Emotions Dance Rehearsal

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When the dancers got into the main dance hall they started by using ballet dance bars. I was pleased to see several men involved in the class. Apparently in Orlando male dancers are in short supply. The dancers were then split into groups and each group moved across the room showing off the dance moves they had just learned. It was hard enough to get the mechanics down, but Larissa stressed that the dancers had to follow through, with expressive emotion being the most important goal. Music was turned up high and I tapped my foot as they all danced to “Evacuate the Dance Floor!” The class was also an ongoing audition so dancers gave their all hoping that they could make the cut. When a particularly difficult combination was being worked out, Larissa asked Dion Smith to do the piece solo. Her performance was stunning and expressive. Larissa didn’t need to explain what Dion did right, the point was obvious and clear.

When the class was over, the core group of Emotions Dancers stayed behind to do a full run through of a piece they will be performing at the Bob Carr for the Red Chair Affair. When the performance was over, the dancers were all exhausted, sweaty and spent. I had stopped sketching and enjoyed the dance uninterrupted. Amazing.

Emotions Warm Up

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Larissa Humiston the choreographer and founder of Emotions Dance hosts a contemporary dance class every Tuesday evening at 9pm at Turning Point A Dance Studio (470 E Lake Brantley Dr. Longwood, FL). When I arrived dancers were stretching in the hallway since an aerobic dance class was going on in the main dance hall. Several of the dancers had a serious sunburn. I suspect the dancers as a group had an adventure in the great outdoors. Amanda Miller, one of the dancers asked that I not sketch the bandage around her thigh. Since they were all in constant motion, it would have been hard to catch that detail anyway.

Larissa had all the dancers go into a smaller room where they stretched and warmed up. There were actual bleachers in the hallway and a glass wall for spectators like myself. I sat next to one of the dancer’s boyfriends and started sketching. The class offered intermediate to advanced contemporary dance. Contemporary dance fuses lyrical, modern, ballet and jazz dance to give dancers the ultimate in body technique and overall artistry. The class included ballet barre, across the floor with jumps and turns and a contemporary combination with improvisational movement. The class was just $10 and offered the chance to dance beside some of the most expressive dancers in Orlando.

Flash 2

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A second Flash Mob was planned to promote Orlando, The City Beautiful. Secret rehearsals were held at the Orlando Convention Center. I was happy there was Free parking available behind the West building. I don’t sketch many Convention events because of the price of parking. There was a long walk from the back entrance first up and then down frozen escalators. I followed a man who looked to be in his 80s and when I passed him, I followed two high school girls that looked like they knew where they were going. When I entered the convention room I was stunned by the vast empty space. The rehearsal took up less than a quarter of the space. When I entered, Randy Ross was speaking with all the volunteer dancers letting them know that they had to mingle and act natural prior to this flash mob performance. The last Flash Mob at the Millenia Mall, people stood around in a circle leaving the staging area wide open. It was painfully obvious that a staged performance was about to begin. This time they planned to do it right. Linda Elchak of NAO Dance then took over the rehearsal getting two large groups formed. This was the second rehearsal so most people quickly took their places. New arrivals were instructed where to line up.

I love the music they choose for these flash mobs, it is fun to sketch to. My favorite moment in rehearsal came when a group of about 20 retirees took center stage and shook their booties to Whoop There It Is! All the younger performers cheered and whooped. The youngest performer was the nephew of Linda Stewart and he held his own keeping up with the best dancers. Enthusiasm and a lust for life has no age limit. I decided not to publish the sketch prior to the Flash to keep the performance top secret. At one point Linda said, “Don’t go past the grid, you will fall into the water.” At that point I assumed they would perform at Lake Eola. I had to work during the time the Flash Mob happened. In hind sight it would have been an impossible sketching situation. If you went to Spring Fiesta at Lake Eola at the right time then you got to experience a high energy treat!

