The Report

I am sore. Not so sore that I can't walk... but let's wait till I wake up in the morning.

The flight from Anchorage to Fairbanks was remarkably bearable and the weather wonderfully warm. The only downside to that is the studio's AC is broken; but full-time fans are working well.

For anyone interested in attending a future Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival dance intensive, please note that the Artisan's Courtyard is a 25-45 minute (with construction detours) walk from upper campus housing. You'll want to request lower campus housing, and I highly recommend a car or bike. One of the event organizers has lent me hers, and while the return to my dorm is all uphill, it's a heck of a lot better than schlepping a dance bag through the heat by flip flop.

Yesterday was placement class which served as an audition for class levels. I'm in advanced ballet and working with elite jazz and elite modern students. This year's festival is extra exciting, because as an intern, I'll be setting choreography for the final concert - and it's not just any concert.
The intensive culminates with a performance to Appalachian Spring, performed live by the festival's orchestral musicians and famous for choreography by Martha Graham. It's far from a regurgitation, but the piece's original themes - struggle, work, the female role, joy, wonder, worship - are still being utilized in the studio.

Thoughts from class:

8:00 a.m. - Core work & Cardio
Picture a female Adonis-meets-Britney instructor standing before a fan, her hair blowing back fiercely with every fast flex of her muscles. It's the first amped-up, plyometric-based aerobics class of the day. All I can think about is how I'm going to feel it later.

9:00 a.m. - Advanced Ballet Technique
I enjoy taking class from Alice Bassler Sullivan. She is clear, extremely knowledgeable, and can alter your entire carriage with the touch of a well-placed finger. I'm focusing on:

• dropping my shoulders away from my ears without lifting my sternum
• solid plié with heels pressing into the ground when finishing at the bar
• continued unfolding and expression during cambre - as though splaying out on an exercise ball without losing support of the head

10:30 a.m. - Ballet Performance
Ballet has always been like math for me. I tried to pretend I was a little computer remembering all of the phrases and directions and weight changes, with no human frustrations or forgetfulness. Let's just say when Balanchine asked me to dance for him, I politely declined.

1:00 p.m. - Elite Modern Technique

I have the pleasure of working under Krenly Guzman, a long-time performer, adjudicator, professor and independent artist who, dun dun dun... has worked with Brian Jeffery of X-SIGHT! in Chicago.
Much of his movement and methodology is similar to Brian's, and I can't help but wonder what their working relationship/mentorship was like. Krenly, however, is especially knowledgeable in anatomy and kinesiology; his keen eye and hands-on approach to addressing alignment and proper technique was refreshingly informative. Notes from class:

• I am an upper rectus abdominus fiend. I am always working on "deflating" on my chest during movement and can accomplish that by releasing tension under my sternum, dropping/lengthening my tailbone, and lowering my center of gravity toward the pelvis. As a modern dancer, I've always felt fairly grounded, but this was a precious gem that really did help with how I organized my body, and I look forward to using it across styles.
• When in releve, not only should I feel my weight pressing down through two distinct points in the balls of my feet, but I should also think about the cross points in the foot to support the ankle, properly engage the sartorius muscle, and avoid hyperextension of the legs.

2:00 p.m. - Modern Performance
We've begun working on the beginning section of Appalachian Spring. I like the beginning movement en masse and where the group sections are going. Krenly is a nice reminder that there is power in softness.

4:00 p.m. - Yoga for Dancers

It was nice to lay down and stretch out. Phew.

It's lovely to receive new information and refresh the old. Tomorrow starts with core work again but then heads into jazz technique and performance, followed by modern.

13 more days till performances; nine more full days of classes. Here we go!

xo
SW

The view en route to Fairbanks. Sigh. <3

My room for two weeks. The showers make me feel like I'm in The Shining.

Post-Sunday placement class

Hang me up to dryyyyyy

Read the first blog entry in this series here.

Big, New Things

Friends,

So much has happened these past few months, like a present that's continuously unfurling, the spectacular finish still approaching from under endless amounts of other beautiful gifts.

In an effort to literally eat/sleep/breathe my passion for dance and my love of spearheading grand schemes, I left my position at the university to become a full time studio owner, in addition to my role as Pulse's artistic director. This is a massive leap of faith, but it's because I so firmly believe in the need for an adult dance studio in town that I trust it will be successful.

