Monica Bill Barnes & coMpany wo r k i n g

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In this working rehearsal, you will see Monica Bill Barnes & Company rehearse three of their works. Because it is a rehearsal, the company may stop to fine tune sections that need attention, or may repeat segments. It’s all part of the performance process that happens right on stage in front of an audience.

Dance, FilM, TheaTer… anD The circus?When watching Monica Bill Barnes & Company, you may wonder if you are seeing dance, comedy, theater, or a showy circus act. That’s because her work combines all of them together in a single performance. Watch for the following elements in her approach to dance:

Breaking BarriersMonica Bill Barnes wants to connect with her audience. To do this, she attempts to break the barrier between the performers and the viewers in several ways:

n The use of familiar movement. The dancers may trip or stumble, clap their hands to the beat, or even act out everyday events like dusting something off.

n Humorous moments, including outlandish facial expressions and outrageous movement or tricks, allowing the audience to relax and not take the performance too seriously.

n The imperfection of her performers; they show effort and even fail (just like regular people).

The World Is a Stage

The company of four dancers starts out Everything is getting better all the time wearing men’s suits. Watch how they are dressed at the end.

COVER PHOTO BY ADRIANNE MATHIOWETZ. ALL OTHER PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER DUGGAN.

What’s Up with the Interruptions?Like our lives offstage, the works by Barnes are full of interruptions. But why?

Barnes wants her dancers to be present in the moment, and says that the interruptions encourage them to do just that. The element of surprise helps the audience sit up and pay attention, while helping the performers not get too comfortable with known material. Barnes would like her audience to feel that what is happening on stage is really happening right then and there.

The WorkLuster (2012)Music by Richard Strauss, John Fogerty, Judy Garland, Xavier Montsalvatge, Olafur Arnalds, and Lionel RichieMonica Bill Barnes has been dancing with Anna Bass, one of the members of her company, for more than 10 years. Luster is a dance about friendship and endurance and is inspired by their work together. Watch for:

n the way film connects to the live performance.

n the use of props and how a small stage is set up on the larger stage.

n the ending; is it when you thought it was?

mostly fanfare (2010)Music by Nina SimoneWhat happens when you try your best, but don’t succeed? Barnes gives us the answer in mostly fanfare: You get up, dust yourself off, and try again. The performers in this dance want time in the spotlight, but have a bit of “baggage” from past failures. Watch for:

n the way the solo dancer is interrupted by something that unexpectedly falls. Is this the imagined “baggage”?

n the showy feather headdresses reminiscent of touring vaudeville stage acts from the days before television.

n the trick with the chairs.

Everything is getting better all the time (2011)Music by Otis ReddingYou want the big top? You got it! This dance is about entertaining an audience—even to excess. You will see acrobatics and baton twirling while confetti is flying. Watch for:

n dancing with imaginary partners.

n a trick that the performers learned from YouTube.

n the way the dancers try to one-up themselves and outperform each other.

In mostly fanfare, the dancers balance chairs while dressed with a head plume of white feathers.

Have you been wondering about Monica’s middle name? Why Bill?

When Monica was five years old, her parents let her choose her middle name. She came up with two options: “Snow White” and “Bill” after her grandfather. Her parents convinced her that Bill was a better choice. If you could change your middle name, what would you change it to?

Monica Bill Barnes lives in New York City. She wants her dances to celebrate individuality, humor, and theatricality in everyday life. Her company of four dancers has toured more than 30 cities in the United States.

“Have the confidence not to take yourself too seriously.”

—Choreographer Monica Bill Barnes

About Monica Bill Barnes

David M. Rubenstein Chairman

Michael M. Kaiser President

Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education

Additional support for Performances for Young Audiences is provided in part by Adobe Foundation; The Clark Charitable Foundation; Mr. James V. Kimsey; The Macy*s Foundation; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Park Foundation, Inc.; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; an endowment from the Ryna and Melvin Cohen Family Foundation; U.S. Department of Education; Washington Gas; and by generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund, and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas.

Major support for the Kennedy Center’s educational programs is provided by David and Alice Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.

Education and related artistic programs are made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.

www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge

Cuesheets are produced by ArtsEdgE, an education program of the Kennedy Center.

Learn more about Education at The Kennedy Center at www.kennedy-center.org/education

The contents of this Cuesheet were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. However those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal government.

© 2013 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

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