Something new about Anna discovered by Anna in France

TAKE ME BACK!

What a whirlwind of a two weeks.

I acknowledged a lot about myself on this trip - less (consciously) affected and effected by what I thought would peruse me; the cultural transfusion. I felt open, prepared to take on all that came with and went with the process of traveling internationally for the first time. The challenges: I was ready for. Bring it on. The discomfort and overwhelming unsure-ness of the experience of being so out of my comfort zone definitely presented itself more times than I can count, but I felt like I was prepared enough to at least attempt to embrace them. I was entranced by the feeling of being the foreign, someone no one knew anything about. I could be anyone! I could be someone I never was in Atlanta.

I wondered what made me feel like that. Why couldn't I be that person in Atlanta?

It was like some kind of international courage that didn't exist when I was at home, in my element, my comfort zone.

I have always liked the idea of being knocked on my ass out the door of my comfort zone. The idea of being pushed into experience I was unsure about and being challenged beyond what I thought possible. The IDEA of it. I like to think of myself as a strong artist that can adapt to anything, handle anything. Not expecting it to be easy by any means but I can do it.

This work process in France told me otherwise. I continuously criticized myself, let things get to me and questioned to myself why I was there. I felt like I didn't deserve to be there. Instead of being that person I could never be at home, I was faced with uncontrollable unconscious walls building themselves up between me and this person.

What am I waiting for?

Why are you being so resistant?

You don't have to be anyone else.

Don't be afraid.

Why are you so scared?

You don't have to explain yourself.

No one understands what I am going through.

Don't tell me you understand.

Stop trying to fix me.

Where is this coming from.

What's wrong with you?

I hate this.

What are you doing here? You don't deserve to be here.

You're not bringing anything to the table.

You don't deserve any feedback.

You are stupid and ugly.

I CAN'T DO THIS.

Why are you being so selfish?

Stop complaining.

Get over it.

You can do it!

You are always so strong and bulky and this way - can't you be more like this? More light and feminine and pretty and a good dancer.

Give me something positive.

Yeah, why aren't you more like that?

Try something else.

Stope feeling sorry for yourself.

I should quit.

Why am I wasting my and everyone else's time being here?

You are doing it wrong, but don't take it personally.

It's not all about you.

The best thing about that duet was that the other person made great choices.

Push through, push through, push through.

Personal in terms of the work.

Complaining vs. generosity

Relate your issue to the work and it could be helpful.

Share what you feel or just get over it? Is that just your nature? Did you really ever get over it? You let it build.

THATS NOT ME.

Be transparent sometimes.

Be yourself.

It's okay.

You learned something from all this.

You are stronger than you think.

On this trip I was forced to step back and acknowledge these feelings, observations, thoughts I am often faced with at home but felt kind of extreme in our process in France. It allowed me to see myself in a new light. It was like being in this artistic process, I put myself under a super fine magnifying glass and really feel them and find out where they are coming from.

Of course there were more positive and seriously life changing experiences in France then not, but this was a large part of my overall experience. I think this writing was a little fed by the conversation preceding this assignment to reflect but it made me realize my feelings are not nothing and it is okay to feel what you want to feel when you are feeling them. Sometimes they stick around sometimes they pass. Either way I can now identify them and maybe that's the first step to being a better me or figuring out who I really am.

Stefanie's random thoughts on Toulouse / France

Stefanie's random thoughts on Toulouse / France 

A fresh, new breeze into my life. New smells, tastes, colors, sounds.... fresh and enlightening.

Meaningful travel with this particular group. Different. Supporting each other. Looking out for one another. Enjoying my own space, my own privacy, enjoying being around and with them.

Easy flowing all around. Roommates. College dorm? Together and building.