On top of a performing company bursting at the seams with talent and a studio in the works, I just learned that I've been accepted as an intern at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival's dance intensive. I'll be taking rigorous classes from morning till night for two weeks, and working alongside Krenly Guzman to create a new modern dance work for the intensive's final concert.

It's all quite thrilling and daunting and exhilarating and demanding, but I know it's going to make me stronger, and that is exactly what I'm looking for. Push me. Make me uncomfortable. Force me to grow. I will become a better dancer, leader, instructor and choreographer by taking advantage of these opportunities.

I attended FSAF many years ago, for only one week, with some of my high school dance team. It was there I had the delightful chance to first meet Striding Lion's Annie Arnoult-Bessera, but mostly I remember the soreness and my very, very red face. I return now with a sense of purpose, a new and important role, and a fiery desire to squeeze every drop of sweaty leotard knowledge out of it.

Working as a dance company director is more mentally stimulating than physically demanding. While I work hard in developing choreography, leading rehearsals and warm ups, and occasionally perform alongside the company, I have taken a more artistically satisfying back seat in the performative aspect of things. This provides me with the distance I need to see and assess my work from the best perspective, but it has also allowed my own firecracker-on-the-dance-floor, learn-and-execute capabilities to stagnate.

I am ready to move. I am ready to be given movement, to learn it, and to own it. I am ready to take it all, turn it around, and continue charging forward in new and exciting ways.

Ever wonder what a dance intensive is like, or just want to know exactly how many cups of Bengay I'm using? I'll be blogging my experience from here. Feel free to ask questions or even leave advice!

Here's to doing what you love, darlings.
Stephanie
PDC Director

Play with Pulse: Anchorage Press Feedback

Like no one is watching

Daniella Cortez | Posted: Thursday, March 21, 2013 10:09 am

My natural habitat is in front of a computer screen. This is the plight of the writer; we live a primarily sedentary lifestyle that, while filled with information and beauty in its own way, can often be devoid of physical activity. As a group we aren’t known for our dancing ability.

I’ve been to a handful of dance performances this year, including two shows by Pulse Dance Company in the last few months. So when Pulse announced their “Play with Pulse” dance series, I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to unearth those mad movement skills I assumed had just been laying dormant my entire adult life. If nothing else, it would get me out from behind the computer screen for a few hours.

The series takes place once a year and, according to Pulse founder and creative director Stephanie Wonchala, it’s become a way for the company’s dancers to interact with the community.

“I really liked the idea of creating a safe place to explore movement at an extremely affordable rate. No judging, and no intimidating financial prerequisites,” said Wonchala.

In addition to my mostly sedentary lifestyle, I’m also only known for my one signature dance move — The Awkward Squid. It’s all loose shoulders, waggling arms and a slight but always out of sync hip swivel (I’m very popular at dance parties, obviously). However, when I was a kid the dream was either to be a best selling author or one of Janet Jackson’s back-up dancers. A class with Pulse could be my ticket into the dance scene. With a suggested donation of $5 and an affirmed judgment-free atmosphere, there appeared to be no downside to trying it out.

The class I attended, “Shaka-la-ka with Wonchala,” was a basic modern dance class that focused on movement and simple choreography.

“Honestly, this class [Shaka-la-ka with Wonchala] is to just feel good. It’s going to be a pretty broad scope of experience levels, and I want everyone to feel comfortable participating. Two goals: no one is allowed to feel self conscious, and everyone should just have fun,” Wonchala said.

Class participants came from a variety of backgrounds, from zero dance experience to performing members of Pulse’s company. Wonchala opened up the class with a brief introduction and a few rules: do the best you can and if you can’t do a move just “boogie through it.”  Wonchala is an engaging and encouraging instructor. She started the class out with some stretches and warm ups set to some popular dance music, accompanied by Wonchala’s energetic cheerleading.

Despite coming prepared in my super cute dance outfit, complete with hot pink mini skirt and coordinating sports bra, I was not fully able to master all the moves.

