Blank Canvas Sharing @ The Firkin Crane, Cork

INTERVIEW with Fearghus O’Conchuir

With Blank Canvas Sharing coming to the Firkin Crane Friday 3 December, Rebecca McCauley is once again talking to dancer and choreographer Fearghus O’Conchuir who is back in Cork – after great success at the Shanghai Expo – with his new dance project before he takes his stunning Martello towers film series, Tattered Outlaws of History, to a festival in England.

‘I’m most grateful to have been able to have a career as a performer and a choreographer for the past 17 years.  Given that I started dancing late in life, it feels like a great achievement to be able to follow my passion this long and to be able to keep learning new things in the process.  Being a choreographer and dancer challenges your body, but also your mind, emotions and imagination. That’s what makes it so rewarding, particularly when you can involve other people in the experience.  I was very pleased recently to meet a young woman who took part in a dance project I did in her school and who told me she’s decided to train as a dancer after the experience. Helping other people to fulfill their potential is also a rewarding part of what I do.

‘I’m in the Firkin Crane as part of their Blank Canvas residency programme: that means that the Firkin Crane gives me two weeks of space and time to try out some new ideas.  It’s like a scientist doing research in a laboratory.  They need to conduct experiments before they come to conclusions and artists can make better work if they are supported to do that kind of research too. The Arts Council supports that approach through its bursary schemes and I was fortunate to have received a bursary this year that means I can hire a wonderful dancer called Matthew Morris and we will work with Paul Mc Carthy who is a lighting designer (and Manager of the Firkin Crane).

‘For this project I’ve been thinking about the theatre as a kind of communication technology, like a mobile phone or a television.  The theatre has survived for a long time, not much changed since Ancient Greece in its basic set up but I’ve wondered what it might look like in the future if that technology becomes obsolete, like a gramaphone or telex machine.  If we had no idea what a theatre was and discovered it, would we know what to do with it?  Art allows us to look at things from a fresh perspective so I’m trying to look at the theatre, something we take for granted, from a different perspective and see what I can learn from that.

It’s great to collaborate with other artists:  … I collaborated with an architect and photographer to make an installation of films in a Martello Tower in Fingal last year and I worked with the composer Rachel Holstead to make a piece for the Ionad Culturtha in Ballyvourney.  I work with these artists because they are excellent in their own right and because they bring a different perspective to the creative process, so together we can make something that neither of us could make on our own.  It’s a way of ensuring I don’t get stuck in my own ideas.  I think it’s important to be open to other perspectives and it’s not only other artists who can bring stimulating input. That’s why I involved students from St Vincent’s Secondary School in the performance of Open Niche I put on earlier this year at the Firkin Crane.  The students brought a fresh personality that was quite different from the experienced professionals with whom they shared the stage.  In these tough economic times, collaboration is a way that not only makes the creative process stronger by putting together the best ideas of a number of people, it’s also a way of pooling resources, of working together to make the best we can of what we have.

I have two big projects at the moment.  One is a continuation of the Martello Tower project, called Tattered Outlaws of History that I did last year in Fingal. We’re bringing the installation of films to Essex in England where they have another series of Martello Towers. I’m collaborating to make a new set of films on the towers there to add to the exhibition. The towers are important  historical landmarks that have a history as defence systems against foreign invasion.  We’re opening them up so that we can investigate the roots of that defensiveness and its legacy.

The second project is a new dance piece called Tabernacle that will premiere in Dublin next May and will hopefully tour in Ireland and internationally in the Autumn of 2011. When it tours, I’ll be working with local groups to involve them in the performance in their area, so I’ll be looking for participants in Cork again … It means that every performance is unique to the place it’s performed.  Art is about sharing unique experiences together that help us to understand ourselves and the world. That’s what keeps me working at any rate.

I’d like to be remembered as someone who explored his potential and helped others to fulfill theirs too. ‘Courageous and kind’ wouldn’t be a bad epitaph either and something I could keep working for.

 

Blog is back! It’s that time of year again so strap on those tappers and get moving!

Technique Tip: Cuban Style Salsa. The numbers below represent the beat of the music. Your weight should be on the foot mentioned by the time the beat occurs in the music. ‘Break’ means stepping forward quickly and rocking back, in essence breaking your momentum. Remember to Dance light on your toes and have FUN! Start with both of you feet together. Note you start on the 3rd beat of the musical bar.

