Suchu Dance Company’s The Formers

Suchu Dance Company presented Jennifer Wood’s original choreography of The Formers featuring thirteen dancers at the Barnevelder Theater.  The show consisted of two sections, each about 45 minutes long with a 10 min intermission between.  The theme of the evening was pure, raw movement.

At the beginning the dancers ran around the stage in circles in a pattern-like movement.  The running was used again in the middle of the first act. The dancers ran in groups of 3 to 5 dancers, running to corners of the stage as if to avoid the other groups, yet still using the shape of a circle to move around with.  There were many circular movements, both in group running formations and individual dancers twirling.  These  movement throughout the piece made it flow as each movement connected with the last.

The second act was bolder than the first.  The dancers performed separately in groups, rather than as a whole or individually like the first.  There were many more lifts and flips.  The choreography also used movements where the dancers roll over another dancer’s back, stopping mid way to land in the starting position. Although the movements were bolder, the dancers still portrayed the same natural style.

The music and lighting, designed by Jeremy Choate and run by Natasha Manley, complimented the piece very well.  As the music quickened in pace, the dancers’ movements would as well. The light followed the dancers to cast a shadow along the wall or to highlight certain dance movements.

Jennifer’s piece brought out the same thoughts and feelings that I get when I view René Magritte paintings.  Both Jennifer’s as well as Rene’s pieces draw out the same questions as to why the artist chose to do things the way it was done.  Jennifer chose different movements that were randomly thrown together to create a piece for only the most dedicated dancers.  There was nothing simple to offer the dancers to guide them through the two 45 minute pieces.  They didn’t seem guided by musical or light cues.  Each movement flowed with the last but had no connection with anything before or after.  Rene’s paintings offer this same feeling.  When you look at his paintings, you wonder why certain items are placed as they are; and as a whole art piece why these different objects give no meaning but only leave the viewer in speculation.  The movements do not create any particular meaning or message, but rather as Nancy Wozny recommends for the audience: “Don’t think so much as you enter [Jennifer’s] movement imagination.  Don’t worry about figuring it out. Sit back, let the lush feast of delicious moves wash over you and enjoy the ride on the suchu-mobile.”

written by: Amy June Tan

ABDC Auditions

On November 21, groups of dancers from all around Texas showed up to audition for the new season of America’s Best Dance Crew at So Real Cru’s new dance Studio.  Despite the rainy, cold weather, these groups were motivated to perform their best.  With most of the crews auditioning for the first time, they masked their nerves well with a positive attitude of excitement.  Although the present crews brought a lot of spirit, many of Houston’s own popular dance crews did not show up for the audition as we expected.  Still, there was a wide variety of style, each competitor brought their own talent to the table striving for the same goal: to become a contestant of America’s Best Dance Crew.

Second to None

This group came all the way from San Antonio parting from the original crew Streetbeats.  The seven members have danced together for about one year perfecting all sorts of dance styles including: Hip-hop, volgan, breaking, tricking and pop. The diversity of style follows closely with the crew itself. Second to None hopes to show that being different is a good thing and they’re proud of being different. This crew came to audition in order to try something they had never done before and to show America that it is not just the west coast that can bring it, but the south can, too.

Foot Soulgerz Krew (FSK)

With such a unique name, one can only expect the same from the crew itself.  Each member came dressed in a vest, ready to compete.  Despite the cold weather, this crew was extremely enthusiastic and motivated for the competition.  Consisting of five members, the group mainly performs hip-hop leading into krunk, tut, break and pop.  Having danced together for about a year, this group from Dallas believes they can show America how to FSK all day.

Dirty South Crew

Coming from the small town of Tyler, this group went through a lot of judgment and pressure to make it this far.  Their home town is known as the Bible Belt, where most decisions are made by the church.  Because the Dirty South Crew has been wrongly judged, they hope that this process will bring their town to realize that their differences are not a sin.  With three of the five members having previous cheerleading experience, they group’s main dance style is a sexy hip-hop.

