A Thought-Leader In Family & Children’s Dance Classes | Houston, TX
Frame Dance is a thought leader in dance education, inspiring the next generation of movers, makers, and world changers by offering dance classes for adults & children, multi-generational ensembles, professional performances, networking events, and film festivals. We are nestled between West U and the Museum District.
We believe in developing the whole dancer, teaching critical life skills such as creative thinking, leadership, collaboration, and resilience through our artful and playful dance curriculum at our studio and in partner schools.
Our adult modern dance classes are designed to offer you the joy and magic that’s possible when you create space in your life to move, to grow, and to share in the creative process with a like-hearted community.
For more than ten years, Frame Dance has brought radically inclusive and deeply personal contemporary dance to Houston. Led by Founder and Creative Director Lydia Hance, whom Dance Magazine calls “the city’s reigning guru of dance in public places,” the professional company is made up of six acclaimed co-creators committed to collaboration. Frame Dance has created over 50 unique site-specific performances and nine dances for the camera screened in festivals all over the United States and Europe. With an unrelenting drive to make dance in relationship to environment, Frame Dance has created dance works for and with METRO, Houston Museum of Natural Sciences, Houston Parks Board, Plant It Forward Farms, CORE Dance, Rice University, Houston Ballet, 14 Pews, Aurora Picture Show, and the Contemporary Arts Museum. Frame Dance’s productions were described by Arts + Culture Texas Editor-in-Chief Nancy Wozny as “some of the most compelling and entertaining work in Houston.” Creative Director Lydia Hance is a champion of living composers and is dedicated to work exclusively with new music.
Ms. Catalina Molnari told us one of her favorite local spots in Houston. The Jade Garden Classical Chinese Medicine. If you’ve had a stressful day/ week, this tranquil abode offers soothing teas and healing services including chiropractic, massage, bodywork, re-connective healing and yoga. These holistic classes infuse 2,000 year old traditional medicine methods that help their weary visitors reduce their stress and boost their energy levels.
Frame Dance’s Catalina says it’s a great place to simply relax with a fresh cup of herbal tea after a satisfying session in her martial arts class. Instead of heading home right after work and suffering through Houston traffic, try The Jade Garden Classical Chinese Medicine in the Heights. It must be a great place because Catalina told Frame Dance if she’s not at work or home it’s she’s at The Jade Garden.
I hope all of you are enjoying your Tuesday. If not, it was because you didn’t know about Danielle Garza’sQuick and Easy Overnight Oats recipe!
It’s tough sometimes trying to find something healthy in a world of fast food and high carbs. Even breakfast items! The most important meal of the day and it’s too unhealthy and can make you sluggish. Some snack companies claim to be “healthier alternatives” but in reality are actually higher in carbs than the “bad stuff.”
It really can be challenging when you’re trying to stay fit and sometimes you just don’t have time to prepare an easy meal (or your like me and just don’t really care to cook).
Well, no fear! Here is a low-carb alternative that you can put your personal spin on.
Quick and Easy Overnight Oats
Fill mason jar with 1/2 cup oats, 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup almond milk, raisins and chia seeds.
Blueberries and Bananas (Or any fruit you love)
Optional: Add cinnamon or sweetener.
Then put in the fridge over night and have a great breakfast ready in the morning that keeps you energized throughout a busy day! Or at least until your next meal 🙂
Ensure the power of dance and contemporary art into your lives
by donating to Frame Dance’s 5th season.
Donate HERE.
This season you’ve seen us perform at DiverseWorks; Julydoscope at Discovery Green; site specific performance in Allen Parkway Blue Trees with Houston Arts Alliance; City Hall for Mayor Annise Parker’s Holiday Celebration; Steve Reich’s 2×5 with Liminal Space Contemporary Music Ensemble; Ecouter at Spring Street Studios with composers Charles Halka, Mark Hirsch and Robert McClure; Russ Pitman Park for Art in the Park free public performance; Quiver and FM reprise at Rice University; and Dinner/Dance 19 collaboration with David Leftwich, Adam Dorris and Richard Knight with composers Robert Honstein, Matthew Peterson and Jonathan Russell at Good Dog Houston.
