Much to Know: An Evening of Dance

Dear Friends of Idaho Dance Theatre,

     My name is Mary Kate Sickel and for those of you who may not know I have been a dancer with the company for the past two seasons. Also I regret to inform you that I will not be dancing with the company in the next season 2011-2012.

     It has been such a pleasure to get to know so many of you and to have the opportunity to perform in such a rich and vibrant community. I hope everyone realizes how wonderful and supportive this community truly is. Everything from the people to the foothills have been embracing and welcoming. I can not thank you enough for the privilege you've provided me with.

     It is thanks to this all consuming kindness that I have the pleasure to present an evening of my own choreography on May 8th at 7:30pm in the Danny Peterson Theatre of the Morrison Center. The press release is below. I hope you can come and continue your support of local dance!


Boise State University Department of Theatre Arts and Idaho Dance Theatre are proud to sponsor "Much to Know: An Evening of Dance" featuring the five works by choreographer Mary Kate Sickel. Please join Sickel and her company for an exciting performance, including
two world premieres and a guest performance by Off-Center Dance Project. Using a mixture of recycled goods, commissioned sound-scores and a dynamic cast of community artists, "Much to Know" is a modern-dance Mother's Day treat!

Sunday, May 8th
7:30 p.m.
Danny Peterson Theatre of the Morrison Center
$5.00 student/$7.00 non-student

     Again, thank you to the board for making IDT a wonderful place to work full of kind people and great connections! Thank you to Carl and Marla for offering me the position and showing me the awesomeness of Boise. And thanks again to Marla, Fred, and Richard Klautsch for encouraging and providing me the opportunity to produce my own show!

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I wish you all a great summer and fruitful fall!

Mary Kate Sickel (the girl from Wisconsin)

Great Season

     What a great season it has been. We ended our 2010-11 season with a great show full of what we do best, dance and lots of it! We want to THANK all of our generous donors, sponsors and amazing audience members throughout the season. We would not exist without your amazing support.

    Now we look forward to a much needed break in the summer, but not before we hold auditions for our next season. This next Saturday, April 23rd, IDT will hold auditions to look for new talented dancers to possibly join our family.

     IDT is also very excited to announce the launch of its new endeavor in the fall of 2011, IDT Junior Dance Company. We see the young talent and future IDT dancers all over the Treasure Valley and we want to offer a pre-professional program where they can gain real life performing experience. Stay tune to hear and see this new and young company make an impact in the performing arts community in Boise.

Again, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to each and everyone of you who volunteered, donated, sponsored or attended one of our shows.

Be sure to check out the review of our Spring Performance at http://www.idahostatesman.com/2011/04/17/1612897/review-idaho-dance-theatre-goes.html .

See you next season!

Sincerely,
Mary Kate, Caitlin, Lia, Melynda, Elizabeth, Eric, Yurek and Gonzalo

Improving It

     As part of downtown Boise's First Thursday, we spent this past Thursday improving and giving a sneak peak of our upcoming Spring Performance. DL Evans bank is our show sponsor and in their downtown branch is where we spent the evening dancing, improving and meeting many new faces.  Check out the clips of some of the fun dancing that happened. We also gave a little sneak peak of Jenn Freeman's piece Flux, one of four new pieces in our show!

     The show is this week, April 15th - 17th. Preview 'pay what you can afford' night is April 14th @ 7:00pm. So be sure to buy your tickets in advance!

See you at the show!

Dress To Impress

     A dance piece is incomplete until you add the final touch, costumes! Just like choreographers have different styles of movement they also have different approaches to dressing their piece. Essentially costumes can be just an accessory or they can be crucial in helping the piece tell a story or create the right ambiance.

     I am very excited to be premiering a new work in our upcoming Spring Performance. Even before I began to create movement and choreograph I decided to start with costumes. Usually its the other way around, choreography first then costumes. I wanted to create costumes that would inspired me and help me in describing and showcasing a story and characters.  I wanted these costumes to come alive and be transferred onto the dancers. I wanted the costumes to be the driving force of my choreography. 

     I was immediately in contact with Lito-John Demitita, costume designer and creator extraordinaire. I expressed my ideas and thoughts behind this piece and he took that and designed 8 different amazing costumes. With renderings in hand I immediately began to let me creativity run wild and I began to create a piece. 

     The costumes themselves are quite the characters. So once I matched the costume to the IDT dancers, it was magic! From the very beginning these costumes have been a very important element to the piece, without them the expression of the movement would not be the same. It just makes sense and you will be able to see the final result April 15th - 17th at Boise State's Special Events Center. 

