Julie Gayer - Avodah

ISRAEL and SPAIN!!!

2010-06-29T06:44:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! I'm so excited to announce that I will be going to Israel in 2 weeks with the LABA group. We will be working together with a group of Israeli artists, sharing, studying and creating art together based on text. The group of Israeli and US artists is called: LABALMA. After Israel, I will head to Spain to connect with old friends and the dance and Jewish communities near Madrid and Sevilla.

I will present a short adaptation of "A Way In" in solo form. For right now, I am focusing on using the props to show entanglement/untangling/searching/yearning/finding meaning. I am going to play with our long red felt fabric that is tied in knots as well as the yarn tangled upon a chair. I am also thinking of bringing some fabric that the audience in some way is all connected to like a Maypole but not. Some way to show how we are all connected and how sometimes that brings joy and support while other times it brings suffering/suffocating sensations. The theme is still Pardes, which is the mystical orchard. For me right now, I am thinking about the challenges in finding the way into these places, but the paradox that the search/the yearning/the untangling equals being inside. I sense that it is our search for meaning (through creating art, through study, through our relationships, through our losses, through our joys, through our day to day activities, through "the gutter") that connects us deeper to ourselves to the truths of the universe.

I also will be making connections with some folks in Israel and Spain to lay the foundation for Planetary Dances (the ritual dance of peace created by Anna Halprin 30 years ago) next year. I'll keep you posted!

LABA Festival April 18th 2p and 7pm

2010-04-06T07:58:00.000-07:00

I've been one of 20 Laba Artist Fellows that have gathered at the 14th Street Y to discuss texts based on Pardes, Hebrew for Orchard. I have been so impressed by the imagery throughout our discussions...singing trees praising creation, blood on the earth, non-burning fires, pillars of cloudsmoke...
I've been thinking about environments, digging my hands in the dirt, unifying with nature, seemingly unnecessary rituals that supposedly bring one to deeper mystical states of being.
It seems that much of what we've read describes the process of entering the mystical garden, but the actual realizations and penetrations are more elusive.

So...I created a dance that includes the images (supported by the creative insight of set/prop/costume designer extraordinaire Magdalen Pierrakos) from our text studies. I played with the ritual of creating a space for entry. I played with creating an environment that invites each viewer to experience entering as well as the obstacles to entering a 'mystical garden.'

I hope you come see the piece at the LABA Festival on April 18th at 2pm or 7pm at the 14th Street Y theater. Tickets are $10. 212-780-0800 for tix or www.labafestival.org

Spring Residency at York CI

2010-04-06T07:49:00.000-07:00

Our 9th season at York Correctional Institution was very successful and heartwarming. The theme was "Remembered Moments," and the women created text and drawings based on memories. The women then created movement solos and group movement "murals" that depicted details and portrayed overall emotions from their individual backgrounds. The performance was a collage of snapshots and memories along with several group phrases that referred to the passing of time. Also some of the women who have been participating in Avodah residencies for several years created movement based on the instruments from "Newman's Blanket." Each dancer chose an instrument and choreographed a short phrase while Newman Taylor Baker composed and accompanied her.
This year's program included two performances in the school at York and a special performance for visiting families and friends, also in the school.
We also performed Stephanie Miracle's piece, "so we fix our eyes not on what is seen," adapted for the setting. The women were very intrigued and had many comments and questions about Stephanie's piece. We hope to develop the piece to include participation from the women at York.
Looking ahead to next year's 10th anniversary at York, I am dreaming about: bringing guest artists throughout the year for performances and workshops including hip hop, afro-cuban, rhythm and percussion, and African inspired modern dance.
I'll keep you posted!

