10,000 Steps

Hi all!

This is Megan, again.  I am writing today about a really cool initiative that the University of Minnesota has put in place, which is where I spend many of my day hours. In an effort to boost U of M workers physical activity, HealthPartners has devised an initiative called 10,000 Steps.  It is a program that guides people on how to achieve taking 10,000 steps each day!  It is really fun, and they even send you a pedometer (which is really helpful, because it is super hard to count that many steps in one day all by yourself!)  I have decided to partake in this effort and I am already realizing that I take way more steps than I thought I did.  So, health freak that I am, I'm encouraging everyone to get out and enjoy walking their 10,000 steps outside in this gorgeous Minnesota summer.  If 10,000 steps seems like too much, set a realistic goal for yourself.  Maybe it is 5,000 steps, maybe it is 1,000; whatever the number, it's still fun and good for your health.

I also encourage everyone to go get yourself a pedometer.  I just know you will be as hooked as I am to see how many steps you have taken in the day.   You might even go as far as logging your steps each day.  Once you meet your goal, treat yourself!  Buy yourself a cute outfit or a delicious piece of chocolate cake.  Maybe your reward is to come see our show in a few weeks!  We Minnesotans need to take advantage of any nice, sunny days we get.  So, get out there and walk your 10,000 steps today!

-Megan

Vibrations

"Music is something you can’t hold in your hands, smell, taste or even see; yet somehow just coming together and feeling these little vibrations that tickle our eardrums can somehow lift us all up out of our most difficult moments in life to unimaginable heights.”

That was said by musician Michael Franti, who I had the pleasure of seeing live last weekend. These words really are something else. This reasoning explains why pairing music with dance is so poignant; it physicalizes this idea, so that we can actually FEEL it. Each time I read this quotation, it gives me shivers. Melody and rhythm driven dance can suspend viewers and performers alike to unimaginable heights. Here's the way that Michael Franti does it:

-Erinn

Sneak Peak at EEE's "Send in the Jazz"

Eclectic Edge Ensemble will be performing at the 10th Annual Dances at the Lakes Festival

Photo Credit: Ann Schley highwoodsSTUDIOS

The Christopher Watson Dance Company presents the 10th Annual Dances at the Lakes Festival-two free concerts at the Rose Garden at Lake Harriet at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, June 10 and 11. This year the festival features nearly 100 professional and student  dancers performing in the two different programs. Audience members are  invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket and some snacks or a picnic  dinner and enjoy the unique opportunity of seeing dance performed at the  Rose Garden.

EEE will be performing  guest choreographer Molly Breen's piece "Getting There," this Saturday  night, which will premier at EEE's July show "Send in the Jazz" at the  Ritz.

Saturday, June 11th @ 7:30 pm; at the Rose Gardens by Lake Harriet

Dances at the Lakes 2011 Choreographers and Companies:

• Apple Valley High School      Dance Department, Apple Valley-Cathy      Wright, Artistic Director
• Bryan Gerber, Minneapolis
• Christopher Watson Dance      Company, Minneapolis
• Doris Ressl, Los Angeles
• Eclectic Edge Ensemble, Minneapolis-Karis      Sloss Artistic Director
• Eagan High      School Dance Program, Eagan-Jennifer Glaws, Artistic Director
• Envision Academy of the Arts      Dance Company, Burnsville-Jill      Patterson, Artistic Director
• Kinetic Evolutions, Minneapolis-Sarah      LaRose-Holland Artistic Director
• Lori Mercil, Minneapolis
• Poetry in Motion, Minneapolis
• Ray Terrill Dance Group, St. Paul
• Young Dance, Minneapolis-Gretchen Pick, Artistic      Director
• Youth Dance Ensemble, Burnsville-Dixie      Rairamo, Artistic Director

This  activity is made possible, in part, by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural  Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota Legislature with money  from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

Additional funding was provided by the Linden Hills Neighborhood Council.

