Go raibh math agaibh / Thank you all

THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO SUPPORTED OUR WORK THIS YEAR, IN YOUR MYRIAD AND HEARTFELT WAYS - BY ATTENDING PERFORMANCES AND WORKSHOPS, WITH YOUR FEEDBACK, AND BY SUPPORTING US ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND THE BLOG!

What an expansive year it’s been!

expandance had a full and exciting year in 2010 and we're looking forward to 2011! This year we performed a total of five new works in two countries, launched two new studios (Dublin and Wicklow, supporting our continued Skype rehearsals with New York) and even found time to have a baby (nice work Laurie.) We also brought three works made in the U.S. home to Ireland. Rachel's Tributaries was presented as part of Illuminating Artists New Works festival at TADA! Theatre, NYC and 3 months later we brought it home, performing it at 'Some expandance evening...' in Dance Theatre of Ireland. Christina's Chi'il Bel Sogno was also shown at DTI along with Making Change, now developed into a trio. Alicia and Laurie's duet little Time / little Space was performed at the Riverbank Theatre, Kildare, and at 'Block T' in Dublin. Rachel's Rock Om, with five new dancers, was shown at Webster Hall, NYC as part of their Quarterly Arts Soiree. And Alicia performed her solo 12 Steps at The George Bernard Shaw Theatre in Carlow. It was a busy year of teaching too, with workshops for adults in New York, teenagers at Shawbrook and Riverbank Theatre, and Over 60s at VISUAL. We are so excited about everything 2011 has in store - see you there! In gratitude - Rachel, Alicia, Laurie & co.

12 Steps at George Bernard Shaw Theatre, Nov 2010

What lovely things they say!

Alicia's 1st semester of the expandance Over 60s workshop in the George Bernard Shaw Theatre culminated there last week in a double performance - 'Neversaynever', performed by the group, and '12 Steps', a solo performed by Alicia. Here's what some of the workshop participants had to say about the experience:


I have thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and have learned so much. You are an inspiration and the
experience has been good for both 'mind & body'. I also like the way we exercise the different areas of
our body and it has to add to our overall well-being. - Marie

That was a great show you managed to get the ladies confident enough to perform in. Your enthusiasm
and encouragement was the only thing that would have given a lot of them the courage to perform on a
stage- for an audience.

I will be the first in to your next session - rarely have I come across a more enthusiastic and talented
Dance and movement Instructor with such patience, skill and good humour --just what us elderly ladies
need -- keep up the good work! - Betty


I found it a valuable experience, stretching muscles I had not realised were so tense until then. The
group were encouraged to extend themselves as much as possible and there was no pressure for
those of us less able .In that way you inspired confidence and emphasised that to enjoy the dance was
paramount.

It was also very affordable and including the cup of tea or coffee allowed the group to socalise. - Eilis

The next term of classes begins in January2011. Details will be posted here soon!

Dancing in the snow!

With 8 inches of fresh snow outside this morning I decided to take 12 Steps and make the first footprints of the day.  I couldn't resist!

Things have slowed down a bit since last week's show at George Bernard Shaw Theatre and our workshop at Riverbank Arts Centre!  With the hills covered in snow and no hectic class planning, choreographing, or performances until after Christmas I had time in our Wicklow Studio to practice.  No pressure, no deadlines, just bringing it back to where we started in 2006, meditation, improvisation, ie. honest movement.

On Monday my first session in the studio was difficult in the sense that my mind wanted to continue to plan and create and my body was moving in a habitual way, doing movement that was familiar and comfortable.  By the end of the day on Tuesday, things had changed.  I was able to quiet my mind and my body moved in new uninhibited ways.  You'll see in the video that this pressure-free time in the studio is wielding results!

See the video on our Facebook group. 

- Alicia

Shtuff. Noos. UpDates.

* We rocked Webster Hall in New York on Sunday. Thank you, fabulous dancers, and thanks to those who came to support us.

* Alicia is teaching a day of dance for teens in the Riverbank Theatre, Kildare, this Sunday Nov 21st - sign up now! The last day was a great success. Details here.

* Here's a photo of the view from our Wicklow studio. Sometimes when I'm in New York and it's all getting a bit crazy, I imagine myself in this studio instead :) This is where we developed 'Making Change' from a solo into a trio.

-- Rachel

Tonight, tonight, the world is full of light...

What do Woody Guthrie, Elvis Presley, Julie Andrews, Frank Sinatra, Eric Clapton, Metallica, Guns N Roses and expandance have in common? 

Webster Hall baby! See ye tonight :)

We're on with ROCK OM at 9.30pm but doors for The Q.A.S. open at noon, so come whenever and see unpretentious art, music, and theatre.   

