What's New

 

CDA Events - Mark Your Calendars!

 

July 31    Rescheduled CDA's Facing the Public  A day's workshop for dance company artistic and executive directors and Independent choreographers at Wesleyan University. More info

September 26    CDA Awards for Distinguished Achievement in Dance 2010  More info

October 9    Join the Dance! A CDA Day Conference on Dance and At-risk and Underserved Communities  At Trinity College, Hartford  More info

January 17, 2011    CDA Martin Luther King Day of Dance 2011  At Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, Hartford

March 12 & 13, 2011    The Connecticut Classic  The first CDA classical ballet summer scholarship competition at Westover School, Middlebury, CT

 

April 3, 2011    Facing the Future  A one-day workshop for high school students considering a career in dance at the college level. At Hartt School Dance Division, University of Hartford.

 

Rescheduled

Facing the Public:

Reaching a Wider Audience
A one-day workshop for choreographers and dance company

artistic and executive directors

Saturday, July 31, 9:30am – 4:00pm
Center for the Arts Hall, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT

Co-sponsored by Connecticut Dance Alliance (CDA) and
Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts


Choreographers are often deeply committed to developing their own work and lack the skills (and the budget) to market their work in ways that will attract presenters, audiences and funders. Facing the Public is a one-day workshop that has been created to meet this need.


Fee: No charge/ CDA members; $25/ non-members
(including lunch with vegetarian options)

Workshop sessions include:

Talking and writing about your work

with consultant, Dawn Gibson Brehon, Gibson & Brehon & Company


How to produce a video that does justice to your work

with videographer, Ed McKeon, Motion Inc.


Getting your work out there

with agent, Ken Maldonado, Zia Artists

Funded in part by the National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts,
with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.


If you have questions, please email bally@wesleyan.edu


Click here to download the application form.
Deadline for applications July 23, 2010

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The CDA Board of Directors is proud to announce the

 

CDA Awards for

Distinguished Achievement in Dance 2010

 

This year, CDA is presenting awards to three much-loved and

distinguished members of Connecticut's dance community:

Barbara Feldman, New Haven
Dee Dee Handy-Morris, New Haven
Dorothy Silverherz, Avon

 

The awards event will take place on

Sunday, September 26, 2010 - 4:00 - 6:00pm

Off Broadway Theater at Yale, New Haven

 

Barbara E. Feldman
New Haven native and arts administrator, choreographer, and dancer, served as Artistic Director of Barbara Feldman & Dancers in New Haven for 25 years. Her most notable pieces were her five collaborations with composer Dwight Andrews. Feldman taught modern dance, composition and movement for actors in various departments at Yale University from 1976 until 2000. Feldman also freelanced as movement advisor for various projects with Elm Shakespeare Company, Long Wharf Theatre and Yale Cabaret, among others. As Director of Community Programs for the International Festival of Arts and Ideas from 1998 until 2002, Feldman’s work focused on community relations, programming and residencies by both regional and international artists. Among the programs she developed and directed were the NEFA-funded performances of New England choreographers (Dancing Nor’easters) and a year-long residency of Urban Bush Women in the Dixwell neighborhood in New Haven. Prior to her work with the Festival, Feldman served as Executive Director of the Shoreline Alliance for the Arts. She is currently the Director of Development and Marketing for the Arts Council of Greater New Haven. A member of the Board of Directors of the Ethel and Abe Lapides Foundation, Feldman has also participated as a grants review panelist for the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, the United Way of Greater New Haven and other New England funding agencies. A long time arts advocate, Feldman served as a Board member and teacher for the Dance Alliance of New Haven, an incorporator and one of the founding Board members of Artspace, and a member of the Board of Trustees at Hopkins School. She was honored by both institutions for her contributions and service to the arts. Feldman is the recipient of a BA in Spanish from Wheaton College (MA)) and a Master of Science degree in Human Performance and Exercise Physiology from Southern Connecticut State University. She was trained in ballet and then studied dance for many years with Dan Wagoner, Viola Farber and members of their companies. Feldman is an associate fellow of Saybrook College at Yale University.

