-Alex

What a privilege and honor it is to have the opportunity to immerse yourself in nothing but dance, art, performance, creative process and genuine friendships- and of course, be a part of this year’s 30^th anniversary celebration! As many of you may already know, we are set on an ever so green liberal arts college campus. Some days are stickier than others with a combination of humidity and heat, but overall the sun beats down gloriously and enjoyably every day.  Although, after this weekend, I’ve learned the rain is a dear companion to the sun here too. To put it simply, it’s beautiful. Each day I discover in more ways than one.

As Sophie noted, we are one week into the Professional Training Program.  I can’t believe it! It’s thrilling so far. I’m stimulated in every way imaginable. My body aches from its over indulgence of a life in motion (it’s great) – there’s also a particular ease and comfort to life here. I feel calm, collected and I think the discoveries to come will assure more friction to the way I think, engage and move as an individual. Let’s just say there is a lot that happens within a 24 hr. time frame on this campus. Though seemingly small in size, it is abundantly rich in activity. Not only are participants taking four dance classes daily (with LIVE music!), but faculty, work studies, and interns all work intently throughout the day as well. Not to mention artists in residency and visiting dance company members rehearse vigorously on a weekly basis.  I often walk from one thing to the next and savor a moment to myself  thinking, wow- this place is great.

This upcoming week I’ll be sharing more insight on who and what.

Plenty more to come, always.

-Alex

We all attended a lecture demonstration from the Kate Weare dancers.  They will be performing this Friday and Saturday evening.  During the lecture, they performed one duet from the work, rotating the cast members to show the grand differences that changing dancers can make.  Most notable however (for me), was how the dancers worked with their varying height differences.  While gender pairings are always glaringly noticeable and complex, I’m more interested in the physical, more basic challenge of working with an entirely new body and how dancers adapt movement to continue the flow.  The Kate Weare dancers stressed the importance of constantly switching roles to be able to comfortably (and seemingly effortlessly) dance well with each other.

And speaking of the practice of working with new bodies, last night there was a very full turnout for the contact improvisation jam.  I spent the majority of the time watching the session.  Most enjoyable was watching the youngest jammers fearlessly leap around a corner of the space with each other.  These dancers, I’m guessing ages 10 and under, embodied some of the qualities most desired in a seasoned contact improviser.  Confidence, generosity, and humor bubbled in the kid’s section, catching the attention of some of the adults-which led to some wonderful duets containing excellent weight shift control and boundless jumps.

Next week, stay tuned for faculty and staff interviews and pertinent Olympic highlights.

Enjoy the weekend!

-sophie

I always try and pay close attention on the first day to what the instructors say as much as what they show and do.  It sounds simple, and is something that a good dancer should probably do every class, but on any “first day,” there are little nuggets of wisdom that I try and remember.  Let’s go through a few.

In Paul Matteson’s modern class, we began with a simple walking pattern that Paul related to time.  Starting with an extremely slow roll, we progressed gradually to full upright walking.  Paul encouraged us to think of the time passing as our entire life timeline, with the crawl being perhaps birth and infancy, and remembering notable moments along the way to full standing.  However, Paul also mentioned that if our mind wandered or couldn’t latch on to that idea it was OK.  I liked that.  Sometimes teachers offer images and ideas that are difficult for me to grasp in that moment, and I appreciated the acknowledgement that everyone may not be on the same plain to entertain certain thoughts on command.

After lunch I had the pleasure of being entertained by Michael Foley.  His humor, varying voice inflection, and energy are greatly appreciated right after lunch.  Michael encouraged us to write about our daily experiences.  With only three weeks, he said it could be helpful for synthesizing and remembering important notes and thoughts during the festival.  I think it can also help conclude and ground your day with simple, directive instruction to remember for the following classes.

And of course, one piece of memorable conversation happened outside of the classroom.  My friend was discussing with Greg Catellier (the BDF lighting designer) about whether to switch a class or not.  He simply responded to do whatever would give her the most joy and that there is joy in learning.  What a lovely way to appreciate the possibilities of each class.  So with that, good luck to all on “Day Two,” and may you find joy with every class!

