Posts Tagged ‘dance school’
Monday, January 30th, 2012 by Scott M.
Behind The Curtain is a unique opportunity to get exclusive insight into the inner workings of Malashock Dance performances, programs, and events through first-person accounts from those that make them happen. From performers and choreographers to directors, producers, and beyond, our varied cast of contributors will provide an entertaining insiders look at what happens "behind the scenes" at Malashock Dance.
4 Sundays in February (2/5/12) Master Class Instructor Keith Johnson talks about his start in dance and what students can expect in his class:
I was originally drawn to dance because I loved to move, to be physically active, and to push my physical limitations. I was curious about the artistic side of movement and how it involved the whole being of a person. I was an athlete prior to dancing and wasn’t concerned about anything other than the body.
I am motivated to teach and choreograph to express myself and what I am drawn to in dance. I like that my choreography is an extension of where I am at a particular point in my life. It can be influenced by many things that inspire me and/or motivate me.
A student can expect to move a lot in my class and that they will be expected to not lose their own identity in my process. I am interested in dancers that offer their individual ideas through movement and therefore the class becomes collaborative in nature. I like to challenge dancers both physically and artistically.
If someone hasn’t taken my class I would encourage them to come and ask a lot of questions , make mistakes, and have a lot of fun. It should be challenging but can also be accomplished at the level they are at in their own training. Looking forward to seeing you all there!
Tags: 4 sundays in february, contemporary, contemporary dance, dance classes, dance place san diego, dance school, exercise, john malashock, keith johnson, malashock dance, malashock dance school, michael mizerany, modern dance, southern california
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Monday, September 12th, 2011 by Scott M.
Behind The Curtain is a unique opportunity to get exclusive insight into the inner workings of Malashock Dance performances, programs, and events through first-person accounts from those that make them happen. From performers and choreographers to directors, producers, and beyond, our varied cast of contributors will provide an entertaining insiders look at what happens "behind the scenes" at Malashock Dance.
Malashock/RAW 2 dancer VIVIANA ALCAZAR talks rehearsal thus far-
I was extremely excited to find out that I was going to be a part of Malashock/RAW 2! And to be given the chance to work with John and his talented company was, and continues to be, a great privilege.
Our first day began with work on a trio between Blythe Barton, Courtney Meadows, and myself. We learned two precise, syncopated combinations, which have been quite the challenge for me, as learning John’s quirky movement and unique shifts of weight differ from the way my body usually chooses to move. But, I love the challenge of getting into the studio and seeing what the demands/style of a new choreographer will be, and how I can adapt to his work.
Another challenge for me has been timing and accents—something I used to think was a strong skill learned back in my old hip-hop days; something I thought I had in the bag. Yet, I soon discovered my sense of timing and accent was uniquely different from John’s, making the rehearsal process a new challenge in training my body as a dancer.
With that in mind, I was excited to finish the trio by Thursday, so that I could quickly get to working out the details and begin the character process. Our trio has a dark/evil sinister feel. Blythe and I have enjoyed pulling out our devilish side for this role as a dark, evil character who can control Courtney with our strong movements, energy, and of course, evil eyes. The challenge has been balancing the character work with the physical specificity that has characterized John’s choreographic intent for this process.
After working on the trio, we began working as a whole for the group section. This was a seriously awesome process. John walks into the studio and is immediately “ in the zone.” He looks at us and says: “ pick this up as much as you can.” He turns on the music and starts the movement over and over, phrasing it all together. After a couple of minutes, he turns off the music and says: “any questions on that?” It reminded me of an SNL skit where the choreographer comes in, screams 5-6-7-8, and everybody just starts frantically trying to pick up an unknown phrase. For as much as I was initially amused by the ridiculousness of it, I was quickly amazed by the seriousness and attention we, the dancers, gave to learning the work in front of us. This moment was amazing; looking around the room filled with such talented and beautiful dancers that I highly respect, and each of them working as hard and fast as they could.
As I said earlier, John is very precise as to what he wants and what he doesn’t. This allows the dancers to confidently deliver a strong performance with clear movement and character choices.
At the end of day on Thursday, prior to the crazy SoCAl Blackout of 2011, we started some new material for the last group section. So excited for next week to see how that piece develops. We shall see…
For now, I invite everybody to come to the show to see what unfolds from all of this exciting new work! With choreographers like these, the show is sure to satisfy every one in the audience!
- Viviana
P.S I have been able to see some of the other sections in this piece and let me tell you… Nick’s solo is Hot! And Christine Marshall and Kamla Somphanh in a duet….need I say more?