Dee Dee Handy-Morris
Daughter of Brandon (Vet) & Mabel Handy. Dee Dee was the third of four sisters; Kathy, Brenda and Robyn Handy.

Dee Dee graduated from Hillhouse High School in and attended numerous colleges; South Central Community College, Southern Connecticut State College in New Haven and Howard University in Washington, D.C. Dee Dee was driven to seek her main interest which was dance and attended Hartford School of Ballet in Hartford, CT and received a Certificate in Dance.

Dee Dee's Dance experiences began at the age of five where she took her first Ballet and Jazz class at Bill Miller’s Dance school, located on Edgewood Ave in New Haven. Her love for dance came from Bowen Peters, who was a great influence in her life. She later attended New Haven Ballet School and went on to dance in New York at various venues; Lugi’s Jazz, Carnegie Hall, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey. She also studied dance in Washington D.C., at Jones & Haywood International Dance Company for two years, while living in D.C.

Dee Dee loves teaching young people. Her first experience was when she started her first training of dancers in Brookside, where she knocked on doors to see who would like to learn how to dance. Her ambition to train students has always been her desire from an early age.

Dee Dee venture out to look for a studio with her friend, now her husband Donald Morris, which was located on Edgewood Ave (which was the first place she took lessons). In 1980, DeeDee’s Dance Center opened its door at 318 Edgewood Avenue in New Haven, CT, where history began. Since then Dee Dee has opened three location within the state; Waterbury, Bridgeport and Stratford, CT.

Dee Dee has been blessed to have a wonderful staff that have been dedicated and work hard for 30 years. Dee Dee is happily married to Donald Morris, and has two sons, Tony and Donald. She has a very loving family and friends who continues to support all her endeavors. Dee Dee has received numerous awards and accolades from organizations around the City of New Haven. She is member of Life Kingdom Outreach Ministries under the leadership of her husband, Pastor Donald Morris in New Haven, CT. Dee Dee also serves on the Board of the Christian Community Commission, Inc.


Dorothy Silverherz
As a performer, Dorothy danced on Broadway in the original company of Me and Juliet with choreography by Robert Alton. She toured in Oklahoma and performed in Music Man with Van Johnson. She danced with the New York City Opera Ballet in The Merry Widow and at the Williamstown Summer Theatre.

Dorothy is a graduate of Rockville High School. She is an alumna of Smith College where she performed with a college troupe under the direction of Martha Myers. While at Smith, she performed in the pilot film for the WGBH Time to Dance series. She holds a M.A.L.S. from Wesleyan University. Her mentors include Florence Greenland, Margaret Craske, Antony Tudor, Marguerite deAnguera, Beth Marshall and Martha Myers. She has a background in many forms of dance: During her student and adult life, she studied ballet, jazz, modern, character, tap and Afro-Caribbean dance.

A founder of the Connecticut Valley Regional Ballet Company, Inc., and a member of its board of directors, Dorothy has been involved with many of its dance related projects: she booked numerous dance concerts and lecture demonstrations in New England; she assisted in the founding of Storybook Theatre which gave theatre and dance training to many individuals living in the Greater Hartford/Springfield area; she participated in the creation of the C. Tracy Dorman film library which has been donated to the Dance Department of the University of Hartford.

Dorothy taught dance until 2006. Part time teaching posts included the Jewish Community Center in West Hartford. She was also a member of the adjunct faculty at the University of Hartford and an instructor in the community division at Trinity College. Dorothy's longest teaching and dance administration position was at the Ethel Walker School where she was employed for 25 years.

Together with Michael Coster and Tracy Dorman, Dorothy founded Momentum: Images of Dance, an international dance photo contest. Dorothy continues to administer this contest.

Having retired in 2006 from teaching dance, Dorothy presently volunteers for Foodshare and the Northeast Children's Literary Center.

