The Defiance Project

The Defiance Project uses the creation, expression, practice, and performance of dance to explore what it means to defy. The company behind this project manifests defiance in both the form and function, and process and product of the work it does.

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Reflections on an Interview with Dina Soloman, fundraiser for Cal Performances

Dina Solomon works as a fundraiser for Cal Performances and has experience with institutional fundraising for other non-profits including Carnegie Hall. 

Dina Solomon has worked as a fundraiser for various organizations and non-profits to raise money through institutional giving from private and government organizations. She explains that setting up or being involved with a non-profit is advantageous because of the tax benefits for donors. Fiscal sponsorship is a great alternative to getting a non-profit status- Dina explained that she has worked with Fractured Atlas which is an organization that fiscally sponsors artists and acts as a middle-man when dealing with donations.

Getting donors can involve foundations as well as individual giving. There is also an option of getting funds from the government but this option is often more tedious and has limited opportunities. The only opportunity to get government money in Berkeley is through the City of Berkeley Civic Arts Program. When applying for funding, you can’t change yourself and your program to fit the giving guidelines of the grant- it is best to see what their focus is and spin what you are doing so you can make it work for you. Another important aspect of fundraising is establishing a relationship with the funders of the organizations you are working with.

There are three types of foundations: family foundations which are run by families as a vehicle for donations, private foundations run by a staff and board of directors, and community foundations localized in the East Bay, San Francisco, and Silicone Valley. A great way to make initial contact with these sorts of foundations is with a cover letter in addition to regular application materials. If the initial response might be a “no”, ask to add these organizations to your distribution list so they can receive info from you in the future, ask about their next grant cycle, and be proactive!

Dina’s advice continued as such: find people who are doing things similar to you to gain access to information about their donors and grant money. It is also helpful to find other organizations who know how to help get funding for the arts in the place where your work is actually being done. When it comes to proposal writing, give them what they want and follow the guidelines as closely as possible. Proposal writing is like sales, and these organizations like to support worthwhile projects. The timeline for funding often depends on when board meetings occur so it is best to get proposals in way before these meetings occur.

An excellent resource for arts funding is The Foundation Center, which is a bank of information about organizations that provide financial support for the arts. They have a San Francisco office that provides seminars and workshops, as well as a library of periodicals with listings about arts organizations. The Foundation Center also has an online database of every registered private and family donor in the United States. This database allows you to search the organizations by grantee, donor, etc. and is listed as the Foundation Directory 

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Reflections on an Interview with Natalie Marsh of UC Berkeley's TDPS and Dancers' Group SF Intern

Natalie Marsh is a student of the UC Berkeley department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies as well as a Student Dance Rep to the department. She has served as an intern for Dancers’ Group San Francisco.

Natalie explained that Dancers’ Group San Francisco is a fiscal sponsor for smaller modern dance groups who can’t become non-profits on their own. She suggested becoming an intern, signing up for their bulletin, and apply to be funded. The Young Artist Program seemed like an excellent option as well because you can get paired with an established artist to learn the ropes of the professional dance world first hand. The Bay Area Performing Arts Spaces is a great resource for finding rehearsal and performance spaces that are affordable for any and every purpose. 

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Reflections on an Interview with Joe Goode, director of Joe Goode Performance Group

Joe Goode is the founder and director of the Joe Goode Performance Group. He also a professor in the Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies Department at the University of California at Berkeley.

Joe was inspired to start a dance company because he had already been dancing professionally for ten or twelve years. He was already touring and being invited to festivals as an independent artist. He says he created a company because he was taking people away from their day jobs which felt like an unfair distribution of responsibilities. As a company that needed money he could then start applying for grants because to get a grant you need to have a 501(c)3 status.

