Tuesday Tunes: 1940’s!

Tuesday Tunes

Tuesday Tunes

           1940’s!

 

 

The 1940’s were dominated by World War II and  pulled the US out of the Great Depression. Women were needed in factories, agencies, companies and even baseball teams and the military to replace men who had gone off to war. Food, metals and various materials were rationed to help the Allies win against the Axis Powers that threatened the world. However, swingin’ new music from Glenn Miller, The Andrew Sisters, Artie Shaw, Count Basie and many others provided fast and up-beat songs for the latest dance crazes of the decade.

 

Glen Miller …. In The Mood (A tribute to the 1940’s)!

 

Andrews Sisters and Swing Dancing

 

The Jitterbug

MFA Monday: Stephanie Todd Wong

MFA Mondays

MFA right

 

 

It’s a new day, a new MONDAY. We welcome Stephanie Todd Wong to the Frame Dance blog. Enjoy her experiences today and for the next two weeks!

 

The Highs and Lows of My Personal Experience

 

I received my MFA from George Mason University in 2004 and I look back on those three years through a lens of extremes.  Fondness, frustration, pride, uncomfort, growth are all words I use often when telling others about my experience. For me, it was a life changing experience full of highs and lows, as I believe it should be for everyone.

 

Highs:

Structure and resources:  I suddenly had both! Class everyday, someone consistently asking me questions, challenging me, reserved studio time for rehearsal and dancers waiting for me, deadlines etc. It is amazing the work you can create when you have what you need to create it and the structure to both support and push you to produce your best.

 

Friends and colleagues:  Some of my dearest friends were either colleagues I met while in school or my professors. The dance world is a small one and the relationships I built while in the program are just as important to me now as they were then.  Our paths cross consistently and we still find ways to help and support one another.

 

Growth:  I exited my MFA program a completely different artist than how I entered. I fully embraced the journey and allowed myself to be changed by it. The growth I experienced during those three years is probably one of things I’m most proud of.

 

Lows:

University politics:  I wasn’t prepared for the reality of the politics I was exposed to during this time.  I’m not sure if it was because of my specific program or the difference between being an undergrad versus a grad student, but the politics involved were much more evident.  There were times I had to fight with administration to do what was best for me and I found it very frustrating.  But it was also an important part of the learning process.

 

Exhaustion/Life Outside the Grad School Bubble:  Or should I say the lack of my life outside the grad school bubble.  An MFA program is intense with a lot of demands on your time.  I taught adjunct while I was getting my degree and between teaching, my own classes, readings and assignments, rehearsals and performances, I was rarely anywhere other than the studio.

 

Cost:  Grad school is expensive and I’m still paying back my student loans. And while I don’t love writing those checks each month,  it was worth it for me.

 

 

 

Stephanie Wong - 20130303-1-2 webStephanie Todd Wong moved to Houston in 2008 after spending ten years in Washington DC as a dancer, choreographer, dance teacher and dance administrator.  Stephanie holds a BA in Dance from Mercyhurst College and received her MFA in Dance from George Mason University in 2004.  While living in Washington she was a dancer in the Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company, which performed in various locations in DC and New York City.  She also had the privilege of working with Lorry May, founding director of Sokolow Dance Foundation to learn and perform Anna Sokolow’s The Lament for the Death of a Bullfighter.  As a choreographer, Stephanie’s work was presented at both Joy of Motion and Dance Place.  Stephanie also spent time teaching dance and worked to create a high school dance program for The Flint Hill School in Vienna Virginia.  Beginning in 2007, Stephanie began working for Dance/MetroDC, the local branch office of Dance/USA, serving as its Programs Associate and ultimately its Interim Director.  In this role she was responsible for creating and executing all the organizations programming, including the Metro DC Dance Awards, a region wide awards program that took place at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  Stephanie became Executive Director of Dance Source Houston in 2011 and currently sits on the Advisory Board for Arts + Culture Magazine and an Affiliate Working Group of Dance/USA.

