Seraka Dance Company’s Official Blog.
We are gearing up for another full-length performance. This year’s production happens Saturday, November 11 at DF Cook Recital Hall, MUN School of Music here in St. John’s, and features 17 dancers from the avalon area.
Reserve your tickets here: www.seraka.com/unknown2017
This years show is exploring the idea of change, facing fears, challenging the norm, and growing in the face of the unknown. We’re using the concept of space (even aliens) as a loose basis and starting point for choreography development, and we’re working with the cast of dancers to meld and explore how each of us relates to, or reacts to, being challenged in that way – by external forces, unknown changes, “alien” circumstances to our lives.
It’s been a weird, wild, and downright thrilling ride as we’ve been working the pieces, refining the movement qualities, and staging these pieces. We’re so excited to share with you.
If you’re making plans to see AQUEOUS on Sunday, you should grab your tickets while they’re still available in advance! It saves you $5 off the ticket price – but online sales & advance sales end on Saturday November 12.
Read more about the show here: www.seraka.com/aqueous
Read about how we created the show here: Aqueous – The Director’s Cut (Blog Post)
Join the Facebook event here: www.facebook.com/events/195508344219411
Ticket will, of course, be available at the door for $20.
We are so excited to finally release the details about our latest endeavour – AQUEOUS. For details about the production, please visit www.seraka.com/aqueous or join the Facebook Event.
I don’t want to write about what the show is, but instead want to share some insight into how the show is developing. This show has been an absolute 180 from our usual productions in so many ways.
The first difference with AQUEOUS is that we’re incorporating an overarching thematic structure; one inspired by the ocean, waves, liquids, the ebb and flow of tides, and the marvellous mythology of sirens. We started brain storming the show with a concept, then we chose the music and merged the songs into one continuous soundscape which has a clear introduction, build, climax, and resolution. This has allowed us to breathe some continuity into the pieces to create a full-length work of art, instead of stringing pieces together and forcing them to fit, after-the-fact (which is a more common practise when designing our sets).
Secondly, we’ve taken a new approach to how we disperse choreography. We usually pick a song, then merge our ideas and hash things out in the studio together, creating the piece collectively, then dance the piece we’ve created. This process for AQUEOUS is different in that we are distributing the music selections among the 5 of us, each taking ownership of the generation of movement for that piece. For each piece, one of us is working as the choreographer, then as the director, melding our ideas onto the dancers for that piece. We are stepping back from the performance of it, allowing the piece to grow and adapt to the dancers, and enjoying our ideas unfold before us instead of on us. Some of the other pieces include a mixture of structured improvisation, and choreography developed in our usual way.
The third, and most fundamental difference is that we’re not alone. We’ve enlisted a cast comprised of ourselves as well as 11 belly dancers from the greater St. John’s area. As opposed to arranging a lineup of independent pieces from each group or dancer, we’ve merged all dancers into one group and have choreographed onto the group as a whole, to work together as one unit, to create a merged, collaborative work.
I sincerely hope that you are as please to see the work as we are to present it. We’re all hearts in, and hope it brings you on at least some of the journey it’s brought us on along the way.
– Vanessa
Vanessa, Karen & Susan are travelling to Toronto to be part of The Lavish Project 2016 – an artist in residency program directed by Audra Simmons & Heather Labonté of The Dark Side Studio. Working five 10-hour studio days with 12 dancers from across Canada to prepare and create pieces for “harmony/discord” on Sat Apr 2 at ROUND venue in Kensington Market.
Since we’re not in province, make sense that classes will be cancelled. The final classes for this session are: Mar 20, Apr 10, Apr 17 & Apr 24. See you at The Dance Centre!
We’re a little late to the game with this post, but it’s better late than never! We’re producing another petite artistic show inspired by the roarin’ 20s.
Synthesis: Speakeasy will be held on Saturday, February 1 at Cox & Palmer Second Space (in the LSPU Hall). Show starts 8:00pm and will run about 60-90 minutes, with a mixer to follow. read full post →
Seraka is putting a call for submissions to any performance artists in the St. John’s area who wish to collaborate on a themed show, “A Night at the Caravanserai: Silk Road” to be held on the evening of Saturday, October 5th; venue and details are yet to be finalized. The show will be an evening of bellydance, accented with international acts, theatrical displays, culture, musicians and other mysterious acts, all with the theme of the travels along the Silk Road. read full post →
Every year our friends The Neighbourhood Strays produce a wonderful event, celebrating women and bellydance in Newfoundland. This year’s show is scheduled for Sunday, May 5 at Holy Heart Theatre and is in support of Stella’s Circle (a local women’s shelter and charity). There is an amazing line up this year with performances by special guest Laura Selenzi of Serpentine Studios in Halifax, as well as local artists read full post →
Wow. I can’t speak for the other girls, but the recent performances for us have been most excellent! We not only got to share the stage with our friends The Island Belles, but we also got the extraordinary opportunity to dance for the Premier! read full post →
As the 2011-2012 dance season winds to an end, we’re taking a few minutes to think about everything that’s happened this year. read full post →
Hello Internets! This is my first entry to the magpie’s nest and, now that I think about it, my first blog entry ever! Seraka has been very busy with a couple of exciting things so I thought I would give you an update. read full post →
