photo by Milton Adams

The NOTcracker: A Barefoot Brigade Holiday Dance Festival for Modern Dance, Contemporary Dance, and Performance Art
Saturday December 17, 2011 at 2pm
Horchow Auditorium of the Dallas Museum of Art

1717 North Harwood, Dallas, TX 75201

ADMISSION to the NOTcracker is FREE WITH MUSEUM ADMISSION ($10 or less)

CD/FW is one of the founding members of the Barefoot Brigade coalition, and will contribute a dance work to The NOTcracker, along with other members of the Barefoot Brigade and adjudicated guests. Always a favorite with local audiences, this diverse, family friendly festival provides seasonal relief from all things "Nutcracker."

Satellite-Dance's Kihyoung Choi

11th annual Barefoot Brigade Dance Festival

Bath House Cultural Center
January 27-28, 2012
Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 3pm & 8pm

$15 General Admission / $10 Students, Seniors & Dance Council Members

Don't miss the 11th anniversary edition of the Barefoot Brigade Dance Festival when it kicks off the 2012 performance year at its birthplace and original "stomping ground" at the Bath House Cultural Center! Just on the heels of a successful “NOTcracker” at the Dallas Museum of Art, the members of the Barefoot Brigade and adjudicated guests will share the Bath House stage in a new festival program:

Angie Dutton of Feel Good Dance (Dallas) will premiere UP-Rooted – a new multi-media solo exploring the gifts that come from being suddenly uprooted from any place, situation or way of being. Using video footage of an old, uprooted tree as a metaphor for being 'uprooted' in our lives, the dance explores what lies within us and beyond us to ground us in the good that comes from change.

Beckles Dancing Company will premiere A Meditation – a new quintet by artistic director Loris Anthony Beckles. A master choreographer of many years, Beckles' works is notable for its thoughtful structures, themes and variations, and wide variety of musical inspirations. Originally from Guyana, South America, Beckles' own performing career included work with the Eleo Pomare Dance Company and the Alvin Ailey

Satellite-Dance performing Mary Lynn Babcock’s Phoenix Photo by Milton Adams

Repertory Ensemble. He has taught in the U.S., the Caribbean and in Europe; and choreographed just about wherever he stayed long enough.

Phase 2 Dance Ensemble will present two works: the premiere of The Pea in the Other Pod – a duet by Holly Arnold and Lauren Butschek-Neisler – and the solo My Head Lay Nestled There (2011), choreographed by Holly Arnold and Lacreacia Sanders, and performed by Holly Arnold. The duet mines the topic of "opposites," while the solo explores the concept of finding perceived peace in the midst of chaos.

Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth will perform a new excerpted version of after dusk, before d+awn choreographed by company member Sarah Newton and set to music by local composer Van Eric Martin. Courtney Mulcahy, Julia Nova, and Sarah Newton will perform this kinetic exploration inspired by imagery from the poetry and writings of Edgar Allan Poe.

Dancing Outside The Box will perform Lori Soderbergh's Safe (2011) – an interdisciplinary duet created in collaboration with actress Laura Lutz Jones, which takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the ever-encroaching world of airline security screening.

Satellite-Dance will perform Phoenix by Mary Lynn Babcock – a trio portraying the tensions between being entrapped and freedom. Surging toward flight, the dancers' tenacity breaks through to discover a euphoric release and new possibilities.

Satellite-Dance performing Mary Lynn Babcock’s Phoenix Photo by Milton Adams

Two adjudicated guest performers round out the offerings:

Tina Mullone (Fort Worth/Louisiana), will perform an excerpt from the late Dallas artist André R. George's Two Solos (originally created in 1994, re-staged by Loris Anthony Beckles). The dance shows a sense of humor and an appetite for movement. A notable choreographer in her own right, Mullone performs and choreographs for a variety of companies in the North Texas area and beyond, and has appeared as an independent guest artist on several Barefoot Brigade festivals.

Jessica Thomas (The Colony), will perform her solo U.Universe which premiered in Fall 2011 at The Poultry Barn in Fort Worth. Thomas describes the dance as "A subtle exploration of one's ever-evolving, orbiting inner landscape... inner world."

