Video Interns Heather O’Neill and Sharon Keenan

“Not only am I learning valuable in-class skills by observing such incredible teachers, but I am also thinking more holistically about arts education. It takes a village to raise an artist… I am so proud to spend my time here at Bates! I feel like new doors are opening for me here. By being around so many experienced artists, I’m learning every day how much I don’t know about dance or learning and how limitless my creative future can be. I will bring forward with me a freshly fueled passion and inspiration for the arts, along with new collaborators and support networks.”

Olandra Lickter is a 2016 Education Intern. A UC Santa Cruz graduate she lives in New Orleans, where she works for an arts enrichment program providing quality arts education for all regardless of financial hardship.

Education Interns Timna Naim, Olandra Lickter, Gavin Scheurch, Woods Fairchild, Jazmine Taylor-Hughlett, and Laura Pietropaoli

“Everyone here has been so lovely it’s amazing that everyone working here is a dancer so there’s something that bonds us all regardless of our current roles here.”

Blake Caple is a 2016 Arts Administration/Photography Intern. From Somersworth, NH, Blake is entering his senior year at Goucher College where he studies Dance and Business with a concentration in Arts Administration.

“Being able to hold real responsibilities directed toward keeping the incredible dance education and live performance alive at BDF has reminded me of the important value of a strong community…At every step of my journey as an intern at Bates, I’m constantly grateful to be a part of an actively dance-driven and kind-hearted community of people who give back to the primary foundation and mission of the organization: to be a place where dancers come to connect and be together.”

Hailing from Santa Cruz, CA, Gracie Winston is a recent graduate of UCLA. Gracie is a 2016 Arts Administration Intern.

Tech Interns Rebecca Brill-Weitz, Liam Shaffer, Jason Ross, Joanna McLarnan, and Robin Ediger-Seto

“When I heard about the Bates Dance Festival, the first thing that was said to me was “You will feel like you have a family.” I dare to say that is the most truthful statement that has ever been said to me, coming back this summer felt like I never left. It felt like coming back home!”

Originally from Ecuador, Fernando Chonqui is back for his second year as an Arts Administration intern and manager of the BDF store. Fernando is entering his senior year at the University of South Florida.

“Bates provided the perfect balance of service work, art making, dance training, and intellectual discussion. I have been supported from day one by caring staff, other interns, and dancers. Bates provided an intimate and safe, accessible learning environment that has helped shaped my artistry, goals, and ambitions.”

Arts Administration Interns (left to right) Nolan Hoppe-Leonard, Chava Lansky, Gracie Winston, Sydney Burrows, Blake Caple, and Fernando Chonqui

Jazmine Taylor-Hughlett is a 2016 Education Intern. Originally from Milwaukee, WI Jazmine is earning her BFA in Dance from the University of North Texas.

This post was written by Chava Lansky. Chava is the BDF Social Media Intern for the 2016 summer. 

Leigh Lotocki

BDF: Can you tell me a little bit about your dance background?

LL: I did ballet almost exclusively growing up, and then when I went to college I switched to modern. It seemed kind of like a natural progression but it was a big shift for me – I didn’t really know a ton about contemporary movement, but I had the sense that if I chose contemporary work or modern dance or even more experimental work I’d be dancing a lot longer than if I pursued ballet.

BDF: How did you hear about the Bates Dance Festival?

LL: I went to Ohio State University and I heard about BDF from everyone there. A bunch of my classmates had already been here and a lot of the BDF staff today were working at OSU or were there as grad students. Carrie Cox (Festival Production Manager) was our Production Manager at school, so she pulled me in. I ended up with a production work-study position my first year here in 2008. I had a blast — I was really busy, I had a full schedule of classes and I was working, but I got to see all of the shows from backstage which was a really interesting way to experience the Festival for the first time. I felt then a bit like how I feel now which is that I was meeting a lot of new people and also surrounded by some familiar faces, and it was a great experience. Bates has been a really comfortable network of people that both support and challenge each other, and it’s always really felt like a family atmosphere. I really like that BDF doesn’t have a competitive edge – it’s just not there, and any sense of competition is just from people seeing each other and saying “oh I can do that” or “now that I’ve seen someone do this I’m really inspired to do this other thing,” etc. That’s something I’ve always appreciated about Bates as opposed to other dance festivals.

BDF: What classes are you taking and what have you learned from them?

LL: I’m taking Paul Matteson’s technique (Modern V). I actually took his technique the first time I came as well and I just knew there was a lot there to work with and I had liked that class a lot. It was a cool realization to come back to it and remember how different my body was the first time. I’m also taking Pilates which again is something I’m kind of coming back to from old areas of training that I’ve since kind of moved away from. I’ve been really craving a mat practice I can do at home, so Pilates has a lot of utility for me in my life as a dancer in New York, not really having a lot of space in my apartment I can noodle around in or do a warm up in. In the afternoons I’m taking Doug Gillespie’s technique (Modern IV) and Kate Weare repertory. Doug’s class is all about physicality and finding clarity in your movement and a sense of movement initiation. I feel like I’m really finding power in my movement. Kate Weare’s rep class has been awesome and I’m learning a lot about her work with a great group. I’m really pleased with my classes.

BDF: What’s next for you in the dance world?

LL: I’m living in Brooklyn. I moved there a year and a half ago from Columbus, OH to start a new chapter. I make dances and I also still really enjoy performing for people. I’ve been interning at Center for Performance Research which has been a great experience with a small tight knit team with similar values to this place and a supportive environment focused around dance and art making. I moved to New York in part because I was really craving a community where I could have more dancers’ eyes on my work, and I wanted that kind of electric sense of inspiration from being among lots of dancers.

BDF: Why did you choose to come back to BDF this summer?

LL: For kind of similar reasons as to why I moved to NY. I knew this was a place where I have friends and I would make friends and more importantly it was a time that I knew I could really focus inwardly on my dancing and reinvigorate my physical practice. Anyone especially who’s in NY knows that dancing can get diluted by other things we have to take care of, especially for people doing contract based work. When you’re a freelance artist you really have to carve out time for your dance process and technique. I wanted to get a kick-start this summer in a supportive environment with a lot of good friends and have a really great time.

BDF: Can you share a stand out moment from your time at the Festival so far?

LL: I think what stands out is mostly the feeling that everyone at the Festival is really present, both on a day when they feel really great and are loving the class and on a day when they’re injured or frustrated. So many little moments stand out here in a way they don’t in my “regular life” – I really get more out of each day here at BDF.

This post was written by Chava Lansky. Chava is the BDF Social Media intern for the 2016 summer. 

Movement in the Moment came into being in the early years of the Bates Dance Festiva (now in its 34^th season.) Since it’s founding, contact improvisation has been an integral part of the Festival. BDF Director Laura Faure remembers the showing gradually developing from humble beginnings as an in-house jam into the public event that it is today.

Youth Arts Program campers and counselors

Yet despite a larger audience, the event remains highly informal and free to the public, encouraging members of the local Maine community to attend. For the past number of years the evening has included a pre-show performance by campers in the Youth Arts Program, Bates Dance Festival’s community outreach program that brings local campers aged 6-17 together to explore art of all kind. On Wednesday, half an hour before the show began, Youth Arts Program families, BDF students, and general audience members gathered outside on Bates College’s idyllic campus. The roughly fifty campers stood in a clump on the end of a stone path cutting through a grassy field across from Youth Arts Program musicians Terrence Karn and Rob Flax, their instruments in hand. Guided by their counselors and staff the young students began their improvisational score. Every time a certain whistle was sounded, they all froze. The score focused on mimicry, including a mirroring activity done in pairs, and a walking game where the campers exaggerated the movements of one student. The campers concentrated fiercely on the tasks at hand, foreshadowing the show to come.

As they entered the Bates College Alumni Gymnasium audience members were approached by the dancers and asked to leave their shoes in a taped out region of the floor adjacent to the marley, and take a seat in the bleachers on either side of the dance floor. The fifteen dancers included many members of the Festival’s faculty along with select staff and community members. Festival lighting designer Greg Catellier sat ready at his board next to the eight world-class festival musicians, poised in a sea of instruments. Lighting and music allowed the evening to function as a fully improvised show as opposed to a jam – all of the converging aspects of theatricality executed simultaneously by practitioners at the very top of their game. Faculty members and practiced improvisers Angie Hauser and Chris Aiken introduced the evening. “The movement you’re about to see doesn’t exist,” said Aiken, and the show began.

