UW World Series Community Connections

Infinite PossibiliTEAM!! Our Fabulous Year in Photos

2011-12-22T15:27:00.000-08:00

By Priya Michelle Frank

This has been quite a year both professionally and personally for the Advancement team. Whether we are fundraising, planning a fabulous soiree, or participating in community engagement activities-at the heart of it, our passion is in relationship building while putting the FUN in Fundraising! The experiences below are a reflection of just some of the ways we have pushed ourselves outside of the box, forged ahead boldly and hoped to give those we engaged with a one of a kind experience that expresses what a special place the UW World Series really is. Through this process we have grown, we have learned, we have worked as a team, and we continue to conspire to be the best we can be. No one else has our stories, experiences, and perspectives, and that’s what makes us a unique and unstoppable force! So as we continue our goal of being a fabulous team doing fabulous work, we wanted to share some of our fave moments of the year. And if this is any indication of what’s to come in 2012….we are in for another amazing ride!!!

Rockin in Fundraising

Our fiscal year ended in June, and in Individual Giving, we exceeded our goal by $28K!
By November, we already reached 54% to our total Fundraising Goal for the FY2012! This is before our Fall Mailing even went out!
We held the Grand Gala in Honor of Matt Krashan: This sold-out event started with a cocktail reception in the west lobby, then moved onto the stage of Meany Hall for dinner, with 100 guests celebrating the visionary leadership of founding UW World Series director Matt Krashan and his legacy of artistic and educational excellence. Together, guests raised $40,000 toward the Matt Krashan Endowed Fund for Artistic and Educational Excellence in the Performing Arts and helped us reach our total endowment fund goal of $200,000!

Rockin with Change

Our new Director, Michelle Witt started in August, and we were excited to welcome her! We celebrated with a lunch of bbq, badminton, and Michael Jackson hits!

Michelle was eager to connect with our donors immediately so we organized post show receptions with Carpe Diem String Quartet and Pilobolus, which were a blast! Included in each of these receptions were fierce badminton tournaments with the artists themselves! Check out footage here!

In this photo Keri, in her “I’m A MEANY” shirt, is mean muggin with Pilobolus dancer Jun after an intense battle on the badminton court-aka the main lobby entrance!

Rockin the Event Scene

Meany Hall/UWWS Volunteer Party: Where else do you get to honor your amazing volunteers by throwing a complete with badminton, karaoke, and a food truck?! We heart our volunteers!!! (Photos only-No video will be shown so as not to incriminate the wonderful folks who participated in karaoke!)

October SAM Remix: We were thrilled to be a community partner for SAM’s October REMIX! Lots of costumes, Keri led an awesome “My Favorite Things” tour, and Priya attempted the Thriller Dance! This sold out event was so much fun and we look forward to partnering again!

After Parties at Lucid: After each Thursday night dance performance, we invite performance attendees and dance company members to Lucid Jazz Lounge for "The Hang" jam session on Thursday nights! Here’s the Alonzo King LINES Ballet in attendance- it was a blast and they even treated us to more of their awesome dance moves!

Rockin the Teambuilding

Badminton Royale: Arts orgs from all over Seattle competed in the annual Badminton Royale tournament held at On the Boards! Calling ourselves "The Meany's" (get it?!), the UWWS/Meany Hall team made it to the 3rd round and were amongst the final 8 competing for the grand prize- a Jack Daniels trophy. We also won a special award for "Hardest Working" team! It was a blast and lots o fun making new friends and reconnecting with old ones! Can’t wait till next year!

Gold Stars: Each week at the beginning of our staff meeting, we celebrate our individual and collective achievements by placing gold stars (or cupcake/unicorn/heart stickers) over the goals we achieved that week. It is our fave part of the meeting!! See how many accomplishments we had made already?! Woohoo!

Rockin and Reppin Around Campus

Andrea Gets Published

Andrea, who is in the Master of Library and Information Science program at the UW Information School, wrote an article which was published in the Library Journal!! Can we say SUPASTAR?!! In 2012 she is focusing her studies on developing mega skillz in reference, reader’s advisory (Nancy Pearl-style!) and instruction. She says many of her fave parts of fundraising translate to library work—especially connecting with people and building community! Check out her article here!

Daniela Enters Sophomore Year

After spending an incredible summer in Spain, Daniela continues to blow us all away with her school skillz- excelling in pre-calculus, physics, and chemistry all while keeping us organized both in the office, and with the planning and executing of our donor receptions!! Whew! In 2012, she plans to declare a major and hopes to get into the UW’s Biology program!

Priya Graduates

Priya graduated from the Master of Arts in Cultural Studies program at UW Bothell! Through the program, she produced a short film, created and performed a spoken word piece, and found her passion for social media! In 2012 she plans to launch a blog focused on how she and her circle of peeps live their most fabulous lives on a budget. Whether it’s through fashion, the arts, volunteering, or just a great party…she says that “Finding ways to experience new things and feel good about ourselves and how we spend our time and money is key to how we may be able to live our best lives, do our best work, and give back to others with our best selves!”

