Interactive Gateway Dance
"Chair/Pillow," a dance by choreographer, dancer, and filmmaker Yvonne Rainer is at the center of this interactive website designed for high school students and their teachers. Spiraling outward from this landmark work are the ideas and practices which evolved from the rich collaborations between visual, theatre, music and dance artists at New Yorks Judson Church during the tumultuous Sixties. These artists challenged tradition and convention in all the arts and, in dance, this aesthetic revolution was realized by expanding the definition of dance to reflect the democratic ideal that any body can do any movement using any method to organize movement performed anywhere. Significant social and historical events of the era are identified to illustrate how the arts are shaped by the times in which they are created. In April 2003, the activities of the project culminate where they began - with "Chair/Pillow" performed by a cast of high school and university dance students on the ASU campus.
Rainer Biography
Yvonne Rainer was born in San Francisco in 1934. She trained as a modern dancer in New York from l957 and began to choreograph her own work in l960. She was one of the founders of the Judson Dance Theater in l962, the genesis of a movement that proved to be a vital force in modern dance in the following decades. Some of her better known dances and theater pieces are Terrain (1963), The Mind is a Muscle (1968), Continuous Project-Altered Daily (1969-70), and This is the story of a woman who... (1973), and After Many a Summer Dies the Swan (2000, commissioned by the Baryshnikov Dance Foundation).
Since 1972 Rainer has completed seven feature-length films, beginning with Lives of Performers and more recently Privilege (1990, winner of the Filmmakers' Trophy at the l99l Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah, and the Geyer Werke Prize at the l99l International Documentary Film Festival in Munich), and MURDER and murder (1996, winner of the Teddy Award at the 1997 Berlin Film Festival and Special Jury Award at the 1999 Miami Lesbian and Gay Film Festival).
Noteworthy for a wry humor and emotional candor brought to bear on the everyday intersections of private and public life, Rainers films deal with a number of aesthetic and social issues, such as melodrama, menopause, racism, political violence, sexual identity, and notions of disease. Her films have been shown at major international film festivals. Her most recent book A Woman Who...: Essays, Interviews, Scripts was published by Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. In 2002 the Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery in Philadelphia mounted a Rainer exhibition consisting of video installations, film screenings, and dance photos and memorabilia.
Rainer is the recipient of a number of prestigious awards, including two Guggenheim Fellowships and a MacArthur Fellowship.
Participants
Interactive Gateway participants were a unique blend of high school and university students. The ASU dance education students were selected from an audition based on their technique and improvisational skills. The high school students were recruited from high schools throughout the Valley, selected by their dance teachers for their intelligence in dance and strong work etiquette.
Participant
Sara Anderson
Melissa Bischoff
Francesco Cabán
Alison Chafin
Daisy Delgado
Samantha Ellis
Kristen Grippo
Carrie LeBaron
Lona Lee
Courtney McHugh
Shane Paugh
Rachel Ryan
Sirena Shamblin
Leanne Schmidt
Laura Steigerwald
Kiri Theobald
Sarah Ventre
Stacie Williams
Standing
Junior
Grad
Junior
Junior
Sophmore
Sophmore
Senior
Grad
Senior
Senior
Junior
Senior
Junior
Grad
Senior
Sophmore
Senior
Post-Baccalaureate
School
ASU
ASU
Arcadia
ASU
Arcadia
Desert Ridge
ASU
ASU
ASU
ASU
Desert Vista
Dobson
Chandler
ASU
ASU
Desert Mountain
McClintock
ASU
School Teacher
Parrish/ Lane
Parrish/ Lane
Denise Rapp
Parrish/ Lane
Denise Rapp
Lindsey Bauer
Parrish/ Lane
Parrish/ Lane
Parrish/ Lane
Parrish/ Lane
Bianca Gutierrez
Margie Wolf
Kathie Buren
Parrish/ Lane
Parrish/ Lane
Liza Noriega
Micah Kriston
Parrish/ Lane
Specialists
Project Directors
Parrish
Lindholm Lane
Mila Parrish (Interactive Gateway Co-Director) Parrish received a BFA with K-12 Teachers Certification in Dance from the University of Michigan, an MA in Dance Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in Art Education. Dr. Parrish is a Certified Movement Analyst (CMA) from the Laban Institute of Movement Studies in NYC with research interest in notation enhanced movement cognition, telematic pedagogy and multimedia development. Mila was a professional dancer and choreographer in NYC, performing with modern, ballet and theatre companies, most notably, The Jean Erdman Theater of Dance, with whom she toured nationally. Her choreography has been presented at various NYC venues including DIA Center for the Arts, P.S. 122, the Morningside Dance Festival and St. Mark's Church. At ASU, Parrish teaches dance pedagogy coursework, Laban Movement Analysis, and directs the summer intensive teacher-training workshop in dance education and technology and is the Co-Director of the Dance Education program. She instituted Moving Inventors creative dance laboratory, which serves as a hands-on training school for dance education students. Parrish is nationally and internationally recognized for her work in educational technology and CD-ROM development. Her research and publications establish new trends in movement technology, K-12 integrated curriculum and teacher training in the digital arena. Recent publications include "Integrating Technology into the Teaching and Learning of Dance" in the Journal of Dance Education; Process-Based Dance Documentation CD-ROM on Bebe Miller's work Prey; and an interactive choreography capsule on New York choreographer Vicky Shick. Dr. Parrish serves on the board of several influential dance organizations including: The National Dance Orginisation (NDEO); dance and the Child international (daCi) and is on the Professional Advisory Board (PAC) for the Dance Notation Bureau.
