Program

Somatophobia

UW-Milwaukee, Peck School of the Arts, Department of Dance

June 22-24, 2012 in KSE 508 at 6pm & 10pm

Pre-Show Talks with Luc Vanier - 9:30pm Sat/Sun

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

We live in an era where our experience with live moving bodies has been slowly restricted to our children and partners.  Years ago, we had to also partner daily with various animals in order to be successful in life and as a byproduct we got a broader sense of what a healthy body feels like.  Now, television, movies and realistic video games give us a visual image of the body in action and this often encourages us to separate our experience from reality. Often we wish we had the body we envision instead of actually being able to feel our bodies thinking/reacting in activity. 

So much of our experience of the body underlines how out of control our lives are.  We can get pregnant without having sex, we can get cancer without smoking or being exposed to any specific chemicals, we can fall in love with partners who end up hurting us.  Sometimes our minds seem so much safer--if we have a thought, we feel like it is real.  I think therefore I am.  Movers know how problematic this statement is when it comes to acting in reality.  What we think is rarely what is and often, only the experience of integration between the body and the mind can bring about a balance, a sense of peace or wholeness. 

Somatophobia is what I experience in terms of fear before I meet someone for the first time, sit to meditate, become intimate with my wife or reveal a part of myself in therapy.  It is the fear of not knowing what this body is up to while we are convinced mentally of our need to be in control.  Being a dancer forced me to come to terms with this experience - one way or another.  It is not what you think you are doing that matters but what the audience can experience from your movement.  Many aspiring dancers cannot realize their dream because they fail to see the block between the mind and the body.  Somatophobia is an ode to my blockage: the “Dark Knight” I created to help myself function in the world only to find that he hinders all my movement.

I hope the work can give you a window into the experience of the body from a dancer’s perspective.  Especially the fears that get programmed in our bodies in trying to move you.

Sincerely, Luc Vanier

SPECIAL THANKS

My heartfelt thanks goes to Iain Court and Edward Winslow for the construction of the Dark Knight and the special instruction in how to handle a puppet.  Nothing you see today would have been possible without Iain Court’s capacity to understand and implement my vision for integrating technology and the body in space.  Special thanks goes to the Dance Department for their support in producing my research, especially Simone Ferro and Ferne Bronson for lending equipment funded from their Research Growth Initiative grants.  Further thanks goes to the students in the production who have worked so hard to understand what somatophobia is and who also contributed stories, movement and just plain sweat to the project. The show’s theme reflects many years of collaboration with Steven Moses and Jaimi Patterson. Their help in organizing and synthesizing my thoughts and movements was invaluable.

Finally, my greatest thanks goes to my wife, Elizabeth Johnson, who was a great influence on the first version of the work in 2003 (see blog...) and who has supported my growth as a human being over the past decade.  Without her this would only be a rehearsal.

SOMATOPHOBIA

Somatophobia is dedicated to Sandra and Patrick Hammond.  I owe my life to these two beautiful people without whom I would surely have ended up the most unhappy and angry person. 

1. Introduction:

Bob: Steven Moses with Gina Laurenzi and Emily Landry

Conflicted inner duet: Carrie Martin

2. Dark Knight building: Company

3. Somatophobics Anonymous:

Steven Moses, Jaimi Patterson, Emily Landry, Devin Settle, Bianca Ware, Danielle Lohuis and Company

4. Battle of the Babies: Devin Settle and Company

5. Tigger’s Prognosis: Jaimi Patterson and Company

6. Dance class: Jaimi Patterson and Alisa Ferrante with Company

7. Um Ta Quoi: Jaimi Patterson, Steven Moses, Devin Settle and Company

8. Disaster solo: Emily Landry

9. Dance Class: Jaimi Patterson and Company

10. Angels: Company

11. Superman: Carrie Martin, Kao Zhong Xiong, Devin Settle and Company

http://somatophobia-dance.blogspot.com/

ARTISTIC and PRODUCTION STAFF

Director and Choreographer: Luc Vanier

Assistant Choreographer: Steven Moses

Dance Captain: Jaimi Patterson

Company: Brittany Bearer, Christina Coon, Alisa Ferrante, Norielle Johnson, Emily Landry, Gina Laurenzi, Danielle Lohuis, Carrie Martin, Steven Moses, Jaimi Patterson, Kristin Reidelberger, Devin Settle, Bianca Ware, Kao Zhong Xiong