     Lito-John has also designed and created the costumes for Marla's Orpheus & Euridice piece, which is also in the shows program. 

     I also had to raise the funds to have these costumes created and THANKS to lots of generous people I have ALMOST raised all of the money needed. If you would like to help out by making a taxable donation you can go to our website at www.idahodancetheatre.org and made a contribution to my costumes.  Under purpose of donation just put 'For Gonzalo's Costumes'. 

     Check out the renderings of the costumes and be sure to come to the show to see what these crazy costumes are all about. 

Spring Performance - April 15th-17th, 2011 - Boise State University - Special Events Center

April 14th - Preview Night "Pay what you can afford night".

~ Gonzalo

BAM!

What an exciting and diverse concert we have planned for our final performance of the season. Four brand new works will be premiered April 15th-17th, thats in two weeks!

Along with our artistic directors, Marla and Carl, Jenn Freeman and myself will be part of the nights line up of stunning, daring and provocative choreography that IDT is known for.

     A very unique element of this show is the collaboration between the Boise Art Museum, Boise State University, Opera Idaho and Idaho Dance Theatre. All these great organizations have come together to create the production of Orpheus and Euridice.

     Ricky Ian Gordon’s song cycle, a 70-minute modern and personal take on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Euridice, stars soprano Laura Rushing-Raynes and clarinetist Leslie Moreau, performing the title roles, accompanied by pianist Mark Hansen and dancers choreographed by Marla Hansen of Idaho Dance Theatre.  It will be performed in BAM’s Sculpture Court, Stephen Knapp’s lightpainting will provide the backdrop for a new, visionary retelling of this age-old tale.  

     Enjoy this full-version of the Opera including performances by IDT at the Museum for this very special event, April 8th-10th, 7:30pm and 2:30 pm on the 10th. For tickets please visit BAM’s official website @ http://www.boiseartmuseum.org/events/fiesta.php . 

     You can also see the shorter dance version of this opera at our Spring Performance, April 15th - 17th at Boise State’s Special Events Center. This jam packed Spring performance will be one to remember so be sure to get your tickets.

See you at the show!

~ Gonzalo

Busy Busy Busy

     Holy smokes! It is time for an update... IDT has certainly been very busy these last few weeks! So let me fill you in on all of our exciting adventures.

     Our Winter Performance went absolutely swell. Marla's piece was a crowd pleaser, Lauren's was a big hit, and Carl's creative vision of Boise showed our companies versatility to mixed media and risk-taking style.

     From there it was one day of rest and then right back to the grind. Jennifer Freeman, an IDT alum and current free lance dancer/teacher/choreographer, flew in from New York to set a piece on the company. The piece is a gorgeous play of energy, flow, and constant change. I don't want to reveal too much information because it is a piece to be experienced! So don't miss Jenn's talented choreography in our April show.
 
     After that it was on to work with Marla and Carl. Carl is setting new work that is challenging in both the physical and mental capacities. Rehearsal has been a blast! Marla has a special collaboration work with Opera Idaho. We will be teaming up to perform Orpheus in the Boise Art Museum as well as on stage in the SPEC for our show. Check out our website for more information.

     Now rehearsals aside we just had the pleasure of putting on a very successful Gala. Our third annual Dancing Through the Decades Gala was a big hit in the Stueckle Sky Center with the band High Street getting us up and boogeyin' till our shoes fell off. This year in our tradition of decades theme we honored the 60s and 70s. All of our guests donned their old closet hideaways, rented costumes, or clever attire and partied until the cows came home! 
     
     We again put on our ever popular Dancing with the Stars competition and let me tell you it was a riot! We had great returning celebs and some fresh newbies! The award went to our newest crew and it's so much deserved praise. All I can say is Joe Critchfield who is 6'5" kicked to his ears, beat boxed like a pro, and to finish ended in the splits. Now of course he had help from his fellow crew members of Diana Turner and IDT dancer Eric. 


     If you are among the crowd who didn't make it you definitely missed a great party. No worries because you can bet we will be ready for next years hoopla! Any ideas for decade? We have already done the 80s, and 20s as well.

     As for the dancers we have been busy with rehearsal, school shows, and our other jobs/school. We cannot wait to show you our new work for April. It is going to be a fabulous show. Complete with another new work from company member Gonzalo Valdez. Stay tuned to hear/see what he has up his sleeve...

Until next time!