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JOIN THE DANCE!
Dance for At-Risk and Underserved Communities

 
Saturday, October 9, 2010 8:30am-4:00pm


Theater and Dance Wing of the Trinity Commons

240 New Britain Ave, Hartford CT 06106*
Fees (including lunch): CDA Members $25; Non-members $35;

Students of CDA members $15; Students of non-members $20.



Parking should be available in the rear parking lot. Participants should enter by the rear entrance to the building. For campus map and directions go to: www.trincoll.edu/AboutTrinity/VisitingTrinity/DirectionsToTrinity.htm

This one-day conference will explore dance as a tool for learning, growth, and transformation in the lives of people of all ages and abilities who live and work within communities at risk. We will bring together experts in the field of both dance and the communities for the purpose of education, inspiration, and the development of dance projects for at-risk communities. During the day, current successful dance programs will be explored and discussed through participatory workshops, video, lunch focus tables, a panel discussion and a showcase performance.
 


PLAN FOR THE DAY

Registration 8:30am

9:00–10:00
Workshop for all participants
Beyond the Boundaries /Judy Dworin & Kathy Borteck Gersten
Movement class exploring issues of incarceration for all levels of dance experience.

10:00–10:30
Presentation/Collecting data for research purposes /Stacy Lopez

10:45–11:45
Shared ability workshop
Brad Roth / Dancing Day
OR
Stretching for Life
Dance program for inner city children
Olivia Sabulao Ilano-Davis

11.45–12:30
Lunch with “focus tables” for informal conversations with Jacqueline A. Coleman,

Olivia Sabulao Ilano-Davis, Brad Roth or Susan Sandel

12:30–1:30
For all Participants: Video / Judy Dworin Performance Project / York Correctional Institution and
Panel: Joe Lea, Michele Bauman, Kathy Borteck Gersten, Karen Oein
Moderator: Judy Dworin

1:45–2:45
Dance Therapy / Healthy-Steps / Susan Sandel

3:00–4:00
Showcase performance



Workshop leaders:

Judy Dworin & Kathy Borteck Gersten, Artistic and Associate Artistic Director of the Judy Dworin Performance Project have presented for the last five years a remarkable residency combining dance with text and song at York Women’s Correctional Institution, CT.

Brad Roth, Founding Artistic Director of Dancing Day, Inc., a company that has promoted “shared ability” dance for people of all ages, abilities, and disabilities, since 1995.

Olivia Sabulao Ilano-Davis, Artistic Director and founder of Spectrum in Motion Dance Theater Ensemble and creator of Stretching for Life, an inspiring dance project for Hartford children based at Charter Oak Cultural Center, Hartford.

Susan Sandel, a distinguished dance therapist who has had a long career in this field and who is currently working with patients with cancer and other chronic diseases through Healthy-Steps, a program of integrated medicine, at Middlesex Hospital Cancer Center.

Stacey Lopez, a research assistant for the Children with Incarcerated Parents project, a collaboration between JDPP, Families in Crisis, the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy, Charter Oak Cultural Center, and York Correctional Institution.

Panel members:

 

Michele Bauman, Director of Education & Outreach for Connecticut Ballet which currently has a partnership project with CSSD Juvenile Probation and Detention Services; Joe Lea, Media Specialist & Arts Coordinator at York Women’s Correctional Institution; Kathy Borteck Gersten and Karen Oien, Deputy Warden, York Women’s Correctional Institution and moderated by Judy Dworin.

Workshop leaders’ bios and workshop descriptions:

Kathy Borteck Gersten (Associate Artistic Director, JDPE, Moving Matters! Residency coordinator) has been collaborating with Judy Dworin since 1986. She was a founding member of Dance Services Network and its Director for 6 years, Past Dance Vice President for the Connecticut Association for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, on the Artist selection panel for First Night Hartford, Dance Committee member for the Connecticut Standards for Dance and the State Guide to Arts Program Development K-12, Artist panel for Art/Artists Residencies, Arts Development Grants, and a board member of the Connecticut Dance Alliance. Currently, Kathy is a Teaching Artist with the Connecticut Commission for Culture and Tourism, a guest lecturer in the Department of Theater and Dance at Trinity College, a member of the Greater Hartford’s Dance Umbrella, the Charter Oak Dance Coalition and a member of the Dance Certification Committee for the State Dept. of Education.

