THE BIRTH OF Homeless Dance Company

HOMELESS DAVCE COMPANY Is a by-product of the Little Asia Dance Exchange Network Tour of 2004.Identifying the need for maintenance of international relation ships in dance we conceived the idea of Homeless Dance Company, a biannual meeting of the LADEN 04 participants over 10 years in their respective countries.

Choreographers/ dancers :

Daniel Yeung    [ hong kong ]
Chan, yu –Chun  [Taiwan]
Motoko Ikeda    [Japan ]
Jung, Young- Doo [Korea]
Natalie Cursio    [Australia]

Homeless Dance company aims to :

    * Capitalize on and extend the life of the experience that LADEN offers.
* Present performances, workshops, classes and forums which provide challenging and inspiring opportunities for the core members of the company and local guests.
    * Maintain existing international relationships and fertilize new ones, encouraging  &n bsp;   &nb sp;   &nbs p;
    cross cultural activity in the dance sector and beyond.
    * Gradually develop a repertoire so that the work may be presented in countries  &nbs p;
    other than those inhabited by the core participants.

Tour Schedule:
Melbourne (mid April to 1st week of May - 3 weeks(15 april to 5 may?),
and Hong Kong rehearsal and performance 2 weeks ( 6 May to 19 May)
Then Taiwan will be 20 May to 27 May (three performances and one post talk)

Contemporary Dance Workshop – on the occasion of International Dance Day – 2007 Kolkata- India

Dear Friends, It is with great pleasure that I would like to inform you all of International Dance Day Celebrations in Kolkata, on the 29th of April, 2007, being jointly organized by the WDA- West Bengal and the West Bengal Dance Group Federation, with the help of the Government of West Bengal, and the Government of India. We have planned two ten day long workshops on contemporary dance with two WDA-AP (young choreographers if possible, but that is negotiable). The World Dance Alliance – West Bengal Chapter has decided to invite two choreographers from member countries of the Asia –Pacific region,who would be working with approximately 25 dancers each. The final performance of the outcome, ideally about 8 - 9 minutes each, will be on the evening of the 29th of April, 2007 We would Ideally like to have two  choreographers who can take care of the travel expenditure themselves , but will be given local hospitality and transport within the city, in Calcutta during their stay. The choreographers may be from any contemporary dance background and may not necessarily be familiar with Indian dance styles. Though We would like them to be aware that the body training of Indian dancers are very different and is born out of as strong rooted-ness of Indian Dance tradition. It may necessary for the choreographer to be able to negotiate with the differences and come out with a contemporary short presentation. The Group of participants will be chosen by the WDA-WB and the WBDGF, out of the interested applicants. The work that comes out of it will be showcased in the evening performance of the International Dance Day Celebrations. That evening will also have works of choreographers from West Bengal (all of 5/6 minutes duration only, to accommodate the most). The workshop will start on the 16th of April, 2007, and will continue till the 27th of April, 2007. The International Dance Day Celebration on the 29th of April , will showcase the choreographic outcome of the workshop. Please note that the choreographers will need to arrive in Kolkata by the 15th of April, 2007. The Choreographer needs to be a member of the WDA-AP to be able to apply for this Workshop. The application needs to be accompanied by an endorsement of the Chapter-head. The past workshops have had choreographers from Taiwan (2), Australia (2), and Malaysia (1). While we would welcome all the applications from all countries, the other member countries are also encouraged to apply. The application form needs to be sent to all the five members of the review committee, whose email addresses are provided with the form. As the Chairperson of the Adhoc committee, I would like to request the chapter-heads of all the other member countries of WDA-AP to ensure that the announcement is circulated within each member country. In spite of our inability to provide for the international airfare, we are hoping that there will be choreographers who would want to experience and participate in this event. Please see the online form below.

With warm wishes,

Dr. Urmimala Sarkar Munsi, Chairperson, Adhoc Committee, World Dance Alliance – West Bengal urmimala.sarkar@gmail.com

REQUEST FOR RESEARCHERS’ RESIDENCY APPLICATIONS 2007
Programme: “profession culture"

 
The National Centre for Dance (CND) is a wide‑ranging French public institution, the duties of which are structured around four principal objectives: to contribute to the development of choreographic culture, to further rapid expansion with regard to the composition and circulation of works, and to offer choreographic performers and dance instructors a quality educational environment while providing personalised support to dance professionals. (www.cnd.fr  <http://www.cnd.fr" title="http://www.cnd.fr" target="_blank"http://www.cnd.fr> <http://www.cnd.fr" title="http://www.cnd.fr" target="_blank"http://www.cnd.fr> )
 
In the context of a partnership between the National Centre for Dance and the French Ministry for Culture and Communication, the Department for the Development of Choreographic Culture (DDCC) is calling for applications for two research residencies.

The DDCC, headed by Claire Rousier, contributes to the development of choreographic culture through the provision of a media library specialising in dance, through research support, and through a policy of cultural heritage revival. The latter takes the form of an editorial programme and the organisation of exhibitions, colloquia and various public events.

 
 
OBJECTIVE OF THE FIRST CND RESEARCH MISSION (from January to May 2007)

The objective of the proposed residency is to provide a detailed analysis of documents from the Lisa Ullmann archive resource relating to kinetography (for which a general outline has already been prepared – see attached file) and to study these in connection with selected files from the archives of Albrecht Knust (similarly available in the CND media‑library collections). The purpose of this will be to throw light on the activities of the various centres specialising in kinetography in Europe and the United States and to investigate the establishment – starting at the end of the 1950s – of an international network of notators, who were brought together, in particular, within the ICKL organisation. In fact, Knust’s archives also contain numerous documents with regard to ICKL and, in particular, all drafts, letters and articles relating to meetings that were organised every second year by the body which was founded by L. Ullmann. A. Knust was the first chairman of this body in 1961, and then president from 1969 (see the general outline of the principal folders concerned in the Knust resource, further down).
 
 
 
 

PRESENTATION OF THE ARCHIVE RESOURCE

The resource entitled “Lisa Ullmann's Legacy” was initially presented in its entirety in 7 boxes numbered 79a to 79g, containing 54 folders numbered 1 to 54.
 
Lisa Ullmann, the last companion of Rudolf von Laban, donated the resource to Roderyk Lange to add to the Albrecht Knust archives that were already stored at the Centre of Dance Studies in Jersey. The date of this donation is yet to be determined, but it took place after 1984 (the date of the most recent document placed so far in the resource). At the end of 2003, this resource was transferred to the National Centre for Dance with the substantial professional archive resource of A. Knust. These were L. Ullmann’s archives specifically relating to kinetography and which contain, in particular, folders and documents regarding the activities and meetings of the ICKL (International Council of Kinetography Laban) and, of course, her relationship with A. Knust. We also find documents among them relating to her dance instruction and class notations from certain of her pupils.  Lastly, there is general documentation (periodicals in particular) regarding dance and movement writing. It was in 1959, after the death of Rudolf von Laban, that his last companion and executor of his will invited all notation experts to Addlestone.  She had founded the Art of Movement Studio with Laban in Manchester, in 1948; it was moved to Addlestone (Surrey) in 1953 and would subsequently be renamed the Laban Art of movement Centre.  The group of experts decided to found an international council and to continue on with exchange efforts aimed at minimising the differences that separated the two branches of the system of writing, kinetography and labanotation. Lisa Ullmann has since worked systematically with notators in the course of her instruction.  Notation is, moreover, a mandatory subject in the curricula proposed by the school. The majority of documents in her resource are in English, the remainder being written in German.
 
OBJECTIVE OF THE SECOND CND RESEARCH MISSION (From October to December 2007) Researchers wishing to apply for this residency must suggest an original research programme based on an archive resource from one of the Parisian cultural heritage institutions or from another archive resource belonging to the CND media library. A basic description of these resources can be found online at the following Internet address: http://mediatheque.cnd.fr/" title="http://mediatheque.cnd.fr/" target="_blank"http://mediatheque.cnd.fr/

 
GENERAL CONDITIONS FOR ACCEPTED APPLICANTS

A grant of €1,000 will be paid monthly to each individual participating in the programme.
These expenses, as well as welfare cover charges, are taken into account in the budget of the Delegation for Development and International Affairs (DDAI) of the Ministry for Culture and Communication, within the framework of the “profession culture” programme, the management of which is entrusted to EGIDE (French agency for international mobility).
 
The CND has accommodation available in the Cité des Arts (Paris, 4th arrondissement) and suggest that research‑grant holders stay there while completing their CND research mission.
 
For the entire duration of the residency, an office with telephone and fax facilities in the DDCC will be made available to research‑grant holders.
 
Length of residencies available to applicants:
- 4 months between 8 January and the end of May 2007
- 3 months between October and December 2007
 
HOW TO APPLY

Please send your applications before 20 November 2006, in French, to Claire Rousier (claire.rousier@cnd.fr  <http://by113fd.bay113.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?curmb ox=00000000-0000-0000-000 0-000000000001&" title="http://by113fd.bay113.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?curmb ox=00000000-0000-0000-000 0-000000000001&" target="_blank"http://by113fd.bay113.hotmail...;a=856de111b759afd4529cc6 32a4485fcb2bdc2975dd27b33 e4a36c80e4c9fef44&mai lto=1&to=claire.rousier@cnd.fr&msg=D5394C1E-15E4- 4D4B-945E-43314A7DA29> <http://by113fd.bay113.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?curmb ox=00000000-0000-0000-000 0-000000000001&" title="http://by113fd.bay113.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?curmb ox=00000000-0000-0000-000 0-000000000001&" target="_blank"http://by113fd.bay113.hotmail...;amp;a=856de111b759afd452 9cc632a4485fcb2bdc2975dd2 7b33e4a36c80e4c9fef44& ;amp;mailto=1&amp;to= claire.rousier@cnd.fr&amp;msg=D5394C1E-1 5E4-4D4B-945E-43314A7DA29 > ) with:
 
- CV
- cover letter in support of your application
- research proposal: XXX characters maximum (incl. spaces)
- preferred residency date
 
A minimum level of French is required in order to apply.
 
Replies will be made public on 4 december 2006.

The request for applications is made subject to DDAI’s confirmation of the grants, at the latest, on 31/12/06.

Call for Participation and Partners:"Archive/Da tabase: Publication and Material list for Cultural Control and Policy on Dance in Asia-Pacific Region"

Yaping Chen, PhD (Taiwan)
Yukihiko YOSHIDA (Japan)

The study in cultural control and policy would be an important field in dance research now, especially when we analyze the development of dance in Asia Pacific Region. Hence, a multi-lingual online archive serving as an exchange platform for research materials will greatly enhance cross-cultural research and understanding of this specific subject. Now the first ever project in this regard is underway. As the first step, Yukihiko Yoshida and Dr. Yaping Chen are making publication and material lists for cultural policy related to dance under Japanese Colonialism before WW2. Even in Japan, this is still a hidden subject in both Japanese and Asian dance history researches. Yukihiko is currently compiling such a list within Japan.Related materials in difference languages are believed to exist in countries ranging from Japan, China, Taiwan and Korea to South-east Asian countries such as Malaysia. All the contributed lists will be credited with the contributors' names and shared in the online archive.

Cultural policy under Japanese colonialism is just the beginning of the project, and compiling lists are but the first step. We hope to include publication and material lists from the more recent past in the archive as well. The ultimate goal of the project is to facilitate and promote researches in the relationship between cultural policy and dance throughout Asia-Pacific Region. In the future, cross-national research projects may be conducted through the international connections made possible by this online archive.

We look forward to welcoming new members and partners.

What is accented body?

Collaboration of Performance artist and Mapping system / Media Art Team Un-simultaneous / Tokyo

Hidenori Watanabe (photon.co)
Yukihiko Yoshida (dance critic,digital community) Taro Nishimoto (artist,director) Kazuho Kimura (editor, "Save the Shimokitazawa"

We are taking a lot of pictures of "Image of the city" and archiving them in the web-space now. Moreover, We can plot them on the map of Google Earth/Maps automatically or manually, by using "Mapping System".

Now, We can experience both of Bird's eye view/overall aspect and Looking up/personal aspect with a familiar tool. A new interpretation to the city will come to the consideration field when individual's aspect are overlapped in the bird's-eye view.

