Chop Shop/Stone Dance Collective

2012-02-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

I just got realized my event is five days away...hey, not panicking! I am so excited and so fortunate to have such a strong line up...it's going to be very hard to top this next year. Hope you all enjoy the performances and master classes and please feel free to give me feedback on what you liked and what you didn't!

In the meantime, got a few mins to shout out about Chop Shop on Art Zone!

http://www.seattlechannel.org/artZone/

See you this weekend!

2012-01-31T00:26:00.000-08:00

Two weeks out and things are starting to take shape. Master classes are set and enrollment is off to a great start. The community outreach classes, Experience Dance, were amazing with record numbers of participants. I have almost 100 free tickets to give away to new dance lovers. Man, that feels good!

Trying not to stress over a gig on Art Zone tomorrow. How do I describe five years worth of work in 90 seconds? I guess I don't. I'm really going to try not to look like the world's biggest dork.

A journalist from Beijing, China want to write an article on Chop Shop. Things are really starting to get out of hand....

www.chopshopdance.org. Tickets on sale now!

2011-12-04T20:02:00.001-08:00

Here's the press release...but what it doesn't tell you is Donald Byrd is performing a solo...

StoneDance Productions and The Theatre at Meydenbauer

Present

Chop Shop: Bodies of Work

A Contemporary Dance Festival

At The Theatre at Meydenbauer

Saturday, February 11^th, 7:30 pm

Sunday, February 12th, 3:00pm

2012

Bellevue, WA – November 30, 2011 - Now celebrating its FIFTH YEAR, Chop Shop: Bodies of Work is the only annual contemporary dance festival held specifically for the Eastside. Recognized as one of the most important dance events of the year, Chop Shop serves up a unique and prolific sampling of contemporary dance from leading national and international award-winning dance makers from the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The Festival features master classes and lectures by the Artistic Directors and Choreographers from the Festival as well as FREE community outreach programs (the Experience Dance Project in partnership with The City of Bellevue) geared to enhance the viewer's insight and experience. The Chop Shop Contemporary Dance Festival is dedicated to bringing great dance work to both new and seasoned audiences through experience, education and performance. Though each company/artist presented possesses their own individual voice, they are all unified in the contemporary language of dance and its power to stir the senses through the visceral moving image.

This is an event not to be missed! Last year’s sold out performances established Chop Shop as one of the most highly anticipated dance events in the greater Seattle/Eastside area.

A RARE OPPORTUNITY

“Reading Dance”: Experience a “behind the scenes” look at how contemporary dances are formed. Learn about meaning and imagery behind the choreographer’s unique movement language and explore how the creative process is developed and refined. This event is FREE on Sunday, February 12^th at 1:00pm in the Theatre.

Master Classes (2/11 and 2/12) by the Artistic Directors and company members of the participating companies will be held during daytime hours of the festival in the Theater (Saturday and Sunday starting at 10:00 am.) Please call (206) 799-6004 for schedule and reservations. Classes are $18.00 each, three for $45.00 or five for $50.00.

See our promo: www.chopshopdance.org

Tickets are on sale now. Go to http://www.brownpapertickets.com or call 1-800-838-3006.

Adults: $25.00

Students and Seniors: $20.00

Discounted Tickets for groups of 10 or more.

Meydenbauer Theater is located at 11100 NE 6th St., Bellevue, WA 98104

Chop Shop: Bodies of Work is funded in part by a generous grant and sponsorship from 4Culture, Seattle Weekly, The Bellevue Scene and The City of Bellevue Arts Program.

StoneDance Productions is an associated program of Shunpike.

Shunpike is a 501(c)(3) non-profit art service organization whose mission is to strengthen the Seattle arts community by partnering with small and mid-size arts groups to develop the business tools they need to succeed. Working in close partnership with these groups, Shunpike helps solve problems quickly and impart vital skills in finance, organizational management and arts administration.

PERFORMING ARTISTS FOR 2012:

NORTHWEST DANCE PROJECT: (Artistic Director: Sarah Slipper) NWDP was founded in Portland in 2004 by award-winning choreographer, dance mentor and principal dancer Sarah Slipper. She studied at the Royal Ballet School, was a principal dancer with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and appeared as a guest artist worldwide. She has worked with internationally renowned directors and choreographers such as Arnold Spohr, Rudi van Dantzig, Hans van Manen, Jirí Kylián and Agnes de Mille. Sarah Slipper served as Ballet Mistress of Alberta Ballet and Oregon Ballet Theatre, and teaches master classes throughout North America. She was awarded the Grand Prize for Choreography at the International Choreographic Competition at Saint Sauveur in 2000. Sarah has created over 20 works for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Ballet Jorgen, Louisville Ballet, Alberta Ballet, Ballet New York, Ballet Pacifica and The Jefferson Dancers. “A Fine Balance,” her pas de deux created during the inaugural Northwest Dance Project, was a finalist for the prestigious Benois de la Danse award in 2006 and was performed at the Bolshoi Theatre as part of the award's gala celebration.

Northwest Dance Project is dedicated to the creation and performance of innovative, contemporary new dance works from established and emerging dance makers. Dance International Magazine proclaimed that NWDP is "changing the way dance is created…” and Dance Spirit Magazine called them "a true original." The company earned the coveted Audience Award at the prestigious 25th annual Hannover Choreographic Festival in Germany in April of 2011 as well as the Sadler's Wells 2011 Global Dance Contest and will perform in London in June as part of the 2012 Olympics Arts Festival. NWDP will be presenting “A Short History of Walking” by award winning Portuguese choreographer André Mesquita. (http://www.nwdanceproject.org)

SANDSTROMMOVEMENT: (Artistic Director: Ellie Sandstrom) Ellie Sandstrom is a choreographer, performer and dance educator, originally from Minneapolis. She is a "Spotlight Award" winner from Seattle Magazine and was a featured artist in a book entitled "Seattle 100". Since receiving her BFA from Cornish College of the Arts, she has worked for many dance makers and local companies, including Scott/Powell Performance and locust (from 2000-2010), as well Mark Haim, Dayna Hansen and countless others. Her choreographic work with SANDSTOMMOVEMENT, formed in 2008, has been produced by organizations such as On the Boards, Velocity Dance Center and Perpich Center for the Arts, and has been commissioned by companies such as Seattle Dance Project and Washington Ensemble Theater, among others. Working closely with her musical collaborator, Chad Beieler, Sandstrom will present “the Series For”, a work that aims to unfurl physical responses through movement, sound and lighting. (www.sandstrommovement.com)

MOVE: the company: (Artistic Director: Josh Beamish) In just six short years, MOVE: the company has emerged as one of Western Canada’s most prolific dance companies. Founded in 2005 by current Artistic Director, Josh Beamish, the company has performed across North America at venues such as Montreal’s Tangente and Studio 303, NYC’s Joyce SoHo and San Francisco’s The Garage. MOVE: the company recently received the distinction of a commission from the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC, as well as the only choreographic residency ever awarded to a Western Canadian by the Djerassi Program in San Francisco, CA. The company performed at the 15th Anniversary of the International Ballet Festival in Miami and then continued on to the Quinzena de Danca Festival in Portugal. In October 2010, MOVE: the company had the honor of participating as the only non-Aboriginal Canadian dance company selected by curators Cirque du Soleil for WORLD EXPO 2010 in Shanghai, China, performing the Closing Gala of the Canadian Pavilion. The company most recently performed at the 2011 International Children’s Winter Games and debuted the Alcan Award winning Firebird 2011 in collaboration with Turning Point Ensemble at the Cultch. Josh’s commissioned works have been performed by Toronto Dance Theatre, Sylvain Brochu, Halifax Dance, Ballet Kelowna, Dance Saskatchewan, the Universities of Alberta and Missouri, Ballet Jorgen, Bellingham Repertory Dance and Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance in Kansas City. He is the recipient of a 2009 City of Vancouver Mayor's Arts Award and the 2008 Globe and Mail Dance Award. MOVE: the company will present an excerpt from Beamish’s “Allemande”, described by dance critic Michael Crabb from the Toronto Star as, “…a finely honed dance for three men and three women that bristles with movement intention, musical insight and subtle observations about human manners, decorum and the passions that lie beneath them.” (www.movethecompany.com)

JASON OHLBERG: Jason has been making dances for the past 15 years. After years of dancing professionally with companies such as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Dance Kaleidoscope, he formed his own company, Same Planet Different World Dance Theater in Chicago. Ohlberg's work has been seen all over the United States but most recently at Men in Dance, Cornish Dance, ARC Dance, Fremont Danceworks, Seattle Children's Theater, Chop Shop and Lehua Dance Theater. Jason is excited to be linking up with members of Cool Legumes and Coriolis Dance Theater for this upcoming performance. Ohlberg’s new work, “Apocalyptic Lullaby”, is a soulful dance piece exploring the emotional themes that accompany the societal fear of an apocalyptic future. Set to music by the Wailin Jennys, the theme of this work plays in counterpoint with lush phrasing and rich compositional texture.