Help us improve! We welcome your suggestions and questions.
Contact us HERE.
Frame Dance exists to help people in Houston and beyond discover the power of dance and movement to communicate, inspire, and connect to the world and others. We believe community collaboration, artistic collaboration and technology are the secret ingredients of our craft today, and are completely necessary to expose contemporary dance to more people in our society.
This next performance, Dinner / Dance 19 is taking a turn from our usual abstraction. Because the event is a multi-course dinner, and we are navigating subject matter from planting to eating, I realized a huge part of dining is the drama and dialogue we have on a daily basis while eating a meal. We’ve been working with some funny, and hopefully identifiable characters in rehearsal. And now it’s time to begin introducing you to them.
Allow us to introduce:
Deuce Ticklebeetle
(aka Alex Soares)
{BEETLE DOESN’T TAKE SELFIES}
Beetle was brought in to learn my father’s business, Search Optimizer, so he could run it one day, but lack of interest and disastrous performance have kept him at the same position for the last 12 years. He is the secretly adopted only son of Tramell Ticklebeetle, who lost his once sizeable fortune on bad investments. Beetle is not exactly motivated, and he’d rather do anything than work. Gretchen says he plays on his phone, takes naps and that she once caught him drinking toner. (The new, new beezin’?) He barely managed to graduate from high school with the help of his tutors.
So why does he work at a job that isn’t interesting to him? Family obligation. He is there so he’s not disowned.
He has a specific vendetta against Gretchen, but you’ll have to ask him about that yourself.
This next performance, Dinner / Dance 19 is taking a turn from our usual abstraction. Because the event is a multi-course dinner, and we are navigating subject matter from planting to eating, I realized a huge part of dining is the drama and dialogue we have on a daily basis while eating a meal. We’ve been working with some funny, and hopefully identifiable characters in rehearsal. And now it’s time to begin introducing you to them.
Allow us to introduce:
Shelley Kelly
(aka Laura Gutierrez)
Shelley Kelly has been with Search Optimizer for 5 years, that is she’s been hovering next to the Ozarka water cooler for five years trying to fit into conversations. The oldest daughter in her Arkansas family, she attended Vanderbilt. Rumor has it she’s quite smart. But something is off. She is the epitome of awkward, and she cannot seem to get into the work social circle no matter how much she (awkwardly) tries. She just wants to be accepted.
Also: the others call her “Smelly Shelley,” for some pretty obvious reasons. Have we mentioned she’s weird?
Come meet the cast of characters at Tony’s Mexican tonight at 7:30. 2222 Ella Blvd, Houston, TX 77008
This next performance, Dinner / Dance 19 is taking a turn from our usual abstraction. Because the event is a multi-course dinner, and we are navigating subject matter from planting to eating, I realized a huge part of dining is the drama and dialogue we have on a daily basis while eating a meal. We’ve been working with some funny, and hopefully identifiable characters in rehearsal. And now it’s time to begin introducing you to them.
Allow us to introduce:
Roxi Wright
(aka Danielle Gonzaba)
Roxi Wright is a summer intern with Search Optimizer. She is the youngest daughter of 4; her parents are successful business people. She is currently in college studying business. While she’d rather do nothing over her summer break except be with her friends in Austin, she’s working to make friends with all the employees because she feels pressure to be hired by Search Optimizer when she graduates. So she’s putting on her game face. What drives her? Love and acceptance, and as the youngest of four, she’s used to being the center of attention without having to work for it. Also: she’s in a sorority.
Come meet the characters on Thursday, May 1 at 7:30pm at Tony’s Mexican Restaurant. 2222 Ella Blvd, Houston, TX 77008.
Tickets to Dinner / Dance 19 are limited! Get them here.
This next performance, Dinner / Dance 19 is taking a turn from our usual abstraction. Because the event is a multi-course dinner, and we are navigating subject matter from planting to eating, I realized a huge part of dining is the drama and dialogue we have on a daily basis while eating a meal. We’ve been working with some funny, and hopefully identifiable characters in rehearsal. And now it’s time to begin introducing you to them.
