Wordless Blog #4: Light

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Dance Paradigms (Part 4: Popular Dance)

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From the group cohesive value systems in Traditional tribal, folk, and social dance, individuals emerge with a desire to express themselves, displaying their prowess, in contrast to others--meeting the needs and motivations of the Gravesian Egoistic system. Here, the individual discovers what Graves calls the “awareness of self as a possibly powerful being separate and distinct from others.” This is found in courting dances, recreational dance studios, Ethnic dance, and entertainment or commercial dance. Courting dances, from those found in the rituals of traditional cultures to the pea-cocking behavior of contemporary college students dancing at the local bar, exhibit traditional Egoistic motivations. On a more personal level, I started dance classes at thirteen and enjoyed the camaraderie of my classmates more than anything else. I felt I belonged within the group. Over time, I began to gain confidence in my ability and wanted to explore how I could express my individual pr...
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NDEO Conference Day 1

Incredible first day at the conference--over 900 people in attendance. Saw my professor Kaye (from Akron U over 18 years ago) give a presentation with Brian (who I danced with in GroundWorks Dance Theater some 13 years ago). Took a master jazz class with a group of incredible, masterful teachers: Karen, Thom, Patricia and Darwin. They were truly inspiring...and, my friend Billy (also one of our great living master jazz dance teachers) was in class with me. Got to tap with Anita (I have used her book for years) in a workshop she presented on collaborating with a composer. Attended a presentation by Yo-el who I had danced with in one of the 5x5 Dance Festivals (can’t remember if it was a NYC or CT one). He teaches modern for Boston Ballet School and was there with a researcher who demonstrated (experientially) a way to use research in dance education--specifically in the classroom. After grabbing a quick bite to eat, I met up with a whole group of jazz dance educators at the hot...
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Premiere of Courtly Dances from Gloriana April 14, 2012

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Last night was the premiere of a collaborative work between the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra , the Ridgefield Guild of Artists , and the Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance . The event went beautifully and it was interesting to see these organizations working together, especially from the point of view of the Dance Paradigms . A strongly conventional, classical-minded audience supports the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra. The current artists-in-residence at the Ridgefield Guild of Artists, sculptor Justin Perlman and performance artist Adelka Polak , are contemporary artists. My students from the Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance have a strong classical foundation in ballet balanced with experience in modern and contemporary dance, including exposure to contemporary composition and improvisation. I guess the biggest question for me going into this project was whether the gap between the symphony’s classical paradigm and the artists’ contemporary paradigm would be difficult to bridge. ...
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