Performance at Bedford Hills Correctional Institution

2010-04-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

On March 1-5th Avodah dancers Sarah Zitnay and Meredith-Lyn Olivieri joined me in leading a week-long residency at Bedford Hills Correctional Institution for women in Bedford Hills, NY. In December 2009, Regina Ress and I led a workshop for the participating women including "The Body Poem," a series of movements based on Tai Chi that include imagery and visualization. The women created drawings with markers based on their experience with The Body Poem. Later in March each woman built a movement mural using their drawing and the rest of the participants as part of their palette. One woman broke through a human chain, another woman represented being called to action through sound, some depicted memories, while others worked with more abstract images. The dance included choreography by Sarah Zitnay and a large group phrase that we built altogether--purely movement based. The 15 minute piece featured seven women from BHCP (Bedford Hills College Program) and was performed at "Crossing Borders III," the third academic conference held at Bedford Hills Correctional Institution. If you'd like to read an article about the event go to: http://www.mmm.edu/cgi-bin/MySQLdb?MYSQL_VIEW=/news/view_one.txt&newsid=1546

New Residency at Bedford Hills Correctional Institution

2009-12-21T12:17:00.000-08:00

We finally began a residency at Bedford Hills Correctional Institution (college program) in Bedford Hills, NY in November, 2009.
We started by creating 4 visits with the goal of introducing the women to our work and the artists as well as a way for us to get to know the women and their interests/level of dance exposure and involvement.
Sarah Zitnay visited twice offering beautiful and thoughtful lessons on choreography basics. She was able to lead the women in choreographing a short dance that will be developed further in 2010. Newman Taylor Baker led a wonderful and exciting session that combined movement and sound basics. By the end of the 2 hour session, women were performing - making music and moving at the same time. Regina and I led the last session. Regina led many different storytelling activities that engaged the women in a lively discussion. Then she led excerpts from "The Body Poem" which is a series of movement and image exercises that felt very meditative. The women created drawings after "The Body Poem," which I hope to develop with them further in 2010.
On March 5, 2010, Bedford Hills will offer an academic conference --yes that's right!!- hosted by the correctional institution's college program (Marymount Manhattan College offers a college program at Bedford Hills). Avodah will create and perform a dance with the participating women to be shown at the conference called, "Crossing Borders." We will keep you informed about this project.
To support this project, please send a tax deductible donation to Avodah, Inc. c/o Hebrew Union College-JIR, 1 West 4th Street, New York, NY 10012.
Thank you! Please email avodahdance@gmail.com if you have any other ways you'd like to offer support or inquire about our work.

Sharing our work on the INSIDE with people on the OUTSIDE

2009-08-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

Avodah has been working on the INSIDE of women’s prisons since 2002. We have all been deeply affected by our work, often having preconceptions shattered, realizing the amazing power of music, movement and the arts, and becoming highly aware of the complexity of the prison experience. People often ask us about our experiences with fascination and curiosity.
In this upcoming performance, we have the opportunity to share
with the public an insight into our work and experience
at women's correctional institutions.

So, if you are one of those people, please mark your calendar for September 23rd at 8pm!
Avodah is part of a showcase concert for DNA's SAS
(Subsidized Administrative
Space) members, and Avodah has been the recipient
of a SAS
grant at DNA since 2006. Avodah dancers Stephanie
Miracle and Sarah Zitnay will perform a duet
choreographed by
Yong Mi Olsen, a woman
resident at York Correctional Institution, the only state
prison in Connecticut, who has
participated in several of Avodah's dance
residencies. The duet explores the experience of
imprisonment, the duality of physical and mental
confinement versus a
spiritual yearning for openness and freedom.

Anna Halprin--an inspiration!

2009-08-27T08:10:00.002-07:00

This past year I attended two seminars in California
led by dance pioneer, Anna Halprin, called "Dance for
Life." Anna Halprin's work has put dance
and movement at the center of community building,
creating rituals of healing and human
expression. I believe that Avodah's
mission of bringing the power of dance to diverse
audiences and communities aligns with Anna's
work.

I look forward to integrating much of what I have
been learning from Anna into Avodah's programs,
services and performances.