~ Caitlin

Curtain Call

     As the curtain rises and my eyes adjust to the darkness, I see hundreds of eyes looking back at me. For me, this is by far the most exciting part of every show.  Show week fast approaches and I look forward to being back on stage and seeing those eager eyes awaiting that first sign of movement.

     Our Winter Performance is this next week, Jan 21st - 30th, starting with our preview night on the 21st. This is a great opportunity to bring the whole family as it is our "pay what you can afford" night. It starts at 7pm and its a chance to see a professional dance concert at a great price.

     Im very excited to share this performance with our audience as it has everything a dance performance can have. Carl Rowe has created a video project that incorporates Boise itself and the IDT dancers, you will fall in love with Boise all over again. Marla Hansen has choreographed a piece that will have live piano music played by Del Parkinson.  And to top the show guest choreographer Lauren Edson has set a new work that will showcase the company's strength and versatility. Video project, live music and guest choreographer make for a great performance.

     If you have not yet gotten your tickets to the show be sure to check out our website for details and ticket purchase @ www.idahodancetheatre.org.

Hope to see you at the show!

~ Gonzalo

The Long Road Back

     As many of you may know if you came to our Fall Show I got injured the week before that show. I was involved in a very strange mix up with a puppy and let's just say the puppy won. I "walked" away with a broken foot. This happened exactly one week before the show and ironically the exact day that our newest dancer Eric joined us. It was painful in many more ways than one. 

    Fortunately I have never had to go through anything like this before, but boy I now can empathize with those who have experienced injuries. There are so many small things that you don't realize people who have injuries go through. I was in a walking boot for about two months, and on crutches for about a month. The last month has been lots and lots of rehab via physical therapy. I am getting wonderful care through Focus Physical Therapy where they provide care for all of the dancers to help us in getting through the season.

     I just completed my second full week back to dance. Let me just tell you how wonderful it feels to be dancing again! I have come back to the studio with yet an even deeper respect for my profession. I guess I just did not realize how easily I could have taken for granted my abilities and the amount of wonderful work our company produces. It truly is hard to explain all that I have been learning from this and the added perspective it has given me. It makes me deeply appreciative of Idaho Dance Theatre and its commitment to the art form.

     As far as the next show which is coming up in a little over a week, you will be able to see me on stage with my company. I will still have just a minimal role due to the fact that I just started rehearsing and that I am still not quite 100%. You will get to see my lovely walking boot make an appearance as well in Carl's new video work. Make sure to check back to the blog for more details soon about the upcoming show.

As for now I am off to more rehab!

With love,

Caitlin

Look Up!

     IDT has been a professional dance company in residence at Boise State University for 22 years AND if you look around you might spot IDT all around campus. As part of this years "U" theme, BSU has featured IDT in the "U Amaze" banner located around the campuses light posts. So next time you are walking around BSU look up and check out the IDT dancers amaze the campus.    

Washington Tour

     Last week Idaho Dance Theatre had the pleasure of going on tour to Kennewick, Washington! It was quite the experience with coming right out of our Fall show in Boise. We had a great run in Boise so it was easy to ride our performance momentum all the way to Kennewick. We had one day of rest and then back in the studio to make sure all of our dances were in tiptop shape.

     The next day was a whirlwind of activity. We left Boise early in the morning with a brief stop for lunch in Pendleton, OR. A few hours later we arrived in Kennewick, went to our lovely hotel right on the river, and then headed to the theatre. We all worked very hard to make sure that the floor, lights, curtain, costumes, music and choreography was set for the big show.

     The show began at 7:30pm and we were ready! We had a great show with a fantastic audience. The 1,200 seat theatre was nearly full and created such a wonderful energy for us to utilize on stage. After the show we had the chance to mingle with audience members and hear responses to our work. Lastly the board members of the Tri-Cities Community Concerts hosted a dinner for us. We couldn’t have found a more delicious dinner or lovely group of hosts. Great conversation, food, and wine was the perfect end to our busy day! Thank you again to the Tri-Cities Community Concerts board. We would love to come back and perform again!

~Mary Kate

Tri-Cities Here We Come!

     What a great season opener we had with our Fall Performance. We hope you had as much fun watching it as we did performing it.

     We are very excited to be taking this show on the road. This week we will be performing in Kennewick, Washington! We will be at the Art Fuller Auditiorium Wednesday November 10th. It is a one night only performance so if you have friends or family in the Tri-Cities area let them know. Show starts at 7:30pm.