Keri Creates Our Unicorner

Our fearless leader is always cheering us on and challenging us to think outside of the box and not be afraid to try new things! Here’s Keri (left) leading the Sounders band in Red Square- just another day! This year she created an amazing space in her office called The Unicorner (right photo)!! Although it is a physical space, it is also a representation of our values and reflects the way we approach our work with creativity and joy. She says, “I love the idea that our office is a place where we make magic happen every single day, for our donors and for each other. That’s the big idea that inspires all the other incredible things we do as team.”

a blog post about the UW World Series and the UW School of Music

2011-11-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

by Sonja Myklebust, Education Assistant, UW World Series

Hello! My name is Sonja Myklebust, I am the UW World Series Education Department's new work study assistant. The subject of this blog post, String quartets and the UWWS, is of special interest to me because I am currently a music graduate student at the University of Washington and I am in a string quartet as well (short self promotion plug to follow...). I very much appreciate the UWWS’s efforts in reaching out to the local community of UW and the larger community of the Seattle school systems through in-school residencies, community performances, and events in collaboration with the UW School of Music.

Cuarteto Casals

Spain’s premier string quartet comes to the UWWS Nov 7-8!

Since its founding at the Escuela Reina Sofia in Madrid in 1997, Cuarteto Casals has quickly become recognized as one of Europe's most distinguished string quartets. This Spanish ensemble has garnered extensive critical acclaim and has won top prizes at many international competitions, including First Prizes at the 2000 London and the 2002 Johannes Brahms International String Quartet Competitions. The quartet has worked with important composers in Europe today, premiering works by Jordi Cervelló, David del Puerto and Jesús Rueda of Spain, collaborating with James MacMillan of Scotland, and György Kurtág of Hungary.

Masterclass at UW School of Music

During Cuarteto Casals' time with the UWWS they will hold a masterclass with music student ensembles from the UW. For those who are not familiar with the term masterclass, it is a chance to watch the members of Cuarteto Casals in their roles as teachers. A student performs and the audience members are able to watch the transformation of the student as the teacher imparts his or her wisdom onto many musical aspects of the performance.

***I am very excited to participate in this masterclass with the Oceana String Quartet!***

This masterclass will be held in Brechemin Auditorium in the UW School of Music on Monday November 7 at 6:30pm. The event is free and open to the public.

The story of the Oceana String Quartet

Last year 3 other students and I decided to form the Oceana String Quartet. We were brought together by the love of the amazing repertoire written for the string quartet and the enormous potential of the genre. We entered the 2nd annual chamber music competition held at the University of Washington in march 2011 and we are so excited that we won this competition! The Oceana Quartet is now the official student quartet of the University of Washington for the 2011-2012 year.

From left: Emilie Choi, Romaric Pokorny, Sonja Myklebust, Rochelle Nyugen. Photo by Ben Pink

Our responsabilities as the UW string quartet include: a full length concert on March 4, a performance in the spring Contemporary Concert, and weekly coachings with our musical mentor Melia Watras, the fabulous viola faculty here at the UW.

Photo of Melia in her studio at the UW School of Music

I hope this blog is an interesting introduction to Cuarteto Casals, the Oceana String Quartet and the UW School of Music!

Please join us at the Cuarteto Casals concert in Meany Hall on Tesday Novemeber 8, 8 pm.

Tickets and information can be found here.

See you at the show!

At UW World Series, Creativity and Innovation are #1!

2011-10-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

By UW World Series Director of Advancement, Keri Kellerman

During the UW World Series advancement team retreat this summer, we decided to make innovation and creativity one of our core values. While we’ve always strived to make it a part of our work, we wanted to give it equal billing with all the other things we accomplish here at Meany Hall every day. So what did we do? We instituted Dabble Time, or, as we fondly refer to it, the DTs.

How do the DTs work? Each member of the advancement team has chosen something that they are inspired by and passionate about. Over the course of the season, we’ll each spend 10% of our work week – about 4 hours – pursuing that passion. Along the way, we’ll take time to reflect on what we’re learning and see if there are creative ways that we can apply it to our daily work as fundraising professionals. To top it all off, we’ll present our DT projects to our fellow UW World Series staff members at a special Fab Forum at the end of the season.

This year’s projects include:

• Learning to edit digital video

• Launching a blog and taking it viral

• Turning major gifts into a collaborative, multi-player game

Who knows? Maybe something we discover along the way will change the face of fundraising forever!

There’s no "I" in "Team"

2011-09-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

By Priya Frank- Individual Giving Coordinator, UW World Series

Priya in Elementary School

When I was in elementary school, I was the top seller of the magazine-subscription fundraiser in my school. To this day my family still receives harassing renewal reminders from “Good Housekeeping,” “Parent” and “Highlights” magazines from their past efforts of support! Fundraising has pretty much always been a part of my life, whether it was directing parking for Husky games to raise funds for our senior class, cheerleading car washes, or selling melted candy bars door to door for who-knows-what in first grade. The one thing all of these experiences had in common was a large supportive team that contributed to these successes: My dad driving me to Husky stadium at 8am so I could direct the parking, my family members buying the subscriptions so I could get first place and win the top prize- a trip to Wild Waves, my fellow cheerleaders who all stood on the corner of Lake City Way screaming and holding up colorful signs for the car wash.

