Community Connections: Dance Canvas

"Wink" by Jessica Bertram; Photo by Richard Calmes

By Raven Crosby, Emory Dance Program Office Assistant

Dance Canvas is a non-profit organization created by Emory dance faculty member Angela Harris. Dance Canvas' mission is to provide opportunities and venues to increase the awareness of professional dance in the metro Atlanta area. This is achieved through three tiers of engagement:

· They support emerging professional choreographers through their Choreographer Career Development Initiative, providing resources for choreographers to develop, create, and produce new work.

· They engage the community in dance-related workshops and experiences. Through their Artist-to-Artist (FREE Series), annual Performance Series, and FREE community events, they interact with audiences and present world premiere dance in Atlanta.

· They expose students and young adults to the world of professional dance through outreach programs, national partnerships, and the four-week DC NEXT program. 

Jessica Bertram in rehearsal

Dance Canvas has had considerable involvement within the Emory Dance community. Alumnae Jessica Bertram 17C and Catherine Messina 18C have both been featured choreographers for the annual Performance Series. Emory Dance Program’s stage manager Angelina Pellini completed an internship with Dance Canvas, and currently, office assistant Raven Crosby is serving as the administrative assistant for the organization. Dance Canvas offers many opportunities for students, staff, and community members to become involved with the organization.

Dance Canvas currently has four interns from Kennesaw State, Georgia State, Georgia Connections Academy, and a recent Alabama State University graduate. Interns focus their efforts on a specific sector (i.e., social media) and delve into exploration from day one. They are able to learn all the components that it takes to successfully run a dance organization.

Dance Canvas has two upcoming performances. The Science Art Wonder exhibition will take place during the Atlanta Science Festival March 24-26 at Georgia Tech. A collaborative dance film between Dance Canvas choreographer Thulani Vereen and Georgia Tech professor Francesco Fedele will premiere. The "Skyline Series" will present pieces from Dance Canvas' 2020-21 choreographers on stage, since they were postponed last March due to COVID-19. The "Skyline Series" will take place May 15-16. A limited number of $10 student tickets for the Skyline Series are available through the Ferst Center Box Office, using code DCCOLLEGE.

Each summer, Dance Canvas offers a program geared towards high school students interested in choreography. This summer, they are offering two programs. The DC NEXT Summer Choreographic Intensive will take place in person from July 6-30. This program gives students essential career-building skills by immersing them in the world of professional dance, both onstage and backstage. From June 7-18, DC NEXT will present its Virtual Dance on Film Program, which is designed to provide students with a platform to learn dance film making, while still training at home.

To learn more information about Dance Canvas, click here

Stay up to date with Dance Canvas events by following them on social media:

Facebook 

Instagram @dancecanvas

Twitter @dancecanvas

Blog post 

"Wink" by Jessica Bertram; Photo by Richard Calmes

Emory Dance Company Choreographer Hayden Hubner

I’m Hayden Hubner and am a senior transfer student. I am planning on completing another year at Emory and will graduate in spring 2022. I am from Nashville, Tennessee, and moved to Atlanta in the summer of 2019.

My Emory Dance Company piece is based on a non-narrative poetic structure that draws inspiration from real relationships. These inspirations come from my own experiences, my dancers’ experiences, and the relationships we have seen in life or in art.

My rehearsal process includes set choreography, structured improvisation, and movement created by the dancers that is sculpted to fit the piece. I also bring to rehearsals writing prompts, visual art materials, and information from other dance work, films, and poems, etc. These tools inspire me and generate movements, textures, and organize the space.

It is hard to say how the audience will perceive this piece, but my hopes are that it makes room for them to relate and have an internal dialogue about their personhood. My main goal is to generate an emotional response that inspires contemplation about how we view ourselves and others, the effect time has on our relationships, and the idea that the obstacles in our lives structure the way we approach the world afterward. We borrow from those we know and love and are borrowed from. We take and are taken from. Sometimes, we forget and are forgotten. But what is left after each step in this process is what the piece aims to depict: the projection of that love, lust, fear, confidence, jealousy, vulnerability, stealth, and some relentless joy.

Staff Favorites: Julio Medina, Sasikala Penumarthi, & Anne Walker

Julio Medina, Assistant Professor of Dance

Q: Who is your favorite dance artist and why?

Julio: It's difficult to choose a favorite. But, I really love the beauty of Pina Bausch's work. On the other hand, David Rousseve's work has been very influential in my movement and choreographic practice because I've worked with him recently in my career. Some of the dance moves and rhythms from his work "Halfway to Dawn" will probably stay in my body forever.

Q: What is your favorite place on Emory's campus?

Julio: The stone chairs on the hill, in between Alabama Hall and the Emory Student Center, overlooking Asbury Circle.

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment at the Emory Dance Program?

