Contemporary Dance Collective

Looking forward to teaching intro to Modern this semester at UK, the college of Fine Arts now has a Dance minor and I am pleased to be working with so many talented artists, shoulld be an exciting semester!

Master classes are designed for students age 14 and older, registration will take place on the 17th & 24th…

Stephanie Harris of the Contemporary Dance Collective will host a master class series at ArtsPlace in September with Susie Thiel, professor of Dance at the University of Kentucky.  Classes will be held on September 17th and 24th and will feature a beginning and advanced level Modern technique class followed by an hour and a half improv class.  Techinque classes will be held from 12:00-1:30 and the combined level improv class will be from 1:45-3:00 on both days.  Dancers of all abilities are welcome to participate and there is a $10 fee per class.  ArtsPlace is located at 161 N. Mill St. Lexington Kentucky 40507 , for more information, contact Stephanie Harris at (859) 533-0306

Now that a week or so has passed I wanted to take a moment to share some thoughts about this amazing show and how it all just beautifully fell into place. As a whole this concert began as a series of concepts and themes with the choreography initially as the starting point….while I was developing the movement vocabulary that would guide each work, these visual elements began to present themselves to me and I started to think about the artists that I know and work with and I began approaching them and asking if they might be interested in working with the Collective. It became very clear that where The Resonance Project was very stark and minimal….Convergence would intermingle the two worlds I exist in with my formal training being in Modern dance performance and my work with Contemporary Art interweaving the concert would be visually engaging with visual art, video installations and film providing an amazing space for each dance to be presented in.

As the works began to take shape and these environments that were being designed visually were being conceived something unexpected happened….I had a collegue suggest that I meet this amazing musician….who truly was that and more…who began to bring original compositions to the project and then it all took on a life of it’s own. We had visual artists sketching,taking photographs and observing while the dancers worked on movement in the studio and eventually we were rehearsing with an entire percussion set in the dance studio as well. I realized that all of this information and energy was building into something bigger than I could ever have imagined. Then…just when I thought things could not possibly get more inspiring…i was contacted by an artist who happened to know some filmakers who wanted to film me dancing in one of the most moving art installations I have ever seen….This is a brief account of how all of that goodness from some really talented people came together to create an amazing experience.

I consider myself truly blessed to have found my way into the midst of some of the most creative, kind , and giving artists who are now forever a part of the story being told by the collective. Each work in this concert was designed to provide a space for the qualities of each artists work to mingle and while this happened we all became equal partners in the production of original works influenced by our experiences and the best that we had to offer as artists. We gave of our talents willingly and with trust knowing that our investment would be cared for by each other. True collaboration produces the most astonishing things and I look forward to the work that will be developed over the next few months…hopefully as a group we will continue to grow…with each member of the collective returning when they are able and they will always be welcome. This process reaffirmed something that I have always believed in and that is good honest work is only made better when influenced by other artists work…there should never be a worry about competing….and good things come at the most unexpected times and when they do….it is meant to be enjoyed and cherished….video of the show coming soon…wanted to take a moment to be thankful and share.