-sophie

My first look into the program was watching the Works in Progress showing the dancers performed on their second to last night. Even by only seeing quick, one and two minute beginnings, the span of ideas, interests, and styles was evident. Also happily surprising, was the level of stage confidence of these young performers. I cannot remember a time when I was that age (and even now some days) where I feel confident enough to stand up in front of 100 people and perform a solo I’ve only just begun. These dancers certainly felt comfortable in the supportive environment of their new peers, faculty, and counselors. At the conclusion of the showing, the counselors entertained everyone with a short spoof skit culminating in the “satisfying communal dance party”. My friend explained that afterwards she had to go back to the dorm for the hall meeting, so she would see me tomorrow at breakfast. After that showing, it was clear that there must be a connection between repetitive, constant time for reflection and discussion and the collaborative and daring work that the young dancers were inspired to create.

The final day for the young dancers included a showing from their technique and rep classes, followed by an evening performance from Abraham.In.Motion. Karl Rogers, the YDW Co-Director, explained that the showing highlighted what they learned in class, rather than performing a choreographed new work. I thought this was especially clear in the ballet class showings, where simple movement was enjoyable for a fellow dancer to watch simply due to consistent proper placement and alignment on all bodies on stage. How unusual!

The dancers returned the theater one last time for the Abraham.In.Motion performance. With most of the dancers clad in company t-shirts, it was clear even in the lobby what an impact Kyle’s company had on the entire youth festival. Also notable was some of the phrase work in the performance that they students had danced in their own rep showings. What a thrill and deeper appreciation the students must have been left with after seeing this work.

Last year was my first summer with the Bates Dance Festival, and I came to appreciate the depth of study one can delve into here in such a short time span. It’s possible to learn a phrase, discuss it with the choreographer, write about it for the festival blog, and watch company dancers perform it all in just a few days. It’s wonderful to be back at the festival and see such care and commitment being offered to the younger dancers. Congratulations to all of the young performers and best of luck in your future studies!

Looking forward to being with you all the next three weeks……
-sophie

Tell us a little about your background outside of dance.  What made you return to dance and how does it influence Black Label Movement?

-First of all, I started dance very late in my life.  Took my first class when I was 19, after intense soccer training. Eventually I moved to New York for a year, and 10 years later I was with Limon and doing that whole process.

-My life partner Emily and I had been there for a long time (8 and 11 years, respectively), and we both realized we didn’t want to move to another company.  So I made a decision that I wanted to apply to law schools.  My undergraduate degrees were in Political Science and Women’s Studies.  My professors encouraged me to do law school as a more portable degree. I was lucky enough to go to Stanford and thought I was done with dance.  -After about 2 months they invited me to be a guest lecturer, and I actually never stopped dancing. After law school I worked for a wonderful organization in Minnesota called Farmers Legal Action Group that promotes sustainable agriculture and family farms.

-Once the dance people found I was there, I started doing dance again.  Then daughter Willa came along and it was too much, the seams started to show.

-I applied for professorship at University of Minnesota and established Black Label Movement as an entity. I used to joke that my first school of dance was soccer, but I’m serious about that now.  It was more of a mental shift and re-examination of how the body is being used.

Why is it called Black Label Movement?

-I love it because people always ask me about it.  People are actually interested and ask what it means.

-In the late 70s,early 80s when I was teens to 20 there was these things called generic foods.  Now they actually have glossy branding.  Back then, you would walk into the generic end of the grocery store and see boxes and boxes of cans with a black label around them. “Peas” and “Peaches”.  I would go in and walk down those aisles for the serenity of no nonsense commerciality.  No jolly green giant.  That no- nonsense approach to selling seemed a very honest and consistent way with doing the work the way I want to do.