Joe Goode danced as a kid with his sisters and got in to all of his classes for free because he was a boy. He says he loved the attention- dance class was a place he was impressive and loved. When he started college, Joe wanted to change the world- he was already in a ballet company but he thought he wasn’t going to change the world as a prince in tights because it wasn’t contemporary enough. Joe eventually moved from dancing to theater and writing but started doing modern dance in college. He cycled through various performance media but none of those forms by themselves felt right. He says he didn’t want to play roles- he didn’t see the relevance to contemporary issues. Joe went to New York City and it was easy for me to get hired, but nothing was very satisfying for him. He desired something personal to reveal his complicated vision of the world as a Southern gay man. He wanted to step forward with that vision, with Formalistic Modern dance as dance with no content or story or spoken words.

Eventually, Joe moved to San Francisco and retired from performing arts because he says he was too much of a lightweight. He began working with Margret Jenkins because we had worked with similar people. Joe crept back into the studio with the knowledge and skills of writing, acting, and dancing. He claims he could have only done this in San Francisco and not in New York- he was free to make the work he was trying to make because he wasn’t trying to have a career at that point. Joe made some solos and finally made something he liked and was interested in, and eventually solos became duets, duets became group works, and group works became a posse of people.

San Francisco is a hotbed for alternative thinking, medicine and spirituality and sexuality and food. People come here because they know they will be allowed to experiment- it attracts people who are rugged and want to live without the shackles of societal forms and structures. There is no mistake that Silicone Valley is where it is, because it too is full of start up companies.

Joe explains that he doesn’t like San Francisco as much as he used to though; the bohemian reputation has diminished because of the cost of living. Despite putting energy toward free-thinking, San Francisco is a provincial town- money is often old money and it goes to conservative arts administrations like the ballet, opera, and symphony. Also, critics often champion works from other places. Media like contact improv, aerial dance, butoh, and contraband all came from here but left because they didn’t get supported.

In spite of the way San Francisco has changed, Joe’s company the Joe Goode Performance Group has had extreme success. Joe first of all has developed relationships with his funders. This is often meticulous but he takes that very seriously. He also only applies for grants that interest him- sometimes doing specific grant work doesn’t match his desires or skills.

Secondly, Joe claims to have just been very lucky and received good advice along the way. When he got an initial grant, he spent that money on getting help to write other grants. Funders are people- smart people. They know when you are bullshitting them so you have to establish your integrity. Accounting for every penny is beyond important.

Third, Joe cares about his audience. He says he is not afraid of entertaining them- his work has humor and tells human stories. He takes into consideration who is out there and if they are having an experience that is teaching them something. He likes to also introduce them to new ideas and entertain them because he doesn’t want to be boring or feel exclusive to audiences. Joe thinks about experiences a lot; this had led him to do instillation type work. He wants to make his work surprising and interesting but still true. Joe tours his work to a lot of different places which means it is accessible to many different audiences- that has been key to having lasted this long.

Joe reflects that he sees a lot of young people start dance companies. It takes a lot of work and a lot of time. Because board members become fiscally responsible for a company by making a minimum donation, dancers must be paid through a bunch of red tape. There are issues of insurance too- running a dance company is very layered so often people don’t spend enough time on their art. They haven’t made any artistic contributions because their research and development becomes about the company instead of about the art. 

Having a dance company is not a stable lifestyle- it is probably going to become something else to have to do. To professionalize a dance thing is a mistake because then you have two jobs; it is better to get together out of passion and love without the expectation of making money, becoming famous, or having a large audience. It is best to not put that pressure on yourself.

Joe has extremely insightful advice for emerging artists: you have to work up to the bigger projects. Often people make very naïve work that shoots them in the foot- make a five minute piece you would die to see. It’s not about volume, it’s about passion and originality. Find what is unique about your approach and build a community that way. Make something small with people who get you; the scale and fanciness doesn’t matter but originality matters. You have to be interested in your own work which is something that really comes across. That way, there will be an audience- having a devoted and small audience is a lot to accomplish.

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Reflections on an Interview with Katie Faulkner, director of Little Seismic Dance Company

Katie Faulkner is a renowned Bay Area choreographer and artistic director of Little Seismic Dance Company. This interview was conducted on September 23rd, 2012.

