ballet

MFA Thesis IV-Dawn States

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Photos by Brian Mengini, a trio of dancers wearing sunrise colors and against a drenched backdrop of purples, pinks and oranges creates a series of connected shapes with each other.

My name is Dawn States and I am a third year MFA student in dance at Temple University. I am happy to announce that I just passed my thesis defense and that I was also able to complete my thesis concert before these difficult times. My thesis project focused on dance and disability, particularly the exploration of ballet and physical disability. I also implemented progressive pedagogy into my approach of creating the dances for the thesis concert. 

Throughout this experience I was mostly concerned with the burden of representation. I know that as a person with a disability, we often are not portrayed in the world in a flattering way. I also had to consider the other dancers in my work and make sure that their needs were being met and that they were being represented fairly and accurately. Most of the time people with disabilities are used to inspire, teach a lesson or make people feel better about their lives. These tropes and stereotypes were something that I wanted to avoid. 

I worked through that by entering a process of progressive pedagogy with my dancers. Part of progressive pedagogy is having complete trust in the people you are working with. Another part is asking them to take ownership and participate in the creation. By allowing my work to be informed by the dancers, it also opened the space for better representation and for the dancers to add their personal imprint on the work.

Two dancers explore balletic lines together against a deep vibrant blue background. The dancers Share a Connection in their movements and bits of sparkle emanate from the pants of one dancer and from the cherry red of the other dancer’s scooter.

From this experience, I learned the power of community and vulnerability. I was open with my story in this process and found support in being open and sharing. All the worry, stress and isolation I felt before this process was held and witnessed by the dancers I worked with and my community. My dancers and I talked to each other, breathed together, worked through things with each other and assisted each other throughout this process. I was honored to work with them all and included their feedback in every stage of this process, even the end thesis defense.

Four dancers wearing white leotards and white ghostly tutus. They execute linked and graceful ballet positions while looking serious. The background is a black box theater.

 

 

I think the biggest thing I took out of this whole experience was the possibility of creation leading to transformation. Some tangible ways I saw this take place were in having accessibility information added to every postcard and flyer that the dance department at Temple University produces starting with my concert and moving forward. Having audio description and ASL at the concert was also another change. My dancers and I even altered how we entered the space, which was from the front of the house in a procession because the traditional method of entering from the back of the theater is inaccessible. I think having the people dancing in my thesis that I did was also a tangible transformation and I hope causes more change in the way people with disabilities, especially in dance, are viewed. 

Creating a thesis concert can be a consuming experience and I would just like to share a few considerations for those moving into this phase of their creative process. Firstly, remember you are human and you are working with other humans to make your vision on the stage. Be kind. Take moments to pause and breath where possible throughout this experience. Notice the experience and be present for it. Reach out to your community. It is alright to ask for help. When I was uncertain how to achieve particular things or missing a resource, my community was available to support me. Conversely, this connection with your community will strengthen and inform your work.

Shadowed dancer image projected onto the cyc of the black box theater. Dancer is making a balanced balletic shape where the left toe is touching the knee of the right leg with the left knee pointed out to the side. Downstage right of the projected image, is an ASL interpreter for the performance.

Lastly, I urge you to consider making your space more inclusive and accessible. Many people with disabilities would love to access or be part of artistic endeavors, but are often not thought of or included. Please consider having an ASL interpreter, audio description, closed captions and accessibility information as part of your next performance. The Temple Institute on Disabilities is a wonderful resource for connecting with these services. Being a movement artist is a unique responsibility. Take the time to determine what kind of impact you want to have and follow that connection through in your work, for as dancers and artists I believe we occupy an integral space in the world to create social transformation.

Dawn States Temple MFA in Dance

Crest -By José Raúl

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Ciao! I’m José Raúl. My majors and concentrations have changed several times
during my studies at Temple, from Musical Theater to Acting to BFA in Musical Theater to now,
a BA in Theater with an Acting concentration and a Dance Minor. In my time at Temple, I am
grateful to have twice performed with Koresh Dance Company, and have been a company
member of Nora Gibson Contemporary Ballet (NGCB) since Spring of 2017, while working
professionally with theaters and theater companies throughout Philadelphia.