1998 Nathan Hale Cheer Squad--Priya, front row, far right

It’s amazing how transferable all of these skills truly are in helping me reach my goals today. In a few months I will celebrate my 7th year with UWWS, and I am so proud to be part of a team that does amazing and FABULOUS things! As a team, we rally together, cheer each other on, and support one another in any way we can. In turn, the payoffs have been huge. One example is that we just tallied the final numbers and in Individual Giving, our final number was $322,000 raised- that is $28K over goal!!

UWWS Advancement Team: Priya, Andrea and Keri!

One of our goals for the year has been “Successfully continue building a team that inspires other departments to be excited about the work they do and the work we do together.” I feel that already we have started doing that. Drew has taught Andrea some of the coding behind the UWWS website, and she is putting her I-School knowledge to work by editing the devo content directly on the website! HUGE! Keri has been so supportive and encouraging of Andrea and I using our “school-skillz” on the job, and collectively, our team is truly making a difference in the way we want people to experience the UW World Series. Keri just spent hours signing 220 letters to our new donors, thanking them for making their first gift and inviting them to an intermission reception so they can connect further. Our wonderful volunteer Laila will be stuffing and sending out the letters. It definitely takes a team, and while sometimes these tasks are mundane, connecting the tasks to the bigger picture allows us to see how our contributions not only matter, but define the UWWS and how it will look moving forward. We are so excited for the cross-functional team tasks our new Artistic Director Michelle Witt has initiated, the social media initiatives, the web re-vamp, and all of the ways that we can contribute to making this the very best experience possible for our audience, donors, volunteers, community, and ourselves!

Pilobolus Frequently Asked Questions Guide

2011-09-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

We are so excited for our opening dance event of the season, Pilobolus!

In addition to our regular ticketed evening performances, we are presenting a free youth matinee that is already filled up with students from all over the Puget Sound region. The company sent us this great guide to provide our teachers, answering such thought-provoking frequently asked questions as: Where do you get your ideas for pieces? And of course, the ubiquitous: Do you believe in the sublimity of the creative process?

Enjoy reading and hope to see you at the show!

Pilobolus FAQ

The Marian Anderson String Quartet returns to Seattle in 2012!

2011-09-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

by Andrea Hermanson, UW World Series

A big THANK YOU to our generous sponsors Chamber Music America, the Peach Foundation and one of our most generous donors for making an extended residency with the Marian Anderson String Quartet possible.

Next spring, the Marian Anderson String Quartet will work intensively with Seattle’s Bailey-Gatzert Elementary and Washington Middle Schools for a week in March and a week in May. During that time, the Quartet will lead a host of activities from hands-on lessons to a family-night concert that will engage students and school communities in learning about and practicing chamber music. The residency will culminate in a final student concert, “Night of Strings,” at Meany Hall for the Performing Arts on May 18, 2012.

UW World Series’ last collaboration with the Marian Anderson String Quartet in 2008/09 was an inspiration for us all and we look forward to their return! Check out a few photos courtesy of our fabulous Advisory Board member, Lee Talner.

To learn more about UW World Series’ Artist In Schools program, visit
www.uwworldseries/community-connections/artists-in-schools

Also, a big thank you to our educational partners, Ladies Musical Club and Seattle Music Partners!

Priya's Capstone Project

2011-08-03T14:53:00.000-07:00

By Priya Frank, UW World Series Individual Giving Coordinator

In 2004 I had just graduated from the UW Dept of Communication and American Ethnic Studies program and felt ready to take on the world! That world turned out to be the UW World Series. Over the years I have had the privilege of facilitating relationships between individuals and the UW World Series through fundraising-a relationship that contributes to the bringing of world music, theatre, dance and educational opportunities to the Pacific Northwest via UWWS.

In the fall of 2009, I began the Master of Arts in Cultural Studies program at UW Bothell, and my performing arts experience here at UWWS heavily influenced my Capstone Research Project, the culmination of two years of research. The Cultural Studies program provided a space for me to dissect how power dynamics influence and shape representation and identity formation, and how that could be reflected within the world music genre of which I am a part of through my work. All of this research culminated into a 40 page written analysis, a short film I produced, and a spoken word piece I created and performed that reflects my own positionality as a woman of color, performing arts administrator, and cultural worker. Through this process I had the opportunity to see the “world” of world music in a different light, and I wanted to share some of the many discoveries I made while on this journey; The ways that world music artists are marketed, how this can lead to the creation of particular identities and representations, how the artists address and refute these representations s through their work, and how this research affected and empowered me. My project is called Mapping Our Own World: Explorations of human agency within an exoticized world music market.