The Rose Garden is located at Lyndale  Park Gardens, 4124 Roseway Road, Minneapolis 55409.

For more information, go to:  www.christopherwatsondance.com

An unmatched zest for life...

In my mind, one of the most important aspects of our human existence is gratitude. (Yes, we're getting deep here today, folks!)  Did you know that by thinking positively and cultivating gratitude for all your many gifts in life, you can actually alter the patterns of your thought processes and reformat the way your brain transmits information?  Amazing, I know. I urge you, no I BEG you to watch the following video for a short lesson in how to acknowledge all that you have to be thankful for. I promise you will not be disappointed by this little girl's zest for life. 

With Thanks,

Allison :)

Happy Mother's Day :)

WE LOVE MOMS!!

  In honor of Mother’s day I thought I would dedicate this blog to mom’s everywhere.

 To me, it is always Mother’s day.  I am always thankful for everything my mom has done for me, and for everything she will do for me.  She is strong, independent, and everything I hope I can be.  My mom is my friend, my confidant, and my hero.  I am always in awe of everything she does.  I am such a lucky girl to have such a lovely mom. No matter where I am or what I am doing I know my mom is thinking of me, as I am thinking of her!  I love you mom!! 

 If you feel the same way that I do (that mom’s rock) take a few more extended moments from yesterday and give thanks to your mom.  She is most, undoubtedly, an amazing woman.

-Megan

My Mother
My Mother, my friend so dear
throughout my life you're always near.
A tender smile to guide my way
You're the sunshine to light my day.

 --Author Unknown.

Rhythmic Gymnastics!

I stumbled upon this video and now my life goal is to learn the way of these crazy gymnasts!  Look out world, EEE is going to add yet another amazing talent to it's resume, Rhythmic Gymnastics!!  ...well maybe someday anyways... :)  Enjoy these fantastic movers and dream along with me!

~Heather A.

So You Think You Can Dance!

Looking outside I am not inspired by the gloomy weather. Don't get me wrong, the green grass is beautiful and the trees are trying so hard to bud, but it's spring and that means brown, dirty blah looking scenery. So, in spite of the dreary picture outside and the long awaited summer I am inspired by something else I find beautiful... amazing and beautiful dancing! Please enjoy!

Megan

A Painful Reunion...

Minnesota winters can lull a person into forgetfulness of one's true pasty whiteness; that is, until one is effectively scorched back into reality by the sun's sudden re-entry into one's previously overcast, scarf-encased life... it's painful... but I know deep down it's a good thing.

For those who are fortunate enough NOT to have skin that is more akin to tinder than the protective layer of flesh it is meant to be, the bittersweet reunion between person and sunshine might not carry quite the same weight.  However, I know there are others out there, like me, whose unabated excitement and eagerness to soak in those warm rays get them into stinging, blistering, peeling, all-in-all uncomfortable trouble time and time again.  I can see the roasty-toasty redness of my fellow beach-goers unwittingly committing themselves to a week bathed in aloe and awkward stares which, more often than not, resolve themselves into sympathetic and, let's face it, quietly disapproving head shakes.  One will be gently scolded and repeatedly asked if he or she has learned the important lesson of using sunblock.  It is important at this point that the sunburn victim not attempt to explain that the beach-going festivities that ended so painfully had only been a 45 minute excursion during which a typical human being could survive quite well without the assistance of Octylmethoxycinnamate or Oxybenzone.  It is not worth it, the damage has been done... one must simply nod his or her head in agreement, thereby acknowledging his or her stupiditiy and inferiority to those more capable sun-absorbers.

In the end, we can all fall victim to the sun's harmful rays.  That shining source of livelihood and joy can quickly become the cause of pain and regret.  I will be the first to admit that it is often a good choice to slather oneself in a defensive shield of Coppertone before trekking bravely into the summer affray. However, we all must keep in mind... especially if we have just emerged from a 6 month Minnesota winter.. that we are fragile creatures, some more so than others.  Consider the sun to be that friend in your life who, after not seeing for a while, you need to adjust to being around again by hanging out in small, slowly increasing, doses.  It's not that we don't love this friend or didn't miss the presence of the friendship; we simply need time to readjust to the slightly abraisive nature of its ever-encompassing love. 