There is a new film about
Anna was made by Ruedi Gerber, who has known
Anna for 25 years and also attended the "Dance for
Life" retreat. His film is called "Breath Made Visible,"
and it is
the only documentary about the life and work of
Anna, who at 89 years old is still breaking down
barriers. The website for this film is:
www.breathmadevisible.com

BAYLOR VISIT July 28th

2009-08-27T08:10:00.001-07:00

Avodah Dance Ensemble headed from New York
City
to Delaware one early Tuesday morning to bring a
special program to the women of BWCI. During the
morning class session, we met with Baylor women
who have previously participated in Avodah
residencies and in the afternoon session, the women
offered a short performance for visiting families,
friends and other inmates of Baylor's education
department.
The women shared many of the benefits they feel
from
dancing with Avodah, including the ability to find
expression in a new way that assist them in turning
away from drugs and alcohol. The women continue
to
share how the movement and music they experience
with Avodah help them to develop confidence and a
positive self image.

DANCE YOUR CARES class for women affected by cancer

2009-08-27T08:09:00.001-07:00

DANCE YOUR CARES class
For women affected by cancer
After leading “The Body Project” at the 14th Street Y in New York’s East Village, I was approached by a friend and social worker who is healing from cancer. She asked me to teach a class similar to The Body Project for women who have been affected by cancer. We decided that women who have had cancer and women who have had close relationships with people who have had cancer would be our audience. Depending on the group we may offer an informal performance for the group’s friends and family.
The class will take place in the Fall of 2009. (Perhaps starting in late October or beginning of November).

We are currently organizing the class, seeking out the space and getting the logistics worked out. Please contact me if you are interested in this class or if you know someone who is. Also if you have a space or know of one that may be donated, please let me know! avodahdance@gmail.com

Baylor Residency May 18 -22

2009-05-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful, fluid residency at BWCI in Delaware. This was our SIXTH year at BWCI and the groundwork Avodah has been laying for the last few years is really showing up. The women came in ready to dance and with a new level of maturity that allowed for a smooth, deep and light ride through the dance explorations. Avodah has noticed a SIX year mark at both institutions. It seems that after 6 years, the women have been exposed to enough of Avodah's work and the institution's administration and staff seem to grasp the value of what we're doing. Baylor has a newly constructed worship center which gives the entire Education department more space and the whole institution more light.

We worked in the gym for the whole week and the performance took place there as well. The women each interpreted the seasons both individually and as a part of a small group. We learned a dance that was built from their movement gestures that became the finale for the seasons dance. The women also performed their "name dance," warm up , a hip-hop dance and a blessing as part of the final performance on May 22nd. Audience members included other women inmates, BWCI staff, a few family members and friends of the performers, Sally Milbury -Steen and Mary White (from Pacem in Terris), and Warden Ryan.

Avodah performed some of Stephanie Miracle's choreography as part of the performance. The audience was truly responsive to the choreography and the entire event!

Avodah will return for a few visits in the summer. We hope to create some more material with the women so they can perform for more of their family and friends. We also look forward to creating new work collaborating with some of the women at Baylor and York for a showing in September at Dance New Amsterdam in NYC.

Baylor Residency -- Pre-visits

2009-05-12T12:58:00.000-07:00

Pre-visit #1. Stephanie Miracle and I traveled to Baylor in Delaware. We led a warm-up and improvisations based on text from the women at York CI centered around the theme of the seasons. Stephanie led an exercise with drawing and music from Vivaldi. After the drawing, the women tried walking the drawings to see the elaborate pathways they had created. Then the women wrote about a season via a memory, scene or image. We sat in a circle and shared our observations. Then, we began building a phrase based on their spontaneous gestures. We tried the phrase to different music with some women sitting, some standing, and everyone exploring different timings. We finished by sending a blessing in movement across the circle.

Pre -visit #2. Today Newman Taylor Baker and I traveled to Baylor Correctional in Delaware. I led an improvisation based on text they had written during my last visit with Stephanie Miracle. The women created trees from different seasons as well as "Tree-o's" a trio representing a tree. Then we sat and were led by Newman on an extraordinary journey through his instruments and the lesson of sound and feeling. We explored how the quality of touch influences the sound of an instrument. The women got a chance to play the instruments with different qualities. Afterwards, the women worked with their writing and began creating movements that will be a part of our culminating performance on May 22nd, 2009. We finished with a review of our gesture phrase and a seated blessing "wave."

