Start is not always presented outdoors. Performers and choreographers often have to make adaptations in dance as they move from venue to venue. In an interview with Nancy Wozny, Bokaer responded to a question about how he planned to adjust the solo for the DiverseWorks stage. Without divulging any details, he commented,  “I look forward to adapting to the space at DiverseWorks and making sure that the piece can “live” there in a way that complements the beauty of the venue.” True to this mission, False Start, seemed at home in the tarnished environment of the Warehouse District. Had it inhabited the same location as Minus One, the solo perhaps would have felt more like a “false start” to the dance that followed. As it was, the piece was fully permitted to stand alone. Despite the occasional distraction of cars meandering through the parking lot, and that the distance was perhaps too great between the tiny makeshift stage and the spectators for comfortable viewing, False Start was an intriguing, rich work, and a fitting opening act to the evening’s main event.

Inside, DiverseWorks’ intimate performance space seemed more equipped for a photo shoot than a dance performance. The stage was set with an assortment of tripods, projection screens, and three wardrobe carts draped with bits of clothing and feather boas. Fifteen white photography umbrellas, installed in a rectangular pattern on the back wall, revealed their purpose as The Invention of Minus One began. Projected upon this unconventional backdrop were two faces. In silence they waited, spoke, and shared brief moments of laughter and sobriety. It was a candid moment shared by the dancers before they physically took the stage in an upstage corner. The three performers would visit this location often throughout the duration of the piece, standing shoulder to shoulder in a row as if collecting themselves before moving onward to the next chapter of their visual story.

The dancers, Bokaer, Alison Cave, and Jimena Paz, wore simple but slightly absurd costumes designed by Isaac Mizrahi. The lone male figure in the trio, Bokaer donned a military-style jacket that seemed a bit cumbersome in appearance with epaulettes heavily beaded with what looked like uncooked macaroni noodles (I believe they were actually wooden beads). Paz was sleekly and femininely dressed in silver leggings and a shimmery top that could easily have come off the Mizrahi fashion line rack at any Target store, while the androgynous Alison Cave’s apparel combined these two looks with silver leggings beneath a less decorated military jacket.

Like many of the key players in Modern Dance, Jonah Bokaer’s investigation and exploration of movement and concepts grows like a branch on a family tree. His work with Merce Cunningham is an unmistakable influence, yet Bokaer presents strong and identifiable themes in a way that Cunningham’s purely kinetic work does not. Although it is left to the viewer to draw their own conclusions about how or why they relate, in The Invention of Minus One, Bokaer has presented vignettes that clearly interconnect and even hint at an underlying meaning. For example, the use of visual media and technology and the way humans interact with it was a common thread throughout the piece. Video projections (designed by former Cunningham dancer, animator, and college professor, Michael Cole) formed a corps of additional performers. The images displayed were varied and included immediate and live footage of the dancers, cutouts of the performers, à la the Vitruvian Man, that bent and twisted like paper dolls as they floated across the screen, and graphic representations of cameras and Polaroid snapshots which shifted and whirled into formations or materialized unexpectedly. Pieces of the set were manipulated and relocated in a similar fashion. At one point the women took Polaroid shots of one another as Bokaer danced on. Once created, these became an effective addition to the collection of props used ingeniously throughout the work.

The sound score, composed by Christian Marclay, crackled, whirred, and pulsed, giving auditory support to a visual feast. In fact, the sounds themselves seemed to give off a kinetic energy that could almost be seen. At times the trio of dancers performed in silence, accompanied only by the award-winning lighting design of Aaron Copp. They responded and connected to one another in a purposeful yet entirely undramatic way. Although the work made great use of gesture and expression, which ranged from unconscious tics to hand signals, to awkward or silly chortling,  the majority of the dancer’s movements appeared simple and pedestrian only because these performers are so skilled. By nature, choreography that is created using simulated or animated dance forms, a method which is at the heart of Bokaer’s work, presents certain challenges for a performer. Although technology can mimic human locomotion, it can produce transitions and sequences that would not be the first (second, or even third) choice of the dancer who must translate the movement onto their body. It is to the credit of these movers that they were able to make the sometimes disjointed choreography look effortless.

