Dear FSU in NYC 2015 Group!
Welcome to NYC!!! We are thrilled to start the semester with you on Monday!
Also, welcome all to the first weekly e-mail! I will be sending these out every Sundaywith information about the upcoming week (this one’s a little early, so you can prepare over the weekend). The weekly e-mails are both reminders, re-iterating and synthesizing the information from the class syllabi and google calendar, and are announcements of new information. They are long but you MUST read them carefully!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1) Introductions: You know me already – “Al” – keeper of all information. : ) A warm hello from Sally, the visionary program director and “mama” of FSU in NYC. Also a warm hello from Adrienne Westwood, our fabulous Composition Lab instructor. Most of you are in her comp class, which meets Mondays at 2pm, beginning this Monday 8/24. (See below for more details.) When you email about anything program relatedyou MUST ALWAYS email Sally and Al (ssommer@fsu.edu,sallyrsommer@gmail.com,alessandra.larson@gmail.com). When you email about comp class, you should email Adrienne directly (adrienne.westwood@gmail.com). This year we are lucky to have students from FSU, UF, and NYU! Having a diverse group raises the quality of our experience – welcome to all!
2) I’m sending this email to the addresses currently listed on our contact sheet, which was sent several weeks ago and is also attached again. We use gmail for the FSU in NYC program, so you need to check that account multiple times a day. **For our NYU students: if you have a gmail account, please send that to me so I can give you full access to our google calendar once the semester officially begins.**
3) The FSU in NYC google calendar will be made available on Monday afternoon, so that you have access to the full scope of the semester (class meetings, events, performances, etc). You should refer to this all the time—this is a busy program and all our activities and there specifics (where, when, etc.) are in the google calendar. Please note, all events and times are subject to change. We ask you to be flexible at all times, which is the way of NYC.
4) The Blackboard (Bb) sites will be up soon! I’ll let you know when to go check those out. On Blackboard you will be able to find course overviews and syllabi, readings, assignments, forms, etc.
5) We hope all of you are doing well and settling into the city well so far. You should put Al’s cell phone number in your phone, in case you need it: 301-529-5844. I’ve also attached the 2015 contact sheet again, so you can put everyone’s number into your phone! Of course, we expect you all to be on time all the time, but if you are running late for anything, please be sure call or text Al.
7) To start getting in the groove of things, we suggest you try a dance class or two this week. We also suggest signing up for Doug Post’s list serve and checking out anything else that appeals to you. A full list of suggested links is attached.
REMINDERS:
1) This week is the official start of your internship program, unless other arrangements have been by approved by Sally and Al. A reminder that your commitment to your host organization is 10 hours a week. On the Bb course site for the internship (which will be up next week), there is contract for you complete and for your host to sign. The contract will be due September 11. Let Sally and Al know if you have any concerns regarding your internship.
2) AAM Cards: Please make sure you have yours and it is in your wallet. We will be using it at already in Week 2, but encourage you to visit the city’s cultural institutions as you start to explore your new home! The card gets you in to most NYC cultural institutions for free (Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, MoMA, Metropolitan Museum, NY Historical Society, the Whitney, etc.), so if you have some free time, we recommend checking out some of these great places!!
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WEEKLY SCHEDULE:
8/24 Mon. (2-5:30pm): WK 1 COMP: Orientation—@ Sally’s house (9 West 10th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues)
We will meet at Sally’s then walk together to the High Line. At the High Line, we will survey the site, and then travel together to Gibney Dance Center (280 Broadway) for the remainder of class. As we explore these locations, students will also take photographs (using smart phones) for future reference.
Once at Gibney, each student will be guided through creation of a “Memory map” of their journey. We will translate this map into a physical exploration in the studio. We will share these creations in class, and cover feedback techniques and expectations for this course. We will conclude by beginning to explore and discuss “What is site-specific performance?” In-class reading/viewing: You Are Here: Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination (p. 130 – Memory Map)
Students should:
-wear walking shoes and not carry really heavy bags (it will be a lot of walking!)