Spring into Dance

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I returned to Seminole State College to see “Spring into Dance” presented by Yow Dance. I requested a seat in a back row with no one near by. I didn’t want the glow from my tablet to disturb any audience members. The Artistic Director, Eric Yow was seared a few rows in front of me. The performance was a collaboration between Eric’s dance company and some very enthusiastic College students who were studying modern dance under Eric’s supervision. There were a total of eight dance pieces. Some were so high energy, like Word Up, that I was amazed by the stamina of the dancers. The dancers wore blood splattered wedding dresses and moved with zombie like loose muscled fluidity. The stage lighting gave the dresses an eerie iridescence. This was the world premiere of this piece and the audience loved it.

In one piece the dancers interacted with a lone spotlight. They would dance close to the mysterious light with tentative trepidation. By the end of the dance they formed a human pyramid allowing one lone dancer the chance to reach up to the illuminated heights. The last piece was called Blackberry Winter. It was an inspired incessant driving piece that kept a face pace throughout. Groups moved together in unity and just as an action felt complete another group would spiral into action.

Yow Dance Tech Rehearsal

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I went to a Yow Dance Tech Rehearsal at Seminole State College. When I arrived scaffolding was in place on stage and the stage lights were being aimed and adjusted. The dancers had not yet arrived. The scaffold had to be moved each time a new light had to be adjusted. The process became a learning experience for the college age stage hands who took their directions from Ellen Bone, the seasoned lighting designer. She took the time to explain why certain adjustments were made and she even walked a student around to give pointers.

When the dancers arrived, the house wend dark and the only thing I could see was the glow of Ellen’s laptop. I switched to drawing on my digital tablet. Apparently the headphones she was wearing didn’t work since she had to shout out her sound cues to the lighting booth at the back of the theater. The dancers performed and lighting adjustments were made on the fly. Sometime the dancers had to stop and wait while the right lighting combination was found.

One of the dance numbers called “Little Boxes” made a strong statement about how children are taught to behave and conform to societies expectations. The dancers shuffled in a chain gang style line. The dance offered a great social commentary about how our suburban society expects us all to be the same. A life of ticky tacky conformity as we move from one box to the next.

Voci Dance

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As part of ArtsFest, Voci Dance converted the inside of a warehouse into a magical Victorian commentary on fashion. I arrived early and sketched the final moments of a rehearsal and then the mad rush to get lights in place and final set decorations finished. Genevieve Bernard, Voci Dance’s fearless founder, welcomed me warmly. Tamara Marke–Lares did an amazing job of transforming the space using the simplest elements and draped fabrics. When people started to arrive it became my task to keep people from entering the performance space prematurely. The performance began outside where dancers gracefully explored a garden area enclosed in a dark wrought iron fence. A huge hooped dress was unveiled and Leah Marke emerged from inside, strapping herself into the immense garment. She reached for the stars as if the garment was the only thing keeping her earth bound. The other dancers unfurled a long train behind her as Victorian imagery flashed on the side of the building.

The dancers moved the crowd inside. The next performance featured Tamara as a seamstress who transformed the dancers one at a time. She would reach up and rip down a bolt of fabric from the ceiling and she would rip, knot and tie the fabric around the dancer creating a bold fashion statement. The audience was encouraged to move in close and dancers glided among the crowd. There was an amazing turnout for the performance.

DRIP’s Wet Run

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It was late afternoon when paint can lids began to be hot glued to the central column. Jennifer Wagner stood on a tall ladder with the hot glue gun hard at work. For some reason one of the lids just refused to stick so that task was set aside.
After a cast lunch of delicious wraps and giant cookies, everyone was anxious to see if everything worked. Thomas was in charge of dumping a bucket of water on the stage floor to see how the drainage worked and to check for leaks. Sure enough leaks were found and silicone was applied along all the joints. Jennifer sealed all the seams of the vinyl curtains that surrounded the dancers stage. A big difference between the initial design and the final stage is that the paint and the tubing supplying the chandelier fountains all remained hidden under the stage and inside the central column. This streamlined the design.

