Shared Choreographers' Concerts

Held three times each year, this program provides an opportunity for new and developing artists to have their work produced in concert with their peers. Mentors provide guidance and feedback for the choreographers, dancers and producers from the first showing of an idea through, and beyond, the performances. It is also a vehicle for learning all aspects of producing, publicizing, designing, budgeting and documenting a concert; two dancers share these production responsibilities, under the guidance of the program mentor. These concerts are an extension of the learning process. Outside an academic program, artists often lack the supportive feedback and nurturing that is so crucial to their growth. A discussion with the audience follows each concert, providing an educational enrichment for all involved and a proven way of building an informed and committed following.

THE NEXT SCC WILL BE October 15-16, 2010.

PROPSALS ARE DUE by 5:00pm on September 7, 2010

SHOWINGS ARE SUNDAYS, September12 AND October 3, 2010.

To contact the producer: sccoctober2010@gmail.com

If you are a choreographer and would like some supportive feedback on your work, some free rehearsal time, and to have your dance produced, the October 15-16, 2010 Shared Choreographers' Concert may be for you. Please submit a brief summary of your piece, including style, number of dancers and whatever you know about music, title, and props.

Send your proposal to the attention of Danielle Gagnon & Lauren O ’ Neal, SCC Producers, c/o The Dance Complex, 536 Mass Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139 by 5:00pm September 7, 2010, or via email to sccoctober2010@gmail.com, or leave it in the SCC mail box in the lobby of The Dance Complex by the same deadline.

You will hear about the showing schedule after the deadline. You and your dancers must be at the showings on Sunday, September 12 and Sunday, October 3 in the afternoon, and the dress rehearsal on Thursday, October 14 in the evening.

Choreographers please note:
For this cycle of the Shared Choreographers' Concert, Shawn Mahoney and Rozann Kraus will mentor. And choreographers will also have the opportunity to be involved with an exciting research project on group creativity. Researchers from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College (Bess Rouse and Spencer Harrison) will be working with participants of the SCC program to understand more about how the creative process unfolds. We endorse this project and hope you get involved with this study if you are considering a piece for the SCC. Help teach the business world what we already know--that they can learn so much from the arts.

Here's how it works:

In order to participate in the SCC, please submit a written description of your proposed piece by the proposal deadline. This description should include information about your idea, such as number of dancers, movement style, concepts, music, props, goals, etc.; please be as specific as you can. Be sure to include your phone number and email address. Finished dances can be up to 10 minutes long. Preference is given to never-performed pieces and to choreographers who have not participated in recent SCC productions. After the proposal deadline, the producers will call you to give you a showing time, usually held on Sundays between 1:00-5:00pm (if you or your dancers have any REAL time constraints, say so in your proposal). For each showing, there is usually 20 minutes to perform what there is of the dance and get feedback from the mentors. The producers will notify everyone within 2 days re: whether their piece is accepted, not accepted, or a maybe. If your piece is selected, you will get a $40 honorarium and 6 free hours of rehearsal at the Dance Complex in addition to being produced in a concert. At the second showing, which is closer to the concert date, it is expected that your dance will have evolved. This is another time for mentor feedback. If your piece is not chosen this time, you can submit it for another of the three SCCs each year. Producers may submit pieces.

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DANCE COMPLEX OPEN HOUSE

Twice a year, The Dance Complex offers a day of free classes. Experience the rich diversity of dance that the Complex has to offer, FREE OF CHARGE: 20-minute mini-classes from Flamenco to Bellydance, Hip-Hop to Tango, West African to Modern.

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WORKSTUDY PROGRAM at the DANCE COMPLEX

The Dance Complex is volunteer-based and artist-run. WorkStudy Program Members barter their time in exchange for Workstudy slips. These slips can be applied towards classes or rehearsal time (they have no cash value). More importantly, WorkStudy program members garner a close connection to the dance family of the Cambridge and Greater Boston area.

• For every one (1) hour worked, the WorkStudy member receives one (1) WorkStudy slip.
• Members who work an opening or closing shift receive three (3) slips per shift.
• Each WorkStudy slip may be redeemed for one (1) class or towards one (1) hour of studio time for rehearsal.

Anyone who is interested in becoming involved in the WorkStudy Program is encouraged to apply! Apply in person by asking for an application from the WorkStudy Member at the front desk of the Dance Complex.

If you have any questions please contact the WorkStudy Coordinator at 617.547.9363 X11.

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READ / DANCE

NOTICE: THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO LOSS OF FUNDING.

A collaborative project with the Cambridge Public Library System, it incorporates the school curriculum during the school year and the Summer Reading theme during the Summer to provide movement/reading workshops at each of the Cambridge Public Libraries. Children learn to read choreography; to understand movement as reflections of ideas and emotions; to explore ideas through their bodies and to create their own stories in more than one way. Using familiar books, stories, words and images, dance and the process of dance making become familiar and comfortable. As children explore stories and literary ideas through movement, they begin to explore their own ideas and emotions, telling their own stories through dance.

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See our PERFORMANCES and WORKSHOPS pages for more information on upcoming shows, workshops, auditions, and jams.