In the context of my upcoming Birthright trip, I am interested in facilitating an intentionally creative experience to document, process, and respond to my time spent in Israel. My goal in this project is to explore the idea of “dance” as movement, moving, and being moved. I believe one can move with the body, mind, words, heart, history, soul, and spirit. I also wish to explore the idea of a “company” as a community of collaborators engaging in a given mental and physical space for a given amount of time- in this context, the framework of The Defiance Project company would relate to the Birthright experience. I also hope to process, reflect on, and encounter the Birthright experience in an intentionally creative and collaborative way. I hope to use my time in Israel through Birthright as a research experience about the specific sites we will be visiting in terms of the aesthetic and energetic manifestations of their histories, how these sites relate to the human bodies that occupy them, and how to use the human body to evoke those aesthetic and energetic manifestations beyond the scope of the physical spaces themselves.

The value in this project will be in receiving the experiences we have in Israel in a physical way and also contributing to our presence in various spaces in Israel with the intentional physical presence of our bodies. I believe a sense of presence is achieved when mind and body are one- through sensation and perception. By not only receiving sensations in a passive way but also seeking sensation from our surroundings in an active way, we can achieve a true state of presence that can serve the artistic process. I also believe that the body can be a source of memory and a site on which mental and emotional experiences imprint themselves through sensation. By capturing these physical responses to and engagements with our surroundings in terms of specific sites in Israel and the other people who occupy them, we can maintain an artistic integrity upon reflecting on and documenting our Birthright experiences beyond the scope of the trip. We can also use the body as a tool for reproduction of these emotional impacts of these experiences because of the relationship between the mind and the body promoted by presence.

I plan on facilitating the project Israel Works by:

• Putting a call out for collaborators within the Birthright group
• Exploring the idea of “asset mapping” as a way to communicate our skills, talents, and interests to best serve this artistic work
• Exploring the idea of “embodied history” as a way to process our experiences and thus further contribute to that history as it exists in real time as OURstory
•  Addressing the various opportunities and setbacks offered by each of the historical and religious sites we will be visiting
• Addressing the various aesthetic and artistic possibilities offered by the various sites we will be visiting
•  Anticipating various physical responses to the emotional, political, historical, and cognitive experiences we may have
• Documenting our artistic “research” and reflection processes through writing/journal entries, photographs, film footage, historical contextualization, etc
• Communicating the artistic process in which I hope to engage through the creation and performance of a collaborative work both during the time of the Birthright trip and beyond
• Exploring the idea of process as product in terms of the artistic process serving and acting as a product created in real time, improvised, raw, fleeting, etc.

The Defiance Project is interested in connecting with other dance and arts collaborators. If you would like to join our network of artists be in contact by email as soon as possible: thedefianceproject@gmail.com. We are building a community of artistic collaborators who dance with their bodies, minds, souls, hearts, and spirits! Looking forward to defying with you.

Presence comes from sensations of the body and the perceptions of the mind those sensations provoke. This allows us to connect to space being changed by it. This perspective is from the inside out, sensing the body from the inside out- an internal embodiment of the world around us. Seeing the world- and yourself- through your own eyes and senses.

Telepresence and external embodiment: experiencing the body form the perspective of space, external perspective, allows space to connect to us by being changed by us. Seeing yourself from the eyes, senses and perspective of space

The Defiance Project reps UC Berkeley at the Bay Area Dance Exchange!

Bay Area University & College Dance Programs join together for a full day of peer  exchange.  Dance Faculty & students focus on sharing current studio practices,  creative processes, and informal performances/discussion.

Participating schools: UC-Berkeley, San Francisco State University, University of  San Francisco, Mills College, Santa Clara University, Stanford University

Virtual Venues Symposium

Virtual Venues Symposium: Exploring Materiality and Gesture Within Live Streaming Events

Symposium, Workshops, and Performances 

November 9 and 10, 2012

Z-Lab, UC Berkeley and Embodied Media and Technology Lab, UC Irvine

Synopsis:

The Virtual Venues Symposium involves a series of dance performances, talks, and demonstrations connecting UC Irvine and UC Berkeley using high-speed computer networks. Featuring a team of collaborating artists and technologists from both campuses, this project positions the University of California as an early adopter of telepresence research and performance. Utilizing high-performance networks, which allow for robust audio-visual environments to be shared by multiple distributed users interacting in real time, Virtual Venues connects multiple sites and participants to stimulate new collaborative practices that are interactive and spontaneous. Public performances are scheduled for November 9, 2012 - see schedule below.
(http://embodied.uci.edu/virtual-venues)

* See website for more details.

Schedule:

Friday, November 9th
On the Berkeley Campus: All events take place in Z-Lab (Zellerbach Room 170)
5:30pm            Reception - Appetizers and Wine
5:30-6:00pm   Interactive Demonstration Between UC Irvine and UC Berkeley 
6:00-6:45pm   Four Bi-Located Performances between UC Irvine and UC Berkeley
6:45-7:15pm   Talk by Jaime del Val (Media artist) from Madrid
7:15-8:00pm   UC Irvine Streaming Performances in Real Time to UC Berkeley
8:00-9:00pm   Roundtable Discussion and Responses

Saturday, November 10th
On the Berkeley Campus: All events take place in Z-Lab (Zellerbach Room 170)
11:00am          Installation by Inter-media artist Renee Rhodes (Bay Area)
12-1:30pm      Talks and Showing of Work by Participants - Brown Bag Lunch
1:30-2:00pm   Open Work Session
2:00-3:00pm   Local Performances at UC Irvine Streamed to UC Berkeley

