Archive for the ‘Dancer’ Category

The Moving Beauty Dance series

April 13, 2013

beginning next week on 4/15/13 through 4/21/13 at the Secret Theater i have the pleasure of working with a friend/dancer who is producing this week. my part of this is designing the lighting and what ever else is needed to make this successful.

The-Series-II_inv

that’s Juan Michael Porter with a bag over his head. yes in the subway he’s always pushing the limits. that’s one of the reasons why i like him. this should be an interesting week with 18 different companies on the bill, three each night a culture cross section of small dance companies in the city. wow.

who would want to miss this? all week i’ve been contacted by the various companies asking about the lighting plot while they share with links to their work. one of them is Yoshito Sakuraba Artistic Director/www.Abarukas.org   just saying they are open to interpretation. others have different needs. i am never sure after seeing videos what the are performing but hey i love this stuff see michael mao dances here.

as i am writing this the energy is building up around me. a lot of work yes, climbing ladders at my age yes but i wouldn’t have it any other way. this is what i do, this is what i love. having my partner/wife to share it with me is even better.

please come out and join us. it would be our pleasure to meet you and hopefully your pleasure seeing all this wonderful work by so many talented people.

here is the performance run down

The Moving Beauty Series presents
The Series
7 nights of dance. 3 companies a night.
www.danceseries.org

Monday April 15th through Sunday April 21st @ 8 PM

Tickets: $15 for Artists and Students
$20 General Admission
Available at the door or online at www.wepay.com/events/the-series

In keeping with it’s mission statement of producing ‘artistically provocative yet commercially viable art’, The Moving Beauty Series has created ‘The Series’ as a platform to present 20 exciting dance companies in concert at The Secret Theatre.

The Series kicks into high gear on April 15th, 2013 with the live premiere of Lost in Between, a dance and music collaboration between ‘Together Alone’ (Arielle Baron and Elnard Jones) and Juan Michael Porter II. The evening continues with stand-alone concert pieces from Hailey Lauren and Colleen Hoelscher, also in collaboration with Together Alone.

The Moving Beauty Series; beautymoving.com

Tuesday, April 16th, 2013 features the brilliant Michael Mao Dance’s latest collaboration with the composer, Huang Ruo, Sandra Kramerova & Artists’ spiritual exploration of ‘Aqua(rius), and Charly Wenzel & Dancers’ hybrid of contemporary dance and LED light show. All three companies make vivid use of video art to accentuate their performances.

Michael Mao Dance; michaelmaodance.org
Sandra Kramerova & Artists; sandy006.wix.com/sandrakramerova
Charly Wenzel & Dancers; charly-wenzel.com

Wednesday, April 17th, 2013 showcases a wide palette of concert dance with Undertoe Dance Project’s fusion of tap and concert jazz dancing, Caliince Dance’s dance theatre narrative of developing community across the globe and finally Nikki Nasto and Animal Mechanical’s presentation of experimental contemporary dance and performance art fused with jaw-dropping aerial feats.

Undertoe Dance Project; undertoedance.com
Caliince Dance; caliincedance.org
Nikki Nasto; nikkinasto.com
Animal Mechanical; animal-mechanical.com

Thursday, April 18th, 2013 delves into the world of spirituality and finding a sense of self with a collaborative multimedia work from Perceptions Dance and Studio Anya led by directors Melissa Gendreau and Courtney Bauer. The evening rounds itself off with a vision of lost connetions and recovery in Japan through the eyes of Abarukas’ artistic director, Yoshito Sakuraba.

Perceptions Dance; perceptionsdance.org
Studio Anya; studioanya.com
Abarukas; abarukas.org

Friday, April 19th, 2013 is a night of dance theatre of every variety.  First, with a magnificent opening from the ground breaking tap dancer, TED Artist, and Artist in Residence at Webster Hall, Andrew J. Nemr. The evening moves into the waters of musical theatre with an exciting premiere from Glitter Kitty Productions before returning to the shores of traditional jazz and contemporary dance as shown by DoubleTake Dance’s artistic Directors, Ashley Carter and Vanessa Martinez de Banos.

Andrew J. Nemr; andrewnemr.com
Glitter Kitty Productions; glitterkittyproductions.com
DoubleTake Dance; doubletakedanceco.com

Saturday, April 20th, 2013 is the concert with the greatest content variety. We have a story of community and Americana inspired narrative from ACB Dance Company, a tapestry of isolation inspired by the overuse of online communication as put forth by NonaLee Dance Theatre, and an incredible retelling of ‘Swan Lake’ from SUNPROJECT, wherein ‘The Swans’ assert their personalities and take over the tale. A vision of dance like no other from the geographical locations of Connecticut, the American South, and Korea.

NonaLee Dance Theatre; nonaleedt.org
ACB Dance Company; acbdance.org
SunProject; http://www.sunproject.co

Sunday, April 21st, 2013 features the perfect closing for The Series with a wide range of experience starting with the fearless and award winning Chris Ferris & Dancers, the incredible new contemporary dance company of Michael J. Clark & Artists, and a dazzling display of virtuoso hip-hop and jazz funk put together by Eric Samson’s The Beat Club.

