We do Live Work!

We do Live Work!

Frame Dance Events

LIVE PERFORMANCE:

AboutFrame1
Photo by Lynn Lane

Built around collaborations with local artists of different genres, these performances expose dance and the artistic process to audiences. They relate the process of making dance to audiences, and develop scenarios where the audience’s presence impacts the work. Since May 2010, Frame Dance has presented over 40 live performances in the Houston area, all original works by Frame Dance with guest collaborators who are artists from different genres — painter, photographer, filmmaker, poet, playwright, composer, chef and musician. Unique venues are the hallmark of Frame Dance performances including the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Jones Plaza, Miller Outdoor Theatre, Pennzoil Place, Photobooth on Montrose, Port Boliver Ferry, the METRORail, the inside of U-Haul trucks, art galleries, City Hall, and even a claw foot bathtub. Each performance features original musical compositions by emerging composers such as Charles Halka and Robert McClure, a rare find for contemporary dance companies in Houston. Notable performances include To the Brim for the ERJCC’s Dance Month, Quiver named a top ten dance work by CultureMap, and Dinner/Dance 19, an interactive dinner in collaboration with chefs David Leftwich, Adam Dorris, and Richard Knight.

Food for Thought

Eat Well Wednesday

10 Interesting Facts About Caffeine

 

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People may not think of caffeine as the most popular mood-altering drug in the world, even those who use it daily, by drinking coffee, tea, sodas or energy drinks as part of their routine.

Whether it’s brewed from a K-Cup, sipped in sweet tea, savored in chocolate or downed in cola, caffeine is a mild stimulant to the central nervous system that has become a regular fixture in everyday life. 

 

Cari Nierenberg, a Live Science Contributor, writes about 10 Interesting Facts About Caffeine. This article covers topics like “How Long Does it Stay in Your System?”, “Withdrawal Issues”, “Can People Truly Be Addicted?” and others.

What Do You See?

Frame Dance Events

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#Houseeit

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Do You Have TunnMysterious tunnel to the lightel Vision?

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Find out every Monday and Wednesday at Noon

in the Downtown Tunnels of Houston

beginning October 5th

 

jercho

 

 

 

Bill T. Jones: A Good Man screening tonight!

Free Events Thursday Performances/Screenings

billtjonesFramers, come join us for the Houston Cinema Art Society’s Artist’s Choice Film Series! #artistchoice

8:30pm Monday, September 21st, there will be a screening of Bill T. Jones: A Good Man, which was chosen by our very own Lydia Hance. The film will be shown at Cafe Brasil (2604 Dunlavy St).

Following the screening, there will be a discussion with Lydia Hance and the Houston Cinema Arts Festival.  And…it’s FREE!

Tuesday Tunes

Tuesday Tunes

“All choreographers think of the impact music will have on the movement they create,” stated in an article from The Kennedy Center.  Music can make us feel specific emotions or recall certain memories. It’s a powerful tool for dance; the absence of music can be equally strong.  Music creates atmosphere, dictates the flow and development of a dance, indicates struggle, and provides fodder for visualization.  At Frame Dance we prioritize music and work with composers to collaborate with all new music.
This article outlines how choreographers Alvin Ailey, Mark Morris, Robert Battle, and Larry Keigwin used music within their pieces. Check it out!

photo by Lena Silva of the Framers rehearsing
photo by Lena Silva of the Framers rehearsing

Summer Framer Hangout!

Frame Dance Events

Come hang out with us July 31st for some Framer fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ll be in Market Square Park from 5-7PM on Friday.  We’ll be hanging out with you, talking  about the new season, new classes, new  board members, and  new dancers! Bring your friends, food & drink, blankets and some games. We also  have all of our new Framer shirts in, which  are yours with a $25 contribution to Frame  Dance. We can’t wait to hang out with you and hear about your summer!

Dance in Pop Culture, friend or foe?

Education

Remember the movie Black Swan starring Natalie Portman? It gave a somewhat negative connotation to the things that happen in the dance world, and even earned this meme.

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Also giving negative vibes to dance were certain shows such as Dance Moms, showing a heavily competitive and abusive dance world. But are all the portrayals of dance in the mainstream bad? TV shows like Bunheads from ABC Family or Breaking Pointe on the CW are often seen as a positive display by people in the dance world, often showing the true hard work needed to succeed and become an exceptional dancer.

 

Tell us what you think! Is dance in the mainstream helping or hindering the spread of a healthy dance culture?

Dance Business Bootcamps

Education

2015-Logo-HomepageWhile at the Dance/USA Conference, we attended a session called Business Bootcamp run by some of the great people at Fractured Atlas.  Here are my notes:

 

Mission Statements:

When writing your mission statement, you show answer the following questions.

What are you doing?

Who is going to benefit?

Why should I care?

Ours is:  Frame Dance empowers Houstonians to communicate, inspire, and connect to the world and others through movement, community and artistic collaboration, and technology. 

One sentence is almost always better.

(Name of company) –> active verb.

 

Making strategic decisions

What is our plan for success?

Intentional + Consistent = Strategy

LSD

1.  List everything your organization does; everything your organization is.  Start to group those, and start to find patterns and themes.

2. Strategic anchors.  Does it serve our mission?  Does it serve our members?

3. Decide

 

Crowdfunding Perks

Campaigns that offer giving perks receive 194% more funding.

How much to ask for and how many to have:

think about the size of your roster

The average donation amount is $75-80

Most common: $20-25

Assume 33% should be from your nearest and dearest–> is your goal attainable?  Can your close network reasonably give 33% of your goal?

How many perks to include?

7-10; try introducing perks a little at a time

Types of Perks:

1. Access; backstage pass, rehearsal videos, dinner with the artists

2. Products: tickets to shows, adding something onto what they are getting in exchange

3. Experience: something that is relevant to the work you are doing

4. Something Personal: personal video, product etc.

5. Thank You: how many free ways can you think to say thank-you

Tie your giving levels to your perks.

 

Team Assembly

Being thoughtful about how to attract and select great people to help you achieve your goals.

Typical Process

1. Be specific.  What do you need them to accomplish?

2. Bespoke Posting

3. Breadcrumbs, what are the benchmarks you are looking for in your candidates?

4. Structured Interview Process; this should look the same for all candidates

-how can I create a question that gets at what we really want in a hire

-ask them what our company does

-when has your set of skills saved the day?

-what everyday skill are you better at than anyone else?

 

Dance/USA Conference

Education

Wednesday was the kick-off for the 2015 Dance USA Conference in Miami, Florida. Each year, dancers and dance leaders gather for this event. Our own Lydia Hance was in Miami, attending the conference.

Major themes that came up this conference included:

What is the social responsibility of dance?

How do we keep up with the constant evolution of society?

How do we finance dance?

Here are some of the notes from the opening plenary.

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Stay tuned for more notes from the breakout sessions.

Who deserves an award?

Miscellaneous

One of the most loved choreographers on So You Think You Can Dance, Sonya Tayeh, contributes much to giving contemporary dance a voice in popular culture. She has even been nominated for an Emmy in 2013 for some of her choreography seen here.

If you want to catch some modern dance in pop culture, you can tune into Fox 8/7c on Monday nights.  Who would you nominate for an Emmy who hasn’t been on SYTYCD?