Austin City Dance Crew

As a part of the Austin City Showgirls, six have formed their own crew in order to pursue the competition of America’s Best Dance Crew.  All the dancers have had dancing experience ranging from ballet and tap to Latin and cheerleading.  Coming all the way from Austin, with spirit and style, this group of dancers hopes to bring popularity back to old school hip hop while winning the title of America’s Best Dance Crew.

Soraya and La Zambra

Their studio’s hometown may be Houston, but their style is from all over.  Focusing on belly dancing, owner Soraya and her crew were asked to audition for ABDC.  Soraya choreographed a Gypsy Fusion styled dance for the competition.  It is this company’s hopes to show that belly dancing is an art with lots of culture behind it, creating a family friendly atmosphere. There was a family within the crew, each one looking out for the other demonstrating how dance lessons are used outside the studio.

With all the competition, the crews made sure to bring their best to the table. But remember, the competition is nationwide; there are lots more groups fighting to earn the title of America’s Best Dance Crew.

all photos by Anushil Jai Ho Patel

review: the recycle club by travesty dance group

Travesty Dance Company in The Recycle Club

Starting the show off with enchanting music, the audience’s attention is automatically captivated by the background screen portraying a video of the dancers.  As the dancers lie on the floor upon piles of random clothing, the music slowly intensifies to a faster drum-like beat.  The light in the dark room slowly becomes brighter as the music becomes faster.  Using the scattered clothing, the dancers dance around and pick their choice of clothing slowly removing the rest to the back of the stage.  As the dancers dance on and off stage, the audience is not just captivated by the choreography but the music as well.  Using random facts to create a chant, the music tells as much a story as does the dancers do.

Throughout the performance, the modern style of dance was followed by abstract music in the background.  However during one particular point in the performance the song “So happy together” by The Turtles was played.  As this song was more upbeat than the usual music, the dancers’ movements became a mix of modern and hip hop creating a beautiful yet upbeat mood.  Another portion of the dance that was particularly interesting was one that had no music, but instead the dancers incorporated the recycling theme by using a “RE” chant that lead the formation and movements of the dancers.  The “RE” chant is a slow paced chant that consist of using a group of words starting with “re” (ie. Rename, restore, renew, reuse, and revive).

Travesty Dance Company in The Recycle Club

The theme of the dance was recycling.  Following this, everything about the entire show was recycled and recreated through the genius of Karen Stokes, the choreographer.  Reusing old clothing, choreography, dancers, and poems, Karen created a show that was entertaining and thoughtful.   The theme was to recycle, so all ideas were a re-creation of different ideas. The clothing was donated by the community, most from the audience.  The choreography was pulled from previous dance theatre works.  Dancers were mainly from the Travesty Dance Company with two guests.  One part of the performance was done by Farrell Dyde & Roberta Stokes, dancers from 1984.  Karen not only presented her choreography, but performed in the show as well.  In the middle of the show, Karen sang two of her favorite poems while the dancers danced.  The whole show was beautifully performed and very well choreographed.

by Amy Tan

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Starting the show off with enchanting music, the audience’s attention is automatically captivated by the background screen portraying a video of the dancers.  As the dancers lie on the floor upon piles of random clothing, the music slowly intensifies to a faster drum-like beat.  The light in the dark room slowly becomes brighter as the music becomes faster.  Using the scattered clothing, the dancers dance around and pick their choice of clothing slowly removing the rest to the back of the stage.  As the dancers dance on and off stage, the audience is not just captivated by the choreography but the music as well.  Using random facts to create a chant, the music tells as much a story as does the dancers do.

Throughout the performance, the modern style of dance was followed by abstract music in the background.  However during one particular point in the performance the song “So happy together” by The Turtles was played.  As this song was more upbeat than the usual music, the dancers’ movements became a mix of modern and hip hop creating a beautiful yet upbeat mood.  Another portion of the dance that was particularly interesting was one that had no music, but instead the dancers incorporated the recycling theme by using a “RE” chant that lead the formation and movements of the dancers.  The “RE” chant is a slow paced chant that consist of using a group of words starting with “re” (ie. Rename, restore, renew, reuse, and revive).

