Work in Progress (2011)

WORK IN PROGRESS LAUNCHES IN FT. POINT CHANNEL

Work in Progress featuring Weber Dance, April 22 – May 8, 2011

Midway Studios, 15 Channel Center Street, Fort Point Channel, Boston

Come watch open rehearsals in a dramatic ground-floor raw space in Fort Point Channel. The piece is a collaboration between Weber Dance and scientist/author/adventurer Jon Turk and poet Andrew Arnett, which integrates storytelling, poetry and dance to explore the relationship between the scientific perspective and the realm of mystery and magic. It will premiere at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center in Oct. 2011. The dancers are visible through windows along Channel Center Street or from the mezzanine level inside, accessible through Midway Studio’s lobby.

SCHEDULE

Friday, April 22, 5:30PM-7:30PM: REHEARSAL
Saturday, April 23, 9:30AM-2:00PM REHEARSAL
Sunday April 24, 9:30AM-12PM REHEARSAL
Monday, April 25, 9:30AM-11:30 MEETINGS
Tuesday April 26, 5:30PM-8:30PM REHEARSAL
Wednesday, April 27, 9:30AM-11:30 CLOSED MEETINGS
Thursday, April 28, 5:30PM-8:30PM REHEARSAL
Saturday, April 30, 12:30PM-3:00PM TECH REHEARSAL
Sunday, May 1, 9:30AM-12:00PM: RUN-THROUGH REHEARSAL

Friday, May 6
2:30-5:30PM REHEARSAL
Weber Dance will be teaching roles to San Francisco based dancer, Becca Rozell, for an upcoming residency in Juneau Alaska. Becca will be learning three sections of dance over the course of three days.

6:00-8:00PM WRITER AT WORK * New Addition
Writer Jared Green will work on a piece called, “10-26: In the Ruins of the Memory Palace,” which is partly about taking stock of things he can no longer remember, including memories of his childhood. As he types, his “words in progress” will be projected live, two stories tall. Open to the public.

Saturday May 7, 11:30AM-4:30PM REHEARSAL
First hour: dancers, Shannon Humphreys and Jody Weber will revive Split Sense, a dance from the company’s repertory that will be performed at the end of June. Weber Dance will continue the process of teaching parts to Becca Rozell. Remainder: other company dancers will join for parts of the rehearsal to facilitate her process.

Sunday May 8, 9:30AM to 12:30PM REHEARSAL
Full company plus guests will be working on the new dance. We will be assimilating dancers into their roles in particular groupings for various performances over the next two months.

Writer Jared Green, new addition to Work In Progress, will appear Friday, May 6, details above and on our blog here.

ABOUT THIS PROJECT
Work in Progressbrings performing arts rehearsals to vacant storefronts in an effort to activate underutilized space and reveal the work that goes into dance, music, and theater before the curtain goes up. Project goals:

  • Temporarily re-purpose vacant storefront space, contribute to a more vibrant street-level culture, and stimulate local economic activity.
  • Provide an opportunity for local performing arts groups to engage new audiences by showcasing work prior to performance.
  • Provide free rehearsal space for local performing arts companies.
CONNECTING WITH THE ARTISTS
Work in Progress at Fort Point Channel was an experiment. One thing we worked on: finding a good balance between need of artists to have focused rehearsal and the desire of the audience to connect with what was going on.

A solution: we used a question box for the audience to submit questions to the dancers and choreographer, which were answered later on our web site.

DOWNLOADS

Download Poster for Work In Progress in Fort Point Channel April 22-May 8. (PDF 369 KB) Or download high rez version for printing (33MB).

Download Press Release for Work In Progress in Fort Point Channel April 22-May 8. (PDF 274 KB)

PARTNER: WEBER DANCE
Weber Dance is a contemporary concert dance company led by Dr. Jody Weber. Performance schedule here. Weber Dance is no stranger to working in unconventional spaces and extending the reach of dance through unconventional means. Next year, through a project called Dance Core, Weber Dance will outfit a clean-energy powered-van with a portable dance floor, lighting, and sound equipment in order to take performances on the road to underserved communities throughout New England.

Photos: Chris Engles for Weber Dance Company.

PARTNER: MIDWAY STUDIOS AND HALLKEEN REAL ESTATE
Midway Studios is the city’s largest live/work community, situated in the heart of Fort Point Channel, Boston’s vibrant, historic, artist neighborhood. It was developed in 2005 by the Fort Point Development Collaborative, a joint venture of Keen Development Corporation of Cambridge, MA, and the Fort Point Cultural Coalition. In recent years, the ground floor space has hosted performances of the Actors’ Shakespeare Project, the Fort Point Theatre Channel and The Boston Conservatory.
SUPPORTER: BOSTON DANCE ALLIANCE

Boston Dance Alliance has developed a portable, sprung dance floor that can support a wide range of dance styles and movement activities. The floor can transform a space into a dance venue quickly and without any tools or additional hardware. Learn more about the floor here.

Photo: Boston Dance Alliance.
PARTNER: FT. POINT ARTS COMMUNITY ART WALK, MAY 6-8
The Art Walk is one of two annual open studios events organized by the Fort Point Arts Community, Inc. of South Boston, a non-profit community organization run by neighborhood artists and volunteers. Open Studios is an opportunity visit studios, meet artists, and see the work in the environment where it was created. Visitors to Open Studios pick up a map and directory brochure, and can walk from building to building, exploring the historic warehouse neighborhood of Fort Point. All Open Studios Events are free to the public, with free parking.
SPECIAL THANKS
Courtney Moy, Art and Graphic Design

BLOG POSTS ABOUT WORK IN PROGRESS

Work In Progress: one long day and we are underway

Work In Progress: one long day and we are underway

Apr 22, 2011 |

Weber Dance has taken the stage at Work In Progress. Join us during the next three weeks and watch them rehearse. Schedule here. Today was a long and fulfilling day for Boston Street Lab. Watch our own progress in the photo/video slideshow below. Thanks to Boston...

Work In Progress launches tomorrow

Work In Progress launches tomorrow

Apr 21, 2011 |

Tomorrow, we'll take this raw space and transform it into a rehearsal studio for seven dancers, a scientist, and a poet. And the public. Thank you to the staff at Midway Studios and the residents living above, who have already dropped by to say hello. Thank you to...

Work In Progress: meet the floor

Work In Progress: meet the floor

Apr 20, 2011 |

When we compared music, theater and dance rehearsals for the launch of Work In Progress, dance was far and away the most challenging activity to produce in a vacant storefront. But we also thought dance would have the most impact. The solution: a custom-designed,...

Work In Progress: meet the space

Work In Progress: meet the space

Apr 18, 2011 |

Preparations are underway for the launch of Work In Progress (open rehearsals in vacant storefronts), and we'll be reporting about it here on the blog. Our first location in Fort Point Channel, Boston is a somewhat atypical vacant storefront situation—it has limited...