But, it is necessary to set the theme "Of what do you take a picture?" to derive a persuasive result of workshop.

The collaboration with the performance artists is planned in this workshop. It is a collaboration of Artists who do the expression activity by a personal body and "Mapping system", the tool of bird's-eye view.

Let's think about "Overlapping of city space and web space","New interpretation method of city space", through walking in the town, taking a picture, and mapping.

#Please prepare the camera phone with the GPS function or Digital camera and GPS device if possible when you participate.

"Mapping system" is developed by Photon, Inc. Please refer to "Sakura Mapping Project" project. (Green Photon + Executive committee of Earth Day Tokyo).
http://mapping.jp" title="http://mapping.jp" target="_blank"http://mapping.jp

━━━━━━━━� ��━━━━━━━� �━━━━━━━━ ━
Urban Typhoon Workshop in Shimokitazawa
Tokyo, June 26-29,2006
http://www.urbantyphoon.com" title="http://www.urbantyphoon.com" target="_blank"http://www.urbantyphoon.com
info@urbantyphoon.com
━━━━━━━━� ��━━━━━━━� �━━━━━━━━ ━

We invite creative spirits from Japan and abroad to brainstorm on the present and future of Shimokitazawa, at a time when the government is planning a 26 meter-wide road cutting through its culturally vibrant streets.

The Urban Typhoon workshop is a global experiment in participatory design, and includes architecture & design studios, art installations, political cafe, oral history, graphic communication, video, etc.

The objective is to produce alternatives to the government's plan as well as a multimedia testimony to the unique spirit of Shimokitazawa.
The workshop itself is a joyous and participatory takeover of the city.

* Registration deadline: June 15, 2006 / Fee: \10,000 yen (payable upon arrival at workshop), discounted fee: \5,000 (Residents of Shimokitazawa, Japanese participants who provide home stay for foreign participants, as well as participants helping with the organization of the workshop, and students registering in group (of at least three
people) can pay a discounted registration fee.)

* Urban Typhoon welcomes registration from students, architects, urbanists, artists, designers, media & communication specialists, social scientists, activists, creative people, dreamers, and idealists of all kinds. The number of registrants is limited. Each unit has a small number of participants.

* There are a limited number of homestays available to foreign students, free of charge.

* All workshops will be conducted in English and Japanese.

Workshop units:

* a|Um Studio: Carla Leitao (Columbia) / New York

* Koba. Arch. Lab.: Masami Kobayashi (Meiji) / Tokyo

* CAt: Kazuhiro Kojima & Kazuko Akamatsu / Tokyo

* Save the Shimokitazawa: Kazuho Kimura & Kenzo Kaneko / Tokyo

* Art Harbour: Lehan Ramsay (Future University) & friends / Tokyo

* Yehuda Safran (Columbia) / Paris, New York

* Studio SUMO: Yolande Daniels (Columbia) & Sunil Bald (Yale) / New York

* Supersudaca: Pablo Corvalan, Felix Madrazo (OMA), Manuel de Rivero / Chile, Argentina, Peru

* Shimokita Oral History: Taro Taguchi (Waseda) / Tokyo

* Team Un-simultaneous: Hidenori Watanabe (Digital Hollywood) / Tokyo

* Alto Majo: Alejandro Jaimes, Tomo Takeda, Matias Echanove, Joanne Jakovich / Tokyo, Sydney

* Urban Haiku: Gilles Grassioulet & Jun Ofusa (NHK) / Switzerland, Tokyo

* Shimokitazawa Overhead: Torsten Blume (Bauhaus) & Akihito Hatayama / Germany, Tokyo

Partners:

The University of Tokyo, Yoshimi Lab, Cultural Typhoon Symposium, Meiji University, Future University-Hakodate, Save the ShimoKitazawa, Shimokitazawa-Forum, Coelacanth and associates inc., Studio SUMO, a|Um Studio, Supersudaca, Misatikoh, Sakura Mapping Project, Urbanology

************************* ************************

Choreographers Selected for International Showcase in Taiwan

World Dance Alliance - Asia Pacific

Each year Taiwan offers a very generous opportunity for a small number
of selected choreographers to develop and present their work in 
Taiwan. While participants raise their own airfare to Taiwan all the 
remaining costs - local transportation, studio hire, dancers, 
publicity, production and administrative assistance of this large 
program of activity is borne by Taiwan. The project is supported 
through funds from the National Endowment for the Arts in Taiwan, the 
Culture Bureau of Kaohsiung and the Chin-Lin Foundation for Culture 
and the Arts in Taiwan. In addition participants receive an honorarium.

 The AYCP Committee in Taiwan has just announced that there will be six 
countries represented in 2006. Choreographers from Malaysia, Korea,  Indones ia, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia will be asked to choreograph on dancers from either Taipei or Kaohsiung.

 They successful choreographers chosen are:

Hui Chun Kit from Hong Kong 

Ni Kadek Yulia Puspasari from Indonesia

Motoko Ikeda from Japan

Mew Chang Tsing from Malaysia

Jae Duk Kim from Korea and

Olivia Millard from Australia

 They will be joined by five Taiwanese choreographers selected to share
their in the event.

 WDA-AP offers our congratulations to all the participants.