Tags: contemporary dance, dance performance, dance place san diego, dance rehearsals, dance school, dancer, exercise, john malashock, la jolla, La Jolla Playhouse, Lux Boreal, malashock dance, Malashock/RAW 2, michael mizerany, modern dance, performing arts, san diego, southern california, what to do
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Friday, July 29th, 2011 by Scott M.
Behind The Curtain is a unique opportunity to get exclusive insight into the inner workings of Malashock Dance performances, programs, and events through first-person accounts from those that make them happen. From performers and choreographers to directors, producers, and beyond, our varied cast of contributors will provide an entertaining insiders look at what happens "behind the scenes" at Malashock Dance.
MALASHOCK ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MICHAEL MIZERANY WRAPS UP THE SUMMER DANCE SAN DIEGO EXPERIENCE WITH HIS FINAL BLOG ENTRY
MALASHOCK SUMMER INTENSIVE PERSONAL BLOG POST #6
The Malashock Dance Summer Intensive ended a week ago. The three weeks seemed to fly by with bionic speed. It was a wonderful whirlwind of Technique, New Works, Repertory, and mini-workshops in Photography, Contact Improv, Acting for Dancers and Composition.
A special and heartfelt thanks to the all the awesome teachers we brought in for the Intensive: Keith Johnson, Jess Humphrey, Kim Walsh, Alisha McGraw, Julianne O’Brien Pedersen and Sara Rudner & Megan Boyd. They did amazing work.
The Summer Dance San Diego performance at SDSU went remarkably well. The theater was packed, the dancers were breathtaking and the audience was enthusiastic.
All the dance works looked terrific but special kudos go to my repertory groups. They were inspiring in TRIBES, unabashedly sensual in BAD COMPANY, stellar in THE FLOATING WORLD and deliciously evil in THE CURSE OF MILHAVEN.
As I remember my time with the students, I find myself recalling not only the great technical and artistic strides they maneuvered, but also how much fun we had. We worked hard, danced tirelessly and laughed endlessly.
Applesauce, Egg salad and Wonder bread! (The Intensive students will know what this means.)
Thank you for the fantastic experience. Can’t wait until next year!
Michael Mizerany
Associate Artistic Director, MALASHOCK DANCE
Tags: contemporary dance, dance classes, dance lessons, dance performance, dance place san diego, dance school, dance warm up, dancer, Jess Humphrey, john malashock, keith johnson, malashock dance, malashock dance school, michael mizerany, modern dance, san diego, southern california, Summer Dance San Diego, summer intensive, summer workshop, the malashock dance school
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Friday, July 29th, 2011 by Scott M.
Behind The Curtain is a unique opportunity to get exclusive insight into the inner workings of Malashock Dance performances, programs, and events through first-person accounts from those that make them happen. From performers and choreographers to directors, producers, and beyond, our varied cast of contributors will provide an entertaining insiders look at what happens "behind the scenes" at Malashock Dance.
FACULTY MEMBER JESS HUMPHREY TALKS ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE TEACHING CONTACT IMPROVISATION AT THE 2011 SUMMER DANCE SAN DIEGO
I feel very lucky to have been a part of the Malashock Summer Intensive!
Contact improvisation often asks dancers to let go of so much - including excess muscle tone, habits around performing, fear, control…it can be overwhelming.
I felt so privileged to witness some of the dancers in their first experience of Contact, and to watch others continue their explorations. They were quite mature in their approach to the material and many returned even though they felt a bit confused. An off-kilter orientation and the willingness to know less and listen more are both highly valued qualities in contact improvisation.
I loved watching them "relearn" how to work with being off balance, falling, and sharing weight with others. I believe that some trust was built among them in an incredibly short time, and in our culture, that is a beautiful thing.
Three of them actually performed a short, scored improvisation on Friday night. Their willingness to bring their process into a performance setting was a beautiful thing to behold. I was captivated by their vulnerability during the show.
Lastly, Molly, John, Michael, and Scott are so great to work with. The level of respect and professionalism I experienced in their presence made it a pleasure to be around them, and to be a part of the intensive.
Thanks to all of you for another great experience this summer!
- Jess
Tags: Contact Improvisation, contemporary dance, dance classes, dance lessons, dance performance, dance place san diego, dance school, dancer, Jess Humphrey, john malashock, keith johnson, malashock dance, malashock dance school, michael mizerany, modern dance, performing arts, san diego, southern california, summer intensive, summer workshop, the malashock dance school
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Monday, July 25th, 2011 by Scott M.