The Barefoot Brigade's annual festivals provide a unique opportunity for audiences and artists alike – audience members experience a diverse dance program representing a wide variety of companies and artists, and the artists who gather enjoy sharing their work with new audiences, in addition to the added benefits of the process of artistic exchange – being able to share their work with other participating artists, and discuss their thoughts, inspirations, and challenges as artists actively working in the field. And for audience members unfamiliar with the local modern dance and contemporary dance scene, it's a great introduction to the art form: "New audience members are often surprised by how much they thoroughly enjoy the shows," observed BB member Mary Lynn Babcock (artistic director of Satellite-Dance). "They'll make comments like, 'I didn't know that I loved modern dance!'" For those interested in a more in-depth experience, there will be a short Q&A with artists after each show.

BATH HOUSE DIRECTIONS:  How to get to the Bath House Cultural Center:  The Bath House Cultural Center is located at 521 East Lawther (at Northcliff) in Dallas. The BHCC phone number is 214-670-8749.  To get to the Bath House Cultural Center:  From Buckner Boulevard, turn west on Northcliff.  Northcliff dead-ends into the Bath House Cultural Center, on the eastern shore of White Rock Lake.  Yes, our address is 521 East Lawther Drive, and no, we cannot be reached using Lawther Drive.

photo by Milton Adams

Color Your World
Saturday February 18, 2012, 1-4pm
Kimbell Art Museum
ADMISSION: FREE

How does color move you? Come explore the universe of your own colorful imagination as we explore the way color impacts our perceptions of art and the world around us. Members of the Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth professional company and student performers from the CD/FW Dance Workshop Company will present two 30-minute performances in the museum auditorium during this special event for families and audiences of all ages. Slide projections of art works from the Kimbell's permanent collection will be displayed while dancers express aspects of the color palettes through movement. Volunteers will be invited to come on stage with the CD/FW dancers and participate in color-inspired movement. Instant "lighting designers" from the audience will use flashlights with colored gels to spotlight CD/FW performers as they perform short excerpts from selected repertoire. Don't miss this opportunity to play with us!

Learn more about the Family Festival and get full museum info at the Kimbell’s website here.

photo by Milton Adams

photo by Milton Adams from the November 2011 premiere of after dusk, before dawn AIDS Outreach Center Benefit Concert Saturday February 18, 2012, 7:30pm Presented by the TCU School for Classical & Contemporary Dance at the Erma Lowe Hall Studio Theatre 3000 South University Drive Fort Worth, TX 76129 ADMISSION: General Admission: $20 Donation; Student (with ID): $10 Donation Cash/Checks only. Contributions above admission price are tax-deductible. Checks must me made out to AIDS Outreach Center (AOC). To reserve tickets or make a contribution, CALL 817-257-4255. 100% of proceeds support AIDS OUTREACH CENTER OF TARRANT COUNTY. Come join us in this special dance benefit concert, supporting the AIDS Outreach Center of Tarrant County. Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth will perform Sarah Newton's after dusk, before dawn – a group work set to music by local composer Van Eric Martin. Inspired by imagery from the poetry and writings of Edgar Allan Poe, this dance for six will become part of a larger suite of dances at a future date. Featuring striking costume design by Crickett Pettigrew and set design by Patrick Pettigrew, this dynamic movement exploration alludes to shadows lurking in the subconscious – ominous ravens seeking prey, the grief of love lost, and the acknowledgment of one's own impending death.

Jon David Johnston (background) and Ann-Marie Heilman performing Courtney Mulcahy’s Kakudo during CD/FW’s Modern Dance Festival at The Modern in July 2011 photo by Milton Adams

March Radness

March 2-3, 2012
Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm & 8pm
Sanders Theatre at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center
1300 Gendy St., Fort Worth, TX 76107
(At corner of Lancaster and Montgomery, across the street from the Amon Carter Museum)

ADMISSION: $20 General Admission / $8 Students & Seniors — cash at the door or online via PayPal.
CELEBRATE LEAP DAY WITH US! Save $5 on each general admission ticket if you purchase them on-line by midnight on FEBRUARY 29th! Don’t miss these “EARLY FROG” savings!    BUY TICKETS

CD/FW and guests stir up the March winds with new dances for spring.

