jazz Archives | Research & Innovation

Emerging dance masters unveil new works

fmaquito — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Graduate students Shannon Roberts, Nancy��Latoszewski Greyeyes and Ilse Gudiño, candidates in 91��ɫ’s Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program in choreography and dance dramaturgy, premiere new choreographies for ensembles in Temenos. The show, performed by professional and pre-professional dancers, runs Feb.��15 to 17 in the Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan Theatre at��the Keele campus.

Shannon Roberts. Photo by��David Hou

The Greek word temenos refers to a piece of land cut off from common use, often dedicated as a place for worship. Historically, the proscenium stage has been regarded as a space reserved for particular users and dedicated to expressing the meanings that infuse our bodies and relationships.

As well as addressing the concept of the stage as a special site, the three emerging choreographers build on the idea of the dancing body itself as temenos – simultaneously separated from society’s imposed meanings, and infused with individual sources of meaning for each artist.

“Their dances focus on navigating the proscenium stage as a site for researching the body’s memories and cultural constructions,” said Professor Darcey Callison, the production’s artistic director. “From delving into the historical roots of flamenco, to exploring a family narrative of coal miners in Pennsylvania, to challenging the complexity of the male gaze, these choreographers investigate the proscenium theatre as temenos: a theatrical space that frames these works in order to make visible the body as a conduit for memories and social conditions that permeate their choreography.”��

Fusing modern dance with her athletic background, Shannon Roberts incorporates Bollywood, ballet, jazz, modern, hip hop, figure skating and flying trapeze into her work. Her choreography is inspired by social issues and the people, artwork and cultures she has experienced in her travels around the world.��

��

Roberts’ work, A Way of Seeing, is a discourse between Edvard Munch’s painting Woman in Three Stages and writer John Berger’s influential book Ways of Seeing. Investigating how a woman’s experience is informed through youth, sexuality and aging, this trio explores a sensual physical language that frames the private experience as public display.

��Ilse Gudiño Barthold. Photo by David Hou

In her piece, In the Marrow: A��Crucial Journey, Ilse Gudiño Barthold explores the history of flamenco as cultural memory and personal expression. Four dancers and four live musicians bring to the stage this complex journey, from a dance form infused with cultural significance to a movement vocabulary that is both personal and contemporary.

Trained in flamenco dance in Madrid and Seville, Gudiño Barthold has been a member of the Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company since 1997 and has performed as a soloist and with other flamenco dancers across Canada and internationally.

In Valley of Coal, Nancy Latoszewski (Greyeyes) tells the story of her grandparents. Both her grandfathers were Pennsylvania coal miners, and her choreography charts memories of the challenges they faced and the personal sacrifices they made. This narrative choreography is Latoszewski’s way of exploring oral history through her work as a dance artist.

Nancy Latoszewski (Greyeyes). Photo by��David Hou

A former soloist with Feld Ballets NY, Latoszewski has also been a principal dancer with the Cleveland San Jose Ballet and Alberta Ballet. Her work has been performed at Nuit Blanche and by Ballet Jörgen, and she has also choreographed for film.

The Temenos program concludes with a structured improvisation created by the 91��ɫ Dance Ensemble’s (YDE) artistic director Holly Small in collaboration with the ensemble, and��performed by the 16 dancers and five musicians of the YDE.

For tickets, contact the Box Office at 416-736-5888.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Emerging dance masters unveil new works appeared first on Research & Innovation.

Faculty of Fine Arts shines spotlight on research

fmaquito — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0000

From investigating how typography could reduce medication errors to using math as a tool to teach jazz, Faculty of Fine Arts scholars and practitioners have a fascinating array of research projects to share��during the Fine Arts Research Celebration Monday, Feb. 6.

Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation, and Barbara Sellers-Young, dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, are co-hosting the event, which takes place from 2 to 4 pm in the McLean Performance Studio, 244 Accolade East Building, Keele campus. Everyone is welcome to attend the free celebration, but an RSVP is requested. You can RSVP or call Lia Novario at ext. 33782. Light refreshments will be provided.

Right:��Nancy Latoszewski performing

The program features a live dance performance, film clips and four presentations that showcase some of the diverse academic and applied creative work being done by Fine Arts faculty and graduate student researchers.

“This research celebration highlights multi-disciplinarity in the Faculty of Fine Arts, from dance to music to digital media and beyond,” said Haché. “We invite the 91��ɫ research community to join us to learn more about the exceptional research activities taking place in this Faculty.”

“The arts are so much more than entertainment,” says Sellers-Young. “Arts and culture are at the heart of our day-to-day lives, and those who are engaged in the arts – as practising artists, theorists, historians, critics and many other ways – play an important role in shaping civic society and addressing the critical issues of our day. The presentations at the Fine Arts Research Celebration illustrate this engagement and the diverse contributions our researchers are making.”