BELLINGHAM REPERTORY DANCE: BRD is a collective of accomplished dancers dedicated to bringing vibrant contemporary dance to Bellingham. Established in 2005, BRD has built a reputation for producing fresh, engaging, diverse, audience-pleasing concerts that appeal both to established modern dance enthusiasts as well as new audiences. Past choreographers include Deborah Wolf, Wade Madsen, Josh Beamish, Kate Digby, among others. The company produces two large concerts a year - a fall show of new repertory by guest choreographers and a spring show that includes company choreography and collaboration with writers. BRD will present an excerpt from renown choreographer Daniel Stark’s “Politics, Religion, Sex”. Stark has also set dances on the Beijing Dance Academy in China, Quad Cites Ballet in Illinois, the Aha! Dance Theatre in Kansas City, 940 Dance Company in Kansas, Vandance Inc. in Pennsylvania, and Duarte Dance Works in Iowa City. His choreography has been seen at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. as part of the National ACDF Conference. He was the recipient of the Outstanding Performer Award at the Regional ACDF festival in ’04 and was awarded the Iowa Arts Fellow in ’02. (www.bhamrep.org)

DONALD BYRD: Donald Byrd became Artistic Director of Seattle’s Spectrum Dance Theater in December 2002. From 1978-2002, he was Artistic Director of Donald Byrd/The Group, a critically acclaimed contemporary dance company, founded in Los Angeles and later based in New York, that toured extensively, both nationally and internationally. He has created over 80 modern dance works for his own groups as well as the Alvin Ailey Company, the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco), among others. He has choreographed for classical companies, including Pacific North west Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, Aterballetto, MaggioDanza diFirenze, and Oregon Ballet Theater. His most recent works for Spectrum include a cycle of three evening-length works called Beyond Dance: Promoting Awareness and Mutual Understanding (PAMU), which featured World Premieres of A Chekhovian Resolution, created with Israeli choreographers Nir Ben Gal and Liat Dror; Farewell: A Fantastical Contemplation on America’s Relationship with China; and most recently, The Mother of Us All, a complex meditation on contemporary Africa. In 2010, Spectrum Dance Theater performed Byrd's interpretation of a John Zorn composition at the Guggenheim Museum’s Works & Progress series. Donald Byrd has served on the faculty of the California Institute for the Arts and taught at Wesleyan University, the School of Visual Arts, Harvard Summer Dance Center, California State University Long Beach, and UC Santa Cruz, and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Dance Theater Workshop in New York. He was a fellow at The Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue at Harvard for three years. Byrd also served for three terms on the Seattle Arts Commission. In 2006, he received a TONY nomination for his choreography for The Color Purple. In 2011, Byrd was awarded a Mayor’s Arts Award for his sustained contributions to the City of Seattle and was selected among the first group of Fellows to the American Academy in Jerusalem, a program of the Foundation for Jewish Culture. (www.spectrumdance.org)

ADAM BARRUCH DANCE: (Artistic Director: Adam Barruch) Adam began his career as a young actor, performing professionally on Broadway and in film and television--working with prominent figures such as Tony Bennett, Jerry Herman and Susan Stroman. He later received dance training at LaGuardia High School for Music & Art and Performing Arts. After three years, he graduated early and was accepted into the dance department at The Juilliard School. Adam's work has been presented at Dance Theater Workshop, Jacob’s Pillow: Inside/Out, City Center, The Juilliard School, Cunningham Studio, Ailey-Citigroup Theater, SUNY Purchase, New York University, Cedar Lake Theater, The Harris Theater in Chicago and Theatre Usine C in Montreal. Adam has created solo work for modern dance icon Margie Gillis, and most recently is a participant in the 2011 Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation New Directions Choreography Lab made possible by generous support from the Ford Foundation. Adam will present “folie à deux”, inspired by the French phrase for "a madness shared by two”, this work explores the interior landscapes of two people whose acts of intimacy are, in truth, the fantasy that veils their actual demise. (www.adambarruch.com)

PENNY HUTCHINSON: Penny, a Seattle native, was a founding member of the Mark Morris Dance Group and has lived and worked in danced in Seattle, NYC, Belgium, Denmark, Singapore and Germany. She was a recipient of the New York Dance and Performance BESSIE Award in 1990. Her choreography has been performed at the Green Street Studios Boston, Substation in Singapore, Electric Lodge in Venice California, The Atlantic Center for the Arts in Florida, NYC's 92nd Street Y's "Molissa Fenley and Friends", Leo K. Theater (Seattle Center) for 3 seasons with ARC Dance, Seattle International Dance Festival's “Spotlight on Seattle”, and is currently working on the Liebeslider Waltzer by Brahms with Inverse Opera for Seattle Dance Project. She has collaborated with New Jersey visual artist Sarah Wolfe; composers Fei Wu of Beijing, Michael Bajuk of Bellingham, WA, and Vyautus Germanavicius of Lithuania and architect and set designer Regan McClellan, Seattle. She has choreographed and assistant directed for opera and theater with directors, Peter Sellars, Tony Taccone, and Stephen Wadsworth. She is currently on faculty at Western Washington University. Hutchinson will present “Alien Dances”, a trio of unearthly sorts with music by Lithuanian composer Vyautus Germanavicius.

THE STONE DANCE COLLECTIVE: (Artistic Director: Eva Stone) Eva’s company originated in London, England in 1993 and became a permanent part of the Seattle/Eastside dance community in 1995. Her approach to choreography, evolved from learning the art form in reverse (choreography before technique) is unique with its intent based in humor, authentic human connection and emotion. Her work has been presented at On the Boards, Men in Dance, the ArtsEdge Festival, Bumbershoot and the Seattle International Dance Festival where she also served as guest curator. Her work has been commissioned throughout the Northwest on companies such as Spectrum Dance Theater, Seattle Dance Project, Bellingham Repertory Dance, Whidbey Island Dance Theatre, Peninsula Dance Theatre, ARC Dance, Fremont Danceworks and others. As a commissioned choreographer for Regional Dance America/Pacific she has made works for South Bay Ballet in Los Angeles and Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Her work has been presented in both Europe and Russia. “Pinata”, is a new work by Stone that is inspired by irrational thought and the processes we use to convince ourselves that a bad idea is a good one.

