About The Summer Intensive!

“I’m in love with this sunny Canadian city...” Words

from a :pp director:pushing progress top songs

from The Summer Intensive Showcase

Photo: :pushing progress Ballet Instructor Nadége Hottier September 2011

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:ppNEWS

Noetic

Noetic:2

[noh-et-ik] –adjective 1. of or relating to mental activity or the intellect.Words from a :pushing progress Director

This Time, By Calen J. Kurka

Sunday August 21st, 2011. Vancouver, BC, Canada.

10:00 amI’m in love with this sunny Canadian city. I awoke at 6:45 am in awe of the silent beauty surrounding this morning in Vancouver. There’s nothing like the fresh air and Canadian mountains to inspire stillness in my life, and provoke strong feelings of gratitude and peace. I’m excited for this day and have been looking forward to a few moments away from the energy of New York and the speed at which the :pushing progress Summer has been moving. 3 company workshops in three weeks, not including the extra teaching and classes over the weekends. One 2 week workshop to go. As always, the end of August has me feeling a little depleted mentally and physically, and yet I’m looking forward to two full weeks with this student base and am anticipating what the experience might bring.

11:17 amThe sound of the breeze in the trees through the open bedroom window holds my attention. It is a reminder of my own breath, and redirecting my thoughts back to my own body. With so much on the go I forget to center myself in my instrument and find myself so easily distracted by the running list of tasks: the simple distractions of my everyday. I had a remarkable realization this past March while on Vacation as to the importance of being centered in myself, and to carry that through all aspects of my life. A good friend of mine shared a quote with me once on a card: “To find peace does not mean to remove yourself from the Chaos, but to be amongst the Chaos in your life and to still feel peace”. Although I may have understood this intellectually at the time, I never fully realized the power of this statement until returning from that vacation in March. It was so simple to feel at peace without the noise of the city and stress of my every day life. It was so simple to find silence without the television, and the horns of the city. It was so simple to be centered in my own body with with the heat of the sun on my skin, the sound of the ocean, and the awareness of the rise and fall of my own breath. Those moments were gifts to my mental state upon returning home as I could fully feel the weight and the energy I had allowed in my every day life, and this false sense of peace I

had been trying to create. For the first time in a long time I felt empowered by my own ability to create stillness in my daily routine and interactions with others. Looking back on the past few weeks of the Summer I feel like I may have definitely lost sight of this! LOL. So the journey continues. Breathe in, breathe out.

3:00 pmWalking along the sea wall of Stanley Park. There are thousands of people along the beach and on the grass. People riding bikes, playing volleyball, throwing frisbee, swimming, running, soaking up the sun...the list goes on, like my to do list. There is such an energy around me, and it reminds me of the past week in New York with the students of our 2011 Summer Intensive. That infectious pulse that thrives within us as we connect to our energetic and physical self in celebration of our instrument. I want to dance! I long to see my friends and communicate with them through movement. I yearn to create, and allow my self the gift of experience through art. We always joke that the :pushing progress New York Summer Intensive is our favorite week of the entire year, and it truly is. I’m already excited for next August and our 2012 New York intensive. Every year we also say “This was the best Summer Intensive to date. We’re so appreciative and in such awe of the talent we get to work with”. I don’t think that will ever change. And as I look back throughout the past year I can honestly say it has been rather exceptional. Like life with age, it keeps getting better.

7:45 pmI’m thinking of my good friend, and last year’s :pushing progress managing director Maya Escueta. We haven’t spoken much since she moved last week to North Carolina to pursue a Master’s Degree at Duke University, but I’m contemplating calling her on facetime as soon as I’m done with work. She has been an integral part of this past year’s journey with the company, and plays an even more important role as a companion in my life. It’s hard not to appreciate change when you consider all the beauty it brings. I appreciate the changes in the past year throughout the company, and the many talented people it has brought into my life. I’m so thankful for this time to learn through this year’s events, and

be given the opportunity to continue growing through :pushing progress and the revolving community of dancers and artists it encompasses. And I’m thankful for another year of opportunity to not only grow the programs of the company and better define it’s purpose and role in the world of dance, but am thankful for another year’s opportunity to practice peace in it’s journey and in the choices I make as an individual being. It’s going to be a great year! Breathe it in.

8:29Calling Maya.

The Summer IntensiveBy Maxine Evangelista

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“I actually don’t want to speak right now. Just keep dancing.”

The focused bodies obey, exhaling audibly with every release, shirts darkened by hard-earned sweat, lean legs exposed in shorts that comply with the summer heat. Soothing acoustic sounds support the creative atmosphere here at Pearl Studios for the 2011 :pushing progress Summer Intensive. Calen Kurka, a :pushing progress director, weaves his way amid the students. “Don’t play it safe. Don’t be afraid to put your whole self into this. Keep your sockets relaxed. Find your natural weight.”