Autumn Eckman and Robbie Cook

A complex four page long score was posted around the room for the dancers and musicians to reference, encouraging contrast in both movement and music. Taking note from the Youth Arts Program dancers, mimicry played an interesting role throughout the evening. A particularly poignant recurring moment came when one dancer would raise their arm and others would slowly follow either in a clump around the leader or scattered around the stage. This simple gesture felt powerful both in juxtaposition to the otherwise near constant individual movement and in the coming together of the dancers almost in protest or solidarity, particularly moving in light of the country’s polarizing climate this summer.

Paul Matteson and Michel Kouakou

At one point BDF faculty member and former Bill T. Jones dancer Paul Matteson left the floor and walked over to an usher leaning against the doorframe on the far edge, arms crossed. Matteson stood closely next to him and took on his stance, provoking laughter from the audience members who’d watched him walk away. Moments like this pushed against the boundaries of the metaphorical fourth wall erected even in such an informal setting.

As a group ran past BDF jazz teacher Autumn Eckman’s head was lightly knocked by another dancer; instead of reacting against the interruption she let it lead her into new movement. This shows the necessity of improvisational skills for all dancers – anything can happen in performance, and the ability to think on your feet and take cues from others is crucial. This show provided an important opportunity for dancers of all generations in the audience to be reminded of this aspect of their training.

Midway into the show the dancers unrolled tech tape on the floor, creating a smaller square and pulled rows of audience members onto each of the four sides to create a more intimate boundary line. The dancers casually inserted themselves into the audience, reentering the performance one at a time. The first out was veteran faculty member Andrea Olsen. Olsen performed a largely gestural solo, finding stillness in balance and falling gently off of it to lyrical piano music. She was joined in sequence by Angie Hauser and Doug Varone dancer Xan Burley. These three unique dancers spanning multiple generations moved individually but in reference to each other, their personal styles speaking clearly in complement to one another.

Angie Hauser

Moving in the Moment ended with the dancers moving one at a time into the neighboring collection of shoes. They found their way to standing and helped each new arrival into the fray. Once the last dancer arrived, they all stood still, staring ahead for a number of seconds before the lights went dark. The show was a reminder of the importance of creativity, concentration, collaboration, and also of finding playfulness and joy in dance. These are key tenets of the Bates Dance Festival, and the evening as a whole spoke to the uniqueness of this historic summer community.

This post was written by Chava Lansky.  Chava is the BDF Social Media Intern for the 2016 summer.

Photography by BDF Intern Blake Capel. 

BDF:   Can you tell me a little bit about your dance background?

MM:   I started dancing at the age of 17. I started with ballet and slowly got more into modern aesthetics when I went to community college. I was at community college for a while in California. I took some time off and then started dancing again when I went back to Cal Arts. So now my training consists more of ballet, contemporary, modern including Limon, Horton and Release technique.

Manuel Meza – PTP Student ’16

BDF:   How did you hear about Bates Dance Festival?

MM:   Stephen Koplowitz was the dean at Cal Arts and had the ability to recommend a student for a BDF scholarship, and I was the recipient of that scholarship. It’s my first time here and it’s great. I definitely see the community that is building and nurturing in this environment. Especially being from the West coast, born and raised, it’s nice to come to the East Coast and see this community of dance and see the differences but also the similarities.

BDF:   What classes are you taking and what have you learned from them?

MM:   I’m taking ballet 3 with Rachel List, modern with Paul Matteson, advanced improvisation with Angie Hauser and Chris Aiken and teacher’s toolkit with Mary Carbonara. In ballet I’ve been finding a different ease in quality. Since it’s a slower pace it’s nice to get back into the basics of ballet and really absorb the information, especially because I want to be a little more technical. Paul’s class is really rooted in this nice human and spiritual experience of the body, which is really grounding for me right now. I’m really interested in improvisation and performance so advanced improvisation is really engaging and allowing me to try new things and not question what I’m doing, just to go with it. And the teacher’s lab is one of my favorite classes because I’m very interested in teaching, especially with younger students. We learn how to structure a class, what should be in a class and what shouldn’t, and why we do things for our students and what the benefit is. It’s really informative. It’s definitely a class any dancer who is interested in teaching should take.