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Kathy Lindholm Lane (Interactive Gateway Co-Director) Lindholm Lane taught pedagogy and philosophy and criticism courses for the Department of Dance (1994-2004). Kathy was the Co-Director of the Dance Education program and was awarded the distinguished teacher award 2003. She was a Teaching Fellow with the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics. Kathy was the founder and director of "Discover Dance," an on-campus creative dance class for children. Kathy was on the Arizona Commission on the Arts Artist Roster as a solo dance artist for six years and a teaching artist for the national Wolf Trap Early Learning through the Arts program for ten years. Kathy's research interests included elementary and secondary dance curricula, interdisciplinary arts experiences, children's perspectives on art and aesthetics, critical inquiry process, service learning, advocacy, and dance education technology. Kathy presented papers and conducted workshops nationally and internationally. Kathy was also the Project Director and Dance Specialist for the television series, "Weaving the Elements of Dance and Drama," which airs on public television. Tragically, during the of Interactive Gateway research process, Kathy was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and died January 24, 2004 before she could see the rewards of the completed project. Kathy is greatly missed, but not forgotten. Her voice is very present in the work.
Reconstruction Specialists
Catterson
Mockabee
Pat Catterson (Reconstructor) born in Indianapolis to professional ballroom dancing parents, moved to New York City in 1968 after graduating from Northwestern University with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in philosophy. She presented her first full evening of choreography at Judson church in 1970 and, subsequently, has created eighty seven dances, including her solo program of fourteen portraits, Please, Just Take It One Life At A Time. A Fulbright Scholar, she has received multiple grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the CAPS Program, the Harkness Foundation, and the Ludwig Vogelstein Foundation. Her work has been commissioned by companies, individuals, and schools, most recently, LaGuardia High School for Performing Arts, Ohio University, Dance Theatre of Oregon and the Eglevsky Ballet Company. In 1996 she was Dance Consultant for the feature film "I Shot Andy Warhol". Formerly on the faculties at Sarah Lawrence College, UCLA, and the Merce Cunningham Studio, she has been a guest artist in schools all over the USA and in Finland, Norway, Sweden and Italy. Currently she is on the faculty at The Juilliard School and at Marymount Manhattan College. Recently she was Choreography Assistant to Yvonne Rainer for her projects for Baryshnikov's White Oak Project. Early in her career, Ms. Catterson performed with Ms Rainer, the Grand Union, James Cunningham's Acme Dance Co. and the Judith Scott Dance Company. Her most influential teachers have been Honi Coles, Charles "Cooky" Cook, Frances Cott, Merce Cunningham, Viola Farber, Margaret Hills, Jocelyn Lorenz, Martha Myers, Bessie Schonberg, and Judith Scott. Her eighty eighth dance, Crowd Pleaser will be premiered at the Construction Company in February in NYC. University where she teaches repertory from score, technique, and Labanotation.
