Scandal! Marathon Dancers Nearly Lick the Grey Cup!

The Golden Girls

Excuse all the extremely witty titles for these posts. It's so tempting to make them sound like headlines in a fashion magazine.

Well, the town of Golden was really into the adult humour, including that of Gloria, the aforementioned "Golden Girl" pictured here:

 

….And also Aaron's character Chuckles, the horrible and hilarious birthday party magician.

In Golden, we worked with a group of fantastic folks called the A-Muse troupe to incorporate them into the show as dance contestants. Each developed a distinct character with a number on their back and a story, and dance with us through most of the first act. Amazing. This show is built for integrating audience to that degree. In fact, I was unsure about putting the show onto a traditional stage, because in my mind the 'stage' for Hard Times Hit Parade should be the entire room. After a couple of chances at experimenting with the black box stage version: the Dance Allsorts show at the Roundhouse and the Choreographic Research Project showing at the Dance Center, I received the feedback that the atmosphere of inclusion and the world of the 1930s is still created. A town hall or a ballroom is a vastly more appropriate fit for the show, however, and that's what we had in Golden.

Hard Times Hit Parade teaser

HARD TIMES HIT PARADE teaser Into the Night from Kat Single-Dain on Vimeo.

First we take Kelowna….then we take Golden.

I sit in the middle of a large living room in Golden. The cast are playing the piano on my right, singing "….this morning the hotel pillow was all up in my face…." I love these folks. A fireplace on my left warms the entire house. The snow is constant outside.

The most challenging part of this tour has been driving in the snow. We counted 6 semi-trailers and 3 cars that had been abandoned off the side of the road. Many highways have closed. The trip from Vancouver to Kelowna, a four and a half hour drive according to google maps, took ten hours. Alastair commented that in a way he's glad that nature can still get in the way of our best laid plans. I agree. I think the human race had better get used to that.

Our first show in Kelowna was for Catholic school kids, a demographic that I am personally frightened of, or at least afraid of offending. After all, one of my characters is a washed up alcoholic lounge singer, who warns people that the virgin martinis at the bar are a gyp. "I thought I was getting a virgin and a martini." Needless to say, I cut her monologue way back.

I had no reason to be scared of the kids. They loved the show. Kids are the best kind of hecklers; they answer every question the players ask; they fill the black outs with "what happens next??"; and without any prompting, they voted on which couple they thought should win the marathon. Also they were inspired to start a dance party in the intermission, which is one of my hopes for the show in action.

I'll sign off for tonight, though there is always more to say. I suppose that's the point of a blog. I have never blogged before. In the FB, twitter, blogging, social media universe I am mostly a luddite by choice. Glad that this is my first. Thanks Caroline, and good evening everyone out there.

Introducing Kat Single-Dain

The Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret has hit the road, so I thought I'd introduce you to our next Dancer on Tour blogger, Dusty Flowerpot choreographer Kat Single-Dain. Kat will be keeping us posted on her reflections on art and life on the road in the upcoming weeks while touring the Dusty Flowerpot's piece Hard Times Hit Parade.   Here, check out this interview with Kat in the meantime.

What skills are most valuable to you in community engaged arts practice?

Happy new year all!
Way back in 2011, we finished off the year with discussion about outreach at Breaking New Ground, Made in BC's annual professional development meeting.I emailed this question to some of our panelists, and thought I'd post the question, and some answers that have come in.

What skills have been most valuable to you in your community arts engagement practice, and where did you get those skills from? 

For myself,  when working in community as a dance artist or arts educator, I draw a lot on my group facilitation and listening skills, and an analysis of power (eg, looking at participation and communication through such lenses as class, gender, language, culture, skin colour, and more).  I'm posing the question in part because these are skills I first gained as a trained animateur working in international development, and also in undergraduate work in conflict resolution and human rights, all before I began my professional dance training. I continue to draw from museum education (I work with children, youth and families in an art gallery, where there is quite a bit of pedagogy about how to ask questions and engage people in looking and seeing), and this all shapes my approach to working with people, using dance, body, arts, or in non-arts contexts.

Miriam Colvin, Dance Artist and Dance Outreach Co-ordinator for the Bulkley Valley Concert Association, replied:

I am beginning a new project in Minneapolis right now and so I have the opportunity to observe myself in the beginning stages: new community, new landscape, new cultures. I think that, like Caroline, I draw heavily from group facilitation skills. One specific skill I noticed today working with youth is how I ask questions.  I ask a lot of questions. I learned this skill first from my father and later from all of the great teachers in my life who taught by invoking thought rather than by telling answers. I try to find out what is happening, what is interesting, why is it interesting. Inviting people to share their stories or explain things in their own words opens up worlds of possibilities in my arts engagement practice as the group is lead in ways I never would have imagined on my own.

Yuriko Iga, Director at Vancouver's Blim, specified three skills:

1.Adaptability: working organically with client and community. artist , non artist.  (I got this from life experience)

2.Constant improving of things: looking at business like a (work in progress) - (I got this from life experience as well)

3. Resourcefulness: finding things cheap, finding things for others, linking people up with other people.  (life experience)

Ok, so far that's facilitation, listening, awareness of power, asking questions, adaptability, constant improving of things, and resourcefulness.

If you'd like to add, please do.