2017–18 Youth Performance Lessons & Resources: Ezralow Dance OPEN

TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS

Ezralow Dance OPEN 2017–18 Youth Performance Lessons & Resources 1

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GREETING

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OVERVIEW Who is Ezralow Dance?

Who is Daniel Ezralow?

About the Piece OPEN More to Explore

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LESSONS

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YOUR VISIT Venue Details Getting Here Inside the Hall Audience Etiquette

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Table of Contents 2

YOUTH PERFORMANCE

Ezralow Dance OPEN Fri, Feb 2, 2018 11 am–12 pm Bass Concert Hall

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Greeting 4

The staff at Texas Performing Arts is looking forward to seeing your students at the Ezralow Dance Youth Performance on Friday, February 2, 2018, in Bass Concert Hall.

In addition to logistical information to help you plan your visit, this packet provides information about the choreographer, Daniel Ezralow, and the piece you will see, OPEN. Use the TEKS-based related lessons to provide your students with an enhanced educational experience and a deeper understanding of what they will experience at Bass Concert Hall.

We offer two youth performance annually, free of charge, thanks to the generous support of H-E-B, Austin Community College, and several individual donors.

Enjoy the performance!

Sincerely,

Brenda Simms Education & Curriculum Development Campus & Community Engagement Texas Performing Arts The University of Texas at Austin bsimms@texasperformingarts.org

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WHO IS EZRALOW DANCE?

Ezralow Dance is a movement-based ensemble of 9 to 11 dancers, and the creative home for choreographer Daniel Ezralow’s expansive and eclectic body of work.

Ezralow Dance collaborates with performers, composers, visual artists, and filmmakers, mingling contemporary dance, provocative ideas, and striking visuals.

The group is known for its explosive physicality, originality and humor.

Overview 6

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WHO IS DANIEL EZRALOW?

Daniel Ezralow got what is considered a late start in the dance world. As a pre-med student at Berkeley, Ezralow took a beginners’ modern dance class that changed everything. At 19, the summer after his sophomore year at Berkeley, he moved to New York and became a soloist with 5 by 2 Plus, a small modern company that gave him a chance to explore what dance meant to him.

“I never had to ask myself why I began to like dance,” says Ezralow. “I just did … if you like pasta, you don’t ask yourself why, you just know that you like it.”

He worked briefly with Lar Lubovitch and three years with Paul Taylor; each time Ezralow was in search of something new and different. During his time with Paul Taylor, Ezralow began moonlighting by making experimental dances with his mentor, Moses Pendleton, and decided he “wanted to explore the creation of a large, new company.” In 1980 Ezralow and Pendleton became two of the founding choreographerdirectors of Momix.

Still looking for more in his work, Ezralow, along with three other Momix choreographers, went on to co-found and co-direct ISO Dance. Together they interpreted and expressed a new sense of dance and physical theater through explorative movement styles and work that lasted anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes.

And finally, in his latest evolution of creative expression, the Ezralow Dance company premiered in 2014 in Los Angeles.

Overview 8

About Daniel Ezralow (3:59) Video bit.ly/2CTSFKy

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Noteworthy Work Ezralow has choreographed high-profile work for: • Theater—Julie Taymor’s Green Bird and Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark • Film—Love and Other Drugs, Ms. Taymor’s Across the Universe • Music Videos—for Sting, U2, and Sara Bareilles • Dance companies—Batsheva, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago • Tours—Katy Perry, Josh Groban, and David Bowie • Rhythmic gymnastics—Russian Women’s and Japanese Men’s teams • Awards Ceremonies—Grammy Awards, Academy Awards, NAACP Image Awards • Commercials—Lexus, Target, Gap, and Capital One • Cirque du Soleil’s hit show Love • Pope Benedict XVI’s 2008 visit to New York’s Yankee Stadium • The Opening Ceremonies of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia

Overview 10

“

I am not a politician and I am not a revolutionary as I simply want to change the world by inspiring it. Everybody has fear and anger but my job is not to fuel that up. My job is to say: ‘Let’s use the —Daniel Ezralow flame of creativity for positivity.’”

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“Daniel Ezralow is a dancer and choreographer whose work is a persuasive blend of intelligence, humor, and a fine-scaled, gutsy energy.”

—Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times

ABOUT THE PIECE OPEN

“The goal (in short) was to create a great evening of dance that was accessible for a general audience while retaining artistic craftsmanship and elegant aesthetics. The show is an invitation to the audience to open themselves to the dance experience: opening minds, hearts and spirits to this primal art form of the human body.” · Premiered in 2012 (before Ezralow Dance had officially formed) · Built in fifteen short, flexible sections with a cast of 8 dancers · Makes brilliant use of four moving panels to allow dancers to appear and disappear without the audience seeing them enter or leave. · Scenery changes occur with the inventive use of video projections.

At the youth performance you will see selections from OPEN’s 15 movements.

