-A friend

when on her right side

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.

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

They Dance For Rain
 

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

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.

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.