• What is your role as a BDF intern?
• How will you apply this internship to your reality outside of BDF?

Check out what they had to say:

Kristen Bernier

An an office intern this summer at Bates, I have numerous administrative responsibilities, some of which include managing and updating the database, organizing the schedules and appointments for the amazing body-workers on site, coordinating the keys for all festival participants, and planning for the arrivals and departures of students throughout the three programs. The staff has gone above and beyond to ensure that my experience is most educational and fulfilling, through their collaborative nature and eagerness to share. In addition to working the festival, I have the opportunity to participate in the classes provided by the awe-inspiring faculty. With dual insights into the festival, my experience as an intern has been incredibly enlightening and humbling. After Bates Dance Festival, I will be moving to New York City where I will pursue a career in the arts and administration, working on personal artistic ventures and for MAPP International Productions as their Administrative Manager. My experience as an intern has facilitated my growth in both realms of art and business immensely, shedding light on the interchangeability between creativity and administration. BDF is unique in the way that it is more intimate and communal, fostering an environment in which obtaining connections and knowledge in the dance world and beyond is organic. It is clear through its growing lineage, that the relationships created at BDF are long withstanding. The experience I have gained at the Festival has prepared me to take the next step in my career with enthusiasm and has supplied me with an incredible knowledge of the field at large.

Calvin Franke 

As an Arts Administration Intern at BDF, I am responsible for day to day tasks in the office as well as the Young Choreographers/New Works Showcase at the end of the festival.  It’s a great experience to be able to head a project and see it from beginning to end.  I have set office hours during the day when I am not in class and every day is different and exciting in a new way. After BDF, I go back to working on a collaborative research project with my professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire that I have been involved with since the beginning of June.  This internship has exposed me to so many amazing people that it is almost impossible to not make a BDF connection wherever I go.  Being able to see the behind-the-scenes work that goes into this festival is incredible and a valuable opportunity for anyone wanting to enter this field.

Stephanie Grover

At BDF this summer, my main role as one of the arts administrative interns is to manage the merchandise store and its sales. In addition, we assist Laura Faure and Meredith Lyons in the office by answering the phones, creating informational packets for each of the participants, as well as the faculty, that they receive as they arrive, and working to keep everyone updated and informed about the various events, programs, and workshops that are offered throughout the festival. I also help at the performances by selling concessions or working will call as needed. After BDF, I am looking forward to staying in contact with these new amazing individuals I have met here at the festival. This welcoming, talented, open-minded community at this festival has been unlike any other I have ever been a part of. BDF has inspired me to continue working hard to fully support this industry that I have always loved and believed in, and now, I have even more people to share ideas with/collaborate with in the future. I have learned to value what I can bring to the table, and it will be exciting to see where my life will bring me upon returning to my brand new apartment in NY. The options are endless!

Tori Lawrence

As a video intern, I have the pleasure of working alongside videographers Peter Richards, Lindsay LaPointe, Ellen Maynard, and Renato Vacub Cimi.  Our video team is a closely knit, talented group of people who are responsible for filming all of BDF’s performances, classes, faculty interviews, and other showings.  We typically film each day and then take two classes when we’re not busy in the editing studio.  This year, I’ve been given the task of creating a mini-documentary of the Young Dancers Workshop as well as creating two interview videos on artists Jennifer Nugent and Omar Carrum.  This internship has given me the time, resources, and mentorship to truly craft my own voice as a filmmaker. I’m a Philadelphia-based choreographer who specializes in creating dance on films and large site-specific installations (www.torilawrence.org), so this internship opportunity has not only allowed me to delve further into the field of film, but it has helped me establish connections with some of the world’s top artists. I’m heading to the University of Iowa to get my MFA in Choreography this Fall, so I’ve been lucky to have spent my summer here fine-tuning my camera/editing techniques and taking dance classes with some of the best artists out there.

Video still from Local Natives’ City of Music Video for “Bowery”.

Ashley R.T. Yergens

Likes, follows, retweets, and favorites are the social currency of my generation and younger. As the BDF Social Media Intern, my responsibility is to utilize this social currency for the greater good of dance. I am a storyteller. I want to make dance accessible and understandable for the general public. For me, social media allows us to foster and maintain relationships and stories until we can be in the same room together. Also, with the ever-changing landscape of dance, I believe that it’s a good practice for our BDF choreographers, teachers, and movers to keep up with the pace of technology. Dance can survive if we can become the programmers instead of the programmed. After BDF, I will apply this internship experience to my new position as the Impact Coordinator for the Arts at the Boys & Girls Club in Rochester, Minnesota. Additionally, I will be showing Is this more ladylike? at Patrick’s Cabaret in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The work explores the social construction of what it means to be “ladylike” in contemporary performance. Last but not least, I am proud to announce that I have been selected as a Zenon Dance Zone Choreographer for the Fall 2014 Zone session. For more information, visit www.artyergens.com.