Links We Like

Links We Like

 

…I know you just sang that line….now you’re going to listen to the song, aren’t you? …Yeah you will…and why not it’s FRIDAY!!! 🙂

 

 

5th grade boys Synchronized Swimming Talent Show Skit 

 

 

Dude Sits Down At Public Piano…. Gives it a Schoolin

 

 

Kid Singin’ the Blues…like a boss

 

 

These Marines Just Let it Go

 

 

 

Free Events Thursday!

Free Events Thursday

14th Annual Houston Dragon Boat Festival

May 03, 2014 from  8:30am-4:30pm

Allen’s Landing

1001 Commerce Street, Houston, TX 77002

Performances include lion dancing, martial arts, Hawaiian style dancing, belly dancing, and many more activities bringing awareness of Asian and Asian-American culture. The entire family can enjoy the culture and traditions of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans and experience the culture and traditions through a sample of Asian cuisine, colorful arts and crafts and other activities during the festival.

Once again the MD Anderson Super Heroes youth team is competing. This will be the second time the team, which consists of leukemia and cancer teenagers, parents, doctors, nurses and other “sidekicks,” is paddling in our event. Also this year’s festival will feature Blind Fury,  a team whose members are from the Lighthouse of Houston. The Lighthouse of Houston is a private, nonprofit education and service center dedicated to assisting blind and visually impaired people to live independently.

Price: FREE!!!

 

African Art from the Cameroon & Nigeria with Paintings by Lucinda Cobley and Beatriz Olivetti

May 01, 2014 – June 14, 2014 (Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday) from Noon to 6 pm

Gallery Jatad

1517 Blodgett Street, Houston, TX 77004

Gallery Jatad is exhibiting two new exhibits. “African Art from the Cameroon & Nigeria with Paintings by Lucinda Cobley and Beatriz Olivetti” and “three dudes from Corpus”. The exhibit focuses on traditional African art from the Cameroon and Nigeria border region. This is an opportunity to acquire antique objects originally used for ritual purposes from an area of Africa that remained relatively untouched by Western contact well into the 20th century. Smaller objects include whistles carved with a sculptural purity anticipating Modern Art with some covered with multi-colored beads, and skin cover sculptures of heads worn as head crests to honor ancestors. A variety of masks, figures, dolls and textiles are offered, including objects from the Bamileke, Banso, Vere, Mumuye, Mambila, Ibibio, Ibo, Keaka and Ekoi. Contemporary works by Lucinda Cobley and Beatriz Olivetti are featured on the walls of the main gallery. Both artists titillate the eye with color. The north gallery features works by Ricardo Ruiz, Oscar Guerra and Jimmy Pena.

Price: FREE!!!

 

Bulgari: 130 Years of Masterpieces

May 02, 2014 – October 05, 2014

Houston Museum of Natural Science

Bulgari: 130 Years of Masterpieces will be an exhibition of approximately 150 sizable pieces
of jewelry from Bulgari?s Heritage Collection, including masterpieces from the historical archives of the company headquarters in Rome or on loan from private collections. This exclusive retrospective marks the first time the storied jeweler has showcased pieces representing every period since its Roman beginnings in 1884, making Bulgari: 130 Years of Masterpieces a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Included in the Houston exhibition are pieces from the collection of Dame Elizabeth Taylor, who became almost as famous for her love of Bulgari jewels as for her on-screen triumphs. Other pieces in the exhibition belonged to or were worn by iconic women past and present, including Sophia Loren, Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, Isabella Rossellini, Gina Lollobrigida, Anna Magnani, Juliette Binoche, Milla Jovovich, Jennifer Aniston, Claudia Schiffer, Elizabeth Hurley, Rachel Weisz, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore.

Price: $25

 

Drinko de Mayo

May 03, 2014 from 7 pm – 2 am

Howl at the Moon

Enjoy our drink specials and of course, our dueling pianos will be rocking the party all night long! DRINKO DE MAYO SPECIALS: $4 Dos Equis $22 86oz Mega Margaritas $5 Jose Cuervo Shots WIN A CINCO DE MAYO HAPPY HOUR PARTY Follow the link to win a free Cinco de Mayo happy hour party for you and up to 100 friends for even more Cinco de Mayo drink specials!