Chris Ferris & Dancers; chrisferrisdance.com
Michael J. Clark & Artists; michaeljclark.weebly.com
The Beat Club; funktiondancecomplex.com

For more information or tickets, please visit:www.danceseries.org

 

The Secret Theatre | 4402 23rd St | Long Island City, NY
E, M, G or 7 train to Court SQ/23rd St.

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Posted in dance, Dance performances, Dancer, professional dance artists, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

hoboken art walk and studio tour 2012,

November 12, 2012

you can flood the city, fill the path tunnels with water, ruin almost everyones weekend without power but art walks go on.  mary and i will be showing our work at the hoboken nj art walk and studio tour at the Monroe Center, 720 Monroe Street, Hoboken NJ on Sunday November 18, 2012 from noon to 6pm.

if you’re in the neighborhood do stop by and say hello.

be there or be square

jene

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Posted in abstract dance images, chiaroscuro, dance photography, Dancer, erotic art, fashion, Male nude, networking, nude photography, Photography, photography contests, public art, tenebrism | Leave a Comment »

PINA the movie in 3D by wim wenders at BAM

December 29, 2011

last night in the rain we drove out to brooklyn BAM to see PINA

the Wim Wenders 3D film on Pina Bausch work with Tanztheater Wuppertal. I’ve had the extreme pleasure of seeing the company perform at BAM during the Next Wave festival . My first ever experience seeing Pina’s work  was the Rite of Spring at BAM which blew me away.

Pina Bausch Krueger

at that time i was working with Ralph Holmes on Guiding Light for Procter & Gamble on CBS. Ralph lit Dance In America for PBS for years and was considered the preeminent  television dance Lighting Director. oh did i say we share an Emmy together. not to take anything away from Jennifer Tipton whom i also worked with, nor any of the other designers who worked on this series

I would tell him about the company, actually rave about the company and Next Wave to him. he would smile nod his head in acknowledgment of our shared love of dance and go about his work. he was a wonderful teacher and i sought his guidance, as we shared sets going from his studio to mine as to how he lit it to keep the show consistent.

but i digress from lasts night experience. I had apprehensions about seeing a 3D movie which i hadn’t seen since i was a kid remembering , PHANTOM IN THE RUE MORGUE  in 3D with heads flying, corpses falling in ones lap.but we were quite surprised at the intimacy the 3D achieved with  dance.

the movie starts i think with Rite of Spring after a few spoken words (see link for short opening sequence.) and it just doesn’t stop going from one piece to another interspaced between with dancer reminiscences of Pina, how she communicated with them.

what struck me was the phrase ‘when words end, DANCE’ or something like that. another piece in the film was Cafe Muller which again on seeing it at BAM left me speech less. so simple yet complex what did i think and i didn’t have a ready answer. dance theater that made you think. whoa nellie.

don’t know  if you can tell how much i love dance, as a child i would dance in front of our stand up radio in the living room when no one else was around and i loved the Fred Astair or Gene Kelly like ‘Singing In The Rain’ type movies it looked like so much fun. but i was buried in Schenectady with very little chance of breaking out, besides i was pretty young and wet behind the ears to wander world.

another Pina dance featured in the movie was Vollmond ( full Moon). Pina’s work is so sensual and the film captures that sensuality. the one disturbing aspect of the 3D technique is a slight loss of sharpness. after all you’re wearing these ill fitting glasses  and it distracts a bit from the total presentations but not enough to keep people out of the theater.

This movie is playing 4 times a day through Monday 1/2

and 3 times Tuesday 1/3 through Thursday 1/5 at the BAM Rose Cinema  $15 general admission but worth the price.

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Posted in art, artistic expression, dance, Dance performances, Dancer, modern dance, network television, theater productions | Leave a Comment »

going back looking forward

December 14, 2011

it’s always interesting to look back through my archives, this look back instigated by contact with a model i had worked with in 2006 where i had asked her if she wanted copies of stuff we had done together. i had sent her lo-rez copies then but she never added them to her portfolio. i guess i was a little miffed that someone wouldn’t use my images, big ego talking here. but she was paid for her work and a couple of images from the session i loved.

sunrise

this is one of our favs. but as each moment of our lives is different, looking back i found other images i had never selected for one reason or the other. she and i did two session, this image is from the first session done in my studio as is the one below.

loving you

while the other images were done in a bigger studio along with a male modern dancer. mia isn’t a dancer per-say but moves very well and really gets what i am trying to do. she’s an experienced model, mostly fashion then, she was working at FIT then so working with me was something different, at least i like to think so. but models are models and work is work every penny helps. as i’ve been trained over the years is, do the work never refuse a job as long as you’re not being exploited it all goes into supporting me in my art.