Judy Dworin has been developing collaborative multi-arts residencies at York Correctional Institution for the past five years through her non-profit, the Judy Dworin Performance Project (JDPP) based in Hartford, CT. Founded in 1989, JDPP’s mission is centered on the important role the arts can and do play in challenging and creating change in our universe with a particular focus on underserved populations (www.judydworin.org). Over the past twenty years the Judy Dworin Performance Ensemble has performed and taught residencies internationally as well as throughout the New England region. Judy is on the Teaching Roster for the State of Connecticut and is the recipient of the Governor’s Arts Award, the Connecticut Dance Alliance Award for Distinguished Service and the Charter Oak Vision Award for Arts and Education among others. Her commitment to education has also had a thirty-nine year history at Trinity College, where she is presently a Professor in the Department of Theater and Dance. She has had articles published in such journals and books as Contact Quarterly, Northeast Magazine, Ellison Findly’s (ed) Women’s Buddhism, Buddhism’s Women, and Marjorie Agosin and Betty Jean Craige’s (eds) To Mend the World: Women Reflect on 9/11. She was also asked to contribute a chapter to a new book, Performing New Lives: Reflections on Prison Theatre in the United States, edited by Jonathan Shailor, Associate Professor of Communications at University of Wisconsin-Parkside, and being published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers in the fall of 2010. Judy’s work with women in prison has expanded in the last year to include children with incarcerated parents. She is presently working on a large-scale collaborative arts project between JDPP and social service and community organizations in Hartford as well as York Correctional Institution to begin to bridge the divides between children and their parents in prison through the arts.

Workshop description (Judy & Kathy):
Beyond the Boundaries
This workshop will first of all facilitate our meeting each other for this day of discovery and sharing. It will also explore in movement and story the ways that we can bridge the divides that make us feel separate from others. Based on our work with women in prison and children who have parents in prison, we will look at our own inner “prisons” that make us feel isolated—how are they the same or different from those who are actually in prison or have experienced a loved one who is incarcerated? How can we bridge the idea of the “other” and create connection and community both within ourselves and with others? In a variety of exercises, we will follow the path of these questions and where they take us in movement, interaction and discovery.

 



Olivia Sabulao Ilano-Davis (Artistic Director, Spectrum in Motion Dance Theater Ensemble) was born in the Philippines and grew up in western Massachusetts. She holds a BFA in Theater and Dance from Smith College and has pursued an advanced degree in education at the University of Massachusetts. She studied and danced at The Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, The Clarke Center for the Performing Arts and Henry Street Settlement. She began teaching as an adjunct instructor at the University of Massachusetts. She is the former Director of Dance Programs for City Youth at Dance Connecticut and Hartford Ballet. She is a member of the Greater Hartford Dance Umbrella and the Connecticut Dance Alliance. Ms. Davis was honored as a "Leader for the Arts" during the Greater Hartford Arts Council's thirtieth United Arts Campaign. She received the 2005 Vision Award for Arts and Education from Charter Oak Cultural Center. In 2009, She was awarded the CT Dance Alliance Distinguished Achievement Award.

Her company, Spectrum in Motion Dance Theater Ensemble, is based at Charter Oak Cultural Center, Hartford, where she and her company serve as the resident dance education and performance company. She has become passionate that the role of her company would be to grow dancers and build choreography that reflects their experiences and their growth, while celebrating the movement and music of the cultures of the world.

Workshop description
Olivia and the Spectrum company members direct Stretching for Life, a dance education program serving 400 Hartford youngsters aged 4 to 17, at Charter Oak Cultural Center. Designed with curricular links to Connecticut’s Common Core of Learning, age and skill appropriate classes are offered as an after school and Saturday program.
In this workshop, Olivia will introduce participants to the Stretching for Life program.

