Updates on the Face of Dance - Inside Out Project

The Face of Dance - Inside Out Project
(May 1st update)

We're thrilled with the response to the Face of Dance project!  Thank you to everyone who has signed up and helped us spread the word!  

As you read in our previous post, the Face of Dance is open to everyone who works in the dance field in one capacity or another.  Because of people's busy schedules, we've set things up to help as many people as possible participate.

We can accommodate groups, so feel free to bring as many people as you like.  We've added an additional times and have more options available.  See below.  There have also been some questions, which we'll answer here.

Inside Out New York in Times Square

As you can see, JR and his team are already making a large imprint on Times Square and other parts of the city with Inside Out New York.  As usual, people flock to participate, and it's a wonderful sight to see.  

The Inside Out Photo Booth Truck in Times Square 

The Inside Out Project will have their photo booth truck set up at Times Square.  Here's a photo of the truck (above), so you can spot it easily.  The truck will either be parked on the corner of 47th/Broadway, or between 45th-47th Streets and Broadway, at Duffy Square, as seen above.  Just look around the TKTS ticket booth area, and you should be able to spot the photo booth truck easily.  

Learn How You can Participate in the Face of Dance Inside Out Project

Option #1 Photo Booth Truck in Times Square

Face of Dance group portraits

• Guaranteed 5-10 minute wait to have your photo taken for the Face of Dance Inside Out Project.
• Our group will gather next to the photo booth truck at these times, so you don't have to go to the end of the line.  
• You are allowed to bring groups of people to help us represent DANCE in New York City.   
• Dawn Paap is organizing our Face of Dance Group, so look for her when you arrive so she can collect everyone's name and email for follow up.  
• NEW DATES: 
• Sunday, May 5th, 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
• Wednesday, May 8th, 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm 

Individual Portraits

• Go to the photo booth truck in Times Square on you own, and we can schedule a time to pick up your portrait to include it in the Face of Dance Inside Out Project.
• If you go on your own, you will need to go to the end of the line.  Wait time can extend to 2-3 hours.  Getting there when they open may reduce this wait time significantly.

See the full schedule below for the Inside Out Project photo booth truck

Thursday, May 2nd: 
12:00-8:00 pm (Go on your own) for Individual Portraits

Friday, May 3rd: 
CANCELLED (due to another event at Times Square)

Saturday, May 4th:  
CANCELLED (due to another event at Times Square)

Sunday, May 5th: 
12:00 - 4:00 pm FACE OF DANCE GROUP (5-10 min. wait during these times)
4:00 - 8:00 pm (Go on your own) for Individual Portraits

Monday, May 6th:
12:00 - 8:00 pm (Go on your own) for Individual Portraits

Tuesday, May 7th:
12:00 - 8:00 pm (Go on your own) for Individual Portraits

Wednesday, May 8th:

12:00 - 4:00 pm FACE OF DANCE GROUP (5-10 min. wait during these times)
4:00 - 8:00 pm (Go on your own) for Individual Portraits

Thursday, May 9th:
12:00 - 8:00 pm (Go on your own) for Individual Portraits

Friday, May 10th:
12:00 - 8:00 pm (Go on your own) for Individual Portraits

Feel free to register here for option #1

JR working it in Times Square

Option # 2 Have Your Portrait taken at the NYC Dance Parade and Festival

• Have your portrait taken for the Face of Dance Inside Out Project on Saturday, May 18th, at the annual Dance Parade and Festival.  
• Find us at the parade line up area on 21st and Broadway before the parade begins (11 am - 1 pm)
• Find us in Tompkins Square Park during the Dance Festival (3 pm - 7 pm).
• Feel free to walk up to us and ask to have your portrait taken for the Face of Dance
• Email us to sign up to have your portrait taken before the parade begins, or afterwards at the Dance Festival.  
• If you need help locating us in Tompkins Square Park, go the the information booth (they'll know where we're at)

Option # 3 Schedule a Studio Shoot with us

Email us at thefaceofdance@gmail.com to discuss this option.

Scheduling options:

• Mondays, 7:30 - 9:30 pm
• Wednesday, 7:30 - 9:30 pm
• Thursdays, 7:30 - 9:30 pm 

Feel free to register here for option #2 or #3

Answers to Questions

Should you send us photos?

No. We'll be taking all of the portraits for you, so we we're not seeking photos to be sent to us at this time.  If that changes at all, we'll let you know. Besides, it's much more fun for you to come out and play!  

What's the news on displaying the Face of Dance portraits?

We've had MANY offers to portray the portraits at different locations, which is fabulous!  We couldn't be more exited!  Because we'll be taking hundreds of portraits during these three events, we will need to organize all of the information and photos before we discuss placement options, as different venues can display them in different ways.

Does everyone need to register before hand?

No, but it would help us out if you did.  If you're bringing a group, please email Dawn at thefaceofdance@gmail.com to let her know how many people to expect if you're bringing a group to the photo booth truck in Times Square.  If you haven't had a chance to answer our brief questionnaire before you have your portrait taken, we'll email that to you later.  Dawn will take down each person's name and email at the photo booth truck to follow up with participants as we move through the next phases of the project.  


Need to know more about the Face of Dance Inside Out Project?

