Dragonfly Dance Experiment is very fortunate to have tremendous support in our community. Our director, Megan Morse Jans, has developed wonderful relationships with owners and directors of arts and wellness organizations in the Annapolis area, who generously let us use their space to rehearse.
During the week, we rehearse at The Art Space School, in west Annapolis. The Art Space is an adorable little studio right on the Annapolis Street strip of stores and boutiques. This studio offers individual and group lessons in Music, Dance and Theatre. Dragonfly, Brigid Myers, can be found teaching classes there. On the weekends, Dragonfly dancers rehearse on the Anne Arundel Community College campus. The performing arts department has amazing facilities and we are so fortunate to be able to use their space. Director, Megan Morse Jans and Dragonfly, Kimberly Kandra both teach dance classes at the college. You can also find the Dragonflies at Prana Studio, yoga studio, in Annapolis. The space at Prana is a wonderfully unique place for dancers to rehearse in. It is a wonderfully warm space and we are always so grateful that we are welcomed there. You can spot Dragonfly, Sarah Keller, in the Saturday morning class. All the Dragonflies want to sincerely thank:
Lynda Fitzgerald, Dance Coordinator for Anne Arundel Community College
http://www.aacc.edu/dance/
Priscilla Smith, owner and director of the Art Space School
http://www.artspaceschool.com
Kathleen Schuman of Prana Studio
http://www.pranastudio.com
 Brigid Myers has been dancing with Dragonfly Dance Experiment since March 2009. Brigid has an extensive resume in dance including her high school education at the Baltimore School for the Arts, an arts high school where she majored in dance. Brigid also studied dance in college at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and spent a semester in France. Growing up, she trained at the Peabody Institute, Towson University Children’s Dance division, Upper Falls Dance Academy and the McHale School of Irish Dance. Brigid is experienced in modern, ballet, pointe, tap, jazz and Irish step.
Brigid loves to dance in a modern style because of the expressiveness of the style and the never-ending supply of movement. Brigid was especially inspired by a performance of Esplanade by the Paul Taylor Dance Company. She knew, after seeing this performance, that dance needed to be part of her life forever. Brigid felt a real connection with not only the movement, but the real theory behind the choreography. She continues to love this piece and is in awe of Paul Taylor’s works.
Brigid is passionate about her love of all styles of dance. She expresses, “Dance is so beautiful, expressive and wonderful and the thing that I love most is that there are so many options. It’s got so many different flavors- there is something for everyone to enjoy!”
Brigid has many supportive people in her life, but she is especially thankful for her Aunt, Mary. Mary lost her battle with cancer in September of 2002. Mary constantly encouraged Brigid to pursue her love of dance and taught her that what we want most in life is what is hardest to attain, but also the most worthwhile.
Today, Brigid resides in the same home she has lived in all her life, in Baltimore, MD. She works at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore and is climbing the ladder quickly. If she wasn’t dancing all day and night, Brigid would love to be at the beach playing board games or be traveling and speaking French.
Brigid would like to thank:
“Megan for loving us, for trusting in us and for creating the most beautiful movement I have ever had the privilege of performing. I want to thank my family for allowing me to be who I am and for believing in me every step of the way. I want to thank Greg for being so supportive and loving me always.
I want to say how honored and blessed I feel to be part of this amazing company. Dragonfly has opened my mind and my heart to dance in a whole new way and I am so excited to see where we will go in our future together. This is an incredible group of women and I love all of them.”
Dragonfly Dance is currently developing a new work that will be called “Like a Peach”. This work is inspired by a solo performed by our director Megan Morse Jans, when she was pregnant with her son, Jacob. The inspiration for the work is a combination of her experience with pregnancy and a new child in addition to tribute strong Southern women that inspire us and make us laugh. This piece will be performed at the Rhapsody on Sunday, February 21st.
While working on the new piece, our director has been exploring all sorts of inspiration to bring together a beautiful work. In a recent rehearsal we had the opportunity to work with Kim Forry who dances with The Annapolis Traditional Dance Society and is a caller for Contra Dance events held monthly. Kim helped us to work on floor patterns and Contra Dance movements that lend itself to the Southern inspiration of the piece.