The Kitchen. To share food, share laughs, share conversations, experiences, opinions. Sylvain and Nordine – what a pleaseure. Drinking coffee out of a bowl. Funding systems for dancers in France. Heavy french doors. Many old dance works created in Europe. Wine, puffed corn crackers. Baguette and S. Pellegrino water. Cheese... French Words. Recycled garbage. We all cooked food. Tons of coffee. No expectations, no rules. Only the one rule to close the kitchen door while cooking because of the "ticklish fire alarm". Everyone could flow in and out. Sometimes super busy, filled with tons of smells. Sometimes quiet. Only one person. A beautiful dance created in the space with 7 people cooking, preparing food. A breeze flowing in from the large windows.

Efficiency yet pleasure and indulgence. Recycling. Bringing your cotton shopping bag – Je suis tout bio. Merci. Bike riding... what a joy and freedom. Rent a bike on every corner. Tisseo buses. Trains every 3 minutes. What a dream! Things are where life is happening! Restaurants, shops, grocery stores, fresh markets, coffee, baguettes, … All. All in the midst of life, in the midst of people. No separation. No isolation. Easy flowing. Connected and accessible.

A beautiful webbing of differences- diversity. Everything is in it's right place in that webbing creating beauty. Creating life.

Efficiency in people maneuvering through the streets with shopping bags, strollers, walking with someone else or single, on their bikes or in the car.

Indulgence. Sitting down for 'une cafe' in the sun, with a cigarette, and a croissant or baguette of some sort. Conversations. Community. Together and building.

Old buildings with the smell of dust. The sun hitting the buildings..... pink and red in color.... embellished, heavy front doors, balconies embellished with squiggled balustrades. Buildings wildly collaged and patchworked together. Life is inside of them. Life flowing in and out of them.

And I? I smelled and tasted and saw and flowed. Flowed through it all. Enjoying it all. Breathing it all in. Nourishing my curiosity.   

Rose's France Experience, Part 1

Terracotta roofs mirror the layers of feelings, experiences, and realizations that occurred within and without me while I was in Toulouse, France for 2 weeks.

Cobblestone or brick streets and walkways, ancient buildings were so beautiful and flourished with design. It wasn't revealed to me well on into the second week that even this beautiful city has its dark side too. Conformity to provide a certain "look" or "appeal" was there in the sameness of all of the buildings having pretty balconies, terracotta roofing, college kids desiring to "fit in" by wearing chic blacks and grays when they are going out to "get away" from daily duties. However, I also realized, especially on the last day, that there is a reason for many of these things, and when I place myself in their shoes (as best I can) I come to find a pride in their history and oneness. In order to preserve the beauty of much of the architecture, rules are created to prevent them from being altered (ex. - same colored shutters on each window).

 

In some ways I sympathize with this type of mindset and in others I want to share what possibilities there are for change. It's also not up to me to change others; unless how I live my life inspires them to change, I believe you can't make people change. They’d have to want it for themselves. Of course, I love Toulouse for what it is, I also love Atlanta for what it is. I also enjoy imagining what it (Atlanta, Toulouse, the world) can become because things are always changing and shifting whether we want them to or not. I never get bored. =)

Studio Spotlight: Sundew with Liz Peterson

Sundew is an outlet for hobbyists, artists and revelers to gather together with a group of friends in a no-judgement atmosphere. We currently offer two types of classes, Parties and Ponders. All classes are taught by owner and creative dabbler, Liz Peterson. Liz is not a highbrow expert, but takes time to understand the basics of the artistic process and gather materials so you can loosen up and have a good time without all the mess.

Ponder classes are mini creative workshops exploring personal and philosophical topics and how they relate to you as an artist (and all humans are artists!). Each ponder will include a short presentation or discussion followed by a creative project related to the theme. The content can be mind-expanding, healing, informative or simply curious. Ponder classes will generally last about one and a half hours.

1. What do you teach at CORE studios?
   I teach creativity workshops (called “Ponders”) Ponder classes are mini creative workshops exploring personal and philosophical topics and how they relate to you as an artist (and all humans are artists!). Each ponder will include a short presentation or discussion followed by a creative project related to the theme. The content can be mind-expanding, healing, informative or simply curious. Some example classes: Object Meditation, Working with Limitations in Art, Reflections (loosely, a class about mirrors), Hue are You (color class).
   
