From our friends at Fresh Arts:

Houston is Inspired!

There’s more to Houston than brisket, big oil, and bayous. Houston has another story to tell. The story of how this city has become a mecca for some of the best arts, culture and food in the country. We have a winning combination of creativity, diversity, innovation and resources to be named Forbes’ “Coolest City.” Thousands of people come here every year ON PURPOSE to experience everything Houston has to offer. Thousands more will visit, especially now that The New York Times marked Houston #7 on its “Places to Visit in 2013” list (along with Instanbul at #10 and Paris at #46). (True story.) Well, hello, Houston. That’s something to brag about.

And that’s how “Houston is…” was born. They did approximately 7,000 tons* of research and figured out that visitors LOVE Houston for two things above all else: culture and cuisine. They created a spectacular national advertising campaign to share that news with the world. And when folks working in Houston’s arts and culture community** heard the statistics and saw the campaign, they did a collective dance of joy and adopted “Houston is Inspired” as a unifying mantra for an unprecedented regional effort to celebrate our creative capital. We’re ready to let the world know that our special BBQ comes with an extra side of awesomesauce. And a bottle of champagne.

Houston: We ARE inspired. It’s time to inspire everyone around us, too. Here’s how you can help. (Especially YOU, independent artists! Make your voices heard!)

our gal pal Courtney D. Jones at the Houston is Inspired mural. Best pic of the event.  We thought it needed a little extra flair, too.

Hello Framers!

We had a ROCKIN Soiree.  Thanks for coming out and having fun with us!

We had a rockin review.

“Hance frames her dancers in each shot with a keen eye for proportion, letting the shot’s visual organization register before a movement sequence begins. Each scene feels composed with attention to its larger container of the building, city and sky….Quiver may be the least whimsical and most otherworldly of Hance’s films, and feels like a move toward a serious discussion of the mover in an urban landscape.”  A+C Magazine Houston

Framer Ashley Horn got some rockin recognition on those GORGEOUS blue skirts you all have been raving about.

“Shot in and around the Pennzoil Place building, Quiver follows a tribe of movers, clad in Ashley Horn’s minimalist cobalt blue felt skirts. The flesh tones of their skin, combined with the fuzzy felt of their skirts, makes a strong juxtaposition to the surrounding gray steel architecture. Throughout, there’s attention to the sharp contrast between body and building. The curved outlines of Hance’s choreography are viewed through the linear grid of the building. Even the way the felt skirts hold their rounded contours adds to the play of textures, creating a middle ground between skin and steel.”

Composer Mark Hirsch got a rockin shout out about his music.

“The visual rhythm of turbulence and calm becomes the underlying current in Quiver. Eerie electronic music by Mark Hirsch amplifies the unsettling elements, punctuating the piece with shifts in sonic structure to galvanize our attention. The duality is further explored in alternating between interior and outside shots.”

We’re super proud of the film, and we have plans to screen it again.  Stay tuned, dear Framer.

Coming to the Frame Dance Soiree?

Download the PIVIT app on your phone and search for “Frame Dance Soiree.”

Join the event before you arrive, and then you’ll be photo sharing with the cool kids.

It’s the latest and the greatest.

photo by Jonathon Hance

Hi Framers,

Lydia here again.  Thought I’d update you on the Soiree and on Quiver.

I am so excited for the Soiree.  Who doesn’t love some socializing, lite bites, and some awesome art?  Well, I do.  The guest list is growing, thank you to all who have bought tickets early.  It calms me a little knowing we will have a great crowd.  Houston is notorious for last-minute ticket purchases– you know who you are.  And the truth is, I do it too!  But as the artist and event planner, I want to thank you early purchasers.  (We love walk-ups too– everybody’s welcome.)  The more the merrier.