Katie Faulkner studied dance growing up and pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Theater and Playwriting at Hampshire College. There she was able to design her own thesis and major which allowed her to feed her own curiosity. Throughout her education, Katie was encouraged to be a strong learner and find her own voice to negotiate her disparate and artistic interests. She eventually went back to her old dance studio where she grew up and fell in love with dance all over again- she was reminded that dance is the true language I speak. Katie then decided to go to school to study dance and forge a connection to the Bay Area at Mills College’s MFA program. It was an old program at the time; it really glorified the aesthetic and values of early 20th century Western Modern dance. Katie claims that she was naive and didn’t know better about what she was learning- “the program didn’t value experimentation or collaboration so it didn’t prepare me for the real world.”

The benefits of having an MFA allows you to hold a university level teaching position- it is a terminal degree so it gives you access to an assistant professorship. With a Bachelor’s degree you can’t hold a ten-year professorship. Also, an MFA is a terminal degree so it isn’t moving toward a PhD.

While applying to Graduate school, consider three things: first, the focus of the program and finding the right program for you: are you interested in choreographing, pedagogy, performing? Second, the location: you will be building connections in that community so it becomes your professional foundation as well. Third, the financial burden you can take on. Also, going to Graduate school right out of college might not be the best option. Katie suggested finding what is most exciting to you and then decide how to supplement that with a Master’s degree- be realistic about what practical skills they’re going give you for when you leave.

Katie began teaching modern dance at a ballet studio, and got her first job through referrals. She also did some auditioning but was never excited about it- she really loved rehearsing and process more than performing. Katie started doing a lot of teaching and eventually got hired at University of San Francisco. It was then, in 2005, that she decided to start Little Seismic Dance Company.

Katie has been choreographing for over six years and has only had to self produce two shows. She has done a lot of co-productions through her residency at ODC, festival programs, etc. She eventually pursued fiscal sponsorship instead of becoming a non-profit. Katie functions as an independent artist so she is fiscally sponsored- she developed a relationship with a non-profit organization called Dancers’ Group which allows her to use their non-profit number while applying for grants. They take 10% of all profits but in exchange offer a lot of services- they can even function as your bank of sorts. These non-profit organizations have varying degrees of control over your money. Working with a fiscal sponsor gives you tax advantages and tax accountability for when you start paying people. Also, handling new income is often challenging- when your income gets big enough connect yourself with accountants and tax people who specialize in working with artists. The benefit of working with an organization like this is that they take over the responsibility of dealing with money. You can be fiscally sponsored as both an individual or as a company.

If you are not fiscally sponsored, the Theater Bay Area Cash Grant is the only source of money you’d qualify for. The Zellerbach Grant is from a local foundation with a regular granting cycle that occurs two or three times a year. Justifying grant money depends on the grant- usually it includes listing artist fees, making a budget, describing the show, listing personel and production costs, listing other sources of income, etc. You will have to write an application and then a final report once the show is over. A final report includes sending information and a narrative description about how the grant helped make the show possible.

Katie’s advice for emerging artists was this:

“I can’t overstate how important relationships are in the field, as well as being willing to work hard, easy to work with, kind, and respectful. The dance world is a small community on an international scale so work with integrity. If you are entering a creative field you have to make a creative go at it- there is no one road map to follow. Ask questions- don’t feel like you need to know what you don’t know. Lean on people and let them lean on you because we make work for eachother! Be a vital member of a community because people who isolate themselves have the most trouble and set themselves up for the most frustration. Everyone finds their own balance through internal and external necessity.

 Try interesting partnerships, like some sort of San Diego/San Francisco dance exchange. Use your presence to give your audiences access to many perspectives- cross pollination is valuable. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel! These days there are more and more people wanting fewer resources so a social networking model is most sustainable. Only move toward projects that you have clarity and focus about, and don’t do anything just because you have to. Follow your own rhythm and curiosity, otherwise you can burn out and get doubly crossed by any obstacle you battle. Also, find a balance between your company and other projects- don’t just take time off but redirect your focus to other ways of being creative and finding engagement. Dance between necessity and will.”

