MOTION STATE ARTS @ Fringe PVD

july 20–21, 2024
waterfire arts center, Providence, RI

A weekend of classes and open-mic dance performances!

Saturday, July 20, 2024, 8:30pm:
Cabaret Jeté

An open mic night for all things dance! Variety abounds at this grab-bag of short and sweet dance performances. Dance artists of all styles are invited to throw their hats in the ring and feet on the floor. Uncurated and unapologetic!

Sign up is first-come, first-served; limited slots.

Important Considerations:

  • Pieces must be no longer than 7 minutes.

  • No shoes are allowed.

  • The stage is a 32'x24' marley-covered sprung dance floor.

  • Light and music cues are up and down only; no internal cues.

  • If you have music, please bring it on your own phone/laptop.

  • There is no tech rehearsal; everyone will have an opportunity to warm up on the stage starting around 8pm.

Saturday & Sunday, July 20 & 21:
CLASSES & ci jam

Space is limited; email us to register.
Pay-what-you-can, $10 suggested special Fringe price!
Open to all experiences and abilities (except where noted). Recommended for ages 16+.

Saturday, July 20

11:30am–12:30pm: PILATES MAT FOR MOVERS / MARIA ANDRESINO: A 60-minute flow focused on the mat exercises created by Joe Pilates. A classical approach with a contemporary flair—you’ll get a full-body workout focused on strengthening the core; stretching tight muscles; and finding uniform alignment of the spine, shoulder, pelvis and more.

Maria Andresino is owner of Mind 2 Body Fitness Pilates and Personal Training studio in Providence. She’s been working as a movement specialist in the fitness industry for over 30 years in multiple settings and with a wide range of clients. She holds over 10 certifications in both Pilates and Personal Training and is a self-proclaimed “anatomy junkie.” Maria strives to successfully integrate her brand of Pilates, Personal Training, and anatomical function into every workout! In addition to running a busy studio and teaching her long-time clients, Maria directs the M2Btt—a 500-hour comprehensive Pilates Teacher Training Certification. Movement specialists, both new and experienced, seek her out to pass on her unique skills to them. Prior to this career, Maria was a dancer and performer (while working in Corporate Training)—most notably with an Aerial Dance Company. She is often happiest when defying gravity either on the Pilates apparatus or suspended from ropes.

1–2:30pm: MODERN/CONTEMPORARY DANCE TECHNIQUE / COLIN STILLWELL: Focusing on directing the body’s energy, weight and momentum to move and dance while attaining clarity and release in the upper and lower body. Movement phrases emphasize spatial awareness, dynamics, level changes, balance, coordination and focus on various body systems to deepen artistry, alignment and range of motion. This class engages in community-building, maintains a fun, positive learning environment, and supports your whole being.

Colin Stilwell is a former Doug Varone and Dancers company member. In NYC, he worked with multiple esteemed choreographers, including Dance by Neil Greenberg, Roseanne Spradlin and others. He had the honor to work with Trisha Brown in developing dance material for the opera Da Gelo a Gelo, and danced in the Metropolitan Opera's Les Troyens and Le Sacre du Printemps. Colin is an adjunct professor at Salve Regina University and a faculty member at Newport Contemporary Ballet, teaching both students and the company. He has guest-taught and presented choreography and dance films for numerous colleges and universities in the U.S. and NYC performance venues. Recently, his dance film Remerge was part of the Ecoperformance Film Festival and received a Brown Arts Institute IGNITE Selection Award. Colin has an MFA in Dance from Hunter College and a BFA in Dance from Purchase College and is a certified massage/bodywork therapist.

3–4:30pm: PELVIC POWER FOR CORE INTEGRATION / KATIE MCNAMARA: This workshop will begin with an introduction to the Franklin Method, which improves the interplay between mind and body to create better movement function. We will use imagery, movement and touch to have a clarified sense of pelvis and apply that to effective movement and posture. To finish we will use Franklin balls to mobilize, train and release around the pelvis.