 Nanette Hassall
 Chair, Creation and Presentation Committee, WDA-AP

2006 ASIALINK PERFORMING ARTS RESIDENCIES
We congratulate the 2006 residents whose proposals are outlined below:
Northern Territory
v    Actor and musician Andrish Saint-Clare heads to Indonesia where he will explore traditional forms of Balinese performance and shadow puppetry and collaborate with the Balinese dalang I Made Sidia using contemporary concepts and production techniques.
Queensland
v    Musician Erik Griswold will use his residency with the Sichuan Conservatory of Music to expand his knowledge and skills in Sichuan Opera percussion and Jinqian Ban and work with composer Zou Xiangping on a new production for the Queensland Music Festival.
South Australia
v    Travelling to East Timor, Steve Mayhew will help to establish a framework for performance troupd Bibi Bulak to develop hybrid arts skills and production ideas that involve performance, video and sound, working with the local community.
Victoria
v    Theatre practitioner Robert Draffin will undertake a residency with the Shanghai International Performing Research Arts Centre where he will research traditional folk forms, create a performance using classical poetic text and reconnect with directors He Bing Zhu, Ma Hui Tian and Lin Zhaohua in Beijing.
v    Independent choreographer Natalie Cursio divides her residency between Singapore where she will create new work for Odyssey Dance Theatre, and Korea where she will collaborate with Theatre Company Nottle.
v    During her residency in Singapore, Cat Hope will use her experience and talents as a sound artist, performer, composer, songwriter and noise artist to develop a new work with Substation.
v    Tim Dargaville and Rosalie Hastwell travel to India to further develop their skills in inter-cultural artistic practice at Adishakti in Pondicherry. Dargaville hopes to create new work for performance in India and Australia combining his interests in theatre, percussion and new music, while Hastwell will research the potentials of engaging local communities in the company's activities.
v    With an illustrious career as a pianist and keyboardist, Dr Michael Fowler hopes to further his research into the nexus between humans and computer software through his residency in Japan at Future University's Department of Media Architecture.
v    Based at the Darpana Performing Arts Academy, Ahmedabad, Dianne Reid aims to establish a context for collaboration with a range of artists across disciplines and an opportunity to engage with the traditional practices and contemporary applications of Indian culture.
Western Australia
v    Engaging a multiplicity of genres including choreography, performance, video, installation and set design for stage, gallery and site-specific locations, Paul Gazzola will continue his research into the relationships between the built form and the body at the Future Universityin Hakodate, Japan
The Asialink Residency Program is are made possible with the assistance of:
Australia Council, Arts Queensland, Arts Tasmania, Arts SA, Arts Victoria, Arts NSW, Arts WA, Arts NT, Australia-China Council, Australia-Indonesia Institute, Australia-India Council, Australia-Korea Foundation, Australia-Thailand Institute, Australian High Commission Kuala Lumpur.

Enquiries:  Swee Lim, Program Manager, Asialink Arts
s.lim@asialink.unimelb.edu.au
Tel: 03 8344 3581

2006 ASIALINK ARTS MANAGEMENT RESIDENCIES
We congratulate the 2006 residents whose proposals are outlined below:
ACT
v    Gallery director and curator Lisa Byrne travels to Japan where she will work alongside the Art Front Gallery Artistic Director toward the successful realisation of the 3rd Echigo-Tsunmari Trienniale and actively seek residency exchange and curatorial project opportunities for Australian and Japanese artists in the future.
    & nbsp;  New South Wales
v    Joining Shanghai VI Hoare Inc, an independent publishing house associated with China Normal University Press will be literary arts manager Benython Oldfield. He aims to identify emerging and established Chinese writers who are not published in the west with the aim of bringing them to Australian publishers and writers festivals..
v    Curator David Teh will be based at the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, a new division of the Thai Ministry of Culture, where he will be developing a major exhibition of Thai contemporary art, to tour to Australia in 2007.
v    Cuong Phu Le, Community Cultural Development Officer at the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, will divide his time between Vietnam and Cambodia, researching a possible contemporary arts project in Ho Chi Minh City and creating networks in Phnom Penh with a view to bringing Cambodian instructors to Australia for workshops.
Northern Territory
v    Following a previous association with the Ubud Writers' and Readers Festival, Finley Smith returns to Indonesia to strengthen networks between Indonesian and Australian writers, publishers and arts organisations, help establish new administrative systems and mentor Balinese Festival staff in festival management.
    & nbsp;  Queensland
v    Arts manager Susan Kukucka will work with the Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation in order to develop cultural programs and establish exchanges between Chinese and Australian arts festivals, cultural organisations and tertiary institutions.
    & nbsp;  South Australia
v    Having lived in Singapore before, Alan Cruickshank, Director of the Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia and Editor of Contemporary Visual Art+ Broadsheet magazine, has a significant history there, and he returns to undertake a residency with Kanaga Sabapathy at Asia Contemporary.
    & nbsp;  Victoria 
v    Lecturer and sound artist Philip Samartzis will use his time in Japan to work with academics, curators, artists and researchers at Musashino Art University to develop curatorial programs that promote Australian and Japanese sound culture.
The Asialink Residency Program is are made possible with the assistance of:
Australia Council, Arts Queensland, Arts Tasmania, Arts SA, Arts Victoria, Arts NSW, Arts WA, Arts NT, Australia-China Council, Australia-Indonesia Institute, Australia-India Council, Australia-Korea Foundation, Australia-Thailand Institute, Australian High Commission Kuala Lumpur.

Enquiries:  Swee Lim, Program Manager, Asialink Arts
s.lim@asialink.unimelb.edu.au
Tel: 03 8344 3581

Dear Friends,
 International Dance Day has been celebrated on the April 29^th since 1982, through promotion of International Dance Council (CID) , an umbrella organization within the UNESCO. It was introduced by the International Dance Committee of the UNECSO International Theatre Institute, commemorating the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre, the creator of modern ballet.

The main goals of the International Dance Day has been to increase awareness of the importance of dance among the general public, persuade governments all over the world to provide a proper place for dance in all systems of education, from primary to the highest, and to provide an occasion to celebrate dance and dancing.

This is the first time that this day is being celebrated in West Bengal.

Organized by:

The World Dance Alliance – Asia Pacific (West Bengal Chapter),

West Bengal State Music Academy (Government of West Bengal),

Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre

The event is important in highlighting the dance activities in West Bengal , especially keeping the young and enthusiastic new generation of dancers in mind.

It also hopes to create an environment of sharing and participation in larger multi-cultural context of the whole of Asia and the Pacific, by becoming active participants in various dance related activities, of performances, dance workshops, seminars, young choreographers exchange programmes, organized or supported by World Dance Alliance- Asia Pacific

the programme:

• The events start with two workshops , being held at West Bengal State Music Academy premises, by two choreographers selected by the World Dance Alliance - Asia Pacific, and the selected choreographers, are, Mr. Leng Po Gee from Malaysia and Ms. Mei-Kuang Li from Taiwan.
  
