tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77954888180861561062024-03-13T12:15:42.294-07:00somanaut danceUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795488818086156106.post-73923619671905888042012-12-06T20:45:00.001-08:002012-12-06T20:46:17.279-08:00Endings performance!Want to see the first sneak-peek into the February thesis work? Come on out to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/448649291865097/">Endings</a> this Friday at 7pm. The show is free, and features work my the MFA candidates at Temple University.<br />
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I am presenting a new duet, which is sweet, beautiful, and sensitive. Come see Alison Liney and Megan Quinn perform "Real-time Bodies." The show is FREE!<br />
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What: Endings<br />
Where: Conwell Dance Theatre, 5th floor at Broad and Montgomery<br />
When: 7:00pm, Dec. 7th 2012<br />
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See you there!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795488818086156106.post-36007698106624943022012-09-30T20:20:00.002-07:002012-12-06T20:45:52.632-08:00Remembering Internal Extremes<br />
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Sharing some research for my thesis:</div>
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<strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline: none 0px;">From <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline: none 0px;">More Than Meat Joy</em> (1979) by Carolee Schneemann:</strong></div>
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“Gesture is three-dimensional in quality; it is nureo-muscular: remembrance and recognition are linked to basic kinesthetic identification. Gesture is in the spine; it is intangible and cannot be grasped without feeling it. </div>
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[…]</div>
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<em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline: none 0px;">Physiology of the Dancers</em><br />
With the dancers I find two channels of movement occur:</div>
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1. a naturalistic attitude of the body in actual space.</div>
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2. involvement from <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline: none 0px;">within</em> the body as projective space.</div>
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[…]</div>
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I want the dancers to reach for extremes. The material I present requires breakthroughs in intensity, in emotive location…strong feeling for concentration on new movement…or familiar movement performed as if it were uniquely present for them. This demands resources of available psychic energy which may never have been called for before in their dancing.</div>
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Their odies are capable of feats; in so far as possible they are—as a group—inquiitive, adventurour. Grounded in their implacable and moving traditions they scent clearly the forms which they must search to break clear of past traditions. Itis not enough to see this necessity; only a few are held by an emotion desperate and strong enough to carry them through. Their own needs are in process; my visions of movement often upset them—they cry ‘impossible’ just as a traditional cellist does when instructions call the bow to the bridge! I have been able to perform all I asked of them.”(p. 16-17)</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795488818086156106.post-28385862932013415192012-07-22T18:40:00.003-07:002012-07-22T18:51:39.409-07:00Corvidae VideoTonight, I realized that I had neglected to upload this footage from last year's fringe performances. So hop in this time machine with me, and we'll throwback to last year at about this time.<br />
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This was post-Atlanta, where two of my old friends were marrying each other and where I reconnected with many dear friends as well as my mother's side of the family. It was post-Seattle, where I mourned the loss of my grandmother, one of the truly greatest people I've ever had the honor to meet, with my father's side of the family; there I also visited with a close friend from college, astonished at how much she had grown. This was after all of that, when I was back in Philly and processing the tumultuous summer.</div>
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<i>Corvidae</i> (referenced earlier on this blog by it's working title, "Crow") was the product of that processing. Using imagery from my own personal associations, and created in collaboration with two lovely dancers (Shailer Kern-Carruth and Celia Murawski), <i>Corvidae</i> is centered around our kinship's ties to location and how we nurture (or neglect) connection across time and space; it investigates how we navigate those long-distance relationships with those we love, and how it feels when they're gone for good. </div>
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You can watch the video here:</div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795488818086156106.post-80331910650480740032012-07-08T17:51:00.000-07:002012-07-08T17:53:43.881-07:00Updates - Book in the works, Lure series, and "Indelible" videoDear readers and friends, my apologies for being remiss in my updates! This summer has been busy, busy, busy.<br />
