Arkansas update

We are here in Conway, AR arriving in beautiful breezy weather. Mirazozo, the huge luminarium, is definitely an experience that leaves us all in a state of wonder after rehearsing 1-2 hours inside the giant geometric balloon of colorful light. In addition to creating work inside the mammoth, inflatable sculpture, we had the privilege of teaching master classes to middle school, high school, and college level students in the area. Lastly, we so enjoyed our performance at the St. Joesph elementary school followed by a great workshop with the 3rd and 4th graders.
Inside "Mirazozo:

You can also see a video clip of some of our dancers inside the Mirazozo luminarium here: http://www.arkansasonline.com/videos/2012/sep/28/7178/

At the schools:

Mind, Heart, Tummy

Core Performance Company is hard at work, though I almost want to say, "hard at play!" We are working on a play, a dance, a piece called "The Heart of the Matter." It was performed last season in Arkansas, and we are lucky enough to be welcomed back to Conway, AR with this show. We are all tirelessly learning and relearning our parts. Though I have to say, while it is quite the brain work to dance and say our lines and move props, it is also a lot of fun! The piece touches on eating disorders, bullying and how we deal with these issues by making healthy choices for our heart, mind, and body.

Heart of the Matter is a show for elementary aged kids. It allows the audience to help our characters solve problems that arise in the play. Some of these characters include Tummy, Heart, and Mind. These three make up a part of another character known as Body and they each have important tasks that keep Body happy and healthy. Body's choices also affect her three counterparts and she must make healthy decisions to keep them healthy and happy too. This show may be geared towards kids, but I find it just as silly, fun, and enlightening for adults. All of us are looking forward to this next adventure in our 2012-2013 season. On with the shows!

Dance in an inflatable "luminarium"

CORE Performance Company is traveling to Conway, Arkansas again, but this time there's something different. The company has enjoyed performing in the Baum Gallery on the University of Central Arkansas campus on our last two trips, but on this trip, coming up September 28-29, we get to perform inside a huge inflatable "luminarium" created by UK firm Architects of Air and brought to Conway for the town's Arts Fest.

CORE Artistic Director, Sue Schroeder, visited the "luminarium" called Mirazozo on the last stop in its tour in St. Paul, Minnesota and sent us back these images and a video.

Show time!

The premire weeekend of 'Shift'is finally upon us! We have had a great week of tech and dress rehearsals and can't wait to share the three new works with you! Remember: There are only 2 chances to see the show (Saturday @8pm and Sunday @3pm at Decatur High Schools Performing Arts Center) and its FREE, so plan ahead and be sure not to miss it! See you this weekend!

SHIFT: Some food for thought

First of all, thank you for attending SHIFT by CORE Performance Company! Here are a few questions as food for thought as you process your experience of the performance. If you'd like to share your thoughts, please comment! You can ask us questions that way, or your fellow audience members. We look forward to hearing from you!

• Do you have unanswered questions that you’d like to ask the choreographer or dancers? 
• Did you lose track of time and forget about everything else during the performance?
• Did the performance cause you to reflect on your own opinions or beliefs?
• How much were you challenged by an idea or message?

SHIFT: Interview with Artistic Director Sue Schroeder

CORE Founder and Artistic Director, Sue Schroeder, speaks about her piece in the upcoming premiere of SHIFT and how the whole program came together. 

Week 2!

Hello again from CORE Studios in Downtown Decatur! We are a little over a week away from the premiere of SHIFT, our first concert of the season. As the date draws nearer, we are spending our time in the studio reviewing, inventing and polishing the three new works. The show will feature new dances of guest choreographers Lori Teague from Emory and Leslie Scates from Houston, Texas; artistic director Sue Schroeder will also be presenting her latest piece. SHIFT is FREE and open to the public! We are very much looking forward to sharing the work with you all and hope to see you next Saturday, September 15 at 8PM or Sunday, September 16 at 3PM. Both performances will take place in the Performing Arts Center of Decatur High School. Also, please join us tomorrow, September 6th at 12PM for this season's first Lunchtime in the Studio. This free luncheon will give you the chance to meet our newest company members. Hope to see you there! Below are a coulple photos of our rehearsal with Lori!

SHIFT: An interview with guest artist Leslie Scates

Check out our newest behind-the-scenes video about SHIFT, the premiere of three new dances on September 15-16 in Decatur, Georgia and November 2-3 in Houston, Texas. This interview is with guest artist Leslie Scates and she talks about some of her process in creating this piece, and her thoughts on improvisation and dancemaking.
An interesting tidbit, she originally came in with the idea of making a piece about communication among women, so it was called HEaRD, but then she found it focused more on group dynamics especially in the face of fear, so the "a" was dropped and it is now called herd.
Tickets for SHIFT are available online back on the website, COREdance.org.