When a new work emerges, there’s inevitably twists and turns in the direction you’d like to see the piece move toward. Such was the case with Descendence.  I began the rehearsal process in the Winter with the extraordinarily talented husband and wife duo, Milan Misko and Nana Tsuda. After its original completion, we shelved the piece for a few months, then dusted it off, and started the metamorphosis. After a title change, and a revamping of a few items, we premiered the work in the KoDaFe Dance Festival at the Manhattan Movement and Arts Center on June 22nd.

This was a bill for many tastes, and yet all involved brought a lot of emotion to the stage. At last, on that beautiful Sunday afternoon, I released the dance to the dancers, and gave them the opportunity to make it their own. Thank you to the dancers for a wonderful premiere! What a great, therapeutic process it was to dig deep into our history, and integrate all that trickled down from our ancestors, and loved ones that have gone before us. So much learned, and so many more miles to journey…

See more of Cathryn Lynn’s photos here!

Stay tuned for the video!

All went well at Triskelion Arts in Brooklyn on May 20th! This was the last dance performance for Ryan Schmidt before  she tied the knot this past weekend! Congrats, Ryan!! Claudia Howard Queen’s music and video footage from Ireland, were the backdrop to the piece I was commissioned to do by her, and was part of her Fellowship at University of North Texas. Her ideas, based on themes of healing, came together in a few short months. Ryan executed the piece with great strength and characterization, creating a feeling of being in an enchanted place, with fairies, mystical waterways, and lichen-covered rocks. Our other works included film collaborations with Amelia Golden, highlighting her luscious sense of capturing story-line with motion, and the mix of humanness that underlines most of our work together. A big thank you to Amelia for ACD’s production of  Playing House and A Piece of Shelter.

Hope you enjoy our premiere of Goddess Danu and Birds Over Lower Lough Erne. 

When the curtain came down on the New York International Ballet Competition this past year, I felt a fissure starting in the core of the dance world, but that wasn’t the only news that rocked its foundation. What about the disbanding of the Trey McIntyre Project, or the bankruptcy and closure of Dance New Amsterdam? I realize you need to know when to fold ’em, but I also realize in the midst of all the hardship, there’s sometimes reason to hold onto your hand, even though it may seem inane to the outside world.

I just witnessed a pond that dried up at a National State Park, but fresh new flowers, and plants were growing on its surface. Somewhere there’s  the possibility of new life, but only after a long pause, silence or drought, do we get to reap the rewards of Mother Nature’s grand plan. As an artist, I feel part of the crack and part of the stem of a flower, all at once. The cosmic timing of producing, is always met with news of a death or some tragic press release, but we always continue to march on, and jump back into the studio.

Such was the case with“Goddess Danu & Birds Over Lower Lough Erne.”  This new solo set on Ryan Schmidt, was commissioned by award winning composer, Claudia Howard Queen, who envisioned this work after a mystical trip to Ireland. During my time at Western Michigan University, I met Claudia, who was a visiting artist  at the time. I was completely blown away by her abilities as a percussionist, and her symbiotic way of folding music into the dance. She allowed dancers to experience movement through the rhythms and timbre of the music, like no other accompanist I have known. With her ideas of healing through music and dance, and the inspiring themes of Celtic mysticism, it was easy to say yes  to this commission. 

So as fairies, folklore, Selkes and goddesses enveloped my space, I connected to part of my roots, and drifted into a place that felt oddly familiar. With footage of birds flying over an Irish waterway, and music by Claudia Howard Queen, this multi-media piece will surely take you to mystical horizons. We look forward to our premiere at Triskelion Arts in Brooklyn, where we will also be sharing the collaborative works of filmmaker, Amelia Golden. Please read about our event here, and for now… I think I’ll hold onto my hand!

