The WHY Collective

On Sunday, May 9th Antaeus Dance appeared with The Why Collective, one of Cleveland's foremost anarco-dadaist neoclassical free jazz revolutionary electronic crypto mystical open form collaborative arts ensembles. Antaeus Dance has participated in two Why Collective events. The most recent was Blind Alchemy. I have included a video of our performance. Blind Alchemy III. "Blind Alchemy" is composed/performed by Greg D'Alessio (Why Collective guru), Alexander Bonus, Paul Cox, Jenna Lyle and Antaeus Dancers Amy Compton, Joan Meggitt and Sherri Mills. The dancing begins around the five-minute mark. Greg had this to say about the work: "This is a piece built around some improvising Greg, Paul and Alex did, that we will meta -improvise on tot he improvised singing and dancing of Jenna and Antaeus..."

Enjoy!

Joan

Video courtesy of Sherri Mills and posted with permission from Greg D'Alessio.

Summer Classes

Antaeus Dance will offer summer classes in modern dance technique on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:00pm to 7:30pm in the Company's studio in Pilgrim Congregational Church. Classes begin Thursday, June 3rd and will run through Thursday, August 5th. These are company classes which are open to the public (intermediate/advanced level movers).

The Antaeus Dance studio is, hands down, the most beautiful and inspiring dance space in Cleveland. A gorgeous rose window graces the upstage wall, and the downstage wall offers a view of the sanctuary through a set of four arches. To see some other spaces around Pilgrim Congregational Church, an historic landmark in Tremont, look below! Cleave is a film by Cynthia Penter featuring Doug Lodge and me, with original music by Bill Sallak. Verge is the live dance that accompanied the film at Antaeus Dance's recent premiere at CPT in April.

Prospect & Refuge: cleave/verge from Bill Sallak on Vimeo.

But I digress...

I will be teaching the summer classes. My training has been devoted to the modern dance technique of Erick Hawkins, which I have studied under numerous Hawkins company members, most notably Kelly Holt, James Reedy, Cynthia Reynolds and Gloria McLean. The modern dance technique of Erick Hawkins integrates strength and vulnerability, cultivates grounded elegance, and embraces dynamic subtlety. Classes will utilize Hawkins' principles, including his innovative relationship to time, through athletic phrases that develop out of concise floor and center work. I like to call this work: Living out loud by dancing from within!


Also on the horizon is the annual Allegheny Summer Dance Intensive in Meadville, PA. I have directed this intensive since 1999. Sherri Mills has been an instructor for several years now, most recently offering classes in yoga and massage. We are delighted to be joined this year by Antaeus Dancer Heather Koniz and former Company member Carla Monzo.

Antaeus Dance will be making appearances with the Why Collective this Sunday, May 9th at 8:00pm in Drinko Recital Hall on the campus of Cleveland State University, and with trideaDANCE on Saturday, May 22nd in Tiffin, OH. After that, we begin work on Antaeus Dance's 10th Season!

I hope to see you in the studio this summer!

Joan

Photo of Antaeus Dance Studio at Pilgrim Congregational Church by Joan Meggitt.

Cleave used with permission from Doug Lodge, Joan Meggitt, Cynthia Penter and Bill Sallak.

Photo of Sherri Mills and Heather Koniz in Meggitt's Prospect & Refuge: Stray by Matt Bliss.