Dance Sketch Book Portals

Anything can be a dance. Join Urbano Project and Teaching Artist Mary Teuscher for a new collaborative workshop series: Dance Sketch Book Portals! Our project with DSBP focuses on movement generation and will culminate in a video “performance.” Each participant will create their own small “dance sketchbook” of 2+ dance-for-camera pieces. Thinking about how the pandemic and quarantine time has pushed many artists into video format, our goal is to transport viewers into each artist's little world via the theater in their pocket – their phones.

These movement experiences require no prior dance training and will emphasize discussion, movement potential, self acceptance, and creativity. DSBP encourages the use of dance as a creative medium of expression versus a technical skill, centered on embodiment rather than a polished final product. Every movement session will be an effort to use our bodies to articulate landscapes, memories, and treasures found inside our own movement vocabularies.

As a workshop series, participants will be tasked with creating a story arc. Each dance is more like a journal entry. Drawing from my visual art practice, we will view this process as a “sketch book” – nothing is a final product. How can we embody stories, then transmit them through the virtual portal, from real time to recorded media?

People of all ages—adults, seniors, students, and youth age 14 and up—are invited to participate in this workshop series. We will provide you with all materials and instruction, and there is a stipend of up to $200 upon completion of the workshops.

Sessions take place Friday evenings at The Foundry in Kendall Square.

Start Date & Orientation: Friday, December 2, 4:00-6:00pm at The Foundry (101 Rogers St, Cambridge, MA 02142)

Session Dates: December 2 - December 16

• Fridays 4:00-6:00pm: 12/2, 12/9, and 12/16

• Work-in-Progress Showcase, date TBD

We are committed to maintaining a safe, comfortable, and supportive environment for all participants. Every group session will be attended and monitored by an Urbano staff member. At this point, we are not requiring adult participants to complete a CORI check, but please note that this may change and that we are actively assessing the need for this for the safety of youth participants.