CD/FW company member Claudia Orcasitas (Peru), will premiere The Human Season, a new group work set to the music of London-based violinist Anna Phoebe. Selections from Phoebe’s albums "Rise of the Warrior" and "Gypsy" will be featured. (You can hear samples from these albums at Anna Phoebe's website.) Costumes by Crickett Pettigrew and set design by Michael Pettigrew will set the stage for this dramatic work inspired by Orcasitas’ perspective as a human rights activist.

Jessica Thomas will premiere her solo beyond breathing. the uncreated. the unknown. Thomas is a CD/FW company member who has also become recognized for her solos incorporating explorations of concepts from Humphrey-Limon traditions in modern dance training.

Members of the CD/FW company will perform a new variation of Winter Night (which premiered at the Dallas Museum of Art for The NOTcracker in December). The dance is set to music by Austin composer William Meadows and choreographed by CD/FW artistic director Kerry Kreiman in collaboration with the performers.

Choreographer Claudia Orcasitas will premiere her new group work The Human Season photo by Milton Adams

Dallas musician/composer Jon David Johnston will perform live on shakuhachi flute in a reprise performance of the original work Kakudo choreographed by CD/FW company member Courtney Mulcahy. (The Saturday matinee performance will use recorded music.) A composer/choreographer original collaboration which premiered at the Modern Art Museum in July 2011, Kakudo means "The Way of the Crane." This lyrical quartet features company members Ann-Marie Heilman, Julia Nova, Jessica Thomas, and Jacqueline Todd. You can listen to samples of Jon's music at his website.

CD/FW Associate Choreographer Tina Mullone will premiere a solo work.

The CD/FW company will revive an audience favorite from years past: Artistic Director Kerry Kreiman's Organized Dances, set to music by Denton-based dance band Brave Combo. Five songs are the inspiration for this whimsical suite: "Hosa Dyna," "Bunny Dirge," "People Are Strange," "Hava Nagila Twist," and "Breslau") with costumes by former company member Marisa LeRette. The premiere of this dance in Spring 1996 was dedicated to the memory of Susan Spalding Mohler, a beloved past president of the CD/FW organization. Her playful spirit is with us still. Special thanks to Brave Combo for their past collaborations and their very existence. You can listen to samples of music by America's Premier Dance Band at their website. Everyone keep on dancing!

CD/FW performs Irresistible Forces at 2pm during Dance Planet 16

Sunday April 1, 2012
Booker T. Washington High School for Performing & Visual Arts, 2501 Flora St., Dallas, TX 75201
ADMISSION: FREE

CD/FW will dance ABOUT the planet during the Dance Planet 16 festival, when members of the CD/FW professional company perform a new incarnation of Irresistible Forces: A "happening" in honor of Mother Nature – a traveling structured improvisation which will move throughout the BTWHSPVA campus, both inside and outside. The first performances of this work were during CD/FW's Modern Dance Festival at The Modern in summer 2010. An additional version was brought to life at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History for Day In The District in September 2010.

CD/FW performing at the September 25, 2010 Day in the District at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History photo by Milton Adams

The traveling performance will start at 2pm near the check-in tables for the festival and will last somewhere between 90 minutes and 2 hours. Viewers can choose to follow the performers for a period of time, or simply leave it up to chance as to when they might happen upon the dance while attending other festival events.

America's one and only FREE community-based dance festival offering two unforgettable dance-packed days. Dance Planet 16 features Emmy-nominated Guest Artist Teresa Espinosa, Performance Showcases, 30 Master Classes, and much more. Come out and flip head over heels for dance: Enjoy exciting performances by more than 80 dance troupes and more than 1,000 performers; take a dance or fitness class from a diverse roster of styles from circus silks to contemporary, ballroom to belly-dancing. FREE to dance enthusiasts of all ages and experiences. Master classes begin on Saturday at 9:30am and Sunday at 11:30am. Afternoon Performance Showcases are from 1pm to 5pm on both days.