     Thank You to all who came and supported the start of our 22nd season and Washington we look forward to performing for you!

~Gonzalo


 

Meet Eric!

     Hi my name is Eric Glenn and I am a new member of Idaho Dance Theatre. I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. I attended the University of Oklahoma and graduated in May 2010 with my Bachelor of Fine Arts.
    
     I am excited to have the chance and opportunity to perform with IDT. I think this experience with help me further my career as a professional dancer. I am a classically trained dancer that has been slowly moving towards modern movement and is why I’m thrilled to dance with IDT. This will help me become a universal dancer and prepare me for any challenge to come.
    
     I cannot wait to share the stage with IDT and perform for the Boise audience.

~Eric

A week to go!

The Boise performance of our Fall show is one week away! That means the hard work we have invested over the past two months is about to go on display. With just a week away it is time to make sure that not only the choreography is solid, but all the minute details as well.

Do I have my makeup, bobby pins, and costume accessories all set? I like to take this week as the time to organize everything. Once show week arrives it is go go go. So now I have the time to step back and go through everything at my leisure. A clean house, empty laundry basket, and full fridge are easy things that I can take care of this week to eliminate extra errands next week when time is short.

Being from out of town (originally Wisconsin!) I have the added pleasure of usually receiving guests during the show week. My family and friends have made the trek a few times and that adds a whole different dimension to preparation week! Not only do my visitors get to enjoy an awesome show but I have the chance to show them around Boise. And what an awesome place it is.

I know I have my ducks in a row and I think the rest of the company is there too. We hope to see you at the show. Maybe you are preparing too? It is going to be a good one!

Mary Kate

Stop by.....

     Today Melynda, Eric and I spent the afternoon at the BSU Student Union Building meeting new people and spreading the word about our Fall Performance. So if you happen to be on the BSU campus tomorrow (10/26) or Thursday (10/28) stop by, say hello and meet the dancers. We will be there 1 to 4pm tomorrow and 10am to 2pm on Thursday. BSU student tickets are only $10! With that price there is no reason not to go. On Thursday you can actually purchase a student ticket at our booth. We are located just across the Info Desk at the SUB. See you there!

    If your wondering who Eric is..... he is our brand spanking new dancer. Stay tune for more info about him.

Where's IDT?

     If you happened to miss it this morning, the IDT studio was the host to Larry Gebert and the Channel 7 Morning News. We got up super early to help promote our upcoming show. After a cup (or two) of coffee we were able to get our bodies moving and showcase some of the amazing choreography that will be part of our Fall Performance. We became the backdrop to our dear friend Larry, who also MC's our annual Gala. Many thanks to Larry and Channel 7 for stopping by our studio.

     If you have yet to purchase tickets for our upcoming show, please visit our website for info and ticket sales @ http://www.idahodancetheatre.org/ . It's fast approaching and the best seats are selling fast.

See you at the show!

~Gonzalo 

The Magic Lamp

     What happens when an unhappy Dish Washer stumbles across a magic lamp? Well in this case he gets 7 wishes from a very unusual genie. This genie happens to be a choreographer who grants wishes through dance. “The Magic Lamp” is this year’s outreach program, performed by the IDT dancers, which teaches elementary students the art of dance in a 45 minute scripted school show.
    

     I play the dish washer who is very unhappy with his job and finds a magic lamp in his load of dishes. Upon rubbing it he meets the genie, played by Yurek, and the genies assistants. Wish after wish the dish washer discovers how fun African, Ballet, Contemporary, Tap, Hip Hop and Jazz are. His final wish is to have a job that doesn’t have a dish within a mile, but it turns out it’s not up the genies dancing alley. So he is advised that it’s in his own power to find that job. He is told to go back to school and he will never have to wash a dish again.

     Every year the school show has a strong message and this year students are encouraged to stay in school and find a career that they will love to do. Just like the genie, this outreach program is also very unique and unusual. Apart from demonstrating the different types of dance, it offers lots and lots of interaction. Throughout the show the students are taught partnering, rhythm, coordination and isolations. Each element involves the students to participate either individually or as a group. Crazy costumes and beautiful backdrops help the show become very effective, entertaining and visually engaging. If you are interested in seeing or bringing “The Magic Lamp” to your child’s elementary school please contact our managing director Becky @ (208) 331-9592. Poof!

