Hello,
It’s me, Frankie, with a foray into e-newsletters.
From a young age I have loved writing hand-written letters. There’s a special care in sitting down, being fully present, and watching my hand inscribe words pen-to-paper with a specific person in mind. Selecting and arranging words always seems easier when I’m sitting alone writing as opposed to having conversations out in public… fellow introverts iykyk.
In lieu of a hand-written letter, might you think of this electronic letter in the same light. I am seated at my laptop, sitting outside a coffee shop on a beautiful sunshine-filled summer day, having just come from an independent studio session. I’m carving time out of my afternoon, with you in mind, to share things that are very near + dear to my body/mind/spirit/heart.
So, here I am, typing away to invite you to dance performances that are soon happening on the East Coast, update you with musings in the land of an Artists’ Life, and more.
First, perhaps the most potent, up-coming live performances!
August 7 + 8th | Sisters and Other Dances | Warren VT
I’m so delighted to be learning repertoire from Randee Paufve and to be in rehearsal under her sharp creative eye. I’m especially honored to be trusted with dancing In Exhale, a solo she choreographed for herself over 20 years ago. Randee’s movement is evocative and it moves through me from an ancient, innate place of being. I look forward to performing her work.
“Paufve Dance brings a sampler of choreographer Randee Paufve’s work to Phantom Theater — intimate, finely crafted solos and ensemble pieces spanning nearly three decades.
The program includes the solo 99 Acres (1997), a dance rooted in the rural Northeast landscape where Paufve grew up — and the grief of watching that land disappear; and In Exhale (2002), a quiet homage to the lives lost on September 11th. A new work-in-progress follows the heroic lineage of one young dancer’s family — from her mother, a celebrated scholar who came of age under Brazil’s dictatorship, back to her mother’s own hero: Pagu, the defiant Brazilian artist and activist.
The evening closes with excerpts from the acclaimed Sisters (2024) — a fierce, tender anthology of dances about bodily autonomy, sisterhood, and the right to choose.”
Tickets can be purchased here
Photo by Stephen Texeira, courtesy of Randee Paufve
August 14th | Artists of the Berkshires | Becket MA
I am thrilled to be presenting Thin places (no noise) at the historic Henry J Leir stage at Jacob’s Pillow. This tender, quiet duet was originally performed by Haley Marcin and QūJié in 2024 (shout out to the Chicago dance scene!) as part of my larger work NO/ISE (128 bits per second).
Now, this expanded iteration acts as a stand alone piece and will be performed by NYC-based Madelyn Sher and myself. Thin places (no noise) is a reverence to slow living steeped with ideas of meditation and the flow of energy between subject and object. It is a return to self; a reclamation of tenderness. Like an embodied mantra, it’s the conjuring of a soft, sensitive realm that contains magnitudes of beauty.
Maddy and I have the pleasure to be accompanied by musical extraordinaire Jake Messina Meginsky who will be sharing the stage with us.
“Thin Places are the moments and locations where the boundary between us and the sacred dissolves.” – Susan Cain
FREE tickets can be purchased/reserved here
Photo by McCall McClellan
September 11th | Amp Performance Showcase | Northampton MA
There is electric energy brewing as I begin a new process with five spectacular dancers: Erik Elizondo, Niki Farahani, Dimitri Kalaitzidis, Evelyn Kirby, and Ashleigh McGown.
We have a short but sweet intensive to unearth Collective effervescence (working title) before it premieres at Northampton Center for the Art’s AMP showcase. This new work comes after a season of depression and dormancy. It is a re-emergence of renewed strength, optimism, and vision. This ensemble piece highlights group consensus and is rooted in themes of transformation, alchemy, and unity.
“Collective Effervescence, coined by sociologist Émile Durkheim, refers to the emotional activation that arises when people partake in collective behavior such as rituals, celebrations, + ceremonies.”
Event info here
Photo by Francesca Baron
September 20th | WIPXXVIII | Northampton MA
I’m so happy to get another chance to present Collective effervescence (working title) at School for Contemporary Dance + Thought’s performance event.
What’s unique to this show is that audience members get to supply their feedback/response to each work being presented (each patron receives note cards at the beginning of the show). This type of engagement with diverse voices is exciting! As this will be the first iteration of this piece, collecting responses will benefit me as I continue to excavate the work in its entirety, expanding on it for next year with the hopes of national touring.
Event info soon / check SCDT’s calendar for more here
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If you’re a working artist, you know how tricky it is to financially support one’s art-making, especially when it involves collaborators. I work within an equal-compensation model which pays all collaborators the same hourly rate. This is in an effort to dissolve a hierarchical pay structure, which typically ends up paying dancers less than other collaborators. Each collaborator is paid an hourly wage plus performance stipend.
Let’s be real: making and producing dance is costly. The creative process often comes with a high price tag: collaborator pay (dancers, musicians, choreographer, dramaturge, costume designers…), studio rentals, venue rentals, technical crew (SM, TD, LD…), costumes + scenic elements, marketing materials, videography + photography documentation, festival travel expenses, the list goes on and on.