KHAMBATTA DANCE COMPANY: (Artistic Director: Cyrus Khambatta) Since moving to Seattle from New York City in 2001, Khambatta Dance Company (formerly Phffft!) has presented works to over 30,000 people abroad, on West Coast and here in Washington. Cyrus founded Phffft! while at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, studying dance and theater. His choreographic works have been presented in twelve US states, throughout Europe, in Russia, Latin America and Canada, commissioned by companies such as Ririe Woodbury Dance (Utah), Pisorrojo (Venezuela), Spectrum Dance Theatre, Evergreen City Ballet as well as KDC and others. His work has received California's Damen New Choreography Award, a 2006 Artistic Leadership grant (Paul G. Allen Foundation), National Endowment for the Arts support and he is currently Artist in Residence at Seattle University. The company presents a summer dance program in Pennsylvania and produces the Seattle International Dance Festival (www.SeattleIDF.org). Its most recent work, India Calling, co-commissioned by Kirkland Performances Center and Mryna Loy Center for the Arts in Montana, explores how personality traits and even our movement may be inherited. The work premieres March 16, 2012 at Kirkland Performance Center (www.kpcenter.org). KDC will present “Centrifugal Force,” a piece that begins with the concept of having all the movement rotate in a counterclockwise direction, just as the Earth rotates as seen from the North Star. (www.KhambattaDance.org)

BodyVox: (Artistic Directors: Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland) Led by the Emmy Award-winning choreographers Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland, BodyVox is known for its visual virtuosity, distinctive wit and unique ability to combine dance, theater and film into breathtaking productions rich in imagery, athleticism and humor. Created in 1997 to fulfill a commission from Portland Opera, the company has since created eleven original shows (including three operas), and toured both nationally and internationally to critical acclaim. Adding to its full-evening shows and repertory pieces, BodyVox’s films have won numerous awards in national and international festivals. “Modern Daydreams” – composed of “Treadmill Softly,” “Islands in the Sky,“ Unleashed” and “Deere John” – won the prestigious American Choreography Award for Outstanding Achievement in Short film in 2002. Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland, in collaboration with award winning filmmaker Mitchell Rose, present two dance works, “Advance” (2009) and “Deere John” (2000). (www.bodyvox.com)

2011-10-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to announce the Performing Artists for 2012. It's going to be a wonderful event, with lots of cake, as promised....

Now celebrating its FIFTH YEAR, Chop Shop: Bodies of Work is an annual contemporary dance festival held in Bellevue, WA. Recognized as one of the most important dance events of the year, Chop Shop serves up a unique and rare sampling of contemporary dance from leading national and international award-winning dance makers from the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The Festival also features master classes and lectures by the Artistic Directors and Choreographers from the Festival. This event sells out! Get your tickets now! More info at www.chopshopdance.org.

Performing Artists:

Spectrum Dance Theater (Seattle) Artistic Director, Donald Byrd
Northwest Dance Project (Portland, OR) Artistic Director, Sarah Slipper
Ellie Sandstrom (Seattle)
The Stone Dance Collective (Eastside) Artistic Director, Eva Stone
Adam Barruch (New York)
MOVE: the company (Vancouver, B.C) Artistic Director, Josh Beamish
Penny Hutchinson (Bellingham)
Jason Ohlberg (Seattle)
Bellingham Repertory Dance (Bellingham)
Khambatta Dance Company (Seattle) Artistic Director, Cyrus Khambatta
BodyVox (Portland, OR) Dance For Film. Artistic Directors, Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland

Master classes offered by the Artistic Directors to be held on stage at the Theater at Meydenbauer on 2/11/12 and 2/12/12. Please see website or call 206.799.6004 for more information.

The List....

2011-10-10T13:08:00.001-07:00

The curating is done and the eleven artists presenting this year will soon be announced. I am excited and nervous as four of the participants are out of state. I am so honored to be presenting them and have a big road ahead of me to get the word out.

The fifth year of Chop Shop is a big deal for me...seeing as how I never imagined myself in this producer/curatorial role. But I think bringing people together has always been a strong point of mine and it's nice to know that I have the support of many wonderful people who keep encouraging me to keep this event going. It's a ridiculous amount of work for one person, more than I realized when I started this whole thing.

Anyway, as promised at last year's Festival, I am serving cake in the lobby after both shows. This is a milestone year (no pun intended) and guaranteed to be a great event.

More soon!

2011-08-31T19:20:00.000-07:00

I am proud to post the new 2012 Chop Shop: Bodies of Work Promo! I am excited to be celebrating my fifth year and, as promised at last year's festival, there will be cake....lots of it. This festival is a huge undertaking and I am preparing for a sugar high of epic proportions. I have already secured for 2012, a new up and coming New York choreographer, Adam Barruch, and I am thrilled to be presenting him for the first time in the Northwest. I have a few other plans up my sleeve, so keep a close watch!

2011-06-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

StoneDance Productions Announces:

A CALL TO ARTISTS!

For Participation In

CHOP SHOP: BODIES OF WORK

A Contemporary Dance Festival

to be presented

February 11 & 12, 2012 at Meydenbauer Theatre, Bellevue, WA

Announcing a call for choreographers/dance companies with contemporary work to be presented at Chop Shop: Bodies of Work, an annual dance festival highlighting the BEST of the greater Pacific Northwest contemporary dance scene.

Chop Shop is committed to presenting work that is accessible to a wide range of audiences on the Eastside. In unison with the Experience Dance Project outreach program, this Festival promotes the art of contemporary dance through experience, dialogue and education.

Chosen work will perform in both performances (Saturday evening and Sunday matinee.) Artists will also have an opportunity to offer Master Classes on stage during the daytime hours of the festival.

Now in its fifth year, this highly anticipated Eastside event continues with sold out performances and outstanding critical acclaim on both a local and national level. This is a great way to build your visibility and exposure to growing and enthusiastic Eastside audiences. Past participants have included Spectrum Dance Theater, Whim W'Him, Catherine Cabeen and Mark Haim, to name only a few.

For a video promo of the Festival, please visit www.chopshopdance.org

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

Requirements: Applications accepted online or by hard copy.
Format: DVD or Online Work Sample
A letter of introduction/explanation.

Send to:

StoneDance Productions
c/o Eva Stone
6816 157th Pl SW
Edmonds, WA 98026

stonedancecollective@hotmail.com

(Please include SASE if you would like your materials returned.)

Work presented will not exceed 12 minutes in length. 'Works in progress' samples permitted but should show at least 75% of the completed piece. Works still in conceptual form will not be considered.

Please send any inquires to stonedancecollective@hotmail.com

"...already one of Seattle’s most talked about and important outlets for dance." - Dean Speer, Critical Dance

2011-02-04T00:16:00.000-08:00

Less than two weeks out and things are rolling right along. I strongly believe this will be the most prolific Chop Shop yet...and I am excited to see the work live and happening! And have you seen the master class line up? I expect to be turning people away!

Thank you to Gabrielle Nomura for her kindness and support:

http://thebellevuescene.com/the-bold-rebellious-art-of-modern-dance/3267/

2011-01-12T22:45:00.000-08:00

StoneDance Productions and The Theatre At Meydenbauer

Present

Master Classes for Dancers

Chop Shop: Bodies of Work

A Contemporary Dance Festival

February 12th and 13th, 2011

As a part of the Chop Shop: Bodies of Work Dance Festival, Master Classes are being offered by the Artistic Directors of the performing companies. All classes are held onstage at Meydenbauer Theatre. Classes are open to Advanced-Beginning to Advanced level dancers ages 12 and up. Spaces are limited! Reservations must be made for all participants. To reserve your place, please call 206.799.6004. (Drop-ins may attend on the day, but will not be guaranteed a spot.)

Saturday, February 12^th:

11:00 to 12:30 Int/Adv Modern with Catherine Cabeen, Artistic Director, Catherine Cabeen and Company

1:00 to 2:30 Dancemaking/Improv with Tonya Lockyer, Choreographer

3:30 to 5:00 Int/Adv Modern with Sonia Dawkins, Artistic Director, SD/Prism Dance Theatre

Sunday, February 13th:

10:00 to 11:30 Int/Adv Modern with Michael Rioux, Choreographer

11:30 to 1:00 Int/Adv Contemporary with Kelly Ann Barton, Spectrum Dance Theater

1:00 to 2:00 Reading Dance* Hosted by Eva Stone, The Stone Dance Collective and Guests

*Reading Dance: This lecture/demonstration deconstructs and demystifies the creative process of making a contemporary dance piece. Learn how dance is choreographed and discover the how concepts of imagery and meaning in movement are utilized in this unique art form. (This is a FREE event, no registration necessary.)

