Current city: San Francsico
Age: 49
College and degree: BA, Swarthmore College
Graduate school and degree: MA, Graduate Theological Union
Website: www.bandaloop.org
How you pay the bills: Artistic Director, Bandaloop
All of the dance hats you wear: Artistic Director, Choreographer, Dancer, Teacher
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Describe your dance life in your….
Teens: Studied with Hubbard Street Dance Company in Chicago beginning in 8th grade. Was an apprentice with the company from 18-22 years old.
20s: Studied dance at Swarthmore College and with guest artists from New York. Studied contact improvisation seriously and began to choreograph. Founded Project Bandaloop at 28.
30s: Built the company (Bandaloop) in my thirties. Created and performed in dances on
buildings including the Space Needle, the NYSE and skyscrapers in Houston to
cliffs in Yosemite, and theaters
including Artaud (now Z Space) many times, the Kennedy Center, and the Grand
Auditorium in Macau. During this time I developed technique, safety protocol
and choreographic lexicon with the dancers and riggers that is the basis from
which the work is now continuing to grow. In 1997, we performed "Peregrine
Dreams," that was a six day five night ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite to the
dance. In 2001, we realized “Crossing," an 18 day performance across the Sierra
from East to West.
40s: I continued to build on the momentum of the previous decade with Bandaloop touring internationally more often. Highlights included mountain pieces as part of the European Capital of Culture in Stavanger, Norway in the mountains and performances in the Italian Dolomites as well as 14th century towers and castles in Italy.
What’s on the calendar for 2013 and 2014?
Performances in Macau, China, Salt Lake City, Home Season at Fort Mason of all new work, St. Louis and Rochester as well a many workshops including our annual Eastern Sierra Workshop.
What’s the key to being a dancer and balancing all of the hats you wear – as dancer, teacher, choreographer, artistic director, and lifelong student? (And balancing being a wife and mother…)
I meditate and breathe deeply whenever I remember to, including at red lights. I try to focus on one thing at a time and do not really believe that multi-tasking is good for efficiency or the soul.
I take class regularly and cross train surfing, practicing yoga and hiking. I try to tick off the two things I don’t want to do first in a day's work before getting to the other things I have to do.
What do you look for in a dancer?
Fluidity, an original movement voice, strength, emotional intelligence and the ability to work well in a group.
What are 3 pieces of advice you want to give to aspiring choreographers?
Know you are special and have a voice but don’t be precious. Have a sense of humor and dispassion so you can self-critique without it hurting too much. Be brave and fail.
Know that talent is persistence as much as anything.
How did you learn the ropes to run your dance company?
Trial and error.
What suggestions do you give young choreographers about arts administration?
Know what you are not good at and find help in those areas. Don’t try to do everything. Many brains are better than one in all things but know that you are responsible for the final decisions and know how to express your true strength.
On training and care of the body…..
See above, but add massage, hot tubs, a glass of wine a day, no smoking and highly nutritious food.
Can you talk about the recent Trisha Brown dance you performed? How did you get connected with the project? Did Trisha’s off-the-ground work inspire your work over the years?
The Trisha Brown experience was one of the most meaningful dance community experiences I have had. UCLA connected us for their retrospective. Working with Diane Madden, acting Artistic Director, was wonderful. Sensing Trisha’s vision through her was an honor and an education.
Talk a little about aerial dance. How has this dance style grown and changed since you began exploring it?
This is such a huge question....
One sentence would be: I see my work as other than what is called aerial dance these days because that is most often bounded by circus influence and what I do is make dances site-reactively using the ground, the air and the architecture.
My advise to those working off the ground is to not get seduced by the act of being off the ground and deeply investigate the movement and intention of movement.
Current inspiration and curiosities:
My friends, Trisha Brown, composers Dana Leong, Mark Orton and Gideon Freudmann, my dancers, Pema Chodren, the ocean, its waves and the animals in it, the mountains, my son Ry and the family we are now.
Advice to young dancers in general:
Find your own voice as a dancer. Expand your ability by moving in multiple styles and techniques, you may not have found your most natural one yet. Eat healthfully and don’t believe the hype on body typing in dance. Dance in a way that you could continue to do for decades. Seek inspiration in people, art, ideas and nature.
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