• Read our previous post
• Email Dawn at thefaceofdance@gmail.com with questions.  

Thanks again for your participation!  Hope to see you at the photo booth truck or at the NYC Dance Parade!!

Choreography for Audiences – Take One: Dance Film Review

Choreography for Audiences – Take One:  Dance Film Review

By Dawn Paap and Leslie Kilpatrick

On September 15, 2012 we joined a large group of participants at the Irondale Theatre to welcome our chance to participate in a live human game and choreographic/social experiment conceived and choreographed by Noemie Lafrance as part of Brooklyn’s inaugural BEAT Festival. 

Although there have been debates about film versus live performance, Choreography for Audiences -Take One challenges these ideas by delivering a blend of each to offer a unique experience for audience attendees.  How often do audiences have an opportunity to view a film’s creation on set or in real time?  Or step in to participate?  Thankfully, Sens Production invited in audiences to experience an interactive dance film and work with internationally renowned choreographer Noemie Lafrance.

As part of an audience (or participants) adorned in outfits of green, blue, black and tan, the check in line was a buzz of questions about what we had studied in preparation for the games that await us.  Prior to shooting the film, each team separated to go over the instructions with Team Leaders regarding varied movement sequences, and discovered how to strategize to earn points. 

Blurring the lines between audience and performer, participants were allowed to observe games being played and step in to be a part of the action.  Behind the scenes vantage points offered a unique viewing experience for all involved…with chaos and unity happening simultaneously…while achieving a one of a kind visual artwork.  With a dozen geometrical shapes and patterns created through human movement, chaos, and structure, Choreography for Audiences - Take One allowed audiences to witness a live event like no other.

While taking part as spectators, we each quickly realized the scientific dimensions of art we were viewing and experiencing.  From mathematical patterns, to the social experimental element, to the complexity of the choreography to include crowd control and space, we witnessed LIVE art at another level. 

The most challenging game seemed to be the ‘Fractal Box’ which relied on participants following a 2-4-6-8 unfolding pattern on grid lines to create geometric patterns known as fractals.  With participants lining up to quickly move across the grid, while needing to count steps to create the fractal shape and finish each mathematical set before other teams, things got a bit messy at moments for each large group, but were quickly corrected through a team effort. 

With each of the games, we witnessed participants colliding & instinctively adjusting around each other, testing Lafrance’s theories on Kinesthesia within the context of this social experiment.  Kinesthesia is defined as an acute human sense that notifies the brain where the body is with reference to the matter around it.  It is the ability dancers have to move in unison by perceiving their surrounding often assisting with musical cues.  Kinesthesia is often referred to as a sixth sense because in 1557 Julius Caesar Scaliger originally described the position-movement sensation as a “sense of locomotion” and later called by Charles Bell “muscle sense”.  However, today scientists instead classify Kinesthesia as a combination of external & internal sensations to and from the brain.

Learning theorists would also point out that having an opportunity to view the games in play allowed participants to gain awareness and be more able to maneuver their bodies to each game’s ending position with fewer errors once they rejoined the action.  This is reflected in Noemie Lafrance’s Bodies as Media Huffington Post article which states: “By transmitting the content of the work to the audience, as if projecting a film onto the audience’s body, we also transform the audience’s body into the media.  The audience’s body has the choreography stored in it, waiting for activation and playback.” 

We noticed that the longer the games continued, the more relaxed each participant became with timing and execution, including being more in tuned with one another, allowing observers to witness this transformation in action.  As individuals mastered each game, the excitement about scoring points for one’s team and participation intensified.  At the end, no one seemed ready to leave, and the audience side was mostly empty. 

  

Lafrance’s mission to create art that is mass produced within a social experimental structure is as brilliant as it is ambitious.  Social experiments are important educational tools for all cultures, as seen by decades of literature among the collective social sciences.  What can this documented experience lead us to discover about one’s ability to read another’s presence, participate in competition, and master game play?  What will this dance film offer in terms of inspiring future research on dance?   

Noemie Lafrance’s vision as a choreographer is unique in its regard to audience involvement in her works, and offers much to the shared experience of dance for everyone.  With her interdisciplinary approach of combining art, science, and technology for Choreography for Audiences - Take One, she offers an innovative look into performance language and challenges how choreographers traditionally communicate with audiences.    

Taking audience communication even one step further, Sens Production is sharing copies of the film with each participant, allowing individuals to share their creative experience with broader audiences through the ease of social media sharing platforms.  We’d like to extend our appreciation to Noemie Lafrance and Sens Production for inviting us to partake in Choreography for Audiences - Take One.   We look forward to seeing the director’s final edit of the dance film and sharing it with others.  

In conclusion, we’d like to officially give this dance film a rating of “Two Thumbs up” from the Blue Team!   

Dawn Paap, Director of Video Dance TV                         http://About.me/DawnPaap              

Leslie Ann Kilpatrick, the Dancing Mathematician        http://About.me/Leslie.Kilpatrick

Enjoy the DANCE VIDEO OF THE DAY: Olympia's short dance film

Video Dance TV features daily Dance Videos on our YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/VideoDanceTV. 

We also also have a library of Artistic Dance Videos and a large selection of Playlists.