Claudia Howard Queen Composer	Amelia Golden, filmmaker

2013 was a wild one, but I know I am not alone here in thinking that. If we can say that we put on ballet slippers and got to the barre, then we are well deserving of a drink. In this political climate of unrest and economic uncertainty, we as artists have to pause, and allow ourselves some space and time to reflect on what once was easy to do. With dancers being injured, and workloads lightening up due to lack of jobs, then just a long barre is sometimes very satisfying in the scheme of things. So, if you are wondering where you are as a dancer, keep yourself front and center, as the back of the room simply won’t do, and it ain’t over yet, ok kids? These are my sentiments as I witnessed too many dancers down on their luck this year. Remember, “you’re still a contenda…”

Grab who you can when you can, and just start something before you miss out on opportunity. Dancers could be moving away, injured, or even getting married, so hurry up and enlist their talents before it’s too late. I started out 2013 in a new way by deciding to make a film short– not a film about the process of making a dance, but a film in and of itself. A Dress in the Stream,  was made in a day of inspiration and risk taking. I loved the process of relying on instinct, and the talents of Amelia Golden, my videographer/filmmaker, and my dancer, Annie Heinemann, to take me to uncharted territory. Annie was soon to begin a new, full-time dance teaching job, so time was of the essence. Grab her now before she gets too busy (she also became a new Mom!). Thank God for a paycheck and the benes! Annie proved to be the delightful diva of my dance imagination. The shoreline of CT and the indoor shots from the sleek dance studio in Guilford, were the perfect mix of elements for our innovative film. Take a look again here if you haven’t seen it.

Next up was Julie Fiorenza, recreating the solo I set on her about her adoption from Korea, My Room.  A Korean Dance Festival to present this most personal solo?? How apropos!! Julie pulled her technique to a new level this year, as I watched in a pool of tears. She got some more mileage from this solo and I couldn’t be more proud of her. To Korea with love– another toast!

I found my greatest joy this year in a new CD, Winter Morning Walks. My dear friend, Maria Schneider, went to extreme heights to create this new masterpiece.  Three new pieces were born from this gem of a work, and I am so pleased to have been able to sink into the music. Dust Devil, danced by Ryan Schmidt, was a hot, little solo which morphed into a new short film, Playing House, another in collaboration with Amelia Golden at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. See if you can find the symbolism in her engagement in this piece!

The next of the pieces from Winter Morning Walks  were created at a residency at the Dragon’s Egg in Ledyard, CT. Barn Birds and Solstice Morning were made in one-long day’s worth of sweating. The heat of the summer resonated with me, I guess… and so we danced all day and left with two new works in our back pockets. Cheers to the dancers, So Jung Cheon, Chris Jackson, Milan Misko, and Ryan Schmidt. Our day in the woods, was one never to be forgotten. We set a film short about our day there (Amelia behind the lens again),  to an original piece by my colleague, Tamara Wilcox. Thanks to her special contribution, we can share with you, Woodland Aire. 

Alas, the conclusion of my year of choreographing came with our new duet, Trickle Down. With having lost a few good friends and family members this year, I can only say that there was influence from above to make this new piece. Milan Misko and his wife, Nana Tsuda Misko, took ownership of this touching new dance, made in a few short rehearsals– another Jiffy Mix! The two of them pulled the piece together with grace and strength. I will be toasting again to them when we premiere the piece in 2014.

Cheers to the dancers for their tenacity, hard work, and their kinetic sensibilities. I am so blessed to have seen them grow through the ages and take charge of their craft. Also, cheers to those who can say they didn’t work, but who are on the fringes awaiting their next move. It’s only because of all of us that art exists at all. And, last but not least, cheers to Cathryn Lundgren, my genius behind the lens. I thank her royally for her passionate vision and for the great promo reel she made for ACD this year.  So, drinks up…  pause and reflect on a year well spent!

A Dress In The Stream – Annie Heinemann	A Dress In The Stream – Annie Heinemann
My Room – Julie Fiorenza	Dust Devil – Ryan Schmidt
Dust Devil – Ryan Schmidt	Dust Devil – Ryan Schmidt
Playing House – Ryan Schmidt	Playing House – Ryan Schmidt
Playing House – Ryan Schmidt	Dragon’s Egg
Ryan Schmidt, Chris Jackson	Barn Birds
Barn Birds	Barn Birds
Solstice Morning	Solstice Morning
Solstice Morning	Solstice Morning
Solstice Morning	Trickle Down – Milan Misko & Nana Tsuda Misko
Trickle Down – Milan Misko & Nana Tsuda Misko	Trickle Down – Milan Misko & Nana Tsuda Misko
Amelia Golden, filmmaker	Cathryn Lundgren
Tamara Wilcox Composer