Cost: Classes are $18.00 each, any three for $45.00 or all five for $50.00

Call 206.799.6004 or email stonedancecollective@hotmail.com to reserve your place!

*Payment due prior to class. Sorry, no checks. Cash only, please.

2010-12-06T23:45:00.000-08:00

StoneDance Productions and The Theatre at Meydenbauer

Present

Chop Shop: Bodies of Work

A Contemporary Dance Festival

At The Theatre at Meydenbauer

Saturday, February 12th, 7:30 pm

Sunday, February 13th, 3:00pm

2011

Bellevue, WA – November 30, 2010 - StoneDance Productions and The Theater At Meydenbauer present 'Chop Shop: Bodies of Work', the Eastside's only Contemporary Dance Festival. Returning for its fourth year, this unique festival is a rare opportunity to explore the truly original talents of Seattle-based and Eastside - based artists in two special performances. This is the BEST of the Seattle/Eastside dance community in ONE festival. Chop Shop highlights local contemporary choreography with a focus on dance work that is innovative, accessible and thought provoking. Each of these prolific choreographers has presented work to numerous critical successes throughout Europe, Asia, Latin America and the United States. Though each company/artist presented possesses their own individual voice, they are all unified in the contemporary language of dance and its power to stir the senses through the visceral moving image.

This is an event not to be missed! Last year’s sold out performances established Chop Shop as one of the most highly anticipated dance events in the greater Seattle/Eastside area.

A RARE OPPORTUNITY

“Reading Dance”: A FREE lecture on Sunday February 13th at 1:00. Experience a “behind the scenes” look at how contemporary dances are formed. Learn about meaning and imagery behind the choreographer’s unique movement language and how the creative process is developed and refined.

Master Classes (2/12 and 2/13) by the Artistic Directors of the performing companies will be held during daytime hours of the festival in the Theater (Saturday and Sunday starting at 10:00 am.) Please call (206) 799-6004 for schedule and reservations. Classes are $18.00 each, three for $45.00 or five for $50.00.

See our promo: www.chopshopdance.org

Tickets are on sale now. Go to www.brownpapertickets.com or call 1-800-838-3006.

Adults: $25.00

Students and Seniors: $20.00

Discounted Tickets for groups of 10 or more.

Meydenbauer Theater is located at 11100 NE 6th St., Bellevue, WA 98104

Chop Shop: Bodies of Work is funded in part by a generous grant and sponsorship from 4Culture, Seattle Weekly and The City of Bellevue Arts Program.

StoneDance Productions is an associated program of Shunpike.

The Performing Artists:

Spectrum Dance Theater, established in 1982, is the largest professional contemporary dance company in Washington, presenting work by Artistic Director Donald Byrd and guest artists, with a focus on Northwest choreographers. Its mission is to produce and present contemporary dance that challenges expectations and calls forth strong emotions, deep feelings and thoughtful responses. Donald Byrd became Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Theater in December 2002. From 1978 – 2002, he was Artistic Director of Donald Byrd/The Group a critically acclaimed contemporary dance company, founded in Los Angeles and later based in New York, that toured extensively, both nationally and internationally. Byrd created over 80 works for modern dance companies, for his own group, Spectrum, and the Ailey Company as well as for Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco). He has choreographed for classical companies, including Pacific Northwest Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, Aterballetto, MaggioDanza diFirenze and Oregon Ballet Theater. Spectrum Dance Theater will be presenting Longing, a work exploring the themes of desire, longing and loss.

Wade Madsen is a Seattle based choreographer and has received choreographic fellowships from the NEA, King County, and Artist Trust. Wade has also received grants from Seattle Arts and Washington State Arts commissions, along with Art Matters and Bossak/Heilbron foundation. Wade is currently teaching for the 27th year at Cornish College of the Arts, where he is Professor of Dance. Madsen’s work has been commissioned by Co Motion, Spectrum, and d-9 dance companies and most recently with Seattle Dance Project. Wade Madsen and Dancers has been producing and performing in Seattle since 1979. Madsen premiered Leaving at Chop Shop in 2009, a tribute in response to his father's passing.

Quark Contemporary Dance Theatre is a Seattle-based modern dance company driven to create works of dance that captivate, connect emotionally and intrigue through unique and unusual choreographic structure. Artistic Director David Lorence Schleiffers draws inspiration from his experience in musical theater, historic modern dance and contemporary dance. Through this company, he continually creates theatrical pieces which tells stories through movement. It is his artistic goal to present work that is both artistically intelligent and entertaining. Quark will be presenting Once and Never Again, which toys with organized dance structures as a means of highlighting moments of complete destruction and desolation.

Michael Rioux, Artistic Director of The Sho, is your favorite artists’ favorite artist. He seriously insists that since everything is so damn serious that nothing should be taken seriously. He recently got into a Facebook argument about the existence of time. Returning by popular demand, The Sho will be performing site-specific work, People Believe Themselves, in the lobby and various locations throughout The Theatre at Meydenbauer pre-show and at intermission.

Tonya Lockyer has worked internationally as a dancer, choreographer and educator. After dancing professionally in Canada, New York and Boston she founded VIA, a Seattle dance-theater company generating inter-cultural collaborations with artists from the Middle East, Russia, Europe and North America. Lockyer's choreography has been awarded more than thirty-five commissions by companies, festivals and universities in the US and abroad. In 2008, her evening-length solo “Consumed” was commissioned by On The Boards for their main season. She was appointed Visiting Artist at Mimar Sinan University Istanbul, Brigham Young University, The University of Calgary and The University of Maryland. Currently, she serves on the faculty of Cornish College of the Arts where she is also coordinator of the Merce Cunningham minEvent Project. Lockyer presents A tiny ship in a vast outer space where the air is quiet and transparent, taking inspiration from Edvard Greig’s music for Ibsen’s Peer Gynt and excerpts from Mishima’s The Decay of the Angel, this meditation on memory and loss transforms the theater into a vast exterior winter scene animated by the magical fantasies of childhood.

SD/Prism Dance Theatre is a multicultural dance company that explores new ways of artistically expressing the beauty of diversity. Artistic Director Sonia Dawkins is a graduate from University of the Arts (M.A.) and is currently on the faculty of Pacific Northwest Ballet. Professionally, she has performed with The National of Company of Jamaica and with independent choreographers and companies in New York. In addition to her own choreographic works, Dawkins has been commissioned to create for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre Spring Performance, PNB, Nevada Ballet Theatre and various theatre companies in the Seattle area such as Seattle Repertory and Broadway Bound. She is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, grants and scholarships for her choreography and recently participated in the 13th Annual Dance Under the Stars Choreography Festival. Dawkins will premier a new work for this year's Chop Shop Dance Festival.

zoe | juniper: As a visual artist and choreographer, Juniper Shuey and Zoe Scofield are drawn together as collaborators by our respect for and subverted use of classical form, aesthetic clarity and the desire to create a sense of heightened reality. As a choreographer, Zoe is interested in using the self-command and physical distortion of classical ballet technique: i.e. turned out legs that display pointed feet, placement, and disciplined physical articulation. The deconstruction and reassembly of movement takes place through an investigation into the skeletal structure of form. Converted in this way, movement becomes a clear palate for emotion, intention and the viewer’s perception. For his part, Juniper composes the visual and emotional elements of design with simple lines and a spatial clarity to create and highlight an exaggerated or elevated reality. It is within this synergistic space that the performance- and the viewer’s perception of it – happens. Zoe and Juniper both seek a distilled clarity of technique in their discipline so as to offer an unfettered vehicle through which the audience can experience the piece with its own history, desire, and emotion. Scofield will present and excerpt from A Crack in Everything,

Catherine Cabeen and Company (CCC) is a project based, contemporary dance company dedicated to interdisciplinary conversations and collaborations. CCC was founded in 2009 as a forum for investigating both the creative processes and the artistic products that result when artists of different mediums collide. Anchored in the choreographic work of Catherine Cabeen, CCC creates dynamic performances that engage the body as an intersection for ideas. In the last year CCC has engaged 11 interdisciplinary collaborators and presented work in Seattle, New York, Santa Fe, and Dar es Salaam. CCC is currently working on Into the Void, an evening length work that premiers at On the Boards April 28-30, 2011. Cabeen will present Distances, set to original, live music. This complex duet is about finding ways to support individuality within a relationship.

