Newsletter - 2011 - February

:ppNEWS

Thoughts from a :pp Director

February 2011

First One Day Workshop Coming Up!

:pushing progress top songs and videos

Noetic

Noetic:2

As many of you may know, I am currently applying for graduate programs, not for dance, but for International Relations and Public Policy. You may be wondering what inspired me to dedicate my time working as the Managing Director of a company like :pushing progress, when I have such seemingly different aspirations. But as I have gone through the application process and had to make some sense of my past achievements, my current work, and my future professional vision, my goals do seem somewhat connected: I hope to work internationally with a child-centered organization to improve access, equity, and quality in education in developing communities. In some strange way, I see :pushing progress as an organization with similar goals. To me, education is vital to community development because it gives individuals and people a clear and distinct voice, the power to make informed choices, and the tools for self-advocacy so that one’s message and needs can be heard by the local and global community at large. At the end of the day, this is what :pushing progress strives to do: to use dance education as a means of empowering dancers to develop articulation and mastery of the human body so that one’s individual voice can be greater and one’s artistry more unique. And through the gathering and cultivation of the many unique voices that are striving to be heard, and through the celebration of their distinct artistry, the dance community becomes stronger.

Although many dance organizations, like :pushing progress, value the link between quality dance education and performance, :pushing progress is unique in the way it values the individual -- the individual student, the individual teacher, the individual artist. To me, this speaks to the larger issue of our humanity -- that whether we consider ourselves “dancers” or not, we are all

individuals who struggle to communicate and to be heard, and to somehow be validated in what we think and how we feel. We all hope that what exists inside of ourselves matters, and that it has the power to somehow positively impact the world around us. And our strongest link to this possibility is our education.

A recent volunteer experience with an organization called Artists Striving to End Poverty affirmed this belief for me. In a pilot project with the International Rescue Committee, I taught dance to recently resettled refugee children, who experienced extreme language and cultural barriers. I discovered that dance has a transformative capacity to transcend these barriers. Through teaching dance, I was able to give silenced and vulnerable children a language and the tools to tell their own stories through movement. Most importantly, dance gave these children the chance to be understood. I realized that giving an individual these tools and the platform to be heard is the most powerful and important gift that you can give someone. This is the link that ties together my own achievements and aspirations, and the aspect I value most about my experience with :pushing progress. Every tool that we receive through education, whether it is dance or something else, gives us the capacity to express more effectively our ideas and beliefs, and enables us to be more thoroughly understood. And through the process of others receiving what we have to give with gratitude and acceptance, we recognize and value the power of our own individual voice.

As :pushing progress trudges forward into 2011, all of the directors are still working to hone and further define the vision of the company. Although :pushing progress has much evolved since its inception in 2006, one thing still rings true -- its value of the collaboration

of talented and unique artists and of the progressive and curious spirit that drives their art forward. The One Day Workshops and this year’s Showcase Series embody these values by striving to bring together artists of the New York dance community, both to share their knowledge of their art form and to present the the finished product of their creative process through performance. This year, we are also looking to highlight young choreographers, as their work sets the tone for the emerging trends and values in dance. Through these events, we hope to create a platform for both established and emerging artists and teachers to be heard and understood, and an open and welcoming place for the community to enjoy what these clear and distinct voices have to give. By celebrating one’s betterment through education and one’s ability to create and present works of art, we celebrate the growth of the individual and our own individual capacity to impact the world around us.

-Maya Escueta

[noh-et-ik] –adjective 1. of or relating to mental activity or the intellect.

Words from a :pushing progress Director

The Buzz

Rockettes, Rockstars and Rock Bottom Written by Keltie Colleen:pushing progress directors are so excited to be reading long time friend Keltie Colleen’s first book “Rockettes, Rockstars and Rock Bottom.” It’s an empowering book for any aspiring young artist on the quest for love and self worth, as a person and as an artist.

“Caught between backstage and center stage, Keltie Colleen opens a window to her intriguing life of dance and rock n’ roll. In between gigs, Keltie optimistically untangles complicated rockstar romances, while clinging to her own identity. Simultaneously tragic and hopeful, Keltie’s story is an honest, powerful and ultimately uplifting guide to following your dreams and losing your heart.”

