I also made the decision to leave the dance community on the west coast to be closer to my family and pursue opportunities on the east coast. I chose to move to Philadelphia. I’ve only been here a few weeks but I have already found that the dance community is both supportive and no-nonsense! I love that combination. It seems to really nurture strong work that is experimental and raw.

I’ve already noticed why the Philly community was named “The City of Brotherly Love.” There is definitely a sense of neighbors helping each other. One way this happens is through the arts. Brilliant! I can’t wait to get more involved. But for now, here are some links of some of the amazing programs I was describing!

Philadelphia Mural Arts Program

PhiladelphiaDANCE

Art-Reach

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership

One of my recent collaborations with choreographer, Valerie Ifill, and her newly forged company, Ifilldance, will be featured later this month at Dance For A Reason, slated to be at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts’ Silva Concert Hall on January 23rd.

As stated on Dance for a Reason’s website:

In 1992, Geni Morrow had a vision of dancing up a storm of support for organizations that benefit our community.

They called it “Dance for a Reason.”

A brainchild of Geni Morrow, the first DFAR was staged in the auditorium of Agate Hall on the University of Oregon campus in 1993. Geni had reached out to a vast network of dancers, asking them to give their time and expertise to create an eclectic dance extravaganza. All profits were donated to St. Vincent de Paul, the first of many non-profit community organizations to benefit from this volunteer effort. The audience and the dancers for that first performance both numbered about 100 each!

As it gained momentum over the years, DFAR moved to Lane Community College. When even two shows on consecutive nights could not hold the enthusiastic crowd, DFAR moved to the Hult Center for Performing Arts. In 2005, it made its debut in the Silva Concert Hall to an audience of over 1800.

Dance for a Reason is Eugene’s most eclectic, energized and fun dance show! The annual dance performance and benefit showcases the variety of talented dancers, choreographers and movement specialists in our area. It also provides a financial boost to one of the many nonprofit groups working in our community.

This year’s Beneficiary is Greenhill Humane Society.

Indeed. It should be a fantastic show, presented for the benefit of a good cause.

The 16th Annual Dance for a Reason
January 23rd, 2010, 7:30 pm
Hult Center Silva Concert Hall

Reserved Seating | All seats $15.00
Hult Center Box Office online at The Hult Center or call 541.682.5000

I was invited to take part in a collaborative dance endeavor directed by Shannon Mockli. The two showings of this 7 minute piece took place on September 25th, 2009 at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.  The dancers involved were Shannon Mockli, Chris Gorney, Lou Lynner, Elizabeth Clark and myself. This piece highlighted the original sound score by Sam L. Richards. Faster Than A Speeding Bullet was well received by the audiences and may be performed in Eugene again. To see this piece for yourselves, check out this link from Sam’s website. Faster Than A Speeding Bullet performance

Enjoy!

Val