The theme of the dance was recycling.  Following this, everything about the entire show was recycled and recreated through the genius of Karen Stokes, the choreographer.  Reusing old clothing, choreography, dancers, and poems, Karen created a show that was entertaining and thoughtful.  [a1] The theme was to recycle, so all ideas were a re-creation of different ideas. The clothing was donated by the community, most from the audience.  The choreography was pulled from previous dance theatre works.  Dancers were mainly from the Travesty Dance Company with two guests.  One part of the performance was done by Yahudi Castaneda and Richard Lyders-Gustafson, dancers from 1984.  Karen not only presented her choreography, but performed in the show as well.  In the middle of the show, Karen sang two of her favorite poems while the dancers danced.  The whole show was beautifully performed and very well choreographed.[a2]

---

[a1]What does it mean to recycle dances?  Was she recycling whole pieces from the past, or sections of pieces, or just movements?

[a2]Describe the movement… what kind of dance was it?  Any signature movements that stood out?

Were there any standout dancers?

What were some themes that the pieces referenced?

Bellas Danzas

Great dancers aren’t great because of their technique; they are great because of their passion – Martha Graham

Above All House of Dance

You could immediately feel the excitement walking through the front doors of NCI Ripley House. The excitement from the audience could be seen on their faces. The excitement was only intensified as everyone ran every which way in order to make sure the show moved along smoothly. The crowd was diverse. From parents, to students, to dancers, to teachers, everyone had come for a different reason to fulfill the same purpose: Bellas Danzas. Some came because they enjoyed the cultural background of the different dances. Some came because they wanted to show support to their loved one. Others came simply out to explore their curiosity. Regardless of their reasons, each individual was extremely enthusiastic.

The food was served at six along with entertainment including festive dancing and music. As everyone ate, the dancers started to get ready for the doors to open at seven. The line outside the performance hall had already started to grow around six. Everyone was extremely eager to watch the performance.

Andrea Cody and Patrick Walsh

Behind all the excitement of the enthusiastic audience, the dancers were all getting ready for the performance in the dressing rooms: putting on extravagant costumes and running through the performance one last time. All the dancers were busy and full of anticipation. For some, it was their first time dancing. For others, they had been practicing for years. Either way, all the dancers were both excited and nervous, but ready to perform for the audience waiting in the performance hall. Each dancer came from a different background and was performing a different style. While some companies did modern, others did folk. From children around the age of 5 to adults who had years of the cultural experience behind every dance move, each dancer had rehearsed and was ready to perform.

The performances were amazing and the hall was packed full, not a seat was left open. Each dancer and each company presented talent and culture. Every performance was unique with a story to be told through the movements of dance.

a week at dance houston

We just posted a bunch of videos from our city-wide festival.  Check em out at www.youtube.com/dancehouston.  It was such a great show and it’s been exciting to relive the experience!

On that note, Sammie and Fiona mailed out all the DVDs that people ordered from the city-wide festival.  Scott did an awesome job on the shoot and edit, as always, and Rusty designed a slick cover sleeve.  Go team!  Sammie would love to make a special one just for you, so if you want one, order it online at www.dancehouston.org/Shop.htm and he’ll get it.

With a DVD fresh in hand, Andrea showed her little students at Project Row Houses the video of Dominic Walsh Dance Theater’s performance at our city-wide festival.  One of the four-year olds commented they looked like they were ice skating.  Good call, little man!

Monday and Tuesday we organized all our equipment from Bellas Danzas and schlepped it to our storage unit on W. Dallas.  Even for a relatively small show, it still takes a lot of stuff to pull it off!  In fact, the smaller the show, the more of our own equipment and supplies we have to bring.

Best part of Monday was Henry’s cash report from our show.  All in all, we spent $2405 and got back $2442.  We banked $37!  The profit was icing on the cake after the experience of producing a very enjoyable event.  We loved meeting so many new dancers.  Fiona made sure to find them on facebook and send them a friend request.

Big news: Pandora sucks today.  Four thumbs down in a row.  Just saved by “Soul Meets Body”.  It’s kinda about dancing.  Go Death Cab.

Darcy, a Dance Houston board member, came over Monday night for a dance session.  She’s getting a jump on her wedding plans with the most important part–the first dance! 