Julio: I think ffall 2020 has been my favorite "moment." It was the first full semester of dancing during COVID, but I felt that the Dance Program, students, staff, and faculty combined really made a concerted effort to support each other in many ways. I think it was a tough but special semester and I was happy to teach in-person courses.

Q: What has been your favorite place you have traveled to?

Julio: Gah, this is a difficult question to answer. Some of my tops are Beijing, China; Austin, Texas; and Sorrento, Italy. But I think my most favorite is when I traveled to perform in Panama City, Panama.

Q: What has been your favorite course that you have taught/accompanied for at the Emory Dance Program?

Julio: I am really enjoying my advanced hip-hop class currently. I'd hate to choose a favorite because I do enjoy teaching all of my classes. But this hip-hop course feels more like a dance lab than a class, and that's exciting because we learn in a different way, through collaboration and community building.

Q: What is your favorite song?

Julio: Depends on the occasion. To dance to: "Apache Remix" by Grandmaster Flash. To be uplifted: "Spiritual State" by Nujabes. To rap in the car by myself: "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'"" by Wu Tang Clan. To do yard work: "Que Rico Mambo" by Perez Prado. For Karaoke night with friends: "Born to Hand Jive"" by Sha Na Na

Q: What is your favorite dance work and why?

Julio: I like "Lamentation" by Martha Graham, I think perhaps because it is short and to the point. I love the way the fabric stretches in the piece. I recreated and performed this work for a dance history class in grad school, and it was quite cathartic to do despite it being a stationary dance.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

Julio: Hmm, a few of my favorites include Eddie the Eagle, Love Actually, and Avengers: Endgame.

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment during your career?

Julio: When I performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in New York. I was there performing "Halfway to Dawn" with REALITY, David Rousseve's company. BAM is a significant venue to present and perform at. I felt like I made it, like it was a turning point in my career as a professional dancer.

Q: What is your favorite food dish?

Julio: udon noodles with hot sesame seed oil and oyster sauce

Q: What is your favorite book?

Julio: "Eragon" by Christopher Paolini

Sasikala Penumarthi, Instructor-Kuchipudi

Q: Who is your favorite dance artist?

Sasikala: My Guru Dr Vempati Chinna Satyam

Q: What is your favorite dance work and why?

Sasikala: Nutcracker ballet in Kuchipudi style. It’s a dance of joy, happiness, peace, and a blend of world cultures.

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment at the Emory Dance Program?

Sasikala: Working with students, teaching them an embodiment of knowledge through dance.

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment during your career?

Sasikala: Being recognized as the “Artist of the Evening” at the cultural festival in Tashkent, Russia.

Q: What is your favorite place on Emory's campus?

Sasikala: Carlos Museum

Q: What is your favorite food dish?

Sasikala: Eggplant Parmigiana

Q: What has been your favorite place you have traveled to?

Sasikala: Hawaii

Anne Walker, Dance Program Coordinator

Q: What is your favorite dance work and why?

Anne: I have seen so many great pieces, but the one that stands out recently is "Elemental Brubeck" by Lar Lubovitch, which was performed by the Atlanta Ballet last year. I love dance performed to jazz music! When Trisha Brown Dance Company was here, they performed a wonderful piece that was also set to jazz music, and I loved it.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

Anne: The Sound of Music

Q: What has been your favorite dance moment at the Emory Dance Program?

Anne: There have been so many! Even though it was a ton of work, hosting the American College Dance Association Southeast Conference in 2016 was also really fun. I also loved the site-specific EDC performances last fall! It was great to see dance in different environments.

Q: What is your favorite book?

Anne: My all-time favorite is "Anne of Green Gables." My recent favorite is "The War That Saved My Life," a middle-grade book I listened to with my daughter. It is a very powerful story of resilience.

Q: What has been your favorite place you have traveled to?

Anne: This is a hard one to answer! But I'll say Venice, Italy. I spent three months there doing a museum internship back before it became overrun with cruise ships and before residents started moving out. I was there late fall through winter, which was a magical, quiet time to experience the city. I also travel to the Maine coast every other year and consider it my "spirit place."

Q: What is your favorite food dish?

Anne: Anything with peaches!

Emory Dance Company Choreographer Xavier Bell

My name is Xavier Bell, and I am a junior studying neuroscience and dance. I am from a small town in Mississippi named Pass Christian. For my Emory Dance Company piece, I am aiming for an exposition, a journey into the variable images and reflections we have within us. I want to explore how as time passes, some things are lost, and others are gained. But the consistency of the reflection serves as a reminder of the pain and beauty in who we are, where we've been, and where we aim to be.

For my choreographic process, I am working with the dancers and allowing my piece to mold alongside their movements. I want to give both the movers and myself an opportunity to show and BE the reflection of ourselves and our inner workings. Several parts of the dance are driven by improvisation, and for others, I provide materials for the dancers to sculpt with their own movements.