9th Annual Modern Dance Festival at the Modern July 6-21, 2012 at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth photo by Milton Adams Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth celebrate modern dance and contemporary dance with three weekends of performances, films, and lectures.

---

Weekend 1

Freudian Slips and Silent Screams Friday, July 6, 5:30-8pm (during First Friday event) Saturday, July 7, 1-3pm Sunday, July 8, 1-3pm Grand Lobby Admission Free The 9th annual Modern Dance Festival at The Modern kicks off with alternative performances during the First Friday event on Friday, July 6. Witness a living embodiment of some of the concepts behind portraiture and figurative art in a "happening" series of miniature dances and scenes designed to be performed in silence. CD/FW company members will explore the idea of the very act of creating a portrait or modeling for one – drawing ideas from art history, photography, and personal histories, the dancers will bring their personal interpretations to this long-standing tradition of the portrait as a form of human record-keeping and storytelling through art. Audience members are welcome to come and go during the duration of the performance. Note: During the First Friday performance, the dancers will be performing periodically outside the front entrance, and on the porch overlooking the reflecting pond. During the Saturday and Sunday performances the entire "happening" will take place in the Grand Lobby.

Dance On Camera:  "Dancing In The Streets!" July 7, 3pm Museum Auditorium Hip hop, house, and street dance traditions are displayed in two high-energy documentary films from the Dance On Camera festival, featuring street dancers at their finest: "Check Your Body At The Door" (2011, USA, 60 min.)  This long-awaited documentary produced by Sally Sommer brings to light the House dance culture that has largely been in the dark — by taking club dancers into professional studios and recording their moves in full light to be able to fully appreciate their technical abilities. Master free-stylists dance and chat in clubs, at their jobs, and in their everyday lives.  The film reveals the virtuosity of these eclectic urban dance styles and the personalities of the people who create the moves. Director Charles Atlas is also noted for his many collaborations with Merce Cunningham. -more about the film- "All The Ladies Say"  (2010, USA, 45 min.)  Everyone knows about the men in hip hop, but this documentary showcases the female break-dancers, Vendetta, Severe, Lady Champ, Aiko Shirakawa, Baby Love, and Rokafella, illuminating the triumphs and challenges of hip hop culture.  A smart and exciting exploration of the B-Girl phenomena, Rokafella and Kwikstep, directors. Video: Break dancers Rokafella and Kwikstep discuss call and response dance traditions related to "The Circle". They also discuss the role of movement “conversations” in relation to the development of dance, and how improvisation plays a role in this process to further the art form.

Barbara Tucker and Brahms “Bravo” LaFortune in "Check Your Body at the Door". Photo by Andrew Eccles All The Ladies Say, directed by Rokafella and Kwikstep.

---

Weekend 2

Dance On Camera:  Dance Shorts Saturday July 14, 2pm Museum Auditorium Admission free See the local premieres of three provocative short films from New York City's 2012 Dance On Camera festival (Dance Films Association).