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First, I'd like to let you all know that for the past year or so, I have been working with my mentor and teacher, Amanda Williamson (along with co-editors Glenna Batson and Sarah Whatley), on editing an academic volume titled <i>Dance, Somatics, and Spiritualities: Contemporary Sacred Narratives</i>. Right now, we are just about in our peer-review stage, and then the book is set to be published in the Fall/Winter by Intellect Ltd! I spent a week earlier in the summer in the UK with Amanda, intensively editing the chapters before this review.<span style="background-color: white;"> In the book, many seminal figures in the dance, somatics, and spirituality fields speak openly about their work and their own understanding of the numinous. </span><span style="background-color: white;"> More info on that as the publication progresses, but let me tell you that I am incredibly honored and excited to be a part of this groundbreaking work. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Secondly, I was thrilled to recently show some excerpts from my earlier work "the melting point of feathers" at Angler Movement Arts Center's <i>Lure</i> performance series. It was a part of Frankford Avenue Arts' First Friday festival in Fishtown, Philadelphia. I was fortunate to be able to step in and dance a role with Megan Mizanty, one of my original performers. Meg also presented her solo, "Little Battles," which is a favorite of mine. I have been teaching Kid's Dance (creative movement) and Adult Beginner Ballet at Angler over the summer, and it is just such a beautiful space right here in my very own neighborhood! Here are some more photos from the show: </span><br />
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And Meg's "Little Battles" (photography by yours truly, haha):<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Lastly--and perhaps most excitingly--I finally got my video from the theatre performance of "Indelible [I closed the book and I changed my life]" that was staged in May in Conwell Theatre as part of Temple University's <i>Endings</i> concert series. For me, this was a cast of dancers I'd never choreographed on before, and I really loved working with these dancers! They really dedicated themselves to going through a process in which I saw them grow tremendously from day one to our final performance. It is now live on youtube, so enjoy! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795488818086156106.post-85364986697844188642012-05-01T17:06:00.002-07:002012-05-01T18:21:05.274-07:00Indelible [I closed the book and I changed my life] - a dance documentary<div class="post-header">
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<i>Indelible [I closed the book and I changed my life]</i><br />
By Becca Weber<br />
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This video installation is a dance film and documentation of a
site-specific performance work. Situating the work, which questions our
embodied histories, within the confines of a library challenges the
Cartesian distinctions between mind and body. The library, while a
physical location, remains a site firmly situated in intellectual and
mental territories, and thus is rarely a place of embodied exploration.
By performing movement explorations in this space, we disrupt the “safe
space” of the hierarchy of mind over body, and reinforce the plasticity
of our bodies—its ever-alive and changing nature which reflects our own
individual histories. This site-specific dance also highlights the
physicality of the books, and the presence of bodies—of both performers
and studious “audience” members—in the space. By situating our
explorations in physical intersubjectivity, we hope to transgress the
boundaries between mind and body and the social codes of behaviour in
public spaces of the mind to reunite the body and brain, the physical
with the intellectual. Elizabeth Grosz claims in an analysis of Deleuze
that the space in between two things is where thought originates;
“becoming” which is the method of transformation for the two things
creating this liminal space, “is bodily thought, the ways in which
thought, force, or change invests and invents new series, metamorphosing
new bodies from the old through their encounter.” (Grosz 2001, p.68-69)
Becoming enables singular parts to be released from the system of the
whole, transforming possible experiences. By prioritizing the relational
aesthetics of the dancers to each other and to the books, “Indelible”
engages in this bodily thought and transforms individual participants
and witnesses experiences of this intellectual space to raise
physicalized experience to an equal plane of value. Thus, the work
actualizes an alternative method of engagement in a space dictated by
the hierarchies of academia. In the silent space of the library, our
movement is the nonverbal communication, giving voice to the knowledge
of histories in our bodies and aligning them with the knowledge in the
books. <br />
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These themes were cultivated from a multi-part movement exploration
of themes inherent or implied in Bruce Smith’s poem, “Untitled [I closed
the book and I changed my life].” The choreography stems from a
collaborative creative process which examines our own embodied
histories—specifically, our deliberate, chosen past actions to create
change in our lives. The movement utilizes a playful, and at times
fraught, interaction with books as metaphoric representations of this
change/decision. “I closed the book,” “I turned over a new leaf,” “I’m
beginning a new chapter of my life.” We tend to think of these
touchstones in our lives as memories which live on in our minds, yet we
keep rereading the same lines over and over, rediscovering familiar
patterns at different points in our lives. When we create change, are
those changes lasting? Or do we always carry our past histories with
us, our embodied memories affecting our currently-enacted lives?
