The End of FTC 2013

Well it has been quite the ride. We started back in January and rehearsed every week for 8 hours, and sometimes more. There have been tears, there has been sweat (a lot), there have been laughs, and there has been blood, bruises, and pain. But I think all the members of the Freshman Touring Company would agree that it has all been worth it. Not only did we get to do what we love most, perform, but int he process we inspired high school students, elementary school children, elders, and hospital patients and families. There is nothing more fulfilling in the world than doing what one loves to give back to the community. Not only this, but we were also able to perform for our friends and family on Sunday APril 21st, and the whole Department of Dance on Monday April 22nd. This journey has truly taught us so much about ourselves, our peers, and our art form. It is sad to have to say goodbye to such an amazing company and experience, but we all look forward to having more experiences like this down the road in professional companies. We hope you have enjoyed following our adventures!

FTC 2013 will forever be known as the sassiest FTC class ever!

WE OUT! 

Performance 5- Our Final Touring Stop

It was finally feeling like spring here in Ann Arbor and suddenly the temperature dropped about 20 degrees as FTC boarded the bus on their way to Dickens Elementary. FTC arrived as some of the children were eating lunch. There was a mutual feeling of amusement as we watched the young and adorable children eat, and they watched us talked amongst ourselves. Our first show occurred at 1:00 pm. The kids sat on the floor as we performed on a tiny stage in the MPR. Throughout the first pice, Maddy and Nola's Dances for the Kitchen, the children could not stop laughing. Every time a lift would occur among the female dancers, the children would burst out laughing. The laughter continued on through almost all of the performance. The children thoroughly enjoyed the performance, and the dancers could not be more excited that these young children were so enthusiastic about modern dance and our art form. Our second performance occurred at 2:40 pm. The kids that attended this performance enjoyed it a lot as well. After the performance, a young boy and his mother approached our one male member, Jeffrey Noble. The boy and the mother asked Jeffrey about his experience with dance and if he had any advice for this young dancer. The kids were so cute and so responsive to our dancing that we all left feeling accomplished!

Performance 4

On Tuesday April 16th, FTC packed into several cars and headed over to Glacier Hills Nursing Home. The stage was about the same size as the Carr Center's stage, meaning that it was very wide, but also very shallow. The dancers performed for an audience of elders. In fact, many audience members were quite enthustic dance watchers as they have been coming to the University of Michigan Department of Dance's shows for years. Glacier Hills has always been a tour stop for the Freshman Touring Company, and in addition to FTC, Ann Arbor Dance works also performs at this location every summer. The audience was very appreciative of our dancing and had a lot of questions for us at the end of the performance. At the end of the performance, all the dancers left in a happy state as we realized that we had brought these lovely people entertainment and art, which is hard for them to obtain most of the time. 

Interview with Maddy and Nola

Lena Oren met up with juniors Maddy and Nola in between classes to learn a little bit more about the piece they created and the process behind it. 

Q: What is the name of the dance?

A: Dances for the Kitchen

Q:  Who is the composer of the music?

A: Slavic Soul Party

Q:    What is the concept behind the piece?

A: It is actually a restaging from another work. We conceptually tried to take things from a dance we did a year ago. What we kept was the idea of gender roles and whether we wanted to fulfill them, question them, or rebel against them.

Q:  Can you tell us a little bit about the process of creating the piece?

A: We came in with material on the videotape and in our body that was from the piece from last june. We had a lot of plans about how we could organize it, based on the number of dancers, and what sections we wanted to keep, whether they were trio, duet, or solo. We tried to set a game plan before our first rehearsal because of the lack of time. After the first rehearsal we strung things together to see what worked and what needed to be delved into more.

Q: What have been some of your fondest memories at the University of Michigan?

Maddy stands while Nola hinges during a duet they
choreographed that was performed at the American
College Dance Festival this year

A: Maddy-Oh Gosh! My fondest memory would proabably be the first week of school when Nola and I went to a football game. I was wearing a yellow Michigan shirt and Nola was wearing a floral dress. We were walking down State Street by all the crazy houses, when we spotted these boys we sort of knew. They told us to join them in the house they were in, so we walked into that house and were greeted by someone who asked us why we were there. We then spotted our sort of "friend."  The guy was wearing 3 or 4 michigan shirts layered on top of one another, and he asked Nola why she was wearing a dress and  gave Nola a shirt to wear.