With the sun setting in the west, the dancers came downstairs to rehearse. There was just enough time for one wet run. I did one last sketch of the performers inside the space. One of the stage techs told a dancer that the water was very warm, like 94 degrees. When the water showered down on her, she shrieked because it was freezing cold. As always the dancing was sensual, fun, and compelling. Within six short minutes the performance was over. Jessica Mariko wanted to get one run done with paint instead of water, but the dancers had to leave. Melissa Kasper, a long time “drippy” and the DRIP Assistant Workshop Manager, was asked if she would stand in for a dancer and she shouted, “Yes!” For her this was a dream come true and the remaining cast considered it “Epic!” I was asked to step inside as well but I didn’t have a change of clothes. Melissa changed into a pair of jeans which were ironically cleaner than the paint splattered jeans she had worn all day. She had lost weight and these jeans were getting too loose. She stood under the yellow chandelier and was covered head to toe with bright yellow paint. The paint splattered everywhere coating the vinyl screen. The hardest part of her job became cleaning the vinyl using a towel and then getting on her hands and knees to scoop the thin paint into the drains with her cupped hands. The dancers will have to clean up four times on performance night since the show is repeated for separate audiences.

Drip Paint Can Chandeleires

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I was invited to sketch a stage construction and rehearsal by the DRIP Dance Company. They were setting up in the Isleworth Country Club as part of a Travistock Cup Golf Tournament gala evening. About a month ago I did a sketch of what the set could look like based on suggestions from Jessica Mariko as we sat in Starbucks. The sketch helped sell the performance to the venue.

When I arrived at Isleworth, I had to surrender my drivers license to the security guard at the entrance to the gated community. My license is pretty old. In the photo I still had a full head of hair. The license is updated periodically with a sticker on the back. In a typical case of security guard blindness he didn’t see the expiration date on the back. I had to point the 2013 expiration date to him.


I was asked to park in the cast parking lot which is way past the clubhouse. A golf cart shuttled me to the cast entrance of the clubhouse where I wandered through the bustling kitchen past the security office and down endless basement hallways until I found an elevator upstairs to the main floor. Everyone was rushing to get the place ready for the gala.

The dance staging area was set up in a central court area surrounded by arches. White curtains had been set up surrounding the stage to hide the work in progress. Melissa Kasper, Jennifer Wagner and Thomas Starr were busy painting paint can lids. These lids would later be used to decorate the central column of the stage. The theme for the performance was Pop Art. On a second floor balcony, huge Pop Art paintings were covered with black fabric waiting to be unveiled. I could just make out an Andy Warhol soup can image as it peaked out from within it’s curtain. Set construction went on all day long.

Emotions Dance Fundraiser

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Terry had tickets to attend the Emotions Dance Fundraiser at Urban ReThink (625 E. Central Blvd). I got to the venue early since I drove straight over from Full Sail. Terry was having drinks with coworkers so she would arrive later. I was hoping I might catch the dancers warming up or rehearsing. As I walked through Thornton Park I recognized a couple of the dancers dressed in nice gowns as they entered a woman’s clothing store to shop. When I entered Urban ReThink, I immediately said hello to Larissa Humiston who is the founder of Emotions Dance. She was excited and nervous not having any idea how many people might show up. Tisse Mallon was helping by draping fabrics here and there. Tisse had some really sexy photos of Emotions dancers in the silent auction area. The photos were taken in Wekiva Springs and each shot featured an Emotions dancer floating semi nude in a stream with delicate fabrics flowing off of them. Dina Mack showed me around the new space. She had this wonderful fundraising idea where people could buy a piece of ribbon for $5 and that ribbon would be tied in with all the other ribbons into a continually growing mosaic symbolizing the interconnected nature of the community.