Dance of any kind, but especially the “shake your booty and throw yourself on to the floor” kind, is not for shrinking violets. The stragglers (myself, the poor friend I forced to come with me and a few others who didn’t have a lot of dance experience) tended to stay toward the back of the room. We watched the more experienced dancers move through the steps a few times before attempting it ourselves, with mixed success.

My attempts to fade into the crowd did not go unnoticed, and Wonchala made me join her at the front of the room to practice one of the more complicated bits of choreography. I think we both learned our lesson after that and I was allowed to return to the back after I massacred the moves.

I did pick up a few basic dance terms like “turn out”— to move the hips or leg and foot outward instead of facing forward. Then there were more complicated and French-sounding dance terms like chaines, which is really just a simple twirling motion, elbows up and out, that moves you across the floor. This was one of the few moves I mastered during the class. I can twirl like a champion.

Individually the motions were simple, but the real magic seemed to be in remembering how to put them all together into a seamless bit of choreography. The better dancers did this easily, connecting the movements beautifully and moving together through them. By the time my row’s turn came up, however, we did a lot of flopping around on the floor trying to keep our spandex covering the important bits while remembering when to chaines and when to turn, turn, step.

Pulse has been doing the dance classes since 2010, making this the fourth Play with Pulse series. According to Wonchala, year’s series was the most successful so far, with packed classes during all four sessions.

After the class I asked some of the other “back of the room” students why they came. They each echoed similar sentiments as mine; they’ve always been interested in dance but didn’t know how to start. One student told me that she’d always wanted to dance, since she was a little girl. “This is like a four day dream come true,” she said.

In addition to getting a pretty complete work out — a day later my entire body still felt sore—the class netted me a few new moves for the next time I’m letting loose on a barroom dance floor. There’s a really fun booty shake I can do now and a super sassy variation on the jazz hands: one hand on the hip, the other rotating from the elbow in front of your face like a window opening and closing. Those, I think, I’ll definitely employ in the future.

While I have put to bed any dance-related delusions of grandeur (I don’t think Janet Jackson will be calling on me to back her up any time soon) it certainly strengthened my resolve to move more and expand my repertoire beyond the awkward squid.

For more information about Pulse Dance Company, including when they will be offering classes in the future, check them out online at pulsedancecompany.com

Season III finale media coverage!

While season III came to a glorious close last January, my brain has been mulling and churning and bubbling with new ideas for season IV. I am currently choreographing and dancing in a couple pieces for UAA's New Dances, but Pulse has been invited to guest perform both at a Gala in April and for Anchorage Classical Ballet Academy in May, so company rehearsals are about to rack back up.

In the mean time, I wanted to share some great coverage Pulse got in the media prior to our January 2013 season finale concert, Ever After.

If you're hungry to learn more, or curious about what we've been doing, here you go:
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PDC presents Ever After
Concept, Choreography, Costuming: Stephanie WonchalaTrio en pointe choreography: Cady Lynn O’Brien Jenkins

Inspired by folk lore, fairytales, and societal roles we often willingly or unconsciously play, this humanistic work strips us of preconceived notions of “happily ever after.” It begs a reassessment of both how we perceive ourselves and how we gauge fulfillment in this one all-too-short life. 

ADN preview article: http://www.adn.com/2013/01/19/2758685/pulses-new-piece-uses-modern-ballet.html

KSKA radio segment: http://www.alaskapublic.org/2013/01/23/rapunzel-snow-white-and-the-little-mermaid-dancing-to-dubstep/

907 Nite Life review: http://alturl.com/bfj6t

907 Nite Life review: http://alturl.com/bfj6t


API television interview: http://www.youralaskalink.com/politics/API-Stephanie-Wonchala-pulse-dance-186567031.html

Show promo: http://www.alaskapublic.org/2013/01/11/pulse-dance-company-ever-after/

All the best,
Stephanie Wonchala
Company & Artistic Director

Directing

In keeping with this fun fad of "actually do" posts...

PULSE: What it's like

Season three dancer Cara Parker shares her insider perspective on being a part of the company. 

Cara as photographed by Kerry Tasker

"Envision hot oil; let it flow down your body, around your joints; warming up your limbs..." I was hooked after that. 

Last January as a member of Peninsula Artists in Motion I was asked to guest perform a piece at Pulse's concert. I found myself surrounded by Pulser bodies in pre-concert warmups and knew it was love. As a fan from the outside, I fell in love with their raw energy and emotion-evoking movement... as a company member, it has only deepened with their honesty. 