José as Hervé in Fabulation by Lynn Nottage at Temple University (featuring Satchel Williams as Undine)

This semester, my dance classes include Contemporary Ballet II with Kip Martin, Movement
Improvisation II with Megan Bridge, Flamenco with Elba Hevia y Vaca, and Hip-Hop with Kyle
“JustSole” Clark.

Singularity and community are two things which ignite my curiosity and artistry. I love acting
because “the human mind”, an innately common anatomy amongst people, will lead an individual to function in a way that no one else on earth does, because no two people’s life circumstances are exactly the same. And yet, there are patterns and consistencies in the ways we function. The fractal goes deeper and deeper to the point that an actor, with their own singular humanity, can truthfully inhabit the essence of a character, another human experience, the byproduct of a singular life. It’s magic, to me.

José as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet at Temple University

Then we take the human body. Generally, we have the same numbers of bones, same types of organs with the same functions. But the proportions are different. Further, my life before I entered this studio is different than yours before you did the same. History is in our bodies. Social constructs suggest what ways we should move and not move. Clothing, family dynamics, values, labor, nutrition, love, neglect, everything shapes the comforts and discomforts of our bodies.

In Movement Improv II, I am learning to evolve the way I dance. My primary method of learning anything has always been mimicry. This class presents opportunities to explore the terrain of my body and expression with new technologies, every day. Instead of following (mimicking) steps, we are handed tools. With these tools, I investigate my singular terrain.

José as Sir Andrew in Twelfth Night at Shakespeare in Clark Park

Dance is personally most magical to watch when the biped vehicle of the standard human body toes the crest of its primary function of doing things, and enters a realm of things being done to it, of riding some unseen wavelength. I think of Tess Voelker’s (dancer with Nederlands Dans Theater II) videos on Instagram, and choreographer Marco Goecke’s works, as well as some of choreographer Juliano Nunes’ works.

This April, NGCB will be performing at the Performance Garage Twentieth Anniversary Gala. The piece we will be presenting is a 10+ minute duet, featuring original video projections designed by Nora Gibson herself. Working with Nora is a tremendous opportunity. She welcomes every bit of who I am to rehearsals and performances, so I very much look forward to what revisiting our choreography for this gala will produce, now that I have had such a wonderfully diverse exploration of different dance styles and vocabularies.

 

José Raúl, Temple Dance Minor, BA in Theater, Concentration in Acting

 

Thank you for taking the time to read. If you wish to follow up, you can reach me at:
www.eljoseraul.com | @josrul (instagram) | rauleljose@gmail.com

Colloquium-Mark Franko

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By Christine Colosimo

Dr. Mark Franko presents parts of his new book at the Temple University Dance Studies Colloquium

On Tuesday, January 21, 2020, at the Temple University Dance Studies Colloquium, our very own distinguished professor, Dr. Mark Franko presented a paper entitled, “Parade as a Critical Concept in French Interwar Theory.” Dr. Franko, an eminent scholar in the field of dance studies, has authored eight books, including his most recent, The Fascist Turn in the Dance of Serge Lifar: French Interwar Ballet and the German Occupation, which is forthcoming in June of 2020. This evening’s colloquium talk acted as a sneak preview of Franko’s forthcoming book as he introduced some of its materials, ideologies and theories.

As many of you may know, Dr. Mark Franko is a virtuosic dance researcher and professor of dance. He holds degrees in French literature from the Department of French and Romance Philology, Columbia University. He was a dancer and is a choreographer. His critical theory in developing this new book is informed by his extensive knowledge of both French culture and his career as dancer and choreographer. Through a genealogy of French history and ballet, Franko began the colloquium talk by differentiating terms, such as classicism, neoclassicism, modern, modernity and the modern, all complex and difficult concepts to understand and delineate.

Original program booklet for 1917 ballet, Parade.

