Autobiography

Posted on by Thor

June’s Third Thursday at the Orlando Museum of Art was organized by Anna McCambridge-Thomas. The theme for all the art that evening was “Collaboration.” When I arrived, I quickly took a look at all the art on display but Genevieve Bernard of Voci Dance had informed me of her unique collaboration. The dance piece her dance company, Voci Dance, was going to perform involved a collaboration with Asatta Wilson of Vixen Fitness. Asatta is a rather talented and fit pole dancer. During previous rehearsals, Genevieve explained to Asatta what dance moves she wanted. Though the dance terminology was different the art forms and moves were similar. As Asatta explained, she does the same moves just with some sensual flair to please the costumers.

I sat in and sketched the rehearsal for the dance titled, “Autobiography“, before patrons got to the museum. A Platinum Stages pole stood at stage right. Dancers approached the pole and interacted with it as a symbolic obstacle. Sarah Lockhard delivered a monologue in which she kept falling into a hole repeatedly. It wasn’t her fault even as she kept to the path and fell again. After repeated tries she finally realized she should walk another route.

Towards the end of the dance performance Asatta took to the pole doing a gymnastic and graceful routine that defied gravity. I got a second chance to work on the sketch as the theater filled with patrons. Having seen the rehearsal, I knew what dancers I wanted to complete the composition. From slow motion walks to graceful twirls, one gesture flowed through the dance company. The pole was no longer an obstacle but something to be conquered.

Corridor Project at Plaza Live

Posted on by Thor

Patrick Greene helped facilitate a parking lot performance before the Deerhoof concert at Plaza Live. It was the second Corridor Project production.  When I got there it was just starting to get dark. Patrick had a megaphone and there was some negotiating with the Plaza Live staff to clear an area in the parking lot for a staging place. Having no idea what was to come, I decided to step back and sketch a long shot of the parking lot scene to see what developed. Hannah Miller parked a pickup truck and pulled out a huge tree trunk set piece. A car was asked to park at the end of the row to avoid any other cars from driving into the staging area. I saw brown sheets being unfurled on the pavement and on the tailgates of parked cars. The parking lane was being converted into a forest glen.

An Ibex puppetry kite hinted that the performance was about to start, so I finished the sketch and moved closer. Voci Dance performed with the help of Tiny Waves and The Shine Shed Collective. Performers were all dressed in exotic woodland creature costumes. The dancers moved nimbly between the tree trunks, performing to live music. I sketched a strange bird-like creature with drums before he marched off into the woods. I wasn’t sure if Sarah Lockhard was a fox, beaver or a hound but all the dancers moved with grace. Hip bones became headdress eyes and antlers. It was all very primal. When the performance ended, sheets and set pieces quickly were gathered up and the magic disappeared.

Sunday in the Park With Voci

Posted on by Thor

Genevieve Bernard, the founder of Voci Dance, gave me a heads up about a croquet game the Voci dancers were going to play on Sunday October 28th as part of the Creative City project. The Creative City Project had free clandestine performances staged at public places throughout the city on every day of October. The croquet game was held on the green beside the Red Japanese Pagoda in Lake Eola. When I arrived, the players, or dancers, were promenading around the court arm in arm in pairs. Each dancer was had on a primary colored dress that matched their ball color. Blue Doug Rhodehamel paper bag mushrooms marked the outer edges of the court. There were orange lines painted on the grass, probably left over from a football practice.

The Park was rather crowded on this Sunday. There were food trucks and tents set up at the band shell for an event I didn’t get a chance to make out. There was also a stage set up on Orange Avenue for a concert I wasn’t aware of. A large group was picnicking next to the croquet court and they were curious once the game started. A mom and her son sat in front of me to watch the game as well. The dancers circled up when music began to play and they gracefully began to play. I was sitting under the shade of a large oak tree while most of the audience sat on blankets on the opposite side of the court. It actually started to get chilly and I wished I had a sweater to cover my Dog Powered Robot T-shirt.

The performance seemed to be over in a matter of minutes as I struggled to catch each dancers proportions and gesture. More of a dance than a competition, Genevieve informed me that everyone won. Some audience members took to the court after the game was over trying out the mallets for themselves..

