The show features local tappers, flamenco dancers, flatfooters, and Irish dancers. I’m resurrecting my “Waiting for Conrad” choreography (originally performed at Keeping Dance Alive! 2010 in Chico, CA) for the occasion, and I will be joined by my friends and fellow dancers Emily Oleson, Matthew Olwell, Catherine Marafino, and Rebecca McGowan.

Get your tickets now!

This week I had the pleasure of attending BEAT RETREAT in Afton, VA and Charlottesville, VA. A group of percussive dancers got together for an intensive week of dancing: teaching, swapping steps, partying, and inspiring one another. There were tappers, flatfooters, cloggers, Cape Breton step dancers, Irish step dancers (that would be me!), and body percussionists. There was a serious amount of talent packed into that rehearsal room, and I was pretty blown away by everyone.

We rehearsed some choreographed pieces by each of our special guest choreographers and, at the end of the week, we had two performances to show off the fruits of our labor; the first was Friday night at the Hamner Theater in Afton, and the second was Saturday night at Live Arts in Charlottesville. It was a tiring and exhausting week, but totally exhilarating.

Matthew Olwell came up with the brilliant idea and hosted and organized the event. He envisioned the Beat Retreat as fulfilling three main goals:

1. Class for those who give class. Those of us who primarily teach these days don’t get much of an opportunity to be really challenged. The retreat enabled us to challenge each other and push ourselves, both in terms of technique and material.

2. Shared repertoire. By learning new choreography together, we could expand our repertoire to include original pieces that could be used in future performances, and would be a refreshing break from our usual formulaic performance steps.

3. A concentrated shot of creative juice. Inspiration for all involved!

I know I personally had an incredible time, and for me all those goals were fulfilled. I needed a little jolt after a year of not taking or even teaching an Irish dance class, and since we focused on tap, clogging, Cape Breton, and other percussive styles besides Irish dance, I was definitely challenged and very humbled.

I cannot wait for next year!

[Also, I mention Nora Chipaumire's film "Nora" in the interview. The film is incredible and very moving. (It's not really a biography of her life, as my quote in the interview makes it sound--it's more of a...poem, a work of art.) She performed her show lions will roar, swans will fly, angels will wrestle heaven, rains will break: gukurahundi at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center last weekend, and it was breath-taking. Go see her if you ever have the chance!]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIJhFVxW2jk

Choreography by Kate Spanos
Music: “Waiting for Conrad” by Shooglenifty (Venus in Tweeds, 1995)
Performers: Maria Oliver, Kate Spanos, Shannon Sullivan, Rose Trulin, Kelsey Wilson, Abby Zuppan

View all of my videos on YouTube

anonymous from “Tell It to the E-R” in the Chico Enterprise Record, 2 April 2010:

Irish dancers stole the show
Went to see “Keeping Dance Alive” at Laxson Auditorium and just wanted to say bravo to the Irish dancers. They were so wonderful they literally stole the show. Would love to see more of them. The hip-hop was also good. Have to say the rest of the performances were disappointing, but kudos to the Irish dancers and thank them for all the work they did to bring us such a delightful performance.

My reaction: !!!!!!!!!

To the anonymous caller: whoever you are, you are my new best friend. Thank you! I thought this year’s KDA was particularly good and I thought all the performances were really high quality, so this is amazing to hear. It’s true, we did work hard (and had fun doing it!) so thanks to Maria, Rose, Kelsey, Shannon and Abby for all their hard work!

“Waiting for Conrad,” choreographed by Kate Spanos, was a delightful Irish step performance featuring six talented dancers, including Chico Community Ballet alumna Kelsey Wilson. The performers’ talent was so big that, despite their small number, they filled the stage with quick, light and lively dance.

You can read the full article here: Review: ‘Keeping Dance Alive!’ succeeds with lively performances.

Not mentioned in the article was my personal favorite, “Splatter,” which was a contemporary dance choreographed and performed by Cassie Johnston (a Chico Community Ballet alumna) and two other dancers from Vispo Dance of San Francisco. The strength and quality of movement that these dancer possessed was exquisite, and the long 9 minute piece only left me wanting more.

Congratulations to all the dancers!

“Waiting for Conrad” is a contemporary Irish dance piece that emphasizes rhythm and attitude, taking the dance form beyond its focus on competition and athleticism while remaining true to its tradition. As a choreographer, I am aware of the history and influences of Irish dance: many different Irish dance styles contribute to the overall genre (including the old sean-nós style, modern competition style and the theatrical style seen in Riverdance) and Irish dance itself has influenced and been influenced by other percussive dance forms such as tap, flamenco and clogging.

In creating “Waiting for Conrad,” I have started from the traditional base of Irish dance technique that my dancers are familiar with, which is marked by footwork, rhythm and verticality, and have added an element of attitude and expression that is not frequently seen in Irish dance. I have borrowed some movements from tap dance that break the crossed-leg/turned-out foot positions of Irish dance and have incorporated some upper body movement that disrupts the vertical axis of the dancers. In addition, the movement of dancers across the floor creates a spatial map that is non-traditional in that geometric shapes are avoided. Paths have been determined through organic and somewhat random methods, similar to those frequently used in some contemporary dance forms, in contrast to the mathematical precision of traditional Irish céili dance.

Despite having broken a few basic rules of Irish dance in this piece, I have asked my dancers to maintain their best technique and to focus first and foremost on rhythm so that the dance is still undoubtedly Irish. But unlike the steps performed in the competitive realm of Irish dance in which my dancers train, “Waiting for Conrad” conveys a vague story that requires some attention paid to attitude through facial and upper body expression. This contemporary style of Irish dance is relatively new: it goes beyond our “old jigs and hornpipes” as well as transcends the virtuosic glitz of stage shows such as Riverdance, and aims instead for a more subdued exploration of technique and rhythm that may lend itself to more intellectual themes. Irish dance has come from the crossroads of rural Ireland to a new crossroads, where it is pushed to new boundaries of style and form.

Other acts include ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, hip hop, and tribal belly dance. Don’t miss it–it’s going to be a great show!

Image from last year’s Keeping Dance Alive! 2009
Chaos Interne, choreographed by Chelsea Beights
(check it out: that’s my hand, third from the right, with my head right behind it!)

Show times:
Friday, 5 March 7:30 PM
Saturday, 6 March 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM
Laxson Auditorium, CSU Chico
$18 adult, $16 senior, $14 student/child
Order tickets now!

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I am performing in “Capoeira and Maculele” with Chico Capoeira, “Chaos Interne, ” a Community Contemporary dance piece choreographed by Chelsea Beights, and “Foras An Rince,” an Irish dance piece choreographed by Kelsey Wilson and performed by members of the Maria Oliver Academy of Irish dance.

Here are some press releases and media reviews:

• 3/5/2009: ‘Keeping Dance Alive!’ hits the stage with style (Chico Enterprise Record)
• 3/12/2009: Performing arts review: ‘Keeping Dance Alive!’ shows power of dance (Chico Enterprise Record)

Chico Capoeira

Foras an Rince