Brian Sanders' JUNK*

By Ann-Marie Gover

Philly is… Phantastic. There is deeply rooted history here combined with grit, pride, and a fierceness that influences and encourages the dance, performance, theater, and art scene in a one-of-a-kind way. It’s amazing. 

How to begin:

The PhiladelphiaDance.org’s Listserv is high volume, free, the fastest way to hear about what’s going on, and the best way to spread the word about what you have going on. Also check out thINKingDANCE to read about performances in the area and opportunities to write about dance.

Where to train:

Koresh is located in Center City and offers different levels of ballet, modern jazz, and hip hop every day. Near by you have The Pig Iron School - intensive training for the advanced performer. In South Philly, you have CHI Movement Arts Center (home to Kun-YangLin/Dancers), The Whole Shebang (a space not just for dance but for all artistic types offering yoga, African, contemporary classes, and workshops from out of town artists), and Headlong Performance Institute (a semester-long intensive for hybrid performance). Moving North, you have The Performance Garage (offering ballet and different types of modern), The Iron Factory (contemporary classes and workshops), and in West Philly you have the Community Education Center or CEC (with classes like capoeira, African, house, and flamenco). 

Where to rehearse:

There are plenty of affordable places to rehearse in Philly. In South Philly, there’s The Whole Shebang, Headlong, CHI Movement Arts Center, and Shiloh Baptist Church (home to Brian Sanders’s JUNK). In North Philly, there’s the Iron Factory, Mascher Space Co-Op, <fidget>, 954 Dance Movement Collective, the Latvian Society, the Maas Building, and the Performance Garage. In West Philly you have Studio 34 and Merge Dance Studio.

How dancers get performing gigs:

I think that this is basically the same no matter where you are. You get gigs by being there. Go take class, go see dance shows, take workshops, talk to people, reach out to the people you are interested in, join their mailing lists. There aren’t many auditions that happen in Philly, but they do happen and you usually will hear about them through the Listserv. I think it helps if you make your own work; there’s no better way to show what you have to offer.

Airloom choreographed by Lela Aisha Jones     Company: Requisite Movers      Photo by Johanna AustinArt

Opportunities for emerging choreographers:

Every other month there is the Etc. Performance Series that happens at the CEC. CHI Movement Arts Center has Inhale Performance Series that occurs every four months. The Iron Factory has just recently developed a residency program. In June there’s Solow Fest, a low-budget festival where people show their solos at a low price and with low production. Scratch Night happens the first Monday of every month at FringeArts. Koresh has their Come Together Festival every summer at the Suzanne Roberts Theater in addition to their Artists Showcase that occurs every other month.

Festivals:

The most well-known would be the Fringe Festival, but if you’re working with a small budget it may not be the best option. There’s also Solow which is open to anyone, and Koresh’s Come Together Festival, where you have to be accepted. Then there are the occasional pop-up festivals. Last year there was The Remix Festival, where choreographers from around the country remixed each others’ dances and performed them. This year there was Move Dance Think Fest (the Significance of Everything: A Way Into Presence) which circulated around the theme of presence and included classes, performances, and conversations.

Venues where out of town artists perform and organizations that present them:

In West Philly you have the Annenberg where you will see companies such as Pilobolus, Urban Bush Women, Rosie Herrera, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. In Olde City you have the Painted Bride where Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company has performed, along with Philadanco. Fringe offers artists such as Zoe | Juniper, Kate Watson-Wallace/anonymous bodies, and Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. Thanks to the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage and the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Thirdbird recently presented Jonathan Burrows and Matteo Fargion at Christ Church Neighborhood House. Coming up (something I am most excited about), Philadelphia Dance Projects will be presenting niv Acosta at the Kimmel Center. 

Opportunities to teach dance, the amount of work in the area, and ages and settings for teaching:

What some teachers do is rent space to hold class. There are always the local dance studios. I have also found that most people go outside of the city to the local suburbs to teach dance in studios. There are outreach programs that some companies, such as BalletX and Koresh, offer.

Find out about working in K-12 schools through the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership. The University of the Arts and the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership have also developed a Teaching Artist Certificate Program. 

Local colleges and universities with undergraduate and graduate programs:

Right in Philly you have Temple University, Drexel University, and the University of the Arts. Outside of the city you have Bryn Mawr College, Swarthmore College, DeSalles University, Ursinus College, and West Chester University. (Read about Temple professor Jillian Harris here.)

Final thoughts:

Philly is super affordable and full of artists who are making it work for themselves. My best piece of advice is to get your hands in as many pots as possible, and it is possible. It can take some digging and some persistence, but it helps to find (or develop) a community for yourself. Find a way to make money, find a way to keep dancing or stay active, and find your community.   

 

*photo respectfully pulled from the company website

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Ann-Marie Gover is a recent graduate from the University of the Arts, who has lived in Philadelphia for the past 6 years. She is currently a project dancer, who also teaches dance and fitness and babysits. She has worked administratively at Dance/UP and at The Whole Shebang.

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