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795488818086156106.post-85701732716202971032012-04-25T06:45:00.001-07:002012-05-01T17:06:45.277-07:00Indelible [I closed the book and I changed my life] - to come!<br />
Since January, I have been working on a new piece for six dancers, which we recently turned into a site-specific piece in Paley Library at Temple University. We are performing the stage version at Temple University's graduate concert, ENDINGS on May 4th at 7:30pm. It's a free show, so come out if you're around! <br />
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Here are some still shots from our site-specific performance in Paley Library:<br />
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795488818086156106.post-12234946632604642212012-04-03T17:50:00.001-07:002012-04-03T17:51:55.700-07:00The words behind the workFor the piece I am currently working on, I found a poem that, for me, compiled all the layers of the questions I was interested in asking. Here it is:<br /><br />Untitled [I closed the book and changed my life]<div class="regular"><div class="copy"> <blockquote><p>I closed the book and changed my life and changed my life and changed my life and one more change and I was back here looking up at a blue sky with russets and the World was hypnotic but it wasn’t great. I wanted more range, maybe, more bliss, I didn’t know about bliss. Is bliss just a rant about the size of the bowl? The trance was the true thing, no, the rant, no, the sky, now, that icy whiteness.</p></blockquote></div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795488818086156106.post-51350899509290067602012-02-01T16:58:00.000-08:002012-02-01T17:22:43.441-08:00"Observer Effect" Revisited this weekend!Hey, New Yorkers (or anyone near NYC)! Come out and see a version of "Observer Effect" performed at the Dance Across the Board Conference this weekend at NYU!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D34YMoXNyJM/TyngKskxmBI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/MEKN332Uufw/s1600/225881_10150183391724551_501834550_6631402_6528382_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D34YMoXNyJM/TyngKskxmBI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/MEKN332Uufw/s320/225881_10150183391724551_501834550_6631402_6528382_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704336877410162706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br />Our performance is at 11:45am on Saturday, and it's FREE!<br />More details can be found on the <a href="http://danceacrosstheboard.weebly.com/">DAB Website</a>.</span><br /><br style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style=" color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><br />"Observer Effect", is a contemporary dance work that explores layering quantum and classical physics, neurophysiology, and social psychology/interpersonal relations. What does it mean to see and be seen? How do we construct our identity through how we see ourselves, or how we are seen by others? How does the mere act of being observed change our behaviors and our very selves? How do these affects ripple on a micro- and macro-level, from our cells to social relationships? In “Observer Effect” as in our daily lives, we are both the watchers and the watched.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795488818086156106.post-21442455033904939712012-01-21T15:42:00.001-08:002012-01-21T16:08:44.572-08:00Familiar Capers<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iH7gnuh5W9k/TxtST6oaOgI/AAAAAAAAAQE/tv86qfdatys/s1600/IMG_3413.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iH7gnuh5W9k/TxtST6oaOgI/AAAAAAAAAQE/tv86qfdatys/s320/IMG_3413.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700240255477234178" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ujOyZWuruE/TxtSGKDK7sI/AAAAAAAAAP4/NndJQXt2aG4/s1600/IMG_3438.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ujOyZWuruE/TxtSGKDK7sI/AAAAAAAAAP4/NndJQXt2aG4/s320/IMG_3438.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700240019097841346" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />I don't update this often enough! "Familiar Capers" was a new work that was created in Autumn 2011, and was performed at Temple University's "ENDINGS" dance concert in December 2011.<br /><br />It was a spirited, upbeat, fun piece and an easy and joyful process with my three dancers, Shailer, Ariel, and Alison. I'm really grateful to them for their shining spirits and all the hard work and playfulness they contributed to the choreography and improvisation for this work.