Q: Do you prefer choreography over performing? Or visa versa?

A: Nola-I like to performing other people's works because it gives me the opportunity to try on different things and different styles of movement or moods, or styles I would not necessarily make myself. But at the moment I am very interested in improvisation and orignianl work and I love choreography way more than I did when I first came here, because I had done zero choreography when I first came here.

Maddy-Today, I still like performing more. But that also includes performing my own stuff. I do like performing others as well. I think my opinion could change in the future. 

Performance Number 3

All company members had to wake up quite early this morning as our call time was at 7:45 am! This was because our tour took us all the way to Detroit to perform at the Carr Center for the Arts. The audience consisted of high school students from a school nearby, several teachers, and some of the employees at the Carr Center. After the performance we had a much longer Q & A session with the audience. They asked some really great questions and it was a great experience to be able to explain dance through our bodies and words to these teenagers who do not get experiences like this that often. The Carr Center is an absolutely amazing place! It is home to many visual art exhibitions, musical concerts, performances, and other artistic productions. The building itself was built in 1895, and the company members were not only generously fed at the center, but also received an amazing tour of the facilities. The dancers left very inspired after having performed at such an arts haven!

so official!

Second Performance at Skyline High School

On Friday April 12th, FTC company members boarded the Ride in our matching jackets, once again, to journey over to Skyline High School. The company was very fortunate to be able to perform in a black box theatre, located in the basement of the newly renovated high school. We performed two shows back to back and once again had a lot of space to work with. The audience seemed to enjoy the pieces and we had a few minutes at the end to have a Q and A session with the students and teachers. One english teacher questioned us about the connection between dance and narratives, which allowed the company members to explain how there is so much more to dance than the physical activity that it requires. It was truly great to expose these teenagers to the art of dance, as many people do not have the resources, time, or desire to experience the arts and especially dance. We were happy to get back to campus because there was a cake waiting in the dance building for Meri Bobber, who was celebrating her birthday this past weekend. All the company members went to the Mosher Jordan Dining Hall together to celebrate the three amazing shows that we have had and Meri's birthday!

A scene from Wanjiru's piece Fragmented Thoughts

The 1st FTC Performance

The Freshman Touring Company began its touring season with a premier performance at  the University Hospital on April 11th.  As a company, we walked over to the hospital in our matching FTC 2013 jackets. When the company arrived, we were instructed to move the couches and tables out of the way to create our performing space located in the main lobby. We very much appreciated the large size of the stage and although it may have been carpet, we were able to perform to our fullest! Audience members came and went, but some stayed and enjoyed the performance the whole time. It was an extremely enriching experience to perform for these people who were in great need of distraction and art, as waiting in the lobby of a hospital can get quite boring at times. Overall, FTC definitely agrees that our first show was quite a hit and so much fun to perform!

Some company members showing off our new jackets

The Tour Starts Today!

The Freshman Touring Company 2013 will begin performing "At This Point In Time" today at the University Hospital. It will feature works choreographed by U-M Dance alumni Alexandra Beller and Jillian Hopper; guest choreographer Wanjiru Kamuyu; historical choreographer Donald McKayle; current U-M Dance students Maddy Rager, Nola Smith and Sammi Rosenfeld; and U-M Dance faculty Sandra Torijano. After months of rehearsing these pieces the dancers are very excited to begin touring and performing for everyone!

Today's performance starts at 12:00 pm and it is located at the University Hospital Main Lobby. Floor 1. 1500 E. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Come out and support! We will keep you updated on all of the upcoming performances.

Meet the Dancers: Kiri Chapman

Kiri Chapman started ballet at an early age, leaving home at the age of thirteen to study at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington DC. She received scholarships for her studies at the Kirov Academy and for summer programs at the School of American Ballet and American Ballet Theater. She graduated valedictorian from the Kirov Academy in 2005 and immediately joined the corps of Tulsa Ballet Theater in Oklahoma. During her three seasons with the company, from 2005-2008, she performed nationally and internationally choreography from Twyla Tharp, Balanchine, Nacho Duato, Ma Cong, Petipa and many others. She has been recognized in several internationally acclaimed ballet competitions: Youth America Grand Prix New York Finals (top twelve), Jackson USA IBC (competitor), and New York IBC (semi-finalist). Currently, she teaches at the University of Michigan’s UMove program, “Swing City Dance”, “The Glass Room” and coaches pre-professional students privately.