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Valarie Mockabee (Labanotator) received her B.F.A. from The Juilliard School, where she was a member of the Juilliard Dance Ensemble, her M.F.A. from Texas Woman's University, and is a Certified Teacher of Labanotation. She toured with Lincoln Center Institute Touring Programs for four years serving as dance captain, and performed with The Dallas Opera and Sharir Dance in Austin, Texas. She has set works on the national companies of Peru and Ecuador and the Jakarta International School in Indonesia, as well as Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, University of Texas at Austin, and Ohio State University. Valarie has directed works from score by Taylor, Humphrey, Momix, Sokolow, and Petipa. She is a Candidate for Professional Notator Certification and has notated and designed content for CD-ROMs that documented works by William Forsythe, Bebe Miller, and Vicky Shick. She is an Associate Professor at The Ohio State University.
Research Assistants
Jennifer Walker (research/teaching assistant) is a graduate student at Arizona State University. She received her BFA in Modern Dance Performance from the University of Oklahoma. Jennifer is the primary teacher and coordinator for the K-12 community dance program Moving Inventors at ASU. She is the curriculum developer and primary instructor for the Body in Motion: The Movement of Human Physiology, and the ASU program for gifted youth. She is a formally artistic director of Jennifer Walker and Company in New York City. Member of the Jacksonville Ballet Theater in Florida, Dance Theater in Florida, Modern Repertory Dance Theater in Oklahoma, and Steven Koplowitz and Company in New York City. In 1997 she received the Scott Salmon Modern Choreography Award for her work, towards the Light. In 1998 she received the Ovation Award for achievements in performance and choreography. Her work has been presented in New York, Florida, Oklahoma, and Arizona. Jennifers research interest focuses in choreography and dance education and technology.
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Sara Anderson (research assistant) received her BFA in dance with K-12 certification from Arizona State University. She is currently the dance education specialist at Skyline High School. She entered the Interactive Gateway project as a participant in her Sophomore year and is honored to continue in this work as research assistant in curriculum for Dr. Parrish. Sara looks forwards to implementing this curriculum with her high school students.
Nancy Happel (webcast specialist, designer) is a graduate student at Arizona State University focusing on dance performance telematics. Nancy has performed with various dance companies throughout the United States and Canada, most notably with the companies of Zvi Gotheiner and Anna Sokolow. She is currently finishing her work towards a Masters in Dance and Technology at Arizona State University, and is the recipient of a Jacob Javits Fellowship. Nancy designed and implemented the National Dance Education Organization website with Dr. Mila Parrish and taught web development and design in the 2001 ASU Dance Education and Technology intensive summer workshop. In January, Ms. Happel presented a 30-minute duet in Tempe, Arizona in which the performance of one of the dancers occurred in Bellevue, Washington. The live performance occurring in Bellevue was webcast in to the theater space at ASU. Each dancer, working in a telematic setting, was able to see and respond to each other, creating an ethereal, evocative and deeply layered space.
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Melanie Mitchell (research assistant in documentation and editing) received her BFA in choreography at Arizona State University. Her choreographic work is intense, abstract and athletic creating a dimensional painting for audiences to experience. Melanie has committed her time to the Interactive Gateway project as a digital sound and video editor. Melanie joined the research team to capture, sequence and organize historical documentation. Ms. Mitchells choreographic and film work has been presented nationally at both festivals and University venues.
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Apryl Seech (videographer) is a graduate student at Arizona State University focusing on interactive media and new media performance. Apryl received her Bachelor's degree in dance from Eastern Michigan University in 1994. Apryl's work has been presented in various Bay Area venues such as, ODC Theater Dance Mission and Venue 9. In 1998, Apryl co-founded, Spinning Yarns Dance Collective (SYDC) with choreographer, Susan Donham. In 2001 SYDC in collaboration with Right Brain Performance Lab created the Terraffirma project. Funded by the Zellerbach Family Fund, the project comments on the real estate crisis that gripped San Francisco from 1998-2001. Currently, Apryl is exploring the integration of new media and dance. She believes this concentration into digital technology adds another layer to her creative process, altering the way she thinks about her environment. Apryl shares her enthusiasm for mediated dance with her peers and students through teaching.
Support
This project was funded by a consortium of Katherine K. Herberger Institute for Design in the Arts programs and units including:
Herberger Institute for Design in the Arts Research & Creative Activity Grants 2002-2003
2004-2005 ArtsWork Department of Dance Institute for Studies in the Arts ASU Instructional Technology