That said, I welcome the sun back into my life with open arms.  I embrace my SPF 30 and prance happily to the beach knowing my pastiness, knowing my vulnerability and knowing... I already learned my annual sunburn lesson during my vacation to the East Coast, so I'm good until next year!

-desiree

The Power of Spring

Spring is Coming!  I promise! I once was involved in a production (in the springtime) in which I was dressed as a flower... complete with a petal headpiece. Now, while this was a bit embarrassing because I was far over the age in which anyone should have to dress up and dance like a flower, the music gave me no choice but to smile and enjoy portraying one of the great onsets of spring. "Come on Get Happy" by the great Judy Garland was the song and I always think of it as I anticipate green grass and budding blossoms. Enjoy this video of one of the greatest entertainers of our time delighting us with a contagiously cheerful tune.  (And the dancing ain't bad either!) 

With Flower Power,

Allison

THANK YOU!

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Ritz this weekend and helped to make Snowbound! such a wonderful success!  We appreciate your support and enthusiasm and can't wait to see you again at our next performance in July, Send In the Jazz.  Until then, may the magic of winter help you through the icy storm and see you through to another beautiful spring!

Superstition

We all have are little quirks about us; it’s what makes us unique. Well my little quirk is that I tend to be a little superstitious, but only when it comes to performing. You see, it has always been my superstition that if any of my family members come to the opening show I will forget the dance and freeze on stage! Seriously, freeze... like not moving, standing there with my jaw down, and just staring straight into the audience with a dumbfounded look that screams HELP ME! Okay, so I know that seems extremely over-dramatic and it probably will never happen, but who knows? If I say it will never happen, it will.

..Oh no, I think I need to knock on wood... Anyway, in light of Snowbound's opening night being over and the show going beautifully, I am dedicating this blog to some funny, yet outrageous superstitions in not only the theatre, but in sports and life as well. Please enjoy and have a good laugh.

1. To start, never wish someone good luck, or break a leg. It has been a theatre superstition for years.

2. In baseball, it’s bad luck to step on the chalk lines when coming on to or leaving the field.

3. Musicians say it is bad luck to practice the day before or the day of a show.

4. Many hotels find it to be bad luck to have a floor 13. Most will skip the floor, and they often don’t have an elevator button to the 13th floor.

5. Some people say it is bad luck to step on the sidewalk crack or you’ll break your mother’s back--I just had to add that one.

6. Peacock feathers on stage or in parts of the theatre are to be feared.

7. Perfect rehearsals are said to be omens of ill fortune or a short run

8. A dog eating grass brings rain

9. It is said to be unlucky to sit cross-legged when playing cards.

10. It is said that a light should always be left on in an empty theatre to ward off ghosts.

11. It is bad luck to whistle in or near a dressing room.

12. It is said good luck to make a circle with the cast of a show before any performance.

13. It is bad luck to end a blog on the 13th bullet point. Ha ha, just kidding. I couldn’t resist.

-Megan

EEE New T-shirts on Sale at Snowbound!

Hot off the Press....Literally!

Eclectic Edge Ensemble will be selling our new fantastic EEE T-Shirts in the lobby of the Ritz during our run of Snowbound! Feb 17-20th. We have two fun designs and they can be your's now! Only $15!

 

Dancing Cats

After house sitting for Karis and watching her beloved cat Lelah, I have developed an interest in cats.  I have been researching their behavior and found these photos of dancing cats.  How exciting! Now that I know that cats dance, I will be able to connect with them more naturally.  Enjoy the helpful captions!

-mal

Winter Fruit Salad

I always find it difficult to come up with good ways to eat fruit in the winter, but here is a recipe that combines great winter fruits into one tasty salad!