Bellingham Repertory Dance (BRD) is a dancer-driven repertory company based in Bellingham, WA. Established in 2006, BRD aims to provide the community with high-quality production and presentation of contemporary dance. BRD is presenting Trap Door Party by Canadian choreographer Josh Beamish, Artistic Director of Move: The Company, who's work has been presented throughout Canada and also at The Joyce SoHo in New York. Trap Door Party recently premiered in October of 2010 at WORLD EXPO in Shanghai, China presented by Cirque du Soleil at the Cultural Finale of the Canadian Pavilion.

The Stone Dance Collective originated in London, England in 1993 and became a permanent part of the Seattle dance community in 1995. Artistic Director Eva Stone has a unique approach to her choreographic work with its intent based in humor, human connection and emotion. Her work has been presented throughout the Northwest, the United States and Europe. Stone will present Readymade, a work examining the periodic table in relationship to the basic physical and emotional elements that make us human.

A Sweet Addition...

2010-11-15T23:06:00.001-08:00

Lucky us....Michael Rioux is a "never too late" addition to the already stunning Chop Shop 2011 line up. Michael will create site work pre and mid show in various areas throughout the Theatre at Meydenbauer. Don't miss him...he is a true local original.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwQuyFbAk7A

Until next year, SnoCo...

2010-11-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

Well, Chop Shop: Northside! is a wrap and what an exhausting experience. I will say this to any other dance artists considering presenting work in Snohomish County....bring your best smile and a ton of patients. Trying to stir up local interest was very challenging and taught me a thing or two about promotion. I was down to handing out fliers in my local grocery store...I kid you not.

I was very pleased with the overall turn out and feel confident the audience was well taken care of. The work was wonderful and the dancers gave their all. Feedback so far gave a strong thumbs up for the whole show, particularly to Whidbey Island Dance Theatre (as many could not believe the average age of the dancers was about 17) and SD/Prism. I am quite sure nothing of this caliber (on a local level) has ever been presented in this neck of the woods and I am honored to have been in such great company. Thank you to all who danced or came to see great dancing.

Full steam ahead for February!

2010-10-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

Chop Shop: Northside! is just a few days away and I am thrilled to be brining this event to my neck of the woods. I would be lying if I didn't say the Snohomish County is a slow breathing animal (as far as publicity and support is concerned) but I think we will have a strong turn out. I am confident the work being presented is some of the best that has ever happened in this area...so lets just hope the locals jump on board. (This has definitely tested my promotional skills...)

On to other news, Chop Shop: Bodies of Work (now in our fourth year!) has been curated and here is the line up:

Bellingham Repertory Dance

Spectrum Dance Theater

Tonya Lockyer

Wade Madsen

The Stone Dance Collective

Zoe Scofield

Catherine Cabeen

SD/Prism Dance Theatre

Quark Contemporary Dance Theatre

and check THIS out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwQuyFbAk7A

(more beautiful work by Gabe Bienczycki)

It's going to be an amazing event! Stay tuned!

Chop Shop: NORTHSIDE!

2010-08-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

StoneDance Productions and The Black Box Theatre

Present

Chop Shop: NORTHSIDE

A Contemporary Dance Festival

At The The Black Box Theater

Edmonds Community College

Saturday, October 30^th, 7:30 pm

2010

Edmonds, WA – August 5, 2010 - StoneDance Productions and The Black Box Theatre present 'Chop Shop: NORTHSIDE', A Contemporary Dance Festival. Now, for the first time, this amazing dance event comes to Snohomish County! Chop Shop: Northside will have its debut run at The Black Box Theatre at Edmonds Community College specifically for Northside residents. This unique festival is a rare opportunity to explore the truly original talents of world renown Seattle-based and Eastside-based artists in one special evening performance. This is the BEST of the Seattle/Eastside dance community in ONE festival. Each of these prolific choreographers has presented work to numerous critical successes throughout Europe, Asia, Latin America and the United States. Though each company/artist presented possesses their own individual voice, they are all unified in the contemporary language of dance and its power to stir the senses through the visceral moving image.

This is an event not to be missed! Past sold out performances have established Chop Shop as one of the most highly anticipated dance events in the greater Seattle/Eastside area.

"...already one of Seattle’s most talked about and important outlets for dance." - Dean Speer, Critical Dance

A RARE OPPORTUNITY:

“Reading Dance”: A FREE lecture on Saturday, October 30th, 2010, 6:00 pm (prior to the performance.) Experience a “behind the scenes” look at how contemporary dances are formed. Learn about meaning and imagery behind the choreographer’s unique movement language and how the creative process is developed and refined. Hosted by Eva Stone and presented at The Black Box Theatre, open to all ages.

Free "Introduction to Modern Dance" class with Eva Stone, Artistic Director of The Stone Dance Collective. This class is open to ages 10+ to adult who would like to experience modern dance. No experience necessary! Wednesday, Oct. 27th, 2010. Black Box Theatre, 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Please call 206-700-6004 to reserve a spot.

Master Classes (10/30) by the Artistic Directors of the performing companies will be held during daytime hours of the festival in the Theater (Saturday 12:00pm and 2:00pm) Please call (206) 799-6004 for schedule and reservations. Classes are $12.00 each (discounted prices are offered with purchase of show ticket.)

Visit www.chopshopdance.org for promo and more information.

Tickets are on sale now. Go to www.theatreedmond.org. or call 1-800-838-3006.

For information please call 425-640-1448.

Adults: $20.00
Students and Seniors: $14.00

The Black Box Theatre is located on campus of Edmond Community College: 20310 68th Ave. West, Lynnwood, WA 98036

Chop Shop: Northside is funded in part by the Arts, Culture, and Civic Engagement Programs

StoneDance Productions is an associated program of Shunpike.

The Performing Artists:

Spectrum Dance Theater: Led by Artistic Director Donald Byrd, Spectrum Dance Theater stands at the forefront of contemporary dance as one of the most daring and innovative cultural assets in the region. The Company has established a full season of performances presented at the Moore Theatre where Spectrum is the official Resident Dance Company and continues to expand its reach with national and international touring engagements. Mr. Byrd regularly teaches around the country and was a fellow at Harvard University’s Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue. He has been awarded the Bessie, and was a 2006 Tony nominee for his choreography of the Broadway musical, THE COLOR PURPLE. Spectrum will be presenting Duet from Drastic Cuts, a piece in which Byrd describes as "the lattices of the lines (in the body) acting as a restraint, imprisoning the volatile feelings in a structural containment."

The Stone Dance Collective is a modern dance company that originated in London, England in 1993 but has been part of the Seattle/Eastside dance scene for more than 12 years. Artistic Director and choreographer Eva Stone never fails to amuse and provoke audiences through her humor, detail and unexpected approach to contemporary dance. Having learned the art of dance backwards (choreography before technique), Stone has developed a movement language that is uniquely her own. Her choreography has been presented in New York, Geneva, London and St. Petersburg, Russia. Locally, she has been commissioned by numerous companies throughout Washington and most recently as part of a collaborative effort (alongside Olivier Wevers and Wade Madsen) on Project Orpheus with Seattle Dance Project. Stone will be presenting The End of A Year, a poignant and unaffected examination of beginnings and endings.