Contra Dance has a very long history and is defined as a folk dance in which couples dance in two facing lines of indefinite length. Contra dances can be found around the world, though they are especially popular in North America. Photo from Almost Heaven Dance Weekend Wikepedia Definition of Contra Dance Events:
Contra dance events are open to all, regardless of experience. They are family-friendly, and alcohol consumption is not part of the culture. Many events offer beginner-level instructions for up to half an hour before the dance. A typical evening of contra dance is three hours long, including an intermission. The event consists of a number of individual contra dances, divided by a scattering of other partner dances, perhaps one or more waltzes, schottisches, polkas, or Swedish hambos. In some places, square dances are thrown into the mix. Music for the evening is typically performed by a live band, playing jigs and reels from Ireland, Scotland, Canada, or the USA. The tunes are traditional and more than a century old, or modern compositions which follow the same form as the traditional pieces.
For one of the movements of “Like a Peach” a quartet of dancers will be weaving and working in Contra dance patterns while incorporating modern movements. We learned the terminology that is used when “calling” contra dances such as DoSaDo, Hay (in the barn) and Round Robin. Kim taught us the difference between our partner and our neighbor and also taught us partnering and weaving techniques. It was a lot of fun to explore this new (to us) form of dance and we are very excited to continue to develop this work.
If you are interested in attending a Contra Dance in the Annapolis area, The Annapolis Traditional Dance Society holds Contra Dance events the third Saturday of every month. They are open to the public and have a free beginner’s workshop at 6:30pm prior to the dance. For more information, please visit their website. http://www.contradancers.com/atds/
 Live. Laugh. Love.
Sarah Keller joined Dragonfly Dance in the summer of 2009. Sarah grew up as a Navy Brat and has literally danced all over the world! Her family moved from Yokosuka, Japan to Naples, Italy and back to the east coast USA, all while she studied various techniques of dance. She has studied ballet, jazz, pointe, lyrical, modern and contemporary dance and performed with companies such as Broadneck High School Dance Company, Anne Arundel Dance Company, AACC Dance Company and Deviated Theatre. Spending her high school years in the Annapolis area, Sarah has developed relationships with the dance community in Maryland. She attended Broadneck High school and Towson University earning an Associates Degree in Dance and a Bachelor’s in Psychology. Looks and brains, too.
Sarah’s favorite style of dance is Contemporary because there are no rules. She enjoys dancing and choreographing this style because of the ability to be creative and experimental. This is a style where she really connects emotionally and is able to express herself.
Sarah has been inspired by many dancers throughout her study and is especially thankful for her exposure to Michelle Combs and her style of contemporary dance. She found her style intriguing and beautiful and had the opportunity to learn a solo created by Combs. She still enjoys taking her classes and watching her dance!
During the day Sarah works at the Veterans Benefits Administration in Baltimore, MD and during her evenings (when she isn’t rehearsing with Dragonfly) she teaches dance to young students. She lives in Annapolis with her family, which consist of two older brothers and her parents who have been married over 30 years. And let’s not forget the family dog, a chocolate, white and caramel cocker spaniel, named Charlie Brown. Sarah brings a genuine kindness and thoughtfulness to Dragonfly and we are so happy to have her as part of our company.
Sarah would like to thank:
“..my family and the Lord. My family and my faith have been my two pillars of strength throughout my life, and I would be lost without them. Thank you and I love you more than words can say.”
 The New Year is a time to reflect on the events of the year that has passed and look forward to wonderful things to come. We are doing just that here with the Dragonfly Dance Experiment. Our 2009 year included creative works coming to life, great performances, wonderful collaborations and the addition of new talented dancers.
In 2010, we plan for much, much more! We would like to sincerely thank our families, friends and supporters who continue to be an amazing part of the success of Dragonfly.
We hope to keep you up to date on all things Dragonfly in the coming year with more frequent blog posts. In the next few weeks we will be publishing new bios of our dancers, details of past performances and a look at our creative process for upcoming works.
Mark you calendars for our next performance:
DragonFly Dance Experiment presents:
Rhapsody, a collection of new works
with special guests the Annapolis High School Dance Company
Sunday, February 21 2:30pm
Pascal Center for Performing Arts
Anne Arundel Community College
|
RSS Feed