3. Step back with the Right Foot

4. Rock forward onto your Left Foot

5. Step forward with your Right Foot

6. Shift your weight on to your Right Foot

7. Step forward with the Left Foot

8. Rock back onto your Right Foot

1. Step back with your Left Foot

2. Shift your weight on to your Left Foot

Repeat Step 1

Practice Music Los Van Van

YouTube Clip: sometimes you see something on the internet and think WOW. This is one of those times: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3xxkXuxVlc&feature

Fashion Tip: Dancewear brands have caught on to the trend for dance headbands. Clothing makers like the Canadian brand Lululemon are making sure they think fashion from tip to toe. It’s important when choosing headbands for dance that you try them on because not all heads are the same size and shape and some headbands won’t work as well for you as others. For dance purposes headbands are about more than style. Foremost, they have to hold the hair back from your face! The most common consumer complaint about dance headbands is that they sometimes loosen and slip out of place, so many brands have redesigned their headbands with a textured non-slip portion to hold them more securely. Shop around Cork and online to find a band that fits and stays!

Website of the Week: For an incredible round-up of all things salsa related, including how to perform the steps, go to http://www.justsalsa.com/

ADVICE – DEAR DONNA

We always focus on the warm-up, but what about the cool down? The cool down has a key role to play in our dance wellness and the prevention of injury in much the same way as the warm up. After working hard in class a cool down allows the body to gradually wind down towards a resting state rather than suddenly stopping.

It should allow you to relax physically and mentally, and will help to prevent muscle soreness and injury.

The main aim of the cool down is to promote recovery and return the body to a pre-exercise, or pre-work out level. During a strenuous work out your body goes through a number of stressful processes. Muscle fibres, tendons and ligaments get damaged, and waste products build up within your body.

The cool down, performed properly, will assist your body in its repair process. One area the cool down will help with is post exercise muscle soreness. This is the soreness that is usually experienced the day after a tough dance class.

The cool down helps to mend the tiny tears we get in our muscle fibres while exercising and helps keep muscles supplied by a good flow of blood. By continuing with gentle movements after intensive exercise stops you keep the blood circulating, which in turn helps to prevent blood pooling and also removes waste products from the muscles. This circulating blood also brings with it the oxygen and nutrients needed by the muscles, tendons and ligaments for repair.

After a dance class the best way to cool down is 10 to 15 minutes of gentle stretching.

Static stretches are more appropriate to the cool down as they help muscles to relax, realign muscle fibres and re-establish their normal range of movement. These stretches should be held for approximately 10 seconds.

FACE TO FACE

Cork City was hit with a blast of energy, music and movement last weekend when  Salsa Bonanza 2010 came to town! The three day festival is hosted by Salsa Ireland and attracts hundreds of dancers, professional and amateur from all over Europe. Rebecca McCauley looks at the dancers, teacher and events that made this year’s festival such a huge a success!

Salsa Bonanza 2010 was held on the bank holiday long weekend at the Gresham Metropole Hotel, and, like it does every year, the festival attracted the best and brightest from the Salsa world to dance, party and teach. One of the highlight of this year’s event was the fancy dress dance party on the Sunday night of the festival that brought out the wild and wonderful in all the dancers that had spent the weekend learning moves from the pros. The weekend event, which included workshops in Bachata, Men’s and Ladies Styling, Sexy Salsa, lifts and tricks, cha cha and even Yoga for Dancers, was capped off each day by parties that lasted into the wee hours of the morning. More than 50 workshops over 2 days – from 9 in the morning until 7 in the evening , covered all levels of salsa.

Dancers who attended the event raved about the ‘18 national and International Instructors that attracted students from all corner of the country, the UK and Sweden.’ The instructors are all leading lights in the world of salsa. Big names like Nuno & Vanda – the dramatic, intense couple that have held audiences captivated all over the world including Europe, the Middle East, New York & Puerto Rico. They are two professional Portuguese choreographers who specialise in Latin Dance but are also trained in contemporary and Jazz & Tango, which has influenced their style of Salsa.

