Away
Stefanie wanted me to let you all know that she will be taking a leave of absence from her site(s) while she takes care of some personal business. Though she will have limited availability via telephone and email, please do stay in touch with her during this time. Thank you.
-A friend
when on her right side
Prudi Fresh does Zappa (in front of everyone)
Yes, what you have been hearing is true. Ms Prudi Fresh is back. Since we moved out of Pittsfield this winter, She has been pulling all the guts of her painful and joyful magic out. When I arrive back to our room after a long day of work, I open the door to the results of her tyrannical cabaretic voodoo fits. Underwear, bras, records, ripped thigh highs, poodles (from poodle skirts), pastel oil sticks, and guitar strings everywhere! And lately… it is all about Zappa. That’s all she plays allllll dayyyyyyy lonnnnnggggg. Zappa zappa zappa. That’s all she talks about.
Prudi does Journey, in front of everyone. Burlesque for Books, Lenox, MA.
I thought that maybe the only way to get her through this was to get her out of the room and onto the stage. But you know Prudi, she can be shockingly shy. So, when I brought it up, she literally ripped up the latest issue of Guitar Player, threw it in my face and buried herself under the hundreds of covers of Rolling Stone that she sleeps with. I didn’t see her for almost 3 days. The next time I brought it up, I was quick to mention that her good friend Iowa Blue would be there too doing her Lait de Poulet. (Iowa has this thing with chickens that only Prudi seems to understand. It’s a delicate and strange relationship but who am I to judge? I’m just glad she has someone she can relate to.) I didn’t tell her that Iowa already thinks Prudi will be there and that is why she agreed to go public with her curiously suggestive poultry gestational act.
Well, it worked because Prudi robustly decided to meet with Gypsy Layne’s cool and fearless leader, Nicole Rizzo, and is well on her way to making burlesque magic with Zappa in front of everyone at the Taste of Gypsy Layne show. I have no idea how she is going to do this, and I do hope that she doesn’t hurt anyone. This will be her second appearance with the Gypsies, the first being when Prudi tore the house down in Summer 2010 doing Van Halen in front of everyone. What a mess.
If you want to see how the destructively shy and somewhat savage brat Ms. Fresh is going to do Zappa in front of everyone then it may be best to keep that to yourself. I do suggest though that you find your way over to cheer her on if you are the type to do that sort of thing because Prudi Fresh loves to do Zappa in front of eager watchers. Unfortunately, (or maybe not) I won’t be there for the show. I have more serious things to attend to like completing numerous Tap dances that are to be ready for student shows in May!! But I will be dropping her off and picking her up, at Public, in North Adams on March 29th for 8p.
If you go, bring your air guitars. And be ready to play them with Prudi. She’ll listen because she hears you.
Blues & Tap go together like Broken & Heart
It’s been a strange and muddy winter. Muddy, like water. Muddy, like drinking muddy water out of a log. A few months ago I noticed that the only thing that I was dancing to where I could really FEEL, y’know F E E L…space, emotion, body, spirit, heart…was the Blues. So, I decided to partner up with a Blues woman I know from the Berkshires and really dig in and get to know those Blues. The result is that Blues woman, Robin O’Herin, and I will be bringing a new workshop to Pittsfield, MA on March 25th. Rhythm Dialogues goes Blue this time. Here’s the info:
Robin Wails
March 25, 3-5 pm at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Ave., Pittsfield, MA
2nd floor (enter through rear door)
Join these two Berkshire-native artists as they explore the connections between American Blues Music & Jazz Tap Dance in an interactive workshop filled with exciting music and dance.
The Blues leave space for total expression and experimentation. Tap Dance is a form that derives from oppression and blossoms into innovation. The connections are deep and wide and the explorations seem necessary in today’s fast-paced society.
Reaching from the deepest roots of American culture to the newest growths on the family tree of vernacular forms, the dialogue of these two art forms can become a bright light shining in a dark forest.
This workshop is for all skill levels in Tap. First-time tappers are welcome.
Cost:
$22 for participants
$5 to watch
tap shoes rentals available for $2
to register:
413-281-6734
or email: stefanie@fertileuniverse.com
some tools for the blues
black diamond dance floor
seedy nairobian black diamond dance floor, you belong to us
we are the ones who are servants to our broken parts, slaves to that which others squander
give us only this pulse, and give us this sweat
this is the moment of arrival: movement that removes us from what we do not want to know
the benefit is in the bending
All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns. -Bruce Lee
launching….
For the past few months I have been busy busy busy, as usual. Most of it has been here in the Berkshires. Some of it was in New York City premiering a new piece with LiquidBody. As it is said often now, it was all good. And now I am back home and am getting ready to launch again…..this time…to Kenya. All the details are right here in this link. I’ll need some help. I need tap shoe donations (adult and children) and I need some donations of cash for getting them over there. Like I said, the info is in this link. If you are interested in donating tap shoes, please contact me by emailing me here until I get drop-off locations set up. I made a little movie to help inspire some others to get involved in the adventure. Here it is and here I go again.