Meet the Dancers: Ayana McPherson

Ayana McPherson is originally from Brooklyn, NY and is a graduate of LaGuardia High School of Music Art and the Performing Arts in Manhattan, NY. She currently attends the University of Michigan as a freshman dance major and plans to pursue her career goals of starring on Broadway and one day becoming a Lawyer. She has danced at Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn, Alvin Ailey, Deeply Rooted Productions and countless other year round and summer intensive programs. She has found her home training school to be Purelements: An Evolution in Dance. She is an active member of the Dance Student Assembly where she is a freshman representative and also participates in other extracurricular activities, as to which she hopes will broaden her exposure to different fields and make the University seem to be a smaller community in which everyone’s role is appreciated!

 

Meet the Dancers: Riley O'Donnell

Riley O’Donnell comes to the University of Michigan from Chicago, Illinois. She began her dance training at Salt Creek Ballet and later from The Academy of Dance Arts. During that time, she participated in the Ballet Chicago Advanced Intensive, Regional Dance America, and various conventions and competitions. Riley is a well-rounded dancer who feels that the University of Michigan has really expanded her outlook on dance as a whole and changed her approach towards dance in a very positive way. Riley plans to graduate with a double major in Communication Studies. After hopefully dancing professionally with a company, she plans to pursue a career in journalism. Riley is so thankful for the friends she has made through this program and can’t imagine her college experience without them.

Meet the Dancers: Nadia Weeks

Nadia Weeks is from the Metro Detroit Area.  She began her dance training at MBS School of Dance and at her local school, Harrison High School.  During that time she has participated in several dance intensives including: Bates Dance Festival and Summer Stages Dance Intensive. In addition to that, she has also performed at the National and Regional High School Dance Festival Galas.  Nadia is a freshman at the University of Michigan where she is pursuing a BFA in dance and undecided in the School of Literature, Science and the Arts.

Meet the Dancers: Penelope Koulos

Penelope Koulos grew up in Long Beach, California and trained at Orange County Dance Center for 12 years.   Since she was 11, Penelope has spent every summer dancing at intensives such as The Rock School, Boston Ballet, Alvin Ailey, and Paul Taylor.  She is a versatile dancer with a focus in ballet and contemporary and has a passion to perform.  Penelope did not want to give up a rigorous academic education in order to pursue her love for dance.  She chose The University of Michigan to earn her BFA in Dance and minor in Movement Science.  She hopes to live out her dream as a professional contemporary ballet dancer.  However, when her body can no longer withstand the physical demand, Penelope would like to get her Phd in Physical Therapy and eventually work for a dance company.

Meet the Dancers: Maeve McEwen

 

Maeve McEwen is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she studied ballet since the age of three. Before coming to Michigan, she had little exposure to modern and contemporary dance, but loves the new styles and choreography that she has been exposed to this school year. Maeve came to the University of Michigan multiple times during high school to visit her older sister, and was ecstatic when she found out she was accepted into the dance department. She hopes to be a part of a contemporary ballet company someday, and then possibly work in the physical therapy field.

Meet the Dancers: Sarah Ponczek

Sarah Ponczek comes to the University of Michigan from South Florida. She has danced since the age of three, training in multiple styles and felt that Michigan was the perfect place to pursue both her dance and academic related endeavors. Sarah has a profound interest in Broadcast Journalism and is working towards a dual degree in Communication Studies. She also works for the University of Michigan’s student-run TV station, WOLV-TV. She would like to intertwine the two fields in some manner, and she knows that dance will always remain a preeminent passion of hers.

