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.
The son of an Austrian immigrant, Fred Astaire entered show business at age 5. He was successful both in vaudeville and on broadway in partnership with his sister, Adele Astaire. After Adele retired to marry in 1932, Astaire headed to Hollywood. Signed to RKO, he was loaned to MGM to appear in Dancing Lady (1933) before starting work on RKO’s Flying Down to Rio (1933). In the latter film, he began his highly successful partnership with Ginger Rogers, with whom he danced in 10 RKO pictures. During these years, he was also active in recording and radio. On film, Astaire later appeared opposite a number of partners through various studios. After a temporary retirement in 1945-7, during which he opened Fred Astaire Dance Studios, Astaire returned to film to star in more musicals through 1957. He subsequently performed a number of straight dramatic roles in film and TV.
A Scene from Swing Time
The Famous Dance on the Ceiling….yes, you heard me correctly. Dancing on a ceiling.
A coat rack, weights, parallel bars and Fred Astaire…
Facts about Mr. Fred Astaire…
Wore his trademark top hat and tails in his very first movie appearance, Dancing Lady(1933).
He was voted the 19th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
Named the #5 greatest actor on The 50 Greatest Screen Legends by the American Film Institute.
He was voted the 23rd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere Magazine.
One of the first Kennedy Center Honorees in 1978.
Ranked #73 in Empire (UK) magazine’s “The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time” list.
Astaire disguised his very large hands by curling his middle two fingers while dancing.
His legs were insured for one million dollars.
While all music and songs were known to be dubbed (recorded before filming), his tap dancing was dubbed also. He “over-dubbed” his taps – recording them live as he danced to the previously recorded taps.
Inducted into the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame in 2002 (inaugural class).
In December 2013, he was honored as Turner Classic Movies Star of the Month.
Interred at Oakwood Memorial Park, Chatsworth, California, USA, the same cemetery where long-time dancing partner, Ginger Rogers, is located.
Hi Framers! This week’s Tuesday Tunes we are doing a Throw Back Tuesday! Here we are looking at one of the greatest dancers of all time-Gene Kelly. He once said if Fred Astaire was the “Cary Grant” of dance, then he was the “Marlon Brando”.
Eugene Curran “Gene” Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director, producer, and choreographer. Kelly was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style, his good looks and the likable characters that he played on-screen.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was the largest and most powerful studio in Hollywood when Gene Kelly arrived in town in 1941. He came direct from the hit 1940 original Broadway production of “Pal Joey” and planned to return to the Broadway stage after making the one film required by his contract. His first picture for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was For Me and My Gal (1942) with Judy Garland. What kept Kelly in Hollywood were “the kindred creative spirits” he found behind the scenes at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The talent pool was especially large during World War II, when Hollywood was a refuge for many musicians and others in the performing arts of Europe who were forced to flee the Nazis. After the war, a new generation was coming of age.
Those who saw An American in Paris (1951) would try to make real life as romantic as the real life they saw portrayed in that musical, and the first time they saw Paris, they were seeing again in memory the seventeen-minute ballet sequence set to the title song written by George Gershwin and choreographed by Kelly. The sequence cost a half million dollars (U.S.) to make in 1951 dollars. Another Kelly musical of the era, Singin’ in the Rain (1952), was one of the first 25 films selected by the Library of Congress for its National Film Registry. Kelly was in the same league as Fred Astaire, but instead of a top hat and tails Kelly wore work clothes that went with his masculine, athletic dance style. Gene Kelly died at age 83 of complications from two strokes on February 2, 1996 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California.
The Famous Scene from Singin’ in the Rain
Tap Dancing on Roller Skates? Of course! Who can’t do that?
Just give him a creaky floor and a newspaper…
Facts about Mr. Gene Kelly:
He was voted the 42nd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
Was named the #15 greatest actor on The 50 Greatest Screen Legends list by the American Film Institute.
Had a fever of 103 degree while filming the famous rain scene in Singin’ in the Rain (1952).
Member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1959.
Kennedy Center Honoree, 1982.
Awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Bill Clinton in 1994.
A stage version of “Singin’ in the Rain” was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2001 for Outstanding Musical Production, with choreography by Kelly.