Tuesday we wrote thank you notes to all the generous contributors for Bellas Danzas.  A million thanks goes to My Fit Foods for donating healthy and delicious dinners for all our 425 guests and 100 dancers.  Sara Lerma and Bolivar Fraga at the Ripley House were absolutely amazing.  They went the extra mile at every turn.  Jesse Sifuentes and Matt Manalo contributed beautiful and interactive art to decorate the event.  And our volunteers Stephanie, Albento, Shenequa and Tonie, deserved our most heartfelt thanks for all of their help.  We would have been hard-pressed to pull off that show without them.

Wednesday night Andrea went to the screening of last Spring’s Dance Salad and met up with Kamran, another board member, and Steve Derry, a longtime supporter.  The piece that stood out the most had a guy act as a girl’s prop for everything from the heel of her shoe to a puff of her cigarette.  Ingenious!

Allie and Andrea had a long planning lunch on Thursday at Brasil to talk about plans for Dance Houston’s Spring.  We hope to get back to Discovery Green for another free outdoor event for the whole family. The two are also brainstorming other top secret ideas that they’re confident will further engage dance audiences and spread the word about the amazing dance community in Houston! Stay tuned for updates on their progress!

Our teachers David and A.D. finished up classes at our residency program at Jackson Middle School.  The 6th graders will perform the hip hop and salsa pieces they learned at a pep rally next week.  David (a.k.a. King David) stopped by yesterday to pick up his final check and chat about his experience at Jackson.  He said it was a lot of fun and a bit of a challenge because the kids had never taken dance classes before.  Good work David and A.D. for teaching the kids their first dance classes–they surely won’t forget you guys!

Andrea could hardly sit still in her seat since she found out that longtime Dance Houston favorite Nick was returning home from a 6-month contract on Royal Caribbean.  He sailed in last night and can’t wait to get back to work and out in the scene.

All week long we tried to think of a name for our hip hop show.  Leading candidates are Vibe and Street Exclusive.

B-boy powerhose Joel Martinez and his crew gave an eye-pooping breakdance performance this morning in Needville.  Back in May, we got a call from the PTA president looking for a reward for students with good behavior.  Dance Houston coordinated this special dance treat.

We’re normally pretty organized, but it took us 4 hours to find our video camera today.  It was right in the closet all along, right behind Coco’s life jacket.  The weird thing is she modeled it for us this morning and we still didn’t see the camera.  Anyway now we’re starting a new project where reporter Erin will go out in the scene and cover what’s going down live on camera.  She’s going behind the scenes to find out what really goes on backstage at concerts, and she’ll be reporting from the house about audiences real reactions to the shows.  Not sure where these videos will end up but when we figure it out we’ll let you know.

So now it’s Friday afternoon and Dance Houston is eating pizza and wrapping up another productive week of everything to do with dance!  We’re excited to be attending Fall Mosiac tonight featuring Revolve, Uptown Dance Center and Ad Deum at Barnevelder.  Merde to the performers tonight and we hope you all have a great weekend!!

Yeah we said eye-pooping.  Nobody reads this thing anyway. 

All week long we tried to think of a name for our hip hop show.  Leading candidates are Vibe and Street Exclusive.

Dancing to Fulfill a Dream

Success by definition indicates achievement. For some, success is followed with fame, fortune, or happiness. Every success story starts with a different goal, with a different purpose, with different intentions. For Zinnijah Guadalup, her story of success is defined by fulfilling personal goals and measuring up to personal standards. For her, success is one’s own. It cannot be defined by the opinions of others or compared to the work of any one else. Success is only achieved through one’s own capability and learning experience. Zinnijah believes that in order to succeed, you must use what talents you have been given and what things you learn through life combined with passion to achieve great things.

Dancing since the age of three, Zinnijah lacks neither motivation nor experience. Her parents, who were both performing artists, gave her exposure into the arts; her mother was a dancer and her father, a musician. Moving to Houston in 2004, Zinnijah performed for Planet Funk, Electric Light Circus at Hobby Theater. Following, Zinnijah was given many more dancing opportunities including dancing with Muumtu Company, a West African dance company.

