Interview conducted by Steven Weisz for The Dance Journal

The Philadelphia Dance Journal was fortunate enough to be able to interview Terry Fox, Executive Director of Philadelphia Dance Projects (PDP), as the organization gets ready to kick off their 2010 season in Philadelphia!

[Dance Journal] Can you tell us a little about how Philadelphia Dance Projects got started and where you see it today?

[Terry] Philadelphia Dance Projects was started By Sam Miller, when he was the Director of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. It grew out of something called “The Winter Pillow”, where dance artists creative residencies at UArts.   It  was mostly to provide several local companies a way to stabilize their annual seasons and provide them with opportunities to have  guest artists.   I was invited to be Coordinator.  PDP was a 3 year initiative funded by Pew. When the 3 years were over, and Sam moved on, the only company that remained stable was Philadanco.  So PDP morphed into a partnership with Danco.  Our first projects were The  Studio Access Project  and a commissioned project with  Rennie Harris and Grisha Coleman.  Little by little we broadened our scope of activities  with workshops, classes and other presentations,  and eventually, become an independent non-profit organization.

[Dance Journal] Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you came to be involved with  Philadelphia Dance Projects?

[Terry] I was a dancer in Philadelphia in the 70’s and as an artist was invited to curate dance programming at the Painted Bride.  I started “Dance With The Bride”  consolidating their program into a series. Most of the 80’s,  I was Artistic/Managing Director of the Danspace Project at St. Mark’s in the Bowery in New York City.  In 1993 I had moved back to the area and was asked to return as dance curator at the Bride.  That’s when I was invited to also coordinate PDP (as noted in the previous question).   I left the Bride to devote more time and effort to PDP.  At first we (PDP board and other artists and organizational partners) tried to fill in where we felt attention was needed, including some community organizing, when the Dance service organization was fading out.   After Philadelphia DANCE.org emerged effectively on the scene, and later Dance/USA Phila got started, we formally revisited our planning process. We realized there was a need again for a presenter to support local work. So in 2009 PDP Presents was launched.

[Dance Journal] In what ways do you see PDP fulfilling a need in the dance community?

[Terry] Providing more opportunities for individuals and small companies  to perform, where there is a guaranteed fee as well as  comprehensive production and promotional  support.  We offer a vehicle to lift the burden from artists, who for the most part have to “self present”.  In addition, PDP has started placing local artists on the same program with peers from around the country. I think this provides a very useful context for audiences to see contemporary work.  They can get a sense of the breadth of styles and ideas being explored today and they can see that Philly artists are definitely “in the mix.”

[Dance Journal] Can you tell us a little about PDP Presents 2010 and what we can expect to see this season?

[Terry] We have a series that highlights mature artists with younger ones.

For the Local Dance History Project,  I invited some artists who were creating work circa 1978-‘83  to re-construct or re-imagine  pieces they presented at that time.  They are working with some very talented younger artists in realizing that work. I think it will be really interesting to see how it all holds up to today.  Because we started  featuring local artists on the same program with guest ones,  Local Dance History Project is opposite to Next Up -  where we have include younger artists, Chris Yon and Otto Ramstad,  from Minneapolis, who are making inventive dance work.  Minneapolis kind of parallels Philly today in it’s thriving and active dance scene.

I am very excited to see what Lisa Kraus and her Trisha Brown Company colleagues will premiere in “Red Thread.”  I saw a studio showing of the perfomance and enjoyed seeing the younger Philly dancers take on the different personas of Kraus, Karczag and Shick.  Quite mysterious and beautiful.

And of course there is SCUBA !  If you haven’t been following it… it’s always a program of contrasts and surprises showcasing artists from our partner cities -  either San Francisco, Minneapolis or Seattle with a local artist.

You know everyone thinks their programming is unique… but truly – I think this year’s PDP Presents is just that.

[Dance Journal] Motion Pictures 2010 is now in its eight year. How has this evolved? What is the goal behind this project? And what is on the bill for this year?

[Terry] Motion Pictures draws attention to a genre of video and filmmaking that is not often seen. Filmmakers and dancers share a preoccupation with motion and the results of this can be seen in Motion Pictures.

Besides the artful ones, we try to present documentaries as well.  It’s always enlightening to learn more about Dance.  We have shown wonderful documentaries on Flamenco greats Carmen Amaya and Antonio Gades,  on the fabulous Carmen DeLavallade and Geoffrey Holder and on Maya Deren, who is prime example of mixing her roots in dance and film.   This year we are showing a long lost episode from PBS’s Dance In America.  It’s from 1980 – the same time period of the Local Dance History Project.  It includes some great vintage footage of Steve Paxton, David Gordon, Laura Dean, Kei Takei and Trisha Brown – including her first company which included Lisa Kraus and Eva Karczag.