Behind The Curtain is a unique opportunity to get exclusive insight into the inner workings of Malashock Dance performances, programs, and events through first-person accounts from those that make them happen. From performers and choreographers to directors, producers, and beyond, our varied cast of contributors will provide an entertaining insiders look at what happens "behind the scenes" at Malashock Dance.
SOME LIKE IT HOT PHOTOGRAPHER ALISHA MCGRAW TALKS ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE SHOOTING SUMMER DANCE SAN DIEGO
What a fabulously fun way to be a part of the Malashock Summer Intensive - taking dance photos!!
We spent some time talking with the dancers about what they can expect from us, how to prepare themselves for their photos, future experiences when photographers who don’t always ‘speak’ dance, and how to help them understand the goal of their photos.
The three of us (Holland, Geoff & I) started in the East room setting up our backdrops while the dancers had some time to cool off and style themselves. It was nice to see that many were using suggestions from the lecture about make-up, hair and outfits. They certainly looked great for only having 24 hours notice to gather the things they needed.
Each dancer had a headshot at first (and I won’t lie - there are a few dancers who I’d trade eyes with any day!)
The window light made them all just pop. I am kind of in love with the studio - its a photographer’s dream lighting situation. And it was during the headshots when the flow of photography really began.
Once they finished their headshot, dancers prepared themselves for what we called "body shots" on our black backdrop. The goal was to show off the muscles and arches we noticed yesterday while looking at the students during the lecture portion.
We also got a sneak peek at some choreography they were learning and knew we had some talented dancers that would be able to show us nice lines and flexibility.
Holland was taking the body shots, Geoff was rocking the lighting, and I helped with tips to improve the poses for lighting and dimension purposes. The dancers really brought some creative ideas, and even utilized some partner and floor work as well. I do hope they all take a nice hot relaxing bath, because after holding those poses for us, at the end of an already extraneous week, my guess is they may wake up a little sore tomorrow.
After working their faces for headshots, and exhausting their muscles doing ‘photography yoga’ holding poses, it was finally time for jumps! Molly gave us a great idea, suggesting we use the arched corridor downstairs. We scouted the area and she was right - it was perfect!!!
First, we did a group shot, and then we started the leaping fun. They dancers looked fabulous, technique classes were really paying off. They had beautiful lines and pointed feet in their jumps, and since their muscles were all warm from the posing, their splits and C pops were at their optimum!
Oh, and did I mention, we went a little over time, but it was worth every minute. We wanted to make sure each dancer felt content before we left.
Thanks again to everyone at Malashock for inviting us to be part of the summer intensive! And thank you to the dancers for being open to our ideas and willing to work so hard even after we were supposed to be done! We can’t wait to show off the photos!
Best,
Alisha
Alisha McGraw
Tags: Alisha McGraw, contemporary dance, dance classes, dance performance, dance place san diego, dance school, exercise, Jess Humphrey, john malashock, keith johnson, malashock dance, malashock dance school, michael mizerany, modern dance, molly puryear, performing arts, Photography, san diego, Some Like It Hot Photography, southern california, Summer Dance San Diego, summer intensive, summer workshop, the malashock dance school
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Tuesday, July 12th, 2011 by Scott M.
Behind The Curtain is a unique opportunity to get exclusive insight into the inner workings of Malashock Dance performances, programs, and events through first-person accounts from those that make them happen. From performers and choreographers to directors, producers, and beyond, our varied cast of contributors will provide an entertaining insiders look at what happens "behind the scenes" at Malashock Dance.
MALASHOCK ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MICHAEL MIZERANY TALKS SUMMER DANCE SAN DIEGO
MALASHOCK SUMMER INTENSIVE PERSONAL BLOG POST #5
Great day today! Refined and cleaned much of the 1st week repertory work and it is looking great. I certainly will have to tape out the dimensions of the stage, especially for THE FLOATING WORLD but other than that – all were impressive.
I started to teach new repertory today. THE CURSE OF MILHAVEN from LOVE & MURDER as well as TRIBES.
I had forgotten what a truly twisted piece MILHAVEN is. The lyrics of the song are darkly humorous and wonderfully wicked. The song describes, in murderous detail, a young girl’s (Loretta’s) homicidal rampage on her small town. With lyrics like, “They found him next week in one mile creek, His head bashed in and his pockets full of stones” and “Then the next thing you know the head of handyman Joe, Was found in the fountain of the mayor’s residence,” you just can’t go wrong.
Plus, John M. brilliantly chose not to tell the story of the lyrics but to capture the impending doom and Loretta’s unapologetic glee at what she would consider, just some “adolescent shenanigans”.