However Zinnijah had more dreams in mind, since high school when she was given the opportunity to choreograph her cheerleading team. She had a dream to become a famous choreographer and to open her own studio, teaching the community the way of dance. For Zinnijah, dancing is a way to have fun. She says “Do what makes you happy, even if it takes you on a painful road. Sometimes this painful road will let you know yourself on an internal level.” To be different is an experience that one must face to understand oneself. This experience lets you know who you want to be and who you are. Only when you know who you are can you know who you want to be, and this knowledge shall lead you to finding your goals and achieving success. “You can do anything in life as long as you put work into it”, Zinnijah believes.

Zinnijah teaches by this philosophy at McGregor Park and Shah Houston Fitness Center.  With her four sisters: Leora, Hannjah, Liosha, and Iyania, they have started their own dance company, Kucheza Ngoma Dance Company.  They teach many different styles of dance including:  hip hop, modern, Caribbean, house, West African, and tap.  Although these styles might be familiar with other companies, Zinnijah adds a twist, dancing to reggae music.  These dance styles are original to where she came from.  Although different, she finds it to be a way to connect with the community.  She believes that dancing is a way to “take care of your body”, promoting being healthy to the community through dance.

On Saturday, November 14^th,  Kucheza Ngoma Dance Company will be performing an original  Caribbean Folk dance native to Jamaica called Kumina. It is a Jamaican ritual dance choreographed by Zinnijah Guadalup.

Above All House of Dance

“It is the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance.”

-  Betty Midler, American Actress and Singer

Dancing can be a determination of expression, an outlet for emotions, a desire for glory.   In expression put together by forms of movement, no matter the style, you can find a message being declared.  Emotions of the dancer, of the work, of the music–all let out.  And glory… it’s the sense of accomplishment to not just the audience, but also in oneself.

You will never see the work behind a dancer’s performance on stage; the weeks and hours full of sweat and blood are never found on the faces of a dancer or the floor of a performance.  As an audience you can only capture the final essence, the beauty that is portrayed by the dancers.  So what is the drive for a dancer?  Agnes De Mille of the American Ballet Theatre would tell you that it “is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking.”  Do not be mistaken, for the power and glory is not only from the audience, but more from the dancer.  Power and glory that can be found through dancing, as the will to dance, to explore, is strength itself.

Here in Houston, this kind of motivation is embodied in Jessica Galvan, founder of Above All House of Dance.  Upon graduating in 2005, Jessica went back to her own neighborhood in the East End of Houston to establish her own studio and dance company.  The purpose of her company is to serve the community by creating an environment where kids can reach their full potential.

Jessica likes helping kids explore the different styles of dancing.  Although Jessica’s own strength is within the modern style, the studio also offers jazz, ballet and hip hop classes. Her focus is to let students experience and explore the different styles and to grow through art. She believes that as dancers learn to dance, they build character, and for that reason dancing should be taken seriously.  What’s better is that the students love it. And that is her goal. At the studio, Galvan treats each student as her own, giving them the necessary motivation and the required technique.

“I can make a dancer out of anybody,” says Jessica Galvan.  And this she has done.  Shaping and molding dancers, Galvan will be presenting her company at this year’s Latin Dance Festival: Bellas Danzas con funk on Saturday, November 14th.

TEXAS SIZE EXPERIENCE… Houston we do not have a problem!

Click here to purchase your tickets to the City-Wide dance festival!

I read that the “Houston’s Downtown Theater District isn’t merely a neighborhood, it’s a destination!” I would like to also add that it’s a TEXAS SIZE EXPERIENCE…

 

Not long ago I was sitting with good friends enjoying some great conversation about everything and nothing all at the same time… when we came to the topic of how many Houstonians today are not native to this great city.  The overwhelming message that we all shared about Houston was that those of us that were not native to the city had no choice but to fall in love with the culture, diversity, and the passion of arts and dance. 

I would have to say “HOUSTON WE DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM…”

click here to get purchase your tickets to the DH City-wide Dance festival!