A time capsule must see, right ?

Because we are partnering with the ICA Dance With Camera exhibit and the I-House film program, we are only doing 2 programs this year.  We usually do much more.  The Shorts program will include some selections from the Dance On Camera at Lincoln Center Festival 2010 and a sneak preview of Kate Watson Wallace’s new internet dance event “Everywhere.”

[Dance Journal] Dance Tag, which was designed by PDP for teaching artists is probably not as known. Can you tell us more about this program and what it seeks to accomplish?

[Terry] PDP’s Dance TAG seeks to refresh and inspire artists who teach.  The FREE sessions are designed to share ideas with practical content.  There is a host of knowledgeable artists in our local community, who are asked to lead sessions, as well as invited guests from out of town.   I have enjoyed attending the sessions as well, even though I don’t teach (anymore).  I am looking forward to  Ellen Gerdes’ session, which is coming up.  She has an extensive background in classical Chinese dancing – although she is not Chinese.  She will be talking about teaching forms from cultures, that are not one’s own heritage.  Sounds fascinating.  Anyway, it’s an amiable group of artists and there has been, over the past few years, a lot of information shared as well as some new friends and professional contacts made.

Mady Cantor  is the Dance TAG Coordinator.

[Dance Journal] PDP offers classes and workshops as well as reduced rate studio access.  What is the goal behind these offerings?

[Terry] Classes and workshops are now offered in the context of our presenting series.  So this year we offer a “class” with the Local Dance History Project artists – for anybody and  all ages and levels of experience. We are offering a “master” class with Lisa Kraus, Eva Karczag and Vicky Shick.

PDP does not have a full a roster of classes, as it has had in the past.

I have found that if the classes don’t originate with a partnering organization or come through a suggestion by someone in the community, that attendance is very, how shall I say…“fickle” ?   Last year we had some exceptional teachers that only a few dancers took advantage of.   The SCUBA artists guest teach at Temple, which is great because the students then become very eager to see the SCUBA concerts.

And PDP has an ongoing Dance artist is residence at Olney High School.  This year Clyde Evans, Jr. and Lamar Baylor are artist teachers.

Oh, Studio Access.  Well, it was one of our first Projects.  Philadanco has generously lent us their empty studios during the week for local independents and small companies to rehearse.   The low hourly rate – helps to stem overhead.  It seems to be used when artists are in a crunch, like Fringe coming up or other.  It has continued to be of worth so we have kept is as a viable Project. We thank Danco, our partner.

[Dance Journal] Is there anything else you would like to add that I have missed?

[Terry] So -  see you at Philadelphia Dance Projects 2010 ?  Thanks.  PhiladelphiaDance.Org  has become a reliable resource in our community.  Thanks, again.

[Dance Journal] Most definitely and thank you for the kind words!

Philadelphia Dance Projects
http://www.philadanceprojects.org

PDP Presents ’10
Tickets on Sale Now on Dance Box Office

February 26-27, 2010 – PDP Local Dance History Series 1
March 4, 2010 – Motion Pictures ’10
March 5-6, 2010 – PDP Local Dance History Series 2
March 12-13, 2010 – Premiere of Red Thread
March 19-20, 2010 – SCUBA ’10 National Touring Network for Dance

Philadelphia Dance Projects (PDP) announced its second annual dance series, Philadelphia Dance Projects Presents 2010, to be held February 26 – March 20. Following 2009’s highly successful inaugural series, this year’s presentation highlights trends in contemporary dance by offering a look back and a look ahead. The series will feature performances, film events, workshops, discussions and more by renowned independent dance artists and companies, including the work of both Philadelphia talent and visiting choreographers from around the country.

PDP Presents 2010 will showcase thematic, multigenerational programming, pairing the next wave of contemporary dance artists making their mark in 2010 with influential figures from the 1970s and 1980s Philadelphia dance scene.  Philadelphia and Pennsylvania-based artists include Michael Biello and Dan Martin; Jano Cohen; PDP’s Executive Director Terry Fox; collaborators Lisa Kraus, Vicky Shick and Eva Karczag who will present the World Premiere of Red Thread with Meg Foley, Gabrielle Revlock and Michelle Tantoco; Megan Mazarick, and Kate Watson-Wallace, among others. Visiting artists include Body Cartography (Olive Bieringa and Otto Ramstad) and Chris Yon of Minneapolis; New York City-based artist Ishmael Houston Jones; and Jacinta Vlach / Liberation Dance Theatre of San Francisco.

The 2010 series offers an array of stimulating and provocative programs, from the Local Dance History Project which looks at the rise of contemporary dance in Philadelphia, to Next Up which will present work by some of the freshest emerging choreographers, to dance on film with Motion Pictures, and the mobile showcase SCUBA National Touring Network for Dance which taps the country’s finest up-and-coming talent.

“PDP’s 2009 series, our first, was a wonderful success, with sold-out performances, thought-provoking dance and enthusiastic audiences,” says Terry Fox, Executive Director of Philadelphia Dance Projects and curator of the series. “With PDP Presents 2010, Philadelphia Dance Projects continues to provide a much-needed presenting platform for independent dance artists and small companies. We are working to enrich and sustain an audience for contemporary dance in Philadelphia and to facilitate a conversation about where we’ve been and how that influences where we’re going in contemporary dance.”

Through the Local Dance History Project, the series will provide an informative look at the development of contemporary dance in Philadelphia by showcasing the work of five dance and movement artists who were among the first to explore post modern, improvisation and performance genres in the city during the late 1970s and early 80s. In 1980, dancers Michael Biello and Dan Martin, Jano Cohen, PDP’s Terry Fox, and Ishmael Houston JonesDance & Dancers, a sold-out presentation at the Harold Prince Theater at the Annenberg Center for Performing Arts. Now, in PDP Presents 2010, these five dancers will reunite to revisit and reconstruct their work, which will be performed by young Philadelphia dance artists. were featured in

“The urgency is upon us to deliver some sort of semblance, flavor, and temper of those times to a new generation of artists and to contemporary dance audiences,” says Fox. “I hope the Local Dance History Project will answer some of the questions I frequently get from younger artists who are curious about what ‘came before’ in the Philly dance scene.”

Local Dance History Project performers include Navild Acosta, Theresa R. Cermanski, Meg Foley, Bethany Formica Bender, Greg Holt, John Luna, Megan Mazarick, Scott McPheeters, Heather Murphy, Jodi Obeid, Gabrielle Revlock, William Robinson, and Alie Vidich.

The program will also include The Local Dance History Project Forum, with a dance class led by project artists, and a panel discussion and presentation of archival video clips, photos, flyers, and more. The panel will include the dance artists featured in the project, along with Jeff Cain, musician, playwright and performance artist and co-founder of Old City Arts; Gerry Givnish, visual artist and co-founder of the Painted Bride Art Center; and Bruce Schimmel, journalist, founder of Philadelphia City Paper, and editor of Dance Dialog, a journal of critical writing circa 1980.

With the Next Up program, PDP Presents continues to look ahead by presenting new work from an inquisitive younger generation of artists who are widening the definition of contemporary dance. Curated by Philadelphia-based dance writer and artist Anna Drozdowski, Next Up will feature Chris Yon of Minneapolis, with additional artists to be announced.

In the spirit of exploring the relationships between generations of dancers, the series will also feature the World Premiere of Red Thread, a collaborative dance made by Lisa Kraus, Vicky Shick and Eva Karczag. The three choreographers have a longstanding history of collaboration, beginning in the late 1970s, including dancing together in the Trisha Brown Dance Company. A cross-generational piece, Red Thread pairs the trio with emerging Philadelphia-based dancer/choreographers Meg Foley, Gabrielle Revlock and Michelle Tantoco.

The dance film series Motion Pictures, which in previous years has been presented by Philadelphia Dance Projects as a stand-alone series, will now be offered in conjunction with PDP Presents. Now in its 9^th year, Motion Pictures explores how film and video serve as a natural collaborative medium for dance, highlighting the power of image and motion in both. The series will preview Everywhere, an online video project by Philadelphia-based choreographer Kate Watson-Wallace, and a special showing of Beyond the Mainstream, the rarely seen PBS Dance in America series featuring postmodern, avant-garde dancers from 1980. The series will be presented in partnership with the Dance With Camera exhibition, now on view at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania.

