Coded Queer Project In Process
The Coded Queer Project is a research endeavor I developed as part of a course I’m taking through the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design called Interdisciplinary Research Studio, with Professor Norah Zuniga Shaw. This course has provided me the space and opportunity to delve deeper into my research questions and ideas relating…
Head, Shoulders, Stomach and Arms: Eskesta with Dege Feder
With the sun peeking in through the drawn curtains in her home dance space in Israel, Dege Feder welcomed us to her master class with enthusiasm and gratitude. Just like the warmth of the sun, Feder exuded a caring grace and stirring passion. It has not gotten any easier or less awkward taking movement practice…
Gaga Class: A Familiar and New Experience
Last week I had the opportunity to take a Gaga class with James Graham via Zoom. This was not my first Gaga class, but it was my first Zoom Gaga class and my first Gaga for People class. I have taken Gaga before for company class with Thodos Dance Chicago as well as an open…
The WHATness of a Project
In my Interdisciplinary Research Studio this week we were asked to begin formulating the “WHATness” of our projects. This is basically the general and specific ideas of a project based on the groundwork of setting yourself up for fruitful creative research. Of course, the groundwork process can continue as you move forward with the research…
The Legacy of the Fear of Dance
Last week I had the pleasure of attending a virtual lecture by Dr. Naomi Jackson as part of my course, Jewish and Israeli Dance Histories. Dr. Jackson’s lecture was centered at the intersection of dance, human rights, and social justice. One of the main points that Dr. Jackson made was that “dance is a natural…
Setting Intentions for Spring 2021
Here it is, the beginning of my second semester of my first year of grad school. Am I ready? Unsure. Will I ever feel ready? Probably not. There’s a lot of uncertainty in our world right now, but one thing is for sure: I have a whole new set of courses and a new batch…
First Semester Reflections
It’s hard to believe that this time last year I had just submitted my applications for grad school and was planning my trips to visit campuses for auditions and interviews. A lot has changed in the past year, to say the least, but one thing remains constant, my curiosity for the new and my openness…
An International Affair
One of the many great things about my MFA cohort is the diversity among us. Each of us comes to this program from a different background with different lived experiences, different strengths and weaknesses, and different perspectives on life and dance. The stories of our journeys to grad school may be different, but we’ve all…
What it Means to be a Cohort
This year is a difficult one to say the least. 2020 has brought us fear and anxiety in the forms of a global pandemic and political turmoil, it has inspired our activism through protests, and has challenged humanity by testing our patience, stamina, and resiliency. Personally, this year has brought many changes, some planned and…
The Complexity of Hecate
Many things in life are a mystery. Why do socks seemingly disappear into thin air? What’s the meaning of life? Why do cats do… anything? One such mystery is the magic behind movies and film. This semester I took Dance Film 1 and became privy to some of those mystical secrets, but in many ways,…
The Gender Project Idea
One of the most front-of-mind questions in my current research is the intersection of dance and LGBTQIA+ and gender studies. Part of that research is exploring how gender and sexual identity influence our experiences within the context of dance: as a performer, creator, director, administrator, and consumer of dance. Why is movement assigned gender roles?…
How You and I Perceive Me
The idea of a durational dance piece seems both obvious and enigmatic. The concept of duration relates to time, right? But how does one create a dance piece that embodies time while also conveying meaning and significance both inside and outside the parameters of time? This was the struggle I faced when tasked to create…
Dissecting Digital Communication
Communication in the digital world has been an ever growing presence in our daily lives for years, but now, more than ever, it is a crucial life line for staying connected with our friends and family. However, it’s not always easy and there are so many different platforms to use that it’s easy to miscommunicate…
3 Minute Solo: Poetry, Movement, Horror
Part of my current research interests is the concept of horror. What does horror look like in dance performance? How do we choreograph horror? Where is horror sensed in the body? What can dance learn from film when performing horror? What does it mean to perform horror? How is horror connected to the LGBTQIA+ experience?…
Twirl by Twirl: The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship
One of the great things about graduate school is the ability to collaborate with different people from many different backgrounds. For this project I decided to partner up with my fellow 1st year MFA student, Ishmael Konney, or more affectionally known as Ishy. This collaboration began when Ishy approached me with an idea of combining…
Art Inspiring Art
This semester I am taking Dance Film I with Professor Mitchell Rose. So far, we have done several assignments focusing on camera shots and angles, musicality, and editing skills in DaVinci Resolve. Our latest project was our first attempt at a fully conceived dance short film inspired by a 2D artwork of our choice. For…
1 Minute: What Is Home?
The challenge: create a work that is one minute or less. Sounds easy enough, right? That’s what I thought, but the further I got into the making process, the more I realized the complexity of one minute. I began by thinking about what I want this piece to represent, what it is I’m trying to…
The Process of Painting Our Journey
In the spirit of collaboration and trying new things, I embarked on a project with my colleague, Katie O’Loughlin, to explore the process of creation through a different artform: painting. We both expressed an interest in painting with our bodies and gravitated to the idea of creating something that embodied our journeys to grad school…
Setting Goals for Choreography
I have had quite a bit of experience choreographing, both for students and professionals, but I have always felt pressure during the process. The pressure to make it amazing or something that wow’s the audience. The pressure that comes with time restraints, deadlines, and dancers not making it to rehearsal and throwing me off my…
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John T Cartwright 