This is a fundraiser for The Bowery Mission - if you can bring something that will help someone in need regain their dignity (underwear still in packaging, a toothbrush, razors, other toiletries etc) please do - and receive an extra $5 off the cost of your ticket at the door.

A bit more info re THIS SUNDAY!

ROCK OM at Webster Hall as part of Quarterly Arts Soiree: An update.

From 12pm - 2pm the Kids Jymboree is on, where your children can do arty things, and from 2pm - late every inch of Webster Hall and it's myriad crevices will be filled with art, music, poetry, and from 7.30pm...dance! 

WE ARE ONSTAGE WITH ROCK OM BETWEEN 9PM & 10PM.

Tickets are $15 in advance / $20 at the door from:

http://www.theqas.com/

This is a fundraiser for The Bowery Mission, and if you can bring something that will help someone in need regain their dignity (underwear still in packaging, a toothbrush, razors, other toiletries etc) please do - and receive an extra $5 off the cost of your ticket at the door.

Next New York City Performance SUN NOV 14th

Stage dive / Swan dive
Air guitar fingers / Mudra fingers
Passing out at after-party / Savasan-a-fter-party-in-my

-body Ah yes, Rock and Yoga. Made for each other. We're performing part of our new piece 'Rock Om' for The Q.A.S. at Webster Hall in the East Village, and we'd love you to come see us. There are loads of incredible artists, musicians, writers, and dance companies showing their work that day, and we're honored to be a part of this wonderful get-together. Choreography: Rachel Wynne / expandance The Incredible Performers: Carlos A. Cruz-Velázquez, ChristinaNoel Reaves, Clare Cook, Hunt Parr, and Krista Racho-Jansen. And yes, we did - Music by: Led Zeppelin We most likely won't be showing bits of 'Rock Om' again much until Spring 2011, so now is a good time to see what we're working on. ***Please note: Performance time is subject to change. Please check this blog before you come!***

12 Steps at GBS Theatre on 24th November

"The average person takes 5,000 steps in a day. 

That's twice around the world in a lifetime. 

So I decided to make a dance...and take 12 of those 5,000 steps."

This month expandance will perform their newest work, 12 Steps, at the George Bernard Shaw Theatre in Carlow on 24 November at 12.30pm. 12 Steps is a solo choreographed and performed by company member Alicia Christofi-Walshe.

expandance Over 60's dance workshop

The first expandance dance workshop for the Over 60's today was a great success, with nearly 40 people in attendance! Alicia is delighted, and looking forward to working with you all over the next couple of months. Thanks to the George Bernard Shaw Theatre in Carlow and to Dance Ireland for their support.

Block T performance photos!

Thanks to Katie Reynolds for the pics! The performance went wonderfully, and Laurie's waters did not break :)

little Time / little Space this Sat!

Laurie and Alicia have been happily rehearsing in the studio in Wicklow, and are excited about the next performance of little Time / little Space this Saturday in Smithfield, Dublin. See the post below for details. Hope to see you there! 

Two friends - both mothers, one currently pregnant - try to make the best of a less-than-ideal situation. little Time / little Space is an entire dance theatre piece performed in a 5ft x 5ft square within 5 minutes.

This is the last time you'll see this piece in this incarnation, as Laurie won't be pregnant the next time :) Go go go!

UPDATE! This piece will be shown around 7.15pm on Saturday. 

little Time / little Space 2nd Dublin Performance Oct 2

After enthusiastically-received performances at Dance Theatre of Ireland and Riverbank Arts Centre in July, our newest work, little Time / little Space is coming to Smithfield as part of an Interdisciplinary Performance evening developed by Deirdre Murphy and Fergus O'Conchuir at Block T.

Choreographed and performed by Laurie Schneider and Alicia Christofi-Walshe, two friends - both working mothers, one currently pregnant - try to make the best of a less-than-ideal situation. This is an entire dance theatre piece performed in a 5ft x 5ft square within 5 minutes.

Date: Saturday October 2nd, 2010 5pm - 11pm

Venue: Block T (Above Chinatown) 1-6 Haymarket, Smithfield Square, Dublin 7

Tickets: 11 euro

Over 60? Coming soon! Dance classes with Alicia.

George Bernard Shaw Theatre's Older People's Workshop:

Come dance with expandance! Beginning October 6th, Alicia Christofi-Walshe, a founding

member of expandance, will be running classes for older people at

the George Bernard Shaw Theatre in Carlow. Keep fit, maintain flexibility,

strength, balance, and co-ordination all in a social and relaxed

environment! See live performance & video of professional

contemporary dance companies. Meet new people & make new

dances!