Seasons at York II

2009-04-06T07:29:00.000-07:00

Avodah's EIGHTH residency at York was very beautiful this year. Connie Procopio led the residency with thoughtfulness and artistry. The team was Newman Taylor Baker, Julie Gayer Kris, Connie Procopio, Stephanie Miracle, and Sarah Zitnay. The women responded deeply to the theme of Seasons and performed a finale dance (choreographed by Connie) to Beyonce's "Ave Maria" that was stunning and emotional. The Young Adults performed a Hip Hop dance that they created themselves with passion and talent, and the women responded to the "youngens" with admiration and words of encouragement such as "Follow your dreams, you have a bright future in front of you. You can go for it!"

For more information, please email avodahdance@gmail.com and we'll send you a copy of our newsletter!!

The Body Project - LABA festival

2009-04-06T07:28:00.001-07:00

The Body Project is an intergenerational dance piece to be performed as part of the LABA festival (a festival of arts birthed from LABA the National Laboratory for New Jewish Culture). www.labafestival.com
The festival will include works of art based on the theme of the body by visual artists, musicians, filmmakers, choreographers and will be exhibited at the 14th Street Sol Goldman Y (344 East 14th Street between 1st and 2nd Aves in the East village).

The Body Project was choreographed by me (Julie Gayer Kris) in collaboration with 16 beautiful women (some professionally trained dancers, most not) ages 24 - 83! The piece responds to the Biblical text about humankind being created in a divine image with our own reflections about our bodies and body image and questions about finding that divine quality within.
The piece asks the audience to think about body image by confronting our assumptions about who gets to dance.

THE BODY PROJECT WILL BE PERFORMED AT THE FOLLOWING EVENTS:
Friday, May 1, 92nd Street Y 12pm
Fridays at Noon

LABA FESTIVAL performances at the 14th Street Y
Sunday, May 3rd, 3pm
Wednesday, May 6, 6pm

AVODAH COLLABORATES WITH MARK LAMB DANCE
AT Hebrew Union College
Thursday June 4, 7pm
1 West 4th Street
between Mercer and Broadway

WWW.LABAFESTIVAL.COM
WWW.AVODAHDANCE.ORG
AVODAHDANCE@GMAIL.COM

Are you interested in dancing? No experience required!

2008-12-10T08:49:00.001-08:00

Y DANCE?
Y NOT?
Are you interested in dancing?

As part of LABA, an artist membership program at the 14th Street Y and the Y Dance Series coming up in January 2009, Julie Gayer Kris will be leading dance workshops, classes and rehearsals as a part of an exploration based on The Body, referencing Jewish text, contemporary art and our own personal stories.

Julie will be choreographing a dance piece based on explorations with community members and the professional dancers of Avodah Dance Ensemble. Participants are welcome to be a part of a final performance in the spring of 2009 or just as part of the research and creative process.

No dance experience is required. All ages and levels of movement are welcome! Activities will include modern dance warm-ups, improvisations, creative movement and more!

Julie is the Artistic Director of the Avodah Dance Ensemble, a modern dance company based in New York City whose mission is to fuse the art of dance with a strong sense of social service. With roots in the Jewish tradition, Avodah uses the art of movement and music to build bridges between diverse communities and audiences. Julie also teaches yoga, aqua aerobics and Pilates at the 14th Street Y.

Contact Julie to learn more: 212-625-8369, ext. 286 or avodahdance@gmail.com

SEASONS @ YORK CI

2008-12-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

This year's theme at York CI will be "Seasons," conceived by Connie Procopio. Connie is taking on more leadership this year as the education coordinator of prison programs. Connie and I are working together to create a curriculum at York CI that increases the women's composition skills and prepares them to go deeper during the residency. Connie will lead four guest artist classes this year. The residency is planned for March 25th - April 2nd, 2009. If you are interested in observing a performance in a women's correctional institution, please contact me (Julie) at 212-625-8369, ext. 286! Or email: avodahdance@gmail.com

Costa Rica Retreat

2008-04-02T06:15:00.000-07:00

March 14th-22nd
I co-led a yoga retreat with Robin Rothenberg at Guaria de Osa in Costa Rica.
We do lots of movement and free exploration using many of Avodah's methodologies for exploring ideas through movement.
My job is to bring lots of fun to the program! Pretty fun!