Voci Dance

Posted on by Thor

Voci Dance is known for their mystical and surreal dances often times performed gorilla style in unexpected urban settings. Genevieve Bernard was one of the founding members of Voci dance, there were five back in the day, Adrienne Nichols got the group together. At the Orlando International Fringe Festival, the dancers performed with camping head lamps. The performance was staged next to the Orlando Museum of Art and the dancers interacted with the huge blue steel sculpture that is next to the museum on the green lawn of fabulousness. It was just past dusk and the dancers resembled dwarfs returning from the mines. Well, let me restate that, the dancers didn’t look like dwarfs, they were sleek and limber, OK I’ll stop digging. An audience of perhaps fifty people gathered in the darkness around the dancers. This was one of those situations in which I couldn’t see my sketch as I worked on it in the dark. Sometimes that can be a blessing when the sketch finally sees light.

City Beautiful Church

Posted on by Thor

I went downtown to the Lake Eola band shell to meet Sarah Lockhard and a Voci dancer named Brie to discuss possibly doing a live projected sketch during a dance performance. Cory Violence would be reading a Tom Waits poem called Watch Her Disappear. Apparently every day in October there will be public performances like this all around town. When I got close, I noticed musicians playing in the parking lot behind the Polish Catholic Church. Meals were being distributed to the homeless and the music suggested that they surrender to Jesus.

When I got to the band shell, I sat in the back row and waited for Sarah. A band was setting up on stage with a large screen behind them. The screen and projector system would be perfect for the performance piece Sarah was considering.  One of the tech guys walked up to me and introduced himself. He was a former student of mine who was volunteering to help out with the City Beautiful Church concert. Since Sarah was a no show, I decided to sketch the band as they did their sound check.

Cole Nesmith explained that this church would be moving into a new bricks and mortar establishment just south of Lake Eola in a couple of weeks. In the mean time they were worshiping in the park. The band was quite good, playing lively and uplifting Christian rock. I’d never heard the songs before. Some of the lyrics were, “There is an army rising up. Break every chain. I may be down but I will rise. It may be dark but God is light.” Cole gave a sermon about the Prodigal Son, who took his fathers inheritance, squandered it and then returned home begging for food and forgiveness. The point of course was that god is all forgiving and full of love. Clouds of gnats swarmed around my head. I swatted they away as I drew. I finally had to leave in the middle of a song to get away from the bugs. A couple ran after me as I walked around the lake. They wanted to see the finished sketch. Their son was at the key boards.

The Arts Matter

Posted on by Thor

Sea World hosted the annual A+ Awards from United Arts. The awards were created by United Arts professional grant recipient, Robin Maria Pedrero. This is the The Arts+ Awards 10th year. When I arrived, Mark Baratelli of the Daily City was being interviewed by Peter Murphy in the entry to Ports of Call where the reception was happening prior to the ceremony. I had to duck and cover to get around the TV camera crew. As patrons of the arts mingled, drank and ate, a huge seal started to bark. Mark posed with the seal who was trained to remain still as photos were shot.

Between awards presentations, there were performances by MicheLee Puppets, the Reps Power Chords, Voci Dance and the Bach Festival Society. Margot Knight will be leaving United Arts of Central Florida to move to a position in California. When she walked to the podium she got a standing ovation. Mark Baratelli was nominated for the Collaborative Partnership award, but he lost to the MicheLee Puppets.

The theme of “The Arts Matter” was reenforced throughout the evening. Patients who are offered to create art while Undergoing chemo-therapy often say they notice pain far less. There is a direct correlation from studies that students who are offered art in schools tend to get better grades. We don’t need students who want to spit back established answers, We need students who think creatively.

It was an entertaining evening which offered new leads as I search for my next sketch able arts organizations.

Voci Dance

Posted on by Thor

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.