 



Brad Roth has a Masters degree in Movement and Dance from Wesleyan University, a Bachelors’ degree in Economics from Cornell University, and is a Certified Laban Movement Analyst. He is a Teaching Artist with the Connecticut Commmission on Culture and Tourism. University teaching credits include the Hartt School of the University of Hartford, Eastern Connecticut State University, Fairfield University, Hampshire College, Trinity College, University of Bridgeport, and The Yale School of Music.

He is a Founding Artistic Director of Dancing Day, Inc., promoting “shared ability” dance for people of all ages, abilities, and disabilities, since 1995. Performances have been given in schools and community centers, at the Connecticut Special Olympics, and at the Special Olympics World Games.

Workshop description
Brad will present a shared ability workshop for conference participants, both with and w/o disabilities with Q & A at the end. Brad will share the format he uses with the participants. No previous dance experience is needed, only a desire to concentrate, create, dance, and share.

Shared Ability Dance: Shared ability dance is dance that is inclusive of dancers with disabilities, wherein the dancers of varying abilities share their skills in the creation of choreography. This field has also been called “inclusive dance,” “integrated dance,” and “wheelchair dance,” and has a thirty-plus year history, with many fine inclusive dance companies throughout the United States and the world combining dancers with and without disabilities to create beautiful and moving dances.

 



Susan L. Sandel, Ph.D., BC-DMT, LCAT, CLM is a Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist and is certified in The Lebed Method, Healthy-Steps (formerly Focus on Healing). She has a doctorate from The Union Institute in movement psychotherapy and gerontology. She is also a licensed nursing home administrator. For more than thirty-five years, she has integrated creative arts therapies into her work in hospitals, nursing homes, and community centers. Her early work with older adults is included in the film Dance Therapy: The Power of Movement. She is the co-author of Waiting At The Gate: Creativity and Hope in the Nursing Home (Haworth, 1987) and the author of many articles about movement and healing. She was the principal co-investigator and co-author of a research study about the effects of The Lebed Method program with breast cancer survivors. The results were published in Cancer Nursing, Vol. 28, No. 4, 2005.

Dr. Sandel currently conducts the Healthy-Steps program at two different locations for the Middlesex Hospital Cancer Center’s Center for Survivorship and Integrative Medicine. Her groups are part of an array of many integrative medicine therapies for both cancer patients and community members. She facilitates dance/movement therapy groups at the Meriden Senior Center and for the Meriden Housing Authority. Dr. Sandel also teaches creative writing workshops for both the Middlesex Hospital Cancer Center and the Meriden Senior Center. She is a sculptor and a Pet-Facilitated Therapist.

Workshop description:
Healthy-Steps™, Moving you to health with The Lebed Method
Healthy-Steps is a joyful, life-affirming therapeutic exercise and movement program to music that is rooted in the healing elements of dance. It emphasizes positive energy, mutual support and empowerment. It is designed to promote both physical and emotional wellness among the participants, outcomes which have been validated by several studies. Healthy-Steps improves range of motion, balance, strength and endurance. It is especially helpful for survivors of breast cancer and other cancers, lymphedema, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, frozen shoulder and other chronic conditions. Healthy-Steps is a gentle, total body program; therefore, many people discover they can do it even when they are unable to engage in more rigorous types of exercise.

This workshop will guide the participants through the stages of a typical session, along with explanations about the potential therapeutic benefits of various movements. There will be an opportunity at the end for questions.


Stacey Lopez, workshop description
A short presentation on collecting data for research purposes.
 



Lunch will be organized in Focus Tables to enable participants to have informal conversation with the specialists. There will be Focus Tables for Olivia Sabulao Ilano-Davis, Brad Roth, Susan Sandel and Jacqueline A. Coleman, Artistic Director, Office of Academics, Hartford Public Schools.
 

Click here to download the application form.
Deadline for applications September 28, 2010

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