2. What got you into teaching?
   I have always been involved in hobbies and creative pursuits, and though I enjoy my solitude when creating, I equally enjoy sharing ideas about the process with a like-minded group. This sparked the idea behind teaching classes related to the creative process. Though, to be honest, I don’t consider myself a teacher so much as a curator and presenter of ideas. I believe that each person who attends a class with me will be their own teacher.
   
3. How long have you been a teacher?
   Sundew is a very new venture for me and the first time I have taught since moving to Atlanta. Prior to that, I taught art and craft classes for several years in my mother’s garden shop as well as an art studio that I owned in Florida.
   
4. What two adjectives would you use to describe your classes?
   Thought-provoking and fun
   
5. Tell us a little bit about what your focus is for classes:
   My focus is on exploring various ideas about the creative process. The intention is for class-goers to learn more about themselves, gain some inspiration or break through a creative block.
   
6. Do you have any upcoming projects or events that you are excited about?
   Yes! I am excited about my first class at CORE in March on personal mapmaking, as well as a few upcoming art parties at other locations.
   
7. What do you love about CORE studios?
   I love the accessibility, the price, and the beautiful space! 

Liz’s next workshop is on Sunday, March 30th 5pm-6:30pm. Her contact information is 404-386-1774, www.sundewstudio.com, sundewstudio@gmail.com

Studio Spotlight: Taiko Drumming with Peter Marino

Peter Marino has been teaching percussion for the past 20 years and is the head of the Atlanta Taiko Project, whose aim is "spreading the joy of music-making." It is Peter's professional focus to help amateurs understand the secret that professiona musicians know but rarely share: that it is more fun to play an instrument than to listen to one. Taiko drumming - an ensemble style of drumming that originated in Japan - is easy to learn for any age, and does not require any previous experience or even knowledge of how to read music. It's also a great stress-reliever, and great exercise for your brain.

1. What do you teach at CORE Studios?
   Taiko Drumming

2. What got you into teaching?
   I’ve done it most of my life. I love the feeling of helping people understand something they didn’t know before.

3. How long have you been teaching?
   20 years

4. What two adjectives would you use to describe your classes?
   Engaging and Fun

5. Tell us a little bit about what your focus is for your classes?
   Getting participants, some who have never played before, to experience the joy of playing music with others.

6. Do you have any upcoming projects or events you are excited about?
   We are working on a five-movement piece to represent the five classical elements of fire, water, air, earth and spirit.

7. What do you love about CORE Studios?
   The location, the feel, and the people I have met.
   
   
   Learning Taiko takes place on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month, with a beginning class from 3:00pm to 4:15pm and advanced class from 4:30pm - 5:45pm. To sign up, visit  atlantataikoproject.com.
   
   
   
   

Studio Spotlight: Vital Cardio Blast with Tim Roberts

 

As a licensed personal trainer, for the last 9 years, life coach and massage therapist,  Tim Roberts has developed various programs that will change the clients outlook, empower the clients ability to exercise, and strengthen the body to the best of the clients ability which in turn enhances the clients physical, mental and spiritual well-being.


To learn more about Tim read below, and be sure to visit his website at tryworkout911.com

1. What do you teach at CORE Studios?
   Vital Cardio Blast on Fridays 6:30pm to 7:30pm

2. What got you into teaching?
   My love of fitness, working with people and the growing obesity epidemic in our community.

3. How long have you been teaching?
   6 years

4. What 2 adjectives would you use to describe your classes?
   Invigorating and Fun

5. Tell us a little bit about what your focus is for your classes.
   To give people a different perspective on fitness…make fitness fun so participants don’t feel like they are working out because they are having fun.