Every Tuesday look forward to music recommendations from professional dancers, choreographers, and artists! They will give you an inside look into what tunes get their creative juices flowing and what songs they absolutely can’t live without on their iPod. Excited? We are too! This week we bring you Rosie Trump!
Rosie Trump holds a M.F.A. in Experimental Dance Choreography from UC Riverside. She is a choreographer, dance filmmaker and educator. Her teaching credits include Seton Hill University, Mt. San Jacinto College and Rice University. Trump is the founder and curator of the annual Third Coast Dance Film Festival and has recently accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is a Frame Dance Productions board member and “Tuesday Tunes” was originally her brainchild – we are so excited to have her kicking off the series!
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Music That Moves Me
What music inspires you the most in the classroom; in the choreographic process?
In the classroom, I live by Ray McNamara. He has two albums Ray To Go and Ray to Go 2 Odd Times—run don’t walk to buy these albums here! I have been teaching to this music for over five years and still find it fresh. It’s indispensible for modern, creative dance, improvisation and choreography classes.
For choreography, I like to create and rehearse to music that has little to do with what I will eventually make. I am a big fan of Motown. I also like to shift between poppy dance music like Scissor Sisters and sad indie ballads from Iron and Wine.
When I am ready to set choreography to music, I usually have a few go-to artists like Múm, The Books, Colleen, and Matmos.
What are your three favorite tracks to teach a jazz class to?
Melody Gardot’s– Who will Save Your Soul
Chris Issac’s– Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing
James Brown– It’s a Man’s World
What are your top tracks to get the rehearsal process going?
Yeah Yeah Yeah’s –Maps
The Dead Weather—60 Feet Tall
Amy Winehouse—Rehab
Pick 5 tracks that should be on every dancer’s iPod?
James Brown—Soul Power
Michael Jackson—The Way You Make Me Feel
R.E.M.—Stand
Adele—Rolling in the Deep
Aretha Franklin—Think
Do you have a ‘secret weapon’ song or artist when you need go-to inspiration?
Four Tet’s music, especially the albums There is Love in You and Rounds, always helps me out of a rut.
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Stay tuned for more musical musings next week!
Are you a dancer/choreographer/artist with musical tastes and advice that you would like to share??? Contact emily.pau@framedance.org if so because we’d love to feature YOU on our blog!
We’re loving Tuesday Tunes, which features the musical musings of our favorite artists! This week we have our very own framer and dancer extraordinaire: Jacquelyne Boe!
Jacquleyne Jay Boe received her BFA from the University of Oklahoma, where she graduated as the Graduate of the Year from the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts. In the process of receiving her BFA, she had the pleasure of dancing works by Alvin Ailey, Robert Battle, Mark Dendy, Jean Erdman, Austin Hartel and Pilobolus Dance Theater. Immediately out of college she performed internationally with Hartel Dance Group and The National Ballet of Paraguay in Asuncion, Paraguay. She also worked with Erick Hawkins Dance during Erick Hawkins Centennial celebration at venues such as Jacobs Pillow and the 92nd Y New York City, NY. Since moving back to Houston, she has worked with Frame Dance Productions, Hope Stone Inc., NobleMotion Dance, Alex Soares, Teresa Chapman and Recked Productions. Boe loves teaching all levels of dance and values human connections.
What music inspires you the most in the classroom; in the choreographic process?
I am inspired by music that surprises and takes the mind on a journey.
What are your three favorite tracks to each a class to?
Recently, I have had live music in my classes by Kirk Suddreath and Kristen Jensen. So I did not know this one off the top of my head. I did some research in the iTunes play lists that I have made for teaching. Breathe Extended Version Mix by Telepopmusikis a staple for my floor warm-up, an audible reminder to breathe. Disneylandia by Jorge Drexler is a nice choice for the circular rond de jambe. The Avalanches song Frontier Psychiatrist is an eclectic choice of music, changing quality constantly. I like to use this for the choreography part of my class.
What are your top tracks to get the rehearsal process going?
Always different and depends the on day. The other week I choreographed a section of my evening length work “What Lies in Wonder” and the cast warmed up to rap music that I listened to when I was in High School. Now, I don’t listen to rap very often but the rehearsal called for that type of music to inspire.