Meet the Dancers: Catherine Jane 'CJ' Burroughs

CJ began dancing when she was knee high to a grasshopper at small local studios outside of the Boston area. She then trained at Walnut Hill Dance Academy before being accepted to University of North Carolina School of the Arts on merit scholarship under the direction of Ethan Stiefel. There CJ studied as both a ballet major and contemporary dance major before graduating in 2012. She has also studied at several summer intensives including Chautauqua Dance Institution, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Alonzo King's LINES Contemporary Ballet, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. This summer she will be attending Dance New York International in Paris. CJ is currently a freshman at University of Michigan pursing a BFA in Dance and minor in Movement Science.

Meet the Dancers: Lena Oren

Lena Oren grew up on the coast of Southern California right outside of Los Angeles. Training most seriously in ballet at the local dance studio, she was always interested in choreography, modern, and contemporary dance as well. Lena is so happy to be at the University of Michigan, it is the perfect place for her to dance, learn, and socialize with so many diverse people. She is pursuing her BFA in dance as well as another degree in possibly sociology or education. Upon graduation, Lena plans to audition all over the country and possibly abroad and hopefully dance in a professional company. After dancing she hopes to organize and lead some form of nonprofit organization that spreads dance and other arts to underprivileged or special needs youth. She knows that no matter where she goes or what she does, dance will be a constant presence in her life.

Meet the Dancers: Meredith 'Meri' Bobber

Meredith Bobber was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is grateful to have developed her dance skills and passion mostly through Mequon’s North Shore Dance Studio, the Milwaukee Ballet, the Kids From Wisconsin, and the Interlochen Center for the Arts. As well as training in dance performance and technique, Meredith has choreographed group and solo competitive pieces, concert dance performances, and musical theatre productions. She has additionally co-written and performed original alternative rock music as the lead singer of student band “The No Nothings.” Meredith is thrilled to be focusing solely on dance in an environment as innovative as the University of Michigan and can’t wait to perform with her incredible classmates in FTC.

Meet the Dancers: Ciara Hurst

From the metro Detroit area, I have been dancing ever since I was a little girl. Growing up I danced at many studios, but Adagio Dance Company will always have an important place in my heart. I have trained in many styles from jazz, hip-hop, acrobatics, ballet, contemporary, and lyrical. Ever since I was a little girl I knew I wanted to be a dancer, so being able to attend the University of Michigan for a BFA is not just a blessing, but a great learning experience. Before attending this dance program, I never did any type of modern dance or a lot of ballet so being here has been a great change for the better. Michigan has been nothing but amazing and I love our close-knit family between the freshman class. Dance will always be the main focus of my life so after college, I want to move to Los Angeles and get into choreographing and commercial work for shows.

Meet the Dancers: Jeffery Noble II

 

Jeffery Noble comes from the nearby city of Commerce Township, Michigan. Growing up training in dance studios, he was exposed to many types of dance and found that the education here at the University of Michigan compares the strongest with his balletic and contemporary style. He also believes dancers should have more capabilities than just technique. Therefore, this university was a great fit for him with their push for academic excellence is all degree fields. In his particular case he is an advocate of math and science by having a dual degree in Chemical Engineering. Although Jeffery is not positive about what his future holds, he knows dance will always be a part of it.

Meet the Dancers: Katlyn ‘KT‘ Marie Maviglia

 

KT is a junior at the University of Michigan pursuing a BFA in Dance. She aspires to tour with the Radio City Rockettes, and then go on to graduate studies at the University of Michigan and teach at a university level. In addition to her experiences in professional productions such as Beauty and the Beast, The Nutcracker, and Swan Lake which performed throughout Michigan and Ohio, KT studied at Oakland University, The Rockette Training Intensive, and Point Park University Conservatory of the Performing Arts. KT participates in the Miss America Organization and currently holds the title of Miss Monroe County 2012 and will compete in the Miss Michigan Pageant in June 2013. KT has several award-winning competition pieces to her credit including her overall winning talent choreography for Miss Michigan 2011 Elizabeth Wertenberger as well as her piece for Miss America 2012.