Analyzing the Marketing of World Music

The 40 page analysis I completed examined how scholars such as Jocelyne Guilbault, Martin Stokes and Ted Swedenburg researched the ways that marketing efforts often exoticize and label world music artists with specific cultural identities in order to attract western audiences. This has the powerful tendency to remap the world according to the stereotypes marketed. Remapping refers to the centralizing of the European and American experience geographically in order to reinforce power structures and dictate the importance of that particular experience. So rather than recognizing these artists as having transnational identities, they are given boundaries and categories as to where they are and are not allowed to belong. This ideology can be enforced by playing up the exoticization factor through the use of particular photos, labels, and messages that reinforce the “other”, while allowing western audiences to experience the performance from a safe distance.

Priya with Dance Master from Compagnie Jant Bi, Foeye Oto Longa

The University’s Role

My analysis then focused on how the institutions that present world music artists are also integral to relaying marketing messages that dictate how performers are depicted. I examined how a university performing arts organization, the UW World Series, can rein scribe these representations through my examination of 5 components: 1) the processes by which artists are chosen for the series 2) UWWS marketing materials, strategic plan, and mission statement 3) the role that the organization plays within the University of Washington’s larger mission of education accessibility and diversity 4) How funding contributes to both encouraging and confining the participation of world music artists 5) and the role of the state in allowing and restricting artist entrance into the United States.

Priya with Artist Simon Shaheen

The Artist Perspective

The next step was understanding that although these structures can reinforce particular stereotypes, the UW World Series also opens up contested spaces of culture by providing opportunities for world music artists to speak back and create their own meanings and identities outside of what is marketed to the general public. My work adds to Cultural Studies examination of policy by adding the voices of the artists and the cultural worker into this mix. Through my job, I am in a unique position to see how all of these entities intersect and the kinds of obstacles and opportunities that lie within this space. Through their work on and off the stage, artists have a particular agency which allows for teaching, dialogue, and collaboration to take place. The UW World Series is a platform by which this reforming of identity can take place. By examining how empowerment can be achieved through the world music experience, we can acknowledge the opportunities for activism and awareness that exist for both artists and other cultural workers within this arena.

Priya with Abou Lagraa

Through interviews I conducted with four of the artists that performed on the UW World Series 2010-11 season (Simon Shaheen, Abou Lagraa, Foeye Oto Longa, and Mark O’Connor , I began to unravel the multiple perspectives and influences these artists map themselves as having, the messages they strive to bring to international audiences, and the ways that their reach extends into the social and political spheres through both their performances and educational work.

Priya with Mark O'Connor

It was also vital for me use performance based research to examine the messages that these artists brought through their own performances. Understanding performance based research gives us the opportunity to collect vital information that focuses on space, body, and movement and relays a variety of expressions and ideologies. It also allows us to examine the critical work that art does to highlight theoretical work within the context of an artist’s craft. When the performance comes to life, it poses questions and creates a dialogue and statement within the representation of the bodies and voices.
Combining footage from interviews, performances, and the artists’ educational work, some of my findings were captured in the following video piece:

Stay tuned for my next blog post, where I will share my own experience through this process and the spoken word piece I created and performed…

UW World Series Arts Education in Action

2011-05-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

By UW World Series Advisory Board member Lee Talner

It's been several months since we've posted about the UWWS educational goings on. Here are selections from the most recent encounters between our international artists and Seattle students, through school residencies in partnerships with Ladies Musical Club, Seattle Music Partners and UW School of Dance, and free Friday matinee performances in Meany Theater. These photos from 2011 represent highlights of just some of the activities that I attended, and there were lots more that I didn't get to. Since these interactions were so unique and compelling, I've included several photos and some text to explain what transpired. I wish you a fine summer and hope that you will get to Meany Hall next season for more exciting performances.

The Philharmonia Quartett Berlin played for Roosevelt High School students in January and then coached a fine student ensemble working on the Schubert Octet.

In their Meany Hall performance, the Chiara String Quartet gave the world premiere of String Quartet No.2 by New York composer Daniel Ott. Daniel joined the Quartet in Seattle schools during a week-long residency in February, engaging the students in the process by which a composition is created. First he asked the Quartet to play 4 of the themes from one movement of his quartet, then told the students to chose (they voted) which of 4 colored, textured discs would best go with each theme. Next a student was selected to decide in which order they should be played. Finally, the Quartet played the themes in the order in which they appeared in Daniel's composition.

My perennial favorite, the Emerson String Quartet, plus UW's own Craig Sheppard, played Brahms for the orchestra students at Roosevelt High School, on the morning of their Meany Hall performance in March. ESQ also played parts of the Debussy string quartet and a Thomas Adès piece that they premiered at Carnegie Hall the following next week. They told the students that no one had heard them play this piece before this very moment. Afterwards, two very fine Roosevelt cellists, Ariana Nelson and Grant Olson, played a Handel duo with Roger Nelson accompaniment, for the Quartet to critique.

ESQ, the student cellists, and Anna Edwards, the orchestra director at Roosevelt, beaming after a remarkable session.

Trisha Brown Dance Company's Leah Morrison held master class for UW dance students in March, teaching them the moves of 'Set and Reset' that the company performed subsequently on the Meany stage.

As a special treat for the students, Trisha Brown came to the master class to see their progress. Matt was so pleased to have Trisha and her company back in Seattle.