Winter Fruit Salad

Prep Time: 30 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out
• 1 lemon
• 5 large navel or blood oranges
• 2 mangoes, peeled and diced
• 2 firm bananas, peeled and diced
• 5 kiwis, peeled and diced
• 12 kumquats, very thinly sliced crosswise, seeds removed
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds (from 1 pomegranate)

Directions

Combine the sugar, 2 cups water, the ginger and vanilla seeds and pod in a saucepan. Use a vegetable peeler to remove wide strips of zest from the lemon and 1 orange, add to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes. Refrigerate until cold.

Meanwhile, peel the remaining oranges with a paring knife, cutting along the natural curve of the fruit. Hold an orange over a large bowl and cut along both sides of each membrane to free the segments, letting them fall into the bowl. Squeeze each empty membrane to release the juices. Repeat with the remaining oranges. Add the mangoes, bananas, kiwis, kumquats and pomegranate seeds and gently toss. Pour the syrup over the fruit and chill overnight.

Before serving, remove the citrus zest, ginger and vanilla pod. Spoon the fruit and syrup into bowls.

To remove pomegranate seeds, cut the fruit into quarters, then break apart in a bowl of water. Skim off the pith that floats to the top and drain the seeds.

Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine

Photograph by Con Poulos   

-Heather

Music Listening: Good for the Soul

Now, as a dancer with a jazz company, it doesn't take much to convince me that listening to music is good for the soul. I am fortunate to spend quality time with music several times a week. But let's back up; what IS quality time with music? Listening in the car while on the way to work? Playing it in the background while making dinner? IS performing choreography to it spending 'quality time' with music? 

There is no right or wrong answer to this question. What's most important is that we are thinking about it enough that we choose to experience music in a way that adds quality to our lives. What is your personal relationship to music and what are the best ways you can allow it to embellish your life? Here are some interesting thoughts on those questions;

Does Anyone Really Listen to Music Anymore? (Article fromC-Net.com)

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-20028655-47.html(Jazz great McCoy Tyner)

Moving To a Different Beat (Article from Star Tribune)

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/homegarden/114709869.html

How does music embellish your life? You do not need an answer to let this question benefit you. Thinking about it is a great start! 

Happy listening to you!

Erinn

oatmeal and peanut butter trail bars

Need some quick, delicious energy to get you through your busy winter day?

I suggest these Oatmeal and Peanut Butter Trail Bars.

If you don't have some of the fruits or nuts called for in the recipe, you can really add whatever you want!  I made them with almonds, pine nuts, fresh cranberries, fresh blueberries, and chocolate chips.  The honey and brown sugar add the perfect amount of sweetness and the oats & peanut butter help to satisfy your hungry tummy.

Also, the recipe calls for smooth peanut butter, but if you like the crunch, I used organic crunchy and it was great!

http://www.rd.com/food/oatmeal-peanut-butter-trail-bars/

Tom Jones dances like hell

We can all learn a little bit about confidence from Tom Jones. FF to 1:15 in the youtube link below if you want to skip right to his one-of-a-kind dance moves:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UxU8s7Au0A

 -Katrina

Critic Review of "Black Swan"

Written by: ROGER EBERT / December 1, 2010

(Edited by: Desiree Dantona)

Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan is a full-bore melodrama, told with passionate intensity, gloriously and darkly absurd. It centers on a performance by Natalie Portman that is nothing short of heroic, and mirrors the conflict of good and evil in Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake. It is one thing to lose yourself in your art. Portman's ballerina loses her mind.

Everything about classical ballet lends itself to excess. The art form is one of grand gesture, of the illusion of triumph over reality and even the force of gravity. Yet it demands from its performers years of rigorous perfectionism, the kind of physical and mental training that takes ascendancy over normal life. This conflict between the ideal and the reality is consuming Nina Sayers, Portman's character.

Her life has been devoted to ballet. Was that entirely her choice? Her mother, Erica (Barbara Hershey), was a dancer once, and now dedicates her life to her daughter's career.