For: Over 60s
Wednesdays, beginning October 6th, 11am - 1pm

Cost: 5 euro per class
At George Bernard Shaw Theater, Carlow

Booking: Alicia Christofi-Walshe on 087 666 6632 or

aliciachristof@hotmail.com

Generously supported by Dance Ireland.

Photos, as promised - Making Change at DTI, Dublin

A few photos from our day at Dance Theatre of Ireland - here are some of the shots from the Making Change rehearsals. We developed Making Change from a solo into a trio for this showing. All photos by Laurie Schneider.

Thank you all!

Thank you, all of you who came to 'Some expandance evening...' at Dance Theatre of Ireland last week. It was the first time all four of us were on the same stage, in the same country, for nearly 4 years, and we were delighted with your feedback and positive responses. The Q&A after the show was great, and we were most grateful for your thoughtful questions. Pictures and video will be up soon. Huge thanks also to Robert Connor and Loretta Yurick for their generosity and enthusiasm in the work.

Some expandance evening... tomorrow

Update: 'Some expandance evening...'

is booked out. There is a waiting list, so if you'd like to come please call Dance Theatre of Ireland on 01-2803455 and ask to be put on it. We're going to do our best not to turn anyone away. See you tomorrow!

Chi'il Bel Sogno - some rehearsal footage

Christina Noel Reaves is not just a great dancer. Here she is rehearsing (yes, and singing) Chi'il Bel Sogno (Puccini - 'La Rondine') in Bushwick, NYC this week.

- Rachel

Some expandance evening...

It's a homecoming!

Rachel & Christina fly NYC - DUBLIN this July, bringing with them three works never before seen in Ireland: Tributaries, Making Change and Chi'il Bel Sogno.

Combine these with a new piece - little Time / little Space by Alicia & Laurie and you have an enchanting evening of expandance work, and a rare opportunity to see all four expandance members in one country at the same time, sharing a stage.

Saturday 17th July 2010 at 8pm

Dance Theatre of Ireland
Bloomfields, Lower Georges St., Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
Free / Donations welcome

Please RSVP to Dance Theatre of Ireland, 01-280 3455, info@dancetheatreireland.com

'Some expandance evening...' is graciously hosted by Dance Theatre of Ireland. Thank you!

Tributaries

Tributaries premiered in New York this spring as part of Emerging Artist's Theatre's 'One Woman Standing' Festival. Choreographed and performed by Rachel Wynne, this piece of dance theatre is accompanied by a sound scape of company members and supporters voices in Ireland and the United States, from interviews conducted throughout the rehearsal process. A show about the making of a show, Tributaries is a sweet, rambunctious and vulnerable foray into the lives of a choreographer, a dancer and a clown, who just happen to share the same body, and pays tribute to those who have influenced and supported work of expandance over the last few years.

Chi'il Bel Sogno

Choreographed and performed by expandance's newest company member Christina Noel Reaves, Chi'il Bel Sogno is a new look at the classic Puccini aria from La Rondine through movement and voice. A New York-based dancer, composer and classically trained singer, Christina has previously performed for Meredith Monk, Doug Elkins, David Dorfman, and Ellis Wood among others.

little Time / little Space

Two friends - both mothers, one currently pregnant - try to make the best of a less-than-ideal situation. little Time / little Space is an entire dance theatre piece performed in a 5ft x 5ft square within 5 minutes, and is choreographed and performed by Ireland-based company members Laurie Schneider and Alicia Christofi-Walshe.

Making Change

Premiered at Brooklyn Arts Exchange 'Upstart Festival' and later at Dance New Amsterdam's 'Visa Voices' Festival, Making Change became a favourite among our US audiences. Choreographed by Rachel Wynne and performed by Christina Noel Reaves, Making Change is about facing an uncertain future with little more in our pockets than trust.

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We get around...

The website
The YouTubes
The Book of Faces
The Twitterers

Tributaries in Ireland - save the date!

We are delighted to bring Tributaries to Dublin this July.
More details on the evening to come, but for now - save the date!
Saturday July 17th at 8pm

Dance Theatre of Ireland, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin

Upcoming NYC workshop - Relax into Wrong

Our next expandance workshop is all about Getting it Wrong!

How often in your daily life do you give yourself permission to make mistakes? To grow from them without judging yourself for making them in the first place? To like yourself in spite of not attaining 'perfection' in all you do?
As a recently outed perfectionist myself, I realized I never allowed myself to Get Stuff Wrong. That's a lot of pressure! So I thought 'Let's do a workshop where we can dance, move, play and above all else - Get our Wrong ON - and have fun with it!'