 Price: $10

 

First Saturday Arts Market

May 03, 2014 – May 02, 2015 (Recurring monthly on the 1st Saturday)

Times: 11-6 Sept – May and 6-10 June, July, August

548 W. 19th Street, Houston, TX 77008

First Saturday Arts Market is a monthly outdoor fine arts event featuring the works of dozens of visual artists. Located in the Historic Houston Heights by Gen’s Antiques at 548 W. 19th St. at Lawrence St., the market showcases paintings, sculpture, photography, jewelry and handcrafted items. Bring the entire family and come enjoy the great outdoors, live music and delicious fare from some of the area’s best gourmet food trucks.

Price: FREE!!!

 

Houston Food Truck Fest

May 03, 2014 from 12pm – 5pm

6400 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77057

Stereo Live will host the 3rd Houston Food Truck Fest on Saturday May 3rd from 12pm–5pm. The event will feature 21 of Houston’s finest Gourmet Food Trucks. Live music, DJ, karaoke stage and a multitude of attractions will keep Fest goers entertained. Family friendly movies will also be shown indoors on our massive 210 sq ft screen.

Price: $12

 

Eat Well Wednesday: Salsa!

Eat Well Wednesday Uncategorized

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           Tomato season is upon us!

 

Did you know that tomatoes contain 2 grams of fiber each, loads of Vitamin C helping you stay healthy, and beta-carotene to help make your skin glow?

 

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I will take any chance I can to get some of those benefits into my body and if that means eating salsa, well that is fine with me.  

Salsa is by far our all time favorite dip!  We consume large quantities of salsa in our house, for the perfect topping to our eggs, to a great dip for our chips. We LOVE salsa!!  After sharing with you our Coconut Granola Clusters as an easy and yummy way to save money on your grocery bill, I was inspired to share with you our family favorite, HOMEMADE SALSA.

 

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This recipe makes about 8 cups of salsa and for about $4.00.  That is a steal, considering that a 2 cup jar of salsa at the store will cost anywhere form $3-$4!!  Talk about cost savings.

Not only is this recipe budget friendly, it is very, very tasty and so fresh.  You can whip up a batch in about 1 minute and immediately serve it to your friends and family or store it it jars in the fridge for the perfect dip to your chip or topping for your morning eggs.

 

Gather up these ingredients:

  • (2) 28 oz Cans of Whole Tomatoes
  • (1) Bunch of Cilantro
  • (1) Bunch of Green Onions
  • (2) Tablespoons of Jalapeno’s (Jar)
  • (3) Tablespoons of Cumin
  • (2) Tablespoons of Sugar
  • (1) Tablespoon of Salt
  • (1) Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
  • Juice of  (1) Lemon
  • Juice of (1) Lime

 

 Here is what you do:

  • Cut off root ends of green onions and chop onion into 3 inch pieces.
  • Add green onion, cilantro, jalapeno’s and tomatoes into blender and process until well blended.
  • Add the seasonings and juice the lemon and lime. Blend for a few more seconds.

 

And that’s it!  Time to break out the chips and enjoy your fantastic dip. 

I know that your friends and family are going to love this salsa.

 

So, what is your favorite dip?  Salsa or queso? Leave a comment below and let me know.

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Jill Wentworth is leading us Wednesday by Wednesday into making better food choices and being more healthful. Tune in every Wednesday to get some great recipes and advice from someone who really knows health. In an effort to fuel her passion to serve as well has enhance the lives of others through their nutritional choices, she started Eat Well SA(San Antonio). Her vision is to educate you on how to incorporate a healthy array of foods into your life. Eat Well is not a diet, nor does it embrace any one specific dietary agenda. She also offers customized programs that are educational and teach you the tools you need to maintain healthy, well balanced eating for your busy lives.

 

Dinner / Dance 19. Meet Gretchen!