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[New Work Proposal]- "Israel Works" and Birthright 2012/3

In the context of my upcoming Birthright trip, I am interested in facilitating an intentionally creative experience to document, process, and respond to my time spent in Israel. My goal in this project is to explore the idea of “dance” as movement, moving, and being moved. I believe one can move with the body, mind, words, heart, history, soul, and spirit. I also wish to explore the idea of a “company” as a community of collaborators engaging in a given mental and physical space for a given amount of time- in this context, the framework of The Defiance Project company would relate to the Birthright experience. I also hope to process, reflect on, and encounter the Birthright experience in an intentionally creative and collaborative way. I hope to use my time in Israel through Birthright as a research experience about the specific sites we will be visiting in terms of the aesthetic and energetic manifestations of their histories, how these sites relate to the human bodies that occupy them, and how to use the human body to evoke those aesthetic and energetic manifestations beyond the scope of the physical spaces themselves.

The value in this project will be in receiving the experiences we have in Israel in a physical way and also contributing to our presence in various spaces in Israel with the intentional physical presence of our bodies. I believe a sense of presence is achieved when mind and body are one- through sensation and perception. By not only receiving sensations in a passive way but also seeking sensation from our surroundings in an active way, we can achieve a true state of presence that can serve the artistic process. I also believe that the body can be a source of memory and a site on which mental and emotional experiences imprint themselves through sensation. By capturing these physical responses to and engagements with our surroundings in terms of specific sites in Israel and the other people who occupy them, we can maintain an artistic integrity upon reflecting on and documenting our Birthright experiences beyond the scope of the trip. We can also use the body as a tool for reproduction of these emotional impacts of these experiences because of the relationship between the mind and the body promoted by presence.

I plan on facilitating the project Israel Works by:

Putting a call out for collaborators within the Birthright group

Exploring the idea of “asset mapping” as a way to communicate our skills, talents, and interests to best serve this artistic work

Exploring the idea of “embodied history” as a way to process our experiences and thus further contribute to that history as it exists in real time as OURstory

 Addressing the various opportunities and setbacks offered by each of the historical and religious sites we will be visiting

Addressing the various aesthetic and artistic possibilities offered by the various sites we will be visiting

 Anticipating various physical responses to the emotional, political, historical, and cognitive experiences we may have

Documenting our artistic “research” and reflection processes through writing/journal entries, photographs, film footage, historical contextualization, etc

Communicating the artistic process in which I hope to engage through the creation and performance of a collaborative work both during the time of the Birthright trip and beyond

Exploring the idea of process as product in terms of the artistic process serving and acting as a product created in real time, improvised, raw, fleeting, etc.

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Call for Collaborators!

The Defiance Project is interested in connecting with other dance and arts collaborators. If you would like to join our network of artists be in contact by email as soon as possible: [email protected]. We are building a community of artistic collaborators who dance with their bodies, minds, souls, hearts, and spirits! Looking forward to defying with you.

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Presence, Connection, and Change: Reflection on Virtual Venues Performance and Telepresence

Presence comes from sensations of the body and the perceptions of the mind those sensations provoke. This allows us to connect to space being changed by it. This perspective is from the inside out, sensing the body from the inside out- an internal embodiment of the world around us. Seeing the world- and yourself- through your own eyes and senses.

Telepresence and external embodiment: experiencing the body form the perspective of space, external perspective, allows space to connect to us by being changed by us. Seeing yourself from the eyes, senses and perspective of space

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The Defiance Project with UC Berkeley's Dept. of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies at the Bay Area Dance Exchange

The Defiance Project reps UC Berkeley at the Bay Area Dance Exchange!

Bay Area University & College Dance Programs join together for a full day of peer  exchange.  Dance Faculty & students focus on sharing current studio practices,  creative processes, and informal performances/discussion.