BDF:   Have you gained any opportunities from BDF?

MM:   I definitely feel my connection is strong with Chris and Angie because performance improvisation is something I’m really looking into. And I have a connection with Mary because she is in San Francisco, and she has mentioned that if I ever want to take a class I should look her up which is nice because that’s somebody on the West Coast. Also Paul, because of the way he teaches class, we dialogue sometimes. Those are people I really want to stay in contact with to further explore my own artistic goals. And especially if I ever move to the East Cost, I would tap into those connections.

BDF:   What is next for you now in the dance world?

MM:     I have one more year at Cal Arts, and during that time I’m going to focus on creating work. I will especially focus on the split between my solo improvisation work that is more performance art based and my choreographic group work, which is more rooted in a classical sense of modern dance and movement for movement sake. I definitely see myself creating more. And now I’m not sure if I want to move to the East Coast after school, so that is something I need to think about. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and now I’m seeing the beauty of the East Coast and the dance community over here.

BDF:   Was there an event or workshop that really impacted you? Why?

MM:     I think just the ability to see professional companies coming in and being among them in class. I remember on the first or second day of class some of the Doug Varone dancers were in class but I didn’t know they were Doug Varone dancers. It was really inspiring to see them move and then to see them on stage. It breaks the barrier of professional performing artists and the realm of students. That was very important to me because it allows you to see that they are just human beings honing their craft even if they are on stage. I think that is very important for young dancers. We tend to look at them as more than they are so it’s nice to see them as people and think, “That could be me.”

BDF:   What is one of your favorite memories from being here?

MM:   I had just had a weird day, and I sat out in Paul’s class because it was all group work and I didn’t feel like being touched that day. But then in improvisation we started with touch and I just allowed myself. It was a very warming experience. It allowed me to let the beginning of the day melt away. I had just established a friendship with my partner and it allowed me to forget about the difficult moments. It was a very nice moment that I like to remember.

This post was written by Sydney Burrows. Sydney is the BDF Social Media Intern for the 2016 summer.

Photo by Alban Maino

I had the opportunity to attend the workshop and left at the end of the evening feeling much more confident in my knowledge of the business side of dance. Here is some valuable information that I learned in the brief hour and a half lecture. It is important to know as much as possible about the business of dance in order to succeed as an artist.

Marketing

• Promote yourself whenever possible, and identify yourself separate from your peers
• Build a complete profile and materials including press reviews, videos, and photos
• Know and study your market
• When you move to a new location, connect to a dance service organization

Becoming a 501c3 vs. Fiscal Sponsorship

• 501c3: legal not-for-profit organization

Fiscal Sponsorship: through a sponsor and can fundraise

• Use Fiscal Sponsorship for as long as possible, this is great for small companies and businesses
• Make a pitch at after-show gatherings

Grants

• Do not apply until you have 3-5 years of professional experience
• You must have perseverance over time; keep applying!
• Remember – nobody owes you anything!
• Go see as many shows as possible and see who is funding, read arts section and get to know the reviewers
• Build a relationship with a program officer
• Network, promote, and volunteer; stay as connected as possible
• Grants include:
  • Cover letter
  • Narrative
  • Budget
  • Supplementary materials

Budget

• If you can afford it, try to avoid fundraising
• Make an annual appeal around Christmas time; use a typed letter and hand write parts to personalize
• Always make your donors feel special – thank them, put their names on website, announce at shows, etc.
• Use quarterly newsletters
• Build an advisory committee

Artist Representation

• Use LinkedIn and other Social Media sights
• Agents are not absolutely necessary, but you can always invite them to shows
• Record everything in a CV – assignments, internships, etc.
• Resume should be 1-2 pages, but the most applicable experience on the top depending on the job
• Cover letter should show passion!

NYC Organizations

• Gibney Dance
• The Field
• Fractured Atlas
• NY Live Arts

This post was written by Sydney Burrows. Sydney is the BDF Social Media Intern for the 2016 summer.

Today, our class worked on a long, complicated combination, and although I struggled a little, I felt extremely accomplished when I finally conquered the sequence. After class, Michel told us that once we establish ourselves within the movement, we will become stronger. I greatly appreciate his encouragement and emphasis of bringing our own personality and style to the class.

This week, I had a chance to sit down with Michel and learn about his history and his experience here at BDF.