• The workshops will be held from the 20th till the 28th of April, 2006.
  
• The Dance Day itself will have whole day events, starting with a symposium on Contemporary Issues in the world of Dance with Sadanand Menon and Samik Bandopadhyay as  the speakers.
• The talks will be followed by contemporary films on dance.
• The Evening Performance- The two showcase performances of the choreographies done in the workshops, will be staged on the evening of International Dance Day itself, at Rabindra Sadan, along with other presentations by selected troupes from West Bengal. Twelve such performances have been chosen from numerous applications and a detailed open selection process.

Entry free for the International dance Day Celebrations at Rabindra Sadan.

All are welcome. Please join us in making this event a success.

 Sub: Curtain Raiser of INTERFACE 2006
  
  Sapphire Creations Dance Workshop and CII Young Indians are proud to host the third edition of the,.only international arts festival of Eastern India in Kolkata , INTERFACE 2006 on April 18-22, 2006 at Gyan Manch, Bharatiyam, American Center, Oxford Bookstore, Max Mueller Bhavan, Swabhumi, Science City and other premium venues.
  
  Premier artists from USA , France, Canada, Japan  and India are all set to join in this novel effort to initiate a renaissance in the alternative arts in the city.
    

  Young Indians (YI) is a group of young and successful Indian professionals and is a part of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The principal objective of YI is to promote a positive 糎e Can, We Will・approach towards developing India, develop young leaders of tomorrow and to become the voice of the young generation of Indians. YI is a forum that encourages and inspires everyone to take pride in being an Indian by helping build a Brand India globally
  
  The Yi Kolkata Chapter is working towards health care and education as their focus areas. The proceeds of this event would go towards the supports of setting up of Akshara an educational resource centre for primary learning of the underprivileged children in the Eastern Region.    
  
  We never thought that an arts festival could bring in so much freshness, initiate so much movement, create such a revolution, win so many friends, surprise so many rivals・ its been an exciting journey with a thousand bridges to cross and we want to share with you some of the little things we have gathered on the way.
  
  On April 13, 2006, 5 pm at the CII Lounge, come down for a Curtain Raiser to INTERFACE 2004, and have a glimpse of the bright orange dream, and indulge in a surge of young patriotism throbbing with a life of its own which has given us the courage to bring winds of change to the City of Joy.
  
  The programme shall consist of an audiovisual presentation, the official declaration of supporters of the festival. This shall be followed by a short performance by Sapphire on the theme of INTERFACE. The event shall be followed by high tea.
  
  We hope that the winds of change ruffle your spirits too, so that you can be at one with the spirit of INTERFACE, and spread the word of this only international art event of Eastern India and the spirit of the Young Indians and the cause of underprivileged children in your respective columns of prepublicity/reviews/repo rts etc.
  
  Let us once again indulge in the unseen, the unfelt, the alternative, the contemporary, the alive.
  
  Come let us live.
  
  Culturally yours,
  
  
  SUDARSHAN CHAKRAVORTY   PARAMITA SAHA   &nb sp;   RAJESH PODDAR
  Festival Director    ;         & nbsp; Co-Director  &n bsp;   &nb sp;   &nbs p;     ;         & nbsp;   Chairman-YI Kolkata
  
  
  For details/queries please contact
  9830265603/98318 90527/2337 0665/9339824346
  
  INTERFACE 2006: The Festival
 
  INTERFACE is a non-profit venture by Sapphire Creations Dance Workshop, the only experimental dance ensemble of Eastern India striving to develop an organic and radical idiom of movement
  INTERFACE, the INTERnational Festival of Alternative and Contemporary Expressions is a biennial event covering the disciplines of music, theatre, visual arts and fashion and all possible interactions between these disciplines. It is the only international alternative arts event of Eastern India and the only the third in the country. It is being planned as a major event in the cultural calendar of Kolkata with a multitude of national and international performances. Workshops, film screenings and other allied events.
  INTERFACE 2006 is happening April 18-22, at premium venues of Kolkata supported by a range of sponsors. The Festival is a thorough exchange programme between premier artists from India, Japan, Canada, and USA and art lovers and connoisseurs of Kolkata.
  INTERFACE attempts to bring into the City of Joy a taste of the tremendous and turbulent experimentation that recreates every urban experience in myriad artistic forms around the world. It encourages a non-mainstream strain of thought, performance and development in every sensitive modern urban individual. It creates a ready platform for the interaction and reinvention of the contemporary arts.
  As part of its 10th anniversary celebrations Sapphire initiated the LINK THE ARTS movement in 2002, a drive to bring together the arts in interesting commissioned and impromptu collaborations by bringing together artists of various disciplines through regular meets and discussions. The aim is to bring issues that bother all or more artistes out in the open and in brainstorming sessions exchange ideas, develop solutions, form a large and more meaningful art fraternity, which can provide encouragement and support to budding artistes and which can reach out to educate and create new audiences.
  INTERFACE is part of this movement and endeavors to break barriers through the power of contemporary art, art that is relevant, real, sensible and meaningful Art that speaks to all because it is close to their lives, appealing to their senses and a lesson to learn from.
  INTERFACE is here not to create conflicts, not to move away from tradition, not to create divides but bridge the gaps between people, genres, cultures and countries.
  Sapphire beckons all to come forward and join hands.
   INTERFACE 2006: Participating artistes
 
  Main performances
 
  18th April: Opening Performance: Anita Ratnam(India)
  Anita Ratnam, founder of Arangham Trust, and co-director of The Other Festival, is recognized and honored for her talent and for furthering the international profile of Indian dance, she has been honored with many awards in India, most notably the Nritya Choodamani (1996), Kalaimamani (1998) and the Sankaracharya Award (2001). In the United States she has been given the Mahatma Gandhi Award for Cultural Harmony (1986).
  