There are many memorable moments in The Invention of Minus One which were imprinted in my mind on that chilly November evening. Perhaps an homage to the Cunningham and Cage chance principles, one such episode engaged the dancers in what looked like a slight-of-hand parlor game as they passed a coin between their fingers and beneath their hands on the floor of the stage. In another passage, umbrellas, lit from the inside, turned Jimena Paz into a jellyfish-like creature. Her subtle movements had the effect of whispering, demanding that the viewer pay closer attention. Later, overturned wardrobe carts and focused lighting framed the soles of each dancer’s feet as these appendages performed their own, unique pas de deux. For the most part, although clearly presenting human interactions with technology and with one another, Minus One delivered movement devoid of theatricality. However, in one of the rare moments that this work ventured into emotional terrain, the ambiguously dressed Alison Cave, bathed in a blue spotlight, sat surrounded by the Polaroid photos which she had just collected. One by one she gazed at the photos as if memorizing or recalling the details of each. As I write this review of The Invention of Minus One, this image, in particular, resonates. I realize I am doing the same. Capturing, collecting, and recalling these snapshots in time and space. They remain with me as if caught by the flash of a camera.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2008. | Permalink | One comment - ADD YOURS! | Category: Blog, Dance Companies, The Dance World

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See more photos from Adam Baker and of the Ike aftermath on Flickr

I want to briefly thank all who expressed their concern for myself and my family during and in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike which hit our area the Saturday before last. We were without power since that time until Monday and my internet service is now back up.  We spent over a week in Austin with family and are trying to readjust and reclaim some normalcy.  The Houston area is facing a long recovery and some are still without power.  We were truly fortunate to not have had damage to our home and to be able to return to life as it was.  Many have lost their homes and businesses due to the storm and my thoughts are with these folks as they attempt to put their lives back together. I hope you will keep them in your thoughts and prayers as well.  It has been encouraging to watch neighbors helping neighbors in the wake of uncertainty and loss.

I am sorry for the lack of posts during our time as evacuees.  I am playing catch-up and will resume posting as soon as possible.  Thanks for your continued readership and, if you are new to the blog, be sure to look back at previous posts you may have missed.  The category links make it easy to find topics of particular interest to you.  They can be found in the right-hand column under Quick Topics.  Also, try the keywords in the Tags section further down the page.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2008. | Permalink | CLICK HERE to comment | Category: Asides, Blog

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The folks remaining on Galveston island and other areas of the shoreline are the real concern in this storm.  Ike is a large storm and is already creating a surge of water that is covering some of these low-lying areas.  People have already had to be rescued from rooftops and there will be homes and businesses completely obliterated by the time the hurricane makes landfall (over 10 hours from now).  It is hard to believe that anyone has chosen to ride out the storm down there but many have, which will increase the death toll.  Galveston and Houston have been fortunate (or unfortunate in a way) to have had many near-misses in the last several years but this has perhaps created a misplaced confidence when it comes to hurricanes.  Some have assumed that because they’ve made it through past storms they will be fine this time too, but each storm is different and Ike is the real deal.  Please keep these folks, and the police, coast guard and other officials that must stick around to rescue them, in your thoughts and prayers this weekend.  If we lose power, obviously I may not have access to a computer for a few days but will resume the blog as soon as possible.

Thanks to those of you who have expressed concern.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2008. | Permalink | 2 comments | Category: Asides, Blog

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Dance organizations in the United States are nearly always struggling.  There are lots of complicated reasons for this – government belt-tightening on arts funding, poor management of non-profit finances within the company, or an uncertain economy forces audiences to stay home and watch dance on tv rather than attend a live performance.  In addition to yearly pledges and donations from generous supporters, dance companies rely on funding and attendance to continue their mission, and many are falling short of their goals.

One such dance organization in Texas is in desperate need to raise funds.  The Texas Ballet Theater calls the Dallas/Fort Worth area home and their mission is to provide “unprecedented talent, beauty and artistic expression, as well as the highest levels of dance education, training, and appreciation to North Texas and surrounding areas.”  Although I live about 5 hours away in Houston, I would hate to see this organization go under.

The company apparently needs to raise over $300,000 in cash alone (not pledges) by September 10 or face bankruptcy or closing its doors. To do so, Texas Ballet Theater is holding two major fundraisers.  The first is a giant fundraising sale, silent auction, and raffle this weekend at their studios and the second, is an event called Rock the Ballet featuring dancing, food, and bands to be held September 19 in Fort Worth.  For more information on these events, please visit Get Behind Your Ballet. Also, Texas Ballet Theatre will be presenting new and traditional works at The Majestic in Dallas for their annual Gala on September 12  and have planned performances for October and beyond, assuming they are not forced to close their doors.  As always, the company accepts donations – none are too small (particularly now), and you can even download a printable contribution form for your tax-deductible offering.