Meet the Dancers: Irene Vandenberghe

Irene Vandenberghe was born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan where she trained for 15 years at Mary Skiba's School of Dance. Irene is well-rounded in several styles of dance and has enjoyed performing, competing, and teaching throughout the years. Irene has performed with Joffrey Ballet and has assisted dance conventions for three years. Irene feels that the University of Michigan is the perfect school for continuing her dance training while being challenged academically with the desire of becoming a lawyer. She hopes to graduate and travel with a company. After dancing in a company, Irene wishes to continue traveling and pursue her career in law. Irene feels blessed to have met such amazing friends this year and is excited to perform with the FTC members.

 

Interview with Alexandra Beller

Before the FTC season had even begun, in the middle of November, Alexandra Beller began her week long residency here at the University of Michigan. Alexandra collaborated with company members CJ Burroughs, Lena Oren, Meri Bobber, KT Maviglia, Penelope Koulos, Ciara Hurst, and Maeve McEwen to build a piece from scratch. In fact, the very first day that the dancers began working with Alexandra she had them stand in a box around CJ Burroughs and watch while she improvised. The dancers had the task to take phrases they remembered from CJ's improvisation and piece them together to make new phrases. The dancers then taught one other dancer the phrase that they had created and this is how the dance was pieced together. It was a very new and collaborative way of creating a piece for most of the company members. Lena Oren interviewed her, take a look! 

Q: What is the name of the piece?

Alexandra Beller

A: Keeping Things Whole

Q: Who is the composer of music? 

A: Les Yeux Noirs and Meredith Monk

Q: How was the dance created? 

A: Structured improvisations leading to captured bits of relationship which were then set and used to manifest a series of cause and effect structures.

Q: What is it like to have your own company? 

A: It's stressful and exciting!
 
Q: Any advice for budding choreographers and dancers? 

A: Don't compare yourself to anyone else, and make sure that you are being treated with respect and compassion, both by your colleagues and directors, and by yourself...

Interview with Hillary Kooistra

Our own Irene Vandenberghe interviewed Hillary Kooistra, who participated in the Freshman Touring Company last year. Hillary Kooistra is now president of Dance Student Assembly and is involved in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance's Collaborative Student Assembly. Check out what she had to say!  

Q: What year in the dance department are you in at the moment?

A: Sophomore

Q: Was everyone involved in your FTC class freshman at the time?

A: Yep, all freshmen! And Robin, of course.

Q: Who was your favorite choreographer and why?

A: I loved working with all of the choreographers, but I would say I learned the most from working with Jessica Bonenfant. Jessica graduated from our MFA program in 2011, and came back to set a piece entitled Tethered on FTC. This piece was based on the works of TS Eliot and other poets, and involved speaking as well as dancing.  It was quirky, intellectual, and quite different from anything in our repertory. I think this piece was the first time I was exposed to the dance-theatre genre, which is now something I would very much like to pursue, so I am thankful that Jessica came in to work with us.

Q: What was your favorite venue to perform at?

A: I really enjoyed performing for the students at Dicken Elementary School. The stage we used was not the most ideal for dancing—we had about four square feet of solid dancing space—but the children’s energy made that all worthwhile. They were not afraid to laugh at the goofy parts of our show, give suggestions when we asked for audience participation, or cheer when they enjoyed something. We definitely fed off of their positive energy, and boosted our performances to keep them engaged. It was also cool to see so much U-M gear on such young children! I swear, almost half of them were wearing maize and blue! 

Q: What is your funniest FTC memory?

Hillary Kooistra

A: After rehearsal one Friday night, our entire class decided to go out for sushi, and we invited Robin. The seventeen of us trekked from the dance building to Sushi.com, all wearing our own strange combinations of dance clothes and heavy winter jackets, and we were EXTRMELY hyper. On our way to the restaurant, we started singing Disney songs, and before we knew it, we were all standing on a ledge (yes, in public), belting Mulan’s “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.” I’m not sure what Robin thought, but I’m pretty sure she was ready to walk away. We still talk about that night and crack up at our ridiculousness.

Q: What advice would you give to current and future FTC members?

A: I would tell current and future members to make the most of their entire semester in FTC. Yes, the rehearsals are long, but when else will you have the opportunity to work and perform with every single member of your
class? How often are you exposed to a large number of guest artists in such a short amount of time? FTC offers so many unique opportunities that are not available to many pre-professional or even professional dancers, so make the most of it while you have the chance!