I have danced for 12 years with my closest friends and been surrounded by talented performers most of my life. I have choreographed and danced others' creations to express and build a sense of wholeness and beauty, for not only audiences, but ourselves. But it has never been this raw, intense, and honest. 

A good example:

At rehearsal last week we were asked, with weighted bodies and heavy breath, to sigh. So as the performer I am, I threw myself into it. Articulated back, sad eyes, heavy breath. I was "in" it. And then I was asked by the director, "Cara, now make me believe it's real." 

And that is it. That is the difference between Pulse and everyone else; between the dancer I was and the dancer I am. It is not acting. It is not conjured to relate. It does relate and it is inspiring in its realness.

Alaska is a blessed land to have as many artful, free-thinking creative dancers as it does. The talent I have seen in the schools, companies and even streets here inspires me. And the hearts and souls of the Company I keep; well, they move me.

Sincerely, 

Your new Pulser -

Cara (Parker) Mazurek

June Bug

Ever heard the saying "like a duck on a june bug?" We haven't either, but that's how we're jumping into this month!

First, we make our way onto the shelves of Barnes & Noble with a full feature article in AK Rhythm magazine. Order your own print or digital copy of this beautiful dance, music and arts publication packed with all the local Anchorage arts scene goodness here. PULSE is highlighted in the ARTic section with reporting and photos by Wyoming Telford.

Back by popular demand, we're proud to announce the third annual return of our Play with PULSE summer dance series! While other dance classes wind down for the season, we focus on providing you with a five (and potentially six!) week workshop series.

Give your summer a pulse with five unique movement workshops offered exclusively by PDC... for you.

WHERE: Laughing Lotus Yoga Studio
WHEN: Fridays, 6:00 – 7:30, Jun 29 - Jul 27
COST: $18 drop-in, $90 full session; $75 Early Bird Special until June 6
CALL: 243-YOGA (9642)
REGISTER ONLINE/RSVP on Facebook!

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JUN 29 Ballet Beats: Broadway flair meets ballet grace in a fun course integrating contraction and release, proper alignment, and a driving soundtrack. Advanced Beginner/Intermediate.

JUL 6 Tools for Every Dancer: Improvisational exercises introduce making choices in the the moment, compositional tools, and introduction of the Feldenkrais method. All levels.

JUL 13 Modern in Motion: A high-energy offering focused on the learning and retention of performance-based choreography; your chance to lose yourself in movement. Intermediate.

JUL 20 Movement for Modeling: A charismatic dance class sassifying struts and heightening body awareness. Challenges dancers, models and pageant contestants from head to peep-toe pump. All levels; please bring heels.

JUL 27 Ballet Abs: A ballet-inspired, core-focused class to strengthen and lengthen, improve balance, increase coordination and decrease stress. Ballet fundamentals meet floorwork; yoga attire & mats encouraged. All levels.

Our May 26 Big Feat, Little Feet talent competition was a beautiful culmination of awesome local artistry. CONGRATULATIONS to the overall winner, Moriah Walker, who took home the $300 grand prize as well as audience favorite. First runner-up were the Copper River Clan dancers, followed by hip-hop/b-boy groups EOR and Multiverse who tied for honorable mention. The lineup of 11 competing groups was serious, but there was a lighter side as well. From dance, song and performance art to 'living poetry,' we couldn't have been more pleased with the show. THANK YOU to everyone who participated, attended, and to our judges Dorene Lorenz, Michelangelo Canale, Leah Frankson, and Matt Collins. Way to support local art!

Speaking of supporting local art... we are so extremely grateful to our AMAZING rehearsal space and body care sponsor Massage Now. Their very gracious staff keeps us taken care of from head to toe, and we love them for it. If you're hunched over a desk or lap top right now, call or stop by their convenient location across from Spenard Roadhouse. You'll pretty much float out once they've taken care of you.

Stay tuned to our facebook page for the next batch of action-packed photos by Kerry Tasker to be released later this month.






Wishing everyone a wonderful summer. We hope to see you in the studio for some Play with PULSE dancin'!

All the best,

Stephanie Wonchala

Company Director