During the matinee, I couldn't resist photographing 'Opal Loop/Cloud Installation #72503" that incorporated a remarkable 'fog sculpture' into the piece.

The dancers clearly relished the kids' questions after their performance.

And the return of the Harlem Quartet in April reinforced my opinion that they are a most spontaneous, joyful and engaging quartet for a school residency.

Here they captivate kids at the Valley School.

Afterwards, the Quartet couldn't pass up posing with the kids as a ukulele band.

And at Maple Elementary School, more fun and antics.

Usually the cellist gets to demonstrate how low the cello can go, but in this case one of the kids asked, 'how high can the cello go?' Paul said he'd never tried to actually play a note that close to the bridge before.

In addition to being real 'hams' in schools, the Quartet gave a superb performance on the Meany stage.

Simon Shaheen: The Importance of Music Education

2010-11-24T14:38:00.000-08:00

By UW World Series staff member Priya Frank

Simon Shaheen’s passion for music education has been an ongoing and integral part of his work, both on and off the stage. In 1982, he formed the Near Eastern Music Ensemble in New York, establishing a group that would perform traditional Arab music in its highest standard form. This was also the beginning of Shaheen's workshops and lecture/demonstrations in schools, colleges, and universities to educate the younger generation. As an advocate of Arab music, Shaheen still devotes almost fifty percent of his time to working with schools and universities, including Julliard, Columbia, Princeton, Brown, and Harvard.

In 1997, Shaheen founded the Annual Arabic Music Retreat. Held each summer at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA, this weeklong intensive program of Arabic music studies draws participants from the U.S. and abroad and is led by Simon Shaheen, Dr. A.J. Racy and an amazing roster of faculty of master musicians-instructors. Sponsored by The Arab American Arts Institute of New York, instruction includes ear-training, music theory and analysis, music literature, private and group instrumental and vocal lessons, coached ensembles, large orchestra, as well as a recital by participants and faculty. Instruments taught include voice, nay (end-blown reed flute), violin, viola, cello, string bass, oud (Arabic lute), Qanun (plucked zither), Buzuq, and traditional Arabic hand percussion. Now in its 14^th year, the next Arabic Music Retreat will be held from August 14-21, 2010.

References:

http://www.simonshaheen.com/biography

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=51924008930

Last month Shaheen flew to Seattle specifically to work with students from Leschi, Maple, and Highland Park Elementary Schools. He also collaborated with Washington Middle School’s Jazz Band, Choir, Advanced Band, and Orchestra. The piece below highlights his residency work at Washington Middle School and in it, he shares his passion for why music education is so important. Shaheen stated in the interview that although he can live well on performing alone, it is essential for him to reach into the educational system to build awareness of Arabic culture, so that Americans can understand the music within the context of the culture. By showing these connections, children and adults alike can have exposure to cultures outside of their own and develop a new appreciation for the music, the culture, and for people both inside and outside of their local communities. We look forward to his performance in Seattle at Meany Hall on December 4^th! He will also be giving his own pre-show lecture beginning at 7:10, enforcing his passion for learning, teaching, and sharing.

Last week with Compagnie Jant-Bi

2010-10-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

Last week, Compagnie Jant-Bi spent two days in Seattle Public Schools as part of the UW World Series Community Connections program. The kids were on their feet the whole time, dancing to the African rhythms and sharing a cultural experience like none other. These pictures were taken at Bailey Gatzert and Wing Luke Elementary Schools by UWWS Education Director Elizabeth Duffell.

The evening presentation at Meany Hall was equally as inspiring to many of our audience members. Here is what one of them had to say:

The performance was wonderful! I was really impressed. I think it challenged stereotypes about Africa and expressed in interesting ways the experience of contemporary Senegal. The music was great, and the creative use of silence, and technology along with the percussion added to the dynamic excitement of the performance. The image of the dancers performing traditional Senegalese dance in suits will stay with me. -Bonnie McConnell

Did you see the show or participate in any of the community outreach activities? Please share your experiences with us, we'd love to hear from you!

Ecole Des Sables and Compagnie Jant-Bi

2010-09-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

Compagnie Jant-Bi will be with the UW World Series October 7-9. To help you get more acquainted with the company and give you some background on their educational and artistic roots, Priya Frank from the UW World Series has written this short article about the Centre for Traditional and Contemporary African Dances. We invite you to please leave your comments and questions below.

Toubab Dialaw is a little fishing village situated 55 km from Dakar on the coast on Senegal, along beautiful white sandy beaches and rock formations. Its landscape features baobab trees, picturesque hills and a magnificent Lagoon with a view over the sea. The scenic village provides an inspiring backdrop for the Ecole des Sables, also known as the International Centre for Traditional and Contemporary African Dances. The Centre was formed in 1998 under the leadership of Senegalese dancer and choreographer Germaine Acogny, who Dance magazine labeled "the first lady of modern African dance."