Interviews

Hi Framers,

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)

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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.

MFA Monday: Matthew Cumbie

MFA Mondays

MFA right

 

 

Happy Monday dear Framers!  I am excited to post this because I have so enjoyed reading Matthew Cumbie’s articles.  But it’s the third of his arc, so that’s a bummer.  But in the meantime, enjoy…

 

“Small Dances About Big Ideas,” and the importance of story telling*

 

So far, when writing these blog entries I’ve chosen to tackle topics that I’ve felt strongly about. I haven’t talked directly to my experiences in graduate school, or before or after, very much at all; a conscious choice of mine, most certainly. But in doing this I realize that I haven’t given much insight into who I am or what I do, merely glimpses; I haven’t shared my story, and frankly, I believe that everyone’s story matters. It’s this belief that shapes much of what I do today and has led me to where I am now. It’s also this belief that, for me, contextualizes the larger artistic questions that we as a community find ourselves asking and the research we do to explore those questions; in plain, within these personal stories lie universalities and shared experiences that ground what we know and how we come to know that.

My current story picks up in Washington, DC, where I am a Resident Artist and the Education Coordinator for Dance Exchange, an organization rich in history and rooted in the belief that everyone’s story matters and that everyone can and is encouraged to dance. The path taken to this fortuitous place has been one of much meandering, difficulty, and perseverance (and a bit of good fortune). Truly, until my time in graduate school I had a very small understanding of what the organization did and does still; then it was the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and I distinctly remember at one point encouraging a peer of mine to audition but not really envisioning myself involved in such a process. After finishing my MFA, however, I decided to get to know the organization better and enrolled in their Summer Institute, a condensed amount of time in which participants work closely with the company learning about their collaborative process and tools and history while collectively making and sharing. I fell in love and almost immediately knew I had found a home, one in which I was enlivened and engaged in a way that I had been searching for.

While in graduate school, as I’m sure many can attest to, one must really be focused on the work that is happening. This is particularly important if the work you’re doing is challenging and valuable, as I think most work at the graduate level should be. For me, graduate school became everything. I felt challenged on all fronts and grew three dimensionally in a way that I had never before experienced and with such rapidity that at times it felt almost impossible to keep up. It was probably one of the most difficult and exciting points in my life. I cried a lot. I laughed a lot. And I learned more about myself and my craft than I could probably ever explain on paper. I lost a relationship, and at that point particularly, poured myself without abandon into my work. My dog Lucas served as my anchor at home and my friends and peers within my program kept me afloat. I don’t regret any of it, but as I exited that environment and found myself back in a world outside of academia I realized how disproportionate my life had become.

It was at this point that I began to want and need and work towards finding a way to compromise the distance I felt between my artistic self and my everyday self. I began to question the processes that I was engaged in, wondering why I was doing this work and of what value did it have for others besides myself. What good was I doing for anyone else but me? What did I value in both my art making and my life making that I could harness in a process and feel satisfied with? How could I participate in a rigorously full artistic process and a rigorously full life simultaneously? These questions felt important in lessening that gap. When I started my work with Dance Exchange at that Summer Institute, and subsequently on some residencies that I was invited to help facilitate, answers to some of these questions manifested themselves either in the work that was made or in the relationships that formed, and I have a feeling it has to do with the alignment of my values and the organizations’ values and in the way that this process and work asks me to bring my whole self regularly.

As I mentioned before, at Dance Exchange we believe that everyone’s story matters and that everyone can and is encouraged to dance. Because of this philosophy, and our constant questioning of who gets to dance, we are committed to making space for all to participate in the making of art; from trained professionals to unexpected movers and makers, criss crossing all disciplines and engaging any who are interested in questioning and creative research. It’s in this place of exchange of ideas and information that I feel my many selves, Matthew the artist/human, fully engaged and aware. It’s in this place, where 90 year old women and men move with teenagers and twenty something year olds as a way to know and relate, that I find resonance in what I do and how I do it. It’s in this place that I have found a bridge between my many selves and feel more able to work on lessening that gap between the artistic and everyday.