Here is a note from Robin's newsletter that sums up the retreat!

A Note from Robin
Spring-Summer 2008

We aptly named our annual yoga retreat this year Simple Abundance, contemplating the teachings of how contentment and non-attachment can lead us to joy. Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula ushered us into an experience of what that truly means. We awakened each morning to the sound of scarlet macaws and howler monkeys. The scintillating scent of ylang ylang perfumed our path wherever we walked. We swam under waterfalls and explored the vast and varied wildlife of the jungle from leaf cutter ants, to iridescent blue morpho butterflies and giant cathedral figs.

There was also an abundance of heat – 90 degrees with matching humidity - and insects, no-see-ums that carved mosaics on our calves and ankles. The full moon, shimmering like a giant pearl in the night sky, turned the ocean into a riptide that made wading more than knee-deep a life-threatening proposition. Heat-stroke hit our group hard on the second day. Accommodations were rustic (or simple, depending on how you chose to view it), meaning the toilets and showers (cold only), didn’t always work, sheets were of a low-thread count and clean towels scarce.

There we were in this land of limitless beauty, (a Cessna, jeep and boat ride away from civilization), challenged by the lack of amenities to which we’d become accustomed. Instead of A.C., we swathed ourselves in wet sarongs to stay cool, and rocked in the hammocks which hung from every shady tree. We were given medicinal bark tea to soothe our bellies, fresh watermelon and guayabana juice to stay hydrated. Those who felt well tended to the wilted. We took turns as nursemaid and patient. We laughed a lot. We laughed A LOT.

In fact, as the week progressed and we practiced our yoga through the sweltering heat, the bugs and the tummy aches, we found a deep and true appreciation for each other and for a simple kind of life. Our formal practice centered around a blessing for peace; peace for the earth, the water, the trees and heavens, and ultimately for ourselves. Through meditation we observed our ‘inner roommate’ the constant narrator in our head who judges, chatters incessantly and has opinions about everything. We practiced witnessing her neurosis and recognizing ourselves as the quiet witness who experiences her but is separate from her at the same time.

This strange and unruly tonic worked. Not one of us slipped into the angsty Eyore we were all capable of becoming. Momentary lapses into whine-ville were met with some good-humored teasing or the serendipitous citing of a parrot or iguana, all having an amnesiac effect on our discomfort. With nature abundantly present, we forgot about our cell-phones, e-mails and blackberries. We rose at dawn and prepared for bed shortly after the sumptuous evening meal was served, meandering back to our cabins with headlamps a-glow like miners in a quarry. It wasn’t in spite of, but rather due to the rawness of our surroundings that we were able to shed some of our modern armor, bonding through laughter, grapefruit seed extract, sunset meditations and a shared interest in quieting our anxious minds. There was as much yoga being practiced off the mat as on the mat.

We went on retreat to well… retreat... At our closing circle we reviewed our stated intentions from our first day together: To quiet the noise inside our heads, to go inside and learn to trust; to find balance, open our hearts, and learn to listen; to become still and be in spiritual community with others. We had accomplished our hearts’ desires and it wasn’t always comfortable. Caressed by the wild tangle of flora and fauna we witnessed each other blossom, like jungle orchids - simple beauty, simply abundant.

Layers Residency @ York 2008

2008-04-02T05:57:00.000-07:00

Wow! We just got home from our SEVENTH week long residency at York Correctional Institution for Women. Our theme this year was LAYERS, and the women were willing and able to sink their teeth into the theme to create a beautiful, moving performance.

We journeyed through dance, yoga, music, writing, and a visualization/reflection on the theme. Then the women created solos, duets, trios, and group pieces based on their personal reflections: First the idea of creating safe space in which to look at these questions...Did they feel they had layers they needed to remove, peel, clear or shed? Or did they feel they needed to wrap themselves up or add a layer? They all had an individual way of answering the question through movement.