now when i am  shooting dancers i always try to keep the whole body in frame and in focus, they seem to prefer that so when viewing the shoot i’ll pass over images that don’t quite make that grade. tis a shame because there are a lot of fine images that i don’t pull out into daylight. so with that i’ll post a couple here that i passed up the first time. some are outstanding i think some……………..well i’ll let you decide if you like them or not.

screaming angel

woman in red veil

both of these images have made my portfolio and this one looks spectacular in print. now i’ll post the overlooked images, well maybe they are not overlooked but as a second or third looking at seem more interesting.

red dress

i didn’t really like her hair here but it works with the image

graceful line

 so now these worked as a dance image so on to the not so perfect images.at least i managed to keep everything in frame.

veiled nude dancer

this images works as a dancer and as a nude having a nice body line along with the veil. the next image is footless but also a good line

footless nude

a bit overexposed on the veil but love her line. the next one not sure i like the pubic hair but can always fix that in PS.

female nude jumping

i thought i had cropped it too close on top but when working with dancers it’s better to be too wide then too narrow but there is something i really like about this image. so there you have it the overlooked images but wait there is more of my favs.

double exposure

but it’s not really what i did

ghost

so this week i had the pleasure to enjoy working while i recover from a flu shot a week ago that i am just getting over, had some vick’s vapor rub put on my chest last night and feel much better this morning. so i’ll close with this image

snow white

if anyone would like to contact this model her portfolio is at http://www.modelmayhem.com/84543  but please respect her as she’s a wonderful person living in San Francisco Ca.

well that is all i have the energy to with about now, until next time

jene

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In memory of Ruth Currier 1926 – 2011, Limon Dancer

October 7, 2011

Ruth Currier

A former director of the José Limón Dance Company and a primary disciple of Doris Humphrey, died on October 4, 2011 at the age of 85.

I had toured as the Technical Director/ Lighting Supervisor for the company for Jennifer Tipton while Ruth Currier was the artistic director of the company. In my opinion she was a wonderful lady and it was a pleasure to have had the opportunity to know and work with her. She knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to ask for it from me or her dancers. I’ve had the privilege to see her dance in archival films with the original Limon company while we were on tour. The only references I can find to Ruth  in the New York City Public Library, Jerome Robbins Dance Division are taped interviews. Pity as she danced beautifully, the films do live in some college somewhere.

Ruth Currier was born in Ohio as Ruth Miller, she was raised in Durham, North Carolina and attended Black Mountain College where she studied piano with Fritz Cohen and danced with Elsa Kahl. She moved to New York to continue her piano studies and study dance with Doris Humphrey and José Limón. She joined Limón’s company in 1949, and soon began appearing in leading roles and participating in the creation of new works. Her first new dance was Humphrey’s Invention, a trio in which she appeared with Limón and Betty Jones.

Ruth Currier, Jose Limon

Ruth Currier was a prominent performer with Limón for nearly two decades, creating roles in some of his most important and enduring works, such as There is a Time and Missa Brevis. She also created roles in Humphrey classics such as Night Spell and Ruins and Visions.

Currier became increasingly involved in the creation of Humphrey’s works, officially serving as creative assistant throughout the final decade of Humphrey’s life. Humphrey had sketched out her final work, Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, but only managed to complete the first movement before her death in 1958, asking Currier to complete the choreography. It was my pleasure and honor to light the first performance of this dance for the company. Currier’s choreographic apprenticeship coincided with her own growing reputation as a dancemaker, having made an auspicious debut with a 1955 duet, The Antagonists, in which she appeared with Betty Jones. She would go on to create more than fifty works, including Quartet and Toccanta for the Limón Company and the Ruth Currier Dance Company, which she formed in 1958.The Limón Company survives the founders death, Jose, with the help of Ruth Currier…

After five years as artist-in-residence at Ohio State, she returned to New York to direct the Limón Company, having been invited by the dancers to lead them after Limón’s death in 1972. Her five years as director helped make the case that the Limón Company could continue, in itself a formidable achievement at a time when conventional wisdom held that a modern dance company could not survive its founder. A 1975 New York Times article dubbed her “something of a miracle worker”. One of Ruth Currier’s notable achievements as a director of the Limón Company was broadening the repertory well beyond the scope of Limón and Humphrey works. One particularly ambitious acquisition in 1977 was Kurt Jooss’s The Green Table – a work with special personal significance since its composer, Fritz Cohen, had been Currier’s piano teacher at Black Mountain College more than thirty years earlier.

Ruth Currier

Currier resigned from the directorship of the Limón Company in 1978, devoting her efforts for the next twenty years to teaching at the Ruth Currier Dance Studio and at the Limón Institute. Teaching had long been a central focus, with assignments over the years at Julliard, Bennington, Sarah Lawrence, and residencies throughout the world.

Ruth Currier defined the principles of Humphrey and Limón, and established a formal base for using the principles to teach contemporary technique. See her Bio and tribute to Ruth’s teachings on adriaan kas web page.

Posted in art, Artist, choreographer, Dancer, death, doris humphrey, Jose Limon, modern dance, Uncategorized | 6 Comments »