Between the Baryshnikov Arts Center and the DANY, a new duet was created within a few rehearsals by a dynamic husband and wife team. Milan Misko is a tremendous force as a dancer, and you’ll surely recognize him from past works. His wife, Nana Tsuda Misko, is new to my process, but you could’ve fooled me. She was right there with every move and picked up very fast on my style. The two of them were so helpful in ironing out the kinks with the lifts, and were so resourceful in working out the minutiae of how to get from point A to point B. The nuts and bolts of the dance were hammered out in no time, but the real stuff of the piece was still simmering.

Trickle Down came from the idea of how we continue to march on in life, no matter how hard it gets. We are the great vessels from which our daily life’s laundry resides. There has been much loss in all of our lives, and especially this year with so many of us. We, as dancers, filter all this loss — from our recent history, to our ancestral ties — and as it continues to trickle down  into every fiber of our being, we find it necessary to express it in our movement. It seemed that we downloaded this idea into the blueprint of this work, realizing all its potential only when we were in the last minutes of our taping, just a couple weeks ago. It was a cold studio that last day at the DANY, and we were not altogether sweating, but the heat was rising, and the passion was growing. Alas, the final run-thrus were hot, and the dancers gave it their all.

I hope that you’ll take a peek into our gallery of pictures to see these two amazing dancers at work. Cathryn Lundgren blessed us with her presence again, utilizing all of her skills as a masterful dance photographer, as well as her keen eye behind the video camera. As for the final performance, stay tuned… you haven’t seen the last of this dynamic duo! It’s scheduled to — trickle down — soon.

On a hot, steamy day in June, the seeds were planted for our new film short, “Woodland Aire.” The one-day residency at the Dragon’s Egg in Ledyard, CT, provided the perfect backdrop for what became our fancy-free tribute to the great outdoors. Combining the natural elements of the artsy environment, along with rehearsal footage from our two new dances we created that day, this spry piece is my personal Godspell.

The air was hot, and the mosquitoes were in abundance, but we jumped for joy, picked flowers, ran around sculptures and promenaded, a’ la’ Maaaartha! Hackneyed? Yes, but maybe now it’s considered retro cool!

The music for our piece was written by Tamara Wilcox, Assistant Professor and Music Director in the Department of Dance at The College at Brockport. We had worked together at Eastern Michigan University, where she impressed me with her extraordinary skills as an accompanist, music editor, and composer.  We continued working together when I went onto Western Michigan University, where she went to bat for me, handling all my musical needs. She saved me on so many occasions, and I am forever grateful to her for those crazy Michigan years! I am also grateful for our collaboration on “Woodland Aire,” where she hit the nail on the head with her exquisite, original piano score.

Thanks to Amelia Golden, yet again, for capturing the images from our day. She caught our free-spirited nature, finding all the nooks and angles that tell a story so well.

Ryan, Sophie, Chris and Milan danced so beautifully, and connected their energies in the most seamless way, as if we had been rehearsing for months!

The wilderness gave us all what we needed that day, for sure… a chance to dance and play in the fresh air of the woods, without a   care in the world!

The most inspiring moments at the Baryshnikov Arts Center usually happen by mistake.

Take that day back in June when I choreographed a new solo, Dust Devil, on Ryan Schmidt. Filmmaker, Amelia Golden, was on deck as we pranced around the building grabbing ad hoc shots here and there, as part of our rehearsal process. I accidentally ran into a European dance company that was doing a residency at BAC, and had constructed an enormous, wooden structure that served as an installation to their dance project. They were in the room next to us, and to my surprise, were agreeable to let us in after their rehearsal to shoot some random shots around the space. Well, these random shots turned out to be the inspiration to Playing House, our new short-film performed by Ryan Schmidt.

These rare moments when space, time and energy come together to create an idea, have become my passion. Seeing what Amelia captures through her lens has always fascinated me. Curiously, I watched as she revealed the footage from that day. Hmmm… Ryan’s engagement ring appeared in a close-up, along with this raw structure that resembled a new house being built. Could the synchronicity of Ryan’s new engagement, have something to do with building a new house and future? You’ll have to see for yourself. I always loved playing house as a kid, and I hope with your child-like vision, you’ll imagine something that resembles that for yourself.

