Co-founder Frank Shawl in front of the Center
Shawl-Anderson Dance Center (SADC) was founded by Frank Shawl and Victor Anderson in 1958. Shawl and Anderson set out to create a home for dance in the East Bay modeled after the heartfelt approach of their Sacramento-born, NYC based mentor, May O’Donnell. SADC is a non-profit educational and performance space that has evolved into a model ecosystem of art and community that empowers people through their moving bodies. Dancers ages 1.5 to over 80 years of age share the former residence-turned-dance center each week in classes, performances, movement experiments, rehearsals, residencies and more. SADC is committed to nurturing and mentoring the growth of dancers and choreographers; cultivating a healthy and supportive atmosphere for creative expression; sustaining traditions essential to excellence in the field; and, fostering the evolution of the art of dance. Rebecca Johnson was the Managing Director from 2008-2014 and became the Executive Director in 2015. She is honored to serve alongside her colleagues as the next generation of leadership for SADC and the community.
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Summer Journal: On the Path with Emerging Choreographers
By Rebecca Johnson
How do you become an artist? Is this a magic title that gets bestowed upon you? Do you wake up one day feeling differently and suddenly know? Does it require a degree or an award? A grant? Though any of these are welcome, none of them are required. What it does require is having the wisdom to bring your vision into the light, ask for support, garner resources and get down to the work of making art. Trust yourself and find those you trust. This goes a long way in a world where dance funding and venues are scarce. You are an artist. It just takes you to get on board.
In the last few years I have been particularly inspired by watching several choreographers make the leap from people who make dances to people who identify as choreographers - as artists. Choreographers rarely just make art. They are usually involved in teaching, design, administration and so many other aspects of the field. Wearing so many hats can blur and confuse our identities as artists. We question whether we are truly artists when we do so many other things to make a living. It’s tough to own the identity of an artist. It takes some guts to begin and to get down to the work in the studio towards a production. This transition can be a challenge, but if you are motivated, the first step is to share your vision. I saw two choreographers do this in the last year and it propelled them into the first successful stages of their careers as professional choreographers.
As I witnessed, the first magic ingredient is doubt. Doubt is a big hurdle, but it’s important to accept and acknowledge it. Artists tend to have a big, messy creative world going on inside of themselves. How do they begin to express this in the world outside? The idea of simply self-producing choreography is daunting. The artists I’ve recently been inspired by have sought out people who will hear out their doubts and begin to support their vision as they articulate their intentions and desires. Choreographers can have a difficult time translating visions into words, and yet this precise act of revealing and sharing is part of what makes the process from maker of art to artist come alive. It’s the beginning of bringing the work to the audience and seeing yourself as a professional artist.
The very act of articulating the vision, no matter how unclear, can open a path towards trusting your own vision. This very act puts your work into motion and as you express your vision through conversation and creation, resources will begin to connect. Sometimes you will need to seek out a residency, grant or space. Be brave and ask for what you need. Other times the simple act of articulating your unique vision to yourself and others will open doors. As you go, your creative ideas will change, and that is a necessary part of growth. But bringing your ideas out into the light where the resources can find you, as well as you asking for them, can spark the motor needed to move from vision to creation to production.
Once you trust, believe and commit to your first creation, production or full evening, you are on the train. There will be challenges, successes and disappointments that will teach you invaluable lessons for the next round. It does take a village and finding your own way to make that village around you and surround you will make the vulnerable act of choreography and presentation that much more doable. It won’t just come to you. Reminder: be brave!
If you are motivated to go this far, you have a gift to share. As you work your craft you will find your voice. It is a noble profession indeed and dance, as one of the oldest forms of human expression, is one much needed by our communities and audiences to keep us connected to our vibrant humanity. Thanks to all who take the leap!
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If you were a former student at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center and want to reconnect, you can email Rebecca at rebecca@shawl-anderson.org or visit our website at www.shawl-anderson.org and click the “join mailing list” in the upper right hand corner.
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