The dancers are having a good time as well – embracing the movement and thematic elements with…well…unapologetic glee.
Well, I am off to dinner (all you can eat spaghetti and then roller skating). I’ll tell you a little bit more about TRIBES tomorrow.
Michael Mizerany
Associate Artistic Director, MALASHOCK DANCE
Tags: contemporary dance, dance classes, dance lessons, dance performance, dance place san diego, dance school, exercise, Jess Humphrey, john malashock, keith johnson, malashock dance, malashock dance school, michael mizerany, modern dance, performing arts, san diego, southern california, Summer Dance San Diego, summer intensive, summer workshop, the malashock dance school, what to do
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Monday, July 11th, 2011 by Scott M.
Behind The Curtain is a unique opportunity to get exclusive insight into the inner workings of Malashock Dance performances, programs, and events through first-person accounts from those that make them happen. From performers and choreographers to directors, producers, and beyond, our varied cast of contributors will provide an entertaining insiders look at what happens "behind the scenes" at Malashock Dance.
MALASHOCK ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MICHAEL MIZERANY TALKS SUMMER DANCE SAN DIEGO
MALASHOCK SUMMER INTENSIVE PERSONAL BLOG POST #4
Week #2 started today! Since Monday, July 4th was a holiday, we started our week on Tuesday, July 5th and ended it on Saturday, July 9th . For this grandpa dancer, one day was not enough to recover. Though, the scrappy youngsters were going full steam ahead with tireless energy and enthusiasm. This helped me find my second wind, as well as my third and fourth. I probably need to up my dosage of Ensure and Geritol Silver.
I spent most of the day refining and cleaning the repertory pieces — the first section of THE FLOATING WORLD and the 5th section of BAD COMPANY. They both are looking great but I knew I had to change the ending of BAD COMPANY. I needed a moment when a dancer is in mortal danger. So, I am having Raina run up Evan’s back, vault in the air to be caught by the other dancers. We rehearsed it probably 10 times to ensure safety before we did a full out run of the entire piece. It is very effective.
Tomorrow, I start on two new repertory works - The first section of TRIBES and the last section of LOVE & MURDER (THE CURSE OF MILHAVEN).
This was also the day that Sara Rudner started her new work. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to peek my head in the studio (we teach at the same time), but I am hearing amazing things about her from the intensive students.
Julianne O’Brien Pedersen will be teaching technique all week, so make sure to drop in and take class.
Michael Mizerany
Associate Artistic Director, MALASHOCK DANCE
Tags: contemporary dance, dance classes, dance performance, dance place san diego, dance rehearsals, dance school, dance warm up, dancer, exercise, Jess Humphrey, john malashock, keith johnson, malashock dance, malashock dance school, michael mizerany, modern dance, performing arts, san diego, Sara Rudner, southern california, summer intensive, summer workshop, the malashock dance school
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Friday, July 8th, 2011 by Scott M.
Behind The Curtain is a unique opportunity to get exclusive insight into the inner workings of Malashock Dance performances, programs, and events through first-person accounts from those that make them happen. From performers and choreographers to directors, producers, and beyond, our varied cast of contributors will provide an entertaining insiders look at what happens "behind the scenes" at Malashock Dance.
MALASHOCK ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MICHAEL MIZERANY TALKS SUMMER DANCE SAN DIEGO
MALASHOCK SUMMER INTENSIVE PERSONAL BLOG DAY 3
Things are hopping, leaping and barrel-turning along at The Malashock Dance Summer Intensive. John taught technique class today so I had the morning off, but had to do some administrative work including some prep work for Malashock/RAW.
In the afternoon, I had repertory class with Group B. I am restaging the 1st section of John’s dance work, THE FLOATING WORLD (which is having its television premiere tonight on UCSD-TV). In the actual piece, there were six dancers. In Group B, there are 13 dancers, so I am being very creative with how I use the movement and space. For example, one of the duets has now become a trio. The group movement phrase for three couple is now being done by five couples. I will have to bring a shoehorn to fit them all on stage, but as Nike says, “Just do it!”
Later that day, I continued to restage the 5th section of my work, BAD COMPANY. Though the movement is very dense and complicated, the intensive students have been tearing up the floor. The first time we ran it today, Nick and I looked at each other and said, “That was good!”
Both pieces have turned out very well and the dancers are fierce! Make sure you attend the Summer Intensive Performance at SDSU on July 22nd .