6. Do you have any upcoming projects or events you are excited about?
   January 2014 – Community Fitness Fair in Stone Mountain, GA

7. What do you love about CORE Studios?

The location, space, community and courses that are offered. 

France Comes to Atlanta

This week starts our collaboration with Association Manifeste from Toulouse, France. The one language that we all speak fluently is dance, and that is how we communicate, besides the broken English, Spanish, and French.

You can see the work we'll be creating here next Thursday at the Rialto Center for the Arts in downtown Atlanta. You can also see the performance of Association Manifeste next Saturday outside of the Rialto. If you can't make either one of those shows or you want a different experience, come to our Salon next Tuesday at the studio. See you all soon.

Studio Spotlight: Ania Bartelmus

Ania Bartelmus is a flamenco dancer from Poland, based in Atlanta. In the fall of 2011, she decided to follow her dreams and began her journey in Seville, Spain, though she had been breathing flamenco for several years before...

Ania's flamenco classes for both beginners and more advanced dancers take place Saturday afternoons at CORE Studios.

To learn more about Ania read below, and be sure to visit her website at breathingflamenco.blogspot.com

1. What do you teach at CORE Studios?

Flamenco dance

2. What got you into teaching?

While I was studying flamenco in Spain, I was required to teach as part of the dance scholarship I received. I instantly loved teaching!

3. How long have you been teaching?

I taught for several months in Spain and ever since I moved to Atlanta, which is several weeks ago.

4. What 2 adjectives would you use to describe your classes?

Invigorating and unique

5. Tell us a little bit about what your focus is for your classes.

In my beginner class I want people to discover what flamenco is, get them to dance simple combinations and develop some basic technique. In my intermediate/advanced class, the focus is to help students become stronger and more confident dancers; have more confidence in the flamenco rhythms, improve the speed and precision of footwork and coordination of body movements.

6. Do you have any upcoming projects or events you are excited about?

I am working on a project which involves bringing flamenco musicians from Seville to Atlanta and create a Seville-style flamenco performance.

STILL in progress!

We are gearing up with costumes, lights, and sound for our first show for the season that opens on Friday (tomorrow) at 8 pm at the Decatur High School!

Erik works diligently on putting music together for our Picasso piece that is a part of our show. We had the task of combining each vignette into one seamless section of Picasso-inspired dances, and Erik alongside the help of Josh was able to help make the music flow nicely.

Here is Patton, company manager & costume designer extraordinaire, making sure Derrick's costume fits well and works for the show.

Come see us in the theater to see it all put together! Our shows are free and are at 8 pm for both Friday and Saturday night this weekend! See you there!

Studio Spotlight: Tap Dancing with Dotti Warren

Dotti Warren has been teaching dance for 40 years. She opened her own studio Simply Dancing in Lilburn, and brings her expertise to CORE Studios Monday evenings from 7:15pm - 8:15pm.

1.       What do you teach at CORE Studios?

Tap Dancing and Ballet Barre Stretch, the stretch class is coming in October.

2.       What got you into teaching? 
I began dancing as a child.  I was a performer in Atlanta years ago with Carolyn Fleetwood and Southern ballet.  I later opened my own studio “Simply Dancing.”

3.       How long have you been teaching? 
40 years

4.       What 2 adjectives would you use to describe your classes? 
Entertaining and Energetic, exercise that is fun!

5.       Tell us a little bit about what your focus is for your classes. 
It is my goal to pass my knowledge of dance to new dancers and provide some performance opportunities if wanted.

6.       Do you have any upcoming projects or events you are excited about? 
I am hoping to seek performance opportunities!

7.       What do you love about CORE Studios? 
The availability, size and location

Process and Collaboration

What does your art mean to you? Why do you do it? How do you approach it? What is your process? These are questions we as artists ask ourselves all of the time, for me almost every day. One great thing about CORE is that we get to explore these questions with every workshop, class, and new project. Process is constantly being examined. This week is no exception.