    & nbsp;   &n bsp;   &nb sp; 
  Anita opens
  INTERFACE 2006 with Tara: Seven Graces ・
  a solo dance-theater performance created in collaboration
  with Hari Krishnan (Canada)  

The work explores Anita痴 signature perspectives on Goddess worship and Indian feminism, through manifestations of the Tibetan Buddhist goddess Tara. This organic piece resonates with the ideas of comparative mythology and feminine archetypes their reflections in contemporary Indian feminism. Interpreted in an original, textured context in collaboration with choreographer Hari Krishnan, the 60-minute minimalistic work uses an eclectic array of movement including Bharatanatyam, Chinese Wu-Shu martial arts, Modern Dance, Tibetan Buddhist liturgical dance and Zen Buddhism.
   19th April: Main performance: Ananya Dance Theatre (USA)
  Ananya Dance Theatre, founded by Artistic Director Ananya Chatterjea in 1996 in New York is a dance theater company formed of women artists of color endeavoring to create artistic works inspired by feminine history, politics, and experiences all around the world. Diverse South Asian performance traditions are explored in contemporary perspectives in the continuous search for images of strength and beauty in art. Based specifically on the Odissi dance form, aesthetic traditions of Bengal, and practices of street theater created by women痴 groups in India, the company seeks to reach and engage diverse peoples. Ananya: based on the Bengali na-anya, 斗ike whom there is no other・
  Ananya Chatterjea is an artist and an activist, and Associate professor of Dance at University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Trained in India classical and folk dance traditions along with modern dance techniques and African dance styles, she has performed at important events at Germany, India, Malaysia, Canada, London, Java, Philippines and Singapore.
  
    & nbsp;   &n bsp;   &nb sp; Ananya
  presents
  at
  INTERFACE 2006
  -
  Bandh: a meditation on dreams
   
  A reaction to the growing disappointment and despair among communities of women of color in response to the escalating violence, militarism, and religious fundamentalisms, Bandh seeks to use performance to generate a sense of healing and to highlight women 壮 desires and dreams for social justice and peace.
  
  20th April: Main performance: Mezcal Jazz Unit with BikRam Ghosh(France/India)
 
  MEZCAL JAZZ UNIT plays its own creative music, with mixed influences, in phase with the main actual french jazz streams. Here, the word "jazz" has to be understood with the largest signification, meaning: no musical conformism, open mind, integration of other musical streams, adventures...
  
  There is a strong Mediterranean feeling of the musicians, along with explorations of traditional melodies, connotations of oriental music, a rocky energy, a sense of humor, and a mix between emotional introspection and a very specific Latin attitude of expression.
  
    & nbsp;   &n bsp;   &nb sp; MEZCAL JAZZ UNIT
  with
  Bikram Ghosh
  
  In
  
  INTERFACE 2006

MEZCAL is a live band and its music is based on pleasure and communion between musicians. The ability to communicate with the public is for this band a priority: as important as technical and musical performances.
  The band headed by Emmanuel de Gouvello (bass, composition) lives near Montpellier-South of France, since 1986.
  The band has toured France, Austria, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovaquia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Bielorussia, Maroco, Azerbaidjan, Hungary, Roumania, Moldavia, Ukrania, Burkina Faso, Vietnam...
  
   20th April: Main performance: Shakti and Vasantamala Dance Company (Japan)
  Born to an eclectic parentage of an Indian father and a Japanese mother, Shakti has grown up with the best of both cultures. While earning an M.A. in Indian Philosophy at Columbia University in New York City, she studied modern dance with Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey and jazz dance with Luigi.
    & nbsp;   &n bsp;   &nb sp; 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Shakti
  
  presents at
  
  INTERFACE 2006
  -
  The Pillow Book

Shakti痴 unique hybrid form of dance blend an array of Eastern dance traditions and yoga with Western jazz and contemporary rock resulting in a exotic effect. She is the coordinator of the Japan Experience which assists and manages Japanese artists abroad. SHAKTI is also the artistic director of The Garage International which is now one of the most prominent venues in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe hosting over 40 different companies globally. Shakti痴 unique and mesmerizing performances have tantalized audiences all over the world. 

  Based on Sei Shonagon痴 poetry and spanning the world of courtesans the piece is a glorious celebration of womanhood. The body of the dancer is a canvas for beautifully painted images by famous Japanese visual artiste Mieko Nishimura conjuring up a demoniac finale of fiery explosive passion. Shakti shall be accompanied at INTERFACE by her mother Vasantamala, the first Japanese student of Uday Shankar, bringing Indian dance to Japan.
   21th April: Main performance: Ileana Citaristi(India)
 
  Coming to Indian dance after years of experience in the traditional as well as experimental theatre in Europe, Ileana Citaristi has contributed to the growth of the Odissi and Chhau dance forms as well as to contemporary perspectives on traditional dance forms.
 
  She has given performances in all the major dance festivals in India as well as in Italy, Argentina, Poland, France, Germany. Holland, Denmark, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, USA, Australia and Israel.
  
  Ileana has been awarded the prestigious title 銑eonide Massine for the art of dance・in Italy in September 1992 and the 然aseshwar・award by the Sur Singar Sansad, Bombay,. In May 1996 she won the 鮮ational Award for best choreography・for her dance direction to the Bengali film 塑ugant・directed by Aparna Sen. She has conducted a research on the Martial Art of Orissa under the aegis of the Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts in 1991 and in 1996 she has been granted a senior Fellowship by the Dept. of Culture, Government of India, for writing a book on Kelucharan Mohapatra痴 life.
  
  Ileana Citaristi
   presents
   at INTERFACE 2006
  IMAGES OF CHANGE
   a piece that explores contemporary perspectives on traditional realms of Indian dance
  

  21th April: Main performance: Rae Bowhay and Martin Trudel(Canada)
  Dancer/ Choreographer Rae Bowhay and Guitarist/ Compositor Martin Trudel
  are the creative force behind SaSASa, a collaboration initiated in Montreal, Canada in 1997.  With similar passions towards flamenco and contemporary music and dance, they致e been dedicated for almost a decade to the development of very unique, poetic and colorful works. Their wit, emotion, rhythmical drive and flamenco attitude are used within experimental forms to create imaginary folklore.
  
  Rae Bowhay also performs regularly with many different artists throughout Canada and has presented her choreography in Los Angeles and Scotland.  She received the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award, offered by The Canada Arts Council, for artistic achievement in 2005. 
    & nbsp;   &n bsp;   &nb sp; 
  SaSASa
  presents at
   INTERFACE 2006
  an intimate duo performance between dance and guitar.
  The duo full of subtle reflections and surprises which shed light on, and explore, their humanity.