Michael Mizerany
Associate Artistic Director, MALASHOCK DANCE
Tags: contemporary, contemporary dance, dance classes, dance performance, dance place san diego, dance school, dance warm up, dancer, exercise, john malashock, keith johnson, malashock dance, malashock dance school, michael mizerany, modern dance, performing arts, southern california, summer workshop, the malashock dance school, what to do
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Friday, July 8th, 2011 by Scott M.
Behind The Curtain is a unique opportunity to get exclusive insight into the inner workings of Malashock Dance performances, programs, and events through first-person accounts from those that make them happen. From performers and choreographers to directors, producers, and beyond, our varied cast of contributors will provide an entertaining insiders look at what happens "behind the scenes" at Malashock Dance.
V.3 - MALASHOCK DANCE EDUCATION DIRECTOR MOLLY PURYEAR TALKS SUMMER INTENSIVE
Summer can be spent relaxing, enjoying lazy days, and basking in the San Diego sunshine…unless you are a dancer.
If you stop by The Malashock Dance School you will see a very different dynamic.
Dancers often use the summertime to participate in intensives and extra classes where they push themselves mentally and physically in order to reach new heights, and this is exactly what is currently happening over the three-week span of July 5 -22nd at The Malashock Dance School.
It is thrilling to be able to offer an outstanding roster of renowned dance faculty, who will provide participating dancers the highest level of training they might ever find in one place. They are working with John Malashock, Sara Rudner, Michael Mizerany, Keith Johnson, and Jess Humphrey among others, and are experiencing many different styles and approaches to modern dance.
It is with great joy that I witness these fearlessly dedicated young dancers work through the grueling schedule of technique, repertory, new choreography, and an acting class, and still complete the day with a smile. They should be smiling…they should be immensely proud of themselves for dedicating their lives (or at least their summer) to such a beautiful discipline. We are watching their growth and transformation over the next three weeks, and I look forward to sharing this experience with you through our blogs.
I just got a sneak-peek of some of the new choreography being worked on here at the Intensive. I don’t want to give anything away, but it’s going to be amazing three weeks. I shot some Flip-Cam video of the classes that we will post very soon, but I can say with certainty that our Summer Dance San Diego Student Showcase on July 22 is something NOT to be missed!
Molly
Molly Puryear, Education Director
Malashock Dance
Tags: contemporary, contemporary dance, dance classes, dance performance, dance place san diego, dance school, dance warm up, dancer, exercise, john malashock, keith johnson, malashock dance, malashock dance school, michael mizerany, modern dance, performing arts, southern california, summer workshop, the malashock dance school, what to do
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Wednesday, July 6th, 2011 by Scott M.
Behind The Curtain is a unique opportunity to get exclusive insight into the inner workings of Malashock Dance performances, programs, and events through first-person accounts from those that make them happen. From performers and choreographers to directors, producers, and beyond, our varied cast of contributors will provide an entertaining insiders look at what happens "behind the scenes" at Malashock Dance.
Series # 6 - MALASHOCK ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MICHAEL MIZERANY TALKS SUMMER DANCE SAN DIEGO
MALASHOCK SUMMER INTENSIVE PERSONAL BLOG DAY 2
Now, let me tell you a story. I had a very painful leg cramp in my calf last night. I couldn’t move for about 5 minutes. I did manage to finally massage the cramp away but it is one of those things where it hurts so bad that you laugh in pain. Every dancer knows that feeling!
And today, I am sure many of the Malashock Dance Summer Intensive dancers knew exactly what I was going through. I saw the scrapes on their feet from technique class and the bruises on their knees from BAD COMPANY. Though, as one dancer put it, “Hey, that is why I am here — to be pushed to the limit!”
I have to admit, I am always amazed at how quickly dancers acclimate themselves to any particular style. My movement is very fast and leggy with extremely quirky (some may say illogical, I prefer unpredictable) changes of weight. It is so satisfying to see a student embrace and execute a complex technical phrase on the 2nd day of the intensive. That is definitely an “A-ha!” moment. (Note: An “A-ha!” moment is when you finally understand any given idea or concept, and you exclaim, “A-ha!”) There have been many “A-ha!” moments going on these past few days and I will make sure to share each and every one.
Michael Mizerany
Associate Artistic Director, MALASHOCK DANCE
Tags: Add new tag, contemporary, contemporary dance, dance classes, dance performance, dance place san diego, dance school, dance warm up, dancer, exercise, john malashock, keith johnson, malashock dance, malashock dance school, michael mizerany, modern dance, performing arts, southern california, summer workshop, the malashock dance school, what to do
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