Keltie Colleen is a quirky canadian from Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada. She started her dance career at the age of three thanks to some great dance lessons in a big red barn. Keltie is featured on the cover of the DANCE SPIRIT magazine. She is one of the world famous Radio City Rockettes in the the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. She has created her dream career dancing alongside Patrick Dempsey and Amy Adams as a principle dancer in the Disney feature film Enchanted. Keltie has also graced the small screen with Ben Stiller on Comedy Central, with the band Cartel on their show Band in a Bubble on MTV, as a dancer on NBC’s 30 Rock, Who wants be a Millionaire?, and on Saturday Night Live with Jamie Presley, Amy Poehler, and Tina Fey. Keltie has danced in music videos for Christina Perri, Kayne West, Luis Miguel and Gym Class Heroes. Her choreography has been featured in videos for John Legend, Andre 3000, Miranda Cosgrove and The Editors. Check out Keltie’s website at

Shelly Masenoir-Hutchinson - Uncovered Choreography WorkshopsA regular at the :pushing progress Winter Intensive since it’s inception, Shelly will be joining :pushing progress Sunday, March 27th for our 2nd New York One Day Workshop, and will be joining us once again for the May 21st and 22nd Showcase Series, to be held at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center.Check out Shelly’s Uncovered Choreography Workshops. A brilliant and innovative workshop for any dancer at any age interested in developing a voice as an artist and mover.Upcoming workshop dates include:March 19th, 2011April 16th, 2011May 21st, 2011June 25th, 2011For more information check out Uncovered Choreography Workshops website at

UNCOVERED CHOREOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS is a series of intensives designed to help young dancers find their own creative voice and embrace their identities as choreographers. The intensives are oriented to the individual and allow you to create your own work in a supportive, safe and inspiring environment!It’s the perfect place if you are looking to conceptualize your own piece, create a solo, further develop your own style of movement and use your great imagination.

News from the Dance World

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www.keltiecolleendance.com

www.inventmovement.com

Coming Up at :pushing progress

The One Day Workshop!:pushing progress encourages eager dancers to take a day out of their hectic lives and devote it simply to their passion: the art of movement. On February 27th, refine your skill with a morning of technique, warm up, strengthening and

. Later, you will get the opportunity to take classes in modern and contemporary movement with some of New York City’s most talented choreographers, Calen J. Kurka, Chris Hale, Jana Hicks, and Lauren Adams. We invite you to spend eight hours with us to remind yourself of why you live to dance and to arm yourself with more of the tools and experiences that can make your talent flourish.Register now at

Choreographer’s Call for the annual Showcase Series!On May 21st and 22nd, :pushing progress will be bringing the New York City dance community together to share their talents on one stage in their annual Showcase Series. Now until March 19th, we’re asking seasoned choreographers as well as new and undiscovered talents to submit applications to present up to seven minutes of their work on this prestigious stage. This year, Leslie Scott (BODYART) will be a returning choreographer on the Showcase Series stage. “It’s always

What’s Going On?good to meet new people and see new work,” she says, “and this series is a great way to do both!” Her work is something to look forward to for audience members and fellow choreographers alike. “The heart of the work I do is based on collaboration from several different art forms,” Leslie explains. “Often I’ll pull ideas from photos or visual art, literature or theater and build from there... [T]ruthfulness in movement is also important to me. When someone is falling on stage I want him or her to really be falling, not just ‘act’ like they are.”There’s less than a month left before the application deadline, so log on to our website for details and to submit!