Franko’s talk began with the one act ballet entitled Parade which was choreographed in 1917 for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. Parade was conceived by Jean Cocteau and choreographed by the famous dancer, Leonide Massine. The music for this ballet was composed one year earlier, in 1916, by Erik Satie. Pablo Picasso designed the scenery and costumes. Of significance is the partnership between Picasso (paint), Massine (dance), and Satie (music) and Cocteau (libretto, direction, performance) which, until the premier of Parade, had not yet happened. Parade bridges the modern ideal of cubism with ballet theater and modern, contemporary music. You can see from the photos that the costumes and sets are apropos of the plastique arts in Paris at this time. Parade premiered in Paris, France at the Theatre du Châtelet.

The idea behind the ballet Parade and the collaboration between Picasso, Satie and Massine was that of playwright, poet and novelist, Jean Cocteau. Cocteau was the focus of Franko’s talk. Franko is clear to point out that his research is not actually about Parade as a French 1917 ballet, but rather, his talk is about the idea of parade in French performance history.  He explained this difference through his theoretical framing of ballet, the return of the “neo” in ballet, and located one aspect of French neoclassicism within the idea of Parade. For me, thinking about the neoclassical in this way is new, but Franko’s theory gives one pause to stop and rethink what is neoclassical.

Parade. Choreographed by Leonide Massine. Music by Erik Satie. Libretto by Jean Cocteau. Costumes designed by Pablo Picasso in the cubist style.

Ultimately, the topic of Dr. Franko’s talk is about finding “a kind of alternate neoclassicism” within the ballet, Parade. He frames his research in terms of the neoclassical within the limits of French ballet, which focuses on the 1920s and 1930s. He then poses the question, when is classicism, and who has ownership of classicism; the Greek, the French or the Russians? This question has long vexed dance scholars.

Focusing primarily on the writings of Jean Cocteau, Franko compares the latter’s theory on poetic populism with French poet, Paul Valery’s ideology of self-rejuvenating mimesis. He states that dance is an unstable artifact, one which is expressive of cultural and national identity. In his argument, he turns his attention to the folkloric, which is rooted in seventeenth century courtly dance, and introduces discourse around the problems of tradition. Bridging the folkloric to the classic through his framing of ballet is interesting. It sheds a new perspective on that which we think of as neoclassicism.

photos by Luciano Romano http://unitel.de/media/files/flyer/A-000-50055-0000_pompeii_flyer_WEB.pdf  
 All rights reserved · credits not contractual · Different territories · Photos: © Luciano Romano · Flyer: luebbeke.com

In conclusion, Franko’s re-reading of Cocteau finds that there is a populist version of neoclassicism, which can be seen in the ballet Parade.

As a PhD student in dance studies, I feel honored to study with Mark. Temple is certainly fortunate to have him as a professor and I highly recommend his seminars to any graduate students.

Lastly, for those of you who have never seen Parade, a 2017 version is available for streaming on Medici TV. Leonide Massine’s son, Lorca Messine, sets the original choreography on the Corps de Ballet of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma in Pompeii, Italy. Only twenty-five minutes, the ballet is well worth a viewing. As Eleonora Abbagnato, the director of the Opera di Roma’s Ballet says, “These ballets belong to the history of dance but at the same time are very modern.”

 

Christine Colosimo, TA and PhD in dance studies student at Temple University; Adjunct Professor in dance at Rider University.

Auckland Adventures in Dance

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My Experience Studying Dance Abroad for the Second Time
by Keri Lushefski

Last spring, I expanded my horizons and studied dance abroad for a second time. During my first time abroad, I journeyed 5,000 miles away to Rome, Italy with the Temple University Dance Department for two months. This time, I chose to depart 10,000 miles away to Auckland, New Zealand to train and study with The University of Auckland’s dance program for four months. Having already studied abroad once, I felt comfortable in the process of pursuing yet another unforgettable and enriching experience.


The classes I enrolled in while in New Zealand were Dance Vocabulary III (a contemporary technique course), Professional Dance Practices (similar to Senior Seminar), Ballet, Hip Hop, and Improvisation, and Pacific and Māori Contemporary Choreography. I also joined an Acrobatics Club where I honed in on my strength and balance in performing unique acrobatic poses with a diverse group of college students. Involving myself in a cultural dance form I have never experienced before, Pacific and Māori, was very eye opening to how expansive dance really is, and the many traditions in which it is practiced around the world. It reminded me of when I witnessed dance through other cultural lenses, such as when I took part in Hungarian folk dance in Budapest.