Over the course of seven days, 27 students of the :pushing progress Summer Intensive evolved within an intense, creative learning experience. A :pushing progress intensive doesn’t just focus on improving technique, but additionally, it gives life-long lessons on the value of understanding how the body functions through movement. This year’s group was given a more intimate experience than previous years when classes were held in two groups. This year, with all students in one group, the dynamic shifted. “I personally like it better this way because it’s easier to offer our students the individual attention they deserve,” says Chris Hale, another :pushing progress director. “Having all of them dance at once brings unity to the class and shared energy in their experience.”

Each day, four to five faculty members taught class with their own hopes for the students in mind. They also served as mentors – observing their students in class and offering advice and encour-agement throughout the week.

“My plan this year was to stress length and having a strong back,” says faculty member Kathy VanDereedt, emphasizing the necessity of having a solid base to move off of, which she demonstrates through floorwork, progressions, and class combinations. This year, VanDereedt

served as a teacher, choreographer, and mentor for the students. The most absolute change she has observed throughout the intensive was the students’ approach and mindset. “Instead of getting frustrated, students now under-stand that their training and craft is always a work in progress,” she says, a testament to the intensive’s ability to generate a positive attitude among its students.

Anna Vollmar, a faculty member for four years, shares this same outlook and emphasizes in every class that there is room for everyone in the dance world. “I would encourage students to not give up if they don’t fit into one certain style, certain company, certain job – but to really carve out their own niche,” she

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says. Like Vollmar, every teacher in the intensive gave their students tools to continue their development outside of the program – technique, strength, and even confidence. Vollmar’s favorite part of the intensive? Seeing the students perform on the final day and walk out with the presence of a changed, well-rounded, professional dancer.

One major development to the lineup was the addition of a lecture-style Anatomy class taught by Adrienne LeGasse. With a projector and packet of notes, LeGasse helped students become more aware of proper alignment,

function, and overall understanding of the body, paying particular attention to areas most commonly focused on by dancers. The knowledge students gained from these classes became fully realized every time they hit the studio, even demonstrating their newfound expertise during a “Pop Quiz” segment at the intensive’s final performance on Saturday.

To coincide with the intensive’s creative learning methods, students attended Cirque du Soleil’s Zarkana at Radio City Music Hall and Bodies: The Exhibition at South Street Seaport, where they could view actual human bodies’ skeletal and muscular systems up close – a great enhancement for the Anatomy classes. Following the Bodies exhibit, the students

and faculty moved to Dance New Amster-dam for a two-hour audition class and a rehearsal in preparation for the intensive’s culminating performance. Family and friends filled the seats for a talk-back session, eager to observe their children’s efforts over the past week. The perfor-mance, which included class demonstra-tions, combinations, and both faculty and student choreography, manifested the values that :pushing progress had been teaching all week long. Using full expression of every part of the body, rediscovering movement into something meaningful, finding length, strength,

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and coordination – all of these became realized onstage.

At the end of the performance, several students were given awards, including Dyllan Mont, the only student to have attended all :pushing progress summer and winter intensives since 2008 – an impressive seven total. As a student at George Washington University, she always looks forward to reuniting with the :pushing progress family during breaks and sees the intensives as the best way to refresh and enhance her dancing experience. Since the first intensive to the present, she noticed a clear shift in the intensive’s focus on performance and artistry. “There’s always more informa-tion to gain,” says Mont. “I’ve learned to let go of unnecessary habits and to really feel what the choreographer calls for. The teachers really motivate us to become strong, mature, intelligent dancers.” For her clear dedication and belief in :pushing progress, she was awarded with a full scholarship to the next Winter Intensive – bumping her total number up to eight.

Just as Kurka asked to do in his class, students surrendered every part of themselves to movement throughout the week, developing openness and honesty in their dancing. With encourage-ment from faculty members, after just one week of study, the 2011 :pushing progress Summer Intensive students emerged stronger and more confident than ever, minds full of new information to guide them throughout their future.

(The Summer Intensive continued)

“I’ve learned to let go of unnecessary habits and to really feel what the choreographer calls for...”

2011 Summer Intensive faculty member and Friend of :pushing progress, Dana Foglia is also a world-renowned choreog-rapher and teacher and is recognized as one of the most versatile dancers of our time! With extensive training in everything from ballet to hip hop to African she has toured with the likes of Beyonce, Rihanna and Janet Jackson and danced on productions like So You Think You Can Dance, The MTV VMA’s, The Today Show, Jay Leno, and Good Morning America. Dana also was assistant choreo– grapher for Beyonce’s 2009 “I am Sasha Fierce” world tour. This year,

What’s Going On?

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Dana Foglia’s Website

:pushing progress 2011 Winter Intensive

December 27th - 29th, 2011

Baryshnikov Arts Center

Teachers: Chris Hale, Calen J. Kurka, Lauren Adams, Kathy

VanDereedt, Anna Vollmar, Nadege Hottier, Loni Landon

:pushing progress 2012 New York Summer Intensive

August 5th - 11th, 2012

Pearl Studios, 519 8th Avenue

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:pushing progress a company / a workshop !