To take a more macroscopic view, I want to leave you with this. In my personal experience, and in talking with many, many peers, I have found that leading full artistic lives and full everyday lives to be sometimes difficult (one could also change the word ‘artistic’ to ‘any other career’). But both are important. An integral step in doing that is finding a process or group or company or school or ensemble that continually asks you to bring your whole self, your many beautiful selves, to the work. It’s in this exchange between your own ideas and interests and this exchange between you and others that richness can be found and that much can be learned. Sometimes this work is hard; that’s when the work can be the most rewarding and relevant.  One of my former graduate professors once spoke of her ‘pedagogy of discomfort,’ a term that I have come to love. Although probably different in meaning, I have found that when situations or experiences seem to be uncomfortably hard or trying, it’s through the perseverance and working through those that has proved to be the most illuminating.

There’s something in here related to my previous posts about value and pausing, and in the combination of these 3 writings that I think speaks to carving out sustainable lifestyles as people that are committed to processes that might sometimes be difficult, especially in regards to an increasingly connected, fast-paced, and ever changing world. I hope that, wherever you’re at on this journey, you have found some nugget of something worthwhile in this and that applies to your story and story telling. It’s these stories that we carry and share that make our work worthwhile, that allow us to better our art and our lives, that allow us to gather as a community and work towards our individual and shared goals. It’s these individual small dances that we make which contribute to our collective big ideas.

 

* “Small Dances About Big Ideas” is a work by Liz Lerman and the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange which premiered in 2005. It is not at all related to the topics discussed above other than the connection of Dance Exchange. 

 

Photo by Jori Ketten. Dance Exchange artists Matthew Cumbie, Sarah Levitt, and Shula Strassfeld (in order) in Cassie Meador's How To Lose a MountainMatthew Cumbie is a professional dance artist based in Washington, DC, and is currently a Resident Artist and the Education Coordinator for the Dance Exchange. As a company member with the Dance Exchange, he works with communities across the United States and abroad in collaborative art-making and creative research as a means to further develop our understanding of our selves and community in relation to the environment around us. He has also been a company member with Keith Thompson/danceTactics performance group, and has performed with Mark Dendy, the Von Howard Project, Sarah Gamblin, Jordan Fuchs, jhon stronks, Paloma McGregor, and Jill Sigman/thinkdance. His own work has been shown in New York, Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, and at Harvard University. He has taught at Dance New Amsterdam, Texas Woman’s University, and Queensborough Community College. He holds an M.F.A. in dance from Texas Woman’s University.

Free Events Thursday

Free Events Thursday

BESO Latin Saturdays at Synn Ultra Lounge

April 05, 2014 – July 12, 2014 (Every Saturday) from 10:00pm – 2:00am

3302 Mercer St., Houston, TX 77027

Join us this Saturday Night at Synn Ultra lounge for BESO. Houston’s upscale latin party. With its welcoming ambiance, Moving Music, & Plenty of Eye candy BESO Saturdays at Synn Ultra Lounge display elegance, class, and style amongst all the rest.

Price: FREE!!!

 

3rd Annual Houston Improv Festival

April 24, 2014 – April 27, 2014 (Recurring daily): Thursday – 8pm; Friday & Saturday – 8pm & 10pm

Midtown Art Center

3414 LaBranch, Houston, TX 77004

The 3rd Annual Houston Improv Festival descends upon Houston April 24-27 at Midtown Art Center. HIF 2014 welcomes fifteen improvised acts from around the country.

Price: $15

 

Save the date! San Jacinto Day Festival 2014 

Saturday, April 26th

Booming cannons, cracking musket fire, thundering hooves and desperate battle cries resound across the San Jacinto Battleground as hundreds of history reenactors recreate the events leading up to Texas winning its independence at the decisive Battle of San Jacinto.

Price: FREE!!!

