Spring TRaC Application now available!

Another season of Dance TRaC is around the corner!

Go the TRaC Homepage at www.high5tix.org and download the Spring 2008 TRaC Application. Also available are a flier for the new TRaC season and an invitation to the Open House on February 13th (4:30 - 5:30). Please download those and distribute to any friends or teachers or mentors who you think would be interested.

I hope to see you all at the Open House - if not before! It's only a month away already. As many of you know, having been to a TRaC Open House before, I'll need some volunteers for speaking on the alumni panel. Volunteers? Contact me if you're interested. The rest of you can just hang out, snack, and mingle with any teachers or students who are interested in learning more about the program.

And of course you should bring a friend or two! Maybe they're interested in signing up for Spring TRaC and don't even know it yet....

Looking forward to the new season!

~eric

Parsons Dance

Join High 5 Tuesday January 8 for a peformance of the Parsons Dance company. Great technical dancing and charismatic performers. A pleasurable experience is practically guaranteed!

Ailey

Although I only stayed for the first piece on the program, it was enough to illustrate the awesome talents of the Ailey dancers. Moreover, the piece, "Love Stories," which ostensibly depicts the history of the company, has a particularly cool section choreographed by Philly native Rennie Harris. The hip-hop and break dancing is quite a bit removed from the typical Ailey vernacular, and they cut loose. It's an awesome, spine tingling combination of moves and performance that is universally accessible--the crowd went wild!

2 questions to always consider....

#1
What is the art trying to accomplish?

#2
Does it succeed?

Keeping the art in mind, you can never go wrong in your reviews. You will avoid the pitfalls: "i didn't like it. it was good. i liked it. it was bad..." blah, blah. The interesting stuff is in the WHYs and the WHATs! Why did it succeed in parts, but not as a whole? What was it (the dance, the play, the painting, the song) trying to accomplish? Did it do more or less? Are you cool with where it went?

And tell us what you think! A little interpretation/a little context (do some research!) is always nice for your readers. Remember to keep them - US, your readers - in mind.... Or, just write for you. I carry a small notebook with me everywhere I go. Writers write. You are all writers because you write. That's the only requirement. :)

Open hearts, open minds.
The most important thing I want you to take away from TRaC is to be open to things foreign to you. Crain your neck, your ears, your brain to understand. Get excited, and bring people along!

Art is communication and communion.
That's what makes this fun....

happy december.
~eric

Pappa Tarahumara @ BAM

Friday, November 30th...

SHIP
IN A
VIEW

...immediately following class at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. BAM!

This is from the company's website:

What's in the name?

There is an area in Mexico called "the Land of Tarahumara".
This region, located in the mountains, is well off the beaten track, and a fascinating place known for its culture and local customs. The decision to name the group after the Tarahumara Indians reflects our respect and fascination we feel for them.

However, we have not directly incorporated Tarahumara culture as such into our pieces.
What we have aimed for is to try somehow to capture and present the special wonder of Tarahumara culture, inexpressible and uninterpretable in modern rationalistic terms.

Check out their website at www.pappa-tara.com. This is the BAM event page for Pappa.

See you in class on Friday....
eric

Monica Bill Barnes is stopping by!

Before she comes in, make sure to check out her bio at www.monicabillbarnes.com

There's also this video of The Happy Dance (or what started out ok), in case you were interested in seeing some of her other work.

enjoy!

~eric

Sam Kim review in today's NYT

Sam Kim reviewed by Roslyn Sulcas