Composer and Vocal Coach: Christine Barclay

Original “Bob’s Palace” Composer: Bradford Blackburn

Musicians: Christine Barclay (violin, bass guitar, found percussion), Nicholas Verbos (lead guitar, percussion), Jake Cohen (slide guitar)

Sound Design: Seth Warren-Crow

Text Sources: Panic: Origins, Insight, and Treatment, Brooke Warner & Peter A. Levine; Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion, William Blake

Video Design: Luc Vanier

3D Animator: Dominic Amato

Projection Technician: Iain Court

Lighting Design: Iain Court

Costume Design: Lisa Christensen Quinn

Wardrobe: Heather Lee Hirvela

Puppet Design: Iain Court and Edward Winslow

Puppet Movement Design: Edward Winslow

Puppet Construction: Edward Winslow

Production Director: Iain Court

Assistant Production Manager: Jessica Peck

Crew:  Will Haglund, Alex Grzybowski, Alison McMahon, Brenna Marlin

Stage Manager: Colin Gawronski

Sign Language Interpreters: Shannon Aylesworth, Lauren Rado, Ashley Troke

Videographer: Korporate-Media

BIOGRAPHIES

Luc Vanier is an Associate Professor in the Dance Department at UW- Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts and the recipient of the 2009 Wisconsin Arts Board Award for Choreography.  Originally from Montreal, he studied at L'Ecole  Superieur du Quebec under Daniel Seillier.  In 1998, he retired from Ohio Ballet having danced a variety of roles such as the Workman in Kurt Jooss’ Big City, the Third Song of Tudor’s Dark Elegies, as well as the leads in Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante and Paul Taylor’s Aureole among others.  Mr. Vanier was also a company choreographer; his dance Square Play, with a score by Libby Larson, was presented as part of the company’s 1995 Joyce season in NYC. His latest interactive work “Sur_Rendered” premiered with the Milwaukee Ballet January 2010.  He both received his MFA at the University of Illinois (top ten dance program in US News) and became a certified Alexander teacher in 2001. His research on linking the Alexander Technique, developmental movement and Ballet is at the forefront of integrating somatic work into dance curriculum and has been presented at various conferences and workshops throughout the US, Russia, Australia and the Netherlands.  His book Dance and the Alexander Technique: Exploring the Missing Link was published June 2011 by the University of Illinois Press.  Luc also partners with Elizabeth Johnson as a dancer and Associate Director of the hybrid Ballet/Modern dance theater company Your Mother Dances.  For more information visit www.lucvanier.com.

Dominic Amato was born in Menomonee Falls and grew up in Mequon attending Homestead High School. He always liked to draw and from a young age was comfortable with computers. He entered UWM as an Interdisciplinary Art + Technology major and just completed his 5th year at UWM. Dominic is also a double major in Japanese with an Asian Studies Certificate and has studied abroad in Tokyo. This year, he will be completing his second tour of Japan's coastline as a tsunami relief aid volunteer, clearing debris and rebuilding houses for those that lost theirs during the disaster.

Ever since she figured out how to record sounds on her Playskool karaoke machine and play “Mary Had a Little Lamb” on the piano, Christine Barclay knew she wanted to be a musician. She graduated in 2011 from UW-Milwaukee with a BFA in Music Composition and Technology, a BA in Voice and a Liberal Arts Certificate from the Honors College. Christine has previously composed for Mari Mathers, Emilie Rabbitt, Leandra Williams and Steven Michael La Fond for New Dancemakers. She is also in two bands: The Grasping at Straws and The Lords of Space and Time.

Iain Court has worked as a performer, director, designer and PM/SM across all genres of performance throughout Australia and touring Europe.  His principal interest is in Lighting Design and he has lit works in medieval churches, circus tents, on riverbanks in haunted houses and many theatres.  He is also interested in new media performance.  His long history in arts education includes the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Arts, chair of drama at Wesley Institute, and at the Sydney Opera House. He won the David Helfgot award for his contribution to Accessible Arts in Australia. Most recently he performed with Theatre Gigante in Our Our Town.

