Artist Initiative

1) I produced, choreographed and performed in a dance/music hybrid, Slippery Fish. I worked in collaboration with a composer for the first time, Jocelyn Hagen of Minneapolis. I brought in New York City-based dancer Patrick Corbin. We had 4 performances September 28-30, 2012 at the Southern Theater. 2) Not only was it my first time to work with a composer, it was her first time to work with a choreographer. The musicians had never so directly worked with dancers, sharing a stage and dealing with the subsequent tech rehearsals involved. It was eye opening for all concerned; to glimpse the intimate worlds of mediums that coexist in such close proximity and yet are fundamentally different. It was a quartet in terms of choreography, musical composition, dancing and music making. We all learned from one another and garnered a depth of respect in the process. The sense of camaraderie and accomplishment that each of us walked away with surpassed my expectations for the project. 2: 1. I did things like: serve as the liaison from the artists to the production team, arrange performer rehearsal schedules, arrange travel and accommodations, hire a ticketing service, book rehearsal space, create and distribute press releases, hire costumers and establish a common vision, set up fittings, set up interactions with students, lead a photo shoot, organize a preview excerpt toward audience building, set up a post-performance Q and A, set up and participate in interviews for print, podcast and radio, hire and schedule tech staff, contract with the performance venue, create and print programs and appropriately deal with all financial arrangements in terms of taxes. 2. I evaluated this achievement in terms of my capacity to actually do all of those things in addition to choreographing and dancing in the show. To do these tasks under my own auspices was empowering and liberating. The outcome felt both grass roots and well produced.