The passionate extremes of human relationships are displayed in two award-winning experimental narrative films: Dancers Damián Munoz and Jordi Cortés Moliña in Clara van Gool’s "Coup De Grâce". KeyFilm. "Coup De Grâce" (2011, Netherlands, 26 min.) -- A film about the collapse of a friendship;  about what is broken and what cannot break.  After a long separation, two men meet again in a massive building at a remote location.  In the course of the evening and an icy night, they fight a weaponless, exhausting duel.  Performed by Damián Munoz and Jordi Cortés Moliña, directed by Clara van Gool (Enter Achilles).  (Awards:  Best Short Film, NOVES VISIONS, Sitges Film Festival, 2011 Spain; Best Screen Choreography, Cinedans Dance On Screen Festival 2011, Amsterdam) Wendy Whelan in "Labyrinth Within". Photo by Pontus Lidberg "Labyrinth Within" (2011, Sweden, 28.5 min.) -- A haunting tale of jealousy, this existential thriller posits a man, a woman, and an elusive lover in a series of intense pas de deux in a stark apartment that becomes a fourth character.  Danced to a commissioned score by David Lang with solo cello by Maya Beiser, the work features New York City Ballet principal Wendy Whelan, Giovanni Bucchieri, and Pontus Lidberg, a Swedish choreographer (The Rain, Mirror) also known for his work with Morphoses.  Local audiences raved over Lidberg's film "The Rain" when it was screened in at The Modern in 2009. (Awards:  Jury Prize for Best Picture, Dance On Camera, NYC, 2012; "Court-Métrange du Jury" prize at Court-Métrange Film Festival, Rennes, France, 2011) (trailer video) Photo by Cari Ann Shim Sham The nobility of tradition is portrayed in the short documentary "Sand" (2010, USA, 10:10 min.) A rhythmic and visual collage, this engaging short takes a loving and nostalgic look at the legacies of bodily knowledge as they are transferred from dancer to dancer, and father to son.  Sand dance stems from turn of the 20th century vaudevillian and traveling shows, with only a handful of people still performing it, this film is a rare archive of the transference of sand dance or "passin' the sand" from one generation to the next.  Featuring emerging tap dancer artist Kenjii Igus and his father Darrow, director Cari Ann Shim Sham. (trailer video)

Games of Chance in Music and Dance:  The role of improvisation in process and performance (lecture-performance) Saturday July 14, 3:30pm Museum Auditorium Admission free Sarah Newton. Photo by Milton Adams. Guest pianist John Hopkins is featured with CD/FW choreographer/performer Sarah Newton in this lecture performance. CD/FW artistic director Kerry Kreiman and other company members will share insights in regards to the role of improvisation in dance, while Hopkins compares and contrasts its role in music. Q&A time at the end will allow audience members to interact with the performers.

---

Weekend 3

CD/FW Dance Exchange: A Choreographers Showcase Friday July 20 and Saturday July 21, 8pm Grand Lobby Admission free The 2012 Modern Dance Festival at The Modern culminates in a beautiful showcase concert in the Grand Lobby, featuring a diverse sampling of American dance from the last 50 years. Special guests include internationally-renowned dance artist Bill Evans (NY), who will perform his own tap version of Gershwin’s “Three Preludes” in addition to a presentation of Daniel Nagrin’s 1958 solo “Blue Man.” The Bill Evans Dance company will perform a new version of Evans’ 1979 signature work “Craps” and Don Halquist will perform Evans’solo “Harold.”  Treeline Dance Works (NYC/Chicago) will be represented in the duet “Before Now, Beyond That” by Jenny Showalter and Don Halquist. Lonny Gordon performing "News" Lonny Joseph Gordon (IL/TX) will perform the regional premiere of “News” – a solo recently created for him by modern dance legend Don Redlich. (A master choreographer in his own right, Don Redlich’s company is noted for maintaining repertory created by American modern dance pioneer Hanya Holm.) Part of an historical lineage of commenting on life through theatricalized work that stretches from Wigman, to Holm, to Kloepper, to Redlich, to Gordon, "News" is a scathing comment on the moment we are experiencing in our rapidly changing world. The solo is a virtuosic performance vehicle as a challenge for Lonny Gordon to perform using elements of movement, dance, theatre, voice, text, narrative, performance art, and highly energized passion... It spares no punches and is raw and shocking in the fresh open presentation. The Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth company will perform artistic director Kerry Kreiman’s “Currents” set to Bach’s “Concerto in G minor” (which originally premiered in 1996, and which the company has not performed since 1997).  With flowing costumes by former CD/FW company member Marisa LeRette, this piece for 9 dancers is rooted in an exploration of Bach’s music.   As the music and choreography ebb and flow – together and apart – the dancers ride the joyous musical waves of sound. Staged in the stark beauty of the Grand Lobby of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, The Dallas Morning News named this showcase one of the Top 10 Dance Events of 2005: Vast space and rippling water gardens at the Modern proved an ideal setting.