The main objective of the Centre is to provide a living, working, and learning space for young dancers from the whole of Africa, giving them professional training as well as an understanding of both traditional and non-traditional dance forms. Each participating individual has the opportunity to understand and master traditional dances, then reconstruct them and go through the process of developing their own artistic identity and style. The hope was that allowing them exposure to these processes would provide a strong foundation in their life as an artist and create openness towards international dance, while providing a safe space for dialogue and a deeper understanding of the human body and its relationship to the world. After the first series of workshops was held in 1998, Acogny and a group of dancers formed Compagnie Jant-Bi.

The Centre has now broadened its reach and offers individual or collective residences to all writers, artists and musicians who seek new sources of inspiration in Toubab Dialaw. For example, during the summer of 2006, 25 American artists from UCLA participated in a 3 week cultural exchange program to Ecole des Sables. They worked and lived together in this amazing center under the leadership of Germaine Acogny and members of Jant-Bi. They documented this powerful experience on film for others to share in their journey-showing us the compound, the landscape which provides much inspiration, and providing viewers the rare opportunity to observe dance workshops led by Acogny herself.

Have you ever participated in a cultural exchange or artistic collaboration? What was the experience like for you and what did you learn from it?

Compagnie Jant-Bi will perform at the UW World Series on Thurs-Sat, Oct 7-9 at 8pm at Meany Hall. They will also spend two days in Seattle Public Schools and will offer a free student matinee on Friday, October 8th at 11:30am as part of the UWWS Community Connections program. If you are a student and interested in attending the matinee, please contact our education department: eduffell@uw.edu.

For ticket information, please visit www.uwworldseries.org.

A student's reflection on working with Trey McIntyre Project and the UWWS

2010-04-08T16:01:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about working with the artists on the UW World Series is that each artist brings something new and interesting to bear on our educational outreach programs. Most recently, the Trey McIntyre Project worked with about twelve local students to dance backup in their performance of Wild Sweet Love. It was a terrific opportunity for the students to learn firsthand from TMP and to experience what it is like to dance professionally. Here is one student's reflection:

The opportunity to work with such an eclectic company as the Trey McIntyre Project was an amazing experience. Although I felt a HUGE sense of competition when the e-mail was first sent out, I felt the welcoming environment as soon as I walked into the studio for Lauren's warm-up class. Jason's instructional video helped a lot also. We all walked into rehearsal pretty much knowing what we needed to do as individuals, we just worked on spacing, and more spacing, and more spacing, and even MORE spacing once we got into the theater. Being on the Meany Hall stage was an experience all in itself. When am I really going to be fortunate enough to set foot on a stage like that? With the aisles and aisles of seats and breathtakingly tall stage, I walked into the green room every night with my heart racing. Ilana Goldman's solo was amazing. I have to say that the absolute BEST part of this undertaking was sharing the stage space with her. As I looked intently forward at the vast audience in the theater, I remember hearing Ilana breathing and the intensity she had in her eyes. My heart stopped every time she prepped for her attitude turn into a double inside pirouette in plie. That last night she nailed it and I'm pretty sure I smiled onstage. It was truly a priceless opportunity to work with the Trey McIntyre Project dancers. "Wild Sweet Love" allowed for a lightheartedness and fun to permeate between everyone involved.

--Chastity Wilson, Cornish College

Vusi Mahlasela sings "Thula Mama" | Video on TED.com

2010-02-24T09:45:00.000-08:00

Vusi Mahlasela will be here on Friday to offer a free student matinee to local students at Meany Hall, and will perform a full evening program on Saturday night. Artists like Vusi are what the UW World Series is all about, in this blogger's humble opinion...

Vusi Mahlasela sings "Thula Mama" Video on TED.com

Photos from recent residencies

2010-02-11T16:23:00.000-08:00

It has been a whirlwind two weeks, with Leon Bates and Shantala Shivalingappa performing on the Meany stage for the UW World Series, and taking the time while they are here to share their talents and experiences with students in Seattle and Lake Washington Public Schools.

Bates performing at Washington Middle School

(photo by Tom Wolken)

Shantala Shivalingappa at Orca K-8

(photo by Phil Lanum)

Tomorrow, Shantala will offer a matinee performance (offered free of charge, like all of our Community Connections programs) to a theatre full of kids here at Meany—she’ll teach them about South Indian classical dance and the strong narrative connection to kuchipudi dancing in particular.

Richard Alston Master Class feedback

2010-02-08T11:10:00.000-08:00

The UW World Series is happy to be able to offer master classes with so many of our visiting artists in the dance and music programs here at the University of Washington. Last month, Richard Alston offered a master class in the Department of Dance with his entire company joining in the session. We received some great feedback from the students that we'd like to share with you:

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What a treat! The Richard Alston Dance Company was in town this week performing at the Meany Hall Theatre on campus. As a result, they came and took class with us during Wednesday's Modern time slot. Richard Alston led the class in a Modern Ballet format, and his 11 company members scattered themselves among us during the floor warm-up. He used a lot of over-curve and under-curve movements for his center warm-up. He talked a lot about moving from the spine and back. He wanted us to get used to the movement before turning us free into the center and across-the-floor. Mr. Alston was very warm and kind, constantly encouraging us and giving slight corrections as he went. His dancers were beautiful movers and you could just see every articulation of the body even in small exercises. We were lucky enough to get to see some repertoire at the end of class. Many students came in just to observe the 5-7 minute piece the company showed. The main Meany dance studio was packed with eager viewers! When I watch dancers of such high caliber, it gives me a visceral feeling that is hard to explain. I feel light and alive. I feel inspired by watching these creatures who dance with such joy and artistry that they seem not of this earth! It's inspiring and also heartbreaking to know that I will never be one of them. But it gives me hope nonetheless to aspire to be better and work harder in my own dancing. I bet I was not the only one who felt nervous when dancing side by side with a company member as we went across the floor in pairs. I am so grateful for the opportunity to observe and absorb during this master class. Please continue to make these classes available if possible!
--Jennifer Baxter

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I am in modern four and I really enjoyed the master class with Richard Alston. It was great to have some inspiration and see what we are working towards. Experiences like these allow dancers to get a glimpse of what the life a professional dancer is like. Master classes provide new teachers who can potentially articulate corrections in a way that make more sense or point out aspects of our technique we need to work on. The only way to pick up new styles of dance and choreography faster is to expose yourself to new teachers and new dancers all the time. Master classes like these will prepare dancers from the UW dance program for auditions where they cannot rely on a partnership developed over years with a choreographer or director. In master classes you have to dance so that you can convey all of your skill in just an hour and master classes force students to own the dance steps they are presented with in a very short period of time. Experiences like our class with Richard Alston will allow our class to adapt more quickly to new styles of movement more quickly and motivates us work harder by providing an inspiration.

--Heather Bridgham

Alston, Bates, Shantala and so much more...

2010-02-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

As Education Director for the UW World Series, I wear two hats, one of which is assisting our director, Matt Krashan, with booking the season each year. This is a really interesting and fun part of my job, but this time of year it is all-consuming. Which is my round-about way of saying I’m sorry for being delinquent on my blog updates for the past month. (However, it is going to be a really amazing season next year, so watch the blog for information about that in March.)

There is so much to share about the educational activities so far this quarter—Richard Alston gave one of the best master classes I’ve ever seen in the UW Dance Department (student responses to be posted later today), Leon Bates entranced the kids at Washington Middle School with his stories and advice about being a professional musician (photos coming soon), and Larry Starr from the School of Music moderated a lively Q&A about Gershwin with Leon Bates, Louise Toppin, and Robert Simms following their performance on January 30th (Professor Starr will be coming out with a book about Gershwin this fall—having experts like this available to us is one of the great things about being located on the University of Washington campus).

There are also some exciting Community Connections events coming up in the next month—Shantala Shivalingappa will be performing at Orca elementary on Tuesday, and will give a free matinee performance to about 1000 kids on Friday at Meany Hall. I will post video tomorrow and give a full report of her residency activities.

Speaking of Shantala, this is not a show to miss. Her recent performance in San Francisco received rave reviews from the San Francisco Chronicle: check it out! Also performing this week is Garrick Ohlsson, who was here last month and delighted audiences—this next one is filling quickly, especially since the great interview this morning in The Seattle Times: read it here.

And please share your thoughts and feedback about any of the performances or Community Connections events you have attended this season--we want to hear from you!

Spotlight on Community Connections

2009-12-29T09:44:00.000-08:00

December was a busy and exciting month for us at the UW World Series! We'll be posting video and photographs from our residencies with Chiwoniso and the Amelia Trio shortly, but in the meantime, check out this great article on our Community Connections program that appeared this month in University Week, highlighting the residency offered by Zimbabwean mbira artist Chiwoniso at Leshi Elementary School.

How Windows 7 could help us change the world

2009-11-18T15:46:00.000-08:00

Last week, UWWS development and education staff worked on a video submission to Microsoft's "7 Ways to Change the World" contest. We were asked to show how we could use a new Windows 7 operating system to help our non-profit have a greater impact in the community. This was perfect timing for us, as we've been talking a lot recently about how we could use technology to help bridge the gap between the artist and the audience (if we had the right resources). Here is (we think) a fun take on what that might look like!

(Special thanks to guest stars Matt Henley, Brad Wilke and Alex Shin!)

Reflections on the Zimro Project by Ethan Chessin

2009-11-04T13:17:00.000-08:00

Ethan Chessin is a graduate student at the University of Washington's School of Music. Ethan performs with the MarchFourth Marching Band and enjoys a lifelong passion for klezmer music, having recently founded the UW Klezmer Band. He holds a B.A. in Music from Yale University. Here are some of his impressions about last night's lecture/demonstration with the Vogler Quartet (please add your comments, we'd love to hear from you!)

Last night's lecture and demonstration by the Vogler Quartet was a fascinating opportunity to peek behind the scenes on several elements of music and musicology, from composing to performing. Though I've heard the recording of Golijov's "The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind", the compositions of the "New Jewish School" of the early 20th century were entirely new to me. It was fascinating to hear how the goal of forging a new Jewish style (in advance of a new Jewish nation!) was jointly accomplished by both the composers who turned to Jewish and coterritorial European folk musics for stylistic inspiration but also by the inspiration of the Zimro Ensemble that popularized these works and brought them to the public.