<br /><br />Some of my favorite photos (all by Bill H Photos)--and a link to the video--below!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JIgy3wE4Lwo/TxtRX_KuChI/AAAAAAAAAPU/R015I85BLPs/s1600/IMG_3354.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JIgy3wE4Lwo/TxtRX_KuChI/AAAAAAAAAPU/R015I85BLPs/s320/IMG_3354.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700239225902729746" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZtUCYwk6b04/TxtRnpXOAwI/AAAAAAAAAPg/swE9odNDHtQ/s1600/IMG_3359.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZtUCYwk6b04/TxtRnpXOAwI/AAAAAAAAAPg/swE9odNDHtQ/s320/IMG_3359.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700239494927483650" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/---R8noIgblc/TxtR1V0tgUI/AAAAAAAAAPs/c-Lh0t0trsc/s1600/IMG_3399.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/---R8noIgblc/TxtR1V0tgUI/AAAAAAAAAPs/c-Lh0t0trsc/s320/IMG_3399.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700239730200641858" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zbiYEs8zxK0/TxtS1I-8PRI/AAAAAAAAAQc/1r8NdGSZC-o/s1600/IMG_3389.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zbiYEs8zxK0/TxtS1I-8PRI/AAAAAAAAAQc/1r8NdGSZC-o/s320/IMG_3389.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700240826265517330" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />More pictures can be found <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.555490221514.2039707.53300450&type=1&l=74696db5e8">here</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br />And here's the video:<br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EgZHvu50U8I" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795488818086156106.post-36802418690146693102011-09-25T16:23:00.000-07:002011-09-25T16:25:09.774-07:00momentum and momentous revelationsi realize that i am best at work when alone with myself, my thoughts, music, and space. i think a lot physically (mentally) and in terms of space/movement when on my own and traveling, traveling, traveling forward. momentum propels me. "things that remind me of other things" - the title to a new piece?<br /><br />movement and relationships. there are so many places where i remember, viscerally and visually, the walks i have taken. walks in philadelphia, trying to find new corners but always ending in familiar places. thinking i've gone somewhere i've never been only to be met with a familiar visage. walks along the river ribble, heavy-hearted and heavy-armed, full of groceries for one. a special trip. walking around peachtree in atlanta, owning your territory. in the cascades, all up & down, literally and figuratively amongst the firs. in new york, alone and lost amongst streets in an unfamiliar neighborhood...here, always: retrace your steps, back to the studio, back to the body. getting lost in the forward momentum, propelled by the beat and one's own headstrong impulses. this doesn't hurt my foot, of course not. only a few blocks more, it costs too much to transit publicly. we tell ourselves stories in order to live.<br /><br />this is where i am at.<br />this is MY life. this is not a charade. i am not treading water until my life comes along. this is it. this is me.<br /><br />how strange it is to be anything at all.<br />how strange it is to be anywhere at all.<br />how strange it is to be anyone at all.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795488818086156106.post-10333512609272038382011-08-08T06:09:00.000-07:002011-08-08T14:24:27.306-07:00CrowDear friends,
<br />
<br />It has been a crazy summer--I quit my job, in order to try and finally heal this broken bone in my foot which has been a source of pain and frustration for over a year and a half now. Quitting my job also allowed me to travel down South (home) for a few weeks and see family and friends and attend one of the loveliest weddings I could ever imagine. After returning home, I began dancing for a few of my colleagues in their work, and found out my grandmother passed away...
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<br />All of this whirlwind connecting to the past has gotten me thinking about community and memory and where we house our memories in our bodies, and how those memories make themselves known; those memories can also be falsified and can betray themselves. I cannot tell you for sure what the next piece I am working on will end up looking like, but I feel like it has something to do with my grieving process and the transient nature of the majority of our relationshps in life.
