Upcoming Performances - July 08

Dublin

Rachel & Laurie are currently creating a new piece for Project Brand New 2.

'Trio with Invisible Third' comments upon the remarkably tangible synergy we've developed as dancers and as friends, and explores whether this can translate when physically we're thousands of miles apart. Rachel and Laurie dance simultaneously with Alicia; two dancers in Dublin and one in New York City.

Thanks to Dance Ireland and The Lab for supporting this work!

Saturday 26th July 2008 @ 8pm
Project Arts Centre, 39 East Sussex Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
Info / Booking: (+353 1) 881 9613/14
Tickets just a fiver

New York

Alicia presents an excerpt of 'This is What She Sees...', originally performed in Dublin in March 2008 as a duet, reworked for Dance New Amsterdam's "Works In Progress" series as a solo.

Saturday 12th July 2008 @ 5.30pm
Dance New Amsterdam, 280 Broadway, (Entrance on Chambers), New York
Info (+ 1) 212 625 8369
Suggested donation 10 dollars

www.dnadance.org

Dancing with Tanz Atelier Wien

I (Rachel) recently had the opportunity to dance with Sebastian Prantyl's 'Tanz Atelier Wien' in two outdoor performances on the streets of Vienna.

When I first met Sebastian a few months ago, we talked for over an hour about choreography; where we both feel it's headed in Europe, what needs to change in attitudes to dance-making and funding in our respective countries, what we feel is working (and not working) in Ireland and Austria in terms of professional dance training, practice, space, and support. It was a discussion I won't forget for a long time, mostly because of one important issue.

For some reason, I felt I could be completely open with how I approach dance making at this time. Often, I skirt around what I feel are the 'important bits' - the fact that as well as a profession, dance is a spiritual path for me now. That I'm realising on a deeper level that I'm not the one choreographing, but rather, once I'm out of my own way, my Divine Self flows through and creates work. (This is a concept older than time, but one which has been relegated to 'hippydom' in the last few decades within the art world at large - we're not dancing the rainbow here! - but that's another article altogether).

The reason I won't forget that first meeting with Sebastian is that when I told him about how I consider the spirit to be just as important as the body, as physicality, as aesthetics, as theatre, he completely agreed. When I discuss my work in Ireland, I'm now quite used to being met with blank stares, barely concealed judgment, or with a slightly patronising smile. This was the first time I'd met a choreographer who was not only agreeing with me but passionately so.

Working with his company last month I learned new methodology and approaches to improvisation, both as a tool for creation of choreography and as a method of performance, and other ways of approaching work in the studio. Refreshingly, it all felt complementary to the expandance way of working: playful, present in each moment, grounded, centered, and expansive. Thanks Sebastian, thank you dancers of Tanz Atelier Wien!

http://www.tanzatelierwien.at/DORFPLATZ.neubauen.htm

"This is what she sees" / The Window Project

"This is what she sees" (formerly "The Window Project") was premiered as part of Project Brand New in The Project Theatre, Dublin, on 22nd March 08. Described as a piece that 'blew away the cobwebs' by one of the festival's directors, and as a 'breath of fresh air' by audience members, expanDance are planning on bringing this piece to New York in the autumn.

"This is what she sees" was choreographed by Alicia Walshe
Dance - Alicia Walshe and Laurie Schneider
Props - Fred Walshe
Sound effects / soundscape provided by the wee ones: Henry Walshe and Hunter Lily Schneider

Photos courtesy of Julie Locket / Genesis Project Dublin, from a studio rehearsal of the piece.

The Window Project

Laurie and Alicia are currently in rehearsal with The Window Project.

* * * Choreographed and performed by Alicia Walshe and Laurie Schneider, The Window Project will be danced by two dancers and a wooden window frame. The frame will move up and down; it will spin and fall. It will determine what the audience sees and doesn’t see and possibly reveal what they’re not meant to see. Questions may arise - will the view the audience sees change their personal views? Will they notice the view at all? The world is framed they are framed. Will you have a look? * * *

expandance is premiering The Window Project at Project Arts Centre’s, Project Brand New, March 19th, 20th and 21st.

Project Arts Centre
39 East Sussex Street
Temple Bar
Dublin 2

info / booking (+353 1) 881 9613/14

January 2008

Happy January!

The expandance family are working on individual projects over the coming few months, as well as meeting regularly (both in physical and virtual form!) to brainstorm and plan forthcoming performances for summer and autumn.

Laurie is working with Rionach Ni Neill in an upcoming project to be performed later in spring in Project Theatre. Watch this space for upcoming info.

Alicia is happily getting acquainted with motherhood, and continuing with expandance admin and funding applications for spring / summer.

Rachel has moved to Vienna for approximately 6 months to check out the dance and theatre scene there, and, more importantly, sample Austrian food.

Another new addition!

Henry Anthony Walshe was born to Alicia and Fred on Wednesday 10th October at 4.59pm. He came out two weeks early, weighing 6lbs 7oz and 21 inches long.

Now, Alicia's gorgeous flexibility as a dancer is something that often leaves Laurie and I in awe. However, I was certaintly not expecting her to still be quite as bendy after childbirth. When I visited her in Holles St Hospital a day after Henry arrived, she demonstrated fully her 'pushing positions' - legs stretched up in the air - and I winced in anticipation of pain, until I realized that this is Alicia. And Alicia must surely be the only person I've ever met who could stretch with the best of them straight after emitting a human being.

Congrats you guys!

We are YouTubers!

A few videos have now been uploaded to You Tube, with more on their way, so it's now possible to see longer versions of the clips currently on the website.

For some reason (a moment of madness on my part) we're listed not as expanDance but as 'nefariousfaery' on You Tube. You can check us out here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/nefariousfaery

...and if you feel so inclined (and you are, unlike many of us, quite familiar with YouTube-isms) feel free to add us as a 'friend', leave a comment, or even subscribe! Oooh the excitement...

New aspects to the work

Vanessa Marsh, visual artist, has been in the studio with us a few times over the last couple of months.

Recently she has been working on a series of 'scores' that accompany our improvisations. After a group meditation and visualisation, we (dancers) start improvised movement, and Vanessa starts moving her paintbrushes.

Using rolls of paper, Vanessa interprets how she sees us moving (and feels, in the overall and ever changing energy in the studio) onto paper. Starting at the left hand side of the paper, she paints and walks, creating a visual score of our movement. If a particular improvisation is, say, 7 minutes long, and Vanessa is painting for 7 minutes, we then have a score which represents the full improv, through her perception. We have found that, after each improv, we are often able to correspond parts of her painting to parts of our improv. For example, one part of her work may be rather chaotic-looking, and this is where, 2 minutes in, our movements had a strong sense of chaos.

New life in the company

Hunter Lily Schneider was born to Laurie & Dave on Friday 24th August. She's a powerful, aware being with long fingers, long toes and long legs... she's going to be tall!

Hunter Lily's first day in the studio was on 24th September, aged one month old. She participated in our opening meditation by throwing up on her Mum, most likely releasing some birth trauma, as she threw up when we were releasing blocked pelvic energy & trauma.

It was wonderful to have Laurie back in the studio with Alicia and I; it felt like the family was whole again. Vanessa Marsh also joined us and painted 30 feet of art throughout the session.