To give you an example of how fast expenses add up, a weekend of rehearsal (~8 hours of practice) for Collective effervescence is about $1,000. And that’s just hourly wages and studio rental.
This summer I’ve put a lot of time and energy into getting clear on my goals and what future vision I have with my artistic pursuits. I’m the recent recipient of two, small local grants that have made it possible for me to spearhead this new ensemble work. I’ve also partnered with Fractured Atlas for fiscal sponsorship. This allows supporters to make a tax-deductible donation to my creative endeavors, on a recurring basis or a one-time donation.
If I’m honest, I’m notoriously bad at asking for help but it’s a muscle I’m flexing more– learning that holding each other up creates a strong, thriving ecosystem. I know times are hard (put mildly) and many of us are struggling. And yet,
I believe in the doing of the work
I believe in the work I am making
I believe in my ability to facilitate spaces for artists to come together to bring beautiful things into the world
I believe in sharing said things with lots of people, connecting and celebrating our embodied ways of living
I believe that working artists should be properly paid for their time, labor, and skill like any other profession
And it’s from this set of beliefs that I ask: please consider donating to support my two current projects (Thin places + Collective effervescence) as well as help contribute to building a seed fund that will offer support in sustaining the on-going making of work, national festival touring, and the production of a new show that’s on the horizon.
Ways to be a supporter:
- Attend any number of the up-coming live shows
- Can’t make it to a show? Donate the price of a ticket
- Donate a one-time amount for current + on-going artistic work
- Donate on a monthly basis ($5-10/month is equivalent to one coffee + sweet treat out!)
- Come to Saturday dance class in Northampton in August (fundraiser for creative projects). See flyer attached
- We’re already a few classes in and it’s the best group of folks! All levels, super supportive and light-hearted
- Tell your social circles about these up-coming shows + classes and encourage them to see live performance art
- Share this email with someone who is/should be a supporter/involved in the dance ecosystem
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Seeking (creative) work and teaching opportunities
I am actively looking for work for the up-coming Fall and Spring seasons. If you know of any openings or have something in mind– connect with me or share my information with people who are hiring.
I’m especially keen on gigs that include Adjunct teaching, Higher ed. guest artist/AiR to teach and set choreography, commissioned choreographic opportunities, performance/festival opportunities, workshops, and yoga teaching. This is not a complete list however, and if you know of something that might be a good fit, pass it along!
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Parting musings
I’ll leave you with some musings that have been holding resonance for me recently.
I’ve dedicated a lot of time this year to meditation. What was once tricky for me to carve out 10 – 30 minutes a day to sit in silence has now become time that I deeply cherish. I find that meditating in the mornings sets me up for the day with groundedness and mental/emotional strength. Through my studies with Yogic + Meditation practices, I’ve learned about the concept Shoshin.
Shoshin is a zen buddhist concept and it translates to beginner’s mind, “sho” = beginning, “shin” = heart, mind.
One word, a profound reminder.
To view things from a beginner’s mind frees up conditioned or stuck ways of moving through the world. It softens expectation and the pressure we often put on ourselves. Instead of moving from a place of rigid, black and white certainty– my belief is right, my way of moving is correct, my choice is the right one– what if we welcome a sense of openness and approach things with child-like wonder? Welcoming this sense of eager curiosity to encourage personal growth and ways of being/moving. After all, we’re all experiencing this life for the first time. We’re all beginners at how to live a significant, fulfilling life.
This summer, I dabbled in a wheel-throwing pottery class for the first time. There were a lot of returning wheel students and I found myself comparing my wonky thrown mugs and plates to those who’ve had more hands-on experience. The perfectionist in me was getting salty that I couldn’t center my clay properly or pull symmetrically. I returned to this idea of a beginner’s mind. I reminded myself that I chose to take this course because I wanted to learn something new and not because I wanted to become a master potter after a month of practice! Inevitably, experience contains learning curves; mistakes and failures are always present on the path to competency. And with this reminder, I was able to worry less and enjoy more.
*My work never became symmetrical and if I ever start my own pottery company it’d be called “Off Kilter Clay” to lean into the aesthetic. As my brother Nico told me, “Is it a functioning plate? Can you eat off it? Then you were successful.”
And so I ask: What’s something you can approach with a beginner’s mind? Is there something you want to do but the fear of beginning holds you back? Are you feeling stuck in an aspect of life? I send encouragement your way for you to widen your perception where you can hold less judgement and more wonder.
Northampton sunset by Francesca Baron
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Shout out to Ezekiel Baskin for being my inspiration in starting an e-newsletter. How sweet is it to receive a human-written, personal email, with community info about live art?
On a closing note, if you wish to be taken off the list of receiving emails such as this you can write back and let me know. I don’t have a plan of how frequently I’ll be sending emails– it’s most definitely an emergent endeavor– but I do have hopes of sending updates intermittently.
Wherever you are,
sending light + love,
Frankie