-bring smart phones
-bring water and a light snack
-bring a journal that will be their “comp journal” for class. Important that it’s a paper journal they can draw/write in (not phone).
ASSIGNMENT (due in class Mon. 8/31: Read “The ‘Place’ and Practice of Site Specific Theater and Performance” by Joanne Thompkins from Performing Site Specific Theatre: Politics, Place, Practice ( p.1-20) and come to class prepared to discuss.
JOURNAL ENTRY (due on Blackboard, Sun. 8/30, 11:59 pm): Write a bio that introduces yourself and your interests as a dance artist. What burning questions do you have as you begin this semester and specifically this course?
8/24 Mon. (6-8pm): WK 1 EVENT: Introductory Meeting—@ Sally’s house (9 West 10th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues)
Orientation to how FSU in NYC fits into NYC’s dance community including:
Entertainment: (theater, dance, music, museum), ticket systems, free events, food supplies, how to see events, ushering, etc.
Classes: Recommendations for studio class teachers and times. Information about how much dancing you might be able to do. Forms for intern supervisors; discussion of your internship schedule.
New York City: thinking about the city in manageable units of your immediate neighborhoods, work, and classes and theaters; discussion about city savvy and safety (codes of street, subway, help); maps of the city’s physical layout and how avenues and streets work; transportation and subway systems; etc.
8/26 Wed. (7-9pm): WK 1 EVENT: FSU in NYC Welcome to NYC—Kick Off party and alumni gathering—@ Sally’s house (9 West 10th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues)
Meet alumni who will be your community in NYC. Share about your internship, where you live, and a little of your background.
(10:30-11:30pm): WK 1 PERFORMANCE: Third Rail Projects’ “Then She Fell” @ The Kingsland Ward at St. Johns (195 Maujer Street, between Graham Avenue and Humboldt Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
8/28 Fri. (9:30am-12:45pm): WK 1 A&R: NEW YORK—THE CITY AND ITS DANCE @ Mertz Gilmore Foundation (218. East 18th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)
*Bring Tablet, Computer or Phone*
Part 1) 9:45-11:15am – Guest Monica Bill Barnes, contemporary New York City choreographer/performer talks about the contemporary dance world in New York City, discusses her own NYC survival, career, dance-making process, and dealings with presenters and funding organizations.
Part 2) 11:30-12:30pm – WK 1 POST-SHOW DISCUSSION—We will discuss Then She Fell with Guest Kim Savarino, graduate of FSU in NYC; we see her perform as Nurse MaryAnn on 8/26. We will also talk about the connections of research to dance-making and dramaturgy.
In-class journal entry: What are your current goals in dance and what you want to do post-graduation? How do you think the program will help you achieve these goals?
VIDEO: Peruse the videos on Monica Bill Barnes’ website, Vimeo, and YouTube.
READINGS: Review and analyze Barnes’ website: www.monicabillbarnes.com;Search and read reviews of Then She Fell
ASSIGNMENT (due 8/28 in class): Develop three questions about Monica Bill Barnes’ work, her process, what critics have written, etc. Monica will leave time for a Q&A in her presentation.
——(2-4pm): WK 1 EXPERIENTIAL—New York Public Library Visit—@ Library for the Performing Arts (110 Amsterdam Avenue, just below 65th Street)
*Bring your lunch today!*
We will go together from Mertz Gilmore Foundation to the Lincoln Center campus and have a picnic lunch.
Part 1) NYPL’s Jerome Robbins Dance Division is the biggest dance collection in the world. Arlene Yu, a specialist at the library, will give us a brief orientation to the library so we can become familiar with procedures and collections’ layout. In groups, practice requesting visual and written materials and using moving image viewing stations. The forms are lengthy and must be filled out each time.
Part 2) We will review the “NYC Arts & Resources” syllabus, reading carefully through the requirements, discussing the course structure, assignments, and expectations, and answering your questions.
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That’s it for week one!! Congratulations for getting through your first weekly email!! If you have questions, let us know.
See you Monday at 2pm!
All best,
Al