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...
When I consider the combination of the confrontational political atmosphere of today with the instant (no thought necessary) medium of tweets and status updates, I shouldn’t be so surprised by some of the mindless statements people make. Yet, I am surprised. And bothered. And I really can’t sit around being all “zen” about it. It’s not the politics itself; it is the confusion of opinion with reality and the intentions underlying the statements. Yes, we are all entitled to our own opinion. But that doesn’t mean all opinions are equal. If I believe the moon is made of moon rocks and you believe the moon is made of Swiss cheese, these beliefs are not equally valid. Enter Michelle Bachmann. "I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out: Are they pro-America or anti-America?" -Rep. Michelle Bachmann, Oct. 2008 ( more quotes ) Politics aside, claiming that any of our representatives in Congress are anti-American is ...
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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