 

30th Annual Wine & Roses Festival

April 26, 2014 at  2-8pm

Messina Hof Winery and Resort

4545 Old Reliance Rd., Bryan, TX 77808

We invite Houston to our 30th Annual Wine & Roses Festival at Messina Hof?, Saturday April 26th in Bryan, TX! Wine tasting, grape stomp, art classes, live music and so much more!

Price: FREE!!!

 

4th Annual Gumbo Cook-Off and Fun Day

April 26, 2014 from 10 am – 6 pm

Clear Lake, Landolt Pavilion

5100 E Nasa Pkwy, Seabrook, TX 77586

4th Annual Gumbo Cook-off & Family fun day featuring Gumbo Cook-off Competition, People Choice Award, Gumbo Tasting, Celebrity Judges, Vendors, Booths, Silent Auction, Dunking Tank – See whose getting dunked! Come hungry for Gumbo, Crawfish Plates, Sausage-on-a-Stick and more. Live Entertainment featuring The Station Break Band. Proceeds benefit Rotarians of Seabrook Charities.

Price:  $10 and includes Gumbo Tasting (It includes food, people)!

 

Artist Talk: Trenton Doyle Hancock

April 27, 2014 at 2:00 pm

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

5216 Montrose Boulevard, Houston, TX 77006

Join artist Trenton Doyle Hancock and Senior Curator Valerie Cassel Oliver for an artist talk in conjunction with Trenton Doyle Hancock’s exhibition “Skin and Bones, 20 Years of Drawing.”

Price: FREE!!!

 

2013-2014 ROCO Chamber Series: French Salon

April 27, 2014 at 4:00 PM

Gremillion & Co. Fine Art Annex

2504 Nottingham Street, Houston, TX 77005

Finishing out the Chamber Series is a French Salon concert that includes music by Poulenc and more feature Alecia Lawyer on Oboe and Kristin Wolfe Jensen on Bassoon.

Price: $25

 

 

Eat Well Wednesday: Fridge Dump

Eat Well Wednesday Uncategorized

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A healthy body is built by healthy, whole, unprocessed foods.  If you want to eat well you need to have good, nutritious foods readily available.

Since your pantry and fridge are the base for your healthy meals, that is where we will start.

Here is a picture of our fridge, prepped and ready to go for the week and stuffed with vibrant colors and fresh, whole foods.

We eat most of our meals at home, in fact, we rarely eat out.  So yes, we really do eat ALL of this food. By the end of the week, this fridge will be almost empty.

 

Remove these foods from your fridge

  • Conventional milk/dairy/butter
  • Processed Cheese
  • Artificial flavored and sweetened yogurt (Yoplait)
  • Juice
  • Soda
  • Packaged deli meats
  • Conventional eggs
  • Frozen dinners

 

Fill Your Fridge

  • Vegetables (the more color the better!)
  • Fruits
  • Organic, hormone free, vegetarian fed chicken
  • Organic, Omega 3 enhanced eggs
  • Organic, grass fed beef
  • Almond milk/Hemp milk
  • Organic milk
  • Organic cheese
  • Greek yogurt (Plain 0% or 2%)
  • Low sodium deli meats
  • Frozen veggies
  • Frozen fruits

 

Look for these brands of foods at the store, they are usually well balanced and provide healthier options.

  • Chobani
  • Nature’s Gate
  • Kashi
  • Earth Balance
  • Almond Breeze/Blue Diamond
  • Applegate

 

How can you change the foods in your fridge to support a more healthy and balanced lifestyle?

 

Leave a comment below and let us know.  Be Well.

 

0-1Jill Tarpey is leading us Wednesday by Wednesday into making better food choices and being more healthful. Tune in every Wednesday to get some great recipes and advice from someone who really knows health. In an effort to fuel her passion to serve as well has enhance the lives of others through their nutritional choices, she started Eat Well SA(San Antonio). Her vision is to educate you on how to incorporate a healthy array of foods into your life. Eat Well is not a diet, nor does it embrace any one specific dietary agenda. She also offers customized programs that are educational and teach you the tools you need to maintain healthy, well balanced eating for your busy lives.