In Houston I have not seen a hitching post, rarely do I see cows and horses roaming the streets; well, with the exception of our “TEXAS SIZE RODEO” trail-ride (which I have to admit, makes me feel like I’m ten years old all over again).  On occasion I see hair that is way too high, a little helmet-like and sometimes a little too big for my taste.  However, I like to call that hair a little piece of Texas character, in Houston it is just the nature of the beast from time to time, after all in a city with its own youth serum, also known as humidity, big hair is bound to happen to all us; yes ladies, men also get the frizz, which leads me to say a little hairspray never hurts and it’s practical as it keeps the hair from getting bigger. Well enough of the hair and the lack of hitching post…

 

Since the theme of today’s reading is TEXAS SIZE, I am compelled to begin a dialogue around the arts community specifically the dance community in Houston… I’ve only been with Dance Houston a short time, but working with this team of professionals has elevated my expectations of performance art to a totally different level. My first outing with DANCE HOUSTON was the “MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE PARTY” at DISCOVERY GREEN (which has since become one of my favorite places to go to…) followed by an event at a local spot called Pinot and Picasso (where everyone is a “PICASO”), happy hour at Boheme supported by Space Taker (amazing mojitos and empanadas that would give anyone’s family recipe a run for their money), summer camps for youth ages 8 – 18 and now the anticipated DANCE HOUSTON CITY WIDE FESTIVAL!  So far I can honestly say, the experience has been incredibly rewarding and if today they had a curtain call I would give them a standing ovation… BRAVO!

I have the great privilege of chatting with Andrea Cody, Founder and Executive Director of Dance Houston on a daily basis and listening to and hearing her words as dance movements, I am never disappointed to find myself dancing throughout my day after a quick chat with her. What I am impressed with most of the Dance Community in Houston and DANCE HOUSTON is how culture, diversity, and their conscience effort to impact a community to pursue bigger dreams is part of what makes them so brilliant. 

click here to purchase your tickets to attend the City-Wide Dance Festival!

Recently Andrea said “To me culture is about community; it’s about the responsibility we all have to appreciate shared family, friends, networks, activities, and aesthetics of all groups of people.  We are all naturally and dynamically different from each other, we have different languages, humor, fashion, beliefs, incomes, and customs…  When we think about cultural diversity, it is important for us look beyond cultural backgrounds.  It would be a social crime not to be able to look to living, breathing communities.  There a person and group a city a country can find and appreciate the value of individual communities which make up the overall culture of this city and the world… then is when we start to see contributions and impact on all of us…” . Well, needless to say I was blown away… I left thinking of the level of responsibility Andrea had taken on and how her voice like she said was unique and powerful and I could see it actively making a difference through the work of DANCE HOUSTON.

 

I am confident that Andrea and the team of accomplished performers which will perform at the DANCE HOUSTON Annual City-Wide Festival will certainly have you dancing out of your seats and into world of music.  The City-wide dance festival will be featuring hundreds of Houston dancers at the Wortham Center, Saturday, August 29, 2009 at 8:00 PM. Performances will feature some of Houston’s accomplished leading dance  companies and will include traditional and innovative performances in hip hop, ballroom, contemporary and cultural styles.  Dance Houston’s City-wide festival is unlike any other festival, this kind of performance presentation will highlight diverse styles of dance at the Wortham Center a highly respected and state-of-the-art theater with the best of the best performance artist who will certainly mesmerize their audience into a standing ovation. The mission of Dance Houston mission is to increase dance appreciation. The heart and core of this mission is presenting dance festivals that are for and by the people of Houston. With seat admissions starting at $15 and premium seats $47.50, this festival is designed with everyone’s budget in mind.  “For less than one person would spend at a local movie theatre, a person can invest in attending a live performance featuring the best of the best talents which will bring everyone to their feet!” says Andrea Cody.

I asked Andrea “WHY” and she looked me in the eye and said,

“The goal of our City-Wide festival is to bring the best talent to one stage at affordable price levels where a community can build a deeper relationship of appreciation and love of the arts, we want people to see that their unique backgrounds make a significant contribution to the today’s culture. We want them to find the rhythm in their hearts and see that even in today’s social and economic challenges we can dance together.”

Need I say more…? I leave you with “HOUSTON, WE DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM…” See you at the Wortham on Saturday, August 29th at 8PM… I’ll be the one near the hitching post dancing in the isle!