In consideration of having a two-week spring break, I decided to travel to both Sydney, Australia and Queenstown, New Zealand. In Sydney, I surfed at the infamous Bondi Beach, petted kangaroos and koalas, explored the Sydney Opera House, climbed the mast of a ship, saw the breathtaking botanical gardens, and witnessed a 360-degree view of Sydney in the Tower Eye. Furthermore, Queenstown is known as the adventure capital of the world; therefore,  took part in activities I never believed I would do, such as going indoor skydiving, paragliding,  and upside-down zip riding. Throughout the semester, I also spent my weekends exploring Auckland; I hung off of the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, hiked to the peak of a volcano, went on whale and dolphin safaris, enhanced my knowledge at museums, watched dance performances, etc.


Since my future aspirations are to move to Europe and take part in a graduate dance program to further build my professional dance career to become a performer, choreographer, university dance professor, and dance researcher/educator, these study-abroad opportunities have prepared me to become motivated in doing so. I now feel highly confident in being independent, moving to new places, meeting new people, experiencing new languages and cultures, taking various forms of transportation, and traveling by myself. I no longer feel the need to worry about getting lost, since there are multiple GPS systems and local advice that help me ease my way around. Having been on a 24-hour round trip flight, any travel time less than that seems like a breeze to me. Leaving for long periods of time also always makes me appreciate everything I left back at home even more. I now know what it is like to study dance in a different country as well as experiencing life in a total of fourteen countries. I am excited to see what my future dance career brings as I transition into yet another experience abroad. My adventures will surely last a lifetime.

Keri Lushfeski BFA in Dance Student

Ziying Cui’s Ballet Journey

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By Ziying Cui

When I was a child, I remember I begged my mother to take me to every Swan Lake performance in my hometown. I was fascinated by the dancers’ virtuosity, the orderliness of the corps de ballet, the romantic love story, and the gorgeous costumes and stage settings. My early experience of watching ballet motivated me to study this Western dance genre. Within more than twenty years’ ballet training in China and the US, my curiosity of ballet expanded beyond idealizing my body alignment and mastering dance movements. I was intrigued by the rapid development of Chinese ballet and how this Western art found avid audiences and practitioners in China.

Ziying Cui

 

In 2016, I began to study a PhD in dance at Temple University. This allowed me to shift my position from a dance practitioner to a dance researcher. The first two-year’s course works not only broadened my view of the English dance scholarship, but also provided me a large amount of theoretical and methodological knowledge of conducting doctoral research in dance. I have had the honor to learn with some of the most celebrated scholars around the world, and observed diverse research projects. Beyond the coursework, my endeavors out of class in the past three years, including exams preparation, attending dance colloquiums, and dance conference presentations, helped to prepare my own research in Chinese ballet. In addition, adequate ballet classes and teachers at Temple allow me to keep practicing ballet while doing research.

As a non-native English speaker, I had to work harder in and out of class to catch up the academic works. While the first year was the most challenging, my professors and colleagues helped me through the difficult time. At Temple, faculty members are always there to help students, but most importantly we have to work hard to make progress through our own efforts.

Ziying Cui, PhD in Dance Student

Complexions Performance and Master Class Review

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Complexions Contemporary Ballet was the first of eight companies to perform at the Prince Theatre in downtown Philadelphia, as part of Dance Affiliate’s NextMove series.

Complexions Co-Founder Dwight Rhoden arranged seven of his works for the Philadelphia stage.

The show opened with Ballad Unto… a Philadelphia premiere. With each articulation of the spine and brush of the arabesque, seven couples poured emotions of love and heartbreak into brisk and graceful movements en pointe.  Seamless partnering and gestural unison sections made the piece successful.