We continued working with Sue today. Yesterday, we listened to a wonderful, thought-provoking story. We then wrote for several minutes, chose words from those stream-of-consciousness writings, and lived with those words, moved around, walked with them inside our heads. Continuing with the words and the movement today, we also brought in objects from nature and arranged them around the studio. Like these objects, we are all very different. We differ in how we move, where we come from, how we view the world, and on and on. We are different, but we come together to form images, movement, and art. We all bring our individuality to the process and the creation, and hopefully people see the beauty that is us and our collaboration. By arranging our objects in different locations and different arrangements, we could still see the beauty in each one, no matter how it was presented. We could also still see our individuality in each one. Take a look at the photos and decide for yourselves which arrangement belongs to which person in the company. You can also try to guess which object was brought in by which dancer.

Mind, Body, and Creation

In case you didn't know about our summer intensive, the company has been working with Chelsea Gregory this week. Chelsea is teaching workshops in Body-Mind Centering, which helps us to understand the relationship between our body and mind as well as our bodies and the world around us. This type of work can be quite revealing and sometimes emotional when you release tension that you've been holding in a certain part of the body for a long time. The work also helps us discover different ways of moving, helps us break old habits, and helps us to step out of our comfort zones. You still have two more chances to take class with Chelsea. She will be teaching classes tonight and tomorrow focusing on Body-Mind Centering and social change. Come out and experience this wonderful workshop with the rest of the company.

In other news for the company, we started creating new work with Sue this afternoon, and I have no doubt that all of the information from the intensive will bring new life and creativity to the work we will create. I am so excited to be back in the studio, creating with my fellow dancers. Besides the Body-Mind Centering work with Chelsea, we will also be taking workshops with Ann Law Thursday through Saturday, so be sure to check those out as well. Ann's workshops will be related to risk-taking inside the art of dance-making, exploring new ways of empowering dancers to perform at their full potential through creating dances that aim for personal transformation. We hope you come out and share in these experiences with us. 

TechnoToning with Mary Vallo and Kaitlyn Bryant

The exciting new form of fitness training known as TechnoToning is a revolutionary dance workout incorporating techno and house music into several exercise routines that will help you tone and sculpt your body into perfection. Come join us and learn hot new dance moves as you workout in our club-like atmosphere. As you dance to the invigorating pulse of the music, you’ll quickly realize how fun and easy our program is. The TechnoToning dance workout will forever change the way you feel about getting in shape.

Mary and Kaitlyn teach TechnoToning at CORE Studios Wednesday evenings from 7:30 - 8:30. Check out their website for more information at technotoning.com

 
Get to know a little more about Mary and Kaitlyn and TechnoToning below:

What do you teach at CORE Studios? TechnoToning. It is a sexy new fitness dance routine for women, guaranteed to get Goddesses fit and have fun!

What got you into teaching?  TechnoToning has been the dream of both Mary Vallo and Kaitlyn Bryant for several years. They created it together to lose weight, resulting in both losing 30 lbs each! They have so much fun doing it together, they decided to brand it and share TechnoToning with women everywhere.

How long have you been teaching? TechnoToning just launched in the beginning of 2013 and had their first official class April 20th 2013 at CORE Performance Studios.

What adjectives would you use to describe your classes?  Our classes are fun, sexy, and effective!

Tell us a little bit about what your focus is for your classes? The focus of TechnoToning is for women to get a full body workout while dancing along with their girlfriends! We create a fun and exciting atmosphere with rockin tunes and sexy dance moves! We want women to find their inner dance goddess and let her shine! We want to make sure every Goddess will achieve toned muscles and a tight tummy! Come sculpt the body of your dreams and have a blast doing it!

Do you have any upcoming projects or events you are excited about? Since we are a brand new start up, we have many upcoming plans for the future! Soon we will be planning to add a second weekly class to our line-up, and progressively grow the business bigger and have classes occurring in numerous places around the city. Next year in 2014, we plan to create a TechnoToning DVD that customers can buy and workout from home!