INTERNATIONAL DANCE COMPETITION In NAKANO, TOKYO
September 23, 2006
Nakano ZERO Hall Grand Theater

Grand Prix : JPY300,000. Other prizes will also be awarded.
Participants from abroad must register for Video Preliminary in order to qualify for the final.
You can send a video in June.
For more information, you can download from :

www.nakano-dance-a.com

Nakano Dance Association : e-mail : info@nakano-dance-a.com  Fax : +81 3 3916 9155

Lo Manfei passed away, 3/24/06

just wanted you to know that Taiwan's beloved dance "
diva ", choreographer and dance educator -- Lo Manfei
(Joy) passed away 3/24/06 after five years of combatting lung cancer.

it's a very sad day for many of us, especially on the eve of her top student Fangyi Sheu's performance as the star of the Martha Graham Dance Company at taipei's National Theatre, 3/25-26, 2006.

Manfei will be missed dearly not only by those of us who were fortunate enough to know her, but also those she inspired as well.

-Yatin Lin

Dear Colleague,

I have attached information on International Association for Dance Medicine & Science conference which will be held in Australia in 2007 - the first time this exciting event will be held in the Asia Pacific region or in the southern hemisphere. We are hoping that some members of your organisation will be interested in attending this conference, and possibly in submitting a paper for presentation.

We would be grateful if you would consider forwarding this email throughout your organisation or to any of your colleagues who may be interested. If anyone would like to receive individual updates on the conference, they can be placed on the individual list by emailing janetkarin@australianball etschool.com.au. However, if you do not want to receive any more emails from us, please click 'reply' and enter the word 'UNSUBSCRIBE' in the subject line.

We hope to see you or a representative of your organisation in Canberra and Melbourne in 2007.

Janet Karin O.A.M.
Chair, Host Committee
2007 International Association for Dance Medicine & Science conference janetkarin@australianball etschool.com.au

2006 DRST（Dance Research Society, Taiwan） ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Dancing under the Rising Sun:
The Influences of Japanese Colonialism on Dance in the Asia-Pacific Region

8 - 10 December 2006, Taipei National University of the Arts

Call for Papers
 

What did the Japanese colonialism bring to the colonized countries in the Asia-Pacific region before the end of the Second World War? Political hegemony or modernization? Uprooted traditions or transplanted new cultures? How has this legacy of colonialism molded the dance scene in contemporary situations in various Asian countries? 
As a result of the search for national identity in the postcolonial era, Taiwan’s reflections on the Japanese colonial influences have continuously motivated the academic to examine the ideological and practical impacts that have intertwined with or even dominated peoples’ daily lives in many aspects and on different levels. In the area of dance in particular, Japan once served as the channel for the “new dance” formulated in Europe and America; moreover, the Japanese regime nurtured the first generation of contemporary choreographers and dance educators in Taiwan. In recent years, studies focused on this period have begun to accumulate and gained attention among the academics and dance practitioners alike.  
Though many Asia-Pacific countries shared the common past of Japanese occupation before 1945, their colonial experiences were hardly a unified one. Different cultural schemes and historical courses contributed to the complexity of regional developments. This conference is the first attempt to gather, compare, exchange, and reflect on the experiences of different countries and geographic areas. Diverse and even contrasting interpretations of the influences of Japanese colonialism are expected, and will surely broaden our understanding of how human beings connect themselves to history, culture and society through dance. Dance practitioners, scholars and historians, as well as researchers in culture studies and other related social sciences, are welcome to participate in and contribute to this dialogue. The conference’s themes include:

 This CFP is from the Literary Calls for Papers Mailing List:
      & nbsp;   &n bsp;   &nb sp;    http://cfp.english.upenn.edu" title="http://cfp.english.upenn.edu" target="_blank"http://cfp.english.upenn.edu 

--Yukihiko YOSHIDA 

CALL FOR PAPERS

Dance Matters

The School of Media, Communication and Culture at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India is pleased to announce a two-day symposium titled Dance Matters on August 10-11 2006.  This symposium proposes to bring to the forefront innovative approaches that have placed dance at the center of scholarly research on body, ritual, culture, identity, history, gender, and power.  Selected papers from the symposium will be published in a book.

Dance is a vital aspect of expressive culture.  It embodies the cultural experience and expression of a particular collective identity.  Notions of culture, identity, and history are continually re-invented through dance.  Indian dance forms have emerged as an important critical lens to analyze narratives of nationalism, transnationalism, women｡ｦs bodies, and postcolonial politics.  Scholarly research on Indian dance forms has spanned disciplines such as Anthropology, Culture studies, Performance studies, Art history, Postcolonial and Feminist studies.  The recent formulation of Dance studies as an academic discipline is a result of the increased circulation of various dance forms in the international scholarly and art-culture circuits.  This conference will bring scholars and practitioners together on the same platform to evaluate the status of Indian dance forms (ranging from classical, to folk, to Bollywood) in shaping current discourses on culture, tradition, history, identity, human rights and more.  The topics to be covered include

Ч Tradition and Globalization
Ч Religion and Culture
Ч Identity and Hybridity
Ч Gender and Sexuality
Ч Media and Popular Culture
Ч Ethnography and Audience
Ч Dance and Social justice
Ч Ritual and Aesthetics

Please send a brief abstract (350 words) including a title, name, address, email, phone number and institutional affiliation by March 30, 2006. Submit abstracts and direct queries to:

Dr. Nilanjana Gupta, Director
School of Media Communication and Culture Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India
Email: nilaguptaju@yahoo.com

Dr. Pallabi Chakravorty
Department of Music and Dance
Swarthmore College, Pa 19096, U.S.A
Email: pchakra1@swarthmore.edu

Jadavpur University will provide local hospitality for the speakers at the University guesthouse.
Sponsored by UGC University with Potential for Excellence Programme: Studies in Cultural Processes.