Next in the program was Gone, a trio performed by Kelly Marsh IV, Greg Blackmon and Timothy Stickney that illustrated a fight for survival. The men captured this motif beautifully, transitioning with ease from soars and darts through the air to complex floor work. The choreography and concept of the piece illuminated the athleticism of these three professionals.

Addison Ector stole the stage in Choke, a male duet exploding with themes of dominance and competition. Ector’s facials remained casual and royal while he whipped out triple attitude turns followed by a series of controlled extensions.

The final piece took an enormous risk on dance and artistry and succeeded with flying colors. Strum was a full company piece set to the music of Metallica. Watching this piece was like tasting, smelling and touching a rock concert through dance. The walking pathways were one of the most powerful aspects. Timothy Stickney stole the spotlight, expressing qualities of insanity, passion and pure stardom.

 

Master Class with Ashley Mayeux

On Friday, I attended the Complexions master class at Philadanco!, taught by dancer Ashley Mayeux.

I was surprised to find the class was mostly filled with younger dancers, around high school age, with little training in ballet or contemporary techniques. After a standard, fairly easy ballet barre, Ashley taught us part of a Complexions finale dance. The choreography was very basic and more fun than technical. I think this was largely due to the skill level of the class. Although I was somewhat disappointed that the master class was not up to the level or rigor that I expected, I appreciated Ashley’s professionalism and willingness to cater the class to the average ability level of the room. She made the class enjoyable for all of the dancers. If nothing else, I obtained valuable information from watching Ashley in class. I observed her artistic choices and studied how I can apply these choices to my dancing.

 

 

-Meghan McFerran

B.F.A. Dance

B.A. Journalism

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Laura Katz Rizzo

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Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Laura Katz Rizzo
This summer, Laura Katz Rizzo danced through achievements in film, literature and ballet.
First, she attended American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum Course to refresh her work in ballet curricula. She also studied with with Igal Perry and gained new perspectives on the structure and teaching techniques of ballet class.
Laura attended the CORPS de Ballet International Conference, where she took master classes from Virginia Johnson and presented her own work on the dancer/wrestler Ricki Starr. Laura submitted her chapter on Starr, which will be featured in a collected edition of essays entitled Wrestling and Performance.
Laura also spent her summer working with young musicians, conducting interdisciplinary workshops on Baroque dance and history.
Nelly Berman Workshop
In addition to her studies in ballet and dance history, Laura began work on an independent film entitled Tako Vs Sora with film-maker Lauren Wolkenstein, dancer Sun Mi Cho , Ophidian and Closet Champion Mike Quakenbush, and members of Chikara Promotions.
ophidian
It doesn’t stop there! This Fall, Laura has been invited for guest residency and lecture appearances for her book, Dancing the Fairy Tale: Producing and Performing The Sleeping Beauty. 
51SmSS3D8rL._UY250_
She recently spoke about the book in several summer ballet intensives, and will next present at Ballet Forte in New Jersey. Laura has also been invited to speak at Smith College this fall. All are encouraged to come out and support our incredibly dedicated faculty member. Here’s to another year of success.

My Summer Dance Experience

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My Summer Dance Experience

This summer, I studied at an intensive called DCNS (Dance Creating New Stars) directed by Dara Stevens-Meredith and LaCeda Nelson. The goal of DCNS is to train employable dancers by teaching classes that develop dancers’ technique, creativity, confidence, and lifelong passion for dance. Every weekday for three weeks, I trained for eight hours a day in ballet, modern, jazz, composition, repertory, and dance terminology. DCNS was one of the most challenging things I have done in my life. The faculty treat you like a professional, and expect that you act professionally as a result. After long hours of dancing, I would go home to take notes, practice my choreography, and memorize ballet terms so that I could come in the next day ready to take on anything that was thrown at me.

 

My favorite day of the intensive was when Troy Powell came and taught a master class. I aspire to be like the dancers in Alvin Ailey one day, and I have recently become very interested in Horton technique. Being able to take a class from a former Ailey dancer and now the director of Ailey II was such a privilege. Once piece of advice Mr. Powell gave us before we left is to value your dancing every day, and as a result you will always learn something new about yourself and continually improve.

-Meghan McFerran

3rd Year B.F.A.