For more information, visit the “internships” section of our website here.

This post was written by Ashley Yergens. Ashley is the BDF Social Media Intern for the 2014 summer.

A fun take on self-portraiture. Featuring Deborah Goff at BDF in 2011. Photo by Arthur Fink.

1. How does photography affect/influence/reiterate the story of dance Still photographs help us see the poses, the postures, the juxtapositions, and the patterns that are part of any dance.  While video lets us see the movement again and again, the fleeting moments of dance are represented as just that — fleeting moments.  In a still photograph I can hold those moments.  Indeed, many dance photographs hold iconic moments, which might otherwise be deeply buried in a moving picture story.

By giving us easy access to some of those special moments, dance photographs can help photographers learn about, understand, and remember aspects of dance that can inspire new ideas and new moments.

2. What can a photographer learn from working with and/or witnessing a dancer? I’ve learned lessons about mental and spiritual agility, about reverence, compassion, and sustainability, about balance, weight, and form, about intention and opportunity, and about so much more.  By intensely watching any creative artist, I can learn about creativity, surprise, about something that shouldn’t be called “failure” but is about things not working the way we wanted or expected.  And as I watch great teachers in the dance studio, I’ve learned about how to teach essence, without having the details of a particular practice crowd out what’s really most important.

3. What can a dancer learn from working with and/or witnessing a photographer? I practice watching dance beyond the details of each movement, typically as I search for what images to photograph.  This is a way of testing and translating my understanding of a particular dance piece.  And I believe that dancers and choreographers can learn and benefit from the same practice.  Those who have taken my workshops on, “Seeing dance like a photographer” confirm that this is true.

4. Why do you photograph the Bates Dance Festival? What makes BDF so special to you? Laura Faure, director of the Bates Dance Festival, has clearly established BDF as, “An international community of choreographers, dancers, educators, and students learning, creating, and performing together”. Along side the often competitive dance world, BDF is a cooperative endeavor.  That’s nourishing for me, as I’m at BDF to learn as much as anybody. And, while dancers are glad to see my images, they are not expecting or hoping that I’ll showcase their artistry or virtuosity in the competitive dance world.

I certainly learn from every class, rehearsal, or choreographic session that I witness.  But I learn at least as much by living, eating, playing with the dance community here.  That aspect of sharing our lives in a creative community is much of what makes BDF so special for me.

5. How does/can dance photography benefit our society? Dance matters, and I celebrate, and seek to add some coherent visibility, to the dance that is all around us here at BDF.  If my photographs simply say, “Look at this . . . this dance step or pose or move”, and people do look, I do believe the world can become a better place.  Dance teaches us all that our very weight that holds us down can be the force that sets us free to move.  And, in that metaphor of finding ways to move together — not always in unison, but always in deep respect — we can build a better world.

6. Any other pressing items? I’m sad to see dance photography being forgotten as an art form or expressive medium, as incredibly high quality video equipment is becoming so common, and as video becomes an important part of every dance department curriculum.  I’d like to see both forms of image recording celebrated, and well used.

I’m interested in seeing still images become not just a way to document dance, but an integral part of more dance itself.  That’s the subject for another whole dialogue . . . that I’d love to inspire or create.

This post was written by Ashley Yergens. Ashley is the BDF Social Media Intern for the 2014 summer.

With a varied background in the arts as a presenter, arts manager, and administrator, Kim Konikow brings rich perspectives into our “Business of Dance” course. I was interested in joining the class dialogue. So, I interviewed two of Konikow’s students. Here’s what Chelsea and Maddie had to say:

CHELSEA’s Interview

1. What is your greatest fear in terms of running a business/arts management/arts administration? How is this class teaching you to address that fear? I am afraid that I won’t get to work with a company that is the perfect fit, but this class is teaching me many networking methods.

2. Why should dancers take a course like “Business of Dance”? This class teaches the logistics of going into the dance profession. Dancers should know everything that this course covers; like where to move, what banking forms to use, and how to make connections.