Visitors to the Fine Arts Research Celebration will be greeted by clips of visual arts Professor Katherine Knight’s vivid feature documentary, . Knight’s film follows the renowned Canadian artist as she prepares massive new works depicting archetypal cities and familiar, yet disquieting, landscapes for two 30-year retrospectives – one at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and another at the National Art Gallery in Ottawa.

Left: Wanda Koop in a still from the film KOOP: The Art of Wanda Koop

Drawing the viewer into the framework in which the artist works, the film explores the science of vision, colour and perception – including Koop’s visit to 91��ɫ’s Centre for Vision Research to have her vision tested in the 3D Vision Research lab. (See YFile story Feb. 22, 2011.)

Design Professor will present a talk, titled “Evaluating Graphic Design for Patient Safety: An investigation of the Use of Typographic Principles to Differentiate Look-Alike Medication Names”.

She was the principal investigator on a recent study conducted at Toronto’s University Health Network, investigating how the principles and practices of graphic design and typography might be used for interventions intended to help health-care professionals make accurate medication selections.

Right: An example of using Tallman lettering with parts of the word enhanced to help distinguish it from similar medication names

“We know that look-alike, or orthographically similar, medication names are one of the causes of medication errors,” says Gabriele. “Tallman lettering (enhancement of words by changing parts of the word to capital letters) is currently recommended to help differentiate similar names.”

In her new study, she tested tallman lettering applied to look-alike medication names alongside other ways of enhancing names using three different scenarios. “Results indicated that tallman lettering might not be as effective as previously reported,” she says. “The research also revealed the importance of designing and testing interventions for specific users in contexts that reflect actual situations and activities in practice.”

In his lecture-demonstration “Music is Math: An effective Approach to Teaching Jazz Improvisation within General Music Education”, Professor Ron Westray��(left), 91��ɫ’s Oscar Peterson Chair in Jazz Performance, explores how the mathematical qualities inherent in western music can be used as a tool for ear training through music improv.

“You can view the chord-to-scale relationship in jazz improvisation as virtual data that can be transposed throughout relative and absolute functions, much like basic math,” says Westray. “Translating music into math helps demystify simple improvisation. It levels the playing field and makes it easier for non-specialists to teach jazz improv.”

Westray, an internationally known jazz trombonist, will illustrate the concept by means of a PowerPoint presentation punctuated with live performance examples, including the participation of��jazz majors from the Department of Music.

Digital Media Professor Mark-David Hosale��will discuss “Nonlinear Narrative as a Conceptual Framework for Media Art”, with an overview of the core technical and esthetic motivations unpinning his work as a media artist.

Right: Digital media art by Mark-David Hosale

“The approach to addressing narrative issues in my work is derived from thinking of narrative as a model of knowledge,” he says. “I see the stories we tell each other and ourselves as an expression of what we know. From this perspective, my works can be understood as knowledge spaces that are a conceptual reflection of a modern understanding of knowledge and nature, which is inherently nonlinear.”

The challenge of capturing the qualities of nonlinear narratives has led Hosale to develop an abstract model useful in the conceptual analysis and practical development of his work. In his presentation, he will explain how the model is based on a composite of operations, structures and characteristics that provide the governing principles behind a software framework and hardware platform.

Canadian dance history is the focus of the presentation by dance Professors Darcey Callison and Carol Anderson,��and Professor Emerita Selma Odom. They will read excerpts from their contributions to , an anthology to accompany an exhibition of the same name organized by Dance Collection Danse in partnership with the Theatre Museum of Canada.

During the 1970s dance boom, audiences worldwide flocked to performances. Artists were energized and innovative. In Canada, dance finally found an intellectual home in universities across the country. The decade was also defined in Canada by political, social and cultural debate inspired by second-wave feminism, gay rights, multiculturalism, separatism and nationalism.

How was this turbulent decade reflected in dance? How did the major issues and ideas of the day inspire or influence dancers and choreographers, and how did they respond? Renegade Bodies: Canadian Dance in the 1970s explores how the art form contributed to, and was informed by, this vibrant zeitgeist.

Moving from the page to the stage, dance MFA candidate Nancy Latoszewski will perform a five-minute excerpt from her solo dance, Carriage. The work revisits the challenge she faced in transitioning from the life of a prima ballerina to motherhood. While intensely personal, the work also speaks to the wider experience of undergoing a tremendous life change. Through her choreographic and performance research, with works such as Carriage, Latoszewski investigates how danced narratives can communicate personal stories and contribute to current interests in oral history and storytelling.