I hope the audience questions their own reflection. What do they see within themselves? Have they experienced the pain and effervescence of their gaze? I wish for my and the dancer's pain, satisfaction, and beauty to be the catalyst that allows for these questions to arise within the audience. The self acts as the intermediary between thoughts and actions. This translation is what I want the audience to explore through the work.

 

Emory Dance Company Choreographer Olivia Browne

My name is Olivia Browne, and I am a sophomore from Dallas, Texas. I am double majoring in dance and movement studies and human health. My Emory Dance Company piece explores abstract ideas and sensations surrounding universal folklore, being alone vs. being lonely. Also, what happens if, in the pursuit of self-discovery, you realize that you are inherently evil and should deny the real you (a perversion of the "Eat, Pray, Love"/"finding myself" kind of narrative)? This overarching concept in horror mythology that vampires represent the fear of strangers/outsiders while the purpose of werewolves is to beware of the enemy within initially inspired the concept of my piece, and I have had a lot of success (and fun!) investigating the qualities and images that come with that.

My rehearsal process is very collaborative and involves a lot of manipulation of material, either generated by myself or the wonderful dancers in my piece. I am bringing in a ton of outside sources for inspiration and am asking the dancers to bring their own stories and memories into the work.

The purpose of this piece is to focus more on the process rather than the product and to imbue my own history with the mythology that we are exploring in the work. I hope the piece inspires a sort of existential crisis or dread in the audience (in the best way possible).

Emory Dance Company Choreographer Emilio Zurita Ontiveros

My name is Emilio and I am a junior double majoring in dance and biology. I was born and raised in Mexico City and only recently moved to the United States for college.

My inspiration for this piece is nature. I feel that many humans claim to appreciate nature, but only when it pleases their aesthetic. I want to highlight the less glamorous critters such as the decomposers, detritivores, and scavengers. These creatures keep the natural world running while fulfilling a vital role in every ecosystem. To me, it isn't about making them beautiful, but recognizing that they are already beautiful, even if we rarely think of them as such.

The rehearsal process is very collaborative with my cast. There are some set phrases that I bring in, but we do a lot of improvisation and movement creation. I take some of my ideas and natural inspirations and think of prompts to generate movement. I then present the prompts to my cast and we work on creating together.

I'm hoping that the audience will see the natural inspiration in my piece, without it being too literal. Also, I hope that the audience realizes that beauty is so much broader than what we're used to.

 

Staff Profile: Accompanying with David Decaminada

By Raven Crosby, Emory Dance Program Office Assistant

Since the age of four, David Decaminada has been passionate about music and the piano. By listening to the radio, records, and tapes, David developed the ability to play music by ear. This talent led him to his first professional accompanist position at Ohio State University at the age of 17, where he accompanied many ballet courses and a few modern courses. He was the very first accompanist for the Emory Dance Program; he was hired in 1987, the year the program began, and is now one of three accompanists playing for Emory dance classes.  

Decaminada has a repertoire of songs that he draws from to play during class. He matches the melodic properties of the song to the tempo of each exercise. He enjoys playing music for waltz, solo stretch, and any portion of the class where he does not have to pause as much in his playing. Decaminada also incorporates musical pieces from the radio and records into the class. He also improvises, adds his own flair, and creates the music as he plays during class. Since ballet is a classical art form, Decaminada plays many classical pieces for those classes. However, he also plays classical jazz pieces inspired by ragtime to keep the class engaged musically. When a dance instructor or student tells Decaminada that they enjoyed a song that he played, he will add it to his repertoire and play it throughout the course meetings. These are just a few of the ways that Decaminada connects with a class through his accompaniment. He says, “a good accompanist isn’t heard but you notice when they aren’t there.”

In high school, David’s aunt encouraged him to listen to more Jazz LPs by musicians such as Duke Ellington, Joseph Lamb, and Scott Joplin; all have had a great impact on David’s accompaniment. Throughout his career, he has taught himself how to play ragtime pieces because his music teachers at the time did not focus on this genre. When David began accompanying dance classes, he played for a few modern courses. This experience provided him with many applicable skills that he transferred to his ballet accompaniments. A modern teacher, Carl Ratcliff, challenged David to play more waltz and ragtime music. Music theory and training were also two important tools for David as he progressed through his early career. From practicing, hearing many records, and reading sheet music, he can create music as he accompanies on the spot. If he slips up, David begins to “…try to edit, or fake it...I have become rather good at that. When in doubt, make something up. Don’t even think about it, just make it up.”

Decaminada offered three pieces of advice that, while directed at people who are interested in accompanying, can also be applied to any field. Regarding music, “Even if you don’t like something, listen to it anyway. Figure out what you like or don’t like about it. Give a critique and see how it affects you.” He then offered advice for performances. “You should never perform like you are apologizing. That’s your love. That’s your craft. That’s you. So, I play like I’m never apologizing. If you don’t like it, you can never expect that others will like it.” When it comes to making mistakes, he says “There are 500 people out there; they can’t stop you. If you make a mistake just fudge it.”