Colin Gawronski is a graduate of UW-Milwaukee, and is always happy to work with the wonderful dancers and professors at UWM. Colin has worked with other such local companies as Youngblood Theatre, Next Act Theatre, Chamber Theatre, Your Mother Dances, Pink Banana Theatre, and Carter Productions, as well as UWM Dance, Theatre and Opera. Favorite productions include Gypsy; Who Killed Santa?; Mauritius; Freakshow; Thrill Me; Gruesome Playground Injuries; and Dead Man's Cell Phone.     Give Love Always

Steven Moses graduated from UWM in 2007 with a BFA. After a brief apprenticeship at NYU, he moved to Minneapolis where he appeared with Carl Flink, Mathew Janczewski, and the Minnesota Opera. Next, Steven worked as a guest performer with the Joe Goode Performance Group in their production of Traveling Light in San Francisco. Currently, he is dancing with Your Mother Dances, GERALDCASELDANCE, and is co-producing his first show, Rooftop Dance, which will premiere July 6-7. Steven is also training to become an AmSAT certified teacher of the Alexander Technique and will be an MFA student at the University of Illinois this fall.

Jaimi Patterson graduated with her BFA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2008. While at UWM, Jaimi had the opportunity to attend three consecutive American College Dance Festivals, two of which included performance opportunities. Her senior project "sky through a straw" was presented in the 2008 Festival.  She has also been featured in Luc Vanier's works: e's of water, Triptych and “Love's Fodder.”  Currently, Jaimi is an active member of Elizabeth Johnson's company, Your Mother Dances and is a sought-after yoga instructor in the Milwaukee area.  Jaimi is an Associate Lecturer at UWM and has just begun her in training to become an AmSAT certified teacher of the Alexander Technique.

Lisa Christensen Quinn is an alumna of the UWM Fine Art Department. She has been creating and coordinating projects in several arts areas around Milwaukee, anywhere from dance costumes, to visiting artists and music programs in schools, to choir and worship services at church. Ms. Quinn’s costumes range from Beauty and the Beast talking housewares (candlesticks and teapots) to stitching for Skylight Music Theater to period costumes on display in Madame Tussauds in London. Ms. Quinn is thrilled to be working with the UWM Dance Department this year.

Seth Warren-Crow is a sound artist, sound designer, composer, percussionist, and university instructor based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Seth composes music locally and nationally for dance and theater performances and regularly collaborates with performance artist Heather Warren-Crow as warren-crow+warren-crow.  Seth received a BA in English and Religious Studies from Lawrence University in Wisconsin and a MFA in Electronic Music and Recording Media from Mills College in California.  Seth is an instructor and musical director for the Dance Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  He teaches courses in sound art, music, and digital media, and is a sound engineer and composer for dance department performances.

Edward Winslow is Resident Choreographer for the Hudson Vagabond Puppets (HVP), using larger-than life puppets and masks to create narrated ballets for children.  Edward holds an MFA in Dance from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he was the winner of the Seidman Award for Excellence in Dance, and a BFA in Dance from UC Irvine.  He is also Co-Artistic Director of Incidents Physical Theater, a dance company based in New York City.  He toured nationally and internationally from 1990-1996 with Shapiro and Smith Dance, based in New York. He has served as General Manager of HVP since 1999 and is currently an Aesthetic Education Teaching Artist at the Tilles Center for the Arts in Long Island.

DANCE FACULTY AND STAFF

Simone Ferro                                          Chair, Associate Professor

Ferne Caulker-Bronson, Marcia Ruth Parsons Professor

Darci Brown Wutz, Luc Vanier                     Associate Professor

Christina Briggs Winslow, Gerald Casel       Visiting Assistant Professor

Gloria Gustafson, Mary D. Hibbard              Associate Professor Emeriti

Elizabeth Johnson, Dani Kuepper               Senior Lecturer

Kayla Premeau                                        Program Manager

Iain Court                                               Production Manager

Seth Warren-Crow                                    Music Director, Lecturer

PECK SCHOOL OF THE ARTS ADMINISTRATION

Wade Hobgood                                       Dean

Scott Emmons                                         Associate Dean

Mary McCoy                                             Assistant to the Dean

Sue Thomas                                           Administrative Officer

Ellen Friebert Schupper                             Director of Marketing and Community Relations

Diane Grace                                            Development Director

Nicole Schanen                                        Marketing Specialist

Ken Otte                                                 Creative Specialist

Randall Trumbull-Holper                           Facilities Manager

Tianna Conway                                        Box Office Manager

Christine Barclay, Garrett Nei                     Box Office Staff

Christine Barclay                                      Senior House Manager

Sonja Bauer, Brittany Curran, Grant Goodman         House Managers

Maggie Iken, Chanthaphone Simmala, Harrison Turner