Another dynamic duo are Frank Santos from the Domincan Republic and Russian-born Alina Moskvina. Santos is touted as one of the hottest new talents on the UK and international salsa scene. His dance group ‘A Yemaya’ won the 2008 award for the best UK performance. His dance partner, Alina Moskvina, started salsa in 2005 and she was soon noticed and asked to perform with professional salsa. In 2008 Alina won the North-West Bachata Championship with a show choreographed by Frank Santos who she continues to work side by side with, choreographing, teaching and performing around the UK and Europe.

Salsa Ireland director Kathleen Farrelly says: ‘It was an absolutely fantastic weekend! Friday we had the opening party in Cyprus Avenue.  The floor was rocking , music was pumping, bodies were sweating. It was fantastic to see all these people coming together from the corners of the country to dance!’

‘We learned and danced all day and then at night we partied hard , the night kicked off at 9 p.m. and we had shows performed at 11 p.m. by the international instructors. Our own salsa Ireland show called ‘Lee Motion’ performed and got a standing ovation from the crowd! Dancing finished at 2 a.m. in the hotel but the die hards continued dancing at the after party until 7a.m. each morning. What a weekend for dance in Cork!’

For more info on the event log onto www.salsaireland.com and follow the news and video clips on Facebook. Or If you think salsa might be your thing, check out www.corkdancestudio.com

STUDENT’S CORNER

The best and brightest from the Salsa world came together for the fancy dress party at Salsa Bonanza 2010.

LISTINGS:

Auditions:

Saturday 14 August – Got to Dance @ Helix in Dublin

To register and for more info go to www.sky.com/dance

Workshops:

2 September (4:30 pm) – Flamenco Workshop @ the Firkin Crane

Tickets: €25/22 Don’t miss an exceptional workshop with one of Spain’s most highly regarded artists!
Level: Beginners / Improvers

Performances:

09 Jul – 14 August (Every Fri/Saturday) SUMMER CABARET @ The Firkin Crane Theatre

To 20 August– Lunchtime Theatre Season @ Cork Arts Theatre

The season sports a wide variety of performances, from light music, love stories comedy, tragedy and just great acting directing and stories well told. For more info including show days and times, see www.corkartstheatre.com.

If you have a question, an event or photograph to submit then email it into dancerscorner@donnasdancestudio.ie

Technique Tip: Belly Dancing – why not learn to love your tum in a whole new way by trying out some Belly Dancing moves. H

Hip Circle

Simply put, this is a full rotation of your hips. The hip circle is done like this-

1.              Tuck in your hips and abs.

2.              Taking a small step to your right, push out your right hip.

3.              Move the hip slightly back on the path of a big circle, leaning forward just a bit.

4.              You need to continue the circular movement, so for that, push out the left hip, as if to complete the circle.

5. End the move by leaning back, gently pushing both the hips forward.

This article on the Knee Shimmy was written by Marisa Wright and it really will get you started!

Every belly dance beginner wants to know how to shimmy, and every intermediate bellydancer wants to know how to shimmy better.

Basically, a shimmy is just a fast vibration of the lower body – but there is much, much more to it than that! Join any belly dance forum and you’ll even find lively debates on how they should be driven – hips, thighs or glutes.

Beginners assume that the shimmy comes from the hips, but it doesn’t. The shimmy is always driven by other muscles – the hips just come along for the ride!

If you try making a shimmy with your hips – which is the obvious thing to do – two things happen. One, the muscles tense up and you won’t get that gorgeous wobble. Two, there’s a tendency for the hips to sway out to the side instead of straight up and down.

The most common driver is the knees. When you practice, try to focus on the knees and let everything else relax. That doesn’t mean you should let your core go – make sure you are holding your stomach muscles gently so your butt doesn’t stick out. It may look sexy, but doing shimmies in that position will injure your back!

Why don’t you give it try?? Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7dpimS_CX0

The URL of the original article written by Marisa Wright can be found at

http://hubpages.com/hub/Belly-Dancing-How-to-Shimmy

 

Wanna get a head start on the weekly Dancers Diary in the Echo? Why not check out this flexibility advice column!

ADVICE – DEAR DONNA

Question: How Can I Stretch More Effectively?

