“Gaga challenges multi-layer tasks. It is fundamental for Gaga users to be available for this challenge. At once we, the users, can be involved in moving slowly through space while a quick action in our body is in progress. Those dynamics of movement are only a portion of what else might go on at the same time.

We are letting our mind observe and analyze many things at once, we are aware of the connection between effort and pleasure, we connect to the sense of “plenty of time,” especially when we move fast, we are aware of the distance between our body parts, we are aware of the friction between flesh and bones, we sense the weight of our body parts, we are aware of where we hold unnecessary tension, we let go only to bring life and efficient movement to where we let go . . .

We are listening, seeing, measuring, playing with the texture of our flesh, we might be silly, decorating our insides, we can laugh at ourselves.

We learn to love our sweat, we discover our passion to move and connect it to effort, we discover both the animal in us and the power of our imagination.

We learn to appreciate understatement and exaggeration, we discover the difference between joy and pleasure and use both to protect ourselves from injuring and hurting our body, we learn to apply our force in an efficient way and we learn to use “other” forces. We become more delicate and we recognize the importance of the flow of energy and information through our body in all directions.

We discover the advantage of soft flesh and sensitive hands, we learn to connect to groove even when there is no music.

We become more aware of people in the room and we realize that we are not in the center of it all. We never look at ourselves in a mirror; there are no mirrors. We become more aware of our form. We connect to the sense of the endlessness of possibilities.

We explore multi-dimensional movement, we enjoy the burning sensation in our muscles, we are ready to snap, we are aware of what we are made of, we are aware of our explosive power and sometimes we use it. We change our movement habits by finding new ones, we can be calm and alert at once. 
We become available . . .”

- Ohad Naharin, March 2008

• Read more about Gaga on Batsheva Dance Company’s website.

• Try Gaga yourself at an upcoming DANY Studios mater class taught by Ohad Naharin and/or company members.

• See Gaga in action when Batsheva Dance Company performs at The Joyce Theater Sep 21-Oct 3.  Purchase tickets now.

In Out of Context - for Pina, director Alain Platel uses a movement vocabulary that emerges from the unconscious, the uncontrolled: spasms, teeth chattering, grimacing, balance impairment and the whole repertoire of silly walks. Working with the eight virtuoso dancers who have been with him for quite some time now, Patel attempts to expose the tension between the wide range of unrestrained movements and the traditional choreographic elements, between unconscious and subconscious.

Platel says, “Presumably, the dance has always had this function: to be a physical translation of exaggerated emotions. In some cases, such as trance dance, the connection to the body in a state of hysteria is very direct. In this context, it is interesting to note that the root of the word choreography is derived from a medical term that refers to a disorder of the nervous system. Your symptoms are sudden, rapid, uncontrolled body movements and hysteria. We find that this behavior, as well as other forms of strange, extreme or provocative behavior, is an essential part of humanity ”

Photo: Chris Van der Burght

Tanz praised Out of Context for its use of humor and playfulness on stage. The jury also recognized the work’s call to make dance a popular art form, in the name of Pina Bausch, to whom the performance is dedicated.

This is the second time that the German magazine has awarded the work of Alain Platel. In 2007, les ballets C de la B, the company he founded in 1984, was proclaimed company of the year, together with Rosas, another Belgian dance company.

In the other categories, Tanz selected Martin Schläpfer as choreographer of the year, Canadian ballerina Carol Prieur as female dancer of the year, Friedemann Vogel as male dancer of the year and Ivorian Gintersdorfer/Klassen as company of the year.

For the past 25 days, Paul-André Fortier has performed his Solo 30×30 at One New York Plaza in New York City’s Financial District. Everyday at noon, Paul-André steps onto his stage, a square on the plaza marked only by white tape, and entrances an audience for the next 30 minutes. The audience is comprised of dance-lovers, who have come down to see the performance; backpack-sporting tourists, who have wandered upon the performance; corporate America, with Blackberry’s in hand; and everyone in between.

I have been at the performance everyday so far, and the question I get asked most often is, “What exactly is he doing?” Well, he is doing modern dance. Mind you, there is no real stage, no curtain, lights, or extravagant costume. There is no music, only the many sounds that this city produces—and believe me, the city provides full orchestration for 30×30. In 30 minutes, Paul-André explores movements, from his fingers tips to his eye brows, and from his hips to his ankles. There are soft sections, in which he flows through the space as though allowing the wind to move him, sharp sections, in which he cuts through that wind, fast ones, in which he runs through the space, and my favorite “water” sections, in which he appears to be moving in slow motion under water.

Paul-André’s solo is the exact same dance each day, yet each day is a different experience. Each audience creates a unique energy that surrounds the performance and in turn affects the performer. Sometimes it rains (twice so far, in fact), and what an experience that creates. Mondays are different from Fridays, and Fridays are different from Sundays. The one constant element is Paul-André. He is in his square everyday at noon. He invites the attention of all who pass by; he does not demand it. He does not talk to the audience, does not walk among audience members or touch them. He is much more subtle. He presents them with the option to stop and join him in this experience, or to continue on their way to here or there. It is this that makes this whole event so exciting to me.

