Lauren Simpson's project Moving Truck, featured on the blog in February 2021. Find out more about it here.
Image Description: Two dancers in bright colored jumpsuits dance in a front yard by tall sunflower plants. Two audience members and a dog sit on the small front porch, watching.
By Jill Randall, Blog Director
Hello readers! Thank you for another year of engagement around modern and contemporary dance in the United States. Today I wanted to re-share some posts and projects from the year.
Proud to say that we published 58 pieces throughout the year, and every writer received a stipend for their writing! To help support 58 more pieces in 2022, please consider joining our Patreon campaign or a simple contribution of any size via Venmo (Jill-Randall-6). Every dollar donated goes directly to the roster of writers. Thank you!
Life as a Modern Dancer's 2021 Intern
One of the highlights of the year was a wonderful intern from Wayne State University, Camryn Eaglin. Camryn worked on numerous projects, including a really powerful series about black dancers in undergraduate programs throughout the United States. Check out the 6 pieces in the series here:
The Final Words: Black Dancers in Higher Education Call to Action - By Camryn Eaglin
A Call for New Ways of Working and Communicating about Dance Projects
Thank you to Bay Area colleague Emily Hansel, who reached out about publishing on the site about current dance experiences in the studio, and what needs to get improved and considered now. Thank you for Emily's bravery and collective call to action.
Relearning Agency: A Dancer’s Call for Collective Action - Emily Hansel
Cultivating Healthy, Equitable Workplaces for Dancers - Emily Hansel
Robert Moses teaching. Photo by Peter Earl McCollough. Read Robert's artist profile here.
Image description: In a light filled dance studio with wooden floor and mirrors, teacher Robert Moses leads in the front of the room, doing a a twisty lunging move. He wears a black shirt, black pants, and a white button down shirt, which is open. A group of dancers are behind him, learning the movements.
Artist Profiles
This is how the blog started - with artist profiles! These self-interviews share career paths and also wisdom, advice, and offerings. Wonderful to have a power dance couple share their stories in 2021: Robert Moses and Mary Carbonara.
Artist Profile #173: Robert Moses (San Francisco, CA)
Artist Profile #174: Mary Carbonara (San Francisco, CA)
Design by Claire Calalo Berry of Flourish and Frost. Image description: A graphic design with the words "somatic writing" in white calligraphy. The background is the two Pantone colors of the year, grey and yellow.
Somatic Writing Series
I worked with 8 colleagues to offer these short musings on somatics, 100 hundreds words or less on themes such as softening, allowing, activating, and slowing down to feel.
Somatic Writing Series: Cynthia Oliver, Nina Haft, and Jill Randall
Somatic Writing Series: Bhumi B. Patel, Andrea Olsen, and Elizebeth Randall Rains
Somatic Writing Series: Sima Belmar, Leah Cox, and Molly Rose-Williams
Reading Lists
Speaking of somatics - check out this reading list if you teach a somatics course at the undergraduate or graduate level. Also, I published in early 2021 a reading list for site-specific courses or projects on site-based work in higher ed.
Resource/Reading List: For a Somatics Course
Resources on Site-Specific Dance for College Courses
Moving Truck with Lauren Simpson Dance
Lauren is an artist I have been following for years and spotlighting on the blog. Check out this interview to find out about a delightful project she launched in the age of COVID. (Photo image at top of post.)
Moving Truck: 5 Questions for Lauren Simpson
In addition, I interviewed Lauren and collaborator Galen Rogers in April 2021 about their springtime project, Celestial Real Estate, in Omaha, Nebraska:
Light + Process + Unison + Deep Listening: An Interview with Dancers Lauren Simpson and Galen Rogers about Celestial Real Estate
Quaranzines
Sarah Chien shared about numerous publications (zines) created during the pandemic as a creative outlet and option for movers.
Quaranzines: Self-Producing Meets Self-Publishing - Sarah Chien
A Running List of Dance Publications
Curious to look at a comprehensive list of glossy and online-only publications? Intern Camryn Eaglin did the research back in the springtime.
Discover Dance Writing - Camryn Eaglin
Decentering the Teacher, Culturally Relevant Teaching, and Critical Dance Pedagogy
With our ongoing equity work in the classroom, I offered this list of questions and key ideas to consider in our teaching practices each week. I have come back to this list numerous times myself this year.
Springtime Musings on Teaching and Learning: Or, Where My Mind and Heart Are with Teaching Modern Dance These Days - Jill Randall
Image description: Front cover of the technique journal, including a dancer's two arms outstretched horizontally. The colors are the Pantone colors of the year, grey and yellow.
A New Journal for Technique Classes in Higher Ed
In August I published a 4th journal to use in undergrad and graduate dance classes of any style. You can print out the journal or type into the PDF. This journal takes a co-learning approach, asking that professors and students alike take time each week to journal and reflect.
A New Journal for Your College-Level Technique Course This Semester (Free to Download)
Cameras in the Studio
After Camryn Eaglin finished her internship, she joined us on the official roster of writers for the site. Check out this thoughtful and timely piece about videoing dance classes and posting on social media. How often, by whom, and with whose permission?
How do cameras in the classroom revolutionize how we view and participate in dance? - Camryn Eaglin
"Split," one of FACT/SF's performances in 2021. Read more about it here. Photo of LizAnne Roman Roberts. by Robbie Sweeny.
Image description: Dancer stands downstage in a performance space lit bubblegum pink. Dancer wears a sleeveless button up shirt, dark shorts to her knees, and white socks. The dancer is slightly arching and looking up to the ceiling.
Bay Area Dance
In December, I recapped the 12 dance projects we highlighted on the blog with previews and reviews. Dance took many forms - on stage, outdoors, pre-recorded, and streamed live.
Looking Back and Celebrating: Dance Performances in and from the SF Bay Area in 2021
Salt Lake City Artist Molly Heller
In addition to Life as a Modern Dancer, I also publish a few times a year through medium.com.
I worked with artist Molly Heller on two interviews as we waded through the pandemic's ups and downs:
What is in this moment? What is showing up today? Musings on Hope, Dance, and Teaching with Molly Heller
Prioritizing Embodiment: A Conversation with Dance Teaching Artist Molly Heller
New Books in 2021
And lastly, a favorite activity of mine...trying to list out the new dance books that came out this year:
New Dance Books in 2021
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