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Dana Foglia

Save the Date

Dana has been busy as ever teaching around the world and in NYC at studios like Broadway Dance Center and Peridance and choreographing pieces in her unique style. In mid-March Dana premiered her new show, “Vatic”, at Manhattan Movement Arts Center. Her work was also performed at shows like NYC’s “Carnival Choreographer’s Ball” and our :pushing progress Showcase Series this year. From sassy stiletto dances, to funky hip-hop, to smooth lyrical Dana’s work is ever-changing and always fresh! Keep up to date with all of her exciting happenings at her website!

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:pp CommunityDyllan Mont’s CornerTo say that I’ve been all over the place this summer is a bit of an understatement. After school at the George Washington University in DC (where I major in dance), a six week dance course at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, a two week vacation in California and a twelve day dance intensive in upstate Massachu– setts, home was the only place I wanted to be. Luckily for me, every time I return to the :pushingprogress Summer Intensive, it’s like coming home.

This August marked my fourth consecutive summer with :pushingprogress, and including winters, my seventh intensive with them overall (yes, that’s every in-tensive for those of you who are counting). Over the years, the returning students and especially the faculty have become my dance family. They push me to be better, work harder, and expect more from myself.

I can still remember the very first intensive. It was the first time that I had been taken out of the environment of my dance studio at home and been thrust into this whole different side of dance. I think that really sunk in during our first improv class. Without trying to get into too much detail, I will say only that what started as a structured improvisa-tion ended in the biggest crying fest I have ever been a part of. Though those who were there can look back on it and laugh (and believe me we do,) that class was a huge turning point for me. It opened me up to whole other side of dance. One that was emotional, energetic, and collective. Dance not

as a competitive team sport, but as a beautiful and spiritual art form. Kind of huge right? Since that very first summer, I have had the privilege of studying with :pushingprogress, and growing as both a dancer and a person under their guidance.

And just as :pushingprogress has witnessed my growth over these past four years, so to have I witnessed theirs. Every intensive has been a little bit different, as they constantly make changes to create the best possible

experience for their dancers. My favorite addition, and one that really sets :pushingprogress apart from all the other dance experiences I’ve had is their mentoring program. Being given a faculty member who focuses on you in classes and gives you corrections, advice and guidance for the path of your dancing is necessary, but not commonplace in the world of dance

“This August marked my fourth consec-utive summer with :pushing progress...”

training. I have loved that for the past two summers I have had someone to sit down and talk to about my fears, my questions, my doubts, and my dancing. They talk to us about mindset, and empower us to take control over the way we take class, the way we approach every day, and the way we perceive our experiences. Its not just dance training its life training.

So maybe it’s the amazingly brilliant, inspirational, invested, and loving faculty. Maybe it’s the sense of openness and lack of judgement that has always been commonplace in the :pushing progress classroom. Maybe its the sheer amount of information I gain about my body and how it works every, or the choreography sessions, or the mentoring program, or the type of students that :pushing progess seems to attract (this list goes on, believe me), but I literally can’t get enough. I credit Chris, Calen, Kathy, Anna and Maya with making me not only the dancer that I am today, but the person that I will be for the rest of my life.

I know that this sounds like a love letter, but maybe that’s exactly what it is. There simply aren’t enough words, so I will end with this: Thank you, :pushing progress, for bringing me so much joy and inspiration over the past four years. Thank you for teaching me how to love and accept myself. I am the best version of me when I’m with you.

Love, Dyllan

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:pushing progress Top Songs from The Summer Intensive 2011

Anna1. In this Shirt by The Irrepressibles

Kathy1. Blue Calx by Alarm will Sound

Chris1. Kronos Quartet by Philip Glass

Elisabetta Spuria1. Upside Down by Paloma Faith

Maya1. I Gave You All Mumford and Sons

2. The Leaving Song by Chris Garneau

2. Tonight by Lykke Li

2. Now That I’m Older by Surfjan Stevens

StudentChoreography1. Sayulita (DJ-Kicks) by Apparat

3. We Belong by Pat Benatar

2. Blue Bicycle by Hauschka

3. Nightbook by Ludovico Einaudi

Calen1. Hardliners by Holcombe Waller

2. Perth by Bon Iver

3. Body Talk Album by Robyn

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:pushing progress Top Videos from The Summer Intensive 2011

1. “String Quartet # 3” By Chris Hale

1. “Perth Class” By Calen Kurka

2. “Perth Duet” By Calen Kurka

2. “I Gave You All” By Maya Escueta

3. “In This Shirt” By Anna Vollmar

Watch Video Watch Video

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Watch Video

:pp Tops

:pppuzzle 8

AcrossWhich style of dance does Kathy usually teach?

The _____ museum at the South Street Seaport features a close up on human anatomy.

Technique classes focus on main-taining proper ________.

Which faculty member used to be a Rockette?

DownThe Summer Intensive has been going on for ______ years.

At which studio space did most of the Summer Intensive take place?

Which muscles do you use to turn out?

In the summer heat, it’s important to drink water to avoid ________!

The focus of many faculty mem-bers was connecting breath and __________.

:pppuzzle

Summer Intensive Lovin’! (may be more than one word, spaces are not included)

Last Newsletter’s Answers5. 1.

7. 2.

8. 3.

9. 4.

6.