We also created movement as a group that reflected what we do to create some space from the layers in our head, the static in our minds. And a finale piece, or epilogue, that showed our journey--from layered with thickness and heaviness, to sometimes becoming stuck, to realizing the beauty, life and warmth within, to melting, shedding and blasting through the layers, to shaking the residue off, to dancing our fullness and joy, to moving as ourselves and showing our true essence (in their words: CONFIDENT, QUEEN, WARRIOR, FLOWER ON THE RISE, FLOWING, FREE, FALLING, FLYING, SAFE...).

The women performed their entire piece including a Hip Hop number along with the Avodah Dance Ensemble and accompanied by Newman Taylor Baker's inspiring and sensitive percussion. One woman from York also accompanied through percussion with Newman-she is a natural. We performed twice: once for the school and once for the women's families and friends in the visiting room. Both performances were received well with lots of positive energy. At the end of the performance in the school at York C.I., women in the audience spontaneously arose from their chairs and started dancing!!

The women are magnificent to work with. Natural creators, artists, performers. Willing to dive deep within themselves. Become vulnerable to the process and share who they really are. As artists, the members of Avodah all agreed that working with the women is a true exchange; we are all humbled by the process and feel so much gratitude to share and learn so intensively with them.

We will be heading to Baylor Women's Correctional Institution on April 13th for our next week long residency! We'll keep you posted!

Sarah and the Chiselettes

2008-02-20T15:12:00.000-08:00

Today in rehearsal, we worked on a solo for Sarah Zitnay, Avodah dancer since 2006. We tried to use some of the ideas from our visit to Baylor and incorporate them into the solo.
A very interesting improvisation developed when I asked Sarah to keep her left shoulder close to her body and tight while moving freely throughout the rest of her body. We explored the idea of one part of the body being "stone" while the other parts were "normal." We explored Sarah moving between two points in space expressing a struggle between the stone/protective part impulsing her away from the outer world and the other parts of her body impulsing her to move outwards into the world.
When the other dancers arrived, they also explored the idea. We changed the body part from the left shoulder to a fist and then a foot becoming frozen. The frozen foot created two responses: one dancer became stuck in place with her body trying to find a way to move and another dancer began accomplishing movement despite the stuck foot. In the latter improvisation, the frozen foot stood out as different but not a complete handicap.
As we continue to explore the ideas for this solo, I look forward to integrating the ideas that came up in the prison including:
1)Becoming aware of Hitting a brick wall/Trying to kick,move, push the wall out of the way
2) Once we realize that '1' is not serving us, to start to pay attention to our 'stone' first appreciating its beauty, shape, individuality and purpose
3) Then with attention to detail, carving, chiseling until the stone may reveal a new shape, maybe some of it drops off, breaks off, turns to powder
4) Trembling earthquake movements that clear away large chunks
5) The soft spots that are revealed when we are able to pay attention to the stones as opposed to denying their existence or resisting them!