A Murder of Crows

Posted on by Thor

Alright, so they are actually Ravens but I felt Murder needed to be in the title. I returned to Macabre Vignettes #3 / Snow on the last day of rehearsals. Black ravens circled ominously over the Voci Dancers as the worked out the kinks to their dance routine. Once again Leah Marke was offering constant suggestions and encouragement. Each of the dancers was given a filament line that would control the height of one and sometimes two ravens. As they loosened the lines which were secured to the stylized trees, one raven dropped quickly grazing Melissa Medina’s hair. She shrieked in surprise and then laughed loudly. This routine is complicated by the fact that the lines often limit possible movement because they come down at obtuse angles. Every movement of the dancers affects the movement of the ravens. They had to balance a fine line, being puppeteers and dancers all at once. Dancer, Amanda Oost Bradberry, who is now pregnant wore a large ravens head mask. This was a stroke of pure genius, she is beautiful in the outfit, her distended belly and wide stance complimented the form of the head. With her arms over her head she resembled an infant in her proportions.

The staircase to the second floor was now enclosed and surrounded by an immense spider web. I had to duck to climb the stairs. Macabre found object sculptures were now hung gallery style against the back wall. It was a humbling and frightening collection. Downstairs Tamara’s mom was seated on a green cushion and organizing strings of Christmas lights. Tamara was high up on a ladder draping fabrics from lines. The environment she was creating had taken on so much form and structure since the last time I sketched. I doubt she ever slept. I know the true magic will happen as she creates and refines the final ten percent.

For the final dance routine, Leah let me sit right in the center of the action. Genevieve said, “This is only because you are at the rehearsals Thomas.” The action happened all around me. In the beginning the dancers were suspended from bolts of green fabric which hung from the ceiling I-beams. They hung from their hips dangling horizontally like limp dolls. Laughing, Leah was revolving uncontrollably until Lisa Nakayama stopped her. The large hunchbacked blue puppet walked around me reaching longingly in the air his sad expression registering resignation. It took three puppeteers to move him . Suddenly all the dancers were crouched around me and one got caught in a fearsome exchange with the creature. I of course was struggling to catch a gesture, or moment in the action. I already had one sketch under my belt however, so I finally relaxed and enjoyed the performance.

Admission to Macabre Vignettes #3 is $20 cash at the door, at Urban ReThink (625 East Central Boulevard), which used to be the Urban Think bookstore. Doors open 30 minutes prior to curtain time. They suggest getting your ticket early and then catching a bite to eat at any of the fabulous restaurants in the neighborhood.
Show times are:
December 11 (Today!) at 8pm and 10pm
December 12 at 2pm and 8pm

Macabre Vignettes #3/ Snow

Posted on by Thor

I got up in the middle of the night I woke and walked blindly to the bathroom, my bare feet slapping on the cold tiles. Not wanting to blind myself I didn’t bother turning on the light. Seated inside I stared at my wife’s white bathrobe hanging from a hook on the door. As I looked, half awake, I saw a dark form move in the crevice of the sleeve. A large dark spider slowly crawled out. Part of me wanted to pull the robe from the hook and stomp on it, but I was transfixed, the two or three inch spider was only a foot from my face. As I focused my eyes I saw a strange cylindrical web resembling a CD storage case, which ran up the sleeve. It had a strange consistency like it was made of small compartmentalized soap bubbles. The spider crawled around the outer edge and when it got to the top, the web collapsed in on itself and the spider moved around inside. I began to question what I was seeing, so I finally flipped on the light. The robe flashed a bright white and I had to close my eyes. There was nothing there, no web, no spider. Yet, it had been so real! I turned off the light and as my eyes adjusted to the dark again, I saw movement in the shadows a second time. The spider was even more tentative, but soon it was out again moving swiftly over its diaphanous web. It seemed to know I was watching . I didn’t bother switching on the light this time, I simply accepted this strange macabre waking dream. I returned to bed unable to sleep…