The band, The Forefathers, were setting up on the upstairs balcony. I decided to go upstairs. I stood overlooking the railing to do my first sketch. Dancers were grabbing a bite to eat before people started arriving. As people arrived, I included them in the sketch. The old Urban Think Bookstore logo was still boldly painted on the floor. Amanda Chadwick arrived and I interrupted my sketch to go downstairs and give her a hug. When Terry arrived, they talked for the longest time while I sketched. When I finished my first sketch I texted Terry to let her know I would have to wait till The Forefathers finished their set since I couldn’t get to the stairs through all the band equipment. I started sketching the band. Downstairs the Emotions Dancers improvised to the music.

Terry managed to win two raffle prize items. When I finally got back downstairs, Tod Caviness was reciting some of his poetry. Kristy Six listened from one of the couches intently. Terry and Amanda had gone for a walk outside and I suspected they would be back soon so I sat quietly and simply listened and enjoyed. The festivities were far from over, but Amanda wanted to go to SAK Comedy Lab to talk to Denna Beena who works there. Outside we briefly bumped into Brian Feldman and Sultana Ali who was going to drive him home. It seems Brian’s performance piece, “The Skill Crane Kid” has found a permanent home in the SAK Comedy Lab. In his hand, Brian held out the Florida Fellowship Grant check he had been waiting for. They had plenty to celebrate that night as they hugged to stay warm. Terry, Amanda and I went upstairs and gossiped with Denna. Amanda seems to always play the roll of peacemaker among friends who just don’t get along. Denna and Amanda were going to Bananas after SAK closed but Terry wanted to get home to our pet cockatoo so we went home.

Spring Swing!

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I was offered an opportunity to show my sketch books at the Spring Swing Ball held in Maitland at the Bahia Shrine Ball room. I took the eighteen sketch books from the last two years and packed them in an egg crate. I also brought along my scanner, printer in case anyone wanted to order a print. When I got to the ballroom, I found that Tracy Burke who is an amazing local artist, already had some of her huge portraits set up and she had an amazing number of large abstracts lying on the table. My tables were a few yards away and I got busy setting up my make shift display. Once everything was arranged, I sat on the table and started sketching. The dancing started slowly at first with a few couples testing out their moves. Tracy told me that the dance floor had talk powder sprinkled on it which gave just the right amount of slip for the dancers shoes.

Within an hour the dance floor was packed. George Gee and his Swing Orchestra from NYC started to play and the place blew up with dancing. Terry was with me but she knew I couldn’t leave the table. I had to watch my work like a hawk because I didn’t want any work dancing away. A woman walked up to me and asked me about my work but then she got to the point, saying, “So you aren’t a dancer?” when I said, “No” she turned on her heal and within minutes was spinning wildly on the dance floor. In the sketch I focused on a blond woman with a large white flower in her hair. I sketched her a second time as she danced with a very talented dancer. Later in the evening after the sketch was done, I left the sketch book open. I was delighted when she lifted the sketch book to look at the work closely. I heard her say, “Hey that is me!” She ordered a print on the spot and I fired up the printer. Tracy Burk’s mom bought a second print of the same sketch. George Gee was awarded a painting by Tracy Burke.

I was told that this dance was just one of many being held this weekend as part of ORLX4 Lindy Exchange. These people had already been dancing all day and now they were dancing into the night. One male dancer had one of those shot sized high energy drinks. He explained to the girl he was with that she should only take a small sit. He sipped his drink all night. A large group of dancers gathered in front of the stage. Using a microphone so everyone could hear, a man asked his girlfriend for her hand in marriage. As he continued talking about how he knew she was the one from the first day they met, she shouted “yes, yes, yes!” Then everyone inside the circle started to dance. There must be a Swing dance tradition of keeping the newly engaged couple apart because different men kept stepping into dance with her and women jumped in to dance with him. It was quite the celebration! I never did get out on the dance floor, but Terry and I did do some slow dancing in front of my display.