Singing in the studio...

If you would have come by the studio today, you would have been surprised to hear a vocal orchestra (or voicestra) coming from upstairs. To gear up for Corazon, we are working on our singing with help from Elise Witt. Personally, my singing is left for the shower, the car, or with enough courage...maybe karaoke with friends; so it is unsettling and scary to know that we will have to speak and sing in front of a theatre full of strangers.

I once had to sing in front of people and forgot all the words to the song. That is in the top ten worst experiences of my life!! Afterwards, my parents took me to dinner, told me it wasn't that big a deal, and said I did a great job (that's what parents are for, right?!?). However, it was fun to let loose and not have to worry about my anxiety. I am looking forward to how this will work out. Besides, there is a reason we are dancers...most of us prefer to look pretty and be seen, and not heard. Going back to the idea of challenges; I think we can work through this and make it a great experience. This time I hope not to forget the words :)

Oh, by the way...we have a free Salon performance tonight in our downstairs studio from 6 to 7:30. There will be free drinks and snacks for those who attend. We will be working on/showing material for our upcoming show: Corazon Hope to see you there!

New life

We are back in the studio after a week off, from a very long and exciting bunch of Houston performances. First days back are always difficult because you have to get back into the groove of things. Add to that challenge that we all woke up to lightning and rain this morning...talk about not wanting to get out of bed! However, once we began moving our bodies in class; it was apparent that we were all yearning to move our bodies and get cracking! It was infectious...I always love those studio days!!!

Some of you know that we have an upcoming performance of Corazon Abriendo at the Balzer in downtown Atlanta, November 19th & 20th. There have been previous incarnations of this dance, but this is not the same show. Almost everything is new! Today we jumped head first into really finding the new life in this dance. Remounting a previous work is difficult, but if the stars align...it could be a breeze. With clarity and precision, Sue started shaping sections of Corazon to better suit the chemistry of this newer cast. It helps to have the wisdom and energy of those who have experienced Corazon previously. Juana and Blake can understand some of Sue's references from prior trips to Mexico; while we newbies can draw upon our Guatamala experience. It is a great blend of old and new.

I guess Sue's challenge is to find the middle ground. Today, she left the studio happy because not only did we rise to the occasion, but we had fun doing it. We laughed every time someone forgot a step or did the wrong movement. Corian burst into hysterical laughter from getting dizzy because he was spinning too quickly. It was a wonderful day in the office. Work isn't work if you are having fun.

So it begins, the road to performance...the task of bringing a dance to life!

Hello all!

It's day five of our Houston adventure and already we have done so much! The Bayou City Art Festival went great, the weather was warm, the crowd was enthusiastic and we got to splash around in the fountains on Saturday after workin' up a sweat!
We are now in the second stage of our trip and working on Navigating the Hallways. We are in a beautiful space at the CAMH and working with wonderful people. The beautiful dancers of KDNY are here and everything is going off without a hitch (mucho thanks to Theresa Chapman, our project coordinator, and fellow dancer beauty.) We have the afternoon off tomorrow after a master class taught by Corian at U of H.
Well, Claire is giving a fashion show, and I'm off to see what other goodies Patton has in his costume grab bag.
Bye for now!!!

CORE on the go...

Howdy everyone...from deep in the heart of Texas, this is Alex reporting on our current tour to Houston. We have an action-packed tour with performances at the Bayou City Arts Festival tomorrow and Sunday, a performance (with many Houston choreographers & a New York-based company) next Thursday at the Contemporary Arts Museum, and a performance next Friday at an outdoor theatre in downtown Houston (Discovery Green).

We arrived yesterday, had lunch then rehearsal. This morning many of CPC members took a fabulous dance class with Jane Weiner at HopeStone. We just finished eating delicious food and sipped on some well-made coffee at Brasil Cafe in the heart of the Montrose area (right down the street from my alma mater...Lanier Middle School, go Purple Pups)! We will have rehearsal soon, so some members (Corian, Claire, & Alisa) are using this little free time to have a quick shopping spree in the many nearby, trendy resale shops & boutiques! Oh the life of a dancer...trying to look fabulous on a budget! Well, I am about to check my bank account so that I may join them...hehehe!

Peace, love, & chicken grease!
CORE...OUT!

Houston get Ready!

We are gearing up for Houston!

Claire Molla and Blake Dalton performed the 'push up Pact' to be in top physical readiness.

We ran "Cumulus", which we will perform at Discovery Green. Now "In the beginning there was a word and the word was love" is being sweat through by Alex Abarca and MJ Pennington. Choreographed by CORE member Corian Ellisor, we will show this at Discovery Green also. Today we will also work on Navigating the Hallway for the Contemporary Arts Museum, and a new work for the Bayou City Arts Festival.

We are busy! If I can figure out my technology there will be some video today, too!