Answer: Flexibility is very important to all kinds of dance.  Most people who dance understand that the only way to improve flexibility is by stretching and while most dancers know they should stretch regularly, studies show that far too many do not understand how to do so either safely or effectively.  Over the next few weeks we will look at a number of ways of making your stretching routine more effective.

There is a very distinct difference between the kind of stretching that is designed to actively increase your flexibility and the gentle stretching that we do at the beginning of each class or performance to find where our bodies are comfortable in their range of movement at that moment.  Trying to extend your flexibility beyond its range works best when you are not rehearsing or preparing for a performance.  In the short term, stretching makes muscles less responsive, and so less coordinated. While stretching can often feel uncomfortable you should never stretch to the point of pain, and never force a stretch on an injury.

Knowing as much as you can about your body type and how it works are an important factor in this task.  Each individual dancer’s flexibility depends upon the elasticity of their ligaments, muscles, and soft tissue, called fascia. Longer, lankier dancers tend to be more mobile; shorter, more compact dancers tend to have greater core strength.

The key to success for all groups is discipline…you need to do a little every day.  This is not as easy as it seems, and if you are serious about increasing your flexibility you must develop a regular routine that you will stick with over a definite period of time.

At Donna’s Dance Studio we give each student an individual stretching routine that lasts no more than ten minutes per day.  Students complete a daily check sheet to be completed six out of every seven days and we review progress every four weeks. By keeping the time required as short as possible and having a check sheet students are more likely to stick to the routine.  Those that try to do it around the same time every day also find they are more successful in sticking to the daily task. So why not put together your own routine with the help of your teacher start making your stretching work for you.   In next week’s column we will look at the role that relaxation and breathing play in successful stretching.

For some basic hip stretches check out the below youtube link! Remember – every body is different, so just work to the point your feel a stretch and don’t overdo it!

Dancers Corner!

Check out today’s Dancers COrner in the Echo! Just to give you a preview  . . . here is the Advice column from this week:

Q: Following in from our article on the importance of warm up for dance we have had some questions on how to do a good warm-up. So hear is a basic guide to what your warm up should contain.

A: Physiotherapists recommend an aerobic start. Light activity like prances, small hops, or brisk walking increases the temperature of your tissues (muscles, ligaments, and tendons) and makes you breathe a little faster. Keep it simple. just do something to increase your pulse and rate of respiration. If your heart and lungs are working a little harder, you’re getting a little warmer. For those with higher fitness levels and especially younger dancers skipping is an ideal activity.

Gradually work your way up to about 3 minutes of constant aerobic activity.  Now you are feeling warm and everything is flowing, start from your head down to your down to your feet to gently work all of the muscle groups: neck, upper and mid-back, shoulders, chest and arms, core (especially the lower back) quads and hamstrings, gluteal and hip area, calves, ankles and feet.

Dancers have a habit of falling into certain patterns of movement so be sure to cover all the different planes of motion up and down, side to side and front to back.

At this point you might also want to include some exercises that are specific to the dance style and technique that you are practicing.

Remember that any stretching you do during this period of class should be comfortably within your range. Never force your body into an uncomfortable position at this early stage of class.  A good warm-up will leave you ready for action and help you get the most out of your class.

Check out this short modern dance warm-up for an idea of some gentle floor work to get you started!

Disney Dance Show

Hello All you Dancers going to Disney for the performance/competition!

The Dancer’s Blog is putting together an article about how to get ready for competitions and would love to get your feedback on what it is like to prepare and rehearse for Disney! How many times a week are you rehearsing? Have you had to learn new pieces? Are you getting excited? Nervous?

Tell ALL!!!

Got to Dance

Ok so I wanted to post this video for some thoughts – the isolations are amazing and so are the tricks – but I can’t help but feel that there could be more actual linked-up dancing. What do you all think??

To get you started thinking dance . . .

Be inspired by this piece choreographed by Tyce Diorio on last Saturday’s SO You Think You can Dance UK.

. . . and just because it is so interesting to see how one piece of choreography can look so different – check it out in the American show

We are interested to hear which version you like best!

Hello world!

Hello! Donna’s Dance Studio is excited to be blogging! Watch this space for everything relating to dance! We are going to post technique tips, cool youtube links, fashion advice and anything else dance related that we can think of! We look forward to hearing your comments and questions!!

Dance Now, Think Later!