People also love to ask, “What’s the story?” My favorite response to that question is: “You tell me.” Perhaps Paul-André is telling us a story, in fact I would suggest to you that he is telling us a story through Solo 30×30, but for each person that story can be completely different. So I invite you to come and experience the performance for yourself. There are five shows to go, and I hope to see you at one—or even all five of them!

Taylor Thomas is an intern in the programming department at The Joyce, and will return to the University of Mississippi this fall to complete her B.S. in Nutrition and Hospitality Management.

On her blog, Kate describes the music like this:
“In old time music, the devastating words of a narrator can be coupled with sweet, upbeat banjo picking, or a distant, mournful slide guitar can anchor a song about faith and transcendence. These story-songs brilliantly layer elements of human experience, with its contradictions and mixed emotions, into a legacy of craft that is utterly authentic. You forget about how carefully constructed and refined these songs have been, over generations of singers and musicians. And when they’re played aloud you sink right into the experience of the music like it just happened. That’s good story telling.”

The Crooked Jades perform live for the Kate Weare Company dancers in the world premiere of Bright Land at The Joyce Theater on August 10, 12 and 14.

Read more about the event in:
The Chicago Tribune
See Chicago Dance
The Chicago Dance Examiner
Time Out Chicago

Thank you to everyone at The Dance Center for making this series a success.

Next up is the New York City series at Joyce SoHo, November 17–20, 2010. We will be streaming the performances live at 7pm EST each night here: http://www.joyce.org/about/special_events_awardshow.php, so stay tuned.

Photo Courtesy Jacqueline Stewart

What is your dance background?
My dance background has a lot of classical training and influences from dancing in San Francisco and New York.

I graduated from State University of New York, Purchase (SUNY) in 2001. I left New York just 10-days before Sept. 11th. Since then I have returned as a performer and now for the first time I am presenting my own dance company.

My professional dance career started with Robert Moses Kin a modern dance company in San Francisco. Later, I began dancing for choreographer Joanna Haigood who works with arial dance, harness work and on-site public dance performances.

How did you come across a hip-hop opera? And, what interest you about it?
Working with the score for “The Black Swordsman Saga” (based off the music of JooWan Kim’s Great Integration: A Chamber Hip-Hop Opera”) was an opportunity to make a dance adaptation to an opera from the lyrics of MC Kirby Dominant.

I came up with my adaptation by creating characters that were more pronounced in today’s hip hop generation. They go through a lot of inner turmoil because they are demigods who are becoming aware of their own immortality. But, more importantly, I really wanted the audience to connect to different types of personas on stage.

For me, there was a great deal of intrigue leading into choreographing the hour long work. It was the first time that I worked with a voice coach and Ariel Dance. Due to the varying limitations of touring the work, the audience in New York will see a media video portion of the Ariel flying.

Any major sources of inspiration for your work?
I am inspired by art that blurs the boundaries of genres. Because I come from a very multiracial/ multicultural background, blending one thing from the other for me- comes quite easily. Collaborating comes natural to me so, I like to give my Collaborators a lot of room to explore what is interesting to them. In return, we all work in parallel towards the same goal.

Push Dance Company on YouTube

Now through mid-August, Paul-André will be performing this minimalist work in front of One New York Plaza everyday from 12-12:30pm. Listen in as Paul-André talks with Joyce Theater Program Associate, Laura Diffenderfer about his experiecnes performing this solo in cities throughout the world.

These are free showings. Please join us!

Wonderland, premiering at The Joyce Theater this August, is an investigation of pack mentality and the danger of “falling into the seduction of the pack.” Miller aims to create a contagious environment in which people are tempted to follow the leader and chaos without considering their own actions. A key question for Miller throughout the creative process has been, What separates us from animals? Is it our ability to incorporate logic into our choice-making? And what makes us animals? Watch the below video to see excerpts from Wonderland in rehearsal and hear more from Andrea about the creation of the work.

As the audience walks into Joyce SoHo this weekend, they will be handed 3D glasses to wear at their discretion throughout the show. Throughout the performance, video will be projected on the back wall that is enhanced by wearing the glasses, though they’re not necessary. The 3-D technology being utilized in the video for this performance is different from what you see in an IMAX movie theater – while it operates on the same principle that red images jump forward and blue images jump back, you still will see sharp, colorful graphics even when you take your glasses off.

This is the first collaboration between Ms. Weber and Ms. Daggers, who were introduced through a mutual friend. Jennifer Weber used to work with turning classic narrative works into hip-hop works – for example, she has adapted Firebird and different works by Shakespeare. For this concert, she’s stepping away from narrative and moving into the thematic, presenting an evening entitled When the Sky Breaks. Ms. Daggers has enjoyed the challenge of updating the distinct imagery of hip-hop to be utilized in this evening of hip-hop concert dance. The results are sure to be thrilling.

See Decadancetheatre on Vimeo