Big hugs and Baby steps

Alicia just ended a note to me on Skype chat with 'Big hugs and Baby steps!'

I wanted to share this with you as it's the perfect encapsulation of how we expandance company members decided to approach the work this year: Be kinder to ourselves, and take each thing one small step at a time.

The administration and day-to-day running of a dance company, even one as small as ours - writing funding & grant applications, updating blogs, websites, twitter, facebook, editing video footage, hiring space, ongoing research into performance platforms, not to mention choreographing! - can be overwhelming at times, with to-do lists that reach the floor. (Add onto that the day job and you've a nice full workload.)

So we were delighted to find out about NACHMO (thanks Erica Frankel.) It stands for National Choreography Month, and in 2011 it's this month. NACHMO's aim is to build a community of dance artists who commit to creating new dance work every day for the 31 days of January - even if it's just 20 seconds of new choreography. We encourage you to check out their blog, and ours, for videos and updates over the next few weeks.

The expandance daily technique, as many of you know, is rooted in meditation followed by improvisation, and we're utilizing NACHMO to take this one step further - to commit to creating set material on a daily basis as well. Thanks for the inspiration, NACHMO! Alicia is the company member committed to the project this year - here are a few video stills from yesterdays session in the Wicklow studio.

Happy New Year from a snowy New York!

-Rachel

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!***