BDF: Can you tell me a little bit about your background with dance?

MK: I am originally from the Ivory Coast. I think I was lucky to start dancing as a little boy on the street first. In the Ivory Coast where I grew up, we used to have dance groups for young kids that would compete with groups from other towns. In every village there were artists, sculptures, singers, writers, and dancers. So that got me more interested in dancing, which wasn’t traditional at all, but that’s where I learned the basics. When I first joined a dance company I didn’t fully understand how they were transforming traditional dances. Back home, traditional dance wasn’t my main focus. In the company that I was in, we were only learning movement and playing with it. I went to Germany and I started to work with an international artist, and then I started to understand dance a bit more. I worked with choreographers in Asia as well. I was really interested in pushing myself further and I had to go back and learn more traditional dances and find a good balance. I don’t like labels, and therefore I don’t want people to see me as only an African dancer.

BDF: What was your experience with dance here in the United States?

MK: When I came here, my first job was with Reggie Wilson. I met him in Senegal in 2001. When I got to the U.S. I went to his workshop and then started working with him. It was a great experience. I started making my own work in 2003, and so I was fully doing my work and traveling as well. I currently have a pick up company, and I will call my dancers when I have a project. The last project I did had 13 dancers and it went to Germany, the Ivory Coast and the Joyce Theater.

BDF: How did you come here to Bates?

MK: That’s an interesting story. My son’s mom met Marc Bamuthi Joseph in India in 2002. She went for a school project because she’s a composer. She showed him a video of my work, and he thought it was really good and invited me to the Bates Dance Festival to visit in 2006. I showed my work to Laura Faure when I was here, and she invited me back to teach as a guest artist in 2007. The last time I was here was 2012; I haven’t been here in the last three years. And here I am again. Every time I come here I feel like I’ve come home. I feel like I have an open mind and I can work here.

BDF: Do you have any stories from dancing abroad?

MK: When I was in Amsterdam, I was supposed to dance for the Lion King. I did the audition but I was working on a project in Japan and actually living in Belgium. I asked them to send the response to my sister’s address, but she never told me that I got the letter. I travel a lot, but I hate it. I hate flying; it’s my phobia!

BDF: What’s next for you in the dance world?

MK: I’m moving to Minneapolis. I will be teaching at the University of Minnesota, I just got a job there. One of my students is actually here at BDF! When I went to interview at Minnesota, I had a meeting with a student. And at orientation here at Bates, I saw her! The dance world is getting smaller but there are many things happening at the same time. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of what’s going on.

BDF: Have you gotten opportunities from Bates?

MK: Oh yes, lots! Every work that I’ve made here has been successful. That’s why it feels like home when I come here. The work that I made here won me the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Dance in 2012. When I see the artists that are here, like Doug Gillespie and Paul Matteson, it makes me so happy. Once you get here, you know where you’re going next. Here there are people to guide you, and they really mentor you. I see this festival as a dance mentor, more than just an exhibition place.

This post was written by Sydney Burrows. Sydney is the BDF Social Media Intern for the 2016 summer.

BDF: How long have you been here at Bates?

ML: I think my first summer was the summer of 2007. I was in grad school at Smith College and received funding to study. A friend of mine, Kellie Lynch, had gone to the Bates Dance Festival the year before and I followed even though I didn’t know a lot about the BDF. I first came as work-study, then on a merit scholarship, and then as a counselor. I then took a break from the Festival to spend my summer in other places and grew in different ways. I wanted to be more exposed to everything.

BDF: What did you find inspiring about Bates?

ML: At the time, I remember looking at other summer programs and they had an age cut off. Bates doesn’t have that, which made me excited and it seemed like a much more adult program. When I came here I fell in love with it and found a sense of community that I hadn’t felt in the dance field. I also didn’t know who any of the artists were because I came from a different side of the dance field. The sense of dance history is different depending on your focus in learning. I feel that it’s important to remind students that it’s okay not to know everything about the artists, and that was an important part of my role here at BDF. I also found the legacy dancers, those who had been coming multiple summers in a row, very inspiring. I was like “I want to be like them.”

BDF: How did you arrive at this position?