On June 29th, ACD was awarded a one-day residency at the Dragon’s Egg in Ledyard, CT. This is a magical place nestled in the woods, close to my old stomping grounds in Mystic. This enchanted never-never land, makes you forget about the world and all its problems, and allows you to open your mind freely to the endless possibilities of artistic expression. Four dancers gathered together to embark on a journey to make dances to the music of Maria Schneider’s master work, “Winter Morning Walks,” and specifically to the pieces based on Ted Kooser’s poems. Dust Devil, a solo I set on Ryan Schmidt this month, was one of the pieces from this collection of songs. There are nine of them, and I was hoping to complete three more that day, but as the temperature rose, and the sweat poured down our brows, I could only muster two more works… ok, that’s pretty good, considering the day got off to a late start due to a traffic jam on I-95. Go figure!

At around 5:00, filmmaker, Amelia Golden, arrived to give us a respite from our fatigue, and to start up her lens and creative engine. There’s something great that always happens when she is present. I set out to have a small showing at 7:00 pm, so we were on a bit of a time crunch to get the two pieces I managed to choreograph, polished, and to grab a few ad-hoc shots in the great outdoors, while the light was still good. The dancers had fun parading around this funky sculpture outside, and performing pseudo-Godspell movements around the gardens and landscape. This was the dawning of the age of Aquarius, no doubt! We even ate hummus and delighted in our organic food from Trader Joe’s.

Amelia worked diligently to capture the footage from the two dances, and to also grab moments from our process, for what will become a film-short about our day. The dancers gave their all through their sweat-soaked dance clothes, and delivered brilliant performances of two new works. I was so proud of them for achieving so much in so little time, and for making it look pretty close to theater quality.

Please revisit my post about Maria Schneider’s new album, and be on the lookout for when I eventually get these videos to Vimeo, and when I will attempt more of her works from the series. I’m so inspired by her music! It hatched a few ideas so far, and I’m looking forward to a bigger clutch!

Ryan Schmidt always bends over backward to get the job done whenever I work with her.  In our new solo, she displays a little from column A and a little from column B– the Chinese Food menu of dance movement, minus the fortune cookie! Before knowing of the horrendous aftermath of the Oklahoma tornadoes, I had chosen this piece, I Saw a Dust Devil This Morning, from Maria Schneider’s, Winter Morning Walks, to choreograph a new solo. With Maria’s composition based on the poetry of Ted Kooser, and featuring Dawn Upshaw’s sweet soprano voice, and the The Australian Chamber Orchestra, I embarked upon this rhythmically challenging gem from this masterpiece album, with complete serendipity.

As with most projects I do, there’s a feeling that something is totally meant to be. I am honored to be dedicating this new work to those that have survived, and those who have fallen from the great tragedies  of the tornadoes this Spring. With this expertly written score, I was blessed to have been able to create movement based on the poem, which paints imagery about the plains, and the little dust devils that swirled around the fields. It was with Ted Kooser’s words that Maria created a musical tapestry that so related to the author’s imagery from his roots of Nebraska.

I felt a bit of Agnes de Mille come out in me while making this, fittingly from the musical, Oklahoma! Maybe she was channeling through me in my rehearsals. When the winds came sweepin down the plains, unfortunately an enormous draft was felt by many. Thank goodness we have our art to keep us bending over backward to tell our stories. Come join us at Baryshnikov Arts Center this Tuesday where Ryan will be in the spotlight in her studio performance of Dust Devil.

I was under the influence of a sentimental journey when I first choreographed “My Room” on Julie, now almost three years ago. Julie had come back from a trip to Korea that she and her family went on to visit her homeland. She came back with a bunch of slides, stories, and emotions. We put it all together in this timeless solo that you can see today at Dance New Amsterdam in NYC. She is dancing this solo for the third time now in NYC, but this time she will be part of the I Kada First Korean Dance Festival. Make sure to visit my original post about this piece on my blog. Warning, this dance may cause tears to shed. I am ready with tissues today, and filled with joy to celebrate this work with such great company!