Back by popular demand, this collaborative work uses interactive technology to transform dancers' movements and gestures into sound using Nintendo Wiimotes (transmitting data wirelessly across Bluetooth and then routed to Kyma DSP software). A Wacom graphics tablet is also used to control and alter pre-recorded text passages in real time. Utilizing ideas from chaos and catastrophe theory as part of a dance structure, each performance is a unique event.First premiering at The Modern in 2009, the Star-Telegram praised it as "a fascinating kaleidoscope of sound and movement...it was a strange and wonderful scene." CD/FW dancers peel off in a section of the dance inspired by the "Fold Catastrophe" as composer/musician William H. Meadows performs his technological magic in the background. Photo by Milton Adams See the CD/FW company in action at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth during previous festivals, including clips from "The Butterfly Effect and Other Beautiful Catastrophes" where dancers perform with Wiimotes in their tube socks! Below is our new video on Vimeo. Kerry Kreiman: The development of this work started with the idea of using the WiiMotes and Bill’s technological explorations of their use, to create an interactive event where the dancers would be generating portions of the sound score as they move. We also knew we wanted to use chance elements as part of the structure for both the music and the movement. Having agreed on these initial concepts, we also agreed we still needed to find a "seed" to develop the work around and to keep it from being completely chaotic. One day, while doing brainstorming and contemplating about potential themes for the dance, I heard my own voice in my head randomly say the word "swallowtail." A minute or two later, when I was taking some stuff out to my recycling bin, there was suddenly a giant swallowtail butterfly sitting on the tree branch right above the recycling bin at eye level. It was HUGE. About the size of a sheet of paper! Blue, black, and brown. I couldn't believe it. I was pretty much stupified. I kept blinking, retracing my steps and re-examining it, but it was still there, and was not my imagination. It was unlike any other butterfly I have ever seen in Fort Worth or out in "the wild." I stood there staring at it for the longest time. It seemed perfectly content to be there. At a certain point I realized I didn't have time to stand out there staring at this butterfly, and that it was some sort of magical "sign" about the idea for the dance, so I ran back in the house and immediately started researching "swallowtail butterflies" on the internet, which led me to information about catastrophe theory and chaos theory in mathematics. At the time I had no idea in my conscious mind that a "swallowtail catastrophe" or a "butterfly catastrophe" even existed, but it all started to make "sense" on some level... It became clear to me that my search for how to avoid "chaos" in the dance had circled back on itself, and that "chaos" itself could be the seed that a work could be based around to keep it from becoming too chaotic! I liked the idea of the irony of this, and ran it by Bill, who also appreciated the humor in it, and after a brief discussion, we launched into our own ways to explore those ideas. I’d like to acknowledge that the development of this work would not have been possible without Bill’s brilliant and innovative use of technology, and the fact that we have previously collaborated on a number of projects since the inception of the CD/FW company in 1990. Infinite thanks to Bill for his role in our artistic lives over the years, and for his glorious sense of humor. And thanks to the butterflies, too. Support the Butterfly Effect

Teaching What I Want To Learn (lecture) Saturday July 21, 2pm Museum Auditorium Admission free Bill Evans teaching in Fort Worth in 2010. Photo by Milton Adams. Special guest Bill Evans (NY) will reflect on his career and his choreography. Evans is an internationally recognized choreographer / performer / teacher / analyst / adjudicator / writer and visionary in the fields of modern dance, contemporary dance, and dance education.  Recent honors include: Dance Teacher Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award, University of Utah College of Fine Arts Distinguished Dance Alumnus Award, Honorary Doctorate from Cornish College of the Arts, and the National High School Dance Festival’s Outstanding Service Award.  A short Q&A at the end will allow for audience interaction.

---

The Dance On Camera films are presented as part of the touring program for the Dance Films Association’s annual Dance On Camera Festival, which is co-sponsored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.  CD/FW is a Domestic Touring Partner with the Dance Films Association of New York City. Special thanks to: The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the Dance Films Association (NYC), the TCU School for Classical & Contemporary Dance, and Courtyard by Marriott.