Artists chosen for this year’s SCUBA National Touring Network for Dance include Megan Mazarick (Philadelphia), Jacinta Vlach / Liberation Dance Theatre (San Francisco), and Body Cartography (Minneapolis) featuring Olive Bieringa and Otto Ramstad. SCUBA National Touring Network for Dance, now in its eighth year, is a co-operative enterprise which supports the growth and expansion of the country’s next generation of contemporary dance artists through touring and the development of relationships with other artists and presenters. The consortium of sister cities includes Philadelphia Dance Projects, SCUBA founders Velocity Dance Center of Seattle, ODC Theater in San Francisco and The Southern Theater in Minneapolis. From the beginning, SCUBA has met the ambitious goal of supporting tours for regionally established and nationally emerging artists to and from the participating cities.

Most Philadelphia Dance Projects Presents events will be held at The Performance Garage (1515 Brandywine Street), with additional events at Temple University’s Conwell Dance Theater (Broad Street & Montgomery Avenue). The Motion Pictures series will be held at the International House (3901 Chestnut Street). Tickets to all PDP Presents dance performances are $20. Motion Pictures film events are $8. All Access Passes and discounts for multiple ticket buyers will be offered. Tickets to all series events will be available for purchase online at www.danceboxoffice.com or by phone at (215) 546-2552.

ABOUT PHILADELPHIA DANCE PROJECTS
Philadelphia Dance Projects (PDP) supports contemporary dance through projects that encourage artists and audiences to more fully participate and engage in the experience and pursuit of dance as an evolving form. PDP began as a three-year mentoring project (1993-95) under the aegis of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and was established as an independent organization in 1996. PDP achieves its mission by presenting stimulating performances, workshops, classes, a film series, and dialogs and forums for artists, aspiring artists, students and a broad-based audience. PDP launched the Philadelphia Dance Projects Presents series in 2009 and continues with its second presentation from February 26 – March 20, 2010.  PDP constantly surveys the contemporary dance world, keeping a close eye on current trends in content and style, while actively engaging in and appreciating the depth of work being created today which plumbs dance precursors’ traditions. For more information about Philadelphia Dance Projects, visit www.philadanceprojects.org.

On Saturday, January 31st, 2009 at 7:30pm, Philadelphia Dance Projects (PDP) will kick off their 2009 season with an Informance by Jennifer Monson at the Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine Street, Philadelphia. PDP Presents annual series strives to give fresh insight into adventurous dance trends by showcasing local artists alongside their national peers.

Jennifer Monson and her intrepid troupe of dancers have followed the migration routes of Gray Whales from Baja California, Mexico to Vancouver Island Canada; Ospreys from Maine down the Eastern Seaboard through Cuba and Venezuela and Ducks and Geese from Coastal Texas up the Mississippi Flyway to Northern Minnesota. Her daring BIRD BRAIN Projects links the natural world with her experimental dance practices. She has investigated migratory patterns and habits of birds and animals as well as their bio physical and metaphorical relationship to humans, contemplating the way we traverse the world together.

In this PDP Informance, Monson will talk about her migratory dance project BIRD BRAIN (2000- 2008) as well as its evolution into a series of urban migrations that radically impose dance into the urban environment. This presentation will include video excerpts from the international projects, as well as excerpts from Urban Migration including the 14th Street Migration and Flocking Dances in Times and Union Squares and Fulton Street Mall in Brooklyn.

She will generate an open a discussion about the metaphorical implications of bird migration and border crossings as they relate to the migrations of culture. Birds link global ecosystems in similar ways that human migrations link economic and cultural systems. How does dance in particular capture the fluid adaptive systems of culture? How does culture connect us across distances? What creates sustainable habitat for the rich biodiversity that allows systems to thrive? Dance, like migration patterns is imprinted through the body. What kind of physical intelligence transfers across cultures? What metaphorical links can we make that inform the delicate balance of healthy, adaptive cultural systems?

For Monson, her experience dancing is a rich connective language that translates across borders of language and cultural difference. With BIRD BRAIN she employs many of her long held strategies as an artist. Its fluid, traveling format aims to weave a web of connections between diverse communities of artists, scientists, environmentalists and students that will support and provoke a dialogue about the symbiotic, contradictory and confrontational relationships between art, technology, environment, power and place.

Monson’s dance work illuminates the issues of migration, navigation and conservation, artistic creativity and freedom. The audience is invited to engage in this dialogue through the lens of migration in culture.

If you go…

Philadelphia Dance Projects Presents ’09
Jennifer Monson
January 31, 2009
7:30PM
Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine Street, Philadelphia
Tickets are $15 and available online on Dance Box Office. Seating is limited and advanced ticket purchase is recommended.