National Dance Day in Orlando

Posted on September 9, 2018February 7, 2022 by Thor

The 6th Annual National Dance Day was held at various locations around Orlando like the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Studio K Orlando, and ME Dance. The multi day event offered free educational classes, professional showcases and community participation.

Free performances and classes, in ballet, modern, improvisational movement, Afro-Latin and other genres, took place all day Saturday. Classes are available for different levels of skill. I went to Emotions Dance Company (111 North Longwood Street, Longwood, FL, 32750). I sketched while dancers stretched and warmed up. With everyone constantly moving the sketch was a challenge to say the least.

I then sat in on a Latin Dance class. I finished this second sketch quickly because I decided to give the dance moves a try. There is a whole lot of fancy footwork in Latin Dance and I was just trying to keep up.

I have a new respect for dancers who can keep up that pace. The Dizzy Feet Foundation established the day to improve and increase
access to dance education in the United States. As part of its support,
the foundation produces and distributes instructional videos featuring
dance routines for the public to learn for fun.

Other cities that participate in National Dance Day include Los Angeles,
where activities take place at the downtown Music Center; and
Washington, D.C., where events are hosted by the Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts.

Chosen: finding yourself in the dark.

Posted on March 6, 2018February 7, 2022 by Thor

I went to a dress rehearsal of Chosen being presented by Marshall Ellis of ME Dance Inc. This production is incredibly urban, hip and edgy. This is an original new show created by Marshall. His fusion of
contemporary, ballet, hip hop and jazz dance will give audiences a new
fresh perspective to live performance art.

The entire back wall of the stage was used as a movie screen to open the show. A camera zoomed back through skyscrapers before settling in on a lone man in a hoodie walking in a parking lot. The rap music lyrics were about a life in which everything seems to go wrong.

A light spray of stage smoke caused the lights to showcase their cones of influence. The entire show was set largely in darkness. The dancers would become slivers of warm and cool highlights with their bodies blending into the darkness. The cast was mostly women with just two male dancers dressed in hoodies. I wondered if this was in some way a tribute to Trayvon Martin who was shot up in Sanford for walking through a white neighborhood with a hoodie on.

There was sensual dance along with spiritual yearning and the dancers stoically faced the future. The music echoed regrets of a relationship that didn’t last and the singers rise in a music industry which is blood thirsty. Sketching so much, I probably missed some of the more subtle story elements in the show. In general the theme involved the cast aspiring for greatness and always finding an endless struggle in the pursuit.

Performances of Chosen are on March 9th – 11th, 2018 at ME Theatre (1300 La Quinta Drive Orlando FL 3209.) Tickets are $20.

Sugar Skull Decorating Workshop

Posted on October 17, 2013February 7, 2022 by Thor

Carolina Suarez-Garcia held a Sugar Skull Decorating Workshop in CityArts Factory (29 S. Orange Ave, Orlando FL). The dozen or so attendees learned how to make sugar skulls using sugar and then how to decorate the skulls using colored icings. Kattya Graham performed traditional songs on guitar as everyone worked on their skulls.

All the skulls decorated All were eligible to be exhibited in the 4th Annual Dia de los Muertos and Monster Factory Exhibit on October 17th. Carolina explained that sugar Skulls are decorated in a relatives memory. The relatives name is often written on the back of the skull. It is believed that the gates of heaven are opened at
midnight on October 31, and the spirits of all deceased
children (angelitos) are allowed to reunite with their families
for 24 hours. On November 2, the spirits of the adults
come down to enjoy the festivities that are prepared for them.

In most villages, beautiful altars (ofrendas) are made
in each home. They are decorated with candles, buckets of wild marigolds mounds of fruit, peanuts, plates of turkey mole,
stacks of tortillas and big Day-of-the-Dead breads called pan de muerto. The altar needs to have lots of food, bottles of soda,
hot cocoa and water for the weary spirits. The living feast on the alter at the end of the evening.

Sugar art was brought to the New World by Italian missionaries in the
17th century. The first Church mention of sugar art was from Palermo at
Easter time when little sugar lambs and angels were made to adorn the
side altars in the Catholic Church.

Red Chair Affair

Posted on September 25, 2013February 7, 2022 by Thor

I went to the rehearsal for the Red Chair Affair at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center (401 W Livingston St, Orlando, FL) on August 23rd. John DiDonna directs this showcase of over a dozen performing arts organizations that kicks off the 2013 and 2014 seasons. With so many performers back stage, you might think there was chaos, but the rehearsal ticked along on schedule while I sketched.

The first group onstage to rehearse were the Power Chords from the Orlando Repertory Theater. Every one of these teens had personal mics hidden in their costumes, so there was a long series of sound checks. On the evening of the performance they sang “Bridge over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel. It was a bit odd seeing this reflective song choreographed with flash and glitter. These kids do know how to belt out a tune however. The next group up was ME Dance performing “Journey“. I’ve seen them perform this high energy dance before in their loose 80’s “Flash Dance” attire. The large black wing curtains obstructed much of my view of their performance.

The performing group that took me most by surprise were the NuLook School of Performing Arts. They danced to a piece called “Okamoto High Fashion“. The dancers wore black and white checkered tights and French berets worn at roguish angles. The dance was angular and hip with crisp staccato movements. It was unexpected and inspired being performed by kids who must still be in high school. The Brass Band of Central Florida was loud and energetic. The band master apologized to me when all the band equipment was piled up in front of me. I told him it didn’t matter since I was just adding color to the sketch at that point. I considered sketching in the drums and other instruments then decided against it.

The Enzian Theater screened a short documentary called “A Brief History of John Baldessari“. One of this artist’s pieces is now hanging at the Orlando Museum of art. The ladies of Disenchanted sang several of their Disney princess inspired songs. This show, with music and lyrics by Dennis Giacino is likely headed to Broadway in NYC.

Autumn Schaefer Ames who was the Executive Director of the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Central Florida just recently had a baby and she is stepping down. Rae Ward has filled the position. Regardless, Amanda was back stage as the assistant stage manager helping Brittany Wine control the chaos. Once you get a taste for live theater, it is hard to let it go.

Ballet Class – ME Dance, Inc.

Posted on September 5, 2013February 7, 2022 by Thor

I went to the Raskin Dance Studio (2143 Partin Settlement Rd; Kissimmee Fl) to sketch an open Professional Ballet Class run by William Marshall Ellis the founder of ME Dance. The class is open to all intermediate and advanced dancers every Monday Night at 8:30pm. The cost is $10 per class. I was surprised at how crowded the class got. Several dozen dancers stretched and worked at the bars. While stretching dancers got to gossip and catch up on their complex lives.

The ME Dancers would be performing at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center for the Red Chair Affair on August 24th. They woud be performing “Journey” with music by, you guessed it, Journey. In this piece the dancers wear loose fitting 80’s styled outfits while dancing to “Don’t Stop Believing.” Dancers who performed at Red Chair included, Rachel Aimee, Shannon MacLaren, Alex Schudde, Rachel McKeever, Stephanie MaMahon, Krista Wilson and Emily Williams. Marshall is preparing for the upcoming dance season. Incredibly most venues are booked solid. This is good news to know the Orlando dance scene is thriving but now that this new dance company has build a full repertory, they need a home to showcase it in.

Deja vu

Posted on July 24, 2013February 7, 2022 by Thor

ME Dance Inc. presented their Season Finale, Deja vu at the Winter Garden Theater. This was the second to last stop on the Orlando SketchCrawl. Two other artists joined me to document the performance, Dana Boyd and Gabe Caroll-Dolci. I saw Marshall Ellis the dance company’s founder, and shook his hand before the show. He has built up this dance company from scratch over the last several years.

The first half of the show had dance routines with titles like, Love, The Passion, The Knowledge, Stand by Me and Lust. The Passion performed by dancer Shannon MacLaren stood out in my mind. The dance began with Shannon seated on a stool, she arched her back and pointed her toes then spun into motion. Her dance began to remind me of Jessica Rabbit a cartoon that couldn’t help but be sultry. By the intermission, my sketch was done and I put the sketchbook away for the second half of the show.

Dance numbers combined video, and spoken word. The announcer sounded a bit too much like the announcer for the Disney Monorail and some people chuckled. One number had dancer, Alexandra Schudde, addressing the audience as if they were World War II soldiers. The spoken sentiment missed the mark, but the dance rang true. All of the dances were undeniably well choreographed and executed. Journey had the dancers performing to Faithfully, and Don’t Stop Belevin’. Wearing loose 70’s era clothes the dancers rejoiced in the retro flavored routine. They threw everything they had into the dance, pushing the envelope of exhaustion.

The audience, that seemed full of young dancers, stood for a standing ovation. I stood and clapped loudly. As the audience exited the theater, someone tripped and fell back into an ME Dance promotional screen sending it toppling. Marshall rushed in to make sure the supports didn’t hit anyone. There is never a dull moment with live theater and dance.

Garden Theater

Posted on July 23, 2013February 7, 2022 by Thor

The second to last stop on the Orlando World Wide SketchCrawl was the Winter Garden Theater where ME Dance Inc. was performing Deja Vu. I got a ticket for Terry and I did this quick sketch of the theater while I waited for her. I wish I had known about the Citizen Kane screening. I would have liked to see that on the large screen.Dana Boyd was at the first stop on the crawl and he stopped by the theater for the final legs.

Built in 1935 the movie theater was the first in Central Florida to show “talkies”. It was a gathering place for locals to see newsreels and films of the day. The theater underwent several renovations until it closed in 1963. lt then became a farm supply and tractor warehouse for Pounds Motor Company. The City of Winter Garden and the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation restored the theater and reopened it in 2008. Now the theater showcases dance, theater productions and concerts along with classic films.

Terry was running late, so I worked on this sketch right up until show time. A family with two young and curious boys stopped to watch me work. When I started packing up, one of the boys asked to look through the sketchbook, I said, “Sure” and handed it over. He flipped through the pages with his parents looking over his shoulder. He came to a sketch of a burlesque dancer wearing close to nothing. Doh! I had forgotten about that sketch. Luckily his parents weren’t phased. The dad has worked for Disney Theme Park Entertainment Division perhaps the kids were used to women in tights. The theater was packed but Dana and I found seats in the second row house right. At 8pm the house lights began to fade…

PLAY it for ME! Cabaret To Benefit ME Dance

Posted on April 1, 2013February 7, 2022 by Thor

On March 10th, Terry and I went to a fundraiser for ME Dance at The Sovereign Dance Academy (8060 Via Dellagio Way #210 Orlando, FL). This was the first”PLAY it for ME” Fundraising Event.

This Live Cabaret was hosted by Jeremy Collins of J Productions and Jayne Trinette. It featured live music, singing, and plenty of dancing. I dressed up in a suit and tie, but the suit came off as I started sketching. I sketched what was essentially the performers “Green Room” where they rested prior to performing.

There was a short video where Marshal Ellis talked about the goals of his new dance company. The performer in the African garb with the drums was Veryl Jones. He and many other performers came from the Lion King show down at Disney. He didn’t speak a word when he got on stage, instead he blew a whistle to communicate. His drumming was fast paced and primal. He started walking towards me and I was afraid he wanted me to join him on stage. He coaxed a woman seated behind me onto the stage. He would play an intricate beat and wait for her response. Several other audience members were called up to make an impromptu band.

My favorite dance performance was a piece called “Young Love”, which was a last minute write in on the program. The male and female dancers, from ME Dance,performed an intricate duet celebrating youth and love. She leaped into his arms and he caught her gracefully. ME Dance also presented a sneak peak to a World Premiere work that will be performed in upcoming production of Heroes (May 3-5, 2013)

Bella: The Beauty of ME Dance

Posted on November 23, 2012February 7, 2022 by Thor

ME Dance, Inc. is the Newest Professional Dance Organization located in the heart of
Central Florida.
I went to one of the final dress rehearsals for Bella by the Marshall Ellis Dance Company. Bella is the second series of performances by this dance company. When I arrived, dancers were stretching and Marshall was sweeping the stage and applying what I’m guessing was a liquid wax to the flooring. One dancer was wearing a white tutu and of course I felt compelled to sketch her. She was the first dancer to perform a solo. A large screen was set up onto which a video of this dancer was projected. She walked through a park and then began writing in her note book about life’s challenges and emotions. Each dance was preceded by one of these video segments in which she wrote about various aspects of life as she grew and matured. The human experience of love is designed for the sole purpose of showing you
who you truly are and it is expressed vibrantly through dance.

After a full run through, Marshall Ellis asked the dancers if they could recite the dance company’s mission statement. It is, “To introduce innovative ideas through
dance to create growth in the arts community. Our goal is to enrich the
arts community by providing an outlet to feature talent in art through
entertainment.” He felt the first run was technically amazing but he wanted to feel that undefinable spark, the magic and joy of fully expressed emotion through entertainment. It wasn’t just about a smile, but about absolute commitment to artistic expression. With another hour to rehearse, the dancers performed a second time. This time they performed “all out”. A high energy 80’s dance number had all the dancers trying to catch their breath. Marshall has invested so much of himself to make ME Dance, the premiere dance company in Central Florida. That takes plenty of blood sweat and tears. As I left around 11PM, the dancers were still hard at work. Art isn’t easy.

Show Times:

November 23, 2012 – 8pm

November 24, 2012 – 8pm

November 25, 2012 – 7:30pm

Ticket Prices:
$20 General Admission

Venue:
John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center, The Mandell Theatre
Orlando Shakespeare Theater 812 E. Rollins St. Orlando, FL 32803