What interests me about this is that it parallels the work that composers like Golijov and ensembles like the Vogler Quartet are doing today. Alexander Fiterstein mentioned that Golijov is part of an unbroken chain of Jewish composers reaching back to the New Jewish School, and so perhaps the Vogler Quartet, in presenting works with a similar cultural agenda from several eras, is also part of this current. I'm particularly interested in how this music is so deeply connected to the popular and folk music of Israeli and diaspora Jews which has become so prevalent in Europe and America in the recent decades. Could the Klezmer revival of the 1970s be an attempt to create and reclaim a distinct cultural space for Jews in the way that Achron and Chajes were doing in the 1920s?

If you are interested in being a guest blogger for the UWWS, please email us at uwwseducation@uw.edu.

The Zimro Project

2009-10-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

Next week the UW World Series is pleased to be presenting the Vogler Quartet with special guests Alexander Fiterstein, clarinet and Jascha Nemtsov, piano. This group forms the Zimro Project, and will be performing works from the New Jewish School on the Meany Hall stage at 8PM on Wednesday, November 4th.

Additionally, the Quartet and guests will be offering a lecture/demonstration on the The Zimro Project: Golijov and Music of the New Jewish School at the UW School of Music from 5:45-7:00PM on Tuesday, November 3rd. This event is free and open to the public and will take place in room 213.

The Zimro Project derives its name from the ensemble formed following World War I. A blurb in the April 25, 1920 The New York Times notes that “Zimro Ensemble gave Carnegie Hall concert for a Hebrew musical institute in Jerusalem as a memorial to Jewish soldiers killed in the war. The sextet of players, formerly members of the Petrograd Opera, volunteered their services in characteristic works in chamber music out of the usual order…under auspices of the Jewish Veterans of the World War, organized at St. Mihiel and the Argonne.”

Want to learn more about Wednesday night's program and the history of the Zimro Project? Check out these program notes written by our beloved Steven Lowe, music historian and lecturer extraordinaire.

The Vogler Quartet will appear at Meany Hall with Alexander Fiterstein, clarinet and Jascha Nemtsov, piano on Wednesday, November 4th at 8PM. For more information, visit us online: www.uwworldseries.org.

This week with Chitresh Das Dance Company

2009-10-15T15:58:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy and exciting week at the UW World Series. We spent several days at Wing Luke elementary school with members of the Chitresh Das Dance Company, including Pandit Das himself. Students were offered a mini-intensive three-day session where they were introduced to Kathak yoga and received instruction in the art of Kathak dancing. This was a rare opportunity to learn directly from a master in this art form--tomorrow these students plus about 1000 more will watch an hour-long performance by the company on the stage at Meany Hall. Chitresh Das Dance Company offers a full-length performance on Saturday, October 17th, which falls on Diwali, an important Indian Holiday known as the "festival of lights." For more about Kathak and the Chitresh Das Dance Company, go to www.kathak.org.

Paul Taylor Youth Matinee Photographs By Lee Talner

2009-10-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

We are very fortunate at the UW World Series to have an accomplished photographer on our board of directors. Lee Talner has documented our Community Connections program for years now--a display of his work can be seen in the lower Meany Hall lobby and proceeds from the sales of his photographs help to support our educational outreach programs.

These photographs were taken on Friday at the free student matinee of the Paul Taylor Dance company. Approximately 1100 students were in attendance. The company performed Public Domain and Beloved Renegade to a captivated audience of students grades 3-12.

Photos from yesterday's masterclasses

2009-10-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Paul Taylor Dance Company members Annamaria Mazzini and Orion Duckstein worked with students in the University of Washington Department of Dance. We hope you enjoy a few images from these inspiring and enlivening classes!

First Community Connections Event of the Season Complete!

2009-10-07T17:33:00.000-07:00

We just had our first master classes today in the UW Department of Dance! The Paul Taylor Dance Company offered not one, but two opportunities to learn from their company members. Dancers Annamaria Mazzini and Orion Duckstein worked with intermediate and advanced modern dance students--check back soon for pictures!

This season's Community Connections program is off to a great start--now on to three evening performances and one student matinee with The Paul Taylor Dance Company (and don't forget about the post-show lecture on Friday night, moderated by the Director of the UW Dance Program, Elizabeth Cooper.)

What an amazing week we have in store for us...

Getting started...

2009-09-23T16:23:00.000-07:00

Summer has just ended, and fall is in the air. Changing leaves, back-to-school preparations, and the start of the 2009-2010 season for the UW World Series are all markers of this seasonal shift.

We couldn't be more thrilled to begin the season. Our Community Connections program hits the ground running with Paul Taylor Dance Company, offering two master classes in the UW Department of Dance, and a free youth matinee for students in the Puget Sound region. Not only that, but some of the company members of PTDC will be participating in a post-show conversation with the audience following their Friday night performance on October 9th. Get your tickets now and be a part of this discussion, exploring Paul Taylor's legacy as an American Master. This performance is offered as part of our American Masterpieces series, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Check back often for reports of the great work done by UWWS artists from all parts of the world, who share their gifts in our community with students of all ages.