Stone collector; Heart protector

2008-02-20T14:50:00.000-08:00

On February 19, Avodah Senior dancer Connie Procopio and myself traveled to Baylor Women's Correctional Institution in New Castle, Delaware. As we prepare for our annual week long residencies at two women's prisons, we are including the women from each facility in the company's creative process.
This year's theme "LAYERS" addresses key areas within the body where we carry physical, emotional and mental layers. We are specifically focusing on the Head and Heart as centers for exploration. In "Head Trip" we are working on the many different tangents of thoughts that continually draw our attention, sometimes blocking our ability to connect intimately with our surrounding environment and community. In "Stone Collector" (working title), we are looking at hardened places around our hearts and within our bodies that serve as either protection or obstacles in our connections with others and in our yearning to express who we really are.
The women at Baylor explored movements based on chiseling, carving and jackhammering and together we created a short phrase. The phrase included gestures reflecting the actions mentioned as well as movements reflecting being carved. Splitting into two groups, the women followed different leaders improvising on the phrase that we created together; each leader based their movements on the ideas of chiseling, etc. , and the dancers were able to experience the movement ideas for some time. After this, I led "Motivating Movements," an exercise based on the work of Avodah founder, JoAnne Tucker and former Avodah dancer and Board Member, Kezia Gleckman Hayman. The exercise generates movement ideas and vocabulary. The women were asked to imagine they were collecting different size rocks and putting them in a bag or basket. They had to carry the bag around as it got heavier. Then they put the bag down and took out a rock. Next they put the rock on different parts of their bodies and tried to move around the room-even stopping to have a conversation with a friend. This definitely got them using their imaginations as well as experiencing an exaggerated feeling of carrying stones around while trying to go about one's business.
After the movement improvisations, we sat in a circle and discussed the idea of Layers, especially those layers around the heart. I shared the idea that different experiences and decisions get stored in our bodies and frozen, much like the quality of stone or cement; we carry these 'stones' around and may not even realize it! I asked the women to write about this idea as well as the movement improvisations. Any impressions they may have had throughout the class.
Finally, within the circle, different women volunteered sharing a brief movement phrase in the middle of the circle. Each of the volunteers was very brave! New movement ideas were shared: a piece of stone coming loose and falling off, kicking a stone and hurting oneself in the process, throwing stones, carrying the load of stones-setting them down and breathing a sigh of relief,...and surprisingly Appreciating the beauty of one's stone!
We finished the class with a shaking exercise to free the body of any remaining heaviness.
Connie and I drove home to NYC with new ideas and an excitement to go into the studio to explore!

Visiting York Correctional Institution for Women 1/5/08

2008-01-05T20:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I taught a guest dance class at York Correctional Institution for Women. The women in the education program at York have been taking dance class once a week with our dance company, Avodah Dance Ensemble, since 2003 and some of them have been participating in our week long residencies since 2002.

The theme that we are working with this year is based on a quote from e.e.cummings, "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are."We are focusing on peeling away layers of what we are not to reveal what we truly are.

I taught the first session for women living in the mental health unit. We used a hallway in the unit. We started with a warm up exercise using basic modern dance principles, warming up the upper body and working with plies. I introduced the ideas of peeling, cocooning, and blossoming within the warm-up. The women followed along with the music and were able to repeat the exercises without me leading them. Then we discussed the quote and the idea of removing that which we don't need through the following images: a sculptor chiseling a large slab of stone, peeling an onion, weeding a garden. The women created gestures that we then abstracted into bigger movements. We separated into three groups and created short phrases from the abstracted gestures. Each group performed their phrase both with and without musical accompaniment (Bach). At the end of the class, we practiced a non-stop shaking exercise to play with releasing anything we don't "need." The women were extremely responsive. I noticed that many times people in the group would sit down or quit or get frustrated quickly. However, after even the slightest bit of encouragement, they would more often than not join back into the group.

The next session was in the education department with many women that I have worked with before through the ongoing classes and residencies. One of our teachers had taught them a set warm up and dance, and I led them through the warm-up. They showed me the dance and recalled the whole thing even though it had been a month since they had met.

Following that, I guided a movement improvisation to generate movement. In the vein of "layers" I asked them to generate movements that reflected having extra layers on the body, peeling those layers off, having extra weight on the head and having that throw one off balance. I taught a duet phrase that the women then had to work with. The assignment was to complete the duet phrase as if they had really big heads. This would limit movement choices. The women then performed their interpretations to movement. Running out of time, I was unhappy that I couldn't share more of my plan, including an improvisation with peeling and a similar shaking exercise. However, I did assign a shaking exercise of 1 to 5 minutes a day of non-stop 'shaking' or 'peeling' movements with an optional goal of inventing one's own clearing movement. I also asked that they write about their observations.

We will continue building on these ideas as we move closer to the residency in March/April.

We are currently funded by grants and individual contributions. We have a musician, several dancers, and sometimes a storyteller go in to the prison for the weeklong residency. The women perform in a culminating performance for fellow inmates in the school and for visiting family members in the visiting room. It is amazing to see what this work does for each woman's self esteem.