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!

Treasure Hunt

Idaho Dance Theatre’s Educational Outreach Program is a large part of what makes our company unique. Each season our directors either create a new show or pull one from the vast library of completed scripts. Our themed show is engaging, interactive, and helps to educate children in our schools on the diversity of dance and movement in general. Our scripts are typically written for an average of six dancers who find themselves on a journey of sorts.

We travel to many schools in our community and perform our 45 minute show either once or twice depending on the size of the school. In an average season we perform anywhere between 20 to 40 shows. We have a set that we bring in that includes a curtain with backdrops to help indicate scene changes, and a complete sound system. We also have several costume changes, and we like to use several different props for dramatic intent.

As dancers we memorize the script, practice speaking outward to an audience, and spend time developing our characters. Collaboratively we create dances or put together bits of learned choreography to fit our journey. Our intent is to put in as many different dance elements or forms possible. Therefore, we create a tap dance, a jazz or hip hop dance, cultural dances, and of course ballet. In addition we involve the students in learning movement sequences, rhythms, partnering, and more. The show always ends with a large freestyle group dance between the dancers, students, and even the teachers.

This season our show is titled The Treasure Hunt. Our goal is to find clues with help from the students in order to reach the final prize at the end. It turns out not to be a pot of gold, but rather the fun and joyous memories that we shared along the way. As Gonzalo says in the show “… the fun was the treasure!”

So far we have done quite a few shows and they have been wonderful. We get such great feedback from the teachers. Many of them continually tell us that our assembly is their favorite and it is the perfect blend of interaction, education, and just plain fun. If you would like to come and see a show, contact Becky our managing director and she will get you all of the information.

Lattes and Pirouettes

I am excited to announce that the Tully's coffee shops at BODO and Capitol will be supporting our winter show Figuratively Speaking. On Thursday the 28th and Friday the 29th, baristas at both shops will be sporting our sleek IDT shirts and distributing information about the show. So when picking up your daily “cup of joe” on Thursday and Friday, swing by Tullys and check out our local supporters.

See you at the show!

Caitlin

Show Week!

For the last three months we have been busy at work in the dance studio creating new choreography and setting a past favorite. The studio essentially becomes a lab of sorts where we get to explore, experiment and discover new ways of creating movement. With the performances in the horizon we polish and look forward with excitement to share and present our hard work.

With that said, I have also been hard at work creating a new piece for this upcoming show. There is no greater satisfaction than seeing ones own work on stage performed by an amazing and talented group of dancers. This will be the third piece I set on the company, and I can’t express how excited and thrilled I am. I am using music from a guitar duo, Rodrigo y Gabriela, their fast and rhythmic music inspired me to create “Por Tu Amor”. It is a piece based on the classic forbidden love story, only with a very fun and Latin flare. It is set in four sections and it is full of intensity, athleticism and of course romance. The costumes for this piece are absolutely amazing. I designed the concept and they were created and made by Lito-John Demetita, who is an IDT alumnus and very talented designer.

I have been fortunate enough to have the support of both Marla and Carl in venturing into this new facet of my dance career. As a young choreographer it is hard to find people and places in the dance world that will allow you to set and showcase your own work. It is very similar to a freshly graduated college student wondering in the “real world”. Not everyone will welcome that student and it’s in great part to youth and inexperience. I am very grateful to have their support and allow me to represent them and their company with my work.

Here is a little preview of the dancers rehearsing the opening combination. The pictures were taken by Carl during one of my rehearsals. To see the rest of the piece with costumes, lighting and sabor (flavor) you will have to come to the show.

Great Beginning

It sure has been a great beginning to this season. Out first show in November was a great success and our pay what you can night was a hit as well. We completely understand how the economy has affected the way we spend our extra cash and coming to a performance can now seem like a luxury. That is why IDT has offered this pay what you can night, so that all of our loyal and our new audience members can continue to enjoy what we love to do, perform. Now there is absolutely no excuse to spend a night away from “experiencing the unexpected” at one of our shows. We will continue to provide this opportunity once during every performance week for the remainder of the season.

Along with the great deal you also get to hear the choreographer express the feelings and ideas that went into creating his/her piece before it is performed. It is a great way to get to know the artist directors/guest choreographers and how they went about getting the inspiration to create such wonderful and exciting work. It makes the experience of the performance that much more personal.

Our upcoming show Figuratively Speaking is scheduled for January 29th – 31st with the preview/pay what you can night on January 28th at 7:00pm. This show is full of new work by our co-artistic director Carl Rowe, guest choreographer and IDT alumnus Lauren Edson and yours truly! Marla Hansen, our other co-artistic director, will be bringing back an old favorite, Why Wait.

Each piece is completely different from one another and showcases the talent of each choreographer and also the talent of all the amazing dancers I get to work with everyday. The show is only two weeks away, so mark your calendars and get your tickets in advance. It promises to be a great night of dance at its greatest. See you at the show!

Hard @ Work

Hello everyone. My name is Caitlin Stanley and this is my third year with the company. I started dancing at the age of four at a local studio in Southern Idaho. I danced throughout high school and pursued the art form when I moved to the Treasure Valley to attend Boise State University. My three years with IDT have been full of many amazing moments that have challenged me to grow, improve, and ultimately become who I am today. I love the company and its dedication to creating innovative contemporary dance for its dancers and audience members alike.

Right now we are busy in rehearsals preparing for our next show. Rehearsals have been challenging, fun, and most of all rewarding. I cannot wait to get on stage and share the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into making the four unique pieces of Figuratively Speaking.