Allow us to introduce:
Gretchen Charise Kittridge
(aka Ashley Horn)
Gretchen started at Search Optimizer out of college. She accepted lower pay than she wanted because she was promised that she would move up quickly in the company, she was one of the first employees of the start-up. But has only had one promotion in 11 years. Comes early, stays late. Gretchen is only child of overachievers– Mother is a school superintendent and Father is an pediatric heart surgeon. She graduated with honors in 3 years with a degree in Marketing. Always planned on going back to law school, but can’t seem to find time. She’s not particularly liked at work, she’s a little bitter and hated by one of her colleagues. All she wants is fairness and the success she deserves. That’s not too much to ask, right?
Where would you find her when she’s not at work? Reading a book with a glass of wine. Maybe adopting another cat.
In preparation for Dinner / Dance 19, we have been volunteering with Plant It Forward Farms in Houston. Since our event is about farm to table, David Leftwich (chef collaborator) had the great idea of sending the dancers and me into the farm. We are planning to go out a few more times before the performance on May 19, so let us know if you’d like to join us!
What is Plant It Forward Farms?
Houston is settling a record number of new refugees every year. Most have spent years in refugee camps outside of their own countries living in extreme conditions while waiting to realize the American dream. Once here they are faced with huge challenges assimilating into their new homeland as few have the language or job skills to find meaningful work. Some of these refugees come from agrarian backgrounds and they know how to raise quality food but there is not a single classified job posting for an experienced farmer.
Houston is a desert when it comes to fresh, locally grown food. We import almost all of the food we consume, even though eight out of ten Houstonians say locally grown food is important to them. Fresh produce is in such high demand and short supply in Houston, that even our most visionary grocery stores are labeling produce from El Paso — the equivalent distance as Nashville — as “local!” As a city overflowing with land, sun and water, we deserve the infrastructure to be able to grow and purchase healthy, fresh and local food.
Plant It Forward Farms brings together the people and resources needed to make that vision a reality. We partner with social and religious groups to provide land and tools to refugees who settle in Houston with few other skills besides farming. Refugees receive training at a model farm, as well as additional business assistance to help sell their produce to grocery stores, restaurants and farmers markets. A portion of each success helps provide opportunities for future refugees, and our replicable model can easily be scaled to support hundreds of urban micro-farms throughout the city and beyond. Through Plant It Forward Farms, refugees can become active and contributing citizens that help Houston realize its potential as a leader in sustainable living.
Houston is in the process of reinventing itself, perhaps more than in any other major city in America. That change will be advanced only if we create access to healthy food, if we make the best use of the land and assets we have available, and if our neediest are given opportunities to support themselves. By fostering the sustainable growth of both the city and its individuals, Plant It Forward Farms can help lead Houston to a healthier, more prosperous future.
She dominated stage with a fearless and quiet calm. This weekend another Framer performed– Jackie in Hope Stone Dance Company’s “i was told there would be cake.”
It was a dramatic and poignantly dark performance. Beautiful dancing, Hope Stone! photo by Simon Gentry
See you this Friday at Rice University for Quiver and FM!
Happy Friday! Seriously my favorite day of the week.
Last night was a treat because I saw Framer Laura Gutierrez
perform in CounterCurrent, is a five-day festival of bold experimental art presented by the Mitchell Center. Occupying a range of unexpected sites in the city of Houston, CounterCurrent includes audio and visual installation, live performance, and participatory events by artists from around the world. Collaborations with dynamic organizations and artists in the Houston community are included as well as fresh new works by University of Houston faculty and students.
Laura is performing a work called Eclipse by Jonah Bokaer. A collaboration between choreographer Bokaer and visual artist McCall, ECLIPSE is a multidisciplinary performance that integrates choreography, light, visual design, and an audio-visual time score to arrive at altered ways of viewing a performance. ECLIPSE features four dancers, with a special appearance by Bokaer.
May I say, Laura, you were STUNNING. So proud of you.
The dancing was so clean. I kept thinking of cold running water. If you can, be sure to check out the additional events at this festival.