Revolve Dance Company takes the stage…

 “I started dancing when I was seven, the music inspired a tap in my heart…”

Dawn Dippel, Revolve Dance Company, CO-FOUNDER

 Revolve Dance Company is one of 13 Dance Companies participating in Dance Houston’s Annual City-Wide Dance Festaval being held at Houston’s Wortham Center on Saturday, August 29^th.  The line of company’s will include the following companies; 8^th Edition, Barbara King Dance Company, Compania Folklorica Alegria Mexicana, Dance of Asian America, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, Houston Ballet II, Luna Tango Productions, NobleMotion Dance, Revolve Dance Company, Sreepadam School of Arts, Uptown Dance Company, Urban Souls Dance Company and Wyld Styl.

When we sat down with Dawn Dippel, Co-founder of Revolve Dance Company to chat about their performance at the Dance Houston City-Wide Festival, we asked her to share the impact her dance training had on her academic and life training… we anticipated that her response would be something along the theme of seeing lines and movement in everything she engaged in and that words, stories and experiences in her life would somehow have a tune that accompanied the day to day excitement of being a committed dancer; Dawn’s  responses were eloquent and inspiring in a whole different manner.  Dawn now a 23 year veteran in dance at the young age of 30 shared with us that when attending the High school for Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, TX it provided her a foundation of structure and discipline she would later learn would drive her craft. Academics such as literature, and science provided her with reference points to draw from as it related story telling and the body’s physiology. Dawn’s focus when she first began to train was strictly around Jazz and Tap, in her teen years she was drawn to ballet, then is when she says her craft began to evolve into a deep love of ballet and a career.

 

“I was mesmerized with the structure and discipline ballet dancers possessed.  The lines, shapes and movement ballet dancers were able to achieve and create were magical.”

Dawn Dippel, Revolve Dance Company, CO-FOUNDER

 As a direct result of opening a dance studio in 1994 along side Amy Cain, the two inspired and accomplished dancers would add a layer to their dedication to Dance.  Dawn and Amy co-founded Revolve in 2004 where their focus and vision would lead them to create a professional company comprised of well-rounded dancers whose talents span a wide range of fields in the art of dance: from ballet to jazz, lyrical to tap and hip-hop, modern to yoga and Pilates, as well as teaching talents, choreographic talents, music editing/arrangement, and costume design. Dawn shared with us that everyone associated with Revolve is continuously seeking to deepen their knowledge and widen their expertise around dance; she strongly believes that dance is a process and is something that requires examination, flexibility and the acceptance to use a lens based on a critical eye.

 “Dance is liberating, it offers richness to my life where cultures and languages have no boundaries; where anything is possible… all I have to do is accept a challenge and with work and dedication any goal is within reach.”    

Dawn Dippel, Revolve Dance Company, CO-FOUNDER

Revolve dance company is currently working on perfecting a Jazz Contemporary piece for the City Wide Dance festival which she says is up-beat, honest and pedestrian like.  The piece was choreographed by acclaim Choreographer Wes Veldink who is known for creating art that focuses on bringing attention to the dancers’ immediate space-their bodies, and awareness to their feelings, their state of mind and their state of spirituality. Veldink focuses on a dancer’s ability to share themselves with an audience. Veldink pieces are seen and experienced through the lens of modern contemporary jazz, hip-hop and street with awareness to lyrical content. Veldink’s arrangement will certainly have a wide spread versatility and is guaranteed to speak to the masses…

click on image to visit revolve dance company

Revolve’s Contemporary piece will be executed by 12 dancers ages ranging in from 18 to 30 the training behind dancers is varied which adds yet a sensational dimension to the piece.

 “It is so exciting to see, hear and experience the practices leading up to the City-wide festival,  I see  that our focus is on track, a comfort that comes from trust of a fluid process and a dedication that allows our dancers to speak through inspired lines of movement.”

Dawn Dippel, Revolve Dance Company, CO-FOUNDER

 The inspiration dancers are able to portray to an audience through lines, movement is truly a magical event… We can’t wait to see Revolve and our other Company’s perform at the City-Wide Dance Festival as their music and dance inspires a tap in a community’s heart!

i think i saw a shooting star…

“We expected 40 maybe 50 people to attend the “Shooting Stars” final performance, to our delight there were more than 100 family members and friends of our dance camp stars in the audience that night”

 Andrea Cody, Founder and Executive Director of Dance Houston.