What do you love about CORE Studios? TechnoToning loves CORE Studios. The minute we walked into the facility, it felt like home. We had toured other locations around Atlanta, and CORE was our top pick! Since beginning our classes in April we have had a wonderful experience teaching there.

Florida Dance Festival Performance

Last night at the Florida Dance Festival in Tampa we performed four dances that have been created over the past year. It was such an amazing experience to perform all of these dances together for the first time. Four different choreographers, four different dances, and four different worlds through which we move, an experience that stretched our bodies, minds, and imaginations. This has also been an experience that pulled us even closer together as a company. Everyone agreed that we had fun, felt one another's presence, and responded to each other in a way that we had not been able to do in rehearsals.  Sometimes it takes an audience to complete a performance.

Friday morning we performed a piece from STILL, choreographed by Sue Schroeder, on an NBC morning show, Daytime TV. It will be aired next Wednesday, June 26, on an NBC station near you. Company manager Patton White discusses the company with the hosts. Check it out!

We finished off the weekend with a master class at the Florida Dance Festival.  Sue Schroeder led the class and the company had the experience of working with some of the young dancers attending the festival. It's always a great experience as a dancer to reconnect to your body and muscles that you may have forgotten existed, a feeling I often get while taking Sue's class.

Thank you for checking in with us. We can't wait to get back in the studio and create some new work. We hope to see you soon.

We're Back and Florida Bound

The company is back in rehearsal this week. We are remounting four of the works we created over the past year. These works will be performed at the Florida Dance Festival in Tampa. 

Remounting works is an interesting process.  Not only do the dancers have to remember the movement,  they have to remember the process that led to the creation of the piece. They have to remember the intent behind the movement.   Each of these four pieces was choreographed by four different choreographers with very different processes, so we have a lot of work to do in just a few days. 

In addition to this process, we are also replacing two dancers in three of the pieces. Juana Farfan and Erik Thurmond will also be joining us for this trip. Juana, artistic associate and outreach coordinator for CORE, will be performing in Herd, choreographed by Leslie Scates. Erik, who is already performing in the Liberated Accident, choreographed by Amanda K. Miller-Fasshauer, will also be performing in STILL, choreographed by Sue Schroeder, and Web, choreographed by Becky Valls. 

If you're in Tampa, come out to see how our hard work has paid off as we continue to breathe new life into these beautiful works. We hope you're having a wonderful summer and we're looking forward to seeing you soon. Here are some photos from rehearsal today. 

Zumba Party with Dawn Stocks

Dawn Stocks loves teaching Zumba classes. The reason is simple: Every class feels like a party! Come join her classes here at CORE Studios you'll see. You don\t even have to know how to dance. Just move your body and follow Dawn's lead. It's easy! Come try it, we guarantee you will have a blast!

Dawn teaches Zumba at CORE Studios Saturday mornings from 10:00am to 11:00am. Check out her website for more information, http://dawnstocks.zumba.com/.

Get to know a little more about Dawn below:


What do you teach at CORE Studios?  
I teach Zumba at Core Studios!

What got you into teaching?   After having my son, I gained a significant amount of weight.  I tried everything to get it off, including crazy diets and every Saturday morning infomercial exercise gadget that you can think of.  I finally decided to try Zumba.  I wasn’t going to invest in a whole collection of DVD’s just to have them collect dust on the shelves.  Instead, I chose to try a live class.  That was the best decision I have ever made.  I’ve been hooked since!

How long have you been teaching?  I have been an instructor and actively teaching Zumba since June 2011.  Since then I have also become licensed to teach Zumba Toning (which uses weights) and Zumbatomic (which is Zumba for kids).

What two adjectives would you use to describe your classes?  My classes are high energy and addictive!!!

Tell us a little bit about what your focus is for your classes?  

The focus for my classes are for people to have lots of fun while relieving stress and burning a significant amount of calories at the same time.

Do you have any upcoming projects or events you are excited about? 