Ballet dancers and New Russian Image in 21st century

 Yukihiko YOSHIDA

A new image of Ballet has proposed by Russian Dance. Farukh Rizimatov showed their great performance in his stage last fall. He comes to　Tokyo often recently.
 The most interesting piece is the collaboration with Rosario Romero .　That was  dramatic. Framenco is a form of folk dance in Europe. In that work,  Rizimatov acted with framenco dancers. The taste of ballet dancers harmonized with their worldly mood.
 As his repertoire, the most impressive work was “Adagio Albinoni.” The  miserable men appeared while powdered Ruzimatov dances his solo. The  body and tension which comes from inner energy was powerful. In this work, his body was  close to Butoh. The important Butoh artist, Akira Kasai choreographed him.
 I strongly understand why Kasai did that.
 In usual ballet repertoire, such as “Le Spectre De La Rose” by Fokine  “Carmen” and  “Don Quiote”, young Russian dancers show their flesh  acting and dynamic movement. Their stage was the product of NYC or Soviet  Union at the age of Cold War, 20th century. However, it seems that the new image has been  building up. It is said that the origin of ballet is  Middle East. Their movement represents Russia, which is the important node of cultural economy in Middle East. This phenomena shows that the new  Russian image after Cold War: 20th centuryhas been rising. The stage reminds me of  spreading new world cultural economy and order in the  beginning of 21tst century.

Photo (C) Seto Hidemi

Correction 

Call for papers: "Exappropriating the Human: Tele-technologies,
Postcolonialism, and Their Convergence in Contemporary Globalization,"

seminar at the 2006 ACLA: American Comparative Literature Association Annual
Conference, Princeton University, March 23-26, 2006. The goal of this
seminar is to reflect upon the dehumanizing and uprooting capacity of
language through the concept of "exapropriation," a term coined by Derrida
in his later works. The term exappropriation, when applied to language,
expresses the double move of how language puts the human in place (hands it
the qualities that are proper to it, appropriation) and at the same time
dehumanizes (pulls the human out of its proper place, expropriation). As
Derrida puts it in Of Hospitality: "If it seems to be both, and by that very
fact, the first and the last condition of belonging, language is also the
experience of expropriation, of an irreducible exappropriation." It was Paul
de Man who first called this "errancy of language which never reaches the
mark, which is always displaced in relation to what it meant to react" to
the inhuman. We will focus on the imminent convergence of the
tele-technological and the (post)colonial uprooting of place and the human
as witnessed in contemporary globalization.
On the one hand we will define exappropriation in relation to literature and
the tele-technologies that uproot and exapropriate language and place itself
(telephone, television, e-mail). This is a path that is explored by Derrida
himself when he characterizes these technologies as "machines that introduce
ubiquitous disruption, and the rootlessness of place, the dislocation of the
house, the infraction into the home." In this case, we encourage proposals
for papers that address the intertwining of language, technology, and the
inhuman in contemporary literature. On the other hand, we encourage the
submission of papers that utilize "exapropriation" as a concept for the
analysis of postcolonial literature and its uprooting instances of
dehumanization. Please submit your paper proposal of 250 words before 30
November 2005 using the special form of submission on the ACLA website at
<=http://webscript.princeton.ed...~acla06 href="http://webscript.princeton.edu/~acla06"http://webscript.princeton.edu/" title="http://webscript.princeton.edu/" target="_blank"http://webscript.princeton.ed...~acla06>. Contact: Kristian van Haesendonck
at <kristian.vanhaesendonck@villanova.edu>.

Dance　Notation　Bureau is in danger.

Article by Paul Ben-Itzak @ DanceInsider.com
http://www.danceinsider.com/chevalier/c103105.html" title="http://www.danceinsider.com/chevalier/c103105.html" target="_blank"http://www.danceinsider.com/c...

"Dancing body and Japaneseness at the beginning of 21th century"

Yukihiko YOSHIDA

 In February 2005, as a part of Tokyo Citizens' Art Festival at New National
Theater Tokyo, Kaoru Uchida and Saeko, who represent Japanese
contemporary dance, showed their excellent works.

 Uchida showed both Japanese modern dance to contemporary "Twisted in
Blue"("Blue ni kongaragatte"). Uchida express fine women's daily life
and loneliness, as contemporary dance. "Keutzer Sonata" was a very
interesting work as modern dance. An excellent dancer with black dress
danced sharply with famous classical music. Her dance style was close
to 1930s' European modern dance such as Niddy Impekoven.  That was
origin of Japanese modern dance after World War II. There are many
artists who were influenced by Impekoven in Japan.  It can be said
that this work became typical and excellent Japanese modern dance
after World War II.

 Saeko expressed her works by powerful and sharp movement. Her dance
style is under the influence of post modern dance after Trisha Brown.
"Veil" expresses a woman's life through the metapher of marriage.  "Duo"
is an excellent duo with a male dancer, Taishi Aizawa.  Saeko showed
postmodern and global body in Japan.

 As Taiwanese dance researchers Ya-Ping Chen and Yatin Lin pointed out,
Japanese modern dance is important to discuss Asian dance and
post-colonialism.  Japanese scholars Koichi Sakai and Naoki Sakai
discussed Japanese identity and Asia sharply .  Sakai proposed a
concept,"Postcolonialisty ."  At the beginning of the 21th century,
"Japaneseness"(Sakai & Iwabuchi) is changing.

 In Asia Pacific, Japanese idols's dance represents Japanese popular
culture.  For instance, a singer Namie Amuro is famous for this
reason.  I think that Japanese should look for how Japanese culture
reflects in Asia Pacific.

Photo:
Uchida Kaoru,"Twisted in Blue" Photo: Haruhisa Yamaguchi

Saeko, "Veil" Photo: Hiroyuki Mizuuchi

URL:

Saeko http://blog.livedoor.jp/saekosoymilkjapan/" title="http://blog.livedoor.jp/saekosoymilkjapan/" target="_blank"http://blog.livedoor.jp/saeko... 

Kaoru Uchida & Roussewaltz http://www.kalin-net.com/roussewaltz/" title="http://www.kalin-net.com/roussewaltz/" target="_blank"http://www.kalin-net.com/rous...

Namie Amuro: http://www.avexnet.or.jp/amuro/" title="http://www.avexnet.or.jp/amuro/" target="_blank"http://www.avexnet.or.jp/amur...