On Friday, July 31^st Dance Houston – Summer Dance Camp Youth ages 8 – 11 executed a flawless 45 minute performance at the Barnevelder Movement Arts Complex.  Youth attending the Dance Houston Summer Camp known as “Shooting Stars”, arrived at camp on day one and were told that they would debut a series of performance on the last day of camp. The young eyes followed the seasoned professionals explaining what the next two weeks would offer with excitement and raw inspiration… It was exactly like watching a scene from the original TV series FAME, except that Debbie Allen was played in real life by our much sweeter Allison “Allie” T and the students in our reality were much shorter, but possessed equal if not more talent of those actors from FAME…

“I’ve always known, my entire life I have loved music, music moves me to just dance…”

“Shooting Star” 8 year old camper

Dance Houston “Shooting Stars” Summer Dance camp is designed around two weeks of intensive dance training, where workshops are taught by seasoned professional artists specializing in a range of disciplines that include modern, jazz, hip hop, social, and cultural dance.  Additional workshops include learning through video, dance games and yoga.  Shooting Stars is about programs that promote educational achievement and positive creative productive lives which will enable young people to nurture a curious relationship with creativity, innovation, and exploration utilizing performance as the tool and/or platform. 

The rapport the teachers had with the Shooting Stars was developed immediately and was one of family, friendship and respect. Traditionally summer camps are designed to keep young people occupied during the summer months while parents are at work.  Although many summer camps are well equipped with staff, young people often find summer camps draining and uninspired.  I can remember my summer days as a young wiper snapper looking at summers with my very own plan; where books were not the priority and my bike was on the top of the list! My parents had a very different plan in mind for my sister and me and those plans included endless chores, sports and sitter camps (the camps usually turned out to be fun – making candles, riding horses, swimming and camp fires).   In a recent article out of Science Daily I read that 60% of today’s young people spend an average of 40 hours a week at what I like to refer to as “TV CAMP”, otherwise known as the build a zombie camp where their hardest chore is wondering where they left the remote control. This brings me back to Dance Houston and the programs it has deliberately designed to keep young people moving and inspiring curiosity with the ultimate unspoken goal of building relationships with people, culture, and informed diversity.  At the end of the day Dance Houston can proudly say it helps to grows courage in people (of all ages) to build their own stage featuring their uniquely inspired life dance.

“The performances were magical; the stars transformed the stage into a conversation of culture and diversity through dance.” 

In the 21^st Century we are often so concerned with measuring success and showing numbers that prove our contrived findings I look to organizations like Dance Houston and see the success on a stage where young people become global thinkers and learn how to speak a variety of languages through the movement of dance.  As I research the impact arts has on a young person’s academic achievement as measured by grade-point averages and standardized tests like the SAT or ACT I have learned that young people who are exposed early on to the arts but specifically to music and dance are more likely to score higher on standardized test and excel in language arts, math and science.  The question that surfaces in my heart and mind is; if the statistics continue to prove that the arts have a positive impact on our young leaders how is it that programs like that of Dance Houston’s Shooting Stars are so rare.

“The young stars were exposed and taught dance techniques and history around other cultures and how dance continues to be a universal form of communication.  The stars spent 7 hours a day 5 days a week for two week seeking and gaining knowledge and perfecting their skills around the lost language of cultural dance…” 

Andrea Cody, Founder and Executive Director of Dance Houston.

Our young people will one-day find themselves competing with their counterparts from Europe, China, and India for the brain-based jobs that are an ever-increasing percentage of the global economy; It is inspiring to see that Dance Houston is developing programs that nurture youth’s understanding, acceptance and love of the arts and the diversity that lives within the movement and music.

The Houston Summer heat has been unforgiving… but on Friday, July 31^st the Dance Houston – Shooting Stars campers took their audience around the world through their exquisite and flawless performances…

I leave you with my favorite quote…

“I’ve always known, my entire life I have loved music, music moves me to just dance…”

“Shooting Star” 8 year old camper