Author Archives: twebb1

Tavia Odinak ’09 presents MEAT GAME in Brooklyn

Meat Game is finally a reality!
I am so proud of this project, and would love to share it with you.
I will be presenting my work on:

June 15 & 16, 2012
8 PM

The Aldous Theater, Triskelion Arts
118 North 11 th Street, 3 rd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11249

Tickets are $10 at the door,
but you may reserve your seats in advance
by emailing:
MeatGameTix@gmail.com .

Commemorative Dance for Lyndsley Wilkerson ’97

Commemorative Dance for Lyndsley Wilkerson ’97

This silent participatory dance is being offered to the ’97 and other alumni as a space to honor Lyndsley Wilkerson ’97 who passed away recently. Its an extended “moment of silence” but in movement. Be assured it’s a very simple dance anyone can do. Basically it’s a slow motion meltdown from standing (or sitting) to lying fully supported by the ground.

We aim to dance in the courtyard near the belltower if permitted, otherwise we will dance somewhere near the belltower. Come find us.

We are inviting people who are not physically at Swarthmore to do this dance at the same time to join in at the time we dance (between 1:30 and 2pm).You are also invited to dance at another time or more than once and share your experiences with us.

If you chose to do this, please document your participation, ie take a photo or write a little acount of your experience and share it with us.

These can be shared via the DearLyndsley.com website in the “Upload your Memory” section by first sharing of a memory about Lyndsley or what inspired you to dance in her memory. Then add any other thoughts/reflections/ images of the dance. Instructions are on the site. We are dancing/moving at the same time that her family and friends are hosting a celebration her life in New Jersey. If you would like more details about this, contact: Erik Huneke at  ehuneke@umich.edu.

Then we will have a map of the connections and acknowledgment of those lives she has touched and where that love and influence have rippled out all over the world.

We are also inviting other alumni to dance in honor of classmates/loved ones who have passed away, including Tara Schubert ’98.

For instructions of how to do the very simple silent dance,
please email Colleen Bartley ’96 : Colleen.Bartley@gmail.com

Congratulations class of 2012!

And best wishes as you venture forth into the world outside of Swarthmore and the beyonds.

Looking forward to hearing more about your future endeavors.
–The faculty and staff of LPAC, the Dance Program, and the Department of Theater

NOTE: Time/Room change with Visiting Cornell Professor Kumudini Lakhia!

NOTE: Time and Room Change for CREATIVITY AND PERFORMANCE (Danc 007)

Wednesday 1:15PM-4:00PM LANG MUSIC 204

This course explores the relationship between creativity, performance, and improvisation.  Based on pedagogical and choreographic experiences with the classical Indian Kathak dance for six decades, the course will engage how traditional knowledge can be the spring board for innovation in thought and action.

The Spring 2012 Dance Concert is here!

The Swarthmore College Dance Program presents the 2012 Spring Student Dance Concert on Friday, April 27th and Saturday, April 28th at 8PM in the Lang Performing Arts Center’s Pearson-Hall Theatre.  African, Ballet, Flamenco, Modern, Swing and Tap perspectives will all be included this year.  There will be several pieces featuring live music.  Come celebrate our graduating seniors and the hard work and creativity of all our dance students and faculty.  The concert, which is appropriate for all ages, is free and open to the public.

New classes for Fall 2012 in Dance!

Sign up now for new offerings for the Fall 2012!

CREATIVITY AND PERFORMANCE with visiting Cornell Professor, Kumudini Lakhia. (DANC 007, 1 credit, MW 1:15PM – 2:30PM, Papazian 324) Eligible for Asian Studies credit.

This course taught by visiting Cornell Professor Kumudini Lakhia from India will explore the relationship between creativity, performance, and improvisation.  Padmashri Kumudini Lakhia is one of the foremost Gurus and Kathak Choreographers in India. Credited with many innovations in Kathak, she is the Founder & Director of Kadamb, a renowned Kathak institution in Ahmedabad, India. Her teaching and choreography is admired not only in India but the world over. Based on pedagogical and choreographic experiences with the classical Indian Kathak dance for six decades, the course will engage how traditional knowledge can be the spring board for innovation in thought and action.  The course will situate performance at the intersection of interdisciplinary studies on religion, Asian studies, dance, theater, and music.

DANCING DESIRE IN BOLLYWOOD FILMS with Pallabi Chakravorty. (Dance 016, 1 Credit, Lang Music 204, TTH 11:20AM-12:35PM) This course may be counted toward a minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies & Asian Studies

Bombay films have played an important role in fashioning the narrative of Indian women as symbols of tradition and spirituality in the public imagination. They represent the convergence of art, entertainment, female sexuality, nation building, and commodity production. However, recent shifts in the depiction of the “erotic” in Bollywood dances are transforming the past representations of women. This course will explore the shifts in sexuality and gender constructions of Indian women from national to transnational symbols through the songs and dances in Bollywood.  We will examine the place of erotic/desire in reconstructing gender and sexuality from past notions of romantic love to desires for commodity. The course will   analyze the aesthetic shifts from traditional/classical song and dance repertoire to contemporary MTV inspired moves by focusing on Bombay films and related fields such as television dance reality shows. The primary focus will be centered on cross-cultural approaches to the body, desire, subjectivity, and affect drawing on anthropology, performance, film, media, and gender studies. In addition to the readings, students will be asked to view a list of Hindi films and television dance reality shows.