ML: I was teaching and taking different positions as a director of dance programs. I was also a freelance teacher and performer based in Philadelphia. I saw Laura Faure at a dance event, and she asked me to apply for the job because Nancy Salmon was retiring. I had a lot of commitments that I had prior to accepting this job, which was tricky. While I was here I taught and traveled to set work in other places as well. The BDF position deals with every single student and parent, and handles donations during the year.

BDF: What is the new position that you have accepted?

ML: I have a tenure track assistant professor in dance teaching position at Colorado Mesa University. I have had a lot of administrative experience, but I’m excited to be in the classroom and moving. It’s what excites me most about the field. I’m interested in seeing what it’s like to not be in charge of fixing things and focus on creating and teaching.

BDF: What courses will you be teaching?

ML: I’m teaching intermediate-advanced ballet, intermediate-advanced contemporary modern, dance history, and an improvisation class. I also make a piece in the show each semester.

BDF: What made you pick this position?

ML: I feel disconnected from the dance community during the winter here because you all come during the summer, and the weather is difficult. The landscape and the sun are wonderful in Colorado. It’s not a huge dance community, but I will be around lots of dancers and helping lead the program. I want to be able to have a full life that isn’t just dance related. I feel very conflicted leaving here, but I also know that I have to take care of myself and take a risk.

BDF: What will you miss about BDF?

ML: The people and the environment. The great thing about the BDF community is that your teachers really do get to know you. And if you keep in touch with them and grow a relationship, they care about you. I love helping people grow, and that’s why I loved this job. But I’m looking forward to being just a student. I still know everyone here and will continue these relationships. I’m actually taking Choreo Lab 2 now to help with ideas for a piece that I will be creating for next semester. The connections here are incredible as well. A professor at Colorado Mesa used to come to BDF every summer, and she was on the search committee. The dance world is so small! I think it’s great that Alexandra is coming in because she’s attended BDF, so that’s part of her legacy. I’m really excited that she’s the candidate they chose. She will give a fresh voice and she has connections to BDF and the Maine community, which I think is really important.

Alexandra Bell, a Maine native and past BDF student, will be taking over as Admissions Director/Operations Manager in the fall. She is excited to be back in a familiar environment, and is ready to take on her new role with a fresh perspective.

BDF: Can you tell me a little about your background in dance?

AB: I am originally from the greater Portland area. When I graduated high school I left and went to Columbia College Chicago where I studied and received my BFA in choreography. Then I moved to New York and started making work with my dance partner and presented small things throughout the city. I’m currently making my own work and starting my own process wherever I go. Two years ago I moved back to Portland and am teaching modern, improvisation and a lot of hip hop classes locally. I’ve been beginning the process in some of my own new work.

BDF: What is your connection with BDF?

AB: I came here as a student for three years in total, both in the Young Dancers Workshop and as part as the Professional Training Program. It really influenced who I became as a dancer. The intensity and rigor of being here lead to a desire to dig in deep and really immerse myself. It introduced me to a professional world of dance outside of the smaller community that I was involved in throughout high school. It broadened my perspective a lot and awakened something in me. That’s what I loved about being here, forming friendships and relationships.

BDF: What is your focus in your choreography?

AB: I wouldn’t say it’s any one thing in particular. I build a lot through improvisation so that’s very informative in my work. There are four rules I try to follow that were taught to me by a group of improvisational artists, The Architects: show up, pay attention, tell the truth, and don’t get attached to the results. So that’s where I go when I start creating. It comes from a very deep and personal space, and whatever comes out and becomes shaped and formed into a longer piece of work starts from that place. I don’t always have an intention or grander scheme of things when I set out to create. But I find that if I follow those rules, I’m lead to wherever it is I’m supposed to be going.

BDF: What are you hoping to get out of this position?

AB: I managed a dance studio in New York, and I love that kind of work. It is such a struggle to be a professional dancer in providing for yourself financially. I’ve been in pursuit of that bridge building of being an artist and also making money. I’m glad to be back. This community feels familiar and safe, although it’s also brand new. I’m approaching things from a familiar, but also very different perspective now. I love the rigor and pace of this culture and environment. I love being engaged with people who are engaged in the work. Although approaching things from an administrative perspective, it’s still very much in the field and the craft that I love so much.

This post was written by Sydney Burrows. Sydney is the BDF Social Media Intern for the 2016 summer.