-Trying not to hide behind a veneer of glossiness.  This is what we are, being true to the artistic choice of the moment and not trying to hide it. The movement part of Black Label Movement is very important to me.  I have not tried to get away from my social justice work of women’s studies, I like the multiple layers of what ‘movement’ means.  It’s about being in the world and communicating with others.  A core value of the art I’m trying to make and the community that I’m building inside of my company.

What about in connection to food?  I’ve met many ballerinas-turned-chefs, summer farmers who are Fall and Winter modern dancers, etc etc.  Any thoughts on these links, besides the obvious “food as fuel” connection?

-I’ve undergone a recommitment to my relationship to food.  As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that the examination of how food comes in and is eliminated becomes really important.  It’s difficult to keep eating patterns when you were younger as healthful in 30s…40s… 50s.

-One of things I’ve learned recently is to have an encounter with food that sees it as every level of its use.  That holistic examination has let me have an efficient relationship with it rather than obsessing about it.

-My interest with food isn’t so much in its production of making of it, but in terms of its impact on multiple layers that food goes through in our bodies.

You mentioned your daughter is enrolled in the youth program.  What do you hope for her to learn about food and nutrition as young artist?

-What I appreciate is that they do have a commitment to providing a healthful diet and being extremely embracing of different diets.  My daughter is a vegetarian, and the YAP program meets that need, and that is unusual.  It seems like it shouldn’t be in today’s world. But it still is.

-She actually comes home and talks about the food that she eats, it’s quite important to her.  To be in a place that gets that, makes it pretty special.  I also think it helps young bodies learn how to energize at a young age.  To have my daughter learning that when she’s 9 and see it reinforced in an institutional space is really important.  In other spaces she always has people question her choice, making fun of being a vegetarian, and it’s nice to know there are spaces for her to go where that’s not going to be the imperative.

-What’s wonderful about nutrition is that your body because an incredible lab, not in some weird way.  If I eat only fruit in the morning, is that enough? How does that impact me? Different diets have different impacts for different bodies.  That has been revolutionary for me.

What is your favorite meal in Commons?

-Sesame nuggets.  Raspberry fritters with mango sauce.  Take the cake.

-Sophie

The blazing day seemed to not bother the dancers or the horses, as all the performers had a simultaneous graceful elegance and wild abandonment while tackling the huge pasture, paddock, and boulder that defined the farm.  The opening image was especially resonant, with the BDF students spanning over the vast hill in wind swept, floor-length evening gowns.  Their simple, strong movement and dress contrasted nicely with the running and diving of the all red-clad Black Label Movement dancers.

The horses easily performed all of their movements on cue, circling and galloping in harmony with the dancers.  They barely noticed the 200+ audience members while contacting with the dancers.  Or if they did, they seemed to not mind being watched.  Especially memorable was a moment of contact between three of the horses and BLM dancer Eddie Oroyan, which was too genuine and spontaneous to have been choreographed.  That moment, for me, was a highlight and testament to the fun of improvisation.

Kudos to all of the performers, Flink, and Mendl Shaw for a thoughtful and distinguished performance.  What a feat for being created in two short weeks!

-Sophie

1. David’s Role in the Work.       During the lecture demonstration early last week, the company discussed the process of deciding David’s role in the piece.  In January, if I recall correctly, David watched the piece on stage and also kicked off the piece with a dance and speech to the audience.  Here at Bates, David interspersed his movement within the rest of the work, and did not address the audience via voice at the start of the show.  I interpreted the solos as transitions between sections, as well as drawing parallels between David’s character and Raja’s character (as Sly Stone).  I also imagined David as a representation of the vibe of living and experiencing the music in that time.  While the individual company members seemed to portray individual reactions to issues and the music of the period, for me David was more of an overarching, summarizing character.  This stood out especially in the new ending…..
2. The New Ending.        Both nights the piece closed with Raja and David returning to the diagonal of the beginning entrance, raising one arm in a peace sign while the stage faded to black.  Raja claimed a wide-set, firm stance.  David continued to jam, slowly quieting his movements–but keeping the beat in his torso until the fade out.  I thought it was a poignant visual, alluding to the relationship between Sly Stone and his fans.  Maybe even prophets to their followers, in a larger sense.  Or I could be way off.  That’s one of those fun things about abstracted art.

