Kickstarter

We all know there’s very little funding out there for the arts. We also know that because of this, performers in the field of dance often give of themselves for very little compensation. The cost of this project could have easily surpassed a whopping $5000, just counting space rental and paying dancers and other collaborators. Luckily, receiving a space grant through BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange has lifted the huge expense of rehearsal space. Therefore, our primary goal with this campaign is to find support for stipends to pay the performers: Sarah Rose Bodley, Julia Burrer, Courtney Drasner, Molly Mae MacGregor, Donnell Oakley, Jordan Risdon, and Hsiao-Jou Tang. And wouldn’t it be grand to be able to pay them something comparable to what they give? Read on for more information about this project and why we need your help.

WHO WE ARE:

alex|xan: the Median Movement is comprised of two choreographers and seven performers who work collaboratively. The work evolves based solely on the deeply insightful choices of the artists involved. That being said, our newest project, set to premier on December 2nd and 3rd as part of Brooklyn Arts Exchange/BAX’s space grant program, is no different. Through guided improvisation framed by especially specific contexts, we, as choreographers, direct the work toward its fruition with abundant contribution from the performers. These seven performers are extremely skilled in the art of moving, acting, creating, and performing, and have been graciously open to the many possibilities at which we can arrive.

WHAT WE ARE DOING:

This project investigates the sensorial and image induced experience of nostalgia and the highly specific physical response that transpires simultaneously.

We are interested in the collection of factors that elicit nostalgia; the 3rd floor bathroom in a building you’ve never been in before reminds you of a middle school science center visit. A traffic light, mid-day, early spring, sitting low and waiting while Van Halen wails on, you remember someone distant. A friend who was not really a friend and now you no longer know him. A crisp fall sky, the distant whir of an airplane overhead, missing your parents, the old woman who had coffee cake and rum every morning she stayed with you. We are investigating the senses at work, the senses removed, the framework for sensorial experience created by outside forces. All these explorations and more are paramount to the design of the work.

To generate honest physical feedback from the movers in this work, we have set them to a number of meticulous tasks; eating a lemon and then creating a movement phrase; drinking Ginger Ale and writing free hand; viewing a set of pictures through a toilet paper roll and jotting down all they can remember seeing; piecing together the parts of a distant but exceptional memory; describing the first room they remember, a room they know all too well, a room they’ve never seen. Through guided improvisation and assignments like these the performers are building material for the work. Relationships begin to emerge and are developed through partnering, dialogue, and group narratives. The sensorial experience that harmonizes with nostalgia is heightened by a “goodie bag” given to each audience member. Items in the bag are employed to specify the conditions under which someone should experience the work. The set, a floating cloud of branches with film strip strewn through its design and a variety of items dappled among its limbs, establishes a world in which these people exist. The score will be an original composition by Michael Wall and Darren Morze.

Now to the important stuff - PLEASE READ ON…

WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP:

The great cost of rehearsal space has been graciously covered by BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange’s space grant program. We need help to pay fees for what is truly the most valuable investment: the performers. Donors can support the project most effectually by recognizing how inestimable the artist's time is and helping to compensate each one accordingly. $10 pays for one hour of the artist’s time and $500 goes to her entire stipend. It is easy to help on any level comfortable to you.

GIVE IF YOU CAN:

Give if you are an artist yourself who understands this struggle.

Give if you value compensating performers.

Give if you admire the deep commitment required of an artist in a collaborative process like this.

Give if you can, whatever you can.

alex|xan and the Median Movement appreciates any little bit you have to offer.

THANK YOU SO MUCH:

We want to thank you deeply for considering giving to this endeavor by checking out the Kick Starter page. That alone is a great donation of your time and thought. If you decide to give, on whatever level is comfortable to you, we thank you immensely for giving this project a chance to thrive and for supporting your friends, family, or people you may not know. Your donation, however big or small, is profoundly appreciated. We hope to see you at the show in December! Check out our website for more information: www.themedianmovement.com

All the best,

Alex|Xan

+ the Median Movement: Sarah Rose Bodley, Julia Burrer, Courtney Drasner, Molly Mae MacGregor, Donnell Oakley, Jordan Risdon, and Hsiao-Jou Tang