I stepped out of the cold of December and into a polka-dot stairwell on Milwaukee Ave. The steps led to a smooth wooden dance floor with a couple of cozy couches, a windchime, and a bright orange parachute draping across the room. I found myself hanging out in Silverspace, a Chicago dance studio where performance art projects thrive.

I biked over to Silverspace to participate in a movement workshop led by esteemed tap dancer, alternative movement artist, urban street performer, and awesome friend Annie Rudnik. Following Annie's expert facilitation, the seven participants explored motion and physical activity through moving meditation and other exercises intended to increase our mind/body awareness.

I was able to snag a quick video interview with Annie, who embraces movement as a richly rewarding component of her life.

But wait—here's another video of Annie tap-dancing in a completely different context. In this video she's rocking out to the music of Pussywillow Sparks at the Alche Circus (which took place at my very own humble abode), in the company of our favorite Chicago contortionist, Jackie.

Thanks to Annie for bringing people together to enjoy movement. And thanks to Silverspace for providing a place for Chicago dancers to move.

 

 

Everyone knows about figure skating. It's an Olympic sport, and it's regularly featured on prime time television. Fans like figure skating because it's a visually appealing spectacle with musical accompaniment, dramatic lighting, and shiny costumes. It's also been the arena for a number of scandals in recent year that really turned me off. But lucky for people like me, all of the cool things about figure skating can be translated onto rollerskates for a more accessible, open, and egalitarian sport-- jam skating. When I visited Toronto a few weeks ago, I caught this guy practicing his moves in a park, and he put on a little show when I asked if I could film him as he sailed by.

Jam skating has its roots in the disco explosion of the 1970's, when the overall popularity of dancing was through the roof, and roller rinks got in on the action as well. I love activities that operate in the crossover space between athletics and arts, and dancing on a pair of roller skates meets the criteria perfectly. It's also way more accessible to the masses than figure skating-- at the most basic level, because it doesn't require ice. If you live in a place with skateable ice in the wintertime, you're golden for figure skating, but wayyy more people have access to hard surfaces for roller skating. The lower the entry barrier is for a sport, the more accessible it is, and the less it excludes people. If we want sports to bring people together, we should be getting down with accessible sports that include everybody! These days, dance skating has been expanded to include moves from breakdancing and crumping. Check the video and boogy down-- it doesn't matter if you're old or young, if you like disco or hip hop.  These are the "Georgia Jamskaters" and they hold it down.

 

Everyone knows that ballet is for skinny people. To look good on stage, ballet dancers must be flexible, muscular, and oh-so-svelte. Or so cultural assumptions would have us believe.

One Cuban dance project is challenging this stereotype and empowering people of size through a ballet troupe known as Danza Voluminosa. NPR reported that members weigh an average of 200 pounds, and practice a fusion of classical ballet and contemporary dance. Formed by obese dancer Juan Miguel Mas, the troupe helps people of size combat low self-esteem while improving personal health. When the troupe began in 1996, they were frequently mocked by locals (who were probably just jealous because they lacked mad dance skillz). Now the group is internationally known and receives state money to continue dancing. 43-year-old dancer Xiomara González told the Herald Tribune, "We have always had those who laugh at first, but by the end of the show there is a standing ovation... And this is a beautiful thing, a very beautiful thing."

I’m psyched to see these dancers take center stage and reclaim space for diverse bodies in ballet. Who’s starting the U.S. chapter?

[Below: A short segment on Danza from Reuters News.]

Okay, I know that Halloween is over, but I gotta mention something cool that I saw in downtown Chicago on Halloween night: Fire.

Spunn and Pyrotechniq—Chicago's two professional fire performance troupes—did a Halloween show at Daley Plaza, at about the same time that Critical Mass left for their evening ride.

[Below: Performers spin fire darts at Daley Plaza.]

Fire spinning is an art that I've just gotten into in the past year or so. I have a set of torches that I juggle on occasion, but it's tough stuff and I have much to learn. I'm fortunate to have a big empty lot across the street from my house in Chicago—perfect for practicing my fire tricks.

There are many different ways to perform with fire. Perhaps the most widely practiced fire art is poi, which consists of spinning two objects (often flaming wicks) at the end of two ropes or chains. Poi Toa was originally practiced by the Maori people in (the land re-named by white colonizers as) New Zealand. It is used as both a dance form and a fighting technique.

Many other fire arts combine flames with dancing and martial arts. Common fire toys include spinning staff, swords, fire fingers, hula hoops, flaming whips, devil sticks, juggling torches, and small sticks for fire eating.

The only fire trick that I really dislike is fire breathing. It is dangerous (burns are a very real threat for fire breathers) and the fuels introduce adverse long-term health effects. It matters little whether a performer uses kerosene, white gas, or lighter fluid; they're all toxic substances. All of these fluids contain elements that could poison the performer in the short term, and carcinogens that could kill the performer in the long run. I don't think it's worth the risk for the sake of entertainment. There are other fire arts that are just as cool to watch and much less dangerous.

That said, there's a whole subculture of "burners" and pyros devoted to practicing these arts. I must admit, it is kind of a rush to spin fast flaming objects around your head. I totally love it.

And here's some more Chicago fire spinning for your pleasure :)

 

September 15 through October 15 is Latino Heritage Month. I decided to do a bit of research on salsa, a popular ballroom dance that fuses elements from Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Dominican music and movement.

The New York Times said that the basic salsa rhythm came from Cuba, but the dance itself originated in New York in the 1970s when a convergence of jazz musicians from all over the world began developing a unique new style. Salsa began as more of a street dance, and wasn’t really taught in the studios or on a professional level until the late 80s. Now you can find Salsa Congressos all over the world (multi-day salsa workshops and performances that often bring in thousands of participants).

There’s a cool activist dance company in LA known as Contra-Tiempo. They teach salsa, hip-hop, Afro-Cuban, abstract theatrical movement, and other dance styles. Contra-Tiempo’s classes “address social, political and race issues through movement and through traditional cultural dance forms....[W]orkshops focus on how the body can be used as a tool for communication....[Our] mission as a company is to create dialogue and greater understanding across populations, in particular around issues of resistance and power.” The company reaches out to underserved youth and communities of color throughout Los Angeles.

And now some salsa inspiration from Contra-Tiempo: