Joe's Movement Emporium Gala/Concert
Last night, Daniel Burkholder and I performed in the concert part of the Gala/Concert for Joe's Movement Emporium -- an arts facility in Mt. Rainier, Maryland (where Daniel and I will have our office for Improv Arts, Inc.).
It was a really interesting program for us to participate in -- most of the performances were ethnic dance of some kind: African, Thai, Indonesian, etc. There were two companies with outstanding african drumming. We were the only "modern" dance thing on the bill, and it seemed like this was not our usual audience.
The show was at the Kay Theater in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland. It's a huge stage (compared to places we usually perform in), and a plush venue.
We did a seven-minute totally improvised duo. Before the show, we had 15 - 20 minutes of tech time - most of which was spent on lighting, but we did do a run through. After the run through, Daniel mentioned that he was tempted to make contact with me during the performance. Sure enough, during the show he came over and gave me a good shove, then grabbed at the guitar and slammed his hands around on it for a bit. I had it cranked up loud and distorted, so that made for a nice bit of noisy music.
We got lots of positive feedback at the gala/reception after the show, so I think it was a success. Many people asked me in a whisper, "Were you playing your guitar with a vibrator?" (answer is yes)
2 comments:
Hey Jon,
What's the story/plan with Improv Arts, Inc. Sounds like it has to be something intriguing.
Dave
improv arts, inc. is a new nonprofit that daniel and i are forming -- the idea is that instead of him forming a nonprofit for his dance company, and me forming one for my music projects/ensembles -- we can put our
heads together and create something with a broader mission, to cultivate improvised dance, music, etc. -
but with the two of us as "artistic directors."
so, basically, it's a way to "name" what we've been doing all along, and hopefully create a structure for improved fundraising. we also have some ideas for new projects, and we'll be taking on some responsibility for portions of the DC Improv Festival...
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