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<br />I grow weary of the melodramatic in dance--as if when we aren't serious or sad then our work isn't to be taken seriously. I am also acutely aware of the "bad art" of making the dance equivalent of what I like to call "bad teenage poetry". I really don't want to do that.
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<br />And a friend of mine once told me that my works are always too intelligent--that I overthink things, rely on layering meaning and editing movement too much, and it makes them sort of inaccessible. So her challenge to me was just to do the research, and create the movement without analyzing but trusting that the concepts are there. So that is my goal.
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<br />I am making a new work, tentatively titled "Crow", which I want to grow organically. The challenge in this endeavor is that because of all the whirlwind of the summer, I only have one month (a week of which I will be with my grandfather and family) to pull it together. I'm excited to see what is going to come.
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<br />Our first showing will be as part of the Philly Fringe Festival on <span style="font-weight: bold;">September 11th at CHI MAC (Home of Kun-Yang Lin Dancers) in South Philly. We will have shows at 4pm and 7pm and tickets are only going to be $10!</span>
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<br />Here is our postcard!
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V7NnsP_0QnI/Tj_jipaouDI/AAAAAAAAAHI/YjglJu5S860/s1600/Draft%2B1_no%2Blines%2B%2528no%2Blayers%2529-1.pdf.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 219px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V7NnsP_0QnI/Tj_jipaouDI/AAAAAAAAAHI/YjglJu5S860/s320/Draft%2B1_no%2Blines%2B%2528no%2Blayers%2529-1.pdf.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638475442863781938" border="0" /></a>
<br />Our second showing will be at the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Open Performance Series in Brooklyn on September 28th at 8pm</span>. It will be held in the “Great Room” at the Space located at 138 S. Oxford St. in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795488818086156106.post-22417327622571737772011-05-05T09:41:00.000-07:002011-05-05T20:20:43.161-07:00NEW WORK and upcoming shows!Somanaut dance is presenting NEW work <span style="font-weight: bold;">tomorrow</span> at Temple University's Conwell Theatre as part of <span style="font-style: italic;">Endings. </span>The show is <span style="font-weight: bold;">FREE</span> so come one, come all! Conwell Theatre is on the 5th Floor of Conwell Hall, at the corner of Broad & Market, one block north of the Cecil B. Moore SEPTA stop.<br /><br />This new piece, "Observer Effect", explores the layering of quantum and classical physics, neurophysiology, and social psychology/interpersonal relations. It is performed by Meredith Steinberg, Renee Amirault, Cassandra Cotta, Emily Storz, Julee Mahon, and Kiara Aguayo.<br /><br />Show starts at 7:30, reception to follow!<br /><br />The concert features work by Gregory King, Eun Jung Choi, Frances Gremillion, Guillermo Ortega Tanus, Rebecca Weber, Kavin Grant, Meredith Steinberg, Rori Smith, Jessica Warchal-King, Megan Mizanty, Danielle Green, Michael T. Roberts, and Shaness Kemp.<br /><br />Performed by members of the Temple University dance community.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">AND!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pyPGXFmkR7Y/TcLapWQwnDI/AAAAAAAAACQ/D3kOuOv3Cx4/s1600/YouTube%2B-%2Bsomanautdance_s%2BChannel-2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 281px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pyPGXFmkR7Y/TcLapWQwnDI/AAAAAAAAACQ/D3kOuOv3Cx4/s320/YouTube%2B-%2Bsomanautdance_s%2BChannel-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603281290287684658" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Next Friday, May 13th, we are reviving "Catastrophe Theory Series IV and III" as part of CHI Movement Arts Center's <span style="font-style: italic;">InHale Performance Series</span>! The work will be performed by original cast members Alie Vidich and Allison Modderno.<br /><br /><br />InHale is located at 1316 S. 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147. Tickets are $10!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wCwdaIyG-Ls/TcNo2qC2jyI/AAAAAAAAACY/6uw1E6hst60/s1600/YouTube%2B-%2Bsomanautdance_s%2BChannel-3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 236px; height: 277px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wCwdaIyG-Ls/TcNo2qC2jyI/AAAAAAAAACY/6uw1E6hst60/s320/YouTube%2B-%2Bsomanautdance_s%2BChannel-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603437649587506978" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795488818086156106.post-68700289122986372052011-03-31T19:10:00.000-07:002011-03-31T19:52:44.070-07:00Upcoming Shows and The Melting Point of Feathers videoThis is long overdue, but the video of "the melting point of feathers" has finally been posted to youtube!