Pick 5 tracks that should be on every dancer’s iPod?
Any classic tracks by Nina Simone, Patsy Cline and The Temptations.
Do you have a ‘secret weapon’ song or artist when you need go-to inspiration?
Oh yeah! My secret weapon is my own voice. Sometimes I sing for the leg swings portion of my class when I do not have the pleasure of a live musician.
Look forward to more music inspirations next week!
Rachel Holdt! She’s an emerging dance artist, choreographer, filmmaker, budding dance scholar and performance artist making work in academic and professional settings for the past six years. In the past few years, her practice has evolved to include technology for dance performance incorporating dance for film, gaming devices, projection, and software. She recently completed coursework at Mills College for her MFA in Dance Choreography and continues to create, perform, and research performance technologies.
Her research investigates the role of integrated technology for dance education at the university level. Future research will be directed towards required, integrated technology pedagogy for post-secondary education. She is excited to be creating and presenting performance works and critical theory focused on the intersection of dance and technology, and will continue to develop work that includes and investigates this developing field.
What music inspires you the most in the classroom; in the choreographic process?
Having recently completed my MFA at Mills College in Oakland—and having worked with and been exposed to the world-renowned experimental musicians there, I do approach this particular topic with a great deal of self-realized snobbery.
Inspiration comes from many sources, and less is definitely more, but soundscapes that evoke ideas are the most compelling. Jacaczek, a polish electro-acoustic musician is one of my most fruitful sources of inspiration in both the classroom and for choreography. I tend to lean heavily towards the electronic artists, but there are very few acoustic or traditional musicians that move me as deeply. I find that electronic musicians can create an environment that can be more loosely interpreted than direct methods of traditional musical artists, giving me freedom to create with the sound or directly oppose it. Some other favorite electronic artists are Squarepusher, Aphex Twin (AKA Caustic Window and AFX, Richard D James), Autechre, Ulrich Schnauss and Goldfrapp.
I had the privilege to work with two very different musicians during my time at Mills College and I will shout out to them here for their incredible work and amazing music. An electronic artist working with feedback loops and closed circuits is Nicholas Wang. Also, a jazz pianist who composed an entire evening length work for me in January is Brett Carson.
Since I am a writer and have a deep affinity for words, I also find conversations, text, and spoken work inspire my work almost just as much as sound. The Prelinger Arcives—a free source for music, sound, video and more—are a wonderful source for sound of this kind. Their archive is expansive and has provided me with rich inspiration for many of my works.
Traditional musicians that are capable of getting my creative juices flowing are rare, but there are a few that inspire every time. A few of the old faithful’s are– Max Reichter, Morton Feldman, Wim Mertens, Zoe Keating, Yann Tiersen, Nortec Collective, Beats Antique, and Ludovico Einaudi.
What are your three favorite tracks to teach a modern dance class to?
When teaching a Modern class, the following three tracks are my top three picks– Jacaczek, album Glimmer, track Goldengrove. Autechre, album Anti, track Djarum. Max Reichter, album Memoryhouse, and track November (first runner up is also Max Rieichter, album Valse Avech Bachir, trach Into the Airport Hallucination.
What are your top tracks to get the rehearsal process going?
When I’m floundering for inspiration, I listen to ABBA. Yes, they are old, but boy are they fun! I find their upbeat tempo and harmonies get me inspired to move around the room. For more reflective creations, I love Everywhere I Go by artist Lissie. John Cale also has some interesting takes on music, which can completely change my direction at times, and Sigur Ros evokes some interesting ideas.
Pick 5 tracks that should be on every dancer’s iPod?
Aphex Twin, Polynomial-C
Darren Korb, (from Bastion Soundtrack), Build That Wall
Blumenweise Neben Autobahn, Ulrich Schnauss
Oltremare, Ludovico Einaudi
Zoe Keating, Legions(war)
Yan Tiersen, L’Absente
Do you have a ‘secret weapon’ song or artist when you need go-to inspiration?
Video Game Soundtracks
Some interesting musicians to watch or Rising Stars – Rosina Kazi, Ensemble Mik Nawooj
