Lunchtime in the Studio, September 30th, 2010!

Today we are hosting our community in our downstairs studio. We have show some snippets of dance and we'd like to share some of what we recorded via video tape.

Signs are finished!

Here's the updated look at the studios and offices with our new pretty signs painted by Michelle Black of acoloraffair.com (designed by our graphic designer, Jon Scott Weaver.)
Here's the back parking lot and the silhouette of Claire jumping that looks great from up when you turn into the alleyway/entrance to the parking lot. 

 Here's that same one a little closer up:

 The front of the studios and offices with their new signs. I had no idea how much went into getting a sign permit, let me tell you, but we worked it out and here they are!

 Another silhouette on the front of the office. It had to be 8 ft. square by the regs, so she couldn't be huge and fill up the whole front.

 The front of the studios is a little more understated without a dancer on them, but it still looks good!

 Sign showing where to go from the back parking lot--no longer faded and no more old logo!

 Back door to the offices. Should help with the "where am I going" factor, don't you think? Now I just have to price the equivalent size stickers to go on the glass of the studio door. It may be too expensive in this size, so we'll see what we can do.

Rainy Days and Mondays

Hanging around...nothing to do but frown...It's Monday and it's rainy...Good thing we are inside dancing! This morning we are tackling a run of Cumulus for one of our many performances in Houston next week. This particular performance is sort of a retrospective performance that we are sharing with Ad Deum dance company. We are both celebrating anniversaries. Ad Deum is turing 1o, and CORE is now considered over the hill with this being our 30th season. The Show is Friday October 15th at Discovery Green in Houston Texas.

Also on the bill, we are presenting a piece that I (Corian) choreographed titled, "In the beginning there was a word and the word was love." I am honored to have the opportunity to show this dance in a different venue in Houston again. A new crowd will be exposed to my choreography. Being a young choreographer, that is all you can ask for...people coming out and seeing your work. When you are choreographing it is sort of a cathartic experience; almost a birthing process. Everyone wants a cute baby that people compliment; not those ugly babies (there are ugly babies) that people lie and say are cute! So you hope when people come and see your work that they are actually moved by the whole experience and honest with what their feedback.

Finally, we are presenting a new piece that we are in the process of making. "Room" is something we are creating in conjunction with our performance at the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston. It will be quite interesting to see how we will adapt the dance for two completely different spaces. In CORE we are always up for the challenge!

Wednesday Corazon and other Adventures

We are delighted to have Juana Farfan back with us for Corazon Abriendo! She was with us for the original development of Corazon and then was busy having baby Luke. Now she is back for the November performance of Corazon and she looks great!

This afternoon we will work on 'Navigating the Hallway'. This is an exciting new work that we will perform at the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston with Houston Choreographers and KDNY from NYC. Alisa is a new dancer in town joining us for this project.

And then we will see you tonight from 6:30 - 8pm ! at Jill Celeste gallery ( formerly Palate)

Monday CUMULUS!

Corian started us off with a vivacious high energy sweaty class. We worked the slyly humorous text in Cumulus, re connected with the elegant fluid lines choreographed by Dutch Choreographer Beppie Blankert and dove back in to the aggressive almost pro wrestling partner work.

In mid October we will perform outdoors in Houston at Discovery Green. Joanna Futral is once again deftly stepping in to Kim Kleibers role ( Kim just had baby Evan, GO KIM!). Alex is finding a little machismo for the intense fight partnering.

Wednesday evening 6:30 - 8pm is our kick off event at the Jill Celeste gallery/Mcgowan's ( formerly Palate Wine Bar)

Studio renovations

So we didn't get a "before" to go with the "after," but if you've been to our studios, you'll see the transformation (still in process in several places.)
So in the alleyway, they removed the awning that ran the length of it and painted everything our fantastic new blue color. 

 

And in the downstairs lobby, there's a shiny new floor and a working kitchen with plumbing and a fridge and everything!

  

We even have a newly wired, working doorbell by the back door to the office (the wireless one we were using was very, very unreliable! Sometimes it didn't work at all, sometimes it got stuck and wouldn't stop ringing...)

 

We got a new front and back door to the office so that they fit better and will close all the way so they won't leak air so much etc. We still have to get new stickers and/or paint the new logo on them.

We also got a new door to the studio so no more confusion on which one to enter through, and also a nicer seal.

Also painted the front of the studio the base blue, and soon to have "CORE studios" on it in the new red.

A lot more stuff to do with the logos and stickers on doors. They're also rewiring the front windows of the studio so the displays are more visible at night. Oh and the best news for the dancers, they redid the floor upstairs in the studio so it's sprung and isn't lumpy any more (no photo of that, though it might be hard to see the difference as much as feel it.) Stay tuned for more when we get the finishing touches done!!

week two

hello again. we are in the thick of week two of our 30th season. there is a lot of activity in the studio and in the building. we have a new dance floor in our upstairs studio, new flooring and a kitchenette in the foyer space downstairs, and a paint job including the new logo on the building to come in the next couple of days. we have been taking advantage of our new studio floors with company classes (which rock and are open to the public) and lots of rehearsals. core is very happy to be working again with Juana Farfan on the remounting of Corazon Abriendo which will be in our performance schedule this season. we are also busy working on In the beginning there was a word and the word was love, a duet choreographed by Corian Ellisor, which will be performed at Discovery Green in Houston next month. Cumulus, choreography by Beppie Blankert, will also be presented in the Discovery Green performance. we are really excited about our upcoming trip to Houston, which will include performances at Discovery Green, Bayou City Art Festival, and the Contemporary Arts Museum alongside KDNY and Houston dancers, Teresa Chapman, Leslie Scates, Becky Valls. pretty sweet!

And we're back...

Howdy everyone! We are back and ready for some dancing! Our first official day back in the studio was yesterday. Our day started with class taught by the one and only Sue Schroeder. Can I just say that after a whole summer of living in the real world, working a customer service job, trying to make ends meet...it feels good to get back to the grind of dancing! My body is happy (albeit sore), so therefore my general mood has lifted...no pain, no grain, right? Getting our repertory back to performance is a challenge, but a much welcomed one.

Despite having been on hiatus since May, we have had quite a busy summer. We had the amazing pleasure of traveling to Sweden to perform in the ABUNDANCE festival. We were one of three U.S. Companies to perform in the festival. We adapted our newest work, The Point, to be a site specific work in Karlstad, Sweden. Then, most recently, in August we performed in the Houston Frenetic Fringe Festival. Many of the company members created our own work that was presented with various other artist for a full evening of eclectic performances.

I would have to say, that because I got a taste of what life is like to work in the "real world," I would much rather dance for a living. I am able to interact with my fellow dancers, choreographers, etc in a very relaxed, personal, and professional level that is extremely satisfying. Who wouldn't like to go to a job that not only is a great personal escape, but allow you to laugh
, be productive, and stay active? I feel very blessed to not have to sit in a cubicle all day! Besides, it isn't work to me...it is play! Simple put...I am very glad to be back, and I can't wait for this actioned packed 30th season to unfold!