1. Awakened 9. Grounded 2. Hendersons 10. Breathing 3. Biz Men 11. Syrinx 4. Kelp Dreams 12. Black and White 5. Clean up 13. Olympiads 6. AFGO 14. Stepping Stones 7. Carmen 15. Chroma 8. Three Fates

Overview 12

OPEN Promo (7:50) Video bit.ly/2ARGPih

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MORE TO EXPLORE

Daniel Ezralow’s work in commercials (4:00) Video bit.ly/2D4a1c5 Daniel Ezralow’s work in the 2007 movie, Across the Universe (8:54) Video bit.ly/2FrXBrK Video collection of Daniel Ezralow’s work as a dancer and choreographer (5:07) Video bit.ly/2mijTDA Daniel Ezralow’s work in Katy Perry’s Chained to the Rhythm music video (4:00) bit.ly/2lBXse6 Ezralow’s OPEN Deftly Balances Dance as Art and Entertainment Article bit.ly/2Fvc0ni

Overview 14

A sampling of Daniel Ezralow’s work (7:50) Video bit.ly/2qXgwYg

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As you prepare students to attend Ezralow Dance’s performance of OPEN, these lessons will guide critical thinking about dance as well as art’s place in our society. Students will practice dance analysis, creative and persuasive writing, design, and textual analysis. A concert etiquette lesson can be found on page 22 of this packet. All lessons are designed to mix and match activities to find the best fit for your students and fit into your busy schedule.

Document bit.ly/2mXnBnd Lesson 1: Who is Ezralow Dance?

Daniel Ezralow is an incredibly gifted dancer and choreographer with a story that’s anything but conventional.

Get to know Daniel Ezralow and follow his influences throughout his career. Check out some of his most recent and popular performances, including OPEN, and learn about his love for dance and commitment to creativity.

Lesson 2: What is Contemporary Dance?

For experienced dancers and those of us who only watch dancers on television, learning about contemporary dance can bridge the gap between styles of dance and expression.

Explore definitions of contemporary dance and compare dance to literature.

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Lesson 3: The Writing’s On The Wall: Graffiti Art in Kenya Keeping with Daniel Ezralow’s belief that using creativity for positivity can change a culture, study a group of artists in Kenya who are using graffiti to address injustices in their communities. Practice argumentative writing, research, and creativity skills.

Lesson 4: Make Your Mark: Community Murals Daniel Ezralow believes in using “creativity for positivity” and supposes if you change the culture, you change the world.

Similarly, Joel Artista works with communities all over the world to create thought-provoking graffiti to take a stand against government injustice. Evaluate problems in your own community and work with a group to think about creative solutions that bring people together. Practice research and persuasive writing.

Lesson 5: Ezralow Dance Through Short Performances Get to know Daniel Ezralow and Ezralow Dance through short performances from a variety of contexts, including commercials, awards programs, and even pop performances.

Analyze Daniel Ezralow’s storytelling and work in a small group to create a story through dance.

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VENUE DETAILS

Address Bass Concert Hall (bit.ly/2h4s08j) The University of Texas at Austin 2350 Robert Dedman Dr Austin, TX 78712 Food and Drink Food and drinks are not allowed in the hall.

Accessibility Special requests such as, wheelchair seats, close seating for the visually impaired, FM listening devices, and space for a sign interpreter are available upon request.

Tickets Youth Performances are not ticketed events.

Parking Texas Performing Arts provides free parking for buses and vans.

Your Visit 18

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GETTING HERE

Bus Drop-off & Pick-up and Parking Instructions Document bit.ly/2ij65H6 Bus Arrival Time: 9:45–10:30 am Normal parking resumes on Robert Dedman Dr by 1 pm. If you are staying on campus you will need to arrange for parking at another location.

INSIDE THE HALL

Upon Arrival Staff will greet your bus and guide you to your seats. Students should enter the hall in single file in the order they will be seated.

Be Seated By: 10:45 am Power off all cell phones. No photos or recording devices may be used inside the hall. You are welcome to take photos in the lobby or outside the theatre.

Your Visit 20

During the Performance Restrooms are available on each level of Bass Concert Hall.

After your group is seated, an usher can assist you in sending students to the restroom.

After the Performance We will announce which schools’ buses are at the curb ready to pick up students. You may have to wait 30 minutes (or more) for your bus to arrive. All the buses cannot fit at the curb at the same time. Please plan accordingly.

We request that you account for your students efficiently when loading buses to maintain traffic flow.

We’d love to hear from you! Help us improve our Youth Performance experiences by taking our survey. bit.ly/2BfKtTo

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AUDIENCE ETIQUETTE

4 Simple Rules of Audience Ettiquette 1. Turn off electronic devices.

2. Be respectful to the performers.

Applaud or laugh when appropriate, but do not talk or make unnecessary, distracting noises.

3. Be respectful to other audience members.

Do not distract your neighbors with your voice, hands, or feet. Let teachers deal with distractions. Students who say “Shhh!” or “Quiet down!” can be equally disruptive.

4. Be respectful to the concert hall.

Do not do anything destructive to the floors, seats, walls, bathrooms, etc.

Etiquette at Bass Concert Hall Slideshow bit.ly/2mkBRpb

Your Visit 22

A Short Guide to Concert Etiquette with Jason Lai (4:22) Video bit.ly/2z8g5wL

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Campus & Community Engagement at Texas Performing Arts Judith Rhedin, Assistant Director Brenda Simms, Education & Curriculum Development Hannah Hopkins, Senior Student Associate texasperformingarts.org/get-involved

Thank you to our sponsors whose generous support makes our programs available to the University of Texas at Austin campus and Central Texas community!

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