2020: Art Spark Dance and Body Shift

2020: Art Spark Dance and Body Shift

Here’s what’s happening with Art Spark Dance and Body Shift in 2020

As the Director of Integrated Dance here at Art Spark Texas, when I look at what the year 2020 holds for Art Spark Dance and Body Shift, I get very excited! I want to share some opportunities available for you to join us which involve dance, and the residencies we are so pleased to present.

We will continue with our beloved Elements class which takes place every second and fourth Saturday of the month. The first for this year is Saturday, January 25th from 2:30 to 4:30 PM. The fee is on a sliding scale from $5-$20, but no one will be turned away because of lack of funds. We continue to be hosted at the YMCA Town Lake, 1100 W Cesar Chavez Street in Austin. The class will be taught by me, Silva Laukkanen. You can learn more about our classes on Facebook by liking the Art Spark Texas and Body Shift pages.

We will continue with our Foundations class in March. This class will focus more on how to teach inclusive dance and it will be taught by Veronica DeWitt, who is a master teacher of the DanceAbility method. The times and location will be announced later in February.

Our ongoing residencies are at Rosedale School where we started a dance program back in 2014, and our monthly Movement Madness classes at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Since 2016, we have been part of the weekly classes at the VA Outpatient Clinic. Last year we had the pleasure of creating a dance performance with the veterans. Look for a video that will be released later in the Spring about that process.

February will be a busy month for us. Silva, Veronica and Tanya will leave to teach a three-day residency in Tampa, Florida at the University of South Florida. Then, on Saturday, February 15th, Axis Dance Company will be in Austin to perform their latest production IN-TER-TWINE at the Bass Concert Hall. On Sunday, February 16th, Axis Dance Company will host a workshop: “An Introductory Teacher Training in Fundamentals of Inclusive Teaching and Working with Diverse Students” from 2:00 to 5:00 PM. The location is TBD. Early bird registration for this ends Saturday, February 1st, so get your tickets now for the workshop before the price goes up.

Looking ahead to the future, we already know that Karenne Koo will be back in the Fall to teach a Mettler-Based Dance Improvisation weekend workshop. If you want to know more about any of the opportunities here at Art Spark Texas or with Body Shift, please send me an email ([email protected]) and I will be happy to sit down with you (or make a dance about it with you) to see how you can be part of our programming.

-Silva Laukkanen, Director of Integrated Dance

Image description left to right:

Gallery room with blue oblong made of different-sized cubes and rectangular on the wall and in the middle of the image there is an arch built from wood where there is person laying on top of it on their back. On the left side of them there is a person in a wheelchair and on the right side of them there is a person standing in front of a white wall.

People sitting in a circle in the gallery room with white walls and blue oblong installation made of different shades and sizes of rectangular and squares. Some people are on the floor, some on their wheelchairs with smiles on their faces.

People sitting either on the floor or in their wheelchairs and behind them there is red and black rectangular and squares of different sizes painted on the wall. Everyone is looking off camera but in the same direction.

Photo credit: James Wilkus Photography

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