At Urban ReThink (625 East Central Boulevard), I crouched on the upper floor looking at the beautiful and grotesque sculptural puppet parts for Macabre Vignettes #3 / Snow. A soft babies head had its eyes sewn shut, a black bird perched menacingly inside a wooden box full of found mechanical objects. Below me Tamara Marke Lars, her husband and a third helper are struggling to hang a large birdlike puppet from a taught fly line. Tamara asks me if the line looks level from where I stand but I am indecisive. The space for now is disorganized, full of the bits and pieces that when assembled, will bring her unique vision to life. She is a master of the macabre and this unique show will most certainly fall outside any of your typical pedestrian Christmas offerings.
Tamara’s sister, Leah Marke, was in charge of bringing the six or so Voci dancers up to speed on how they will be staged as they interact with the giant puppets. She was a whirlwind, constantly on the move coaching and inspiring her fellow dancers. She spoke on her cell phone trying to help a dancer that was lost. Her eyelids glittered as she was giving turn by turn directions to the rehearsal. Afterward, she picked up two huge chicken feet and shouted out, “Look here, I gots me some darn big chicken feet.” Her affected southern accent caused me to laugh out loud. Turning to me, she finished with, “And you can quote me on that!” One of the dancers kept laughing with childish delight whenever Tamara would move a puppet she was working on. I shared her delight as I struggled to record the creative genius amongst the chaos. Tamara picked up the sickly looking blue child puppet from the rocking chair. In her warm, full arms the limp puppet looked like a frail cold Pieta.

I saw the Voci dancers rehearsing a dance that involved them wrapping themselves in fabric that hung from the ceiling. It took three puppeteers to move the large blue puppet. When they started grunting and playing boisterously the giant began to come alive. This show promises to be a surreal experience and I for one will not miss it.

Admission to Macabre Vignettes #3 is $20 cash at the door, at Urban ReThink which used to be the Urban Think bookstore.
Show times are:
December 10 at 8pm
December 11 at 8pm and 10pm
December 12 at 2pm and 8pm
*Doors open 30 mins prior to curtain

Magnifique!

Posted on by Thor

Magnifique! A Voci Dance Nighttime Glowing Fairy Fundraiser will be held at the Mennello Museum of American Art (900 East Princeton Street Orlando, FL) on Saturday, November 20th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Admission is just $15.

As dusk falls, the audience will gather beneath Orlando’s oldest oak tree for an evening walking tour of the grounds of the Mennello Musuem of Art. Refreshments, wine and a raffle will accompany the performance. All funds go to Voci Dance to support their many performances, workshops and community outreach programs they present throughout the year.

Since I was going to be on assignment in Miami that weekend, I called Genevieve Bernard, the choreographer and founder of Voci Dance and I asked to sketch a rehearsal. She filled me in on the entire rehearsal schedule. When I arrived at the Mennello Museum, I found Genevieve in the parking lot talking to two dancers. Rakia Mikhailenko had just flown in from Seattle for this performance and she was on her cell talking to her children. Leah Marke is the center pin of the performance and she was at every rehearsal whereas other dancers might have conflicts with work schedules. Genevieve explained that there would be seven fairies, including a pregnant fairy, on performance night, but for this rehearsal there were but two. Actress, Sarah Lockhard, showed up, and her roll was as an honorary fairy, helping illuminate the lead dancers.

The hatchback of Genevieve’s car was open and inside were lights, costumes and fairy wings. Leah’s sister Tamara had designed the wings which are made of a light translucent fabric. Leah secured her wings by tying a knot just below her chest and then tying two more shoulder straps in place. Genevieve had made a Walmart run the night before, to get small LED lights which will be used on performance night. With everyone’s wings in place, the dancers walked out to a huge Live Oak tree whose branches gracefully bowed out, touching the ground, then branching back up. The late afternoon sun illuminated this magical secluded cove with patches of warm light.

Leah lead the performance. Her movements were graceful and light. She danced using the tree’s huge branches as a natural staging area. Rakia picked up her moves by following Leah’s lead. Sarah followed the dancers, crouching low and using an LED flashlight to illuminate the movements. The fairy’s approached the main tree trunk, perhaps 20 feet in circumference and they worshipfully raised their arms and arched their backs, their arched fingertips reaching toward the stars. They were a delight to watch. On performance night their wings will glow, adding a haunting element to the already surreal choreography. Genevieve explained to me that she was inspired in part when imagining Magnifique, by the amazing, unexpected work of Henry Darger. Doug Rhodehamel will fill the mysterious cove with glowing mushrooms and DJ Nigel will supply the music. Tell your Facebook friends, this is one evening you do not want to miss!