@BMDCdance, #GladeGala and #EALS2013

I joined Twitter as @dance_DC around the same time I started this blog. I thought it would be a great way to promote my blog posts and build a following. Being active on Twitter has definitely helped drive traffic to danceDC; but more importantly, it has connected me to so many amazingly talented dancers, choreographers and arts administrators in the DC area. Twitter is an amazing way to network and I was reminded of its power this past weekend.

Bowen McCauley Dance at The Kennedy Center

Photo courtesy of Bowen McCauley Dance

I first discovered Bowen McCauley Dance through Twitter. Although they don’t have the largest following and tweet only a few times a month, I somehow came across them and added them to my DANCE list. I saw them for the first time last Friday night at The Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater with my friend Angella Foster, Artistic Director of alight dance theater. The night started out with Before The Fall, a playful piece featuring students from the Maryland Youth Ballet. I thought there should have been some kind of program note so the audience was aware that the dancers were not company members, but luckily Amy Fitterer of Dance/USA came out after the piece to let us know. It didn’t bother me that the students performed. They were great, but I was upset at some of the audience members who left after the brief pause following the piece. I assume they were parents of the performers. If so, shame on you! If not, I apologize for silently judging you while you went for a bathroom break. But I digress… What I really want to talk about is the electrifying energy of Lucy Bowen McCauley, who performed the role of “Cleopatra” in Fire and Air. She was the most captivating part of the show, grabbing the audience’s attention with her fluid movement and passionate expressions. It takes a special person to make suicide look sultry, but somehow Lucy accomplished that. Angella was also a fan of McCauley’s Le Sacre Du Printemps which closed the show. It was choreographically the most interesting, according to Angella. For more information about Bowen McCauley Dance, please visit their website or read Sarah Halzack’s review in The Washington Post.

Glade Dance Collective’s Gala at The Goethe Institut

I was happy to support Glade Dance Collective at their gala Saturday night. The event featured live reggae music, a short performance from Glade dancers and an interactive “nook” where attendees could answer various questions. The answers, some of which were recorded on video, will be integrated into a future Glade piece. Although I would have eventually discovered Glade through my job at Joy of Motion Dance Center (they rehearse at our space and Artistic Director Sylvana Christopher teaches at JOMDC), I first found out about them through Emma Joan Dozier – an active tweeter and Glade dancer/marketer. Emma and company did a fabulous job promoting the event. They had an excellent turnout and threw a fantastic party. Plus, props for having Philippa Hughes of Pinkline Project introduce the company before your performance!

Karen Brooks Hopkins of BAM was the opening keynote speaker of EALS 2013.

Emerging Arts Leaders Symposium at the Katzen Arts Center

This is the third year I’ve attended the Emerging Arts Leaders Symposium, an annual meeting for young professionals who work in the arts. The event is organized by students of American University’s Arts Management Program and features leaders in the industry like JR Russ of Class Acts Arts and Dance Place! I was live tweeting for most of the event on Sunday, so check out the conversation by searching #EALS2013. Below are some of my tweets/key takeaways from the day. I attended the opening keynote featuring Karen Brooks Hopkins of BAM, the Marketing Trends for Today’s Organization panel and the Audience Engagement panel.

• From the Audience Engagement panel in regards to the importance of having a social media strategy: Point made again in this panel! “Don’t have an intern handle your social media.” – @allihouseworth #EALS2013
• From the Marketing Trends panel in regards to the importance of community advocates: Research ur audience, find out where they are and find the leader of that group to help sell your service/program. – @jenbuzzell #EALS2013
• From the Opening Keynote in regards to writing proposals: When writing a proposal, think about what makes the program great. That’s what you have to communicate. – KBH of BAM #EALS2013

Dancer Profile: Emma Dozier of Glade Dance Collective

Emma Dozier is a web content editor, dancer and marketer living in Alexandria, VA. She is a member of Glade Dance Collective and also dances with Sustaining Movement and Talu Dance Co. In middle school, Emma took a variety of classes including ballet, jazz and tap, but focused on pom/dance team during her high school days. Finally in college, she fell in love with modern dance and now primarily takes ballet and modern classes. Follow her on Twitter @emmajoan.

Photo Credit: Maggie Picard

Where do you usually take class? Who is your favorite teacher in the DC area?

I am most often at Joy of Motion Dance Center Friendship Heights for rehearsals, but I have totally fallen in love with Elana Anderson’s Horton Technique class at Joy of Motion Dance Center Atlas on Sundays. On the other side of the river, I have just discovered BalletNova Center for Dance and their amazing faculty of ballet teachers.

How has dance changed your life? How do you feel when you’re dancing?

The creative and physically demanding side of dance absolutely saves my brain and body from an admittedly pretty cool Department of Defense contracting desk job. When I’m dancing, any emotion can be turned into a strong, meaningful choice and I feel an instant connection to the other dancers in the room.

Any advice for people who are interested in dance, but have never danced before?

Glade Dance Collective recently put on a piece for Dance is the Answer 2011, and we had a huge range of people with dance experience – from dancers currently in introductory classes to those who have performed on stage hundreds of times. It is never too late to try something new and there is an existing community here to nurture your craft and answer any questions you have! Jump in!

Anything you want to promote? Anyone you want to give a shout out to?

Glade Dance Collective is holding auditions July 16th at 3pm at Joy of Motion Dance Center Bethesda. We’re looking for dancers for individual pieces and dancers who want to be involved in all aspects of the collective. Learn more on the Facebook invite or e-mail Emma at emma@gladedance.org with any questions.