Nina dances in a company ruled by the autocratic Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel). The reach of his ego is suggested by his current season, which will “reimage” the classics.

Having cast off his former prima ballerina and lover, Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder), he is now auditioning for a new lead. Swan Lake requires the lead to play opposite roles. Nina is clearly the best dancer for the White Swan. But Thomas finds her too “perfect” for the Black Swan. She dances with technique, not feeling.

The film seems to be unfolding along lines that can be anticipated: There's tension between Nina and Thomas, and then Lily (Mila Kunis), a new dancer, arrives from the West Coast. She is all Nina is not: bold, loose, confident. She fascinates Nina, not only as a rival but even as a role model. For her, Lily presents a professional challenge and a personal rebuke.

Thomas, the beast, is well known for having affairs with his dancers. Played with intimidating arrogance by Cassel, he clearly has plans for the virginal Nina. This creates a crisis in her mind: How can she free herself from the technical perfection and sexual repression enforced by her mother, while remaining loyal to their incestuous psychological relationship?

The main story supports of Black Swan are traditional: backstage rivalry, artistic jealousy, a great work of art mirrored in the lives of those performing it. Aronofsky drifts eerily from those reliable guidelines into the mind of Nina. She begins to confuse boundaries. The film opens with a dream, and it becomes clear that her dream life is contiguous with her waking one.

The tragedy of Nina, and of many young performers and athletes, is that perfection in one area of life has led to sacrifices in many of the others. At a young age, everything becomes focused on pleasing someone (a parent, a coach, a partner), and somehow it gets wired in that the person can never be pleased. One becomes perfect in every area except for life itself.

It's traditional in many ballet-based dramas for a summing-up to take place in a bravura third act. Black Swan has a beauty. All of the themes of the music and life, all of the parallels of story and ballet, all of the confusion of reality and dream come together in a grand exhilaration of towering passion. There is really only one place this can take us, and it does.

*Complete article can be found at:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101201/REVIEWS/101209994

The puppets are coming....

Mad Munchkin and fearless leader Laura Wilhelm have been busy night and day building, creating and painting hundreds of puppets and props for their upcoming production "Snowbound" in collaboration with Eclectic Edge Ensemble.

They have been working in the studio for the past 5 weeks creating small hand-held puppets, shadow puppet sequences and giant puppets that take several puppeteers to bring to life. Every shape, style and size is included in "Snowbound," even puppets that are filled with 10 dancers!

Last week M.M. and EEE started rehearsing together and it has been amazing to see everything come to life! Up to this point both companies have been rehearsing separately, taking the time to create their parts. Now that the show is a month out, the two companies are bringing everything together. How incredible it has already been to see some of these pieces in the studio after discussing them and planning for well over a year. The show is almost complete, and I can tell you confidently that this is a show not to be missed!

~ Karis

The Sunny Side of Winter

Welcome to the middle of January!  

The holidays are over and the winter...well, the winter is far from over. This is usually the time of year that I start to feel just how LONG our Minnesnowta winters really are. I'm not too sick of it yet, but I know that in a matter of weeks I will be feeling like I'm going to jump out of my skin if I can't shine my face to the sun! April showers are how far away?? 

I have two tips for you:

#1. Discover the magic seasonal depression fighting powers of vitamin D3.  It has been deemed the "Sunshine Vitamin" for it's ability to give our bodies what our cloudy skies cannot.

Check out this link for more info:

 http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/03/12/vitamin-d--the-master-key-to-optimal-health.aspx

#2. Mark your calendars for our upcoming show "Snow Bound! A Journey From Autumn to Spring."  Karis has choreographed several fantastic pieces with the topic of winter in mind and she has even ventured into the territory of going stir crazy!  Ever wondered what your winter neurosis would look like in a visible, tangible state?  Now's your chance! Come get crazy with us Feb 17th-20th at the Ritz Theater.

 

With Light,

Allison