Keep an eye out for the launching of our Kickstarter Project to raise funds to support the new and exciting features of this year’s Showcase Series! More details to come soon at

:pp CommunityKristen’s CornerIt’s been snowing a lot in New York. Record amounts of snowfall. Snow was always exciting for me because growing up in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, it was a beautiful rarity. It’s not quite like that in New York. Sure if you wake up early enough, the sidewalks are white and pretty. But within a couple hours, it’s all shoveled to the curb and starts turning all sorts of grimy colors of the city. Along with the snow this winter, the days have been overcast and gray. It’s easy to start to feel a little gloomy yourself just wishing for a ray of sunshine on your face and some blue skies to get you through while you wait for spring. This past month with the Contemporary Training Program has been just that for me. I started out refreshed, but my mood fell to all sorts of grimy. When we went on our month long break in

December, I was feeling confident and positive about myself as a dancer. We were given an assignment to choreograph a solo for ourselves in a style different from how we usually move. We were to use instrumental music, create an intention based on an area of the body, and then be prepared to describe the process we went through to create our work. Though it had been six years since I had choreographed, I was excited for the assignment. I was confident that because I was in such an amazing place emotionally with my dancing, my ideas for choreography would be innovative, and fresh. As I started working, I came up with some great ideas in my head, but would have trouble translating them into choreography. I was becoming increasingly frustrated. I started three different solos to three

different pieces of music, each creating a new gray cloud in my confidence that would ultimately lead up to a storm of self doubt and brutal self judgment. Somehow my hope for innovation and fresh movement turned into an expectation for perfection. My solo was not a mountain to climb up, because then I would have reached a top, potentially feeling the success of what I accomplished. My solo was a desert that I was trying to crawl across. I could not see any end to the negativity I had created within myself. It affected every area of my life: I was fighting with my husband, slacking on the care of our household, running late for appointments, not eating right, and overall not caring. All I wanted to do was get this solo over and done with so I could move on with my life. I had decided that I hated(continued on page 5)

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One Day Workshop

Showcase Series

Kickstarter

:pushing progress Top 5 Songs

:pp Tops

1. “Goth Star” by Pictureplane

2. “Settler” by Balmorhea

3. “Slow Life” by Grizzly Bear (from the Twilight Eclipse soundtrack)

4. “Crosses” by Jose Gonzalez

5. “Addicted to Love” by Florence and the Machine

Download Song

Download Song

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choreographing, I lacked the creativity to create, and I would never be an artist in that way.Despite wanting to move on and forget, we didn’t put this assignment to rest as soon as we came back from break. Instead, we were challenged even more to edit our movement, and emphasize the intention we had set. Strangely, through this torture, I learned something. Chris and Calen had us try different exercises by dancing to different music, or changing the directions from right to left, etc. It was the first time I saw hope of recovery from my slump. The new dynamic helped me start to enjoy my work a little bit. More than that, I recog-nized potential that I had been refusing to allow myself to see. How easy it was for me to let one challenge bring down everything in me really shook me up. As much as I love and hate to admit it, the work within ourselves never stops. I need to expect challenges that I won’t love and figure out how to not let them bring me down. The importance of editing is a life long process. Finding the patience to edit is much like weath-ering the storm but the rewards are like the spring and sunshine we enjoy.

-Kristen Prince

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:pushing progress Top Videos

1. “Echoes” Part III, Choreography by Thang Dao, Music by Ezio Bosso

6. Firstext Frankfurt Ballet

2. “Faun” Part I, In the Spirit of Diaghilev

7. Shadows in the Water

4. Aspen Santa Fe Ballet 9. Jodi Melnick at Fire Island Dance Festival 15

3. William Forsythe, Solo-Crystal Pite

8. In the Middle Somewhat Elevated

5. LINES Ballet Before the Blues

10. Danny Tidwell at Fire Island Dance Festival 15

Watch VideoWatch Video

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AcrossShe conceived, choreographed, and produced the show Moving Still in NYC.Calen was raised in ________.Chris incorporates _______ methodology into his teaching.While studying at this ivy league school, Maya choreographed and produced a full length theme-based night of original work entitled The Alice Project.Director of the Contemporary Training Program.One of two winners of the Northwest Dance Project’s 2010 cho-reographic competition, “Pretty Creatives”.

:pppuzzleFounder and artistic director of :pushing progress.

DownLauren is the Senior Music Editor of this magazine.Jana is the co-artistic director of________.Texas is the home state of this choreographer.Originally from Los Angeles.Loni graduated from __________.

by Betse Evans

All About :pushing progress! (may be more than one word, spaces are not included)

All videos were chosen by the 2011 :pushing progress Contemporary Training Program, as part of an assignment in learning and in performing movement from video.

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