3. How are artists and traditional marketers like-minded? We are all trying to make a living and a happy life.

4. What is one mind-blowing thing that you’ve learned so far? It’s possible to do what I love with my life! It’s not easy but I am more familiar with the steps required to get there than I was before taking this class.

5. How will you apply this course to your “real” life? The final project for this course is to work on something that I want to do/create in real life–so that’s how (at least in the immediate future). I also am working on improving my resume and website.

6. Anything else? I don’t consider myself a “business-minded” person, but I do like to make connections with people who have similar ideals and goals, and that is my new view of business in the field of dance.

MADDIE’s Interview

1. Why should dancers take a course like “Business of Dance”? I think it’s incredibly important for a dancer to take a course like Business of Dance if they have any interest in becoming a professional dancer. It’s a really difficult time right now for artists and especially dancers, so knowing how to conduct yourself as a professional and be smart in the field is one of the things that could set you apart from other dancers. I think that it is a career that should be approached just like any other job–with the same level of seriousness, professionalism, and preparation. Knowing how to express your art is extremely important but knowing how to manage yourself and your career logistics at this level is also extremely important in this day and age. We all want to live out our passions, be happy, and have enough money to get ourselves by. This class is teaching me how to do just that.

2.What is one mind-blowing thing that you’ve learned so far? One mind-blowing thing I’ve learned so far is that deciding to have a family can affect your career as a performer. I’ve always seen myself as eventually being a mom and having a family, but didn’t think at all about how this would work in tandem with the lifestyle of a professional dancer. There are sacrifices and choices to be made, but it’s exhilarating to think about dance in a way this candid and real. Every faculty member that has come to share with us has been very honest, which is something I greatly respect and appreciate, because that kind of honesty is exactly what we all need as we pursue this path of an artist.

3. How will you apply this course to your “real” life? Going into my junior year at the Ohio State University, I feel that this class is really important for me at this particular phase in my life. I’m realizing that it’s time to switch my mindset from “Someday I’ll be a dancer!” to acknowledging that hopefully it’s about to be my reality and learning how I can best prepare for this drastic transition into the tough yet rewarding world of being a professional dancer. I’m learning skills such as managing my finances once out of college, networking, choosing a city to live in post-grad, marketing, fundraising, and formatting a resume that is both clear and representative of me and my personality. These are skills I can start to think about and implement now while still in school in order to be more comfortable with by the time I’m out on my own.

Description of Course: “The practical aspects of the dance profession are examined in this seminar. This includes career options, creating an ‘image’ in print and online, growing dance audiences, financial administration and raising funds creatively, among many other topics. Guests from the Festival faculty will join us with informative presentations based on personal experience. A resume (yours) will be created or reviewed and you will participate in the creation of a hands-on plan to assist in your own future dance project. By the end of the course, participants will be better prepared to perform the business tasks expected of dance professionals and have a more holistic understanding of the field and personal dance community.”

This post was written by Ashley Yergens. Ashley is the BDF Social Media Intern for the 2014 summer.

Chris Aiken and David Dorfman during our Google+ Hangout with ImPulzTanz.

As technology is increasingly being integrated into general education, dance educators are creating dialogue regarding the evolution of teaching practices and experiences in learning environments for dance.

Today, ImPulsTanz, Rachel Boggia, David Dorfman, Angie Hauser, and Chris Aiken discussed their ideas, perspectives, and research on dance teaching and dance education via Google+ Hangouts. The archived conversation can be viewed here.

As the conversation unfolded, one thing was made clear: as dance educators and students, we face both challenges and opportunities with the development of technology.

Opportunity

Undeniably, integrating technology into dance education has inspiring potential. Technology invites us into unmarked territory. It gives us a chance to reconsider traditional modes and methods of teaching. It allows us to engage with various types of learners.

Challenges

On the flipside, technology can create segregation and isolation as well. For instance, students come with diverse backgrounds in education and life experience. As a result, we must consider the following questions:

• Are we discriminating against learners who aren’t tech-savvy? What about the students who can’t afford the latest gadget?
• Does the technology have a positive impact on the group of learners as a whole? If not, how can the integration of technology create a sense of community?

We must constantly remind ourselves that some students yearn for technological integration while others prefer traditional modes of learning (i.e. physical studio/classroom based). As educators, are we prepared to deal with this type of friction that technology can create?

As artists, administrators, educators, and students, we must continue the dialogue that ImPulzTanz and BDF faculty started today. The goal is not to be pessimistic or overly optimistic regarding technology. We must be opportunistic. Most importantly, it is our duty to remember that technology is simply an enhancement. It can improve pedagogical approaches, but it can never replace the physical nature of dance education.