~Gonzalo

IDT: Tough Enough To Wear Pink

On Saturday morning Mary Kate, Lia, Melynda, Gonzalo, and I exercised our bodies and supported the Susan G. Komen Foundation when we participated in "Get Moving for the Cure." We did an intense 30 minute work out with Brett Denton and all of his helpers at Knockout Body Bootcamps. Team "I Dig Ta-tas" for Idaho Dance (after an intense work out mind you) competed in the final two competitions and we proudly won the "plank-off". In the plank-off as a team we had to relay-style hold a plank position longer than any other team. But to throw in a twist, as the competition wound down to us and a final couple of teams, Brett kept making it harder and harder by making us take one hand and one foot off the ground. We excitedly cheered each other along as we watched our opponents drop from the competition. The other contestants who were watching also joined in on the cheers and it came down to myself and another man. I felt strength from my team and persevered to take home the big W!

 

We came together as a company to support our community and join in in the efforts of eradicating breast cancer. We had an absolute blast and it was great to be out exercising with our community. As we were told in the inspirational speech that we received in the beginning: we became strong like the mighty redwoods because we were grouped together to show our support as a community. It was a wonderful experience that I will cherish always.

 ~ Caitlin

New Season

          As summer comes to an end and the city of trees begins to change color, we return to the studio to begin yet another exciting season of dance. We are busy in the studio getting back in shape and creating our fall show scheduled for November. We are super excited to have most of last season's dancers return and also the addition of a new dancer, Elizabeth Henscheid.
         This season marks the 22nd year of Idaho Dance Theatre and it promises to be full of exciting new works and old favorites by both of our artistic directors and guest choreographers. A month into rehearsal we have lots of great choreography set and we will be having an open rehearsal this Friday, October 8th. If you are interested in attending to see a preview of the work being created please contact our managing director Becky @ 208-331-9592.  

Summer

Summer time means healing time, well almost. As the season comes to an end and every muscle and joint in our bodies ache from a very successful year, we look forward to summer. For the most part we use this time to rest and heal all those bruises and injuries we might have acquired throughout the season. Funny enough, most of our audience doesn't realize that almost every single one of us dancers is dealing with an injury, but as artists and performers we never let those things come in the way of show time!

Summer is also used to train and take classes throughout the country. At this very moment we have company members taking dance classes from Oregon to New York. We use this time to expand our knowledge of movement and experience new techniques and styles. A great dancer is a versatile dancer and one who is able to conquer any style. IDT is a great company for that same reason. We have numerous choreographers that range in style and movement. That is what makes every show amazing.

Another summer activity for a dancer is to teach. As professionals we get hired to teach at various dance intensives and workshops. Idaho Dance Theatre along with Boise State University have a workshop of their very own, Summer DanceFest.

Since 1990, Summer DanceFest has become one of the most distinguished and unique dance workshops in the Pacific Northwest. Summer DanceFest offers the highest quality training for today's dancer during two weeks of intensive training in ballet, pointe, men's class, pas de duex, jazz, and modern dance. It is the place to gain technique, core strength, versatility of style and performing experience. Summer DanceFest 2010 will run from June 14ht - 26th. At the end of the workshop a dance concert is presented open to the public. For more info visit https://sites.google.com/a/boisestate.edu/dancefest/ . Some of the SDF faculty include current IDT company members Mary Kate Sickel, Alia Kelley and Gonzalo Valdez

Check out the following pictures from last years workshop.

End of Chapter 21

There is no greater feeling than finishing our 21st season with a great performance run. “Motion Pictures” was the title of our final dance concert, which was very well received by our amazing audience. The show consisted of two of Marla Hansen’s past favorites, “Face The Wind” and “Amazing Grace”. “Amazing Grace” was originally performed by Marla and her husband Fred, who is now our technical director and lighting designer extraordinaire!

The show also had two new works from Carl Rowe and Yurek Hansen, both of which brought a different element to the show. “One Oh One”, Carl’s new piece, closed the show and left the audience wanting to get up and dance. After the show the energy in the lobby was sky rocketing. This was Carl’s number one hundred and one piece choreographed on IDT, thus the name. Talk about an incredible accomplishment!

This year brought a great sense of accomplishment and fulfillment for all of us dancers. We worked with numerous amazing choreographers and were part of extraordinary pieces of work. We couldn’t be more appreciative and thankful to all of those that made this season extra special, which includes everyone from our audience to our artistic directors to our board members and of course all of our wonderful volunteers that helped in every way possible.

We work hard in the studio and in rehearsal everyday to produce a concert that will hopefully be enjoyable and inspirational. On behalf of all of the Idaho Dance Theatre dancers, THANK YOU!