Lastly, I wanted to give a quick shout out to performer Whitney Tucker, who did the most graceful improvised duet with a moth that I’ve ever seen.  During her moving solo speech, a moth descended from stage right, as if on cue after a pause in her monologue.  Lit perfectly, she seized the moment so fast that the audience erupted in cheers at her quick (-est) wit.

A moth’s life span is only about one week.  If he only knew the 15 minutes he just got.

-Sophie

Hip hop dancers to ballet, Pilates abandonment for extra modern, and many flocked to yoga for some much needed afternoon relief. I even talked with one student who took a pre and post class from the wonderfully animal Kathleen Hermesdorf and Albert Mathias.

I decided to have a technique heavy day, with David Dorfman’s morning modern, the treat of Jenna Riegel teaching Lisa’s class, and clubbing with Kathleen and Albert post lunch.  Not only was the day very “physical,” (so sorry to use my least favorite, least descriptive dance word) but I was thrown for a loop mentally with the excitingly different styles of each class.

Let’s start at the top:

David began with a much appreciated, friendly warm-up.  Not only was it body-friendly after the soreness from Week 2 sunk in, but David (in his signature fashion) took time throughout the class to remind us all to connect to everyone in the room.  At the conclusion of the 40ish person class, he knew every dancer’s name.

Jenna Riegal powered through the second class, having all of the students leaping and attempting to imitate her insane (-ly good) energy throughout the class.  Once 12:30 hit, we all bounced our way over to Commons to refuel and ponder her ability to jump just so gosh-darn big.

After lunch, Kathleen and Albert’s class began with a fire alarm.  After we shuffled back into the gym, Albert and Kathleen seamlessly began the class and the awkwardness of the alarm was quickly forgotten.  Also important to note: Kathleen is one of the most inventive and unabashedly generous improviser to ever live.  Fact.  Also fact, the class felt like it lasted about 5 minutes.

Overall, class switch day=great success!  It was a great way to end Week 2 and energize us all for the final week.

-Sophie

Photo by Thomas Haentzschel

Mike Vargas is a virtuosic listener.  His compositions, performances, collaborations, and improvisations are informed by his surroundings.  On the stage, he draws from his bank of musical memory. For dance, he listens to moving bodies and energetic shifts.

Although Mike initially trained as a classical pianist, he is largely self-taught via a sensitive ear.  Working in a record store sparked his interest in music’s diversity.  He explained “that’s when I began listening to music that was not pop.”  This exposure led him to dabble in virtually every type of music, from free jazz and world to found sound and electronic.   Today, he draws from it all in his improvisations.

On Tuesday, the Bates dance community listened to his original work What Is an Open Mind?. The atonal melody wove in and out of itself, always interrupting and being interrupted.  Mike explained this element of the piece’s structure: “It’s like walking on top of crusty snow in the winter, and you’re not sure when you will fall in.”  He artfully utilized a variety of textures, as one might use different energies on unstable ground.  The music featured sparse notation in one moment and a chaotic palette in the next.

In addition to the concert stage, Mike improvises for dancers, and has been doing so since 1978.  His extensive work in the field has taught him to listen to movement and energy, then convert it into music.  Peek into Plavin studio between nine and ten thirty and you may hear a jolly Strauss-esque waltz, an electronic drum set groove, or an ethereal gong soundscape.  His sense of musical possibility is endless.

For Mike, the most rewarding aspect of improvising for dance classes is working in real time.  In human time.  He is not merely an accompanist; he is certainly not a human jute-box; he is an artistic collaborator.

To hear clips of Mike’s compositions and check out funky photos of his former facial hair, visit his website: www.mikevargas.net

-Brianna