The film is…almost…done.  So. Very. Close.  And I’ve been watching it with Mark Hirsch’s music and it’s developed this lovely eerie quality.  Grounded yet suspended.  Ethereal yet fleshy.  Ashley Horn’s costumes are bold and beautiful.  I’m excited to tie it up and show it to you.  I think you’ll like it.  I hope you’ll love it.

Get your tickets here, we want to see you!  And we do have a maximum occupancy of 120, so don’t be left out.

to art,

Lydia

We’re having a party!

Tuesday, April 9

6:00-9:00pm at the Alliance Gallery, 3201 Allen Pkwy

True to its social nature, Frame Dance hosts a soiree, with the premiere of dance film Quiver, a reception, and silent auction.   Choreographed and directed by Lydia Hance, the film features the talented Jacquelyne Boe, Laura Gutierrez, Alex Soares, and Brit Wallis. Quiver explores the space between intimacy and loneliness and was inspired by the words of Houston-based poet, Loueva Smith:

“There is a reckless love-wobble in your hips; a solemn temple-dance convulsion in the blades of your shoulders.  What is in your hands opens at the hollow bow of your collar bone and bares your neck to submission.”

The piece features music by composer Mark Hirsch and a physical focus on the anatomy of the collarbones and shoulder blades. Come hungry and ready to participate in a fabulous silent auction with items from St. Arnold’s Brewery, Mildred’s Umbrella, Eat Well nutrition counseling, Rice Glasscock School for Continuing Education, Body Envy Houston, spray paint artist Erick Sandlin, Trinity & Co., Davey Tree and more.

Frame Dance Productions is a fresh and energetic presence on the dance scene in Houston engaging audiences with dance in meaningful ways through creating innovative and vulnerable works for the screen and stage.

Tickets: www.framedance.org/boxoffice
$25 General or $75 VIP comes with two tickets to Frame Dance’s spring show Ecouter on June 28-29 at Spring Street Studios.

If you are unable to join us, but would still like to make a donation, there is a place to donate on the boxoffice.  Just click the link above.

Hi Framers,

Happy Thursday.  We are almost there.  Power through, people.  Did you notice our wonderful Frame Dance Soiree logo?  First a shout out to Framer Jacquelyne Jay Boe whom you see performing with Frame Dance all the frickin time.  She’s such a talented dancer, but she also does graphic design and I’m so pleased that she made our Soiree logo.  I can hear you thinking, “what soiree?”  Well, let me tell you.  You know those photos we have on our facebook page and on the blog with the Framers in those long blue skirts (made by Framer Ashley Horn)?  We are premiering that film on April 9.  But we’re making it a party.  We like it like like that.

We will have a silent auction, drinks, games…(no, no games.)  No planned games anyway.

What is also super exciting is that composer Mark Hirsch is creating the score for the film.  If you follow us, you know that we’re fans of new music and local composers.  So you’ll get a treat with his music and our film coming together to make Quiver.  I’m editing now.  Oh you caught me, I am procrastinating now.  I edit best with quick brain breaks.  I like to consider it perspective, coming back into the work with fresh eyes.  I heard that chuckle.  Hey– don’t judge my artistic process.

Check back in here and on facebook and jump into twitter too.

to art,

Lydia

details coming soon.

I’ve been following the Dance Anywhere movement for a few years now.  And secretly I’ve participated in my living room.  And now I’d like to rally some Framer support of the movement.  What does it mean?  Dance wherever you are on March 22 at 2pm central time.  What if everyone, everywhere danced at once?  Participate with us!  Here’s some more information:

About dance anywhere®

What if there was a public celebration of dance everywhere, around the world, simultaneously? What if, in one moment, the whole world started dancing? Why wait for a performance opportunity to come your way? No audition, no application, no references, no formal dance training needed. Everyone is invited!

dance anywhere® is a simultaneous worldwide public art performance and we want YOU to be the star! For the past 8 years, people of all ages and artistic capacities have made dances in parks, museums, street corners, schools, work places, community centers, offices, and just about anywhere you can imagine. Participants have been professional dancers and artists, plumbers, doctors, soccer players, teachers and politicians. Some dances are choreographed, some are improvised, and some stretch the definition of what dance is.
We hope you will participate on Friday, March 22, 2013 at noon CA, 3pm NY: (click here for your time).

Where will you be?

At work? Taking a lunch break? In class? Running an errand? In line at the bank? The library? The grocery store? Walking the dog in the park?… Perfect! Your participation doesn’t need to be an event you plan months in advance! … Tap your foot, do a little jig, bob your head… You have our permission. And you will be joined by thousands around the world. Get together with your friends, family, colleagues or strangers on the street – wherever you will be – and have some fun!

the mission of dance anywhere®

• Build community by engaging people worldwide in a simultaneous, public art, performance

• Reconsider the definition of art, public space, and community

• Make dance accessible to more people

• Inspire creativity

• Change perspectives through community art experiences

Artist Beth Fein first created dance anywhere® in 2005 …what if there was a public celebration of dance anywhere and everywhere simultaneously? Why wait for a performance opportunity to come your way? No audition, application, no references, no formal dance training needed. Everyone is invited no matter age or ability.

Beth Fein originally conceived the idea in an effort to acknowledge dance practice (rehearsal, class, etc) as an art form, that formal performances are only a part of dance, that the less observed dance practice is also an art form. As a dancer and visual artist, Fein has continued to develop this original concept to not only blur the line between art practice and art, but to dissolve the line that often separates art and dance from our daily lives. This is dance that transforms our familiar and ordinary locations.
To learn more about Beth Fein and her dance and visual arts practice visit www.bethfein.com.

–Lydia

Hi Framers!  Lydia here.  Hasn’t our wonderful new Development Assistant, Lena Silva been doing a fabulous job on the blog?  We’re also really excited that Technology Director Jonathon Hance brought the blog onto our website, so it’s all nice and neat, and easy to cruise the site.  Have you seen our videos?  Checked out our beautiful artists?  Mosey over.  Later.

Company update: 

We had a fabulous run of To the Brim, a collaboration with Charles Halka.  It premiered at the JCC Dance Month Choreographers X6.  We will do it again, I keep getting requests!  Thanks for your enthusiasm, we love the piece too.

I am currently in the middle of editing our new film Quiver.  Maybe you’ve seen some photos of it on our facebook page?  Our own Ashley Horn (and a Houston Top 100 Creative) made these beautiful long blue skirts.  We will premiere this beauty in April at the Frame Dance Soiree.  That’s right folks, you heard it here first.  We’re having a par-tay.  More details coming so very soon.  Mark Hirsch is composing the music, and we’re thrilled to bring him into the Frame Dance madness.

And thirdly, I am in the midst of listening to our 2013 Composition Winner’s music.  We’ve talked about Rob McClure before.  This guy on the right.

He wrote some exciting music, and I am really challenged by the rhythm and energy of it.  And that’s what I look for in music– something that challenges me.  First, I listen for something the draws me in, and holds me in.  You know that feeling when you are listening to something on the radio in the car, and you get so lost in it your body goes into autopilot and you end up driving to some place in your usual routine?  Like work or the grocery store? You just end up there.  Like the music consumes you and your flesh just goes into autopilot. And second, it has to scare me a little.  Not literally.  But choreographically.  I am pulled in, consumed, and then utterly unsettled on what I will create.   That’s how I pick music.  Micah Clark, Charles Halka and this year’s Rob McClure all composed music that did that to me.  That piece will premiere in our spring concert on June 28-29.  The show will be called Ecouter.  I’m not sure how to make an accent over the “e” on this computer, so please forgive me, dear Francophone Framer.

In summary, stay tuned and come to our Frame Dance Soiree to see Quiver, and mark your calendars for Ecouter coming June 28-29.

To Art!

Lydia