<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CiHNHAjVlbg" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="640"></iframe><br /><br />Unfortunately, the video was not from a night where we had a perfect run, but the dancers performed beautifully, and I am so proud.<br /><br />We are keeping our fingers crossed to perform sections in some upcoming festivals!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />In the meanwhile, you can see the scheduled Somanaut Dance <span style="font-weight: bold;">performances coming up: </span><br /><br />- "The Uncertainty Perception" (working title) will be performed as part of <span style="font-style: italic;">ENDINGS</span> at Conwell Theatre, Temple University, Philadelphia - May 6th, 7:30pm. FREE!<br /><br />- "Catastrophe Theory Series IV and III" will be performed as part of INHale Series at CHI Movement Arts Center in South Philadelphia May 13th, 7:30pm. for tickets, click <a href="http://www.kunyanglin.org/index.htm">here.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795488818086156106.post-4618914299284049952010-12-09T20:46:00.001-08:002010-12-09T22:00:10.305-08:00new videosI have recently been able to upload videos to my youtube channel (somanautdance), and here are links to two of our most recent performances:<br /><br />1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Appaloosa</span><br />Presented at the December ETC Performance series at the C.E.C. in Philadelphia. This video is from Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010. This piece was created in collaboration with Megan Mizanty, and celebrates the beauty and joy of horses through movement and sound; it is danced my Becca Weber, Megan Mizanty, and Colleen Ryan.<br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vHslJhuDitY?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vHslJhuDitY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Catastrophe Theory Series<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>Presented on Oct. 1-3 at the Wilmington, DE Fringe Festival and performed at Opera Delaware, this rendition of the entire Catastrophe Theory Series was presented as part of Movement Brigade's <span style="font-style: italic;">Absurd Commentaries</span> show. It was danced by the second cast, including Alie Vidich, Ellie Goudie-Averill, and Becca Weber, with help from the rest of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Absurd Commentaries</span> cast. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XCCBVnOk2NA?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XCCBVnOk2NA?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />3. Catastrophe Theory Series<br /></span>Presented at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival in September as part of Mascher Space Co-Op's <span style="font-style: italic;">Fresh Juice</span> showcase, this was the seminal performance of the entire Catastrophe Theory Series, with performances original cast members Alie Vidich and Allison Modderno, while understudy Kari Friesen performs the last solo (Catastrophe Theory II).<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-size:78%;"> (Please note this video is in sections due to time restrictions on youtube)</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Part 1:<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mKyR5q2nHQM?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mKyR5q2nHQM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br />Part 2: <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zUiWLP6MzMQ?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zUiWLP6MzMQ?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br />Part 3: <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/a7EdnjYs_Iw?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/a7EdnjYs_Iw?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Coming soon: the melting point of feathers!<br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795488818086156106.post-29792298413270155742010-12-03T10:44:00.000-08:002010-12-03T11:10:37.015-08:00December ETC Performance SeriesSomanaut Dance will be premiering a new dance work at the December Madness Performance of the ETC Performance Series at Philadelphia's own Community Education Center.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ncssm.edu/library/dirt/Katie%20Pazur/appy1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 638px; height: 440px;" src="http://www.ncssm.edu/library/dirt/Katie%20Pazur/appy1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /> <span style="font-size:78%;">image via ncssm.edu</span><br /><br /><br /><br />The piece, titled "Appaloosa" is a contemporary dance work celebrating the movement of horses, developed in collaboration with Megan Mizanty, and will be performed by Becca Weber, Megan Mizanty, and Colleen Ryan.