We Made It Here
I have decided it’s okay that I cannot ever keep up with myself on the site. There is always more that I want to post here. More that I want to shout out to the ethers about. More to archive, remember, share, and update. Today, this is what I know.
And this too:
My Creatures of Habitat Physical Poetry Performance Project returned to the lab last month to research and develop. New faces, new spaces. Welcome returning creatures. A successful series of experiments in the Car Wash revealed some interesting results and I continue to be inspired by the habitat fragmentation quandary. And so the car wash, an ideal open box space, is the place to dive in for now. I have been wanting to get in there with Creatures for awhile. Stay tuned for more about this, as I am inspired to set up a series of “performances” for next summer in spaces such as this.
Also in the COH news is our performance coming up in the Made in The Berkshires festival on Friday October 21 at 7p at the Berkshire Theater Festivals‘ Unicorn Theater. We will be showing excerpts from habitat (de)fragmentation. The cast is still being confirmed completely and so far we have: the ever-magnetic Kalei Carlson, and the ever-energetic Melissa Larkin (shown in the photo below from our Philly Fringe shows of 2010) starring in Novena, new to the Creature experience are dancers Olivia Moran and Marie Georgfils who will be featured in Connected Through Ruins, and returning as the Little Wheels of The Real Story of Yasmin Wolf and The Criminal are Dawn Meltzer, Diane Firtell, Dana Bixby, and Monika Pizzichemi. More to be confirmed, ribbon wormed and carried to term. So save the date and show your face. It would be a treasure to perform for you.
photo courtesy of Monika Pizzichemi
Hoopla Eve
I suppose an update on May, June + everything in July before today (including my premiere with Nutshell Playhouse + preparing for LiquidBody‘s resonant streams piece at St John’s Cathedral) is out of the question on a night like tonight. So, instead I will share a moment with you on this Hoopla Eve. Yes, that’s right tomorrow is the 3rd annual Pittsfield City Hoopla event! My hoopla baby is turning 3! And wow she’s starting to really move. I almost cannot keep up with her. There are so many new and exciting additions to the festival this year and also the comfort and joy of bringing back some of the hoopla family such as Hooping Harmony and Boston Hoop Troop. Please go the Hoopla website and discover the schedule of events and consider hopping on over and hooping with us. Remember from 8-10p is the enchanted illuminated spin extravaganza! Live drumming with Aimee Gelinas and The Rhythm Keepers and fire dancing from a plethora of hot, hot, hot talent. It’s free!
too long, too little, too late?
wow. There is so much to tell you and I have waited too long, said too little and I really hope it’s not too late. I’ve just been so busy that I haven’t had any time to update in the proper-polite web manner. So, I’ll start by filling you in on what happened in April. Here it is. A picture from the Alchemy Initiative Earth Day Fashion Show. The tutus were a huge hit and I am in the process of finding just the right (next) place for them. You can have your own too if you want for yourself or your group. I custom make them out of used and leftover garbage bags and packaging materials. Send me an email if you want to inquire about it. Special thanks to my beautiful models from Berkshire Dance Theater, Grace (pictured here), Samantha, Alyssa, and Oliva.
photo by Greg Barriere
That same weekend, my Creatures of Habitat Physical Poetry Performance Project gathered for a performance art lab entitled Spring Training. 14 of us gathered for a full day of movement art practice with guest teaching artists, Caryn Heilman of LiquidBody, Elana Davidson of Dance in the Air, and Jennifer Hicks of ChimeraLab. Stationed in a raw warehouse space in west Pittsfield, we liquified our tissues thereby diversifying our movement vocabulary, then hung in the air by silk fabrics, and walked our authentic walk via Butoh techniques. Overall, the day was loaded with many interesting experiments geared toward the Creature performer. Bridgit Noone joined us and then later shared this beautiful image from the day with me.
hanging. by Bridgit Noone.
I’ll be right back with more info about cool and creative work I was a part of for May.
rhythm recipes (classes!)
Pittsfield is often my creative kitchen and so I’ll be offering tap sessions there this summer at Dragon Spice (upstairs) in the ballroom on North St.
Tap dancers and enthusiasts of all levels can come on in and whip up some rhythm with me. You are the main ingredient!
Weds in July and Aug
6-7p technique and choreography with multi-level adult tap dancers
7-8p choreography for advanced tap dancers with a lot performance experience.
Classes are $10 each and shoes can be rented for a $2 fee per class if you need them.
If cost is a concern, please contact me. Work-study and barters are available too for those in need.