For three Thursdays this June & July, we'll give ourselves 1 1/2 hours to do just that. Take a long lunch and join me in Midtown!

* Thursdays June 24th, July 1st & July 8th
* 12.15pm - 1.45pm
* Keystone Studio, 252 West 30th Street (at 8th Ave), suite 4B
* $65 for entire workshop, (paid on June 24th) or $25 for each class drop-in

This class is open to all adults whether you're a professional dancer or have never danced before and just want to move. A basic level of fitness is preferable.

Space is limited. Please RSVP by Sunday June 20th: expandanceinfo@gmail.com

- Rachel

expandance Ireland workshop for teenagers - July 2010

In July, Alicia is teaching an expandance workshop for teenagers at The Riverbank Theatre. Rachel will be in Ireland to guest teach sections of her newest piece Tributaries as part of the workshop.

Each morning will feature a fun, engaging technique-based contemporary dance class.
After lunch, each afternoon you will have the chance to:

* Experience the expandance technique: an expansive and centered approach to improvisation, choreography & performance
* Learn practical tools for utilizing pre-performance nerves that you can use for the rest of your performing career
* Create your own choreography
* Learn expandance company repertoire from members of the company


This workshop is for ages 13 - 17 and is at The Riverbank Theatre, Newbridge, Co Kildare
July 19th through 23rd 2010
10am - 3pm
€75 incl. lunch
To register please contact The Riverbank Arts Centre
Phone: (045) 448330
Email: info@riverbank.ie

New YouTube channel

We just created a new YouTube channel dedicated to showing only expandance company work - performances, rehearsal clips, blog videos etc. Visit, subscribe, and rate us some stars! More videos coming soon :)

Tributaries - the pics

Thanks to those of you who came and supported Tributaries, and for your overwhelmingly positive feedback. Here are a few of the pictures Kate Hess took on the night. Thank you again to everyone at Emerging Artists Theatre, especially Alison, Julie, Jess, Stacy and Paul.

Much of the feedback we received centered around developing Tributaries into a full length piece. Keep checking back for updates, as we may well develop it in the near future.

Tributaries is tomorrow Wed April 28th 2010

Remember! Tomorrow night at TADA! Theatre, 15 West 28th Street, NY. Come and see a choreographer, a dancer and a clown attempt to make a show.
Tickets are $10 and are available here or on the door.

Choreography & Performance by Rachel Wynne
Sound-scape by ChristinaNoel Reaves
featuring the voices of Laurie Schneider, Alicia Christofi-Walshe & Jody O'Neill in Ireland
and Matthew Westerby, Anita McFarlane, Sarah Rainone & Clare Cook in USA

50 Best Blogs for Dance Students - yep, we're there :)

The expandance blog has just been featured on OnlineDegree.net's '50 Best Blogs for Dance Students' under their Choreography and Teaching category.

Check it out!

Tributaries rehearsals

A few ideas we're working on in the Bushwick studio right now...




Get your tickets for Tributaries by clicking here. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Happy Day of Green

Well, it's St. Patrick's Day, and Laurie and Alicia are in Dublin & Wicklow respectively, and I'm here in Bushwick, NYC working on the new piece Tributaries. And it's SUNNY. And WARM! So I thought I'd share a bit of that sunny stuff with you all, wherever you happen to be in the world today, as my memories of St. Patrick's Day are usually accompanied by misty rain and freezing American majorettes with blue knees marching through the streets of Dublin. How much nicer it is to dance in warmth... - Rachel

Tickets!

Tickets are now on sale for Tributaries <-- click here

A sweet, rambunctious and vulnerable foray into the lives of a choreographer, a dancer and a clown... who just happen to share the same body.

They're only $10 - get 'em while they're hot!

Tributaries - Wednesday April 28th 2010

Genesis Project / expandance new NYC home

I think we've blogged about Genesis Project before. Started by two accomplished dance artists (and good friends of ours) in Ireland - Ella Clarke and Julie Lockett - Genesis Project emphasizes the necessity of a daily practice for all dance artists. Genesis entered our world 2006, at a time when expandance was just finding it's feet, and provided us with the time and space to look at how we approach our work as a company. We have been avid supporters of Genesis ever since, and so we're delighted to see them acknowledged by Michael Seaver in this article in The Irish Times today.

Speaking of time and space: We're delighted to announce that expandance has a new home in which to continue our daily practice in New York. Space 403 is a loft in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and expandance are now in residence there and utilizing the space in collaboration with architect Oleg Moshkovich. Thank you Oleg - our newest patron!