By accepting the digital era, we can renew ourselves as globalized citizens, and perhaps, we will save the arts. It’s a matter of using the technology, and not allowing the technology to use us.

This post was written by Ashley Yergens. Ashley is the BDF Social Media Intern for the 2014 summer.

WHO:  David Zambrano, Kerstin Kussmaul, Jennifer Lacey, and Rio Rutzinger (ImPulzTanz)  David Dorfman, Angie Hauser, and Chris Aiken (Bates Dance Festival) will discuss their ideas, perspectives and research on dance teaching and dance education with YOU!

WHAT: Please join us for a google+ hangout to discuss contemporary perspectives on dance teaching with faculty from Impulstanz and Bates Dance Festival. 

WHEN: Wednesday, July 30th from 12:45-1:45 p.m. EST 

WHERE: If you want to be a part of the conversation, then email metaacademylab@gmail.com to request an invite. Also, you have the option of simply viewing the livestream here:

http://www.dance-tech.net/group/meta-academy/forum/topics/hangout-teaching-dance-contemporary-perspectives-from-impulztanz-

RELATED: “This summer BDF continues its support and engagement with Meta-academy to foster a vibrant creative community online.”

This post was written by Ashley Yergens. Ashley is the BDF Social Media Intern for the 2014 summer.

YAP student learns about percussion.

As the BDF social media intern, I am spoiled rotten. Seriously. I get to investigate DanceMotion USA’s residency with David Dorfman, Korhan Basaran‘s group of Turkish dancers, and two Armenian dancers. I pop in and out of classes led by stellar faculty such as Jennifer Nugent and Cathy Young. I even get bits of wisdom from Meredith Lyons and Laura Faure on arts administration. I am privileged to experience this festival from such diverse and knowledgeable perspectives.

In a past post, I shared my “fly on the wall” perspective regarding the type of creative courage that BDF creates:

“At this festival, it’s about getting back to that very human thing. As dancers, our duty is to connect to other human beings. Even if you just pick one person that you can impact for the better, with work that might not work — that is vulnerability and art in its highest form. It’s giving what you can give, and taking everything that you can take.”

While our Professional Training Program succeeds at doing this, there is another program that brings us even closer to our humanity. It’s a program that invites youth and teens from the Lewiston/Auburn area to join the festival.

This summer marks the 21st year of our Youth Arts Program (YAP). As soon as registration opened, participants signed up quickly. This comes as no surprise. YAP engages youth ages 7-16 in an encouraging and intensive three weeks of dance, yoga, music, theater, visual arts, storytelling, poetry and writing.

Now, I know you already know all about the benefits of the arts because you read a certain previous post. However, I need to reiterate one thing: In order to fully cultivate a culture of curiosity and diversity, we need youth arts programs. More specifically, the Lewiston/Auburn area needs YAP.

RELATED: Read “From Play to Purpose” here.

As the world continues to change, students’ stories become more bountiful and complex. In everything that YAP does, the program wants to make sure that these stories are fully realized and innovatively communicated. By producing dance and other forms of art, YAP youth go above and beyond the average classroom lessons. They practice tolerance. They become upstanding citizens of a globalized world. Most incredibly, YAP students teach adults how to be human again … Let’s face it. We tend to forget what really matters every once in a while.

So, what’s the best part of my job? It’s listening to kids as they explain problem-solving, generosity, and how our world would improve if we all had a “better together” mindset.

This post was written by Ashley Yergens. Ashley is the BDF Social Media Intern for the 2014 summer. 

Professional Training Program students begin to arrive at registration.

There is a dynamic shift that happens at BDF this weekend. For those of us who have been here from the get-go, we start to adjust to a new energy on campus. Of course we are incredibly excited for all of the new dancers, faculty, events, performances, and classes to take place. However, there is something in the air that I’m picking up on, and I’m not quite sure what it is.

Perhaps, it’s anxiety? For me, anxiety is experiencing failure in advance. So, why am I so afraid of failing in such a nurturing environment? Furthermore, what am I afraid of failing at? As dancers, why are our nerves doing such a strange dance today?

Embodying vulnerability. Believe it or not, I think some of us are afraid of not being vulnerable enough.

Vulnerability and risk-taking gets back to this idea of what we are truly afraid of as young professional dance artists. I, for one, am not necessarily afraid of taking artistic risks and practicing vulnerability in performance — I am more so afraid of settling for less. I am afraid of not giving what I can give. And, I am certainly afraid of not taking everything that I can take while I’m here.