Katie McNamara has been a passionate movement educator for 25 years. She has taught dance, Pilates, yoga and the Franklin Method, currently at Metamorphosis Dance, Providence Pilates, JMW School for the Arts and more.

Sunday, July 21

11:30am–12:30pm: AUTHENTIC MOVEMENT—TAPPING THE WELL…WITNESSING WHAT ARISES / PAULA SAGER: Authentic Movement invites a process of opening to a deeper source of movement and experience. Our inner witness strengthens as we bring attention to what’s emerging. Embodied presence, insight, and creativity can become more available, supporting us in our work and life. Whether you’re new to this practice or you have experience, all are welcome!

Paula Sager came to Authentic Movement as a dancer and choreographer. She is a faculty member of Circles of Four, a training program designed by Janet Adler, founder of the Discipline of Authentic Movement. Paula is co-editor of Janet’s collected writings, Intimacy in Emptiness: An Evolution of Embodied Consciousness (Inner Traditions, 2022). Paula’s upcoming non-fiction book, The Watch: Time to Witness the Beauty of it All, will be published in early 2025.

1–2:30pm: CONTEMPORARY DANCE & IMPROVISATION / HALEY ANDREWS: The emphasis of this class will be directed toward learning and developing both technical skills and aesthetic sensibilities at an intermediate/advanced level. The fundamentals of contemporary dance technique will be stressed along with rhythmic proficiency and artistry. Movement quality, energy and rhythm will also be explored through improvisational scores and repertoire.

Originally from South Shore Massachusetts, Haley Andrews is a queer freelancing dance artist and choreographer. She graduated from Salve Regina University with a BA in Dance and English Communications. Haley relocated to Boulder, CO in 2018 where she began to construct her project-based contemporary dance company, Andrews Movement. She has showcased her choreography at BandChicago Dance Festival-Hubbard Street Dance (2019), Versatility Dance Fest (C0 & CA, 2019), Mash Up Dance’s International Women’s Day Festival (CA, 2022), and Ballet Rhode Island-RI Women’s Choreography Project (2022 & 2023). She danced with T2 Dance based out of Denver, CO for two seasons, until moving back East in 2020. Haley has had the pleasure of performing live works by Emily Schoen Branch, Jon Lehrer, Jackie Nowicki, Carlos Jones, Spencer Gavin Herin, Ali Brodski, Mike Esperanza, and more. Haley is on staff at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI, teaching contemporary dance, and instructs various adult drop-in style Contemporary classes around RI and the greater Boston area. In March 2024 Haley danced for choreographer Jessi Stegall in The Theremin Vignettes, showcased at the Institute for Contemporary Art in Boston. Haley performed in Simon Montalvo's a house with no walls: first floor in June at the Boston Center for the Arts. Haley is a passionate arts advocate who works to instill social and equitable change in the world, and her own community through her art.  

3–4:30pm: CONTACT IMPROVISATION—THE SPACE BETWEEN US / OLIVIER BESSON: How do we create a dance with space, allowing it to flower in our presence? We bring awareness to the four layers of contact: skin, tissue, bone and negative space. While rising and falling, we experience a spherical sense of space and unlock the efficiency of the helix. We open an inquiry into the space between us.

Olivier Besson began his study of contact improvisation in 1980. His research into improvisation is about finding flow, deep play and experiencing freedom within form. He’s been teaching dancers and actors at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee since 2004.

4:30–7pm: CONTACT IMPROVISATION JAM: A jam is a collective improvisation, open to people of all levels of experience. During this open session, we will begin with an opening circle and a facilitated warm-up, as a “way in” to the dance. After this, the space becomes open for people to dance by themselves, in duet, in larger groups, or to observe. (Please arrive on time for the opening circle, if you have not taken the CI class beforehand.)

The Motion State Arts Stage at FringePVD features dance performances and classes sponsored by MSA. The 2024 Providence Fringe Festival®, presented by The Wilbury Theatre Group in collaboration with WaterFire Providence, the Steel Yard, and community partners throughout Providence, features more than 300 performing artists from across the country sharing their work in theatre, dance, visual arts, and everything in-between.