Absolutely!  On Saturday, June 29, 2013, I will be having a Zumba Party on the Square from 8:00-10:00pm.  The reason that I am so excited about it is because this  party will help with Zumba’s efforts to end world hunger.  In short, people get to help in 2 ways.  The first way is to donate burned calories to Zumba, and in turn, Zumba gives a cash donation to charities such as World Food Programme and Feeding America.  The second way is to purchase a Zumba Rhythm Rocker World Hunger Stopper shirt or outfit, and 30% of the proceeds will go toward these charities as well! As an added bonus if you are interested in saving 10% on your order, please use my Zumba Affiliate Code dress4less. For specific details on how to do both, please visit www.greatcaloriedrive.com.     

What do you love about CORE Studios? 

I am originally from Decatur, and there is no place like home! I love CORE Studios because it is in the heart of the square, and it embodies all of the positive high energy that I need to help make my classes optimally successful.

Our Spring Season Spider Webs

Having performed at the Tanz Farm two weekends ago with Amanda K. Miller-Fasshauer's The Liberated Accident, I can say that we have discovered and uncovered more beauty within ourselves. It is sure to be an ongoing process just as it is for anything that grows. We have also grown closer as a company through all of the amazing experiences we've had working in "Amanda-world."

Amanda & Erik Spider-webbing...












Here is a link to Andrew Alexander's ArtsATL review of our performance at Tanz Farm!
http://www.artsatl.com/2013/05/review-tanz-farms-the-liberated-accident-fleeting-beautiful-fast-bound-train/

Last week we got ourselves ready for a little break by rehearsing some pieces from our SHIFT show to keep it fresh before we head to the Florida Dance Festival in June. Anna reworks a lift with Erik.















Then we cleaned up the studio a little and made sure our shelves were tidy.
In the spirit of "Spring cleaning," Derrick says,

"You better check your shelf..."

"Before you wreck your shelf."

Diagonals, Lines, Shifting Space, and EnCORE

Today was another whirlwind day of creation with Amanda K. Miller at the Goat Farm. It's amazing how much material has been generated within just a few days. The material isn't the most important thing for the dancers and Amanda, however. It is more important to exist within Amanda's world, the way she sees images. It is those images that we have to see in order to perform the work. The work is about lines, diagonals, shifting space, and seeing the images we create when we shift the space. This may sound difficult to understand, but once you arrive in Amanda's world, you begin to see things in a different way. Everything around you becomes a part of the dance. The performances of Amanda's work will be at the Goat Farm May 9, 10, and 11.

And now to step away from the Goat Farm for a moment. I would like to shift back to our studio in Decatur. Tomorrow night will be the kick off for EnCORE, a social gathering for the arts. Imagine an open-mic night in which any artist can participate. You don't have to be a singer or a musician. You can sing, dance, juggle, read poetry, anything you've been wanting to perform in front of someone, you can do it here. Tomorrow night we will have performances by our very own company member, Joshua Rackliffe, Cicada Rhythm, d. w. Tanner, and the Imperial OPA Circus Bodystackers. Sign up begins at 8:45. All performances must be eight minutes or less. Show off your talent. We'll see you there.

First Day at the Goat Farm!

Yesterday was our first day in residency at the Goat Farm. We returned to our work with Amanda K. Miller on a new commission to be premiered as part of the Tanz Farm series presented by gloATL. Company classes will be held the rest of the week at nine in the morning at the Goat Farm. Take classes with Amanda and check out the show at the Goat Farm May 9, 10, and 11. Here are some photos from rehearsal.

Atlanta to Houston

We made it to Houston and got to work our pieces in the actual space at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. We are excited for Thursday's performance and can't wait for it all to come together --- lights, sound, costumes, dance, paintings, audience.
Our Picasso-inspired performance Monochrome in Black, White & Gray starts at 6:30 pm at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. If you're in town, you don't want to miss it! Admission is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis. See you there!