In addition to the public presentations, there will be a display of books and materials in other publication formats.

Visitors will have the opportunity to engage with other research projects by Fine Arts faculty on Fine Arts Research Day in Vari Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 29, from 10am to 2pm, as part of 91��ɫ’s Research Month.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Faculty of Fine Arts shines spotlight on research appeared first on Research & Innovation.

South Indian drumming virtuoso to launch faculty concert series

fmaquito — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000

World-renowned mrdangam virtuoso Trichy Sankaran launches the 2011-2012 Faculty Concert Series of 91��ɫ’s Music Department with “Rhythms of India”, a showcase performance Oct. 4 at 7:30pm in 91��ɫ’s Tribute Communities Recital Hall.

Sankaran is known internationally for his rhythmic dexterity, tonal nuance and consummate mastery of the mrdangam, the traditional double-headed drum of classical South Indian music. He has appeared at major festivals on four continents and in his 50-plus years of concert experience in Carnatic music, has performed with all of India’s classical music masters. In addition to traditional settings, he has played with jazz and electronic ensembles, gamelan and other world music groups from many different cultures, as well as performing regularly with his own group, Trichy's Trio. His recordings include Laya Vinyas (1990), Sunada (1993), Lotus Signatures (1997) and Ivory Ganesh Meets Doctor Drums (1998).

Right: Trichy Sankaran

Hailed as “a fabulous musician” by the New 91��ɫ Times, his critical accolades include The Globe and Mail’s comment: “It was Sankaran who took virtuosity to its most vertiginous heights, articulating with indescribable sleight of hand, a wealth of liquid sound at astonishing speeds."

Sankaran takes centre stage in “Rhythms of India”, a program of works rooted in classical South Indian music and bridging east and west, and traditional and contemporary styles.

He will be joined by two of his musical collaborators playing traditional instruments: Mohan Kumar on ghatam and Desi Narayanan on kanjira. Also sharing the stage with Sankaran will be his daughter, pianist and vocalist (and 91��ɫ music alumna) Suba Sankaran (BFA��Spec. Hons. '97, MA ’02), leader of the Juno-nominated Indo-jazz-funk fusion ensemble Autorickshaw, with her bandmate, tabla player Ed Hanley, and frequent Autorickshaw guest performer Dylan Bell on bass guitar.

Left: Suba Sankaran

The audience will be treated to a musical masala featuring solo and ensemble performances and including original compositions by Trichy Sankaran.

The concert will be followed by a reception celebrating the most recent accolade for the master percussionist and pioneering educator in Indian classical music. Sankaran has been chosen as the 2011 recipient of the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi title and award, bestowed by the Music Academy of Madras, India.

Considered one of the highest honours in the field, the distinction is presented annually to an expert Carnatic musician. As part of the honour, Sankaran will give two concerts and a special lecture, and will preside over the Music Academy’s 85th annual conference, running Dec. 15, 2011 to Jan. 1, 2012. The conference brings together leading scholars and performers of Indian classical, folk and world music from around the globe. Sankaran will be officially invested with the Sangita Kalanidhi title in Chennai, India on Jan. 1, 2012.

This is just the latest in Sankaran’s long list of honours. He is currently a finalist for the Toronto Arts Council’s Muriel Sherrin Award for International Achievement in Music, which recognizes an artist or creator who has made a contribution to the cultural life of Toronto through outstanding achievement in music with a focus on international engagement (recipient to be announced Oct. 20).

The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce has honoured him with its Professional of the Year Award, and in 2005 he was celebrated in Mylapore, Chennai, India, for his five decades of service to Carnatic music as a global performer, composer, musical collaborator, scholar, teacher and cultural ambassador. He was awarded an honorary doctorate of music by the University of Victoria, BC in recognition of his contributions to music in Canada and abroad.

This year also marks Sankaran’s 40th anniversary as a professor the Faculty of Fine Arts at 91��ɫ. He joined the Department of Music in 1971 as a founding director of Indian music studies, one of Canada’s first university-based world music performance programs. Over the years, he has fused eastern and western pedagogical practices and has been a major influence on a generation of students, many of whom have gone on to become noted performers, composers and educators.

Sankaran’s “Rhythms of India” is the first of four performances in the Faculty Concert Series spotlighting faculty artists in the Department of Music at 91��ɫ. Upcoming concerts will feature soprano Janet Obermeyer (Nov.1), violinist Jacques Israelievitch and pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico (Jan. 17) and improv pianist/composer Casey Sokol (Feb. 14).

Tickets��are $15, or $5 for students and seniors.��A three-concert package is $30. For tickets, contact the Box Office at 416-736-5888.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post South Indian drumming virtuoso to launch faculty concert series appeared first on Research & Innovation.