Wednesday, June 19, 2013

A tour to remember

One week down and six days to go! Tonight will be our final dress rehearsal for the company's four shows in Baltimore.  We just found out that we will have an unexpected audience tonight; after all our hard work they will be greatly appreciated.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

On the road

Butts hurt, bodies ache, and we are all pretty freaking tired, but still super pumped for New York! We've stopped once in Nashville for food and all our lovely ladies were getting those curious eyes from some fellows...but no one seemed interested in us guys...thank goodness. Anyway, just saw some cows pooping and wishing I could do the same! Road life!!!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

T minus 15 hours!  We hit the road tomorrow afternoon, and are very excited to present our work in NC and Baltimore!  Yes, we are kickin' it old-school, a la Merce Cunningham, only we have one passenger van and a minivan instead of the cool VW bus!

Looking forward to presenting my work.. and getting back to the city and taking classes.  For some of my dancers, this will be their first trip to either place.  Others go to NYC rather often to take classes and dance in workshops and intensives.  For all of them, though, this will be a real treat to perform, take classes, and attend performances while we are there!

If you are interested enough to read this, you are probably one of our biggest supporters, so help us SPREAD THE WORD and PACK THE THEATRES in NYC and Baltimore!  If you know anyone in the greater NYC area, tell them to come see us at Peridance (126 E. 13th St.) at 2pm on Sunday, June 16.  Those of you with friends and loved ones in the Baltimore/DC area, please tell ALL your friends, and have them come with you to see us perform at Baltimore Theatre Project (45 W. Preston St.) June 20-23.  (Thu, Fri & Sat @ 8pm; Sun @ 3pm)


Wednesday, June 5, 2013

NEW WORK taking shape!

Well, it is a miracle, but our newest work, Place, finally has a shape to it.  We are still working on it as we continue to rehearse other works, but I think it is actually going to make it into the concert!  After being so happy with Engendered Species, I was almost afraid to start creating this newest piece.  However, I would not trade the process for the world!  I have an amazing group of dancers that make it a joy to birth a new creation.  We are still on that roller-coaster ride, wondering if everything will be as polished as we would like when we perform it, but I think this is going to be an amazing concert!

So... our concert consists of:
Oui, Oui, Paris! (2010)
Covetous, the Bond Endures (2001)
Engendered Species (2013)
American Dream (2012)
Place (2013 - TODAY! - actually, this will premiere in NYC, fully produced in Baltimore)
So, Love... (2011)
and
Alternate Realities (2005)

Whew!  We have been busy!  We are still not sure about the costumes for Place.  We may be thrift-shopping as we stop for lunch on our way to NYC!  ;)  

See you in NYC and Baltimore soon!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

A Dancer's Update

Hi Readers,

My name is Heidee, and I am one of the ten dancers preparing to go on tour with TeeBoDans. I am excited and grateful to be a part of this project! I met Stephanie when I transferred to UALR in August of 2012. From the beginning, I have enjoyed the challenges presented from all of my technique classes. Stephanie's modern classes in particular are high energy as is her choreography. I knew early in the spring semester that she was recruiting dancers for her project, "State of Being," but I never thought she would be calling me into her office asking me to join! Needless to say, I was thrilled and accepted immediately.
This tour will be my first time to visit New York. However, my nerves are remotely settled because this group of dancers is not only incredibly talented but also a joy to work with.


Only nine more days until we load up the vans!

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Welcome to the TeeBoDans "State of Being" tour 2013 BLOG!  We are very excited about this project, and thought we would try a blog to record some of our experiences throughout the tour.

The "State of Being" project will tour the choreographic works of Stephanie Thibeault, performed by talented Arkansas dancers, to NYC and Baltimore in mid-June.

It all started with a Summer Research Grant from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.  In order to even consider touring, I had to take on a massive private fundraising effort.  Thanks to USA PROJECTS, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that helps raise funds for artist's projects (and to the Arkansas Arts Council, for pointing me in their direction), we were able to raise enough to make this tour a reality.  As with many grassroots efforts like this, we found that our friends and family--along with colleagues and fellow artists--were very generous, and enjoyed supporting a project that hit so close to home.

Shortly after deciding to do this project, I began inviting dancers to take part in the project.  After a long several months, and a few injuries and other life changes, I am now working with a group of 10 dancers, all Arkansas residents and promising artists for our future.

We are now in the rehearsal process, and I could not be more delighted!  These dancers are working hard and making beautiful things happen.  This promises to be an exciting tour! I look forward to showing my work in front of audiences in NYC and Baltimore, and I am proud that we have such talented--and well-trained--dancers here in The Natural State!  Part of the reason for this tour was to network our most talented dancers with the broader dance world.  I believe this tour will provide excellent networking opportunities for the dancers and for myself.

OK... Now that you know a little about our project, we are going to start blogging to keep you up-to-date on the progress.  See you soon!     -Stephanie Thibeault, Artistic Director, Tee-Bo-Dans