Mark Haim is a world-renowned performer/choreographer and former UW Senior Artist in Residence. He has created works for Nederlands Dans Theatre, Ballet Frankfurt and the Jose Limon Dance Company, to name only a few. Haim’s critically acclaimed 'The Goldberg Variations' has been presented at American Dance Festival, the John F. Kennedy Center and other venues in Europe, the US and Asia. Haim will present Buoyant Despite Slump, a piece about “the window of opportunity created in a quiet moment of profound sadness and abandonment,” performed by the much-in-demand contemporary dancer Jim Kent.

Khambatta Dance Company fuses complex athletic partnering and daring lifts with a keen theatrical sensibility, revealing human nature through the lens of intimate relationships and the everyday experience. Artistic Director Cyrus Khambatta has presented work in twelve US states, throughout Europe as well as in Russia and Latin America. He has received awards and grants from numerous foundations to support the presentation of work both in the U.S. and abroad. He is also the curator of the long running dance Seattle festival Beyond the Threshold.

Whidbey Island Dance Theatre was founded in 1993 to provide pre-professional experience for promising young dancers and to promote dance as a significant cultural resource for Whidbey Island and surrounding communities. Under the artistic direction of Charlene Brown and Susan Campbell Sandri, WIDT has provided dancers with opportunities for both personal and artistic growth. WIDT will present press/release, choreographed by Eva Stone and which premiered at Regional Dance America/Pacific at the annual festival. This work looks at human relationships and the pressures of societal constructs.

Coriolis Dance Collective is an immersive and openly experimental contemporary dance company led by Natascha Greenwalt Murphy and Christin Call. Formed in 2008, as a venue to push themselves as artists and peers, the vision of Coriolis is to create new, highly collaborative works with artists of all disciplines while maintaining an atmosphere of camaraderie and open feedback. Coriolis will be presenting the work of Venezuelan choreographer Gillmer Duran in a piece that explores the reaction of vibration within the body and how that impulse can inform function and line within ones own body while affecting change upon a group. The result is an organic yet vibrant quartet for two women and two men set to a melodic yet minimal score by BoiledJar.

SD/Prism Dance Theatre is a contemporary dance company founded by Artistic Director Sonia Dawkins, who has been in the Seattle area for the past 10 years and is also a part of the faculty at Pacific Northwest Ballet. Dawkins’ focus as a choreographer is drawn from the artistry, athleticism and “poetry” from within each dancer. Critics have said her works possess “athletic edge and artistic depth.” Dawkins is presenting Linkage, a study on the demise of national and social constructs in a “monetary context.”

Quark Contemporary Dance Theatre is a fresh new company created in 2009 by David Lorence Schleiffers, recently completing a dance degree in the UW Dance Program. This company aims to create and perform unique and thought provoking work, which focuses on the individuality of each dancer. In The Kids' Table, Schleiffers takes us on a subtle journey subtle journey through the growing process and uses simple movement themes to highlight complex aspects of adulthood.

Chop Shop: A Call to Artists 2011

2010-05-29T22:39:00.000-07:00

StoneDance Productions Announces:

A CALL TO ARTISTS!

For Participation In

CHOP SHOP: BODIES OF WORK

A Contemporary Dance Festival

to be presented

February 12 & 13, 2011 at Meydenbauer Theatre, Bellevue, WA

We are looking for choreographers/dance companies with contemporary work to be presented at Chop Shop: Bodies of Work, an annual dance festival highlighting the BEST of the greater Seattle contemporary dance scene.

Chosen work will perform in both performances (Sat evening and Sun matinee) and artists will also have an opportunity to offer Master Classes on stage during the daytime hours of the festival. Generous stipend for both!

This is our fourth year running this highly anticipated Eastside event with sold out performances and outstanding critical acclaim. This is a great way to build your visibility and exposure to enthusiastic Eastside audiences. Past participants have included Spectrum Dance Theater, Whim W'Him and Mark Haim, to name only a few.

For a sample view of the Festival, please visit www.chopshopdance.org

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: SEPTEMBER 30, 2010

Format: DVD or Online Work Sample

Please include a letter of introduction/explanation.

Send to:

StoneDance Productions

c/o Eva Stone

6816 157th Pl SW

Edmonds, WA 98026

Works presented will not exceed 12 minutes in length. Work samples permitted but should show at least 75% of the completed work. Works still in conceptual form will not be considered.

Send any inquires to stonedancecollective@hotmail.com

"...already one of Seattle's most talked about and important outlets for dance." - Dean Speer, Critical Dance

Please

"...alre

2010-05-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

SAVE THE DATE!

Chop Shop: Bodies of Work, A Contemporary Dance Festival

February 12th and 13th, 2011

The Theatre at Meydenbauer, Bellevue, WA

"...already one of Seattle’s most talked about and important outlets for dance." - Dean Speer, Critical Dance

A Review....

2010-03-22T23:24:00.000-07:00

Collector Classics
Chop Shop: Bodies of Work
14 February 2010
The Theatre at Meydenbauer, Bellevue, Washington
by Dean Speer

In the late ‘70s/early ‘80s, I produced and directed a monthly dance performance series that was intended to showcase all of the dance happening in the Seattle area at the time. Each program included one ballet, one modern dance, and one ethnic or “other” dance company or group. These ranged from the large and well-known such as Pacific Northwest Ballet to solo performers to a puppetry group that presented one of my all-time favorite pieces, “The Old People’s Dance.”

I have to applaud and admire Chop Shop’s artistic director Eva Stone for successfully trying to present all of the modern dance work happening in the Seattle area in 2010 through her annual series, Bodies of Work.

With the exception of historic modern dance (isn’t that a phrase to wrap one’s head around?) such as Martha Graham or Doris Humphrey – the kind of work researched and restaged by the University of Washington’s Chamber Dance Company – I’d have to say that she succeeded very neatly.

These ranged from traditional proscenium-style oriented works to those that were site-specific. I liked how we were greeted by dancers moving through the foyer spaces and a balcony overlooking the foyer. During intermission, I was particularly charmed by acornDance’s structured improvisation in one of the theatre’s stairwells that has a two-story glass wall that opens up to the east atrium of the building’s complex, thereby inviting a fairly large gaggle of spectators admiring their daring – varooming up and down a staircase, sharing weight, and creating shapes around each other in a variety of ways.

The dancers were also quite a collection – from the hands-down clearly best and impressive technical prowess of Vincent Lopez who appeared with both Spectrum Dance Theatre and in Olivier Wevers’ Whim W’him to those who perhaps didn’t have a whole lot of technical training but who moved well and appropriately within the context of their choreographic assignments.

My only choreographic fuss would be where works said what they had to say, but didn’t move on or conclude in a timely fashion. The choreographic and dance compositional great Doris Humphrey used to like to admonish dance makers, “All dances are too long!” In other words, state your choreographic idea and develop it or move on. One of her other points of wisdom that so good for everyone creating something is “Never leave the ending to the end!” How often has it been both in dance and music that we hear or see something really quite lovely but then it either really doesn’t go anywhere, have a reason to be, or just stops without any real conclusion.

One example of a work that started out well but left us feeling, well, okay but? was The Phffft! Dance Theatre Company’s “Interview with the American Dream” which asked the question of people across the U.S., “What do you think about the state of the American dream?” It’s a great idea that choreographer Cyrus Khambatta had but he needed to develop more and bring it to some kind of resolution.

I enjoyed the charm of “The Kids’ Table” danced by Quark Contemporary Dance Theatre with choreography by David Lorence Schleiffers, the sheer kinetic energy of Stone’s “Stick Figures,” the serious intensity of Thaddeus Davis’s “Tantric Voices – Excerpts” for Spectrum Dance Theatre – which also had some of the most accomplished dancers, and the invention of “Tethered Apparitions” given by Coriolis Dance Collective with choreography by Natascha Greenwalt Murphy. This piece was one that was solid and well-constructed for the most part but could have used a stronger conclusion.

