TuMM News

New Beginner Adult Modern Series Starts May 17!

2015-05-13T10:12:00.003-05:00

Whether you're a returning student or new to class -- welcome!

In this series, Ari Christopher will introduce students to elements of Graham-based technique including fundamental principles of contraction/release, spiral, and shift of weight. Students focus on movement from the inside out, encouraging use of breath, energy, and connection.

Class begins with traditional floorwork exercises, progresses into standing work, moves to travelling phrases across the floor, and culminates in movement phrases that explore dynamic possibilities. A strong foundation technique, Graham-based modern prepares students to use breath, opposition, and strength in ways that can easily carry over into other disciplines.

This series is for all those who want formal modern training while discovering their embodied, moving self in a fun, supportive environment. No previous dance experience necessary!

Register here!

http://TuMMdance.org | 877.460.0422 | http://Facebook.com/TuMMdance

Sundays 2:15-3:30

May 17 - June 21

Jasinski Academy

3315 E 33rd St. (near Harvard)

Yoga/exercise clothes and cotton socks

$60 + $10 registration fee (waived for all 2015 returning students).

Register online by May 17 at http://tummdance.org or via this Google Doc form.

Will you help us get promote our work nationally and attract new donors?

2015-03-28T12:04:00.001-05:00

Thank you for your support!

With your support, we piloted a new program called RIDE (Rigorous Instruction & Dance Education) in collaboration with Emerson Elementary, which provides weekly dance classes to children with demonstrated interest and ability in dance who may otherwise not have the opportunity to develop their dance talent. We produced modern dance in conventional and unconventional spaces, offered classes to dancers and non-dancers alike, provided two weekly modern dance classes free of charge and added a new earned income stream with our Adult Beginners Modern class.

Please continue making investments in our community dance activities this season via our Kickstarter and help us raise $4,330. Your early pledge of will do more than help make the fundraiser a success; it will also magnetize new donors and help us receive national attention.

As you may know, Kickstarter works best when projects receive pledges quickly after launch and are only funded if they reach 100% of their project goal. Your early pledge will shine the spotlight on our work that will get us exposure with other dance supporters around the country. Pledges are not charged until the campaign deadline, April 20th.

Please visit the Kickstarter page to see a lovely Brief Kingdom trailer video and learn more about the goals and budget of the Brief Kingdom Project!

Any amount will help, especially if it is an early pledge! Please take action, click this link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2070243883/the-brief-kingdom-project

Thank you!

Beginning Adult Modern class series starts FEB 22

2015-02-20T11:41:00.001-06:00

For all those who want formal modern dance training while discovering their embodied, moving self in a fun, supportive environment. :: No previous dance experience necessary!

Register online by February 22nd at this link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_nzAebuW3dUUIaeWgw8GeVCb3f7-07QD4TDBgAj-K2Y/viewform?usp=send_form

For our third beginning adult modern series, we will spend the first part of class in somatic exploration (and largely on the floor), focusing on authentic movement expression from the inside out. We will then take the connections we have built on the floor and in our bodies and bring that experiential knowledge to more traditional standing work. Finally, we will end by applying the concepts we've been discovering to improvisation exercises designed to integrate studio learning with everyday living and moving.

We can't wait to share what we love with you! Join us from 2:15 - 3:30pm every Sunday from February 22 - March 29 at Jasinski Academy, 3315 E. 33rd St., right off of Harvard.

Wear comfortable yoga/exercise close and cotton socks.

Only $60 for all 6 classes!

See you there!

Giving Tuesday

2014-12-02T16:44:00.001-06:00

With your help, over the past three years we've presented original work in front of local, regional, and national audiences, launched innovative educational programs for adults and kids, shared the power of dance with hundreds of Tulsa Public Schools students, and engaged a wide array of local artists in collaboration. You've seen us bring galleries to life and make prestigious stages hum with energy. We're so grateful for the support of each person who has helped make these efforts possible. Let's keep moving! You can join us by clicking the "donate" button here. Thank you!

Play

Brief Kingdom -- our current work in progress. Click here to see into the developing world of Brief Kingdom, a story of a woman who meets a frog and learns to look closer at herself.

You are invited to our third annual Works in Progress community Gathering.