Participating schools: UC-Berkeley, San Francisco State University, University of  San Francisco, Mills College, Santa Clara University, Stanford University

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Virtual Venues Symposium: Bi-located Performance and Defiance through Telepresence

Virtual Venues Symposium

Virtual Venues Symposium: Exploring Materiality and Gesture Within Live Streaming Events

Symposium, Workshops, and Performances 

November 9 and 10, 2012

Z-Lab, UC Berkeley and Embodied Media and Technology Lab, UC Irvine

Synopsis:

The Virtual Venues Symposium involves a series of dance performances, talks, and demonstrations connecting UC Irvine and UC Berkeley using high-speed computer networks. Featuring a team of collaborating artists and technologists from both campuses, this project positions the University of California as an early adopter of telepresence research and performance. Utilizing high-performance networks, which allow for robust audio-visual environments to be shared by multiple distributed users interacting in real time, Virtual Venues connects multiple sites and participants to stimulate new collaborative practices that are interactive and spontaneous. Public performances are scheduled for November 9, 2012 - see schedule below. (http://embodied.uci.edu/virtual-venues)

* See website for more details.

Schedule: Friday, November 9th On the Berkeley Campus: All events take place in Z-Lab (Zellerbach Room 170) 5:30pm            Reception - Appetizers and Wine 5:30-6:00pm   Interactive Demonstration Between UC Irvine and UC Berkeley  6:00-6:45pm   Four Bi-Located Performances between UC Irvine and UC Berkeley 6:45-7:15pm   Talk by Jaime del Val (Media artist) from Madrid 7:15-8:00pm   UC Irvine Streaming Performances in Real Time to UC Berkeley 8:00-9:00pm   Roundtable Discussion and Responses Saturday, November 10th On the Berkeley Campus: All events take place in Z-Lab (Zellerbach Room 170) 11:00am          Installation by Inter-media artist Renee Rhodes (Bay Area) 12-1:30pm      Talks and Showing of Work by Participants - Brown Bag Lunch 1:30-2:00pm   Open Work Session 2:00-3:00pm   Local Performances at UC Irvine Streamed to UC Berkeley

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Voiceover Thoughts- inspired by filmmaker Jason Lee Segal

During a recent recording session with The Defiance Project’s resident filmmaker Jason Segal, director Sophie Needelman reflected on the concept of defiance and the way it inspires the dance work she does within the scope of this company. Defiance is not just the product she strives for- it is the process through which she hopes to evoke change.

 “Our dance is an expression of the relationships we build with one another- it is an expression of our growing relationships with ourselves. We build these relationships to change how we exist in the world around us. They serve the creation and expression of the work we do. Our dance is our defiance, and our process is the new regime against which we one day will no longer have to defy.

 Defiance is not just open disobedience- it is not just a reaction and it isn’t an innately negative thing. Defiance is power and empowerment; it is an action- our action- and dance is the form it takes. Through the creation, practice, and performance of dance we employ defiance as the means to an end of a world where defiance is no longer necessary.”

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[New Work]- "This is What Space Sounds Like" and Joe Goode

“This is What Space Sounds Like” (December 2012)—In conjunction with the Advanced Choreography class in UC Berkeley’s Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies, The Defiance Project has been exploring and creating a piece called The Whole of What Turns about sacredness, ritual, reincarnation, and legacy. In contrast to Sophie Needelman’s typical choreographic process, the emotional themes and through-lines emerged from the form of the movement itself, instead of inspiring the movment in the first place. This piece was approached in a true modernist sense, by addressing the body’s desire to move in a certain way as well as the artistic configurations of various bodies in space that can ensue. The movement generated and trajectory established exposed this burning desire to honor the legacies of the collective and personal unconscious through spiritual embodiment. Through exercises and techniques facilitated by legendary Bay Area choreographer Joe Goode, Sophie has established a movement exploration of honoring past legacies and also making our own current ones. The Whole of What Turns is dedicated to Papa Gerry, the man whose legacy Sophie wishes to honor and follow in the footsteps of.

More information coming soon!