Mozart has been a jumping off point for many choreographers and Olivier Wevers chose one of the most dramatic – the “Ach, Ich Fühl’s” from “The Magic Flute” for his duet that featured Lopez and the lithe Kelly Ann Barton who could keep up with Lopez both on the histrionics and technical demands of Wevers’ quick and athletic phrases. Wevers changed from quirky to liquid serious and lyric when Lopez doffed his costume for an extended solo adagio. Very elegant, beautiful and unexpected.

Presented in a medium-sized theatre in Bellevue, Washington that’s about the right size for this annual series, my only wish might be that we didn’t have to wait until 2011 for the next edition. That and to use live music for pieces that could (the Mozart for example could have been done with piano and a vocal soloist) which would only serve to strengthen what is already one of Seattle’s most talked about and important outlets for dance.

_________________
Dean Speer
ballet@u.washington.edu

2010-03-17T10:32:00.001-07:00

Check it out!

http://www.ballet-dance.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=33892&p=200634&e=200634

2010-02-06T22:36:00.000-08:00

"Best Dance Festival Ever: Chop Shop: Bodies of Work puts sensuality and sense into modern dance." - CityArts Magazine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFLmo-lhBKI

2010-01-31T21:25:00.000-08:00

Looks like Chop Shop is gaining ground...check out these links!

http://www.cityartsmagazine.com/blog

http://www.cityartsmagazine.com/issues/eastside/2010/02/speechless

2010-01-26T11:25:00.000-08:00

The community outreach classes (Experience The Arts in collaboration with the City of Bellevue) have been amazing. These are free lectures and dance classes (Reading Dance and Introduction to Modern Dance) created to bring new viewers to this art from. I start each lecture by confessing my greatest wish...that everyone would love this art as much as I do. This creates a few smiles...and more blank stares. But eventually I am able to get everyone on my side. I swear I should have sold real estate. I would have made a killing.

The Reading Dance lectures are almost more beneficial for me than for the viewers. Being forced to quantify WHY I put these phrases in this particular or in accordance with the overall arcing purpose of the work AND THEN expressing this to people who know very little about dance has proven to be an exciting challenge. One can't get too philosophical or repetitive. And one can't bullshit either. I have caught myself doing a little of both, but I somehow get there in the end. One recurring theme that seems to pop up in my work, that I only recently discovered, is the theme of hope. I am a serial optimist. Maybe that's why I can never get any funding.

The dance classes are some of the most rewarding I teach. People show up in jeans and high heels or with their babies, but by the end of class they are utilizing sustainment and force and rise and fall and it's absolutely glorious. I tell them how special they are...that they are no different from the prima ballerinas of the world, or the Barishnikov's (sp)...that those people only had the fortunate opportunity to hone their craft. I tell them that their love of dance is exactly the same...special, rare and amazing.

2010-01-10T22:07:00.000-08:00

CHOP SHOP: BODIES OF WORK

MASTER CLASSES

On Stage At The Theatre at Meydenbauer

A unique opportunity to study with some of the leading instructors/choreographers in our region. Classes are open to dancers ages 12+ to adult and require a minimum of two years of training. Classes are taught at an Intermediate/Advanced level. All participants must sign a release form (on the day of the class) and those under 18 years of age must have an adult sign for them. Fees are due on or before time of class. Cash only, please.

Saturday, February 13^th:

10:30 to 12:00 Contemporary Improvisation Aiko Kinoshita

12:30 to 2:00 Contemporary Technique Michael Rioux

3:30 to 5:00 Modern Technique Sonia Dawkins   

Sunday, February 14^th:

 10:00 to 11:30 Contact Improvisation Cyrus Khambatta

 11:30 to 1:00 Modern Technique Mark Haim

Fees:

1 class - $18.00 

3 classes - $45.00 

5 classes - $50.00

Spots are limited. To reserve your place, please email stonedancecollective@hotmail.com or call 206-799-6004.

Reading Dance - FREE Event -   Sunday, February 14th, 1:00 to 2:00   “Reading Dance” is a free event for those who want to learn more about how contemporary work is created and the meaning and imagery within this abstract movement language. Get a “behind the scenes” look at the inspiration and utilization of a choreographer’s artistic processes. Lecture hosted by Eva Stone with choreographers and dancers from the Festival. Location: The Theater at Meydenbauer.

2009-12-28T21:53:00.000-08:00

I had the great pleasure of being allowed to talk about my dance, my dancers and the Festival the other day to Bond Huberman of City Arts Magazine. I told her I felt so good after our long chat that I would not need therapy for at least the next six months. I have come to terms with the fact that I am truly obsessed with this art and that, given the opportunity, I could go on for hours.

But I won't.

I will say that things are tightening up. The Master Class schedule is set, the crew ready and the pieces being finished. I have not yet seen everything that is going to be presented, but I know the Artists will deliver. If it's a hit, great. If it's a miss, even better. That will give us all plenty to discuss and debate over. It is the subjective aspect of viewing work that most fascinates me. Why did I see an Ethiopian dysfunctional family when you saw the Olympic trials in synchronized swimming? What is it about our life experiences that make you cry and me laugh? It's the holy matrimony of life and the abstract movement language. Totally individual, completely unique and a glorious solo experience that is always true....for you.

Check this out: http://www.chopshopdance.org

2009-12-04T22:50:00.000-08:00

Hey! We just sold our first two tickets! Get yours quick before we sell OUT!!!!

StoneDance Productions and The Theatre at Meydenbauer Present

Chop Shop: Bodies of Work

A Contemporary Dance FestivalAt The Theatre at Meydenbauer

Saturday, February 13th, 7:30 pm Sunday,

February 14th, 3:00pm2010

Bellevue, WA – November 30, 2009 - StoneDance Productions and The Theater At Meydenbauer present 'Chop Shop: Bodies of Work', theEastside's only Contemporary Dance Festival. Returning for its third year, this unique festival is a rare opportunity to explore the truly original talents of Seattle-based and Eastside - based artists in two special performances. This is the BEST of the Seattle/Eastside dance community in ONE festival. Each of these prolific choreographers has presented work to numerous critical successes throughout Europe, Asia, Latin America and the United States. Though each company/artist presented possesses their own individual voice, they are all unified in the contemporary language of dance and its power to stir the senses through the visceral moving image.

This is an event not to be missed! Last year’s sold out performances established Chop Shop as one of the most highly anticipated dance events in the greater Seattle/Eastside area.

See our promo: www.zebravisual.com/chpshp2.mov

Tickets are on sale now. Go to www.brownpapertickets.com or call 1-800-838-3006.

Adults: $25.00
Students and Seniors: $20.00

Discounted Tickets for groups of 10 or more.

(Both Shows will feature different performing groups.)

Meydenbauer Theater is located at 11100 NE 6th St., Bellevue, WA 98104

2009-12-01T23:09:00.001-08:00

So, what makes Chop Shop: Bodies of work so unique? Because Artists are chosen purely on how they approach and construct their work. I am not interested in the technical expertise of the dancers. I am interested in GREAT work. Each choreographer that presents at Chop Shop is engaged in HOW their work is communicating with audiences.

As our new art form of contemporary continues to evolve (at an incredibly rapid pace), I feel that many of today's American choreographers are moving toward an abstraction that is alienating audiences. I am not saying alienation does not have its value....Tricia Brown is one of my all time heroines and probably the reason I became a serious choreographer. But I believe dance should be relevant, 'connectable' on some level...that someone in the audience should walk away saying, "Wow, I've never thought about ....... like that before." Dance makers live in a non-verbal abstract movement language which, when strung together in a thoughtful and creative manner, possesses a multitude of meanings and imagery. So why waste that precious time with vague, unending, unfocused work?