2014-11-25T10:56:00.002-06:00

A TuMM Gathering:

Works in Progress Showing + Conversation

On December 7 @ 4 pm, Tulsa Modern Movement welcomes you into our process! Come share

Introducing our Beginning Modern Class!

2014-11-04T11:56:00.001-06:00

Tulsa Modern Movement is pleased to bring you a much-requested weekly modern class for beginners!

Join us every Sunday from November 9th - December 14th from 2:15 to 3:30pm at Jasinski Academy.
Read more »

TuMM at Creations in Studio K Oct. 4 & 5

2014-09-24T11:28:00.001-05:00

Special Fall Performances from Tulsa Modern Movement

Modern Dance for Kids

2014-03-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

Tulsa Modern Movement will offer a modern dance class series for children ages 7-9 at the FlyLoft.

Classes run in conjunction with the Sunday Market at Guthrie Green. Bring your little dancers over for a great class while you shop!

Graham Technique series with Ari Christopher

2014-02-12T15:04:00.000-06:00

Come Study Graham Technique with TuMM

>>> February 19 - March 26 <<<

The Graham technique emphasizes the central core of the body and its expressive capability in spiral, contraction and release. Dancers will become more aware of the use of breath, weight, opposition in the initiation of movement, and the awareness that the back of the body is as important as the front.

Gaga Tulsa - Winter classes starting January 11, 2014

2014-01-02T18:08:00.000-06:00

What IS Gaga?

Move, connect and recover with Gaga Tulsa

2014-01-02T14:02:00.000-06:00

We are excited to be hosting Amy Morrow to teach Gaga dance right here in Tulsa!

Read more »

Audition, Sunday April 21st

2013-04-18T18:22:00.002-05:00

TuMM is holding an audition this Sunday, April 21st.

When: 4:00 – 6:30 (sign in begins at 3:30)
Where: Liggett Studio, 308 S Kenosha Ave (downtown Tulsa)
Attire: Fitted dance or exercise clothes

We are looking for 2 adult male OR female dancers with modern dance training for a 45 minute original dance theatre piece.

Stipends for the rehearsal period and initial June performances of $250 will be paid to each dancer. Each school-year performance pays between $45 - $90. Teaching opportunities at participating schools pay $25 per hour.

Dancers must be available for Sunday rehearsals from 1:00-4:00 starting April 28th as well as week night rehearsals starting in mid May. (approx. 13 rehearsals total) Performance dates are June 17 (morning) and June 21st (afternoon), as well as dates during the school year. Dancers must also be available to tour throughout the 2013/2014 school year to schools in Tulsa and Broken Arrow on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Please email ari@TuMMdance.org to sign up or ask questions.

Afternoons with Emery

2013-04-17T16:12:00.000-05:00

TuMM is developing a children’s dance theatre piece. Afternoons with Emery is an imaginative romping ground of creative play. The 45 minute-long dance will take place over several vignettes in which Emery dives into his/her private world of ideas and industry. Emery's imagination transforms everyday objects such as sticks, rocks, magnets and bags during creative play, which are then replaced by oversized and beautiful puppets during the scene. Each fore takes it's jumping off point from a real-life experience that caught Emery's imagination.

In each scene, Emery will be danced by a different dancer so that children may more easily identify with him/her. The music for each scene is commissioned by local composers such as Josh Massad, Michael Christopher and Marc Carr.

Afternoons with Emery will be performance ready in mid-June 2013. For inquiries or bookings, please contact Ari Christopher at: ari@TuMMdance.org

TuMM Tonight. eMerge

2013-04-06T12:02:00.001-05:00

TuMM is performing tonight at eMerge, a dance gathering under the exquisite chandelier exhibit at Living Arts of Tulsa, 7 PM, $5/$7. (308 S Kenosha Ave, Tulsa) Come early and grab a flashlight to participate in our chandelier-inspired iteration of 'Upon First Entering'. Immediately immersing the audience into the evening of dance, Upon First Entering draws upon the body’s natural form and abstracted gestures to explore the spectrum of physical communication. Audience members are invited to finish the work by casting light upon the dancers. Choreographers: Alicia Chesser and Ari Christopher Dancers: Dancers: Ari Christopher, Alicia Chesser, Margaret Leighty, Jessica Vokoun Costume Design: Ari Christopher Music: Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons

Exploring the Boundries

2013-01-21T12:33:00.000-06:00

Tulsa Modern Movement announces an evening of site specific work at Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas on January 23rd. Immerse yourself in light and architecture at the museum with a celebratory closing party for See the Light and the Moshe Safdie exhibitions. Museum goers will enjoy an immersive dance experience in Upon First Entering, which draws upon the body’s natural form and abstracted gestures to explore the spectrum of physical communication and Light Release, exploring the behaviors and properties of light and the effects of architecture on the people within. Enjoy glass-bending demonstrations by Arkansas artist Denise Lanuti; and join an immersive theatre tour by The Artist’s Laboratory Theatre. Finish the night with a dance party in the Great Hall featuring a light-painting performance by Los Angeles-based artist Norton Wisdom and Fayetteville’s electronic fusion band, Space Camp. Get into the night’s glowing experience and come dressed in a light-up costume, if you are so inclined. Colorful appetizers are included in the ticket price, and specially lit drinks will be available for purchase. The event, entitled Art Night Out: Immersion runs from 7:00 – 10:00 PM and is open to guests ages 21 and up. Tickets are available at www.tummdance.org or by calling 479-418-5700.

Works in Progress Showing

2012-12-07T14:56:00.000-06:00

TuMM will be holding an Open Rehearsal/Works in Progress Showing this Sunday December 9th from 6:00-7:00 PM in the Black Box Theatre of Kendall Hall on the TU campus. It is an opportunity for you to come see our process. The projects to be presented are in various stages of development and each from a different choreographer. The goal of the evening is to feature the diversity of our works in development and offer a rare up-close and personal showing for those who want a behind-the-scenes look at the mysterious and normally private process of creation. We hope you'll make it out for a little break from the holiday craziness. ** Parking will be available in the McFarlin Lot at 5th and South Florence. Donations graciously accepted at the door.

"Confessions" previewed in Urban Tulsa Weekly

2012-06-07T13:44:00.000-05:00

"So how, exactly, does something like this get conveyed via dance, without any dialogue, soliloquies, monologues, or narration?"
Read the full story...

Confessions Previewed in the Tulsa World

2012-06-07T13:41:00.002-05:00

"Members of Tulsa's various contemporary dance companies come together for 'Confessions,' a full-length original dance work presented by Tulsa Modern Movement, which will premiere with performances Saturday and Sunday at Tulsa Ballet's Studio K, 1212 E. 45th St.

"Choreographed by TuMM co-founder Nina Madsen with assistance from Arien Christopher and Alicia Chesser, 'Confessions' deals with the idea of how revealing movement can be, expressing innermost thoughts and feelings with an eloquence beyond words."
Read more from this Tulsa World article...

TuMM Presents Confessions

2012-06-07T13:38:00.000-05:00

It has developed into a very diverse and emotionally rich hour, touching lightly on a narrative about how what we think we’re hiding tends to ripple out into the lives of those around us, and about how we develop a more genuine, secure identity both in ourselves and within a group.
Read the full story...

TuMM Performs at "Creations in Studio K"

2012-05-14T21:52:00.000-05:00

Look for TuMM to collaborate with artists across multiple disciplines, in traditional and experimental venues, and expand the reach of Tulsa dance throughout the region and beyond.
Read the full article...

TuMM in the Tulsa World

2012-04-28T14:48:00.000-05:00

From James Watts of Tulsa World:

Working outside of a conventional performance space is something both Portico Dans Theatre and Tulsa Modern Movement had done for much of their histories.

"We think dance has a transforming power for the performers as well as the viewers," Christopher said. "And sometimes it's liberating to get out of the box that is a theater..."

Read more from this Tulsa World article.

Tickets on Sale Now for Confessions

2012-04-17T16:04:00.002-05:00

A huge Thank You to all of our wonderful friends who have supported us through our first season! Join us for the season's closing production, Confessions, on Saturday, June 9 at 8:00pm, or Sunday, June 10 at 3:00pm, at Tulsa Ballet's Studio K. Visit our home page at TuMMdance.org to order tickets!

Spontaneous Dance/Media Mashup

2012-02-25T10:57:00.004-06:00

Catch us at New Genre XIX on Feb 24 and 25, with Cincinnati and NYC artists viDeo sAVant, in a collaborative performance. 8pm at the Doenges Theatre in the Tulsa PAC.