Dance Crazes on WNYC’s Soundcheck
May 1, 2012
"King of Twist", Chubby Checker
Tune in to WNYC’s Soundcheck this week to learn about dance crazes throughout history. Soundcheck, WNYC’s daily music and conversation program, has kicked off a week-long series dedicated to the subject. On the first show, host John Schaefer discussed the twist with dance historian and Florida State University professor Sally Sommer. The second half of the show was devoted to TV’s important role in dance fads, along with the impact of icons like the late Dick Clark. Additional topics will include US dance crazes that were inspired by African-American social dances, the evolution of moshing and mosh pits, and the wave of Cuban and Latin dance crazes. The full audio of the segments can be found here. Enjoy!
Borrowed Prey – A Performance in a Butcher Shop
April 19, 2012
Carrie Ahern's "Borrowed Prey", photo by Kris Martin
I was filled with both trepidation and curiosity when I received the press release for Carrie Ahern‘s latest project. Borrowed Prey, a solo conceived, directed, researched, and performed by Ahern, will come to a butcher shop at Chelsea Market next week. Yes, a butcher shop. It doesn’t sound like it’s for the faint of heart, and I’m still unsure of how to prepare for this type of experience. Below is an excerpt from the press release. Tickets to Borrowed Prey can be purchased here. Performances are April 26th through May 13th – Thursdays and Fridays at 9pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 8pm. Go see it if you dare.
Carrie Ahern Dance/Present Pariah, Inc is pleased to present the world premiere of Borrowed Prey inside the Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Avenue, NYC, at Dicksonʼs Farmstand Meats. Borrowed Prey is an hour-long solo performance by Carrie Ahern inside a butcher shop. Borrowed Prey is a provocative investigation into our relationship to the animals most of us consume. Bringing together 4 strands of research: hunting, butchering, and slaughtering of animals, plus the work of animal behavior scientist and autistic Dr. Temple Grandin, Borrowed Prey attempts to illuminate more about the true “farm to table” process and our human capacity for empathy. Ahern questions the slippery nature of anthropomorphism and death in our culture. The work includes butchering of a lamb and meat will be made available for sale post show.
The Leader as Artist
September 10, 2011
I’m reading a book called Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership for one of my graduate courses, and was really struck by a paragraph that I thought was worth sharing. The authors, Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal, were discussing the lack of imagination that is all too common in leaders and managers, and how important imaginative thinking is in order to tackle organizational challenges. I agree wholeheartedly with them.
“Artistry is neither exact nor precise. Artists interpret experience and express it in forms that can be felt, understood, and appreciated by others. Art embraces emotion, subtlety, ambiguity. An artist reframes the world so others can see new possibilities. Modern organizations often rely too much on engineering and too little on art in searching for attributes such as quality, commitment, and creativity. Art is not a replacement for engineering but an enhancement. Artistic leaders and managers help us see beyond today’s reality to new forms that release untapped individual energies and improve collective performance. The leader as artist relies on images as well as memos, poetry as well as policy, reflection as well as command, and reframing as well as refitting.”
-From Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership (Bolman & Deal, 2003)
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Masters of Modern Dance: Exclusive Discount Offer
August 10, 2011
FORA.tv has partnered with MacNeil/Lehrer Productions to present Masters of Modern Dance, a video series featuring in-depth interviews and rehearsal footage with five leading male choreographers: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Bill T. Jones, Trey McIntyre, Mark Morris, and Paul Taylor. Each video in the series is 30 to 55 minutes long and includes exclusive behind the scenes footage of the choreographers, rehearsals, and performances. Some excerpts from the series are available on FORA.tv’s site for free (see below), but to watch the full series requires purchase. Fortunately, FORA.tv has created a special discount offer for Dancing Perfectly Free readers!
You can get 20% off the entire series by doing the following:
1. Visit Masters of Modern Dance at Fora.tv
2. Click on the “BUY ALL NOW” button under the red offer box.
3. Join FORA.tv (FREE) or log in if already a member.
4. At checkout, enter coupon code: DPF20 and click “Apply”
5. Enjoy the series! The programs are available for 60 days after purchase. Limit one coupon per person.
Below are links to the free clips:
Trey McIntyre: Rehearsal Excerpt
Trey McIntyre Dance Company Steals Hearts in Heartland
Bill T. Jones: Rehearsal Excerpt
Bill T. Jones: Bringing Art to an Evolving Audience
Mikhail Baryshnikov: Rehearsal Excerpt
Baryshnikov on Opening the Baryshnikov Arts Center
Paul Taylor: Rehearsal Excerpt
Paul Taylor Puts Dancers’ Morale Above Choreography