I have no affiliation with the company or with professional ballet, for that matter, however as a fellow artist and dancer I particularly empathize with the dancers and dance students in this situation.  Faced with losing their jobs in an already unlucrative career, the company members have taken their campaign for donations door to door to help raise money for the organization.  Little has been said of what will happen to the school which operates within the TBT organization but it may be safe to assume that these kids could also be without a dance home if company debts are not paid.  It seems that a series of events that had little to do with these dancers led to the current situation in which the Texas Ballet Theater finds itself.  If you can show your support in some small way, I would encourage you to do so.

Here are some additional articles in which you can find more detailed information on Texas Ballet’s financial woes and on their upcoming fundraising events:

• Help the Texas Ballet Theater
• Texas Ballet Theater must raise 1.4million
• TBT faces uphill climb in fundraising
• Officials say they would step down to save ballet

UPDATE!!

Ballet’s deadline extended until Oct. 15

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2008. | Permalink | CLICK HERE to comment | Category: Ballet/Pointe, Blog, Dance Styles, News and Events, The Dance World

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My little family of three just returned from our summer vacation. Aside from a short trip to the Big Apple in 2006, my husband and I have not indulged in a true holiday for several years now, instead spending time off visiting with family. Now that we have an infant son, vacations come with additional challenges (and rewards), so for our first attempt we chose somewhat familiar territory and a family-friendly destination – Massachusetts. We began and ended our trip in the city of Boston, with an excursion to The Berkshires in the middle. One of my favorite spots to visit while touring the quaint yet artistic villages of western Massachusetts is Jacob’s Pillow. Home to America’s oldest dance festival (in continuous operation), “The Pillow” was founded by modern dance pioneer, Ted Shawn, and is a landmark in dance history.

The summer festival hosts dance companies from around the world with performances on three stages, including the Inside/Out stage which offers free, often excerpted performances in a more relaxed (and picturesque) atmosphere – perfect for families with small children or those on a budget. Their community program offer classes to the general public, but dance artists or students can also apply for their school program for the summer, plus internships are available in the fall/winter too. Here is the jacobspillow.org contact page if you would like more information or directions.

From contemporary to ballet, Massachusetts has lots of dance going on. If you are nearby, planning a visit, or looking for educational opportunities allow me to offer a few links.

• Boston Ballet
• Earthdance Workshop & Retreat (Berkshires)
  
• Berkshire Ballet
• Northampton Center for the Arts (Western Mass)
  
• The Yard (Martha’s Vineyard)
• Massachusetts Academy of Ballet (Southwestern Mass)
• Dancer Universe Directories (summer study, workshops, etc. can be searched by state, city, or zip)

For more Jacob’s Pillow, you can visit their YouTube Channel. You can also dig a bit deeper with the book Barton Mumaw, Dancer: From Denishawn to Jacob’s Pillow and Beyond, a memoir by one of Ted Shawn’s male dancers, or How Beautiful Upon The Mountain: A History Of Jacob’s Pillow, by Ted Shawn himself. Also, check out this video, The Men Who Danced: The Story of Ted Shawn’s Men Dancers and the Birth of Jacob’s Pillow 1933-1940 and this heartfelt article about Ted Shawn’s connection to Springfield College.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2008. | Permalink | One comment - ADD YOURS! | Category: Blog, Dance Companies, History of Dance, News and Events, Summer Study/Workshops, The Dance World, Toolbox

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I wanted to report of an interesting collaboration that has taken place between Big Boi (a member of the rap duo, OutKast) and the Atlanta Ballet. Titled “Big”, the performance seemed to live up to its name in spectacle. Read a review, here. And, it seems that Atlanta Ballet is hoping that the attention received in the wake of the endeavor will have a big effect on the rejuvenation of their company, ballet as a relevant art form, and in bringing ballet to a wider audience.

This is certainly not the first time that dance companies have sought to juxtaposition two art forms that seem vastly different from one another, or update ballet with current musical trends.  However, I thought the notion could be just the creative spark that some of you out there are looking for.  Perhaps you’d like to join your advanced hip-hop and ballet classes for an instant crowd-pleaser at this year’s performance.  Or if this has been overdone in your area, maybe there are new ways to bring ballet into the 21st century that are yet to be discovered!

Share your ideas!

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2008. | Permalink | CLICK HERE to comment | Category: Blog, Choreography, Music, News and Events, The Dance World, Toolbox

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