I have just recently recovered from my Los Angeles experience. I never realized how much I miss the simplicities of the heat, the ocean, the 405 and my extended Rangoli family. It started with attending a performance at the Temple in Calabasas, where I was overwhelmed with faces known and unfamiliar (well everyone was in full makeup and costume) but nonetheless I felt spirited in the surroundings. Our rehearsal schedule intense as the triple digit temperatures while the camaraderie and support for the task at hand was as abundant as the delicious food provisions. Old friends surfaced as I visited old stomping grounds Club Zanzibar, Electric Lodge, Robeks and Johnny’s Pastrami while new edifices glisten The Santa Monica Place Mall and Library where I was greeted with enthusiasm by a former Connecticut student thanking me for her dance instruction. Eternal gratitude to the friends who welcomed me into their homes and comforted me with more simple pleasures of love, food, conversation and laughter.
Last month Hulu premieredthe online miniseries “LXD: Legion of Extraordinary Dancers” created by Jon M. Chu also director of movies “Step Up 2 & 3D”. Volume 1 of this 10 chapter miniseries showcases many elements of dance/sport movement on never-before-seen small screen, 360° slow motion cinematography. If you ever thought those accomplished aerial/gravity defying stunts in dance movement were impossible, this series gives you a birds-eye view of this ability. The “dancer” as “superhero” performs Ninja-type choreography, eloquently filmed and slowed so the viewer may marvel at the dancing abilities of these artists in their respective techniques. From B-boying, Popping and Locking, Krumping, contemporary Modern, Tap and Ballet, 10 chapters in total convey 10-13 minute storylines creatively displaying technical feats of various movement vocabulary, through stories of passion, desire, intrigue and revenge. Chu has created dance themes in everyday settings like the high school prom, the hospital, the office, the street, all as backdrops and reasons to display contagious dance episodes. Chu has definitely created a new genre in cinematic dance, making the dancing element the primary focus of entertainment.
It is with great honor that I will be joining the Rangoli Dance Company in the 25th anniversary production “Shivaya.” I cannot wait to reunite with the exceptional talent and gentle spirits that make this foundation an integral component in the study of Bharata Natyam, Indian classical theater, Yoga and sustainability in folkloric dance. I first met artistic director/choreographer Malathi Iyengar during my undergraduate years at UCLA. We were both challenged by the adaption of an avant/post modern approach to dance movement concepts, coming from a background of organic movement vocabulary. We discussed and collaborated then our ideas of this “new” dance movement culture, and I am pleased to say, 15 years later we still share, as UCLA alum, great friends and extended family. This anniversary year, I will incorporate a classically choreographed intro in the theme of earth, air, water and fire.
Kudos Rangoli ……… from the Elder Storytellers to the New Disciples, you all rock!
I had to refrain from blogging about SYTYCD season 7, which turned out to be quite a bore with a few exceptions. Let’s begin with the audition elimination. When judges failed to choose two superb male dancers that auditioned in NY, the injured Anthony Burrell and D.J. Smart (who later featured his amazing audition choreography in episode 21), I asked myself “o.k. now where is this program going?” Anthony, D.J and slated season 7 winner Alex Wong, would have offered a highly polished performance quality, perhaps as an unfair advantage to the other contestants. But why was the later injured and eliminated Alex chosen over the other two? Was this a deliberate casting angle?
August will see a roster of Arangetrams* presented by Artistic Director Malathi Iyengar from the Rangoli Dance Company (*the debut performance of a Classical Dancer, the time when a disciple proves talents and knowledge taken from their Guru) article by Prem Kishore of IndiaPost – California
These live performances of Bharata Natyam with mesmerizing , intricate rhythms, unique narrative, and powerful movements, always engage, enrich and showcase the best traditions of Indian classical dance Iyengar is a cherished and innovative choreographer, dancer/artist of our times and it is with an exhilarating anticipation that one looks forward to the debut of her amazingly versatile, gifted young dancers.
Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe of So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD), started a grassroots initiative declaring July 31st as National Dance Day. Encouraging individuals, communities and organizations to dance! This initiative has reached the interests of the politician Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes introducing a resolution to promote dance education as well as physical fitness.
The idea is to get individuals off the sofa and into a lifestyle of physical activity. SYTYCD is encouraging national dance parties to be filmed and submitted to the network (Click here to upload your video)
My last visit to NY was a whirlwind. I landed to attend a dance performance, followed by late nite dining, twilight dancing, in-studio instruction, sidewalk dining, and a Broadway show only to repeat with variation. The highlight of my journey was when I acquiesced to take a morning Dunham class after one of those notorious NY nights. I had many years of Dunham dance technique and figured this attempt would be like riding a bike. And it was. The absence of Dunham dancing in my repertoire made me appreciate the strength training, body conditioning routines that Ailey Company members resorted to in training for the season. The endless plie, demi-plie, relève hold is a dynamic, unparallel to any dance technique ever invented. I returned home to teach a Tropical Dance class to ballet students and realized if they were to master the Dunham technique, their ballet form would strengthen, as they acquire the curved spine/rhythmic aesthetic found in many other ethnic dance forms. It was in that instant that I imagined Katherine Dunham’s “aha” moment for her technique. The use of the Ballet point, reconstructed to fit the non European flexed joint accompanied by the tribal drum rhythms of the African Diaspora.
Katherine Dunham revolutionized American dance in the 1930′s by going to the roots of black dance and rituals transforming them into significant artistic choreography that speaks to all. She was a pioneer in the use of folk and ethnic choreography and one of the founders of the anthropological dance movement. She showed the world that African American heritage is beautiful. She completed groundbreaking work on Caribbean and Brazilian dance anthropology as a new academic discipline. She is credited for bringing these Caribbean and African influences to a European-dominated dance world. Katherine Dunham died on May 21 2006 http://www.kdcah.com/katherinedunham/biography.html?submenuheader=1
As I laughed, (instead of crying) my way through the morning’s exercises, I exalted Thank You Katherine Dunham, Thank You!
Bloco Olodum in the historic Pelourinho
Spring is upon us and as the weather is changing and flowers are budding, so is the interest in fitness. So why not something different? Brazilian AxèDancing although new to America is nothing new in Brazil. Its origins unknown except that given any popular Brazilian song, there exists a designated choreography to its bridge or chorus. Brazilians are passionate about their Pop Artists. If you have never been to a Pop music concert, native Brazilians almost always know every word to the song performed by their favorite artist. It is usually at this time that a cohesive choreography becomes a part of the concert experience. Experienced dancers will usually take the lead in directing movement/choreography, on stage or on the floor, for the masses. After several bars of practice the entire stadium may respond to the new expression of the selected song. This choreography may become widespread through a music video, or select “barrios” or neighborhoods may invoke their own interpretation of the song/movement. The result… Axé Dancing, a form of choreographed dance to popular song lyrics, performed at street functions, concert halls and talent shows. Howard County Recreation and Parks present Teen Brazilian Dance at Misako Ballet Studio for 8 weeks starting April 13th to June 1st. Come experience Brazil, Teen style!
The Company
In 1977 DanceBrazil was founded by Jelon Vieira after evolving from grass-roots workshops at the Clark Center for the Arts in NYC. Alvin Ailey joined the board of directors in 1980 and helped focus the objectives of DanceBrazil, emphasizing the company’s ability to speak to a broad North American community. Within a few years, DanceBrazil premiered at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall. In 1985, DanceBrazil premiered Orfeo Negro at the Riverside Dance Festival to critical and popular acclaim.