<br /><br />Come out THIS weekend, Dec. 4th & 5th at 8pm to view Appaloosa! Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 students/seniors/dance pass holders.<br /><br /><br />For more info: <a href="http://www.philadelphiadance.org/calendar/events/index.php?com=detail&eID=3368">http://www.philadelphiadance.org/calendar/events/index.php?com=detail&eID=3368</a> or <a href="http://etcseries.org/wordpress/">http://etcseries.org/wordpress/</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795488818086156106.post-48957941313675179882010-11-11T18:20:00.000-08:002010-11-11T20:51:45.994-08:00The Melting Point of FeathersAfter a wonderful run of the "Catastrophe Theory Series" in both the Philadelphia, PA and Wilmington, DE fringe festivals, Somanaut Dance (becca weber) is proud to be premiering a new work this weekend!!!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jehBkwg7kRE/TNzHxbwG44I/AAAAAAAAAB8/jrvEsTaEll4/s1600/melting%2Bpoint%2Bof%2Bfeathers1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jehBkwg7kRE/TNzHxbwG44I/AAAAAAAAAB8/jrvEsTaEll4/s320/melting%2Bpoint%2Bof%2Bfeathers1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538521293835920258" border="0" /></a>(photo via Bill H.)<br /></div><br /><div>The piece is called "The Melting Point of Feathers" and it is the somatic re-telling of the tale of Icarus and Dedalus featuring performances by Temple students Megan Mizanty, Sophia May, Taylor Green, Gracianna Coscia, and Emily Storz, with lighting design by Colleen Hooper. It will be presented as part of Temple University's Student Dance Concert this weekend in Conwell Theatre. Information is as follows--hope you can make it!</div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <p style="margin-top: 0px;"><strong>Friday, November 12 at 7:30pm </strong></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px;"><strong>Saturday, November 13 at 2:30pm and 7:30pm</strong></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px;">Student Dance Concert<br />A juried selection of the best dances of the season, this concert is choreographed, designed and produced entirely by the students.<br /><a href="http://www.liacourascenter.com/upcoming-events/box-office/" target="_blank">Tickets</a>: $20 general admission / $15 students and senior citizens / $10 with Dance USA Philadelphia Dance Pass / $5 with student OWLcard<br />Conwell Dance Theater - 5th Floor, Conwell Hall</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795488818086156106.post-86184508238588127502010-05-17T16:26:00.001-07:002012-02-13T09:13:09.984-08:00looking forwardThank you for visiting Somanaut Dance on the web!<br /><br />We now have a <a href="http://twitter.com/somanautdance">twitter account</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/somanaut-dance/119924854707970?ref=ts">facebook page</a>!<br /><br /><br />Please check back for more exciting info regarding upcoming regular classes, workshops, intensives, and private lessons with Becca Weber in Philadelphia, PA!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795488818086156106.post-71359295179801199022010-04-04T12:26:00.001-07:002012-02-13T09:12:28.584-08:00Introduction to Somanaut Dance<span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Somanaut Dance<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span>is where I house my somatic movement dance education and choreographic explorations. For me, the two are inextricably linked processes, which grow from the same soil. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><br /><br />Somatic Movement Dance Education:</span><br />Somanaut dance is a place to explore the intersection between embodied somatic movement and dance. I am dedicated to free and innovative exploration of the living body through meditative and creative deep, internal listening and movement, and strive to create a sense of greater awareness, spaciousness, support, and positive well-being through our movement practices.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Choreographic Pursuits: </span><br />I create intellectual, contemporary movement that is process-driven and somatically-informed. I balance between brain and body, intellectual processes and lived experiences. My dance works feature edited relational collages and offer calculated, oppositional perspectives on the impact of evolutions. By abstracting subtle shifts to dissect change over time, I make my audiences think. I honor many bodies and many voices through democratic processes. I relish asking the juicy questions, zealously embodying the inquisition, where answers exist or not.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0