And so we find ourselves waiting for our chance to really experience vulnerability. During this waiting period, we find ourselves having an internal debate. Why am I here? What is my work? Is my work good enough? Well, you are your work. You are good enough. You and I are here because we’re addicted to vulnerability. With vulnerability, innovation and discovery comes. This is where rich work takes flight.

As Seth Godin puts it: “When we share [our work], when we connect, we have shifted all the power and made ourselves naked in front of the person we’ve given the gift of our art to. We have no excuses, no manual to point to, no standard operating procedure to protect us. And that is part of our gift.”

At this point, it’s not about where you came from, your dance education, or your resume. Most importantly, it’s not competitive at all. At this festival, it’s about getting back to that very human thing. As dancers, our duty is to connect to other human beings. Even if you just pick one person that you can impact for the better, with work that might not work — that is vulnerability and art in its highest form. It’s giving what you can give, and taking everything that you can take.

So, that “anxiety” that some of us are picking up on? It’s not really anxiety at all. It’s creative courage in the making. I can’t wait to witness all of these incredible professional-level dancers as they take flight.

This post was written by Ashley Yergens. Ashley is the BDF Social Media Intern for the 2014 summer.

Today, the Bates Dance Festival participated in a live twitter chat with Camille A. Brown, which was hosted by Piper Anderson. Lincoln Center’s Bill Bragin and 651 Arts were a couple of the dialogue’s participants. The brilliant conversation surrounding arts, activism, dance, theater, and dialogue unfolded under the hashtag: #CABchat.

Keep the healthy dialogue going by visiting the thread here: #CABchat

Don’t forget to check out tonight’s Show & Tell!

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

IF YOU GO TO THIS EVENT

WHAT: Camille A. Brown & Dancers Show & Tell

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 15

WHERE: Schaeffer Theatre

TICKETS: Free

This post was written by Ashley Yergens. Ashley is the BDF Social Media Intern for the 2014 summer.

Camille A. Brown engages the students in an unforgettable workshop.

Viral videos bring the latest social dance trends into our homes. However, as the digital sphere explodes with dance, cultural and historical context is often neglected. As a result, we perpetuate unhealthy stereotypes and cultural insensitivity without even realizing it. Today, Camille A. Brown started to break that cycle for our BDF Young Dancers. They began to physically trace the evolution of social dance in the United States.

“Movement is progression, right?” Brown asked the dancers.

In the 1920s, culturally acceptable movements and gestures looked and felt a lot different than they do today. Yet those movements are still embedded in today’s latest dance crazes. While social dance continues to evolve, one thing remains the same: the social institution of dance provides an arena for people to safely communicate with one another.

Injecting social dance into the classroom is an effective way to hold a mirror up to society for our youth. It’s a task that Camille A. Brown excels at. In her artistic statement, Brown writes:

“Overall, I am striving to build a strong sense of storytelling from a black female perspective, stories that are based in current times and historic times, constantly connecting history with the contemporary; not a history lesson, but a journey and understanding of what is relevant to our present day lives. In this way we are able to provoke dialogue, to be technical and to be free of its constriction, moving between the tension of form and expression, story beyond technique. What we do is to bring those things together. Not just looking at the technique of the body but the language of the body and the history it carries. At the root, these stories are human stories.”

On Tuesday, Camille A. Brown & Dancers will share their artistry and social activism with excerpts of “Mr. Tol E. RAncE.” This Show & Tell is bound to leave you wanting more. If you’re in need of a social consciousness tune-up, which most of us are, then you won’t want to miss this.

IF YOU GO TO THIS EVENT

WHAT: Camille A. Brown & Dancers Show & Tell

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 15

WHERE: Schaeffer Theatre

TICKETS: Free

Name: Robert

Hometown: Virginia Beach, Virginia

Studies: I’ve done modern, ballet, and some improv.

What do you respect most about dancers? Their resilience. The “stick to it” attitude. They don’t give up.

What is your biggest movement indulgence? A really deep lunge or a random turn.

Advice to other dancers: Don’t give up even if you get really tired of what you’re doing. Also, find other people who enjoy dance as much as you enjoy it.

Major influences: I like drums. I have a little bit of a hip-hop influence. Just a little bit though.

How has BDF Young Dancers Workshop inspired you? It’s opened my eyes to a whole new world of dance. You can do other things that you’re not used to doing. Also, I’ve made a lot of good connections here.

This post was written by Ashley Yergens. Ashley is a Social Media Intern for the 2014 summer.