I am fortunate to be asking audiences to trust my opinion. Our living experience needs great art to challenge everything we know and feel and what we believe to be true. Great dance can do just that...on so many visual and visceral levels. The 'visual buffet' that is Chop Shop: Bodies of Work will, without a doubt, shift something inside you....or your money back.

2009-12-01T22:59:00.000-08:00

Our Press Release is on its way out into the world. Here's information about the show:

Dancers Lizzy, Amanda and Fiona of The Stone Dance Collective

Photo by Gabriel Bienczyki, ZebraVisual

The Performing Artists:

Spectrum Dance Theater: Led by Artistic Director Donald Byrd, Spectrum Dance Theater stands at the forefront of contemporary dance as one of the most daring and innovative cultural assets in the region. The Company has established a full season of performances presented at the Moore Theatre where Spectrum is the official Resident Dance Company and continues to expand its reach with national and international touring engagements. Spectrum Dance Theater will be presenting Tantric Voices, choreographed by Thaddeus Davis, once a dancer with Donald Byrd/The Group in New York and now an artist in his own right. Byrd calls the piece, “…quirky, serious, playful, intuitive, curious, kinetic, earthy, smart and full of surprises.” Davis has choreographed for Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Ballet Austin and Fugate/Bahire Ballet in New York. In 2008 he was chosen by the US State Department to serve as a Cultural Envoy to Portugal.

The Stone Dance Collective is a modern dance company that originated in London, England in 1993 but has been part of the Seattle/Eastside dance scene for more than 12 years. Artistic Director and choreographer Eva Stone never fails to amuse and provoke audiences through her humor, detail and unexpected approach to contemporary dance. Having learned the art of dance backwards (choreography before technique), Stone has developed a movement language that is uniquely her own. Her choreography has been presented in New York, Geneva, London and St. Petersburg, Russia. Locally, she has been commissioned by numerous companies throughout Washington and most recently as part of a collaborative effort (alongside Olivier Wevers and Wade Madsen) on Project Orpheus with Seattle Dance Project. Stone will be presenting Stick Figures, a poignant and unaffected examination of the breath and space between men and women.

The Sho is led by dancer/choreographer/visual artist Michael Rioux. His concern as and artist is “to be full of joy and discovery… while not predetermining anything.” Rioux presents Wild Fruit Study #1, a unique work with two points of departure, one utilizing the text of Henry David Thoreau and the other starting with an image of a middle-aged woman from the 1970’s in a small Midwestern town.

Seattle Dance Project: Julie Tobiason and Timothy Lynch are co-directors of this new modern dance company that seeks to use the technical prowess and professional maturity of its dancers to push the limits of contemporary dance. Seattle Dance Project creates a movement methodology where muscular strength and classical lines of ballet converge with the emancipating movement of modern dance. SDP will be presenting Because, a new work by James Canfield, Director of Nevada Ballet Theatre and founding Artistic Director of Oregon Ballet Theatre. Canfield’s piece uses nostalgic Beatles tunes such as “Because” and “Yesterday” to showcase the talent of the dancers.

The Phffft! Dance Theatre Company fuses complex athletic partnering and daring lifts with a keen theatrical sensibility, revealing human nature through the lens of intimate relationships and the everyday experience. Artistic DirectorCyrus Khambatta has presented work in twelve US states, throughout Europe as well as in Russia and Latin America. Phffft! presents Interview with the American Dream, an work inspired by anonymously interviewing people over the phone from around the US. The piece is, “one part treatise, one part expose on American’s genuine reflections of their beloved country in a reluctant state of decay.”

Whim W’Him is the brainchild of Pacific Northwest Ballet Principal Dancer Olivier Wevers. Its goal is to open the world of dance to a wider audience by combining the talents of dancers, choreographers, composers, singers, actors and other artists in unorthodox forms/ways. Fragements, choreographed by Wevers and created for Spectrum Dance Theater, is a play on the familiarity of well-known arias from The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute. One critic calls it, “…beautifully Mozartain: this is art at its most spiritually cathartic and challenging, entirely classic and entirely now.”

Coriolis Dance Collective was formed in 2008 by Natascha Greenwalt-Murphyand and Christin Call in order to foster an immersive and experimental atmosphere in the creation of new, highly collaborative works with artists of all disciplines. Tethered Apparitions, choreographed by Greenwalt-Murphy, spins a delicate picture of how "personal ideals tie us to one another and attach us to illusory worlds of our own creation." The piece features an original score by local musician and artist Matt Holmes, as well as art objects created by Call.

SD Prism Dance Theatre is a contemporary dance company founded by Artistic Director Sonia Dawkins, who has been in the Seattle area for the past 10 years and is also a part of the faculty at Pacific Northwest Ballet. Dawkins’ focus as a choreographer is drawn from the artistry, athleticism and “poetry” from within each dancer. Critics have said her works possess “athletic edge and artistic depth.” Dawkins is presenting Linkage, a study on the demise of national and social constructs in a “monetary context.”

Peninsula Dance Theatre is presenting a new work by Seattle based choreographer Lara Littlefield. Littlefield’s artistic influences come from her training background from both Pacific Northwest Ballet and Cornish College of the Arts. In A Final Gathering, Littlefield engages the dancers in a boundless community dance evoking folk Americanisms. Peninsula Dance Theatre, with Artistic Director Lawan Morrison, has been dedicated to furthering classical and contemporary forms of dance in the Kitsap County region since 1973.

Quark Contemporary Dance Theatre is a fresh new company created in 2009 by David Lorence Schleiffers, currently working on a dance degree in the UW Dance Program. This company aims to create and perform unique and thought provoking work, which highlights the natural movement of the human body. In The Kids’ Table, Schleiffers takes us on a subtle journey through the growing process and uses simple movement themes to highlight complex aspects of adulthood.

acornDance, with Director Aiko Kinoshita, performs pause, which will inhabit various locations around the lobby of Meydenbauer Theater, creating moving installations in reaction to the space and its inherent sounds and energy. This ensemble courageously plays with pushing physical edges and emotional boundaries through the art of improvisational performance. In doing so it offers a vision of the world based on immediate experience rather than polish, sensitivity rather than habit. Kinoshita’s work has toured nationally and internationally and reflects her interest in improvisation, natural physicality, dynamic partnering, and community.

2009-10-18T23:18:00.000-07:00

It's official! We have this year's line up and it's AMAZING!!!!!

Seattle Dance Project

Spectrum Dance Theater

Mark Haim

Peninsula Dance Theater

The Sho

Whim W'him

The Stone Dance Collective (it's a perk)

Quark Contemporary Dance Theatre

The Phffft! Dance Theater Company

SD Prism Dance Theater

acornDance

Coriolis Dance Collective

We are thrilled to have the opportunity to present great choreography from all of these strong companies. Chop Shop is about offering thoughtful, well crafted and meaningful work by choreographers who are focused and concerned with the relationship between dancer and viewer. And that is why our festival is so important to this dance community (and why we sell out our shows!) But more on the Chop Shop philosophy later....

2009-10-16T08:51:00.000-07:00

Well, here we go again! The line up for this years Chop Shop: Bodies of Work Contemporary Dance Festival (Feb 13 &14, 2010 at Meydenbauer Theater) is almost finalized. We have amazing events planned for Jan and Feb of 2010. Our FREE classes in the fine city of Bellevue are not to be missed! Last year's master classes (offered by Wade Madsen, Mark Haim, Julie Tobiason, and Cyrus Khambatta) were wonderful, and we will offer more this year as well. Keep checking in as the "cast list" will be up soon! In the meantime, check out our Promo (made by the brilliant Gabriel Bienczycki of Zebravisual) and prepare to be amazed!

(Photo: Dancer: Geneva Jenkins, Spectrum Dance Theater

Photo: Gabe Bienczycki, Zebravisual

http://zebravisual.com/chpshp2.mov

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esZCR5IeAtc

http://vimeo.com/5968923