DANCE LAB I: MAKING DANCE with Jumatatu Poe.  (Dance 011, 1 Credit, TTH – 2:40PM to 4:00PM, LPAC 2) Prerequisite: Any dance course or permission of the instructor.  A  course in dance technique must be taken concurrently.

A study of the basic principles of dance composition through exploration of the elements of time, space, and energy, movement invention, and movement themes to understand various choreographic structures. Principles explored are applicable to dance making in a wide variety of styles and students are encouraged to create in their range of vocabularies. Reading, video and live concert viewing, movement studies, journals, exposure to a graphic animation tool for dance, and a final piece for public performance in the Troy dance lab are required.

REPERTORY BALLET with Jennifer Chipman-Bloom. (Dance 049.5, 049.5P, 0.5 Credit or PE Credit, LPAC 3, Monday 1:15PM – 4:00PM) Open to advanced ballet students. Auditions will be held during the first class.

This class will offer students experience with learning and performing classical ballet, while also being a part of the creative process of new choreography.  Choreography will be performed in December.

DANCE AND DIASPORA with Pallabi Chakravorty.  (Dance 025A (cross listed with SOAN 020J), 1 Credit, TTH 1:15PM – 2:30PM, Lang Music Bldg. 204) This is a reading and writing intensive course. Open to all students without prerequisite.

Dance is an unconventional but powerful device for studying migration and social mobility. This course will explore the interrelated themes of performance, gender, personhood, and migration in the context of diasporic experiences. By focusing on specific dance forms from Asia, Africa and Latin America, we will examine the competing claims of place-ness, globalization, and hybridization on cultural identity and difference. Students will engage with theories on nationalism, transnationalism, and globalization, as well as embodiment and experience. Broadly, the course will investigate the interlocking structures of aesthetics and politics, economics and culture, and history and power, all of which inform and continue to reshape these cultures and their dance forms.

 

 

Exhibition of dance drawings in the LPAC lobby April 14-15!

The girls of the Chester Children’s Chorus have been working on some exciting new projects including drawings of their dances.  They have been learning to draw dance with artist Anthe Captian-Valais (www.artworksbyanthe.com) and have even helped come up with costumes for their final performance on April 21st.

Please check out an exhibition of the drawings in the upstairs lobby of the LPAC during Arts Weekend!

For more information about the mission of the CCC:

http://www.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/music/ccc/

Tamagawa Taiko (4/1, 7PM, Lang Concert Hall)

Taiko drumming has been a feature of the College’s dance offerings for nearly a decade, thanks largely to the efforts of Associate Professor of Dance  Kim Arrow . This event showcases the significant relationship between the College and Tamagawa University in Japan.  The renowned Tamagawa Taiko Drum and Dance Group return to Philadelphia for a week of performances as part of the Greater Philadelphia Cherry Blossom Festival. In the first stop in their annual tour, the Taiko drummers and dancers from Tamagawa University will perform with colorful costumes, intricate dances and thundering drums.  Truly one of the highlights of the Festival, Tamagawa’s performances are a delight for the whole family. Heart-pounding drum rhythms intermingle with elegant dances in breath-taking fashion to create unforgettable memories. Experience the relentless energy and stunning visuals as Tamagawa takes you on a journey through ancient and modern Japan.

Arrow, an accomplished dancer and choreographer, is the recipient of two Fulbright Fellowships and a Pew Fellowship in the Arts for choreography, among other awards. He joined Swarthmore’s faculty in 1991 and teaches a taiko repertory class.

For more info on this event and other Cherry Blossom Festival offerings: http://sakura.japanphilly.org/

 

Flamenco Master Class with Rosario Toledo (Tues, 3/27)

Pasión y Arte, Philadelphia’s all-female flamenco dance company, will host the First Philadelphia Flamenco Festival this year from March 19th – April 1st. The festival features the work of Rosario Toledo, an internationally renowned Spanish dancer/choreographer, as well as film screenings, master classes, a symposium of expert panelists, and post-performance discussions and receptions.

Rosario Toledo is an innovator. A master dance artist, she re-imagines traditional flamenco through layered storytelling and humor, challenging the limitations of gender roles. Initially trained in Spanish dance and Classical ballet in the Conservatory of Dance in her hometown of Cadiz, Rosario Toledo graduated from the prestigious Conservatory of Dance in Sevilla. Toledo has worked with top flamenco artists, including Israel Galvan, Antonio Canales, Javier Latorre, Eva la Yerbabuena, Belen Maya, Manuela Carrasco, and El Guito, among others. She has collaborated with internationally renowned singers and musicians such as Jose Merce, Miguel Poveda, Duquentde, Jose Antonio Rodriguez, and Arcangel.

The second of the 3 FREE Master Classes with Rosario Toledo will be offered at Swarthmore College (March 27th), then Bryn Mawr College (March 28th) and also Temple University (March 19th). Please note that advance pre-registration IS required for participation in the master classes (email: info@pasionyarteflamenco.org) but all the Flamenco festival symposium and events are FREE and open to the community.  The Swarthmore College class will take place at 1:15PM in the Boyer Dance Studio on Tuesday 3/27.

All performances and events at:
Christ Church Neighborhood House
20 North American Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(unless otherwise noted)

EVENT & TICKET INFO for the festival:
Call 215-921-8126, or visit our website: www.pasionyarteflamenco.org