“This is What Space Sounds Like” (December 2012)—In conjunction with the Advanced Choreography class in UC Berkeley’s Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies, The Defiance Project has been exploring and creating a piece called The Whole of What Turns about sacredness, ritual, reincarnation, and legacy. In contrast to Sophie Needelman’s typical choreographic process, the emotional themes and through-lines emerged from the form of the movement itself, instead of inspiring the movment in the first place. This piece was approached in a true modernist sense, by addressing the body’s desire to move in a certain way as well as the artistic configurations of various bodies in space that can ensue. The movement generated and trajectory established exposed this burning desire to honor the legacies of the collective and personal unconscious through spiritual embodiment. Through exercises and techniques facilitated by legendary Bay Area choreographer Joe Goode, Sophie has established a movement exploration of honoring past legacies and also making our own current ones. The Whole of What Turns is dedicated to Papa Gerry, the man whose legacy Sophie wishes to honor and follow in the footsteps of.

More information coming soon!

“Einstein on the Beach” Flashmob (October 2012)— In honor of the legendary opera Einstein on the Beach, The Defiance Project facilitated a flashmob that took place on UC Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza. Various participants in the flashmob gathered for rehearsals and learned the choreography inspired by Lucinda Childs’ work in Einstein. This piece explored postmodern concepts of dance, musical embodiment, the power of gesture, and the union of pedestrian movement with stylized choreography. In true flashmob form, theEinstein piece was performed spontaneously in UC Berkeley’s most highly populated public place and attracted attention from passersby. Because the flashmob occurred the day of Einstein on the Beach’s dress rehearsal, the performers of the opera were able to participate as audience members which make doing the flashmob an incredible treat. This performance would not have been possible without the support of Rio Vander Stahl and the entire Cal Performances team.

Photos and video coming soon! 

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s “Game of Life” (September 2012)—The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of San Diego holds an annual gala to raise money for vital research and treatment of Cystic FIbrosis affecting thousands of people a year. This year’s gala was themed “The Game of Life” and honored various scientists and advocates of preventative treatment of Cystic Fibrosis. The Defiance Project was featured in the opening ceremony of the event with choreography and performance by Sophie Needelman. This “Game of Life” piece was a tribute to the everyday heroes combating this disease.

Click here for the video of this piece.

The Defiance Project has had a beyond-successful summer of performances so far, and the fun has just begun! Our first annual Fundraiser and Performance went better than we could have ever imagined- a HUGE thank you to everyone who made the evening possible! Our performance, silent auction, and dessert feast were full of love and support from family, friends and fans. We are beyond grateful for everyone who attended our fundraiser as well as everyone who donated to The Defiance Project. 

We would especially like to thank Lynne Roswall of Studio Shu for her help and support with the performance space, Jason Segal for his videography and photography, and Sydney Rosin for his donation of our official Defiance Project Banner.

In addition, we would like to thank the following silent auction donors: Paul Needelman, Lori Krause, Brian Jeffries, Debbie Kalinowski and 3rd Corner, Andrea and Ira Feinswog, Sharon Leib, Lynne Roswall, gaytravel.com, Ericka Moore and Eveoke Dance Theater, Lois Mark, Debbie Simon. Your donations helped us raise money for our upcoming season of work! 

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In addition to our fundraiser, The Defiance Project performed with Mojalet Dance Collective in their Summer Series at The Vine. We had an amazing time sharing our work with the broader San Diego dance community, and wish to thank Faith Jensen-Ismay for including us in this showcase. 

The Defiance Project expanded beyond San Diego and also performed at danceXchange in Temecula. A beautiful evening of performing under the Temecula stars culminated with lots of audience feedback, new contacts, and lots of new works shared amongst performers. 

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The Defiance Project’s first summer season has been thrilling and rewarding for everyone involved. We are beyond thrilled for the birth of this company! 

For more information, check us out on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/thedefianceproject

…or see our youtube channel by searching “thedefianceproject1”.

Stay tuned for more! 

We Don’t Eat by James Vincent McMorrow

Choreographed and Performed by Sophie Needelman

Performed in July 2012 at The Vine Summer performance series

Veins By Charlotte Martin

Choreographed by Sophie Needelman

Performed by Lily Haine and Kim Tsu

Performed in July 2012 at The Vine, Mojalet’s theater venue

The Defiance Project is pleased to announce that it will be performing in the Little Italy ArtWalk’s Dance on the Edge! This “event within an event” celebrates the dance community in San Diego by offering a full weekend of dance to the already thriving Little Italy ArtWalk community. This is a weekend-long event happening the last weekend in April, but The Defiance Project will be performing on Sunday, April 29th at 4:30 p.m. We would love to have your support at this Spring Preview of our work, so definitely plan your Little Italy ArtWalk visit around being there on Sunday afternoon!

• Who: The Defiance Project… dancers: Chloe Chelf, Genna McGrath, Pascalle Rodriguez, Darrah Rosin, Alisa Tang, Bora Yoon… choreographers: Becky Kalinowski, Sophie Needelman
• What: The Defiance Project’s Spring Preview 
• Where: Little Italy ArtWalk’s Dance on the Edge stage at India and Grape Street
• When: Sunday, April 29th at 4:30 p.m.

** This is a FREE event!

For more information on the Little Italy ArtWalk, visit http://www.missionfederalartwalk.org/index.htm

“Veins” by Charlotte Martin

Choreographed by Sophie Needelman

Performed by Kim Tsu and Lily Haine

February 2012