20th Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation Presents 'Lightning Talks' Today

Seven innovators on the all-star faculty of the 20th Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation have seven minutes each to speak to what they are most passionate about and what currently drives their research and practice. Immediately following the lighting talks, the community gets a chance to join in on the conversation.

JOHN JASPERSE dissects what it means to be a dance artist in a consumer driven economy. What do the specificities of dance in this age indicate about how the practice (and the product) of what we do might respond to its current environment?

SARA SHELTON MANN discusses what drives her current project The Eye of Leo, a series of solos directed by Sara and performed by others. Get a sneak peek at video footage from the series and perhaps even a live "lightning solo".

CHRIS AIKEN delves into the complex and enlightening study of what happens just before we move.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER reveals a key driving force in his own practice: how conscious presence enhances improvisational skills.

AMII LEGRENDRE takes a look at her experience with teaching dance to men in prison, which informs her broader interest of how to make and share work in a way that speaks to the relevance of a specific community.

Plus! Exciting insights from SHELLEY SENTER + JILL SIGMAN.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

John Jasperse is a Guggenheim Fellow and received a Bessie Award in recognition of his body of work. He has created works for Baryshnikov's White Oak Project, Batsheva Dance Company, and the Lyon Opera Ballet. His work has been presented by major festivals and presenting organizations in Brazil, Chile, Israel, Japan and throughout the US and Europe.johnjasperse.org

Sara Shelton Mann and her legendary San Francisco-based company Contraband appeared on stages, in warehouses, abandoned buildings and outdoors from 1979-1996. She collaborated with Guillermo Gomez-Pena until 1999, and currently teaches her complex interdisciplinary performance style and movement vocabulary worldwide. sarasheltonmann.org

Chris Aiken's work has been significantly influenced through the Alexander Technique, Ideokinesis, yoga and the work of Ida Rolf. Chris has performed and collaborated with renowned dance artists Steve Paxton, Kirstie Simson, Nancy Stark Smith, Peter Bingham, Andrew Harwood, Patrick Scully and Angie Hauser. chrisaikenangiehauser.wordpress.com

Michael Schumacher has been a member of Ballet Frankfurt, Twyla Tharp Dance, Feld Ballet, Pretty Ugly Dance Company, and Katie Duck's Magpie Music Dance Company. Working as dancer, choreographer, and teacher, Schumacher has developed a unique approach to the discipline of improvisation. He resides in Amsterdam and conducts workshops in movement analysis and improvisation worldwide. michaelschumacherdancer.wordpress.com

Amii LeGendre currently teaches dance at Bard College, NY after years of living and making performance in Seattle. Over the last 20 years, she has developed contact improvisation teaching material within a larger contemporary performance practice with an eye toward activism. She teaches dance to incarcerated men, opera singers, college students, colleagues, children and humans at large.

Shelley Senter, a renowned teacher of the Alexander Technique, has been investigating the application of the principles of the Alexander process to the performing body and mind for nearly two decades. She is a member of Lower Left artist collective and a repetiteur of the seminal works of Trisha Brown and Yvonne Rainer, which she stages internationally.

Jill Sigman was a 2012 Fellow at the Center for Creative Research at NYU and a Visiting Artist at Wesleyan University. She is currently at work on The Hut Project, holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton. She is the Artistic Director of jill sigman/thinkdance.
thinkdance.com

ABOUT THE 20TH SEATTLE FESTIVAL OF DANCE IMPROVISATION (SFDI)

SFDI is one of the world's leading festivals of dance and improvisation brings artists from around the globe to Seattle to collaborate, exchange information and share their creative processes. With international faculty, performances by world-class innovators, and daily community events, SFDI is a week of intensives, classes, jams, somatic workshops, performances and discussions focused on fostering the study, practice and appreciation of dance improvisation.

SFDI 2013 was curated by the SFDI 2013 Panel: Alia Swersky, Beth Graczyk, Cyrus Khambatta and Tonya Lockyer with generous input from the community.

Velocity's presentation of the 20th Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation is made possible by generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts, 4Culture, ArtsFund, The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and The Stuart & Jesse Abelson.