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[New Work]- Collaboration with UC Berkeley Art Practice MFA Erin Johnson

Title TBD: Collaboration with Erin Johnson (December 2012)— The Defiance Project director Sophie Needelman is in collaboration with UC Berkeley Art Practice Graduate Student Erin Johnson on a piece that explores the politics of San Francisco’s LGBT Archive through the metaphor of water. The constructs of the piece involve black trash bags filled with water that are then poked with pins to begin a leaking process. So far, the empty studio space in which this piece has been created ends up flooded with the water from the trash bags- and bags themselves end in depletion. While the “end” of the piece has always been jarring and rather wet, the means to this end are extremely explorative and therefore different each time. By examining this relationship between water, trash bag, dancer, and space, we have been led to discover various truths about containment, agency, pressure, and how the media of the human body, bags, and water change over time. 

more info coming soon!

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[New Work]- "Einstein on the Beach" Flasbmob

“Einstein on the Beach” Flashmob (October 2012)— In honor of the legendary opera Einstein on the Beach, The Defiance Project facilitated a flashmob that took place on UC Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza. Various participants in the flashmob gathered for rehearsals and learned the choreography inspired by Lucinda Childs’ work in Einstein. This piece explored postmodern concepts of dance, musical embodiment, the power of gesture, and the union of pedestrian movement with stylized choreography. In true flashmob form, theEinstein piece was performed spontaneously in UC Berkeley’s most highly populated public place and attracted attention from passersby. Because the flashmob occurred the day of Einstein on the Beach’s dress rehearsal, the performers of the opera were able to participate as audience members which make doing the flashmob an incredible treat. This performance would not have been possible without the support of Rio Vander Stahl and the entire Cal Performances team.

Photos and video coming soon! 

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[New Work]- The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's "Game of Life"

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s “Game of Life” (September 2012)—The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of San Diego holds an annual gala to raise money for vital research and treatment of Cystic FIbrosis affecting thousands of people a year. This year’s gala was themed “The Game of Life” and honored various scientists and advocates of preventative treatment of Cystic Fibrosis. The Defiance Project was featured in the opening ceremony of the event with choreography and performance by Sophie Needelman. This “Game of Life” piece was a tribute to the everyday heroes combating this disease.

Click here for the video of this piece.

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Website Under Construction!

The Defiance Project website is under a bit of construction, so be sure to stay tuned for new content and materials coming soon!! 

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Infinite thanks for our successful summer!

The Defiance Project has had a beyond-successful summer of performances so far, and the fun has just begun! Our first annual Fundraiser and Performance went better than we could have ever imagined- a HUGE thank you to everyone who made the evening possible! Our performance, silent auction, and dessert feast were full of love and support from family, friends and fans. We are beyond grateful for everyone who attended our fundraiser as well as everyone who donated to The Defiance Project. 

We would especially like to thank Lynne Roswall of Studio Shu for her help and support with the performance space, Jason Segal for his videography and photography, and Sydney Rosin for his donation of our official Defiance Project Banner.

In addition, we would like to thank the following silent auction donors: Paul Needelman, Lori Krause, Brian Jeffries, Debbie Kalinowski and 3rd Corner, Andrea and Ira Feinswog, Sharon Leib, Lynne Roswall, gaytravel.com, Ericka Moore and Eveoke Dance Theater, Lois Mark, Debbie Simon. Your donations helped us raise money for our upcoming season of work! 

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In addition to our fundraiser, The Defiance Project performed with Mojalet Dance Collective in their Summer Series at The Vine. We had an amazing time sharing our work with the broader San Diego dance community, and wish to thank Faith Jensen-Ismay for including us in this showcase. 

The Defiance Project expanded beyond San Diego and also performed at danceXchange in Temecula. A beautiful evening of performing under the Temecula stars culminated with lots of audience feedback, new contacts, and lots of new works shared amongst performers. 

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The Defiance Project's first summer season has been thrilling and rewarding for everyone involved. We are beyond thrilled for the birth of this company! 

For more information, check us out on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/thedefianceproject

...or see our youtube channel by searching "thedefianceproject1".

Stay tuned for more! 

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We Don't Eat by James Vincent McMorrow

Choreographed and Performed by Sophie Needelman

Performed in July 2012 at The Vine Summer performance series